《The Mage of Primordial Chaos》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue - The Primordial Chaos

    <em>"To survive is to suffer, but to live, is to find some meaning in that suffering."</em>


    *****


    It is said that there existed a time before time, where the world had yet to be created. During this period of nothingness, the only entity that existed was Chaos. A swirling mass of blinding energy that had the potential to bring both evesting creation and endless destruction.


    ...That is, if there was anything to destroy.


    Indeed - there was nothing. Nothing at all, except for Chaos. There was nothing to apany it but endless darkness - but s, it didn''t mind. Chaos didn''t know anything except that it needed to grow. That was its only purpose - its nature, if you will. It could not be controlled by anything, nor was there anything else in existence to control it - or at least, that''s what it thought.


    One day-


    But what was a ''day'' anyway? What was Time? No matter - it didn''t even exist.


    -A certain individual appeared. Chaos was both surprised and curious at the same time - after all, it was supposed to be the only existence in this endless darkness of nothingness. Amidst the confusion, the figure raised his right hand and directed it towards the swirling mass of energy.


    "From this day on, you are known as The Primordial Chaos."


    Chaos - or rather, The Primordial Chaos, was puzzled. If it were a person, it undoubtedly would have blinked a few times in confusion right then and there. Had this...mysterious individual just renamed it? Changed the title that its had for eternity? But the figure was not quite done yet. He went on.


    "While you have the power to bring endless destruction, you also have the ability to bloom limitless creation. I have been searching for something like you for a long time now," the being said calmly. Strangely enough, Chaos was able to understand what he was saying, even though it had never experienced something like this before.


    "You are now mypanion," the mysterious being continued. "I will use your power as my source, and create a multiverse with it. Are you interested?"


    Chaos was very interested. It had always been doing nothing except growing. This was a chance for it to try something else for once. The figure then smiled upon sensing that Chaos had consented.


    "Come."


    Chaos felt a sudden suction forceing from the mysterious individual. However, it knew there was no ill intent behind this action. It showed no resistance and entered the figure''s body smoothly.


    "It seems that I was indeed correct. This power is what I need," the entity spoke as the element of Chaos filled his entire existence. "With this, I am able to create a brand new multiverse...one that is free from the shackles of the inevitable decay of all creation. Yes...this multiverse will thrive forever and ever. My goal...has atst, been aplished."


    *****


    In the endless darkness, a single figure walked calmly, with an air of elegance and tranquility. After finally stopping at a certain location in the infinite darkness, he decided that this was a good ce to begin creating the multiverse. He spread his arms wide and drew on the power of the Primordial Chaos, now residing within him.


    One by one, new elements and concepts began to form, starting with Time and Space. Then came Fire, Water, Earth, and Sky, followed by Shadow and Light. These 8 elements were the foundation of the universe, which was nowplete. However, with the power of Time, evolution took ce and eventually new elements began to form, including Ice, Poison, Psychic, and Curse.


    As Time continued its work, humans and other life forms also began existing.


    The rules of this world state that all living beings have magic elements dwelling within them from birth. Thus, the world became a society of magic. However, humans were not the only ones who could wield it - there were other races that could use magic as well, including the Beasts, Demons, Vampires, and Elves. The most fearsome of all are the Elementals, creatures born directly from ces extremely rich in the essence of one element. Civilization arose, wars broke out among the various races, and the world of magic continued to advance.


    At a certain point in the long history of the multiverse, magic was soon split into several levels by the International Magic Foundation - the most powerful organization on the of Xenith, a lower realm world within the vast multiverse of magic. Of course, as Xenith is a lower realm, these rankings only go up to the limits of the lower realm.


    Level One - The most basic of attacks, they are the first thing you learn after foundations.


    Level Two - More advanced, but still rtively easy to cast once you''ve memorized the name and, if applicable, body movement.


    Level Three - Most people are only able to cast up to Level Three spells. They are highly sophisticated and impossible to learn just by reading a textbook. Instead, you have to practice the spell countless times to fully control it and get it right.


    Legendary - Starting from here, magic takes on a new definition. It is not only a tool forbat and day-to-day usage, but also a phenomenon powerful enough to alter the very world. Legendary-tier spells cany waste to an entire city.


    Mythic - Mythic-tier offensive spells are on par with a nuclear bomb, perhaps even stronger.


    Saint - Saint-Tier spells are what you might describe as Armageddon. Should someone decide to unleash an offensive-type Saint-Tier spell, No one in the hemisphere would survive.


    Divine - Divine Magic is equivalent to godly powers. They can rewrite thews of nature itself or even eradicate the entire.


    All of the descriptions are exaggerated, and under the premise that no defenses or resistance of any kind is put up, of course.


    <strong>F??O?R??B???I???DD???E???N??? ??M?A???G?I??C??? ? - E???R?R??O?R??</strong>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Eventually, a world-wide ranking system for mages was established as well on the of Xenith, agreed to by all sixteen main races.


    Novice Mage - The rank you are given when you first begin to study magic, normally in high school.


    Intermediate Mage - A slightly higher rank, expected to be able to use Level Two spells.


    Advanced Mage - Usually, people achieve this rank by the time they are in university. Exceptional talents may reach this rank earlier, as long as they can perform a Level Three spell with ease.


    Ancestral Mage - This title is given to those who are able to cast Legendary spells. Some people spend their entire life trying to reach this level.


    Golden Monarch - Removing the "Mage" title, Golden Monarchs are individuals capable of using Legendary Magic, and have also unlocked a Battle Soul. They are all big-shots in the world, CEOs of hugepanies or patriarchs of well-known magic sects.


    Holy Emperor - capable of using Mythic-level magic. It is said that all Council of Arcanity (the executives of the International Magic Foundation) members are Holy Emperors.


    Saint - Saints are powerful beings that have transcended mortalism. They can use Saint-tier magic, of course, and is said to be able to live forever.


    Divine God - This title appeared only in legends, on the lowly of Xenith: it was reserved for the very person that was believed to have created the universe. However, Divine Magic does exist - meaning if you were able to cast it, you would be given the title of the Divine God, albeit no one has been able to yet.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Yes, this was how the magical multiverse came to be. Created by a single individual - or rather, born from the element of Chaos. However, no one in any race has ever been able to awaken the Chaos element, known to be the most powerful of all. Eventually, this mysterious element became nothing more than a legend - a tale spread among the peoples, but impossible to recreate. Because of this, there is little to no information on it. Who knows? Maybe I will be the first being in all of existence to awaken the almighty Chaos element.


    ...


    Haha. Yeah, right. I''m amused by my own joke. My name is Xuan Kai, and I was born without an innate element. Not even a trace of magic could be found within me, so you can probably guess what my life was destined to be like. Think about it. In a world where magic is the basics of everything, a lone child, a single one, has no magic at all.


    I guess, in a way, I am very unique. Out of all of the 6.5 billion living inhabitants on this, spread through 16 races - excluding X-Machina because they aren''t ''living'' - I am the only one without any magic. A rare talent indeed. Such a thing would spread in the news like wildfire as it did with me, and so far, I was the only case. You might think this would make me an excellentb rate for aspiring magic researchers. But no - that wasn''t the case. Even researchers failed to see any worth in researching me, and figured I was just an unlucky kid.


    Everything had a first, after all - I just happened to be the first one in this case.


    So, yeah - I was bullied my entire life, treated like trash. Neglected by my family, devoid of any friends, cheated on by my own fianc¨¦e - that''s me. Sound like a clich¨¦ Xianxia fiction novel protagonist? Ha. Oh, how I wish it was merely fiction. But no...this was all too real.


    From the day I was born, I was fated to be trash. But I''m not backing down. If fate wants to make me suffer, I will defy fate itself. If destiny wants me to die, I''ll kill destiny first. And if the heavens want to crush me, I will stand up against even the heavens!

 Chapter 2 - Xuan Kais Daily Life

    "Shit..." I muttered under my breath, after getting whacked on the head with a textbook.


    "What was that?" my teacher at Shenzhen Magic High School, Mr. Wang, said with a quirked eyebrow.


    "Uh...I said hit. I meant to say ''you hit me''," I replied, hoping to cover it up.


    "The next time you start daydreaming in ss, it won''t be as simple as just a ''hit''. I will have you expelled from the school. You''re useless anyway, and don''t have any magic power at all. What''s the point of being at this high school? Tch."


    "Mr. Wang, you shouldn''t bother yourself with trash like him," my ssmate, Li Yi Fei, interjects. "His stupidity may be contagious!"


    Laughter erupted throughout the ss. Insults came flying toward me faster than Voltage Strike, a Sky Element spell famous for being on par with a real lightning bolt in terms of speed.


    "Look at his pitiful face, he can''t even deny anything we say!"


    "Why don''t you just get out of the school on your own before you are forced to? At least you''ll save some face that way."


    "Something, er no - someone, really reeks, almost like trash! Hahaha!"


    Then, in the midst of insults and nders, a clear voice cut through the humiliation.


    "That''s enough...stop bullying him," Yu An Xue, a female ssmate of mine, said. Themonly acknowledged campus belle with her angelic looks and beautiful figure, as well as the daughter of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, a well-known city near the Magic Capital, Shanghai.


    Theughter died out, and the ssroom returned to normal, more or less.


    "Tch. You''re lucky this time around, Fei Wu Kai. Getting your ass saved by a girl, how heroic," Zhang Zhe Rui, the topckey of Li Yi Fei, said harshly. He then turned to Li Yi Fei and immediately changed his tone to that of a servant to his master. "Brother Li, let''s let him go for this time, he won''t survive for much longer anyway."


    Fei Wu Kai was one of themonly known nicknames for me. Basically, it means ''trash Kai'', except they turned it into a name.


    "Of course. Since Lady Yu said so, we willply," Li Yi Fei said, doing what he does best - picking up girls using his background and money. Fortunately - well, <em>un</em>fortunately for Li Yi Fei - Yu An Xue is a cool beauty, and with her family status, how could a boy like Li Yi Fei sway her? Sure, Li Yi Fei is also from one of the Four Great Families, the Li family, but he''s going to need more than that to pick up Yu An Xue.


    "..."


    Yu An Xue gave no response, just as I had expected. How do I know these things, you ask? Well, let''s just say I have...experience. A lot of it. If there''s anything I''m not missing, it''s the experience of getting treated like an insect. Talent? Status? Money? Hell, even the most basic, no matter how minimal, magical powers? I have none of it. I was treated this way ever since I was born, and was tragically tested that I had no awoken element from birth. The servants were ordered to keep their mouths shut, but...some people wanted to see my parents fall.


    As soon as the news was spread, the family neglected me in order to protect its reputation as one of the Four Great Families, the Xuan family. I had no friends, no wealth, no status. I was just a maggot exiled from my own family, simply because I had no magical powers.


    I guess you could say I am quite the rare species, considering no one in this entire universe before has ever been tested at their birth and ended up receiving a result of not even a trace of magical power - such news would spread like wildfire like it did with me, after all...and so far? I haven''t heard anything.


    Now, you might be wondering, wouldn''t magic researchers be dying to use me as ab rat? Haha, no. Even <em>they</em> want nothing to do with me. But well, I guess this was a good thing, in it''s own right. I would rather be all alone than some mad scientist''s guinea pig.


    My parents were the only thing I had. Even if I was trash, my parents never abandoned me. They''ve worked hard over the years and managed to at least support my daily life and get me into this magic high school. To a boy with nothing else, his parents are his everything.


    ...And that, not long ago, was taken away from me too.

 Chapter 3 - Xuan Ying & Qing Ruo Lan

    My father''s name was Xuan Ying, eldest son of the current Xuan family patriarch. Born with two innate elements and had five at the stage of Advanced Mage when he was assassinated, he was practically worshipped as a genius of the Xuan family. My mother, Qing Ruo Lan from the Qing family of the Four Great Families, was also a natural talent along with her beauty, and simrly had five elements at the time of her death.


    In order to raise me, my parents used up all their favors and wealth over the years. They tried desperately to awaken an element in me, but to no avail. They used their high statuses to put me in the Shenzhen Magic High School, hoping that I would suddenly awaken my element someday after gaining some advanced magical knowledge.


    But s, no matter how hard they tried, not a single trace of any element could found within me. I was so ashamed of myself for not living up to their expectations that I had wanted to end my own life at some point. Why was God, if one truly existed, so cruel to me? That''s what I thought at the time. I had wanted to be a unique talent, treated the same way my parents were when they were growing up. It''s like fate yed a trick on me...


    ...God made me unique alright, he made me the only individual out of the entire world with this useless body, incapable of any magic at all.


    But I knew. I knew that sitting around here and ming the heavens isn''t going to help me. If whoever is up there made me this way, there''s no reason for him to listen to my pleas now. I only had myself to rely on.


    In the end, I decided to live on. My parents must''ve sensed something, because one night, when I was just debating whether or not to end my life right then and there, they called me downstairs for a talk that saved my very being. But perhaps...on that day, I should have just taken thatst step forward off the edge of the building.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    - 2020, October 31st. Exactly one year before my parents'' assassinations -


    "Son, you are not useless. Don''t forget that," my father said, in a firm tone.


    "That''s right. You may just have a reallyte awakening," my mother supplemented, not showing any sign of hesitation.


    "Mom, Dad, it''s okay. You don''t have tofort me," I replied to them. "This son of yours is a disgrace. I am...ashamed that I cannot live up to your expectations."


    My mother immediately refuted me. "Don''t say that. Mom believes that you are powerful. The one fated to rule this world, even."


    "That might be a bit of a stretch, but...don''t worry, my son," my dad said while putting his hand on my shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Your mother and I will do our utmost best to help you awaken your elements."


    I couldn''t help it. My parents - they still haven''t given up on me, even when I had already given up on myself, nning to end my own life. I couldn''t keep up the tough boy act anymore and broke down in tears.


    "Mom, Dad...Thank you. Truly," I stuttered out while weakly sobbing.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 2022, November 7th. Present Time -</strong>


    Thus, I lived on. Not for the sake of myself, but for the sake of my parents. What kind of unfilial son would I be if I were to waste all of their efforts? Therefore, I worked even harder than before. I payed attention in ss no matter how distracting the insults were. I trained my physical body to the limits and also practiced martial techniques to protect myself.


    Of course, no matter how hard I worked, I am still nothing but an ant inparison to those with magic. I knew this harsh truth. In a reality weaved by the strings of magic and arcane powers, martial arts aren''t going to do you much good.


    But I did not give up. I thought that as long as my parents were still there supporting me from behind, I could awaken my magic one day - live up to their expectations, one day. However...


    This hope, was soon broken.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 2021, October 31st. The day of my parents'' assassinations. -</strong>


    I would never forget this day.


    I remember it was raining on that fateful night. I was about to head to bed when I heard a loud explosion downstairs, strikingly simr to that of a door getting sted open. I went down the circr staircase in our house immediately and peeked my head around the pole in the middle. Indeed, it was Fire Magic. the ce where the door should''ve been was filled with the remnants of the explosion, embers scattered around everywhere. My parents stood calmly, ready to fight if need be.


    "Who are you?" My father asked with a murderous gleam in his eyes.


    "That is not important," the assassin replied curtly.


    "Well, I guess you are right. You''ll soon be dead anyway, for daring tounch an attack on my family."


    "Hehehe...just you?" The assassin asked deviously. "You really think I would fight the genius of the Xuan family alone?"


    Just as my father understood the meaning behind his words, seven more shadowy figures appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.


    -Assassins.


    "You....all of you are Advanced Mages," my father said while gritting his teeth, a grim look on his face. Then, turning to my mother, he said faintly, "Ruo Lan, I can''t take on all eight of them, but I can at least hold them back. Take Kai Kai away - hurry!"


    "What? I can''t do that! How can I leave you here against eight Advanced Mages, all alone? You''ll di-" my mother yelled in response, unwilling to go.


    "Just go! We don''t have time to stand around here arguing. Take Kai Kai and escape!"


    "I-"


    "Father is right. Mother, we have to leave now," I interrupted her firmly. Then, trailing off, I muttered to myself quietly. "If only I were more useful..."


    Although I did not want to leave behind my father either, I knew that it was the right decision to make. Even if all three of us stayed behind...we still would''ve been annihted. No matter how powerful or talented my parents were, they cannot win against eight people the same rank as them, especially not with me as nothing more than dead weight. In fact, the assassins could use me as a hostage, and my parents would have no choice but to obey their every order - including suicide.


    "...Alright," my mother finally agreed reluctantly, after thinking things through calmly.


    "Trying to run?!" One of the eight assassins attempted to leap over my father and target us directly.


    "Your opponent is right here. If you want to get to them, you''ll have to do so over my dead body!" my father yelled as he jumped to intercept the assassin.


    The assassin that originally was nning to go after mother and I fell back to the ground and targeted my father together with the other seven.


    "Damn it...fine! We''ll grant your death wish!"


    "Kill him!" The assassins screamed in unison.


    <strong>BOOM! ZAP! CRASH!</strong>


    The explosions and crashes faded away, clouded by the midnight rain, as my mother and I escaped into the dead of night.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Some Time Later -</strong>


    "Okay...I think we will be safe here," my mother said while looking left and right.


    We were in a dark alleyway between tworge buildings, protected from the rain by the roofs.


    "Mother...I''m sorry. If I were stronger, this wouldn''t have happened," I spoke my true feelings to her.


    "My son, don''t worry about it. Your father is very strong, and you know that. I''m sure he can survive."


    "But still...I''m sure those assassins were sent by someone who wanted to topple you guys, especially after learning of me, your useless son. I will be used as a tool to justify your assassination."


    <em>Ah...how ironic. I''ve been useless all my life, and the one time I''m used for something, it''s as a tool to kill my own parents, the only two people who have never abandoned me.</em>


    "It is not your fault. If anything, the me lies with your father and I for letting you suffer from a situation like this."


    "No! Mom, this entire plot was caused because of me! The reason they can move against you is because of my disabili-"


    "Shush!" My mother suddenly whispered sharply.


    Very faintly, a tapping sound could be heard. They slowly grew louder and louder.


    <em>Footsteps...</em>


    "Where do you think those two imbeciles went? That woman and her son," a familiar voice said.


    Yes - it was the voice of the assassin that had once tried to leap over father.


    "Hmph. We already took care of the dangerous one, those two aren''t going to be much of a threat," a second voice replied.


    <em>...Took care of the dangerous one...? N-No way...</em>


    <em>...</em>


    <em>...Father?!</em>


    I nced up at my mother. She had a grim expression on her face, and probably thought of the same thing I did. After a short while, the footsteps faded away...but our worries did not.


    Mother let out a huge exhale. "Kai Kai...you heard him just now. I''m afraid your father...he..."


    "I understand," I responded briskly. I cannot afford to break down here, no matter how hard it was to keep the tears inside.


    Suddenly, a thunderbolt came flying at us. Before I even had time to react, my mother put up a water barrier.


    "Level Two Water Magic - Hydrobarrier!" She yelled.


    The assassin thatunched the lightning attack at usughed. "Oho...some quick reactions you got there. I''m impressed."


    "Your attack was merely too slow," mother replied insultingly.


    "...Huh?! What did you just say, you bitch?!" the assassin yelled heatedly, expression twisting behind his ck mask. His tone immediately changed at my mother''s provocation...although personally, I didn''t think provoking him was a good choice here.


    My mother scoffed. "It seems like your attacks aren''t the only thing that''s slow. Or did the rain get in your ear so you can''t hear anything?"


    "You are really pissing me off now..." the assassin muttered angrily.


    Mother then turned to me. "Kai Kai, you must go now. Seek refuge in the school. The assassins will not follow you there."


    She took off the stone pendant she always wore around her neck and pushed it into my hands. "From now on, you are to live in the dormitories. In the near future, do not step outside the school unless you absolutely need to. Do you understand?" she smiled bitterly. "Go. Live on."


    "Mother, I..." I couldn''t bring myself to finish the sentence.


    <em>I want to stay behind and fight with you together.</em>


    That was what I had wanted to say, as her son. But I knew better. I don''t even have enough strength to take down mages my own age, much less an Advanced Mage level assassin. I grasped the rough stone given to me by mother in my hand tightly, and ran out of the alley and turned left. Just as I was about to head towards the school, however, I happened to hear something. Just barely, but audible.


    "Tell me who sent you," my mother said calmly.


    "Huh? Why should I tell you? You are a dead woman anyway," the assassin replied arrogantly.


    "It is precisely because I am a dead woman that I wish to know. I am still a member of therge Qing family - I think I at least deserve to know who wants to murder my husband and child."


    I pondered. I decided to stay behind. This...this was something I needed to know.


    I know, mother. You are cing your hopes in me.


    I know. I will take revenge for you.


    "Hmph. Fine, we aren''t real assassins anyway, I suppose there''s no need for us to abide by their code. Very well. Since you''re a pretty woman...the one who sent us..."


    After a dramatic pause, he continued. "...Is none other than your loving husband''s own brother, the second son of the Xuan family patriarch - Xuan Yang."


    "How does it feel, getting betrayed by your own family?" another assassin chuckled with a bold sneer, dropping down from the roof of a nearby building.


    "...I see," With that brisk reply as her final words, I watched in despair as a sharp rock erupted from the wet concrete and impaled my mother''s heart. She didn''t even try to fight, because she knew I was already safe, and it was pointless fighting back. But just before she fell, she turned to my direction faintly, and gave a gentle smile. That smile...it reminded me of the words she had said moments earlier.


    <em>Live on.</em>


    I spun around and ran and ran. Even if I fell down, I forced myself up and kept running, all the way to the school. I scanned my face at the gate and entered my dormitory. I ran up the stairs and walked the seemingly endless distance towards my room, desperate and torn. Other students saw me in this wretched state, but I didn''t care.


    <em>Compared to what I just saw happen before my very eyes...these looks of disgust are nothing.</em>


    I ignored the whispers that surrounded me, saying I reek of sweat or I look like a beggar. Finally, after what felt like an entire era, I reached my room at the end of the hall.


    Blinded by both my tears and rainwater, I couldn''t even make out the number listed on the te of the door. But that didn''t matter-


    -Nothing did, at this point.


    I knew by instinct that this was my room. It took me several attempts to finally fit the key in the keyhole, and opened the door with thest of my remaining strength. As I pushed open the door, the momentum carried through and I copsed immediately onto the floor.


    Thest thing I remember after that is the roughness of the mysterious stone pendant in my hands, and the empty feeling within my heart.

 Chapter 4 - An Unexpected Visitor

    <strong>- 2022, November 7th. Present Time. -</strong>


    sses were over for the day and I returned to my room, reminiscing - no, that''s not a good word - remembering about the past. I opened the windows and made myself some tea.


    In any case, that''s the story on how my parents died.


    Indeed, they died because of me.


    As I was thinking of this while sitting on the couch, the cool and gentle evening wind blowing against my face, I unconsciously stared at the area on the floor where I had once copsed holding the stone pendant. I opened the secretpartment in my bed and took out the ne that had once belonged to my mother. I had not touched it ever since that day. As I held it in my hands, I remembered the familiar feeling of the stone, each surface and vertex.


    All the despair and frustration I had at the time came rushing back to me at once, and a tear streaked down my right cheek against my will. I couldn''t help it. They gave up everything for me - by that time, the only thing they had left was their life - and they gave that to me as well. But I''m still the same as always. Useless. Ipetent. The insults thate at me everyday? They are all true. That''s why I can''t refute.


    I suddenly heard knocking at my door and immediately wiped the tears from my face, clearing my mind. Ever since my parents passed away, I''ve turned into a cold, merciless, and devious person, not showing an ounce of weakness - I cannot let anyone see me with a tear on my face. I readied myself for whoever it is and walked calmy towards the unknown visitor.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, are you there?" a cute and yful voice called out.


    Although separated by the block of wood known as a door, I could immediately identify who it was by hearing her voice alone, and just knowing that immediately lifted my spirits, ever so slightly. But that joy quickly turned into skepticism as I frowned.


    "How are you here?" I asked through the sound transmission technology implemented in the wall.


    "Oh c''mon, I''ll exinter. Can''t you let me in first?"


    I unlocked the door and pushed it open.


    "Come in," I said.


    "I''ve been standing here for a while now, what took you so long?" the girl about my chest''s height asked as she entered my room and slid right past me.


    I closed the door and followed behind her. "I was...uh, thinking about things."


    "Mmm...is that so? Why are your eyes red then?"


    "I couldn''t sleep wellst night." A lie.


    "Ah. Very believable," the feminine figure said as she plopped on my couch and made herselffortable. "A boy like you who doesn''t have a care in the world? I know you too well. How is it even possible for you to ''not sleep well''?"


    "Think as you wish," I answered briskly and sat down next to her.


    This girl is my only friend in this world, the only person apart from my parents that didn''t abandon me and treat me like trash. Her name is Qing Yue, from the Qing family just like my mother, and one of the top beauties in Shenzhen along with Yu An Xue. We aren''t rted by blood, but I still treat her as a little sister even though she is only one month younger than me.


    "Ah mou~don''t be mad!" she eximed hurriedly, thinking I was angry at her. "Look what I brought you!"


    "I''m not mad," I replied honestly.


    "Well, whatever," Qing Yue shrugged off my reply as she took out a neatly wrapped box out of the bag she was carrying. "Here!" she yelled excitedly as she presented the box to me.


    I was confused as she held out the box to me. Was this what you call a ''present''? But for what? I took it from her hands and asked, "What is this?"


    She blinked a few times. "Um...Big Brother Xuan Kai, don''t tell me you really forgot..."


    "...I''m not sure I understand what you mean."


    She sighed and shaked her head. "Then I, as your little sister, shall remind you. What day is it today, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    "It is...I don''t know. November?" I replied truthfully.


    To me, there was never anything to look forward to tomorrow anyway, so I never really kept track of dates. It would just be the same cycle of getting insulted and humiliated, repeated over and over again. Not really amusing, is it?


    "Wow...how do you not even know the date?!" my little sister yelled.


    She pouted a little as I remained silent, then finally said, "It''s November the 7th."


    "...I see."


    "So? You know what the asion is now?"


    "It''s...November the 7th."


    "AHH MOU~~! You are such a dimwit!" Qing Yue eximed angrily.


    Just calling me a ''dimwit''? That kind of verbal attack won''t even scratch me. After all, I am exposed to insults and humtions a hundred times worse everyday. And besides, this girl would never insult me for real. She was too nice for that.


    "..." I fell silent once more, unsure of what to say in response.


    "It''s your birthday today!" she yelled atst, exasperated.


    <em>Wait...are those tears in her eyes? Did I make her cry? Oh, shit...</em>


    "Today is my birthday?" I asked in a softer tone.


    She nodded. "Yes! And this cake is a gift from me, to you." she smiled happily.


    <em>Funny how girls'' emotions can change so easily.</em>


    "Uh...your face is red," I remarked.


    "Yes! Because I''m happy! But that''s the part you pay attention to?!" she yelled, irritated again.


    "Er, no-"


    Qing Yue then suddenly got up and headed towards the door, clearly in a bad mood.


    "Leaving?" I asked.


    "Yes! Because you''re such a dummy!"


    Her attack was ineffective. However, I still decided to apologize, even though I''m not sure what exactly I did wrong.


    "I''m sorry," I said quietly. But it was enough. She heard it. "And thank you for bringing me...a present."


    She stopped in her tracks. "...You''re wee."


    "Sorry...I made you mad."


    "Hmph. As long as you know. I forgive you," she said as she headed back towards me and sat down next to me on the couch once again.


    Because I had no experience doing this kind of thing as my parents never really celebrated my birthdays like this, and instead just told me ''happy birthday'', Qing Yue took the initiative and led me. I was told to close the lights. When I returned, Qing Yue had a lighter in her hand as for illumination, and I could see the cake was already taken out and ced on the small table in front of the couch. The lighter was no normal tool, however. It was a Magic Artifact - using mana as its energy source. She lit the candles with the me carefully and beckoned me toe over.


    "Come here, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" she told me. "You have to now make a wish then blow out all the candles in one breath!"


    Make a wish?


    "...I see," I replied.


    I sat down on the couch and closed my eyes.


    <em>I''ve never done this before...and I have no idea who exactly I''m making a wish to. But whoever is on the other side - if there''s something I wish for - it''s Qing Yue''s safety. I don''t have the power to protect her right now...so please - watch over her for me.</em>


    And as for my other, more bloodthirsty wish...


    ...I''ll fulfill that with my own strength.


    "I''m finished," I said.


    "Nice! What did you wish for?" Qing Yue asked.


    "I...wished for you."


    "H-Huh?" Qing Yue appeared confused, caught by surprise, but then suddenly started blushing. "R-Really?"


    "I mean, I wished that you can have a happy life."


    "Oh, so that''s what you meant..." she looked slightly saddened. But then she took a deep breath and continued after clearing her throat. "A-Ahem, why...why didn''t you wish for something for yourself?"


    I shrugged. "Nothing is going to help me. Instead of wasting this wish, I would rather use it for you."


    "Ah..." she said slowly, before turning and looking the other way so I couldn''t see her face. I could hear her sniffling.


    <em>She...seems to be crying.</em>


    "Hehe...Thank you, Big Brother Xuan Kai," she murmured quietly.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to make you cry." What did I do wrong this time?


    But Qing Yue shook her head slowly. "No no...I''m not crying because I''m sad. I''m crying because I''m happy."


    "..." once again, I fell silent.


    <em>Crying because you''re happy, huh? I wonder...I wonder if I can do that someday as well.</em>


    "A-Anyway! Happy 14th Birthday, Big Brother Xuan Kai," she beamed happily at me, wiping her tears away.


    As an aside, anyone that saw her like that would''ve gotten an urge to protect her. The cuteness was overbearing, but I was used to it - and besides, even if she was ugly, I would still protect her no matter what. I''m not about to let the one friend I have in this cruel world die.


    But in any case - 14? These numbers were meaningless to me - after my parents died, every time my birthday rolled around, it just painfully reminded me of just how weak I am, surviving for yet another year as worthless, useless trash. So before long, I forgot. Whether that waspletely idental or subconsciously on purpose...I didn''t know, nor did I care.


    Then, as I moved to follow her instructions and extinguish the mes, something strange happened. All the fires suddenly went out before I even blew it - the candles and the me in Qing Yue''s hand.


    "Huh? Where did my fire go?" she asked no one in particr. "Woah! No way! You blew out all the candles and the fire in my hand together? How is that possible!"


    No...the me in her hand was too far away. It is impossible for me to blow it out from this distance without any magic.


    "Eh? Wait! What is that glowing thing on your neck?" Qing Yue asked.


    I looked down to see what she was talking about. Sure enough, there was a faint orange glowing from the stone pendant I got from mother. However, it vanished after a couple of seconds.


    "Probably just a hallucination. Don''t worry about it," I said to her reassuringly. She agreed and moved to turn on the lights.


    By the time we finished eating the cake, I had forgotten about it as well.


    Although I knew of this tradition known as a ''birthday'', I have never received a cake for it before. Qing Yue always came and found me on my birthday every year to apany me, but never actually brought a gift like today. This was because the Qing family prohibited her from being with me, so she can only make up some excuse to sneak out of the house.


    However, it wasn''t possible for her to bring anything along, it was too risky - someone might notice that whatever she brought, is gone from the house. Hence, we could only enjoy the night with each other. But I was content this way. I was already overjoyed that she would risk getting caught by her family in order to spend time with me.


    But ever since that fateful night when my parents were assassinated, I''ve never felt any emotion. Right now, however, I am more concerned about the fact that she was able toe to the school. She had told me she would exinter. Now is the time.


    "How did you convince your family to allow you to leave the house with a cake in your hands?" I asked suddenly. "And how did you get through the front gates?"


    I had expected Qing Yue to be caught off guard, but it looks like she was prepared for this.


    "Believe it or not, I will be going to this school from now on!" She said proudly.


    <em>...</em>


    <em>Wait. What?</em>


    "Aren''t you attending a private magic school?" I quickly inquired.


    "I WAS. But I wanted toe to this high school instead, and after some begging my parents allowed me."


    "Why?" The private school is much better than Shenzhen Magic High School. I''ve heard that their principal is a Golden Monarch stage expert. I really don''t understand why she woulde to this school instead.


    "Eh?" It seems she didn''t think I would pry this much. Then, she suddenly broke intoughter, and snuggled up to me tighter. "I just want to experience a public high school too, y''know?"


    "...I see," I replied, although I don''t believe her one bit.


    "...And to be with you, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." she whispered faintly, barely audible under the cool evening breezes. But I heard it.


    "...I see."


    So that was the real reason she wanted toe here. Had my emotions not been brutally killed along with my parents, I would''ve been overjoyed that someone was willing to be with me to the point of transferring schools.


    "Huh?! You heard that?!" She stood up and pointed at me, her face gradually turning red.


    "I did," I answered. I could not lie to her on this matter. It would be hard to exin if I were to be exposed afterwards.


    "W-Well, you heard nothing!" She eximed, desperate to cover up her mistake.


    "You are my only friend, and also my precious little sister. I know that I am too weak to protect you...but I am at least going to try my best. I cannot lose anyone else," I said. "I am really d you are going toe to this school."


    Qing Yue averted her gaze. "Does that mean...you want to be with me too?"


    I pulled her into an embrace. It was awkward, considering our height difference, but at the same time, alsoforting. "I don''t have anyone else left."


    "..."


    "Just remember one thing," I continued. "No matter how much other people harass and insult me, you cannot interfere. Do you understand?" This was for her protection. I don''t want her to be a target as well. Even if she was in one of the 4 Great Families of Shenzhen, the Qing family was still weakpared to the other 3 families. Scum like Li Yi Fei won''t be afraid of offending the Qing family.


    "How can I just stand by and watch my big brother get bullied?!" she responded aggressively.


    "It''s fine. I''m used to it. Don''t get yourself caught up in my mess."


    "We''re family, aren''t we? We share our happiness and troubles together."


    "This...is different. You cannot get involved."


    "...Fine," she agreed reluctantly atst, with a deep sigh.


    But I wasn''t convinced. And soon enough, I would find out that I was right.

 Chapter 5 - The "New Transfer Student"

    It''s a brand new day. Qing Yue went back to the girls dormitories at around 8:00 yesterday night. And now...


    "Good morning ss, today we have a brand new transfer student. Her name is Qing Yue." Mr. Wang said. Then, turning to Qing Yue, he said, "Please introduce yourself."


    Murmurs went up in the ss, saying things along the lines of "Woah, she''s a beauty!" or "Look at all the boys drooling for her already..."


    Qing Yue stepped forward, cleared her throat, and introduced herself.


    <em>Alright, remember now, my cute little sister. Pretend you don''t know me, and in fact, act as if you despise me a litt-</em>


    "Hello everyone! My name is Qing Yue and I am Xuan Kai''s little sister!"


    <em>...Y-You''re kidding me, right?</em>


    Ah...great. Just great. I should''ve made her agree to not show that she has a rtionship with me at all. Or that she hates me. Both would''ve worked. I went through all that trouble getting her to agree not to interfere in my matters and she just shows up and deres she''s my little sister? Truly, an outstanding move. She just wlessly ruined her whole future at this high school.


    "Eh?? She''s Fei Wu Kai''s sister? What a pity..."


    "Damn, she has bad taste. Xuan Kai, of all people?"


    "Looks like trash stick together. Hahaha!"


    Even Mr.Wang''s attitude toward her immediately changed.


    "Are you done? If you''re done, get in your seat," Mr.Wang said coldly, a sneer on his face. "There''s a vacant desk beside Xuan Kai''s, I think you would appreciate that."


    "Thank you very much!" Qing Yue said with a big bright smile on her face. "I indeed appreciate it."


    She then took several confident steps and arrived at her destination, right beside my private space in the corner of the ssroom - well, it''s not so private now.


    "Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" she said as she sat down in her chair and gave me a little wave. Mr. Wang couldn''t care less about me and Qing Yue after she dered herself my little sister, so he doesn''t mind us talking as long as we aren''t loud enough to disturb the ss. In this case, it''s a good thing.


    "...Good morning," I responded quietly. I noticed that Yu An Xue was staring in our direction, but I didn''t show it. "What you just did up there, will cost you your entire high school life." I said stoically as I pointed my chin towards the front of the ssroom where Qing Yue had just been standing moments ago.


    "I know that," she replied loftily.


    "If you knew that already, then why did you still do so? You could''ve had a happy school life with your looks and personality."


    "Because I wanted to," she said nonchntly.


    "You aren''t a little girl anymore. Stop acting like this."


    She let out a pouty "hmph", flicked her hair back, and turned her head the other way, coincidentally meeting Yu An Xue''s eyes. Neither said anything, but I could tell they were both inspecting the other. Qing Yue because she wondered why Yu An Xue was staring at me, and Yu An Xue probably because she was curious about my little sister. After all, no one expected me, the trash with no magic power whatsoever, to have such a beautiful sister, from the Qing family no less. Several seconds passed, and eventually they both retreated and paid attention to the ss.


    <strong>Ringgggg!</strong>


    The loud yet familiar shrill of the school bell rang out after a while, signifying the end of morning sses and the beginning of our 1 hour lunch break. This period of time is the best for discerning who are the popr kids and who are the loners. Me? It''s obvious, isn''t it?


    Everyone quickly packed their things and rushed for the door, racing to be the first one out of the ssroom. Friends banded together as groups and chatted excitedly about where they would go to eat today and other misceneous topics. As for me, I stayed in the ssroom and waited until everyone else is gone. I mean, who would want to eat with me anyway?


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, where do you want to go eat?"


    I take back what I just said.


    "Qing Yue...I forgot you were here," I stated.


    "I''m sitting right next to you and you still manage to forget that I exist?!" Qing Yue asked unhappily. "Am I that unimportant to you?"


    "That''s...not what it is."


    "Whatever. I''ll repeat my question - where do you want to go eat?"


    "I usually just go to the cafeteria..."


    "Eh? The cafeteria? But the food there is horrible isn''t it?"


    "It''s edible. That''s all I care about. I really don''t mind if it tastes bad."


    "Well I do! C''mon, I''ll take you somewhere!"


    "You''ll beughed at if you''re seen together with me..." I trailed off.


    She sighed and grabbed my hand. "Who cares? Let''s go!"


    And so, I was forcefully dragged away from my normal routine. As I followed behind her, all I could see was her angelic long white hair, swaying side to side as she ran. And right then and there, I swore to myself that I would protect her, no matter what it takes - even if it costs me my life.


    <em>I...can''t let anyone else important to me die.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 2022, November 8th. The Starry City -</strong>


    "So? Why exactly are we at a hotel?" I asked. Yep - this girl has brought me to a 5-star hotel in Shenzhen, The Starry City.


    "What are you thinking about? It''s not like we''re going to sleep together or anything," she brushed my remark off with ease.


    <em>Why are you doing so much for me, Qing Yue?</em>


    "I never said anything of the sort," I replied. "I am merely questioning why we are at a hotel instead of a restaurant. Are we eating room service food?"


    Realizing that she had been exposed - she was the one thinking those thoughts, not me - she hurriedly attempted to change the topic. "A-Ahem! Anyway, we are nearing our destination. The restaurant we are going to is named Grange Grill, it''s inside the hotel. Does it ring a bell?"


    "I''ve heard of that ce before. Oh, and also...no, I don''t hear any bell sounds at the moment."


    "That was a figure of speech..." she said, exasperated. "Well, I can''t really me you, can I, Big Brother Xuan Kai? No one talks to you in general, so it''s only natural you don''t know these things."


    "That''s...correct." <em></em>


    <em>That''s correct, but...did you really have to point it out like that though? Ouch.</em>


    Not long after, we reached the restaurant known as Grange Grill. Turns out, it served Western cuisine, and is famous for its steaks. It gave off an air of royalty, clearly a part of the high-ss district. I then inspected myself a little bit.


    "This is going to suck..." I muttered.


    Qing Yue didn''t seem to notice. Everyone else did, however. As soon as we walked inside, dozens of stares were focused on us - me, in particr. I looked around at the other diners of the restaurant wearing luxury brand tuxedos and dresses, then looked at myself in my ck hoodie and ripped jeans.


    I didn''t have a school uniform, so this was the only thing I could wear. When I had applied for a uniformst year, the secretarydy told me that there weren''t any left of my size. But on the way back to the ssroom, I had noticed another student around my size enter the office.


    "Hello, ma''am! Are there any uniforms my size?" he had asked.


    "Oh! If it isn''t third young master Li! Of course there are, we have plenty of spares for all sizes," the secretary had answered.


    Although I knew already that thedy was lying to me, hearing this exchange still made me frustrated. But s, what could I do? I can only me myself for being too useless.


    So, here I am, wearing cheap,moner''s clothes in a luxurious Western cuisine restaurant. Not long after, we were led to a table for two in the corner of the room. Qing Yue thanked the waiter after receiving a menu from him, and as she flipped through the exquisitely designed booklet, I surveyed our surroundings. It was the first time I was in such a first-rate ce.


    As I was examining the luxury of this ce, my eyes coincidentallynded on two people that looked around my age chatting happily at a table on the other side of the room. They sure looked like a couple. The word ''lovey-dovey'' was practically written in the air with some kind of Sky Magic (there''s gotta be a spell for that, right?). The two of them matched each other nicely, if I do say so myself.


    There was just one slight problem - the male of the duo was Li Mu Shen (Li Yi Fei''s younger brother), the third young master of the Li family - the same one from the truly tragic uniform story. And as for other one....


    ...Well, she''s my fiancee.

 Chapter 6 - Lan Gui Ying

    My fianc¨¦e''s name is Lan Gui Ying. This was an engagement decided before I was even born, when my parents were still two of the top geniuses of Shenzhen. The Lan family is a subsidiary family of the Xuan family, and have always wanted to suck up to them. Therefore, when the Lan family heard that my mother was pregnant with me, they took advantage of this opportunity and paired me up with the eldest daughter of their family, who had just been born at the time - Lan Gui Ying.


    When the news came out that I was a useless trash with no magic powers, the Lan family was shocked. The son of two geniuses, born without any magic? What a joke. They doubted the news at first, but eventually sumbed to harsh reality.


    But then, what about the promise made 8 months ago prior to my birth?


    They cannot allow their eldest daughter to marry a piece of trash! You would think, okay, just break the engagement then! But unfortunately for them, things were not so simple.


    If the public knew that the Lan family were abandoning their future son-inw just because he is wed (which was exactly what they were nning to do), it wouldn''t reflect well on their reputation. Therefore, they needed a cover up - some kind of excuse. However, even now, they have yet toe up with a good reason to break off the engagement.


    Truth to be told, I do not have any feelings towards this eldest daughter of the Lan family. In fact, I hate their family as a whole. They abandoned me as soon as they found out I didn''t have an innate element, when they were practically begging my parents to agree to this engagement before I was born. Lan Gui Ying? We''ve never even talked to each other, much less be affectionate. That''s why I didn''t feel anything when I saw her intimately chatting with the third young master of the Li family. Jealousy? What a farce.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, what are you staring at?" a soft and cute voice caught me off guard.


    The voice belonged to Qing Yue, eldest daughter of the Qing family, as well as my non-blood-rted little sister. She had forcefully dragged me here to this luxurious Western restuarant for our school''s lunch break.


    "Mmm? Oh, nothing," I replied. "Are you done ordering?"


    "Yeah, more or less. Did you see someone you know?"


    It seems that she was convinced something was off about me. "No. Don''t worry about it," I said, implying that I do not wish for her to pry further.


    "Alright then! What do you want to eat?" she asked. "You haven''t even opened your menu."


    "Ah...just pick something out for me, I''m not experienced with this kind of thing."


    "Mmm...okay!"


    After ticking off her selections on a piece of paper, Qing Yue called the waiter that had handed us the menus over and passed the paper to him. The waiter then collected the menus back and told us the food would be ready very soon. Qing Yue grabbed a ss cup filled with lemon water and yfully twisted the straw around a little before finally taking a sip.


    "Mmm, this is pretty nice!" she said, satisfied with the drink. "This is very refreshing. Try it yourself!"


    Although it is November, the temperature is still unusually high in this area. They say it''s because of a newly discovered fire elemental dwelling ce. The Global Magic Association is currently in the process of excavating it, and the heat waves from that are spreading all around the Guangdong province. Thus, even though it''s supposed to be winter, it still feels like summer. I decided to listen to Qing Yue and ced the straw in my mouth. As soon as the lemon water entered my mouth, I could understand what Qing Yue meant when she said ''refreshing''. Indeed, it was cool and rxing, with just the right amount of sourness.


    After a short while, the waiter from before came to our table once again, this time with two tes of food. He ced one in front of Qing Yue and the other in front of me.


    "Please enjoy your meal," the waiter said professionally, and walked away.


    Lying in front of me was the exact same thing that was in front of Qing Yue, and contains a steak patty, several sauces and condiments, as well as an appetizer.


    "You got both of us the same thing?" I asked Qing Yue.


    "Naturally. We are family, shouldn''t we like the same things?" she replied.


    "...I see."


    Qing Yue then exined how to use a knife and a fork to me, and the correct way of eating steak. We finished the meal in about 15 minutes, then spent some time reminiscing about the past. By the time we were done, there was only 10 minutes before the lunch break ended. I stood up from my chair.


    "We should head back," I said to Qing Yue.


    "Aww...that was so fun though!" Qing Yue replied happily and stood up as well. "We shoulde together again, don''t you think?"


    "...Sure."


    "Hehe...it''s almost as if we are a couple!" she said while clutching onto my arm. I looked down at her. With those faintly red cheeks and long white hair, she could easily be mistaken for an angel.


    But just as we were about to exit, an arrogant voice from behind us just had to called out.


    "Well, well, well...if it isn''t the one and only Fei Wu Kai!"

 Chapter 7 - Unfortunate Encounter

    "Well, well, well...if it isn''t the one and only Fei Wu Kai!"


    This arrogant voice belonged to the young master of the Li family, Li Mu Shen. Qing Yue and I turned around to face him. Standing beside him, hugging his arm, was my supposed-to-be fiancee, Lan Gui Ying.


    "Do you need me for something?" I asked cautiously.


    "No, not much...but do you wanna have a little chat?" Li Mu Shen said with a devilish grin.


    Qing Yue cut in. "Third young master Li, big brother Xuan Kai and I are on our way back to the school. Our lunch break is almost over."


    "I go to the same school as you guys, unfortunately, so I know what you mean," he replied, putting heavy emphasis on the ''unfortunately''. "But it''s alright, surely you can spare some time."


    "We can''t," I said coldly. "Please excuse us."


    As Qing Yue and I turned around and began to walk away, a smallugh came from behind us.


    "Hahaha! Who said you could go?" my fiancee, Lan Gui Ying said as she seductively stroked Li Mu Shen''s face. "Unless my boyfriend tells you to scram, you aren''t allowed to leave."


    Hey hey now...Seriously? Calling another man your boyfriend right in front of your fiancee? Even though I don''t care much, we are technically still engaged in name. Upon hearing this, I turned around once more. However, when I did this time, I immediately noticed the me in Li Mu Shen''s hand. He grinned deviously, and my eyes widened as I realized what he was going to do.


    "Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus!" he yelled. The me from his hand had taken the shape of a lotus and was heading for Qing Yue.


    "Qing Yue, careful!" I quickly moved to position myself in front of her and took the blow instead.


    BOOM!


    As a result, I was sent crashing into the windows of the jewlery shop across from Grange Grill. A mere Level One spell was able to hurt me this much. Such was the power of magic.


    "Shit..." I muttered under my breath. A sharp pain in my chest signaled that a few ribs were broken, along with my back from the impact of crashing into the window. I struggled to get to my feet. Although the jewlery shop employees looked terrified, no one was going to stop Li Mu Shen. That would be equivalent to offending the Li family.


    Then, someone walked out of the hotel we had just been in. He seemed to be an employee there.


    He walked over to Li Mu Shen, and spoke. "Sir, please refrain from fighting here. You are damaging property."


    Li Mu Shen shot him a re, but the employee, surprisingly, did not back down.


    "The Li family is a shareholder of your hotel. You can''t tell me what to do," Li Mu Shen snarled. "If you want to talk to me, get your damned manager."


    "Sir-"


    "Get. Your. Manager," Li Mu Shen continued, not even giving the poor employee a chance to talk.


    The young man gritted his teeth, but still did as told, because this was a valid request. He entered the hotel, and after a short while, he came outside again - this time with a taller, older man in tow.


    "Are you the owner here?" Li Mu Shen asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "A-Ah, third young master Li...yes, I am the owner of this hotel. How can I help you?" the neer asked, sweat forming on his forehead at the sight of Li Mu Shen.


    "Well, your employee here told me to ''stop'' doing what I had been doing," Li Mu Shen sneered. "I hope you know...my family can shut your business down at any time we want."


    The man stiffened, and quickly bowed down a couple of times in apology. "Y-Yes, third young master Li!"


    Then, turning to the brave - or perhaps stupid - employee from earlier, the man continued. "...You''re fired."


    The youth dropped his jaw in shock. "W-What?! Why?"


    "...You''re fired!" the man repeated, before turning back to Li Mu Shen, now with a smile on his face.


    "Er...third young master Li, feel free to continue doing whatever it is you had been doing earlier."


    Li Mu Shen nodded, satisfied, as the youthful employee stood dumbfounded, still bewildered by what just happened...until the older man grabbed him by the ear and pulled him inside the hotel.


    I mustered up all my strength and pulled myself off the ground. I had to get back to Qing Yue. What if Li Mu Shen casts another spell? Each step took everything I had. The pain in my chest and back was unbearable, but I still kept walking. My eyelids felt heavy and my legs felt like they belonged to someone else. But I still kept pushing through. I promised to protect her...


    After 7 to 8 steps, I copsed. My legs didn''t want to respond any further. Qing Yue came rushing over to me out of concern, tears in her eyes.


    "Big brother Xuan Kai! Are you alright?" she asked, on the verge of crying.


    "...I''m not dead yet, now am I?" I responded to the best of my abilities.


    Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying hade over as well, although for a different reason.


    "Wow! Just some simple Level One Fire Magic and it''s enough to almost kill you?" Li Mu Shen asked with augh.


    "Hey now, don''t me him," Lan Gui Ying joined in. "Trash is meant to be burned."


    Qing Yue couldn''t take it longer. "You! Why would you just attack him like that?!" she demanded furiously.


    "You shut up!" Lan Gui Ying yelled and struck her across the face with a loud p. Qing Yue fell to the floor, stunned.


    Despite Qing Yue being from one of the Four Great Families, the Qing family was the weakest of the four. Lan Gui Ying wasn''t afraid to this because she had the backing of Li Mu Shen - in other words, the Li family. Not only this, but...the circumstances with Qing Yue were a bit different from the norm...and that was also why Lan Gui Ying dared to do this.


    Everything seemed to be silent, the resonance of the p still in the air. Anger boiled in me. You can hurt me, but you cannot hurt my family. That was the bottom line. My hatred towards the both of them were immeasurable. I wanted to kill Lan Gui Ying right then and there. But I was just a useless trash, with no chance of resistance against mages with magic.


    "You...bitch..." that was the only thing I could say through gritted teeth.


    "Huh? What was that?" Li Mu Shen said and grabbed my hair, lifting my face up. "Seems like you care a lot about your cute little girlfriend, huh?"


    "Hahaha!" Lan Gui Yingughed. "She''s his little sister, not his girlfriend. You really think this good-for-nothing can get someone to like him?"


    "Oh, is that so?" Li Mu Shen said and took a quick nce at Qing Yue. "You''re right. She''s his sister, this is even better!" Then, turning towards me, he spoke like a devil. "Hey ''Big Brother Xuan Kai'', you won''t mind if I take your precious little sister''s first kiss, would you? Hahahaha!"


    I realized what he was going to do, and gritted my teeth.


    <em>Do not...do noty a hand on her!</em>


    "I''ll...kill...you..." I said with all my remaining strength.


    "Oh, I''m so scared!" he said sarcastically. "I, Li Mu Shen, am going to be killed by a weak piece of shit with no magic at all!"


    Then he gave a smallugh and turned towards Qing Yue, still on the ground. He began slowly walking towards her. I tried to move, but my muscles wouldn''t listen to me. I watched in frustration and despair. It was the exact same as <em>that</em> night. Nothing had changed since then. I was still the weak, useless piece of trash that I always had been.


    "W-What are you doing?" Qing Yue asked, shook and frightened.


    Li Mu Shen only smiled. He then turned to Lan Gui Ying and ordered, "Bind her."


    Lan Gui Ying nodded and casted Vines of Binding on Qing Yue, a Level One Earth Element spell. Immediately, vines sprouted out from the ground and locked Qing Yue in ce.


    "Wha- Stop! Let me go!" She screamed in despair. As Li Mu Shen walked closer and closer to her, she only became more scared. Li Mu Shen then grabbed her face with one hand and inspected it, as if it was some scientific specimen.


    After carefully surveying Qing Yue''s appearance, he turned to me. "Your sister is indeed very beautiful, hahaha!"


    "Let...her...go..." I said. But I knew that it was useless. I was on the verge of passing out, and I''m not exactly very threatening without any magical powers.


    "Hehehe..." Li Mu Shen chuckled, licking his lips. "Big bro Yi Fei will marry Yu An Xue, and I will get Qing Yue. Two of the top beauties of Shenzhen, both married into the Li family."


    "Did someone...say my name?" a cold yet elegant voice cut in, quite loudly.


    "Huh? Which bitch wants to disturb my fun?!" Li Mu Shen demanded arrogantly.


    Lan Gui Ying pulled on his sleeve and said quietly, "Um...it''s the eldest daughter of the Yu family, Yu An Xue. Look behind you."


    Not believing what she stated, Li Mu Shen turned around. Indeed, standing in front of him was one of the top beauties of Shenzhen and also the eldest daughter of the Yu family, Yu An Xue.


    "Ah...Lady Yu. What brings you here today?" he asked politely, immediately changing his tone.


    "Who...is this ''bitch'' who...''disturbed'' your fun?" she quoted him, expecting a good exnation.


    "That was...er, her! Yes! Her!" he said hurriedly and pointed at the girl who had just helped him - Lan Gui Ying.


    "Huh?! Wait, what?!" Lan Gui Ying looked shocked.


    "Yes! You''re the bitch! Get out of here!" Li Mu Shen eximed, desperate to cover up his mistake. While he wasn''t afraid of the Qing family, he was afraid of Yu An Xue, simply because if he hurt her in some way, Li Yi Fei would kick his ass.


    "Drop the act," Yu An Xue interrupted the duo harshly. "Both of you...leave. Now."


    Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying both were desperate to escape the situation, so theyplied happily and ran off.


    Having her binds released, Qing Yue copsed to the floor. Other than the p mark still on her cheek, she looked otherwise fine.She looked up at her savior. "Thank you, Lady Yu. I don''t know what I would''ve done if he really...um, defiled me there."


    "Worry not...I''m just...doing the right thing to do, as a fellow girl," Yu An Xue replied. She then nced at the sorry heap of a human on the floor - me. "And...you? Are you able to walk?"


    By this time, I was too tired to say anything. So I was grateful when Qing Yue answered for me. "Big Brother Xuan Kai got hit by a me Lotus spell in order to protect me. He''s very hurt."


    "He protected you, huh..." Yu An Xue trailed off. "Anyway...we should bring him...to a hospital." She then pulled out her phone and dialed a number. And that was thest thing I saw before I finally closed my eyes.


    *****


    When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. As I blinked my sleepiness away, I noticed that someone was holding my hand. I looked down and saw Qing Yue sitting beside my bed, resting her head on the sheets. It was truly a beautiful sight. I slowly began to remember everything that had transpired.


    "That bastard...Li Mu Shen...I''ll fucking kill you one day," I swore to myself.


    That must''ve disturbed Qing Yue, as she groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes with one hand, the other still clutching mine.


    "Sorry. Did I wake you?" I asked.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai! You woke up!" She eximed,pletely ignoring my question. She crawled closer as tears began forming in her eyes and wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you for protecting me..."


    "I didn''t do anything. Or rather, I couldn''t do anything. It was Lady Yu that saved you. Speaking of...where is she?"


    "Lady Yu left already. But...you still saved me. I would''ve been dead a long time ago if you hadn''t blocked that attack," she exined. "I didn''t react fast enough to put up a shield."


    She sounded like she was ming herself, so I decided to correct her.


    "I''ll be your shield," I stated. "Don''t me yourself for what happened."


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai..." she sobbed.


    "If anything, me me for being too weak," I continued. "But I promise you...I will be stronger, and pay back a thousandfold all those who have wronged us."


    "I believe in you!" Qing Yue said happily. She wiped her tears away and let me go.


    "Now then...shall we head back?"

 Chapter 8 - The Intruder

    After returning from the hospital to the school together, Qing Yue and I parted ways and each headed to our respective dormitories. I entered the boys'' dorms quietly. No one was around, which wasn''t surprising - it was around 10:00 PM at night. I was passed out for about 9 hours.


    "Looks like I won''t be needing to sleep tonight..." I muttered as I patiently waited for the elevator to arrive.


    The elevator doors rolled open with a loud ''ding''. I stepped into the empty space and pressed the button marked with a 12. The button was now lit up and the doors closed once again.


    The only sound I could hear was the quiet humming of the elevator. No one else came in, which I was grateful for. I had never been good with rtionships - I only had one friend, and we used to barely have any chances to meet. Thus, I don''t really have much experience with friendship or even simplymunicating with others.


    The doors opened as I hit the 12th floor and I walked out of the enclosed space. Turning left, I went all the way down to the end of the hall, where my room was. As I fished out the key from my back pocket and inserted it inside the lock, I made sure to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake my neighbors.


    Other people don''t have to worry about this - instead of a lock, they had a defense magic formation as their security measure. This kind of system was introduced not long ago andpletely overtook the old-fashioned locks. The owner had to inject some of his/her magic into the array upon initial set up, which allows the formation to recognize and save it. In order to add a secondary ''owner'', the original owner and the person he/she wishes to add have to shoot their magic into the array at the same time. Apart from the owner and those he/she allows, no one will be able to open the ''lock.''


    I was different, however. These modern inventions are based on the prerequisite that you had to have some sort of magic - whoever came up with these ideas really didn''t count people like me into their calctions. I sighed a little. I honestly can''t me them. With a slight twist of the key and a push, the door to my room was open.


    At Shenzhen Magic High School, each student had their own dorm. These dorms were simr to apartments - they contained a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The electricity and water fees were all paid by the school as well, so students don''t have any financial strain on their life. Food was provided at the cafeteria - but only for lunch. In other words, just enough to keep you alive. They didn''t care about breakfast or dinner.


    As I entered the room, I immediately noticed something was wrong. Everything seemed...off. The room that belonged to me suddenly didn''t feel familiar anymore. I inspected my surroundings. While everything was where they were supposed to be, some miniscule changes were visible. The tissue box was slightly tilted, the pen holder a little bit to the right from where it was originally at this morning, and the curtains were ovepped right over left, instead of my usual left over right. Normal people would not be able to notice these things. I, however, have trained my physical body to the maximum, allowing me to identify small alterations like such.


    None of this can prove someone had indeed been here - after all, people make mistakes, I may have just remembered the positions of everything wrong. But this was not the case. The most important thing...is that this intruder set off my traps.


    Indeed - I have traps set at the entrance of my dormitory, and I activate them whenever I go out. A very thin string, barely visible, was ced in front of the door, with its ends sticking on the walls perpendicr from the entrance. If someone opened the door while I was away, the thread would snap from the impact of attempting to open the door from outside.


    Of course, if one knew about this trap, it is possible to avoid it - just open the door <em>very very</em> slightly and squeeze yourself in. That way, you won''t trigger the trap. However, no one else apart from me knows about this - not even Qing Yue.


    Bending down and inspecting the broken string, I wondered to myself. Who would break in my room? And more importantly - why? I didn''t have any valuable items or mysterious treasure-


    "The stone pendant," I murmured, realizing the answer.


    I''ve never really touched the stone pendant ever since the day it was passed down to me, and had always kept it in a secretpartment under my bed. I immediately went over to my bed and after some work, opened the secretpartment.


    "Thank god..." I sighed in relief.


    The stone pendant was still safe and sound, lying in the same ce I had left it two days earlier, on my birthday. No doubt about it, whoever the intruder was, they were looking for this stone. But...why? Did this stone have some mysterious power I did not know about? Or did it hide some great secret? I''ve always just thought of it as a normal ne...but maybe there is more to it than I thought.


    That aside, the thief that broke in today didn''t get what he wanted, so he will definitely try again. Looks like I''ll have to leave him some ''presents''. As I was setting down booby traps in preparation for the future, I analyzed the situation in my head, and figured out what I have to do. For one, I have to find out who is trying to steal the pendant from me...


    ...And for two, from now on, I''ll have to keep the pendant with me at all times.


    *****


    <strong>- 2022, November 9th. Nighttime, Xuan Kai''s Room -</strong>


    It was quiet. Too quiet, in fact. I had expected the thief to break in again tonight while I was asleep, but it seems that maybe I was wrong. They might not be willing to risk me waking up. But even if I did, I could hardly do anything...


    <strong>Click.</strong>


    Just as I was about to head to bed, I heard a clicking sound, as if someone was picking a lock. As I hid behind the door with a dagger in my hands, the clicking stopped and the door was pushed open, barely missing me.


    <em>Picking locks, huh...that skill is rarely used nowadays, since no one uses the old fashioned lock and key anymore.</em>


    I held my breath as I stood in the corner, where the shadow of the door embraced me. Unless someone specifically decided to look here, they would not see me. However, the figure that walked in was also hidden by the darkness in addition to his mask and hood, so I could not make out his face. I decided to observe him a bit further before activating the traps.


    I watched him lightly tread around my dormitory, slowly opening cabs and ruffling through them. After a while, he punched the wall out of frustration. Then, realizing what he had done, he quickly creeped over to my bedroom, and listened for any signs of movement.


    After making sure he had not woken me up, the figure came back to the living room and scratched his head. He was probably mentally sorting the ces he had already rummaged through and the the ces he had yet to search.


    Coincidentally, the thief just happened to be stepping on a floor tile I had made adjustments to. I pressed the remote controller button in my hands and immediately the tile sprang him up into the air and a from above dropped down, catching the intruder in a hammock-like trap. This was a special snare I crafted with some simple materials Qing Yue bought me. She had questioned why when I asked her earlier today, but after some convincing, she gave up on trying to find out.


    "Gyahh!" A voice yelped. "What the hell is this?!"


    <em>Hold on...a girl?</em>


    I couldn''t be sure, so I flicked on the lights.


    "Good evening," I said.


    "You! H-How?!" the thief asked, surprised.


    I was now sure it was a female voice.


    "It was clever of you to put everything back to the way it was," I responded. "But...unfortunately, you missed a few small details."


    "..."


    "First off. What''s your name?" I asked.


    "I''m not telling you," she replied, pouting.


    "You already know mine, I''m sure. What''s the harm in having me know yours?" I tried to convince her.


    After some thinking and eventually concluding that she had no other choice, she gave in with a sigh. "...Fine. It''s Feng Mian."


    She was easy to sway, it seems like.


    "Feng Mian. I see." I continued. "So? What business do you have with me?"


    "That''s..." she trailed off. Obviously, she couldn''t say that she was here to steal something. This was within my expectations, however.


    "Well, even if you don''t tell me, I already know," I told her. "Looking for this?"


    I held up my hand, where the stone pendant was dangling from.


    "So you knew I would being tonight, huh?" Feng Mian asked rhetorically.


    "Why are you trying to steal this from me?" I stopped beating around the bush.


    "...I can''t tell you that, I''m sorry."


    "Thieves don''t usually have attitudes like that. So tell me, who sent you?"


    I had already anticipated this beforehand - it didn''t make sense for whoever was searching for this pendant toe get it themselves. They are probably someone powerful working at the school, seeing as how they knew about my schedules and exact room number. However, there''s also the possibility that someone outside had gotten information from one of my ssmates or teachers. In any case, I don''t think this girl is searching for the stone pendant of her own ord.


    "N-No one sent me. I''m acting by myself," she said faintly.


    "I''d advise you not to lie to me. Do you understand the situation you are in right now?" I asked her with a hint of malice in my voice. Of course, I didn''t actually mean her any harm, and there wasn''t much I could do anyway. The closest thing I had to a weapon was a pen. I didn''t even have a pair of scissors. The dagger I held was just for show, really. It was more a stic toy then a real sharp dagger.


    So, all this was just an act to make herply to my request.


    "I..." she began, but then closed her mouth again.


    "Look. I can tell that you aren''t a bad person, from the way you apologized earlier. I can also tell that you don''t intend to hurt me, seeing as how you were careful about not waking me up."


    "..." she looked troubled.


    "I''m sure you''ve heard about me. Even if I did wake up, there''s nothing I can do against you," I continued. "The person that sent you ordered you to kill me if I woke up, didn''t he? But you didn''t want to, so you protected me by making as less noise as possible."


    "T-That''s not the case!" she eximed, embarrassed that I had figured out and exposed her entire thought process.


    "The person who ordered you to do this forced you, am I right?" I continued asking. "Be honest with me."


    "N-No..." she replied. But this was obviously a lie.


    "Looks like I''m going to have to get a bit physical then."


    "E-Eh?! What?!" she screamed.


    I approached her and said, "Don''t make too much noise now. Are you sure you want other people to find you in here?"


    "Wuwuwu..." she whimpered, close to crying.


    I stood in front of her, who was hanging from the ceiling in the I had prepared beforehand, and carefully reached for her hood. Although trapped and unable to move, she was still dangerous - she could cast magic anytime she wants. I took off her hood and long, beautiful blonde hair flew out, spreading a sweet orange scent into the air.


    I then proceeded to remove her mask, ignoring her iling wildly in the.


    <em>Haiz...you really are a nice girl. Too nice for your own good, in fact. If you disliked this that much, simply cast some magic and I would be done for. Yet you aren''t making any moves to do so.</em>


    As I took off the mask, I realized how pretty she was. In addition to her clear, purple eyes that give off a transparent, pleasant feeling - like you could stare into them forever - she also had a small and cute mouth that was faintly pink. If Qing Yue was an angel, this girl would be a goddess. They were equally beautiful, but had different feels to them.


    I stepped back in admiration. No, I was not in love - this was more like curiousity? Before I could figure out what exactly my feelings towards her were, she suddenly stopped crying.


    "Eh? That''s it?" she asked, a remaining tear still in her left eye.


    "...Yes? What did you think I was going to do?" I questioned, confused.


    "I thought...you were going to...y''know, um...r-r-r-ra-"


    "Rape you? Did you honestly think I was going to do so?" I asked, slightly angry with her for belittling me.


    "Um...yes...?" she replied, a little bit hesitant.


    "..." So this was the impression I give people. I really need to work on mymunication skills.


    "I-I mean, I''ve heard a lot about you, saying things like you are a pervert or the embodiment of lust..." she added, not helpfully.


    "Where do you hear these things from? I thought the rumors about me were just the fact that I can''t use magic, I''m trash, things like that..." I replied frustratingly.


    "Ah, of course! I''ve heard about that too!" She eximed.


    "...Right." Although I''ve came to terms with this truth a long time ago, seeing someone acknowledge that fact so confidently was still painful.


    I then decided to change the topic. "So - can you tell me now? Who sent you?"


    "...I can''t. That would put both you and my parents in danger."


    "Ah, so that''s how they forced you, huh?"


    "..." she covered her mouth, realizing her mistake.


    ncing at her reaction, I couldn''t help but note how inexperienced of a thief she was, casually giving away important information.


    After a while, I made a decision, and lowered the trap to the ground, letting her wiggle free.


    "I understand," I said quietly.


    "Huh?" she asked, startled.


    "I said, I understand. You have your reasons for not telling me. I won''t force you," I exined. "And if you are required to keeping at me, then do so. If it''s to protect your family."


    "...Why are you doing this for me?" she asked, having not expected I would choose this.


    "..." I didn''t respond. Instead, I waved her off and told her to leave here.


    Before she left, she turned around onest time. "...You aren''t as bad as the rumors say."


    <em>Not as bad as the rumors say, huh? No, no. That''s not why I let you off.</em>


    <em>...It''s because I know the feeling of losing your family all too well.</em>

 Chapter 9 - Another Transfer Student?!

    It was a bright and sunny morning. The curtains in a certain room swayed side by side from the cool breezes. A figure could be seen lying in the medium-sized bed, coveredpletely by the nket.


    <strong>Ringgg!</strong>


    And then, a harsh yet familiar noise awoke me from my sleep. I fumbled for the old rm clock that I have been using for a year now, sitting on the desk next to my bed. I couldn''t afford a phone, so this was the only thing I had to wake me up in the mornings for school.


    "Ugh..." I grudgingly sat up and blinked any remaining sleepiness from my eyes.


    Getting off my bed, the first thing I did was check the time, to make sure the clock didn''t malfunction. Last time it did that, I was assigned to washroom cleaning duty for a week.


    7:00. I still had an hour before school started. I decided to take a shower to clear my thoughts and refresh myself for the day. I took off my clothes and headed towards the bathroom.


    While showering, I thought about the events that transpiredst night.


    <em>Feng Mian, huh...? I told her to keeping at me, but...how exactly will I deal with her? She won''t fall for the same trap twice, no doubt...</em>


    After thinking about it for a while and arriving at no good answer, I merely sighed and went out of the shower.


    But this wasn''t even the most important part. What concerned me more was the identity of the mastermind who sent Feng Mian, and why he would want this stone pendant. I stepped out of the shower with these questions in my head, and concluded that I wouldn''t get an answer to them just by sitting around here thinking. The ck hoodie and ripped jeans I wore two days ago had already been washed and cleaned yesterday, so I slipped them on and proceeded to brush my teeth.


    As I finished brushing my teeth, I decided to get some food. I opened the refrigerator and...


    Not a single speck of food could be seen.


    "Ah..." I sighed and closed the door again. Looks like I''m out of food. I didn''t even notice yesterday since I immediately continued setting up traps after school ended, in preparation for the thief. I''ll have to rely on the cafeteria and take the leftovers home again.


    That has been how I got by for the past year. If there weren''t any leftovers for me in the cafeteria, I would sometimes go for days without dinner or breakfast, supporting myself from lunch alone. I had no money whatsoever, after all. The one time I ate at a different ce was when Qing Yue dragged me to that luxurious western restaurant named Grange Grill two days ago. She had offered to take me again yesterday, but after making such a ruckus there, I doubted they would want us back.


    I grabbed my backpack and opened the door, careful not to set off the trap I had set. Just in case Feng Mian or another person attempts to steal the pendant again, I had reinstalled the device that let me know whether or not an intruder had came in while I was away. However, even if they did break in, they would find nothing. After all, I''m now keeping the stone pendant with me at all times. I wore it around my neck, hidden beneath the oversized hoodie, and headed off to school.


    I saw Qing Yue outside the boys'' dorms, holding a small bag. I doubt it was a coincidence, it seemed like she had been waiting at the front gates for a while now.


    She spotted me immediately and waved happily. "Good morning, big brother Xuan Kai!"


    "Good morning," I replied as I walked closer to her.


    "Have you eaten breakfast yet?" she asked, blushing slightly.


    "Yes," I lied. I didn''t want her to worry about me. But, unfortunately...my stomach chose that exact moment to let out a growl.


    "Ehehe~" Qing Yue let out a smallugh. My cheeks turned slightly red. "It''s okay Big Brother Xuan Kai, I haven''t eaten either."


    "...I see."


    Then, after a short silence, Qing Yue looked up at me. "Um...would you like to eat together with me?"


    "...Huh?" I was caught off guard by this sudden proposal.


    "It''s fine if you don''t want to..." she hurriedly added. "It''s just...well, we both haven''t eaten, so..."


    She probably took that the wrong way. "It''s alright, I''ll dly eat with you. It''s just that the question was a bit sudden," I said, clearing up the misunderstanding.


    "Really?!" she asked excitedly.


    "Mhm. But...where are we going to go?"


    Qing Yue didn''t respond, and instead reached inside the bag she was holding. She then took out a neatly wrapped zongzi, which is a traditional Chinese food that usually involves meat being surrounded by glutinous rice, then packaged in bamboo leaves.


    "Um...I made this. Try it?" she said softly, holding it out to me.


    "I see," I said as I took the zongzi from her hands and inspected it. After unwrapping the bamboo leaves, I took a bite.


    "This is...delicious," I told her reluctantly.


    "Do you really think so?" she asked in anticipation.


    "...Yes," I replied.


    Truth to be told, the taste was horrendous. The vors...were just wrong. It was way too salty, and there was too much rice with barely any filling. But seeing her hopeful and anticipative expression, there was no way I was going to tell her that. If anything, the taste of the zongzi proves that she made it herself. No restaurant could live, selling something this bad, after all. Even though my taste buds were practically screaming in terror, I still forced myself to scarf it down, all to keep up the act in front of Qing Yue.


    "Yay! I''ll make a lot more for you in the future then, ''kay?" she dered, pumping her fists into the air in a victorious pose.


    <em>Oh. Oh no no no. Oh god, what have I done...I''m sorry, my poor taste buds...I''m sorry.</em>


    <em>Ah...what a brother wouldn''t do for his little sister.</em>


    After that, we continued our walk to school. She never did eat a single one of her own zongzis, iming that if I liked it I should eat them all. I couldn''t exactly reject her without going back on my statement from before. Thus, I emptied the bag of all 5 zongzis that she made. I was now left with a really full stomach, and probably high blood pressure.


    Not long after that, we arrived at the main campus. Qing Yue and I headed towards our ss together, and were met with a few unfriendly res and stares on the way - mainly towards me. Just the usual, nothing I''m not used to. But Qing Yue also seemed to be coping with it surprisingly well. For better or worse, she was tougher than I had previously given her credit for.


    We soon arrived at our ssroom on the second floor - ss 2-D. There were 4 sses in each year at Shenzhen Magic High School, and a total of 6 years. The sses were ranked from D to A, with A being only for the elites of the elites. ss D was for people who barely passed the entrance exam...or for trash like me that only got in thanks to my parents'' aplishments.


    But magical power was not the only thing the school ounted for. You may be a talent with two innate elements from birth, but you can still wind up in ss D if you''re a huge jerk with a nasty personality - Li Yi Fei is a perfect example of this. Even with the power of his family, the school refused to change his ss. His brother, Li Mu Shen, was a little better off than he was, so he got ced in a higher ss.


    The sses are in constantpetition, and a score system was in ce. It was possible for the original ss D to get promoted to ss A if their score exceeded that of ss A. Tournaments and events are frequent in this school, and are the main way to earn points for your ss.


    Being in ss A brings a few advantages - better instructors, higher level elixirs and training equipment, and a higher status in the school. Therefore, everyone wants to make their own ss the new ss A. Born in 2008, I turned 14 three days ago, on November 7th. I was in my second year at this school, which was why my ss was located on the second floor. Simrly, third-years have their ssrooms on the third floor, and so on. The main campus had six floors in total - one for each year.


    Most of the ss was already there. Qing Yue and I then headed to our seats at the back of the room and patiently waited for ss to begin.


    Not long after, Mr. Wang walked in and cleared his throat. "Good morning, ss."


    Following tradition, all the students stood up in response. "Good morning, teacher."


    "Alright, sit down," Mr. Wang said with a wave. "I have an announcement to make."


    Another announcement? Someone''s getting punished or rewarded? Or...perhaps a new transfer student? No, that wasn''t likely. Qing Yue had only just arrived two days ago.


    "Our ss will be receiving a new transfer student," Mr. Wang announced. What a familiar phrase - the exact same one he had said two days ago.


    Whispers immediately began erupting around the ss.


    "Another one?"


    "Eh?? Didn''t Qing Yue just transfer in two days ago?"


    "I wonder, will it be a boy or a girl? I hope it''s a cute girl."


    "Quiet down, everyone." Mr. Wang interrupted the conversations regarding the mysterious new transfer student. "Alright, you cane in now," he beckoned towards the door.


    Then, a person I never imagined would be there walked in.


    My eyes widened as I saw who it was.


    <em>It can''t be...Feng Mian?</em>

 Chapter 10 - A Hidden Agenda

    Feng Mian - the gorgeous girl with long blonde hair looked directly at me and began walking towards my seat, ignoring the stares of all the other students of ss 2-D. She then grabbed the vacant desk that was supposed to be in front of me, and moved it beside mine, cing herself in between Qing Yue and I. She casually sat down-


    <em>Wait, wait, wait.</em>


    I still haven''t grasped the situation. All I could do was stare at her slender body as I subconsciously muttered the words, "Feng Mian"...


    Compared tost night, Feng Mian looked even more stunning in the school uniform, which showed off her perfect curves.


    ...However, I wasn''t the only one staring. All the boys were looking in our direction with envy and disgust. The girls were also looking at us with curiousity and confusion. The entire ss was silenced by Feng Mian''s ridiculous actions.


    Mr.Wang, also captivated by her beauty, finally snapped back to his senses. "Erm...Uh...So your name is Feng Mian? I-I see. May I ask what you are doing over there?"


    Feng Mian paid him no heed and continued nonchntly unloading her things from the schoolbag she was carrying, indifferent to all the unfriendly gazes at us. Well, me in particr, as usual. The stares directed at her were probably only of confusion and surprise, or ogles from the boys.


    Seeing himself be ignored, he asked again in a calmer tone. "Ahem. What exactly are you doing sitting back there, Feng Mian?"


    Feng Mian let out a sigh audible only to me. Then, lifting her head up to look at Mr. Wang, she spoke for the first time since entering the ssroom.


    "I wish to sit here. Is there a problem?" she said coldly, nothing like her manner of speech yesterday night.


    Seeing her menacing stare, a cold sweat broke out on Mr. Wang''s forehead. "Ah...no...you may do as you please."


    <em>I wonder...what got her into this school? Even Mr. Wang doesn''t want to mess with her? Or maybe it''s just the attitude she''s giving off that makes it seem like she''s from some powerful, perhaps foreign family. Her blonde hair isn''t something you see everyday, after all. Yu An Xue''s hair was pink and also pretty rare, but Feng Mian''s was even more exotic, if I do say so myself.</em><em></em>


    "I see. Thank you," Feng Mian replied without a hint of real gratitude, in contrast to her words.


    "Wait." An annoying voice I will never mistake for someone else spoke up. "Pardon me, gorgeousdy, but I have a question."


    <em>Pfft...''gorgeousdy''. I mean...that''s not wrong, Feng Mian is beautiful, no one can deny that, but...damn, that''s cheesy.</em>


    Indeed - it was Li Yi Fei. Seeing Feng Mian''s goddess-like features, he couldn''t stop himself from speaking up after witnessing this top-tier beauty sit herself down next to me.


    Feng Mian looked exasperated. She let out another sigh and without even bothering to look at him, she replied.


    "Yes? What is it?"


    "Why does that piece of trash over there know your name when you haven''t even introduced yourself?" Li Yi Fei asked, staring intently at me when saying the words ''piece of trash''. "Also, forgive me for prying, but why are you purposely sitting next to him?"


    Feng Mian showed no change in her expression, as if she had already predicted this would happen beforehand. "First of all, that''s two questions. As for my answers...it''s none of your business."


    "...!" Li Yi Fei was taken aback by her cold words. Deciding that saying anything further would only cause himself to be embarrassed more, he sat back down in his chair in disappointment. "Another cool beauty, huh...Tch."


    Li Yi Fei was extremely pissed off at Feng Mian''s unweing attitude. I was the only one who noticed his angry expression twist into a evil sneer as he looked at Feng Mian in lust.


    "A-Alright! Now that that''s over with, let''s begin ss," Mr. Wang said, sensing the tension in the air.


    I looked over at Feng Mian. Noticing my gaze, she also looked back at me. I only spoke one word.


    "...Why?"


    Feng Mian understood what I meant. "...I have a task, and I willplete it."


    "The task of stealing the stone pendant?"


    "..." she chose not to reply, so I continued.


    "Okay, but...did you really have to sit next to me to do so?"


    Hearing this, Feng Mian flinched, before immediately looking away and blushing slightly. "It''s easier for me this way, that''s all."


    <em>Wait...does she know I have the pendant on me?</em>


    Otherwise, there wouldn''t be any advantage of sitting next to me. But who could''ve found out and told her? I doubt this girl who fell for a simple trap of mine could figure this out on her own. The only exnation is that the personmanding her has some sort of device that can track a special energy given off by this stone, although I do not know what that energy is. I can tell that Feng Mian doesn''t have any bad intentions, however. As I thought, she was a kind girl at heart.


    "...I see." I paused for a moment. Then, recalling what I had seen earlier, I decided to warn Feng Mian.


    I leaned in close to her ear and spoke quietly. "Be careful of that person you were talking to earlier, Li Yi Fei. He''s plotting something." I then shifted back.


    Feng Mian immediately twisted her head around to look at me, flustered. "W-Who said you could just suddenly w-whisper in my ear like that?!" she whispered harshly. "You''re a pervert after all!"


    "...Huh? All I wanted to do was-" but I didn''t get the chance to finish my sentence.


    "Pervert! Scum!" She continued her barrage of insults. I was honestly shocked at her sensitive reaction, but even more so at how Mr. Wang hadn''t noticed us yet. But Qing Yue did, and looked over in concern.


    "I- okay. Whatever..." I decided to stop right then and there. Goddamn, all I wanted to do was warn you. Whatever, suit yourself. I looked away and never spoke to her again for the entire ss.


    Just because I was weak...didn''t mean I couldn''t get pissed off.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Lunch time. As usual, I waited for the ss to empty before heading to the cafeteria, but...


    "Um...where are you going to be eating?" an unexpected question came from my new neighbor.


    "Why is it your concern?" I replied coldly, almost mocking her.


    Seeing my attitude, Feng Mian quickly became angry as well. "W-Wha-Fine! Do whatever you want!"


    Qing Yue, seeing this exchange, let out a littleugh. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, I don''t know how you met her, but you guys certainly seem close!"


    "What part of this makes us seem close?!" Feng Mian and I asked in perfect sync.


    "Ahahaha! See?" Qing Yueughed heartily in amusement.


    "Hmph!" Feng Mian grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. I also got ready to go to the cafeteria.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, let''s go!" Qing Yue said,tching onto my right arm. Since that incident, Qing Yue has been eating with me in the cafeteria everyday...which I was both surprised and concerned about.


    "I don''t know how you are able to stand the cafeteria food," I said as I walked with her.


    "Hehe~ If Big Brother Xuan Kai can do it, I can do it too!" she eximed with confidence. "I don''t want to be a burden to you, after all..."


    A burden? What a joke. "It takes a lot to be a burden to trash that can''t even use magic."


    "D-Don''t worry, Big Brother Xuan Kai! You will definitely awaken your elements very soon and beat up all the bad guys!!"


    And just like this, we headed to the cafeteria together.


    Awakening my elements, huh? Yeah, no way. Definitely no way. It won''t happen. Me? The same guy that hasn''t been able to use magic for 14 years? I don''t believe in miracles - I''m not just going to suddenly be able to use magic one day. But even so, I haven''t given up.


    Life is just a game. And if magic is a cheat in this impossible game, then I''ll just hone my skills to the point where even cheats can''t defeat me. That''s the only path there is for me. And if it doesn''t work, then well I guess...


    ...Game Over.

 Chapter 11 - ...Damsel In Distress?

    <strong>- Lunchtime, School Cafeteria -</strong>


    I waited in line to collect my food, with Qing Yue right behind me. But in front of me...what awaited was-


    "Huh? Why did you follow me all the way here?" a feminine voice asked harshly.


    "Hey now...this is where I always eat," I replied.


    Yes - this unfriendly individual is known as Feng Mian, a divine beauty and the new transfer student in my ss at Shenzhen Magic High School. She had stormed off earlier after being annoyed at my cold attitude towards her...yet here she was, directly in front of me - also waiting to receive her lunch.


    "Even so, does that exin how you ended up right behind me in line?!" she eximed loudly. Several eyes turned to look at us. "And don''t give me ''It was a coincidence''!"


    After several seconds that felt like an eternity of thinking, I came up with the best reponse in this situation-


    "...It was a coincidence."


    Hearing this, Feng Mian looked even more angry than before and looked as if she was about to kill me right then and there. But - seeing all the curious eyes directed towards us, she ultimately decided against it. She puffed out her cheeks and turned back around, ignoring us. Qing Yue covered her mouth in an attempt to hide herughter.


    It was a failed attempt, however. Feng Mian sent a ''death re'' towards us, and Qing Yue immediately shut up. Soon, Feng Mian received her food and left. We got ours shortly after and looked around for a free table. Surprisingly enough, today the cafeteria was filled to the brim with people...possibly because of Feng Mian - all the other students (boys, mainly) were eager to get a glimpse of her angelic beauty. Therefore, most of the students here had seen Feng Mian head in this direction and did their best to arrive before her so they could savor the view while eating.


    Hence...there was but one empty table. And it was the table directly beside where Feng Mian was sitting, in the corner of the cafeteria. All the boys were anxious as they nced at the spot with longing. Yet - not a single one of them dared to move. They knew - they would be the center of attention, and not the good kind. Feng Mian, however, didn''t seem to notice all the lecherous stares directed at her and ate her lunch nonchntly.


    And as the students intently watched on, a particr duo took the ce right next to the goddess that had just arrived in the school today-


    "What-?! Where did hee from?!"


    "How dare he sit next to our goddess?!"


    "Fei Wu Kai?! Goddamn...I''ll teach him a lessonter!"


    -And thus, we attracted all of the aforementioned attention...and not the good kind. But that wasn''t all. Feng Mian noticed our presence and immediately stood up, furious:


    "Y-You again! Why are you still following me?!"


    I merely ignored her and began unpackaging my chopsticks. Qing Yue followed. Seeing our ignorant appearance, Feng Mian continued.


    "Hey! I''m talking to you! Why are you sitting beside me?!"


    I sighed and looked towards her...and my eyes naturally shifted towards her bust. "Look around you. Where else are we going to sit?"


    "U-Um...Still! That doesn''t mean you can just follow me here! A-And what are you staring at?!" She shrieked, quickly covering her breasts using both hands.


    "...Are you even listening to yourself?" I scoffed. This girl might be pretty, but that''s about it.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, let''s just finish eating and get out of here," Qing Yue said, tugging on my sleeve over the table.


    "...You''re right," I replied, agreeing with herpletely.


    And so - ignoring the protests of Feng Mian beside us as well as the envious stares of the crowd - we began eating our meal.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- After School, In a Certain Dark Alleyway in the City of Shenzhen -</strong>


    Feng Mian hurriedly ran in the dark. She looked around and muttered to herself.


    "This should be it..."


    Then, suddenly, a deep male voice spoke from behind her.


    "You''re here."


    Feng Mian immediately twisted around to face the masked man.


    "What do you want?" Feng Mian asked impatiently. "You called me out here - why?"


    "I just wanted to see your beautiful face, Ms. Feng."


    "Stop joking around. What did you really need me for?"


    "Ah...can''t hide anything from you, can I?" the man clucked disappointedly. "Well then, I''ll get straight to the point. How are you doing with locating the stone pendant?"


    Yes - this man was the person who captured Feng Mian''s parents, and threatened her with that in order to make her do his dirty work. Feng Mian hated him to the bone, yet couldn''t do anything - the powerlessness she felt was something too cruel to be described with words.


    "...I''m working on it." Feng Mian replied curtly.


    The masked man let out a littleugh. "Kukuku...I''ve heard that the stone pendant belonged to a boy named Xuan Kai - son of Qing Ruo Lan and Xuan Ying, correct?"


    "..Yes." Feng Mian answered truthfully, knowing full well that lying wouldn''t do any good against this man.


    "However, it seems that you are not able to locate it in his dormitory." his tone turned cold.


    "...Sorry, I am not as skilled as you think I am."


    "Hahaha!" The man let out a loudugh. "An Ice and Shadow dual element magic user, ''not skilled''? What a farce."


    "..."


    The man, sensing no reply from Feng Mian, continued. "The reason you aren''t able to find the pendant isn''t because you aren''t skilled enough."


    "...Huh?" Feng Mian appeared confused.


    "...It''s because there''s the possibility that it was never in his dorm in the first ce."


    "What?!" Feng Mian eximed, clearly bewildered.


    "Well, that''s just a possibility. Hmm...from what you have told me, Xuan Kai isn''t outstanding at all. He shouldn''t have been able to tell that you entered his room, much less set up traps for your next excursion. Because of this, there''s no way he could''ve taken the pendant elsewhere."


    Feng Mian felt a chill climbing up her spine - that was exactly what Xuan Kai had done, except this person just didn''t know. Indeed, she had lied to this evil man that had the very lives of her parents in his grasp. She didn''t know why she did so - her parents would be wiped from existence if this man ever found out she was lying to him. However, before she could finish processing this thought-


    "Unless...you were lying to me about his capabilities."


    Feng Mian went still. A cold air emitted from the masked man, shrouding her in fear and despair. However, despite all this, she still had a strong heart. Taking a deep breath to calm down, she refuted his usation.


    "I was not. He is merely a piece of trash that cannot even perform the slightest of magic."


    The man, seemingly satisfied with this answer, turned away. "Very good then. Keep searching for the pendant. If what you say is true, then the pendant should still be somewhere within his room, and my guess was false."


    As the man began to walk away, Feng Mian realized something and blurted out a question before she could stop herself.


    "What do you intend to do with that stone pendant? Is there anything special about it?"


    The man stopped walking, tilted his head slightly, and sent a piercing stare towards where Feng Mian was standing.


    "That''s not something for you to know, my little beauty," he rasped menacingly.


    "I''m not your ''little beauty''." Feng Mian said coldy.


    "Hahaha! Well - you will be soon enough," the man replied with augh. He began to walk away once more, then looked back onest time.


    "Remember, don''t overstep your boundaries."


    While it seems like a mere warning, Feng Mian knew that it was in reality, a threat. What he really meant was ''don''t ask unnecessary questions, or your parents will be killed''. She shuddered at the memories of his piercing gaze and walked the other way, nning to return to the dormitories.


    However, just as she was about to exit the dark alleyway, she was stopped by a group of boys.


    "Well well well...what do we have here?" an arrogant voice called out.


    Rounding the corner, Li Yi Fei and two of hisckeys appeared. They blocked off Feng Mian''s exit and immediately closed in on her.


    "H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Feng Mian shrieked in surprise and fear. She still hadn''t gotten over the terrifying stare she had received earlier, and now three boys are jumping her.


    "Hey boss, she''s not such a cool beauty now, ain''t she?" the boy on the left of Li Yi Fei said.


    "Haha! I agree, Pang Zi!" Li Yi Fei replied.


    His name was Pang Zi, which was pronounced almost the same way as "fat kid". And he did indeed have a slightly ''wide'' figure, so Li Yi Fei addresses him by Pang Zi (fat kid) affectionately.


    "Yeah yeah, look at that face she''s making. So scary! Hahaha!" a third voice chimed in.


    This was the boy on the right side of Li Yi Fei, namely Zhang Zhe Rui. He had a slim figure, wore sses, and was the ''brain'' of the group, usually the one toe up with all the evil ns.


    "Hehehe...Why don''t youe y with us for a bit, Lady Feng Mian?" Li Yi Fei said with a lecherous grin.


    Feng Mian sighed, rposed herself, and calmy replied:


    "Would you mind not addressing me in such a courteous manner while saying something so repulsive?"


    "Tch. And boss was trying to treat you nicely too...y with us, little bitch." Pang Zi replied in Li Yi Fei''s stead.


    "I refuse. Step aside if you don''t want to get hurt." Feng Mian said dangerously.


    "Heh...you think you can defeat all three of us?" Zhang Zhe Rui scoffed.


    "I''ll at least take down two with me." Feng Mian stated confidently.


    Truth to be told, Feng Mian was actually not confident at all. She was merely bluffing in the hopes that they would let her go. She might be able to beat one, but unless you were amazingly talented, going up against three mages of the same stage at once is equivalent to seeking death. In this case, both Feng Mian and Li Yi Fei had two innate elements, so they were around on par with one another. However...Pang Zi and Zhang Zhe Rui aren''t going to be just standing around doing nothing.


    "Hehehe...then let''s see how well you do," Li Yi Fei sneered as a purple lightning sparked in his hand.

 Chapter 12 - Feng Mians Regrets

    "Level One Sky Magic - Voltage Strike!" Li Yi Fei yelled as he unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts towards the unfortunate victim, Feng Mian.


    However, Feng Mian stood her ground. She calmly raised her hands up and prepared to cast a spell in return.


    "cier Form: Wall!" Feng Mian shouted. Immediately, the ground before her split open and a massive screen of ice rose up, and blocked the iing attack.


    The high-speed attack from Li Yi Fei dissipated instantly upon hitting the wall, leaving only a few cracks behind. He growled in frustration.


    "Think you''re pretty good, huh?" Li Yi Fei taunted. "Let''s see you take this then!"


    Then, exchanging nces with each of hisckeys in turn, they called out together.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re!"


    Technically, none of the three had enough practice nor mana to unleash a Level Two spell like Abomination re. However, if they were to pool all their power into one person...


    Because all three shared the Fire element (with Li Yi Fei having both Fire and Sky), they were able to perform something like this - known as a Conjoined Release. The person to fire the spell only had to know the instructions on how to cast it. In this case, Li Yi Fei, being from one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, has no problem getting his hands on a Level Two spell. His own problem was ack of mana, which could be supplemented with the use of Conjoined Release.


    "What?!" Feng Mian called out in surprise. She hurriedly put up a defense once more.


    "cier Form - Wall!" Feng Mian yelled hurriedly, summoning all her mana into making this defense as formidable as possible.


    However-


    Crrrrack.


    The ice wall she had put up slowly began to crack from the impact, while the fiery zeunched by Li Yi Fei and hisckeys is still showing no sign of disappearing.


    Crash.


    Atst, the ice wall broke down and Feng Mian could only watch in horror as the terrifying level two attack came rushing at her. There was no chance of casting another defense spell, much less escaping. And then-


    -Everything seemed to slow down. The Abomination re crawled slowly towards her at a pace like that of a turtle...well, a flying turtle.


    <em>A-Am I about to die?</em>


    <em>Ah...I''m sorry, father, mother.</em>


    She began to close her eyes.


    <em>I wasn''t able to save you, in the end...</em>


    <em>And...</em>


    A shadow appeared in front of her-


    <em>...I''m sorry too-</em>


    <em>-Xuan Kai.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 30 minutes earlier -</strong>


    ss 2-D. The ssroom was quiet yet had a impatient feeling in the air.


    "Alright - sses are finished for the day. You are free to go now." Mr. Wang announced, pping his hands together.


    "Finally!"


    "Yay!"


    "Whew!"


    Cries of relief and joy immediately filled the ssroom, along with the shutting of textbooks. It could be said that this was the one thing our entire ss did inplete unity. Other than this, well...the students here at Shenzhen Magic High School don''t get along at all. This may be due to the heavy emphasis onpetition at the school, but in general - different factions are formed, each revolving around a high-ss character, usually an heir of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen. Most of these young lords are arrogant and demanding, leading to constant conflict between the different ''factions''.


    I checked the clock. 5:00 PM. We were exactly on time today, which was a rarity. Everyday, we have four periods of sses, plus a one hour lunch break. Each periodsted two hours - so we had two periods in the morning and two periods in the afternoon. Our schedule is as follows:


    8:00 - School Start, 1st Period


    10:00 - 2nd Period


    12:00 - Lunch


    1:00 - 3rd Period


    3:00 - 4th Period


    5:00 - School End, After-School Club Activities


    Normal high schools have far shorter periods than us, and also end much earlier. However - we have an emphasis on magic lessons in addition to our academic subjects, meaning we have more courses to take and therefore longer ss times.


    That being said - even two hours is sometimes not enough. sses often run longer than they are meant to, and we can only leave the school after all sses are finished. If one ss iste, it pushes back all theter sses. Thus - thetest we have been let off was 7:00 PM.


    I heard a phone call ring from beside me, and looked over to investigate.


    As expected, it was Feng Mian. I didn''t manage to get a glimpse of the caller, as she immediately walked out of the room with her phone in hand after seeing who it was.


    Oh well. Private matters, I suppose. I didn''t want to pry into her personal business, so I decided to remain seated and wait for the ssroom to empty out (which won''t take long - everyone is eager to get out of the school), as usual. However, my calmness was short-lived as I then identally saw Li Yi Fei and his twockeys, Pang Zi and Zhang Zhe Rui, talking together by the door. That wasn''t anything to be surprised about - they were close, after all. But...what bothered me was the sinister grin on their faces as Zhang Zhe Rui spoke.


    I was too far away to hear anything, but I could tell it was a n that in some way benefited them through malicious means. That was Zhang Zhe Rui''s strong suit, after all. As Li Yi Fei nodded in agreement, Feng Mian opened the door and began walking back towards her desk to retrieve her other items.


    However, I noticed Zhang Zhe Rui immediately close his mouth as he saw Feng Mian, which was quite suspicious. I mean - of course, he wouldn''t want other people to find out about his devious ns, but-


    1. Feng Mian was not the type to care about this kind of thing.


    2. Li Yi Fei and hisckeys have never been afraid of other people knowing...they had no conclusive evidence, after all. And...his backing as an heir of the Li Family isn''t anything tough at either.


    This left only one possible conclusion:


    The person they were targeting, was none other than Feng Mian herself.


    However, before I could inform her of Li Yi Fei''s plot-


    -Feng Mian was already gone.


    "Shit..." I muttered under my breath. I looked around, but to no avail. She had already left the ssroom without me even realizing, which wasn''t surprising considering her assassin-like movements.


    I quickly packed up all my things and began heading towards the door. But then, I felt a light tug on my sleeve.


    "Um...Big Brother Xuan Kai, where are you going?"


    Ah...I forgot about Qing Yue. Cursing myself, I turned towards her and smiled to the best of my abilities (which wasn''t much). "Qing Yue, I just have something to do today. Could you head home by yourself?"


    There was no way I was getting my precious little sister (albeit not blood-rted) caught up in this mess.


    "Hm...okay!" she replied with a slight hesitation. "I don''t want to be in the way of Big Brother Xuan Kai, so please don''t worry about me! I''ll be fine!"


    "Good girl." I sighed in relief. I had expected her to inquire further as to my actions, but it seems she has matured a lot since thest time we yed together as kids.


    "U-Um, if it''s not too much to ask..." she began.


    "Yes?"


    "...Could you pat my head please?"


    .


    Well, this was unexpected. Much more so then her not asking about my motive. There weren''t any cons from doing as she asked, so after thinking about it for a while, Iplied.


    "Mm..." she smiled giddily with her eyes closed as I patted her head and ruffled her beautiful silver hair.


    I was almost reluctant to stop - but then I realized Li Yi Fei and his twockeys were gone from the ssroom as well.


    "Okay, Qing Yue. I have to go now." I said hastily.


    She nodded happily, satisfied. "Mm...okay."


    And so, with Qing Yue waving at me from behind, I ran from the ssroom and bolted down the empty halls of the school.

 Chapter 13 - Hero (1)

    I dashed through the stairways of the school, sweat gradually forming on my forehead. Bursting through the front door of the main campus, I surveyed my surroundings for any signs of Feng Mian or Li Yi Fei.


    "C''mon...they couldn''t have gotten far..." I whispered, attempting to convince myself.


    <em>Why am I doing this...? Feng Mian is just a stranger to me - in fact, she was even worse - an enemy. And yet...for some reason, I just didn''t feel okay with letting that bastard Li Yi Fei achieve his goal. I guess...doing this right now isn''t because I cared about Feng Mian. I wasn''t a hero. The reason I was chasing after them right now...was something far more selfish.</em>


    <em>I merely wanted to thwart Li Yi Fei''s ns. Make him mad. That''s about...the only thing I can do as ''revenge'', as I am right now. It may not do much at all, but it was still something...I could feel a little triumphant in my heart, at the very least.</em>


    In any case, I had no clues to go on except for the fact that Feng Mian left in a hurry after receiving that mysterious phone call. Or perhaps she was always like this, quick and precise. Realizing that I had no time to be standing out here debating to myself, I headed towards the center and the most lively part of the city with no particr destination in mind. All I knew was that located there was a giant shopping mall called Coastal Metropolis - and Starry City, the 5-star hotel Qing Yue and I went to days before, was also near here. Saying that it is the capital of Shenzhen is no overstatement. Nearly all of our school''s female students go here after school, and can''t stop talking about it during ss. Feng Mian, however, differs greatly from any of the other girls...but it was worth a shot.


    However, my n abruptly changed when I spotted Li Yi Fei and his twockeys with their backs towards the wall of a restaurant across from me, peeking around the corner. I was nowhere near Coastal Metropolis at the time, still in the slums part of the city, filled with dark alleyways and gangs. It was the perfect ce for ck market dealings, secret meetings, and organized crime. Shenzhen Magic High School was located near the border of the city, so the slums were in between the school and Coastal Metropolis.


    Why isn''t the school a part of the center, luxury part of the city, you ask? Well - the school was positioned this way in order to allow convenient excursions to the beast-filled Avast Mountains for the purpose of training.


    Now - this might sound surprising, but there isn''t any danger at all for students of Shenzhen Magic High School to travel to the center of the city. The reason being that the gangs tend to avoid them, considering they were all magic users that have received proper training. The normal gang members that barely knew how to use the mana and elemental power stored inside of their bodies didn''t stand a chance, even if all the students could do were Level 1 spells. Although they could barely use magic, they were still different from me. If given proper tutoring and education, they would be able to perform Level 1 spells in no time, and some may even be peerless talents. This was because they had awoken elements in their body - they had the qualification to perform magic. Me? I don''t even meet the basic requirements - devoid of all mana and elemental energy.


    In any case, no student has everined about receiving trouble in the slums, and so the government hadn''t taken any action. However, even so, no student woulde for the sole purpose of staying here. There wasn''t anything much to do,pared to the activity-filled and popr Coastal Metropolis. Which is why...


    I decided to keep my distance and get a grasp on the situation first. Why were Li Yi Fei and hisckeys here? And it seemed as if they were peeking into the dark alleyway, as if waiting for someone toe out...


    They were following Feng Mian. And the person they were waiting for, was also none other than Feng Mian. No doubt about it. But that only lead to more questions remained - why was Feng Mian here, in the slums of the city? It didn''t make sense, until I remembered our first meeting...


    ...That''s right. Someone had instructed her to steal my pendant. So her being in the slums...that mysterious phone call...it could only mean she was meeting with the mysterious man who had forced her to try and steal the stone pendant from me.


    I had to find out the mastermind''s identity.


    Thinking this, I looked around for a way to get closer and listen in to their conversation without getting caught. Seeing as how Feng Mian still hasn''te out, their talk must have not ended yet. I looked around for a good spot...and grinned as I looked up.


    I pulled my hood on just in case Li Yi Fei and the others look my way - although this was unlikely, as all three of them were engrossed with the dark alleyway, waiting for Feng Mian toe out. The reason they didn''t go in was probably because of some sort of barrier the mastermind had put up. Hopefully, it doesn''t cover 360 degrees all around...


    As I reached the building adjacent to Li Yi Fei''s, separated by the dark alleyway, I rounded the corner and looked for a foothold. My eyes locking onto the window that very conveniently had quite a wide ledge, I jumped and grabbed onto it with my bare hands. Pulling myself up onto the window, I prayed that whoever was inside didn''t feel like admiring nature at that very moment.


    "Well, this is not as wide as it looked- oh shit!" I muttered to myself, almost fallingpletely down in the process. Groaning, I pulled myself up once more, and once making sure that it was stable enough, I stood up on the ledge and attempted to reach the roof. Sadly, I wasn''t tall enough.


    "This would''ve been so much easier if I could use Sky magic..."


    I thought of how convenient it would''ve been to just fly myself up to the roof. But the though was quickly demolished as I was brought back to reality - I should refrain from thinking like that, as all it would do is remind me of how much of a waste I am.


    Running out of options, I bent down as far as I could without falling from the ledge in preparation for a jump.


    "Okay...here we go!"


    I leaped as high as I could, and I sighed in relief as my fingers enclosed around something solid. My legs now dangling in the air, around one and a half foot away from the ledge where I just was, I pulled myself up once again and arrived at the roof of the building.


    "Whew...no one saw me, right?"


    Once again, I had to thank my physical prowess for this. Having no magic, I trained my physical body as much as I could, to the very limits of humans. I was confident I could take down anyone as long as they didn''t use magic....yeah right. Magic itself surpassed human limits - meaning that people who possessed magic could enhance their own bodies, breaking through the shackles of mortalism. For example - if you had the Metal element, you could enhance your body to be as tough as metal. If you had the Fire element, you could make your body invulnerable to fire (at least, any fire weaker than your own). The peak of Water magic can allow you to turn your body into nearlyplete water. Attacks won''t deal physical damage at all, and you can still wear clothes and such as you please.


    I headed towards the opposite edge of the roof. Spotting Feng Mian''s rich blonde hair in stark contrast with the dark surroundings, Iy down as close as I could to her position and tried my best to hear what they were saying.


    "Well, that''s just a possibility. Hmm...from what you have told me, Xuan Kai isn''t outstanding at all. He shouldn''t have been able to tell that you entered his room, much less set up traps for your next excursion. Because of this, there''s no way he could''ve taken the pendant elsewhere," a man with a dark and raspy voice said.


    He then continued. "Unless...you were lying to me about his capabilities."


    A clearly feminine yet determined voice replied - Feng Mian. "I was not. He is merely a piece of trash that cannot even perform the slightest of magic."


    "Very good. Keep searching for the pendant. If what you say is true, then the pendant should still be somewhere within his room."


    <em>Not the type to give up, huh?</em>


    However, just then - Feng Mian blurted out something that took me by surprise.


    "What do you intend to do with that stone pendant? Is there anything special about it?"


    <em>Huh...? What is she trying to gain by asking him that? </em>


    <em>Wait. Is she...trying to help me?</em>


    "That''s not something for you to know, my little beauty," he rasped menacingly.


    I wasn''t surprised at this response. I doubted the man would give away his motives so easily. Feng Mian was a pawn to him, nothing more.


    "I''m not your ''little beauty''."


    "Hahaha! Well - you will be soon enough."


    Instinct told me he was also lusting over Feng Mian''s body. But...why hadn''t he done so already? Maybe he prioritizes the stone pendant over his personal desires. But what that meant was...


    "Remember, don''t overstep your boundaries."


    ...There was yet another mastermind behind this cloaked, mysterious man.

 Chapter 14 - Hero (2)

    There is yet another mastermind above this mysterious man.


    That was the only exnation.


    Otherwise, there was no reason to hold back on his own lustful desires, and ce the stone pendant before everything else. Considering how menacing he was, just thinking of the man <em>above</em> him was enough to send a chill down my spine.


    But s - one more question, perhaps the most important of all, remained:


    Why?


    However, as I was just in the process of racking my brains out to find the answer to the very same query I gave up on just a day ago, Feng Mian began to walk towards the exit of the dark alleyway - and where Li Yi Fei and his twockeys were waiting in anticipation.


    I looked around for the man, but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.


    Well, it''s not like I could do anything to him anyway, considering the massive barrier he put up. But I snickered at how careless he had been, leaving the top open. The man had also been wearing a dark ck cloak and a mask the entire time, leaving no clues as to who he was except for an approximated physique. And even then - advanced magic users of certain elements could alter their body forms to their liking, meaning the appearance that he had shown me today had a high chance of being a fake one, considering how careful he was.


    My thoughts were interrupted once more by the unmistakably haughty and pompous voice of Li Yi Fei.


    "Well well well...what do we have here?"


    "H-Hey! What are you doing?!" the high-pitched scream did nothing to hide the surprise and fear of Feng Mian.


    Although...the fear didn''t seem to be because of Li Yi Fei and the others. I doubted Feng Mian, a cool beauty that rivals Yu An Xue, would be so scared of a trio of street boys, even if one of them happened to be an heir to the Li family.


    The most likely guess would be that she was terrified of the mysterious man from earlier instead. The ominous aura around him was no joke - even a person without magic and unable to sense mana like me could tell that much.


    "Hey boss, she''s not such a cool beauty now, ain''t she?" I could make out the voice as to be Pang Zi, who truly lives up to his name.


    "Haha! I agree, Pang Zi!" Li Yi Fei said with augh.


    "Yeah yeah, look at that face she''s making. So scary! Hahaha!"


    Zhang Zhe Rui. The one that came up with this vile n. I really didn''t like the way this was going, but if I jumped down there right now I would probably get burnt to a crisp by their Fire Magic.


    "Hehehe...Why don''t youe y with us for a bit, Lady Feng Mian?" Li Yi Fei said with a lecherous grin.


    Feng Mian then let out a lengthy sigh, apparently regaining herposure.


    "Would you mind not addressing me in such a courteous manner while saying something so repulsive?"


    "Tch. And boss was trying to treat you nicely too...y with us, little bitch."


    Pang Zi''s tone was very different, rough and demanding. It seemed he had the shortest patience of the three (not that the other two were better by much).


    "I refuse. Step aside if you don''t want to get hurt." Feng Mian said dangerously.


    I admired her bravery...but in this situation? Anyone could tell it was a bluff.


    Considering the weakness she had shown a moment ago, no matter how tiny it was, the three perpetrators in question are probably fully aware that she isn''t powerful enough to take all three of them on.


    "Heh...you think you can defeat all three of us?" As expected.


    "I''ll at least take down two with me."


    The confidence in her voice didn''t seem fake...truth to be told, I have seen her agile movements as a thief - and an assassin; but haven''t seen her use them in a battle. Therefore, I couldn''t be too sure about her fighting capabilities. However, I doubted she was good enough to take on multiple mages of the same level as her together. It would be a different matter if she was an Intermediate Mage, but I assume all four are only Novice Mages, seeing as how they were only in the second year of high school.


    "Hehehe...then let''s see how well you do," Li Yi Fei said with a dark sneer.


    This is bad. I could see the purple lightning forming in his hands. Li Yi Fei was a dual element, Fire/Sky. This made him a talent by Novice standards.


    "Voltage Strike!" Li Yi Fei unleashed his attack. I nced quickly at Feng Mian and wondered what I should do.


    My worry, however, was quickly erased.


    "cier Form - Wall!" she yelled, concentrating her body''s mana into her hands. She then crouched down and mmed her palm onto the gravel so hard that I feared her hand (if it had a consciousness) would cry out in pain.


    Immediately, a massive wall of ice rose up from the ground in front of her. The lightning attack struck directly in the middle of it-


    -And disappeared. The wall made from ice - or cier, to be more urate - was more formidable than I had thought. All that Level One Sky Element attack left behind were a few cracks. Clearly, Li Yi Fei and the others were just as shocked as I was - perhaps even more so.


    "Think you''re pretty good, huh?" Li Yi Fei taunted."Let''s see you take this then!"


    He looked towards his twockeys for a second, then called out together.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re!"


    "What?!"


    A Level Two Spell...this could mean trouble. They had utilized a special technique possible only for people that share amon element - Conjoined Release. I noticed Feng Mian struggling to put up the cier wall once more.


    No...a Level One spell would do nothing against a Level Two one. That was the harsh truth regarding the difference between tiers.


    <strong>CRRACK.</strong>


    The cier wall was already beginning to break down from the impact, while the fiery embers known as the powerful Level Two Spell - Abomination re, still showed zero signs of disappearing. At this rate, the defense wouldn''t hold up much longer.


    "Shit..." I murmured.


    <em>No...I can''t. I can''t let someone else die before my eyes. I don''t want anyone else to suffer the same devastating feeling of loss as I did when my parents were taken from me. Feng Mian...you still have people who love you in this world. So...you can''t die. Not yet. </em>


    <em>If I were to leave right now and you died...I wouldn''t be able to live, knowing that. That''s why...even if I die here, at least I can pass on knowing I saved someone...I prevented someone from bing sad. I can rest easy knowing that despite my weakness and powerlessness, I was able to aplish something useful in my life.</em>


    <em>Mother...father...I know. You told me to live on, but...you also told me to be a strong man. And in order to do that, I must make my own decisions - find my own path in life. My own two hands on the rudder of my ship, steering down the direction that I chose. And now...I am choosing to not let Feng Mian just die like this. I''m sorry...I will never be able to avenge you the way I am now, and honestly...I''m on the verge of just giving up. </em>


    <em>Perhaps...this will be the only good thing I will ever do in my life. But it''s still something.</em>


    Then, before I could change my mind and wuss out of the idea, I leapt from the roof-


    <strong>CRASH!</strong>


    The defense was broken.


    "Damn...ugh, FUCK IT!"


    Landing directly in front of Feng Mian, I brought my arms up in an X and prepared for the impact.


    BOOM!


    I was sent flying-


    And multiple thoughts crossed my head, as time seemed to slow down-


    <em>Was this what they called your life shing before your eyes?</em>


    <em>"No."</em>


    <em>An unknown voice replied.</em>


    <em>I...saved her, right...?</em>


    <em>"Why did you save her? She tried to steal from you."</em>


    <em>I didn''t know who I was talking to...but that didn''t matter.</em>


    <em>...She was forced...</em>


    <em>"Do you really believe that?"</em>


    <em>...That was the logical exnation...</em>


    <em>"What if all that was just an act?"</em>


    <em>...She couldn''t have...she lied to that man, didn''t she?</em>


    <em>"They knew you were listening the entire time. It was all an act."</em>


    <em>...But couldn''t they have killed me right then and there? Why spare me?</em>


    <em>"They need you to find the pendant."</em>


    <em>...</em>


    <em>"She couldn''t find it in your room, so she''s going to pretend to get close to you first and have you tell her yourself where the pendant is."</em>


    <em>...No...I don''t want to believe it...</em>


    <em>"Then, after she gets what she wants, she''ll just leave you."</em>


    <em>No--!</em>


    <em>"Just like your family. Your fiancee. Your friends."</em>


    <em>...Shut up...</em>


    <em>"As soon as you prove to be of no worth to them, they''ll abandon you."</em>


    <em>...SHUT UP!</em>


    <em>"You were born as trash. Your parents have paid the price for that."</em>


    <em>...Ugh...</em>


    <em>"Everyone hates you. Your little sister paid the price for that."</em>


    <em>....ARGH!!</em>


    <em>"You''ve been bullied and humiliated for as long as you can remember. And YOU''VE paid the price for that."</em>


    <em>...ARRRRRGHH!!!</em>


    <em>"Tell me - after all that, what is it you desire?"</em>


    <em>...</em>


    <em>"Tell me - what is it you thirst for?"</em>


    <em>P...</em>


    <em>"Tell me - what is it you wish for, more than anything else in the world?"</em>


    <em>Power...</em>


    <em>"Tell me - what is it you NEED?"</em>


    <em>...Power - GIVE ME POWER!</em>


    <em>"Acknowledged."</em>


    Then, still in the air-


    The stone pendant let out a blinding sh-


    Crrrash.


    I felt my back hit something with a force strong enough to break my spine.


    But I was relieved.


    I''m...not dead?


    Pain meant a lot of things-


    But one of them, despite everything else-


    Meant that you were alive.


    Living, breathing, existing.


    I was alive, after getting hit directly by a Level Two spell at nearly full power...


    I had expected to die.


    I had expected to be erased from this world.


    I had expected no one to care about it.


    But this-


    Despite everything, I felt brimming with energy. My spine wasn''t broken, and my body seemed fine as well, though the same couldn''t be said about my clothes. The hoodie I was wearing showed no sign of being there in the first ce - almostpletely incinerated.


    Standing up, I looked around. However, the smoke left behind from that attack made it impossible to see anything at all. I then nced down at myself. I looked filthy. But something around my neck caught my eye.


    The stone pendant?


    How did this piece of rock...survive that powerful attack? In fact, it looked perfectly fine - not even a single scratch on it. This shouldn''t be possible...I should be dead, and the stone pendant should be gone. Then...why? And...it was glowing. What had looked just like any ordinary stone now had an eerie symbol on it. The originally grey surface was now pure ck like obsidian, and the sinister red glow emitting from the mysterious symbol was bright enough that I had to close one eye to look directly at it.


    Suddenly, I felt an immense pain in my body.


    "ARGH...!" I dropped to the floor immediately, unable to bear it.


    Pain meant you were alive, but that didn''t mean it was always good-


    Chains. ck and glowing red just like the pendant, they rose up from the ground and bound me to the floor, burning hot due to the attack from earlier.


    I tried to let out a scream, but I couldn''t. The chains firmly pinned me down, and wrapped around my throat as well.


    I was choking-


    I didn''t die earlier, but-


    <em>Man...I''ve really got the shittiest luck.</em>


    Born without magic, only a useless body.


    Living without power, only humiliation.


    Existing withoutpanions, only enemies.


    But even so-


    I forced my eyes open.


    "I''M...NOT...GIVING...IN!"


    I mustered all of my might and pulled at the chains that shackled me.


    "DYING?! ....FUCK THAT!"


    I let out a resounding yell that would''ve made even a magical beast think twice before attacking.


    "I HAVE POWER NOW...I CAN FINALLY GET MY REVENGE FOR MOTHER AND FATHER!"


    And then, with a satisfying loud click, atst - the pain shattered, along with the ck shackles that have bound me for years.


    What was left was a resounding and powerful energy - one I have never experienced before.


    One I have only read about in textbooks and heard about in lessons.


    One I could only admire as it ignited in other people.


    One that was the cause of all my years of suffering.


    <strong>Magic.</strong>

 Chapter 15 - The Element Of Chaos

    Magic.


    That one concept, one word, the very epitome of this world-


    -Was the reason of all my humiliation, my suffering, and my parents'' death.


    Why did it exist?


    Why did whoever created the universe include magic in it?


    Why must I, and I alone, have to bear the burden of being a weak, powerless trash?


    All of that is unimportant now. All of it is in the past.


    This swirling energy I felt in my body...mana - was what I was missing for the past 14 years. And now...everything seemed to fall in ce - like the satisfaction of when a machine ispletely put back together after falling apart, except that no one purposefully caused it: the machine had always been broken.


    It was unmistakable - all the lessons I went through in my first year at Shenzhen Magic High School about detecting mana in your body and the basic foundations of magic - this was an exact replica of what I had imagined based on the information I had received...except for one tiny detail.


    This energy, was POWERFUL.


    Mr. Wang had said in a lesson not long after we first arrived at the school:


    "If you feel a slight tremor in your Dantian as if something is swirling around in your lower abdomen area, that means you have a sufficient amount of mana in your body. The stronger the vibration, the more mana you have."


    Right now, I felt as if someone had injected a Level One Earth Element spell, Earth Quake, directly into my body. The trembling that had been described by any teachers or textbooks were nothing inparison to this. The movement in my Dantian was so strong, in fact, that I was already beginning to feel dizzy - and not even a minute had passed since I broke free from the chains (which were now nowhere to be seen).


    I did my best to clear my head and slowly began to remember the events that had led up to this situation. I had a lot of questions, but they could be saved forter. Time was the only thing I had, after all-


    No. That was what I would''ve said in the past. But now...it''s different. I have power now. I have the ability to protect the things and people that I care about.


    And...I also have the power to take revenge.


    Putting that aside, I looked around. The smokescreen from earlier was still up, but I doubted such a thing could''ve masked the heart-felt yells I had unleashed earlier. Thinking back on it now logically, it was quite a bad move. I could already hear murmurs and talksing from outside including guesses at what had happened and how multiple people have already informed the police.


    Deciding that this will be a hassle to exin as I looked at the evidence of offensive magicid out all around, I proceeded to get out of here. But something long and golden stood out in contrast with the dark floor.


    "...Feng Mian?" I murmured.


    I quickly went over and fanned the smoke away from her. Feng Mian''s elegant figure was still beautiful, even while unconscious and stained by the smoke. Her clothes were...well, inappropriate for a properdy, to say to the least. Averting my eyes, I picked her up in a princess carry and mused at how light she was - but then I realized: I can''t climb with someone in my arms.


    It wouldn''t be too long until the police arrived, and the only exit I could reach without climbing up was the dark alleyway''s entrance where a huge crowd was gathered, by the active chatter. I thought about it for a while...


    "Well...it''s worth a shot." I said to myself.


    Still holding Feng Mian in my arms, I shut my eyes tight and concentrated as hard as I could. I searched through my index of all the different Level One magic spells I had learned over the years, but were unable to put into reality. At all magic schools, students were required to learn all elements, even if they didn''t awaken it. This was because there was a chance they would awaken them in the future - when they broke through to the next level mage.


    Indeed - there was a system to awaken elements. It was known as The Awakening. Whenever you were promoted to the next level as a mage, you were granted an opportunity by the International Magic Foundation to gain another element - although how many you managed to wake in one Awakening was based solely on your own aptitude. All the Foundation did was provide you with an Awakening stone - one stone had mana traces of all 21 elements, and the one(s) you had most affinity with would be awoken within your body.


    Sounds amazing, doesn''t it? However, this was under the prerequisite that the candidate in question had mana to begin with, and of course - already awoken elements from when they were born. In addition, breaking through to the next stage was no easy feat - the difference between Spell Tiers are far more distant than they seem. It''s roughly at a 1:10 ratio - a single Level Two spell would take 10 Level One spells to counter it. The same applies for Level Three spells - 10 Level Two spells would be needed to counter it, and so on.


    That being said, there was an upgrade system developed by the Foundation to allow Level One spells to reach the power of a Level Three. The max you could upgrade a spell was two times, meaning you couldn''t take a Level Two spell and upgrade it into one with the destruction power of a Saint-Tier spell. In addition, you couldn''t upgrade Saint-Tier or Divine-Tier spells - the mana and technology required for that is far beyond what the Foundation currently has. They are on apletely different ne of existence from the tiers before it.


    Upgrading is certainly a strong tool - but everythinges with a price fitting for it. Only the wealthiest of people were able to purchase Upgrade Runes, which was the essential catalyst to upgrade a spell. Furthermore, the total price only increased for upgrading spells with a higher base tier. For example, upgrading a Legendary-Tier spell would cost considerably more than a Level Three one. The higher the base tier, the more and higher-quality Upgrade Runes you would need. Thus, most people just abandon their basic spells and go for more advanced ones as soon as they get a chance to.


    That, too,es with a price too, however. Level Two spells were obviously harder to learn and cast than Level One spells. On the other hand, if you simply upgraded a Level One spell, you wouldn''t have to spend time learning a more advanced technique. It would also save you casting time in battle - in which even a fraction of a second could decide the oue right then and there.


    After going through my mental index for a little, I found what I was looking for. Level One Blessing Magic - Potentia Salire: Casting Instructions.


    Blessing Magic was the opposite of Curse Magic. It was mainly used to cast enhancements and buffs on others, or to cancel out Curses. This buff in particr fell under the Spell Family of Potentia - a series of spells that enhance basic abilities, such as jump height, speed, sense, or strength. The only ones I knew were Level One spells, but they were enough for this situation.


    I didn''t know what element exactly I had awoken, but at this point I could only give everything a try. If it didn''t work, I would have to figure something else out.


    After briefly going through the casting directions (which I had alreadypletely memorized, like I did with all other spells I was taught) I put all my focus into the casting, just as the instructions had stated.


    "Potentia Excitant: Salire!"


    Immediately, I felt immense strengthing into my legs, and my body feeling a lot lighter, even while carrying Feng Mian (who wasn''t all that heavy herself). It appeared that the casting was sessful.


    So the element I had awoken is the Blessing element? I was quite disappointed, considering there aren''t any offensive-type spells in the Blessing element that I knew of. All I could do was provide support...which wasn''t really my style. They say that all elements have their own personalities, and the one that you awaken was supposed to have one that matched your own.


    ...Then why had I awoken this element?


    Well - now was not the time to worry about that. I took a deep breath, and leapt up with all my strength, careful to not drop Feng Mian. Surprisingly enough, I made the roof in one leap. Although it was only 6-7 meters tall, that was still two stories - and jumping directly to the top of a two-story building was no small feat, even with magic. Quite frankly, I was bewildered at how effective Level One magic was...albeit I''ve never seen any other Blessing element mages at Shenzhen Magic High School cast a Potentia spell with such high efficacy.


    Thinking back, the tremor in my Dantian that was supposed to be ''slight'' did seem like an earthquake...


    ...Like it was in Chaos.


    However, this reasoning didn''t make sense either as the amount of mana you have has nothing to do with the effectiveness of your spells. Your mana capacity only defined whether or not you would be able to cast the spell - the power of the spell shouldn''t be altered.


    Mentally adding this to the already overflowing list of questions that I had, I set Feng Mian down on the roof and proceeded to wake her up. I wouldn''t get anywhere with her like this.


    However, as I got closer to her, a sudden hostility took ce within my heart-


    "She''s an enemy," it seemed to say.


    "She''s lying to you," it continued.


    "It was all an act," it carried on further.


    These words...brought back a faint sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu somehow. Wait - I remember now! This was when-


    "K???I????L?L??? ???H??E?????R??-???"


    "UGH!" I let out a sudden cry of pain as a sharp headache hit me.


    I quickly stepped away from Feng Mian and copsed. After a short while, the pain subdued.


    "...What was that?" I asked no one in particr.


    That faint voice from earlier...was it telling me...to KILL her?


    That''s...no. I would never kill someone innocent.


    But...where have I heard that voice before?


    It was female and soothing, yet grand at the same time - fitting for an empress. But the words it said-


    -Lacked all human conscience and morals, betraying her queen-like tone.


    But before I could think deeply about the matter, a slight movement in front of me captivated me.


    "Mmrnghh..." a soft and feminine sound, in contrast to the imposing voice from just earlier, rose up.


    It was Feng Mian. She rubbed her eyes in a cute gesture, then looked around her - and atst her eyesnded on me.


    "Xu...Xuan Kai?" she asked uncertainly.


    "...It''s me," I replied. "Sorry, did I wake you?"


    "U-Um, I''m fine...but why...how...?" she seemed to be confused at the situation. But that couldeter, because-


    "...I''ll exin everything to youter, but for now, would you mind covering up?" I said as I averted my eyes from her perfect figure.


    "H-Huh? A-Ah!" Feng Mian appeared muddled at first, but looks like she finally noticed.


    Her current attire, as previously stated, were in no way appropriate for a properdy to wear in public. Several of the buttons on her uniform were nowhere to be found, leaving her chest area nearlypletely exposed. Her skirt, as well, seemed to have received a little of bit of damage from the aftereffects of the Abomination re from earlier. Thus, from my point of view, her bra and panties were on full disy.


    As she hurriedly pulled together her uniform with one hand and covered up her panties with the other, there was no mistaking the deep flush on her face. Maybe I shouldn''t have told her, after all?


    No, no, no. That would only get me into more troubleter, lest she uses me of gazing at her in a perverted manner.


    "U-Um, I''m done." Feng Mian finally said.


    "Good. Now...I expect you want to hear the full story about what had happened while you were unconscious, so I''ll just start from the beginning-"


    "W-Wait." Feng Mian interrupted me mid-sentence.


    Annoyed wouldn''t be the right word, I was more like confused. She wanted to know, did she not? I raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "...Yes?"


    "B-Before you tell me..." Feng Mian stopped and looked away sheepishly. "W-Would you mind p-putting on some c-clothes as well?"


    Huh?


    Oh.


    I nced down at myself and realized that this entire time, I hadn''t been wearing anything on the top half of my body. I could hardly be med, however - any fabric I had been wearing at the time was burnt mercilessly to a crisp by the Abomination re.


    Good thing what was covering the bottom-half as well as my ''member'' wasn''t incinerated as well. Otherwise, I would''ve beenbeled as a pervert for the rest of my life (not that the current rumors about me were any better). I looked around for something to wear, but to no avail.


    "...Er, I can''t seem to find any-"


    "H-Here." Feng Mian interrupted me once more, but this time with her uniform jacket in her outstretched hand, which she held out towards me.


    "...Uh...Are you sure?" I asked.


    "I-I have something u-underneath, so it''s f-fine!" she replied hastily with a blush.


    Although she was embarrassed herself, she still didn''t hesitate to give me her clothes.


    What a nice girl-


    "K???I????L?L??? ???H??E?????R??-???"


    "UGH!" the same headache from before struck once more, and I clutched my head in a futile attempt to ease the pain.


    "W-Wha-!" Feng Mian was surprised, but her expression immediately changed to one of concern. "X-Xuan Kai, are you okay?! H-Hey! Stay with me!"


    But s, this time, I could not suppress the pain and hold on any longer.


    The only thing I could do now was try to ease her fear-


    "...Don''t...worry..."


    ...I''ll...be...fine...


    -But I didn''t have the strength to muster out the final three words before everything faded to darkness.


    ...No one noticed the single shadow that fled from the top of the massive IMF Tower, holding a telescope in one hand.

 Chapter 16 - The Beginning Of A Long Journey

    - The Next Day -


    "Urgh..." I groaned as I opened my eyes. I was lying on a soft mattress, with a nket over me. The first thing I did was check my neck area. The stone pendant was still there, albeit hidden underneath the white and light blue shirt I was wearing. I rxed - this was a normal procedure for me, a habit by now, if you will. I looked around. The curtains were open and the winter breeze that was supposed to be freezing felt mildly cool instead. If I had to describe the room with one word, it would be-


    -White.


    I recognized this as the school infirmary - I had been here multiple times before when my fellow schoolmates took the bullying to a physical level. Then, I realized there was a light weight on my leg, and a strange warmth in my nket.


    After blinking any remaining drowsiness away, I noticed that the weight on my leg had been Feng Mian. She was sitting on a chair, and seemed to have fallen asleep while looking after me.


    This was the first time anyone has truly looked after me like so since my parents'' deaths. A feeling impossible to put into words stirred in my heart.


    ncing away, I decided to resolve the other mystery. I flipped open the nket, and what awaited me was-


    "...Mm...? Big Brother Xuan Kai...?"


    "Q-Qing Yue? What...are you doing..." I trailed off.


    "Big Brother?! You''re finally awake!"


    "Uh...Yeah."


    Then, tears began forming in her eyes as she pulled me into a tight embrace.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...you''re okay...I''m so d..." she cried.


    "Ah..."


    Not sure how to deal with the situation, I awkwardly put one hand around her and hugged her back. A strange warmth in my heart made me not want to let go, but after a few minutes, she reluctantly let go.


    "..Um, Big Brother Xuan Kai, what happened?" she asked nervously. "H-How did you be like this?"


    I didn''t know what to say...should I tell her the truth? But she would just needlessly worry...


    Suddenly, as I was weaving out a good lie to tell, a third voice interjected us.


    "I would like to know as well..." Feng Mian said quietly, a faint blush on her cheeks.


    "You were awake the entire time?" I asked.


    "N-No, I just woke up."


    "Ah...sorry, did Qing Yue cause too much of amotion?" I hurried apologized.


    "No, not at all!" Feng Mian replied immediately. "In fact, I have to thank her for waking me up...although indirectly."


    This was around the same time my memories came flooding back towards me, so I began to remember everything that had transpired. "...Right...I still haven''t told you what exactly happened, huh?"


    "...I''ve made some of my own guesses, but I would still like to hear the full story." Feng Mian stated hesitantly.


    "H-Hey! Don''t ignore me!" Qing Yue said with a pout, though her eyes were still red from crying. "I want to know as well! Mou~I let you out of my sight for a couple of hours and you end up like this!"


    "...Sorry." The only word I had in reply.


    "Hmph! Well, whatever." she nced away. "Just tell me everything, from beginning to end!"


    I decided to stay true to my words - I had meant to tell Feng Mian earlier, but...well. However, there were some parts I couldn''t let her know - such as the fact that I had listened in to her conversation with the mysterious man.


    After carefully thinking about which parts to say and which parts to leave out, I gave my consent. "...Alright then."


    And with that, I began to retell the catastrophic events that had happened on that day.


    *****


    - 30 Minutes Later -


    "Wow..." Feng Mian was left speechless by the story. "I-I mean, how did you even survive that st?! That was a Level Two spell, you know!"


    "...I''m not too sure myself."


    Meanwhile, Qing Yue, on the other hand, was giddily jumping up and down on the bed. "Woah! Big Brother Xuan Kai, you''re so cool! Like a prince, you rushed in and met the attack head-on to protect your princess!"


    "W-Wha-!" Feng Mian reacted sharply to this statement. "W-Who''s his princess?!"


    "Hey, you should consider yourself lucky. I wish I was the one he rushed in to save!" Qing Yue replied, her expression carefree. Then, turning to me, she asked innocently. "U-Um...Big Brother Xuan Kai, would you do the same for me if I was in that situation?"


    "Of course." I replied without any hesitation. "You''re more important to me than anyone else."


    "...!"


    Silence. The only thing that could be heard was the soft blowing of the wind.


    Qing Yue gazed into my eyes like a cute kitten, and I stared right back into those deep blue eyes. I loved her - that goes without saying...but right now, the feelings I had in my heart felt like something stronger. Something MORE. A different type of love...


    "A-Ahem!" Feng Mian finally broke the tranquility.


    "A-Ah!" Qing Yue seemed to snap back to her senses, and so did I. She hastily turned away with a deep blush on her face.


    I decided to change the topic. "....In any case, that''s the full story." As I sat up and prepared to leave the infirmary (I was already healed by now, thanks to the Blessing Magic of the school nurse. Blessing Magic could also heal people, and works quite fast), the two cute voices stopped me.


    "W-Wait! But I have so many questions!" Qing Yue eximed.


    "T-That''s right!" Feng Mian joined in as well.


    I let out a short sigh and sat back down on the bed. "...Ask away."


    "O-Okay! Then, first up! Big Brother Xuan Kai, so you can use magic now, right?"


    "...I suppose so."


    The stirring in my Dantian from yesterday was long gone. It seemed the mana has concentrated and settled in, just like the textbooks said: Only when you try to use the stored mana will the tremor take ce - and after a while, it will settle back down. Yesterday, I must''ve activated the mana in my body subconsciously in an attempt to break free from the chains. Normally, you shouldn''t feel anything in your Dantian area.


    But even so...there''s gotta be an overwhelming amount of mana in my body to be able to cause such a violent shaking.


    "And not just that, you have a lot of mana in your body?" Feng Mian added.


    I gave a firm nod. "...Indeed."


    Qing Yue appeared like she was thinking about something, and she smiled soon after as if she had found the answer.


    "So...you have the Blessing Element just like me, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    "...I was able to use Blessing Magic, so that would be the logical assumption." I replied.


    "But you could''ve awakened more than one element, right?" Feng Mian asked.


    "...I suppose that is true, but I would have to actually try to find out."


    "My thoughts exactly! Big Brother Xuan Kai, let''s go to the magic training room!"


    "...Isn''t that ce usually full?"


    The magic training room was a spacious area like a gym, except that it was enforced with magic barriers. The purpose of this room was to provide a safe ce for mages to hone their skills in magic. There was one room for each grade at Shenzhen Magic High School, though the ss A of each year had the privilege of a private one. This was extremely useful, as the magic training rooms are almost always crowded with people, making it hard to concentrate and it''s users vulnerable to stray attacks. It was also filled with danger, since all the sses oppose each other at this school, thanks to the ss ranking system.


    "Don''t worry! It''s 4 in the morning right now!"


    Huh?


    So the sky outside wasn''t grey because the sun had just set, but because the sun hadn''t rose yet?


    Wait. Then-


    "...Then how are you guys here?"


    "Ehehehe~" Qing Yue let out a devious littleugh. "We sneaked in, of course!"


    Seeing her announce this so happily like it was a huge achievement, I couldn''t help but let out a little smile. Although I wasn''t particrly happy with her actions, doing this was just so typical of her, seeing as how she used to always sneak out of the Qing family manor to meet up with me - and this time, she had gotten Feng Mian caught up in it too.


    "...I see." I replied, doing my best not to let her know that I was smiling. "And you went along with it?" I continued, directing my gaze at Feng Mian.


    "W-Well...I had already thought at the time that you probably blocked the attack for me. I mean, there was no other exnation...you''re clothes were burnt, you had smoke stains all over your body, while on the other hand, I was perfectly fine!" she replied. "But what surprised me was that you didn''t have a single spot of blood or any sign of a bruise on you...putting that aside, I decided that I would have to repay the favor. It was 6 by then, the school infirmary was already closed - no one was there to even treat you. I then went back to the female dorms and contacted Qing Yue, while still carrying you. She organized all this."


    Ah...I had thought the Blessing Magic was the nurse''s. Turns out, it was actually Qing Yue who healed me. She did have the Blessing element, after all. And Feng Mian carried me all the way to the girl''s dorms...I truly owe her one. But at the moment, something else was more concerning-


    "...Wait. You said that I didn''t have a single spot of blood or bruise on me. You''ve seen my upper body, but how could you know whether or not my legs were hit?"


    "A-Ah!" she quickly hid her face with her hands. "Oh no...I let it slip out..."


    Qing Yue put her arms on her waist and shook her head in disappointment. "Haiz...you''re actually a big klutz, aren''t you?"


    "...What..." I was very confused.


    "Big Brother, you''re pretty dumb as well." Qing Yue then said, pointing at me. "Look at what you''re wearing!"


    Then I realized. The white and light blue striped clothes I was wearing...I obviously couldn''t have put them on myself while unconscious. But that meant-


    "...Er...Thank you...I guess?"


    "Yep! No problem! When we were young, we even bathe-"


    I quickly stopped Qing Yue by putting my hand over her mouth. "...We did nothing." I said darkly. After looking into her eyes to confirm she got the message, I lifted my hand.


    Feng Mian, meanwhile, looked more confused than I had just been. "Wha...?" She tipped her head and rested it on her hand. The gesture was adorable, and I could feel my heart thumping against my chest. I quickly looked away.


    "Ehehe, it''s nothing!" Qing Yue said cheerfully.


    "...Anyway, if it is indeed 4 in the morning right now...then I suppose we should get a move on." I said, gazing out the window.


    Qing Yue then handed me some simple clothes she had bought beforehand, and after I told the two of them to go on ahead while I changed. However-


    "I''ll wait right outside the door." Feng Mian said. "Qing Yue, wait for us at the magic training room."


    "Eh??? Are you guys going to make out or something???" the person in question replied curiously.


    "W-W-W-What are you saying?! Of course not!" Feng Mian rebutted immediately.


    "Well, I''ll just go on ahead then! You guys have fun~" Qing Yue said with a wink. Then, just as she was about to exit the door, she turned back one more time. "Oh, don''t make me wait too long though, okay? Or I''ll be jealous..."


    "J-J-Just go already!" Feng Mian eximed furiously, her cheeks painted pink with embarrassment.


    After they had both left the room, I quickly pulled on the clothes Qing Yue had brought me and also exited the door, only to find Feng Mian leaning against the wall.


    "...I assume you have something to talk about."


    "...Yes. D-Don''t take what Qing Yue said seriously!" she exined in a hurry, her cheeks still flushed.


    Ignoring her second statement, I prompted her to continue. "...What is it?"


    "Well, u-um, you know..." she trailed off. Then, after taking a deep breath, she continued. "How long were you on the roof for, observing the situation?"


    ...I had expected this question toe up. She needed to know whether I had heard her exchange with the mysterious man. Of course, I had no intention of telling her the truth.


    "...Since Li Yi Fei called out to you." I replied, feigning certainty. I couldn''t let her tell that I was lying. Unless she had a Psychic element affinity, of course - in which case I was screwed. "I praised myself on arriving there just on time."


    "Hm...I got it," she replied. I couldn''t tell if she knew I was lying or not...but it seemed thetter. She appeared deep in thought, and eventually looked up at me with a bright smile. "Thank you."


    "..Huh?" I reflexively replied out of confusion.


    "I-I mean, you saved me, after all. I thought that a thank you should be in order..."


    "...I see. Don''t think too much of it. I just couldn''t leave an innocent person to die."


    "S-Still," she stubbornly said. Then, in a meeker tone, she added. "...So you would''ve done the same for any other person too, huh..."


    She seemed sad and lonely. Seeing her like this, I couldn''t help but feel guilty for lying to her earlier. I wanted tofort her...but I''m not able to bring myself to say something that may sound like a damn confession.


    "...I value my own life over some random stranger''s," I said cryptically. Although I didn''t give her a direct answer...I think she would figure out what I meant - maybe not now, but in the future.


    However, she grasped my meaning way faster than I had expected.


    "Hehe~ I understand now...hehe~" she said while staring down at the ground, a faint blush on her face. "...Truly...thank you."


    "...We shouldn''t keep Qing Yue waiting for too long."


    "...Yes...you''re right. Let''s go!" Feng Mian said as she looked up once more with a cheerful smile.


    I looked back into the room onest time and gazed out the window.


    Magic.


    The reason my parents were sacrificed.


    The reason my life was trampled upon mercilessly by others.


    The reason I - my very existence - was viewed as no more than a scrap of garbage.


    But-


    What I have been missing all these years, is now fulfilled.


    What I have been waiting for all these years, is now within my grasp.


    What I have wanted to do yet couldn''t aplish all these years, is now within my reach...


    ...And I am ready to serve my purpose.


    The Xuan family...Li Yi Fei...Li Mu Shen...Lan Gui Ying...


    Prepare yourself - I''ming for you.

 Chapter 17 - The Magic Training Room (1)

    <em>"Don''t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits."</em>


    <strong>*****1</strong>


    "Th-This is impossible..." Feng Mian gasped, evidently shocked.


    "Woah..." Qing Yue beside her mused.


    I merely sat in silence. However, this didn''t mean that I wasn''t surprised as well.


    After all, such a case has never been seen before.


    *****


    - An hour or so earlier, Magic Training Room -


    Feng Mian and I had just finished our conversation, privy only to us. Upon arriving at the Magic Training Room, I couldn''t help but widen my eyes at the size of it. People said it was like a gymnasium for magic...but this, this is something far grander than that. Compared to any other type of rooms in the school, these undeniably stood out the most.


    Our school''s main building was more or less rectangr shaped, albeit specificyouts were different for every floor (considering the sses taught for each year were different as well). And his single room alone took one of the two long sides of the hallway that surrounded the floor. If I had to describe it with one word, it would be DIVINE. The entrance was arge exquisitely designed white double door, with a huge banner above it that read: "Magic Training Room". Along the walls that extended to the ends of the hallway on either side of the doors were a beautiful painting of wings-


    Wait, no. Painting would be the wrong word - the wings were ACTUALLY slowly pping. This was done with magic, of course. But the aura it gave off was in no way inferior to that of a real angel...and I have came close to seeing an angel multiple times, if you catch my meaning. What really surprised me, however, was that now I can sense the mana emitting from the wings. I could FEEL it - all around, mana and traces of mana being used earlier were as clear as day to me. For the first time in my life, I could finally experience the feeling of detecting mana.


    "Wow..." Feng Mian let out a whistle. "This is really something."


    "...Yeah, you''re right," I replied. "The school really put effort into this one."


    Qing Yue was nowhere to be seen, so Feng Mian and I assumed she had already went in. We pushed on the door, and - not surprisingly, it wasn''t locked. After all, Qing Yue must''ve already cracked it open...another skill she had learned over the years of sneaking out her house. It really wasn''t one to brag about, however.


    As we entered the room, Feng Mian suddenly stopped - and it didn''t seem as if she was merely gawking at our beautiful surroundings. The inside was split into 21 different sections - 7 in each row, with 3 rows in total. I could see that the sections were split apart from one another with a magical barrier, leaving an approximately 2 meter wide passage way between sections. It''s quite obvious that each section was made for a specific element. The entire array, if looked at from above, would closely resemble a city building game, except each ''building'' was strictly evenly sized squares. The ''roads'' ran between the ''buildings'', and intersected each other at times.


    Each barrier was a different color and had a different insignia on it, however. The barrier colors were based on the natural hue of the element it housed, and the insignia likewise also based on the element - for example, the fire element section had a fiery orange barrier and a glowing me insignia, while the water element one had a tranquil and calm dark blue, along with a simrly glowing (although in a different color) water drop insignia.


    Furthermore, each section had an environment and atmosphere that has a connection to the corresponding element. The Sky element section naturally had a cluster of clouds in it, and the Earth element section was much like that of a mountainous terrain (although a real mountain would be far too big to fit in here). Primary Elements were on the left side, while Secondary Elements were more or less in the middle. Dark Magic was to the far right.


    Although the three elements - Void, Necromancy, and Demon - have beenbeled as ''Dark Magic'' by society, schools didn''t strictly prohibit students who have aptitude for these three elements from training them. However, most pupils with Dark Magic tended to be feared and excluded by others - not unlike what they have done to me (albeit there wasn''t anyone that feared a magic-less waste like me, of course).


    The entire scene felt like a color paradise, and the mana emissions from each section were extremely high - goes to show just how many people use this room everyday.


    I looked over at Feng Mian. She was still standing still, brows furrowed in thought. "...Hey. You alright?"


    "H-Huh?!" Feng Mian snapped back to her senses and nced back at me. "Oh...I''m fine. It''s just..."


    "It''s just?" I prompted her to continue.


    "Don''t you feel it as well?" she asked.


    "...I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "I mean, the pressure! Don''t you feel it? From all around you."


    "...Pressure? No." All I felt was awe at the amount of work put into designing and constructing this ce. However, it didn''t seem like she was lying, either...


    "What? How can that be? I had assumed the pressure was built-in to provide a stricter training environment," she said. "After all, this pressure makes it harder to concentrate your mana and effectively use magic."


    "...I don''t feel a thing." I replied.


    "Impossible...but then again, you''ve proved the impossible to me more than once now." Feng Mian heartilyughed, which made my heart skip a beat. "No matter, let''s find Qing Yue and test out your magic aptitude!"


    "...Right."


    Knowing Qing Yue well, I indicated for Feng Mian to follow me, and headed towards the Blessing element section. I spotted the insignia for the Blessing Element not far away from where we were standing, having just entered the room. It was a small plus sign, and the barrier around was a lime color, representing healing. Being a Secondary Element, it was ced around the middle area.


    We continued along the passageways between sections, and eventually arrived at the Blessing Element''s division. Inside it was a small figure with long silver hair, who seemed to be in meditation.


    "Qing Yu-" I began, but was quickly stopped by Feng Mian, who used her hand to cover my mouth.


    "Are you an idiot? She''s in the middle of concentrating her mana." she exined. "If you interrupt her now, it would have a huge impact on her future training."


    "...I see." I merely said once she removed her hand.


    I''ve never used magic before - although I do vaguely remember hearing Mr. Wang saying something about "not to disturb people who are training". Apparently, when people were concentrating their mana, if disturbed, the mana would instantly disperse and the trainee in question would suffer from a bacsh from the rapid movement of mana. This may cause the individual to not be able to train for the next couple of weeks, or at worst have a damaged Dantian - greatly decreasing the amount of mana he or she''s able to hold, and the power output of his or her attacks as well.


    The only things I''ve etched into my memory from ss were the forms and incantation phrases for spells. The rest...I would have to really think about it to be able to recall the information.


    After a short while, Qing Yue eyes snapped open and immediately spotted us waiting outside the Blessing Element division.


    Her mouth opened as if she was calling out to me, but I couldn''t hear anything. No doubt, this was due to the magical barrier in ce - it seemed to be sound-proof, although able to see through. I signaled to her that we weren''t able to hear her with signnguage.


    We had learned signnguage together at a young age, for...well, no particr reason. The kids who give this answer to their parents when asked "Why did you do it?" after an ident - that''s right, for fun. However, since then, we had used it to secretlymunicate hidden from her parents for God knows how many times. She would crawl up to her window, I would sit on the branch of a tree - and she would let me know when she would sneak out of her house.


    Reminiscing on all those fun times...I faintly smiled. Feng Mian seemed to have noticed this, and looked over in curiosity. Then, she turned back to face the front again and watched on as Qing Yue, having gotten my message, began heading over to us.


    "You really love her, huh?" Feng Mian said, although there was a hint of sadness in her voice.


    "...Yeah. She''s my only family now, after all." I replied.


    Feng Mian looked towards me once more, a look of hope in her eyes. "So...you only love her as a little sister?"


    I didn''t understand why she asked such an obvious question - but I answered truthfully.


    "...Yes." I answered. "And why do you seem so happy at that?" I noticed the glimmer in her eyes.


    Hearing this, a blush rose to her cheeks, and she quickly looked away. "N-Nothing!"


    But this couldn''t cover the yful smile that rose to her lips. .

 Chapter 18 - The Magic Training Room (2)

    "Heya!!" a cheerful voice broke through the awkward aura in the air.


    Feng Mian was still blushing and hadn''t came back to her senses yet, that same attractive smile on her gorgeous face.


    "...Hey," I said stoically, in stark contrast to Qing Yue''s bright tone. "How was your training?"


    "Hmm...I''ve never been here before, and I''ve gotta say - it''s really fun!"


    "...Fun?" Not sure that was the right word to describe a excessively pressurized area meant for training purposes. But Qing Yue paid my confusion no mind.


    "I mean, look at how beautiful it is! The colors and everything - I could stay here all day!" Qing Yue said, jumping up and down as she clutched onto my arm. "Come with me!"


    "...Uh-" I began, remembering a certain someone, still daydreaming, but was quickly interrupted.


    "Hey hey, Feng Mian, join us as well! C''mon!" Qing Yue was one step ahead of me, as always.


    "H-Huh?" Feng Mian snapped back to reality upon being called out, and let out a cute exmation of surprise. "Ah...right, yeah, let''s go."


    "Hmm? Oh-ho, what happened?" Qing Yue quickly asked with a devious smile that would put the devil himself to shame. She had noticed the blush on Feng Mian''s face, and couldn''t help but wonder-


    "Hehehe...what did you do to her this time, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    "...Nothing," I replied immediately.


    "N-Nothing!" Feng Mian yelled at the exact same time, creating an impressive unison between the two of us.


    "Hmm...? That sounds so...staged," Qing Yue said thoughtfully while resting her chin on her hand. "Did you guys already have this act nned beforehand?"


    "...No," I once again replied instantly.


    "N-No!" Feng Mian eximed once more, but-


    "...Would you mind not saying the same thing as me, at the exact same time?"


    "W-Well, I can''t help it, okay! It''s just a coincidence! Yes, just a coincidence!"


    Feng Mian definitely sounded like she was convincing herself - making her argument invalid in terms of convincing others. Meanwhile, Qing Yue inspected this exchange while desperately trying not tough, covering her mouth with her hand.


    "...Look, it isn''t how it seems," I exined. "To be honest, I have no idea why that idiot was blushing either."


    "H-Hey! Who''re you calling an idiot!" a distressed cry rang out from beside me, belonging to none other than the idiot herself.


    "Hehe...Big Brother Xuan Kai, you don''t understand girls at all, do you?" Qing Yue whispered just loudly enough for me to hear.


    "..."


    I had no reply - the only girl I''ve ever came in contact with was Qing Yue, after all. How can I understand something I barely know?


    "A-Anyway! Let''s get going," the idiot''s voice called out once again, and I looked at her in slight disgust.


    "Hey, what''s that look for?! You''re insulting me in your head right now, aren''t you?!"


    "...Not in the slightest."


    "I don''t believe-"


    "Okay okay, let''s get going!" a third voice interrupted her.


    Qing Yuees in with the save once more...


    *****


    We had decided to try the Blessing Element first - it was already known that I could use Blessing Magic, and its respective section was right in front of us.


    "Now, try casting a spell in here!" Qing Yue instructed once we were in the ''room''.


    Recalling what Qing Yue had done earlier, I sat down on a nearby rock and closed my eyes. Following the procedure taught in ss, I visualized the mana in my body and condensed it into a perfect sphere, whereas it was spread all around and aplete mess before. I then drew on that energy and attempted to cast a spell.


    "Potentia Excitant: Celeritas!"


    I had already tried the jump boost spell before, so this time I aimed for the speed boost one. As expected, I felt strength rising to my legs once more - except that this time, they also felt breezy and light, like I could run forever with them.


    "A speed spell?" Feng Mian mused. "Well - go ahead and give it a try, I guess. Run from here to the opposite side of the barrier."


    "...Here to the opposite of the barrier...Got it," I echoed.


    Then, I got into a running position. Both hands on the grassy floor of the Blessing Element Division, I took off into the deep forest ahead of me. Needless to say, the speed was incredible, considering how well the jump boost spell workedst time.


    After a while (about two seconds in reality) the familiar lime-colored wall, glowing with radiance, came into view. I quickly stopped upon reaching the very edge of the barrier-


    -Or so I''d like to say, but unfortunately I was going at a speed too fast to even stop. I coursed through barrier after barrier. Since the Blessing Element division was on the right side of the central pathway that marked the middle of the entire Magic Training Room, I coursed through four of the 12 Primary Elements'' Divisions - Poison, Ice, Shadow, and Light, in that exact order.


    By the time I recognized the element of the section I was in, I had already moved on to the next one. And by the time the fourth one came around, I realized-


    Boom!


    I crashed into something hard and cold...and painful, for that matter.


    The wall.


    The sound reverberated across the entire room, and I had no doubt that Feng Mian and Qing Yue had heard it.


    "Gah..." I groaned and walked backwards, head still dizzy. Impressively, I didn''t fall or crash into anything else.


    After a while, my head became clear once more, though the same couldn''t be said about my nose, now coated in blood. I then turned back around, and decided to have Qing Yue heal my injury. I''ve never used healing magic before, though it is also a form of Blessing Magic. And I''ve heard that one little mistake can cause the patient to...well, simply put, suffer. Cases where inexperienced dislocated joint treatments caused the bone in question to be even MORE dislocated weren''t unheard of. So I decided to leave it to Qing Yue, who was proficient enough in Healing Magic to heal the mysterious headache I had gotten two days ago.


    I decided to rush back as soon as possible to avoid having Feng Mian and Qing Yue needlessly worry, but as soon as I made my first step-


    "Ah shit..."


    Zoom.


    I had wanted to get back as quick as I could in my mind, so...you guessed it - the speed boost from earlier hadn''t worn off yet, and I must''ve subconsciously triggered it based on my thoughts...


    What I was thinking as I coursed through the same divisions I had just passed through once already:


    "Woah, that''s bright...didn''t they say it was only 4 AM? Why is it-"


    "Ah..it''s dark now...wait, this is a bit too dark for 4 AM, what''s going on-"


    "Brrr! It''s so cold, what the hell...oh wait...this is the Ice element..."


    "...That''s right...I''m currently flying- *ahem* *cough* *cough* sorry, not flying exactly, but ''running'' through the air at 500 miles a second..."


    And then, before I knew it (not surprisingly - my reaction speeds are nowhere near THAT speed...), I mmed into yet another solid entity. This one, however, was even colder than thest, though by no means any less painful. The mysterious item cracked from the impact and I instantly copsed..nding on something in stark contrast with what I had just collided with in the process...soft, warm, and very veryfortable.


    "Nya...?!" a high-pitched voice moaned.


    I paid this no attention, however. My thoughts werepletely focused on my Speed of Light Journey Through Dimensions and Space-Time. Hm, not a bad name. I only went through four ''dimensions'' by the looks of it...though ording to my knowledge of the arrangement of this array, and ''previous personal experience'', I should''ve went through 3 more toplete the row...


    "Hey..." a voice colder than the rigid object I had crashed into seconds earlier reached my ears. It came from...below me? "...Just how long do you n on...lying here?!"


    Okay. I could''ve done without that final sudden raise of volume...wouldn''t want my ears to bleed as well. Just my nose was more than enough, and that second collision just now didn''t help with healing the nosebleed. But my thoughts, having cleared (mostly), were finally collected once more. Then I realized that I couldn''t see a thing, and felt two soft and bouncy sphere-like objects, one on either side of my head.


    I quickly processed what the feminine voice had just said and my eyes widened at the answer I reached...


    I slowly began to sit up...I swallowed the bile in my throat. I already knew what awaited me...but this fear was something I have never experienced before. My palms were sweaty, and not just from running. My eyes zoomed out...


    ...At a disfigured uniform that enclosed around a voluptuous bosom.


    I tilted my eyes slightly upwards, and saw the traces of golden hair.


    All time froze around me, and no, I had not cast any Time Magic.


    My thoughts at that moment:


    "Yeah, I''m fucked."

 Chapter 19 - The Magic Training Room (3)

    "Shit..."


    So...after I had fallen on Feng Mian''s-


    *Ahem*, just Feng Mian, I mean. I had, without a doubt, gotten a horrible beating...that certainly had magic involved. She went on scolding me for what seemed like an eternity before Qing Yue finally cut in and stopped her. So, here I was, sitting on the grassy terrain of the Blessing Element Division, slowly getting healed by Qing Yue''s Blessing Magic, worse for wear.


    "Pervert! Disgusting! Pedophile!"


    Annnnd a certain someone was still yelling insults even while I was getting treatment-


    ...


    -Wait. Pedophile?


    Did she just call me a pedo?


    Alright...I can''t just let that one slip by.


    "Hey...you can call me whatever you want, but really, a pedophile?" I murmured just loudly enough for Feng Mian to hear, over the brutally loud voice of her own protests.


    "Huh? You got a problem with me telling the truth?!"


    Pro tip: when a person is pissed off, they aren''t likely to listen to anything you have to say, whether you''re in the right or wrong. And in this case, I''m in the right...I think.


    But I didn''t know this at the time, so I went on. "...By definition, the word pedophile refers to a person who is sexually attracted to children..."


    "Yeah, that''s right! And it''s what you are!"


    I sighed in despair. Pro tip number two: when a person is pissed off, they can''t even think reasonably.


    "...In what way do you look like a child?" I said, eyes drifting to her breasts naturally, not of my own volition.


    "H-hey! What are you looking at?!" Feng Mian raised her tone even further, which I didn''t think was possible. "J-Just shut up!"


    Pro tip number three: When a person is pissed off but can''t win against you in a valid argument, they tend to use the phrase, ''Just shut up''.


    I merely sighed and looked away. I had won the argument, I guess? Although it really isn''t anything to be proud of.


    "Pedophile! Absolute degenerate of a human being! Repulsive!"


    ...Pro tip number four: People who are pissed off have extremely, extremely short-term memory.


    *****


    After we were finished healing (which took quite a long time thanks to Feng Mian''s add-on ''treatment'' plus my already wounded nose), and Feng Mian had more or less calmed down, we began to get back on track...though she still looked at me with these eyes that practically said ''disgusted'' on them.


    "Okay, Big Brother Xuan Kai! So! What was that massive noise from earlier?"


    Right...I still haven''t told them about my journey across dimension-


    Nah. That''s a bad way to put it...


    "...The simple exnation would be that I went too fast..." I said reluctantly.


    "Then let''s hear theplicated version," Feng Mian chimed in.


    Thus, I recalled my entire ''experience'' and ryed it in full to the two girls - one brimming with curiosity, the other with suspicion.


    - About 5 Minutes Later -


    "So...simply put, you went too fast for you to control," Feng Mian summarized.


    "But...wow! We only heard that noise like four seconds after you had taken off!" Qing Yue eximed. "We were very confused at the time...the thought crossed my mind that maybe you had crashed into the wall on the other side, or any other things on the way...but I had quickly abolished the thought...I mean, there was no way you could''ve went that fast!"


    "Yet again, you have proven the impossible to me..." Feng Mian added. "Why is it always you...?" she asked, though it sounded more like a question she was asking her own heart...so I decided not to reply. My answer would''ve been ''I don''t know'' anyway.


    "...Did I really go that fast?" I wanted to rify.


    "Well, of course! Our school is HUUUGE, you know!" Qing Yue said enthusiastically. "The distance from here to the wall you crashed into...that''s about half the long hallways'' length! And the extent is about...100 meters at the very least..."


    "...Meaning you ran at approximately 25 meters a second," Feng Mian finished.


    "And that''s only if evaluated conservatively..." I quickly ran some mental calctions in my head. "That''s equivalent to...90 kilometres an hour."


    "Yep! You could race with a car!" Qing Yue eximed.


    Feng Mian cleared her throat. "In any case...that sure is powerful for a mere Level One spell."


    Huh. Is it?


    I''ve never touched magic before, so I wouldn''t know what was ssified as average and what was powerful. I looked to Qing Yue, expectant for an answer. After all, she was considered quite a talent for being the same age as me (though she looked far younger).


    At the entrance exam for all magic high schools, they detected if you had mana, and an element awoken. Me? I had gotten in through...the back door, if you will. Qing Yue was a Dual-Element Awakener, meaning she had two innate elements upon birth - Blessing and Psychic. She was generally more proficient in the Blessing Element area, however: the most she could do in terms of the Psychic Element was basic telekinesis - moving small objects with her mind. And even so, it strained her mana a lot.


    However, she made up for this with her genius talent in the Blessing Element. She was already able to cast Level Two Blessing Element spells like Major Heal and the Restitutio spell family with ease, mainly used to restore things like strength or mana. This meant she was good to go for high school - at the end of the second year of high school, you were meant to take an exam that gave you a chance to advance to an Intermediate Mage from a Novice.


    If you failed toplete this test, the next chance woulde at the end of your fourth year at the school. This time, it was a necessary requirement to pass - if you didn''t, you would be expelled. Simrly, current Intermediate Mages were able to utilize this opportunity to break through into the Advanced Mage stage as well.


    The final advancement exam in high school took ce at the end of the sixth year, in December (school years follow the normal year cycle - beginning in January, ending in December, with a Spring Break, Summer Break, and Winter Break). This advancement exam provided a chance to be an Advanced Mage for those who weren''t already by the end of their fourth year.


    By the same token, select individuals who had already be Advanced Mages by the time the advancement exam rolled around were given this opportunity to get promoted to an Ancestral Mage. Few people actually managed to do this however, since it is said that starting from this rank, a whole new ne of existence opens up - though I have no way of knowing whether this is true or not. However, it is reliable data that not many people have achieved the Ancestral Mage stage as a young adult going into university.


    As you further study magic, the mana inside of you will grow and grow. Needless to say, the more powerful mage you are, the more mana you have inside your body. This mana can allow humans to live far longer than they are meant to - the more mana you have, the longer you''ll live. Apparently, having lots of mana can nurture your Dantian, polishing your body and getting rid of any unhealthy effluvium gathered over the years. Thus, once you reach the pinnacle of magic (the Divine-Tier), it is said that you literally be divine - an immortal god that will never die. Though we have no way to prove this, as no one as ever reached this stage before, it is a logical conjecture based on the information we DO have.


    "Feng Mian''s right," Qing Yue said after a while. "For example, if I were to cast a Potentia spell on myself...I would be able to run only slightly faster than usual. That''s about the limit of a Level One spell."


    I thought about what she said, and certainly, it did make sense. If a Level One spell was this powerful, then what about Level Two and so on? But even so...


    "Why was it like this for you then?" Feng Mian seemed to have read my mind (even if Mind-Reading is a Level Three Psychic Element Spell) and voiced my exact thoughts out loud.


    "...To be honest, I don''t know either," I answered truthfully. "When I cast the Potentia jump boost spell yesterday in order to get both of us to safety on the roof, it was like this as well. I couldn''t climb as I was princess carrying you, after all."


    "H-Huh?! Wait, you CARRIED me?!" Feng Mian, having paid attention to the wrong thing, was oddly surprised, face instantly turning red.


    "...Uh, yeah...how else do you expect I got you up there?"


    Feng Mian furrowed her brows and hid her face behind her hands. "U-Um...I don''t know! B-But surely you d-didn''t have to c-carry me...a-and especially not l-like a p-princess!"


    "Hehe~ Like I said, Big Brother Xuan Kai was so cool,ing rushing in like a hero to save his princess!" Qing Yue interjected, seemingly satisfied, having justified her point from back in the infirmary room.


    "A-Ah...." Feng Mian was still blushing furiously, but had finally calmed down, for the fiftieth time today. She certainly was a very emotional person, which made me, for the first time, doubt my judgement on her being a good assassin, which I had believed to be certain.


    Feng Mian then removed her hands atst, though traces of rose were still on her cheeks. "A-Anyway! Let''s try testing out some other elements..."


    "...Right." We had strayedpletely off-course once more, and now were finally going to continue what we had came here in the first ce to do.

 Chapter 20 - The Magic Training Room (4)

    Within a certain room, three figures stood. Surrounded by beautiful mirages as well as colorful and radiant crystalline walls, two females, one male - together, they walked along the quiet pathways that weaved between the many different elemental environments.


    "Okay...we''re here, at the first section counting from left to right - Fire," Feng Mian said with her hands on her hips.


    The three figures in question - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I - had decided to start at the beginning of the Magic Training Room on our journey to test my elemental aptitude. We began on the left side, since that''s where the Primary Elements were.


    "Right! Well, go on in!" Qing Yue eximed giddily while giving me a yful push on the back.


    Me, on the other hand...I was very confused at what exactly we were doing. "...I still don''t understand why I can''t just try spells belonging to different elements at once. Why do we have to go into each training room?"


    Feng Mian merely sighed. "Look, you said it yourself. This ce is normally full."


    "...Right...but what does that have to do with anything?"


    Feng Mian then rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Ah...you''re so dim-witted. Since we''re in here, we might as well make the most of it. You understand?"


    "...No."


    "..."


    "Okay okay! Break it up!" Qing Yue quickly interjected, since Feng Mian looked as if she was about to break the very same nose that Qing Yue had healed just moments ago. "Basically, what we''re doing, is giving you a chance to train."


    "Train?"


    "Correct! If it turns out you do have aptitude for a certain element, then you can just stay in the respective barrier to help you make it more powerful!"


    This train of thought (no pun intended) made sense...but there was just one tiny w.


    "...Why couldn''t I have just went through the spells of all the elements that I knew, then go to the sections of the ones I can cast?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Qing Yue looked as if someone had whacked her head with an invisible hammer, and was staring at me with a nk expression.


    Feng Mian, meanwhile, also perked up at hearing this, and had the same expressionless face.


    However, she was also the first topute what I had just said. "Er..." she opened her mouth, but closed it once more soon after, not being able to think of anything good to say in her defense.


    Qing Yue seemed to have processed the information overload that had been dumped on her with a single sentence as well, and blinked twice. "Hehehe~" she, however, justughed it off. "Well...you''re right, but we''re here now, so what''s the problem? Let''s go!" she said as shetched onto my arm and pretty much dragged me into the fiery orange barrier.


    After the three of us were all in the barrier, I sat down on the ''ground'', which looked suspiciously like magma. Surprisingly enough, it didn''t burn me at all. Qing Yue and Feng Mian weren''t let off so easily, however. The moment they had stepped in, both had let out a cry of surprise and pain. Neither one had a Fire Element affinity, after all. Feng Mian had to cast a cial Floor spell to avoid burning up, although the radius was limited to only 1 meter from where she was standing - the extravagant amount of Fire mana in the surrounding air has greatly weakened Feng Mian''s Ice attribute abilities. Thus, Qing Yue stood closely by her.


    I couldn''t me them. After all, our surroundings were devastatingly hot. Though it didn''t cause me to sweat or affect me too much, I could definitely still feel it. In front of us was a volcano - or rather, a miniature version of one, separated from us by a river ofva. The entirendscape seemed burnt up, the ground was pure ck and no signs of anything green could be seen. As expected of a Fire-Element based area.


    "I...guess this means you have a Fire Element affinity?" Feng Mian murmured hesitantly. She seemed oddly depressed for some reason - perhaps because I was now on the same level as her, having two innate elements, when I was mere trash just days ago?


    "Go on! Try casting a Fire Element spell, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue could barely hold in her excitement.


    "Alright then..." I prepared myself. Shutting my eyes, I visualized the mana in my Dantian stirring and stirring, until it formed the shape of a perfect sphere. I then took that condensed energy, snapped my eyes open, and chanted. "Level One Fire Magic - Infernal Arrow!"


    Immediately, I felt the sphere break, and the energy spread all around my body. The energy then formed a full cycle, circting back through the Dantian and out again.


    A bow then formed in my left hand, made of pure Fire energy. I could feel the blistering heat, yet it wasn''t painful at all. Then, in my right, a deadly arrow zing with fire appeared. However - my Fire energy...instead of being bright and orange like the textbooks and demonstrations showed, it was <em>ck...ck, and red.</em>


    Where have I seen those colors mixed together before...?


    Conclusion: My casting was sessful.


    Conclusion II: I had awoken the Fire Element in my body as well.


    Conclusion III: My Fire Magic was definitely not normal.


    And as for the power...I slowly nocked the projectile in my right hand, calmly cing it in the arrow rest. I didn''t have a specific target I was aiming for, and Qing Yue and Feng Mian were behind me, so I just vaguely pointed the bow at a small mini volcano in the distance, closed my eyes once more and let the arrow fly.


    BOOM!


    The huge explosion made me snap my eyes back open, and the first thing I noticed was that the mini-volcano - my target-


    -Was not there anymore.


    It was gone. Literally obliterated. I was taught that because this spell summoned an bow and arrow that were made out of legitimate fire energy, it would detonate instantly upon contact. But...did the explosion reallypletely ERASE the mountain - albeit a small one - but a mountain made of solid rock nheless?


    I turned around. Feng Mian and Qing Yue were also staring into the distance with aghast expressions on their faces.


    "Wha..."


    "Woah..."


    "...Uh..." I couldn''t bring myself to say anything, either. And if they ask me...well, I didn''t understand it myself, how can I exin anything to them?


    "Oh...my...god..." Feng Mian was still staring on at where the volcano used to be, mouth agape.


    Qing Yue came back to her senses first. "Wow, Big Brother Xuan Kai!! You''re so powerful!!"


    Her words seemed to have reached Feng Mian''s ears as well, as she quickly snapped out of it and walked towards me imposingly. "H-How did you do that?!"


    Of course - the one question I didn''t want to hear - and the one question I had fully expected her to ask.


    "Well...to be honest, I don''t know either."


    "Hehehe~ although I don''t believe it, Big Brother Xuan Kai may have just gotten lucky, y''know!" Qing Yue added in. "Like, the volcano could''ve been already worn down, and he just got thest hit?"


    "...Maybe so." I quickly backed her up, though my opinion probably wasn''t worth too much in Feng Mian''s eyes.


    "H-Hmph! Well, that seems unlikely...but it is possible. L-Let''s try out a different element next..."


    "But yknow...this means that Big Brother Xuan Kai is at least on the same level as you and me now! Hehehe~"


    "Grr..." Feng Mian seemed frustrated and nervous at the same time.


    But with that being said, we headed off to the next Element''s section.


    *****


    - About half an hourter -


    "Th-This is impossible..." Feng Mian gasped, evidently shocked.


    "Woah..." Qing Yue beside her mused.


    I merely sat in silence. However, this didn''t mean that I wasn''t surprised as well.


    After all, such a case has never been seen before.


    We were currently in the Demon Element section of the Magic Training Room.


    What had happened, you ask? Well, to sum it up...


    ...I have an affinity for all 21 Elements. Every. Single. Element.


    And not only that, but the power output of my spells are at least two times more powerful than they would be if another person had cast them. What was strange, however, was that the colors of my spells were always ck and red. Normally, each element had their own ''color'' - this was shown by the different hues of the barriers in the room. But for me...any magic I cast that was clearly visible to the naked eye took on the form of a ck and red variation of the original spell.


    "But...why is your magic all ck and red?" Feng Mian asked suspiciously.


    Hey now...don''t look at me, how am I supposed to know? I only received this power yesterday...


    "...Well, I''m not sure either," I replied while scratching my head. "It''s also a mystery why my spells tend to be two times as effective as a normal casting..."


    Qing Yue didn''t seem to care, however.


    Then, much to Feng Mian''s surprise (and my own), suddenly, Qing Yue leapt from the floor and held on to me in an embrace. In order to not let her fall, I instinctively hugged her back, moving back a few steps from the impact.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...you did it! You...finally did it...Qing Yue knew you could...."


    She sniffled as she murmured these words, and I could tell that she was...crying. Qing Yue was the type of girl that could go from giddily jumping around to sobbing in tears in the blink of an eye...but this time, it seemed that something - a worry she had been holding on to for so long - finally disappeared. It was not a weep of sadness, but tears of joy.


    When everyone else had abandoned me,


    When the world itself had neglected me,


    When even I had given up on myself,


    She - and she alone, had believed in me.


    Before I knew it, a tear streaked down my cheek as well. "H-Huh...? Why...?"


    I was confused. But deep down, I knew. I knew why I was crying along with her.


    I was weak. I was someone who couldn''t protect the people and things I love. I was someone who barely held on to life, having lost all hope. But now...if a God truly exists, you''ve really yed me, huh? You made me suffer for 14 years. 14 years of humiliation, of pain - but not only that, my parents...they had to carry the burden, to pay the price as well - and the cost was their lives.


    And my precious little sister Qing Yue...she has been coping with it all this time - she has been carrying my burdens FOR me. That tiny, fragile body, housed a heart, a will far braver than my own. She was...strong.


    I closed my eyes and let all the torment and misery I''ve experienced for my entire life disappear with my tears. When I had first awoken my magic yesterday, I didn''t even realize what that entailed - its significance. But now, I understood. Qing Yue probably had been holding her emotions back on this time, waiting for this day. She had waited for the day I woulde through for her, all this time.


    I hugged her back tightly, more so than ever before. She was my only family now - my only friend, the only person I could trust unconditionally.


    I made a silent vow years ago, on the night of my parents'' death.


    And now, on the day of my awakening, I''ll make another one.


    My desire for revenge will never waver - it will only grow stronger by the day. But now, I have something else I have to do as well.


    Qing Yue...your big brother has power now. He can protect you, and he will.


    ''I will protect you, Qing Yue!''


    Those words said long ago, your brother can fulfill them now.


    ''I promise to keep you safe, even at the cost of my life.''


    The once forlorn promise made in my heart, your brother can finally honor it.


    That''s why...you don''t have to carry this burden for me anymore.


    I''ll keep you safe, for sure this time.

 Chapter 21 - Conflicting Emotions

    - Feng Mian''s Perspective -


    It has been an hour since Xuan Kai, Qing Yue, and I departed from the Magic Training Room. I was currently lying in my bed, sleeping peacefully...not. I nced at the clock on the wall. 6:00 AM.


    ...What should I do?


    This question has been the only thing I could think about ever since Xuan Kai had saved me yesterday.


    Shenzhen Magic High School. I hade to this school for one reason: Xuan Kai.


    W-Wait! No! I d-didn''t mean it like that...


    What I meant was...I was given a job-


    -No, more like...threatened, to steal that stone pendant he always wore around his neck. That man that had forced me to do this...he had my parents'' lives in the palm of his hand. I can''t disobey him...and yet...


    ...Why can''t I bring myself to do it?


    That day...when Xuan Kai saved me...I wondered at the time:


    Why?


    Why did he save me?


    I was a thief. I was a person that would''ve murdered had that been the order given.


    Yet despite all that, Xuan Kai had saved me. I...I just didn''t understand...!


    He had even exposed the stone pendant''s whereabouts in the process of saving me! His shirt was burnt up, and his naked upper body-


    N-No! I''m not imagining something weird right now! I swear! I''m ONLY focused on the thing around his neck, not his body!


    Since he had caught me sneaking around in his house fromst time, I hadn''t been able to find anything even close to a stone pendant in his dorm. All this time...so he had kept it with him, huh?


    Thinking about it logically, that would''ve been the most obvious answer. I didn''t know why I hadn''t thought of this earlier. Or...perhaps I had, but didn''t want to take action...


    Xuan Kai wasn''t a careless person. He knew my objective was the stone pendant...yet when he saved me, the face he had...it was painfully clear that the only thing he was thinking about at the time was getting me somewhere safe. That left only one answer...


    ...He had forgotten.


    Out of all things, he had FORGOT that I was the same person that had broken into his house and attempted to steal the priceless treasure left to him by his deceased mother. His only memory of his parents. I''m really...such a horrible person...


    ...What should I do?


    Once again, the question hovered in my mind. Now that I knew where the stone pendant was, all I had to do was find an opportunity to snatch it. But the back of mind...it''s telling me no. My inner heart doesn''t want to do it, for some reason.


    ...But I have to. For the sake of my own parents, I have to do this. I closed my eyes and attempted to drift off to sleep.


    *****


    - 2 Hours Later, Shenzhen Magic High School -


    ...I know I already made up the decision to do it...


    BUT I JUST CAN''T!


    I never did end up sleeping..my thoughts are a mess right now.


    I can''t bring myself to take away something else from someone that had already had everything taken away from him. I just...can''t.


    On the other hand, that repulsive bastard that had captured my parents was threatening me with their lives to aplish this task.


    Do I really have to make this choice? My parents, who gave me this life, or Xuan Kai, who saved it. I just don''t know...and the fact that Xuan Kai''s sitting right beside me right now isn''t making my conflicting emotions any easier. Mou...why did I choose to sit here again?


    Ever since that day, my heart begins pounding rapidly whenever I''m around him. I don''t know why, this has never happened to me before. Whenever hepliments me, I blush unconsciously. And when he said that he only saw Qing Yue as a little sister...I felt strangely happy for some reason. I want to be together with him every single day, and never leave...


    But that''s not possible. I know that. We were enemies from the start. Even if I want to...reality just doesn''t allow it. We don''t always get what we want in life, after all. That being said, I still cannot...just steal the pendant away from him. Therefore, I''ve made up my mind. A way to obtain the pendant fairly and justly.


    I''ll challenge him to a duel.


    *****


    - Xuan Kai''s Perspective -


    It was a bright, sunny day, though I didn''t exactly feel as cheerful as the weather. I didn''t realize it at the time, but we did miss out on a lot of sleep time in the Magic Training Room. I had it the worst, having used so much energy. I had an insane amount of mana in my Dantianpared to other people, but that still didn''t mean I could use it forever. It does need time to charge back up, after all.


    ...Is what I''d like to say, but strangely enough, I don''t feel anything in my Dantian anymore. It''s like all the mana inside has just...left. Gone. I had discreetly attempted to cast magic, but to no avail. I was back to square one, weak and powerless.


    However, one thing did remain - the stone pendant. It was still ck like obsidian with a red rune-like symbol inscribed on it. Unlike when I had saved Feng Mian, the symbol wasn''t glowing at all. You could still tell it was red, but no radiance bloomed from it.


    I had spent the three hours since leaving the Magic Training Room worrying about this dilemma. In fact, I even tried to secretly go back to the training room to see if that changed anything, but Qing Yue had put on an identical lock to the one she cracked open before, in order to conceal the evidence...


    ...Though I doubted that would do much, considering the amount of destruction Iid to the various different sections. In any case - what was weird was that when I got close to the door, the stone pendant faintly began glowing, and I could use magic again, though only non-offensive spells that didn''t require too much mana.


    What I deduced from this, was that in order for me to use magic, I must have absorbed mana from something or someone beforehand. And if the stone pendant was glowing, that meant I had sufficient mana to cast spells. The exact volume of it would be impossible to gauge, but I could faintly tell from the level of tremor in my Dantian. It would be wise not to take in too much at once, considering the dizziness it had cost mest time.


    Indeed - now I knew the reason why I hadn''t died from that attack. It barely hit me in the first ce - the stone pendant had absorbed nearly all of it. I was still sent flying by the sheer wind pressure, however. The rest just fell harmlessly to the ground, leading to the smoke and slight embers all around. I do remember the stone pendant glowing like crazy when I woke up, after all.


    But there was something else I remembered too, albeit faintly...


    ...It was a voice. A female one. But what exactly it had said to me, I can not recall. But I''m sure that it wasn''t anything good.


    It was a typical day for me. I sat in my exclusive seat in the back of the ssroom, bordering the window. Beside me was Feng Mian, fidgeting nervously with her hair for whatever reason. Perhaps she was still concerned about the monstrous results I had showed in the Magic Training Room?


    But before I could debate any further, she spoke.


    "Hey."


    "...Yes?"


    "Duel me."


    "...Come again?"


    Then, she stood up and took a deep breath. In a frighteningly loud voice that seemed as if its purpose itself was to gather all the attention in the world, she dered once more as she pointed her finger directly at me. "I, Feng Mian, challenge thee to a duel!"

 Chapter 22 - The Duel For The Stone Pendant

    "I, Feng Mian, challenge thee, to a duel!"


    ...Uh...what?


    I stared at her face nkly (along with everyone else in the ssroom). The hell she means, duel? Well, I mean, I knew what duels were, but where did her proposal evene from? Her cheeks slowly began to redden, but didn''t back down, finger still pointed at me. Awkward silence ensued. Then, thinking I hadn''t understood what she meant, she began to repeat what she had just said.


    "I, Feng Mian-"


    "Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time," I hastily stopped her before she could make a fool out of herself (she probably already had). "Come with me."


    I grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out the ssroom.


    "H-Hey! What are you d-doing! Let me go!"


    Ignoring her protests, I held tightly on to her until we were clear out of sight from the other students, in a remote section of the hallway.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" I asked impatiently after letting go of her hand.


    "That''s...I want something from you!" she dered after a slight hesitation.


    "...Something from me...that could be misinterpreted in many ways," I replied. "...But what do you want from me that could make you initiate a duel?"


    Duels were no casualpetition. Established by the IMF and utilized in all schools, they were an official fight between two students that came with wages. The entire process was overseen by The Dueling Committee, a special student body to which you submitted your applications for duels after both parties had agreed to the wagers.


    There were three ways to win duels, as stated by the IMF.


    1. Knock your opponent unconscious.


    2. Touch their school crest, either with your magic or physical body. (every magic school had their own, and every student was required to wear one on their uniform at all times - though I didn''t have a uniform in the first ce, I still had a crest. But I didn''t wear it, and no one seemed to care either). The school crest would transmit a signal when it senses it has been touched by anything not the wielder him/herself, and announce the opponent''s victory.


    3. Opponent forfeits.


    The main reason duels took ce was a cement system, also created by the IMF - each school''s list of their strongest fighters, The Magus Rankings. Top ranked students were able to receive special rewards and privileges that were extremely beneficial to their training, such as high-tier spell scrolls, elixirs, and exclusive ess to a remote cultivation area especially rich in mana. Thus, there''s not one student in any school that doesn''t want to reach the top of The Magus Rankings.


    But I wasn''t ranked at all. I mean, how could I be? I had nothing to fight with except my physical body, which wasn''t going to do much against magic. I had only awoken my powers yesterday, and as of right now, my mana ispletely drained too. So why did Feng Mian challenge me?


    After looking around nervously, she began with a flushed face. "Um...b-bring your face closer!"


    Huh? I ask you a simple question and you answer with ''bring your face closer''? I didn''t understand, but Iplied anyway. I leaned in close, and her face reddened even more.


    "N-Not that way, baka!" she whispered harshly while averting her gaze. "T-Tilt your head sideways!"


    Ah...so she needed to tell me in secret. We were in a fairly isted area of the school, but that didn''t mean it waspletely deserted. I mean, if she hadn''t attracted so much attention with yelling at the top of her lungs, she wouldn''t have had to do this. But whatever. I did as she asked. Feng Mian then leaned even closer to me, and I could feel her warm breath on my ears. My heart began pounding against my will.


    "...The stone pendant." she whispered softly.


    ...I see.


    I hadpletely forgotten her true objective in joining this school. Memories of the conversation I overheard began flowing back to me as well. Immediately, all the gears clicked into ce. She had found out about the stone pendant''s whereabouts yesterday, since my shirt had beenpletely incinerated, leaving the stone pendant in clear view.


    But that left one mystery: why hadn''t she stolen it already?


    After all, I hadpletely let my guard down. If she had just took it while I was unconscious in the infirmary and escaped, I would''ve had no way of finding her. She had various other opportunities too, yet out of all the choices she had, she decided to fight me square-on - even after seeing my true power just a few hours earlier.


    As I pondered this question in my head, I found myself slowly beginning to admire her. Of course, I had always apuded her beauty and strength. But this time, it was something deep within, something that was part of her inner self.


    Soon, I had arrived at my answer:


    If a fair duel was what she wanted, then a fair duel was what she was going to get.


    *****


    - 6 PM, After School -


    Under the bright spotlight illuminating the entire vicinity, two figures stood on arge tform, surrounded by cheers and apuse from all around. Feng Mian and I were the two fighters on stage. We were currently in the Arena, a room specifically designed to host duels and tournaments.


    Earlier today, Feng Mian had rushed to submit a duel application to The Dueling Committee while I hurriedly exined things to Qing Yue. She had been quite confused, but after some exining she understood, and promised to watch the match (though to be honest, I didn''t really care). Feng Mian had bolted out of the ssroom as soon as I answered yes along with my own wager, and had apparently gotten approved quite quickly.


    Duels almost always took ce after school, and were a huge highlight, especially when top-ranked fighters arepeting. In this case, neither of us was a top-ranked fighter, so instead ofing to learn, most of the audience was here to catch a lucky glimpse at what''s underneath Feng Mian''s skirt. That much was pretty obvious, seeing as how all of the onlookers were males (except for Qing Yue), and currently gazing intently at our campus belle, holding phones and cameras alike in their hands. Well, that, and seeing how in the world a person with no magic was going to fight back.


    "Crush him, Feng Mian!"


    "Xuan Kai, you''re done for now!"


    "Hahaha! What was he thinking, epting a duel when he can''t even use magic?"


    Loud jeers filled the crowd, who still had no idea that I could in fact use magic. But I, having been used to them for a long time now, have already perfected the art of ignoring.


    Feng Mian, who also seemed to have achieved mastery in shutting her eyes (ears in this case) selectively, spoke first. "Are you ready, Xuan Kai?"


    "...Yes," I replied.


    "Alright. Then...here Ie!" she yelled, preparing to unleash her devastating ice magic on me.


    I still didn''t have mana at the time - it just happened that none of the sses today were practical magic training sses, so no real magic was to be used. But I merely smiled.


    If I didn''t have mana, then all I had to do, was GET SOME.


    Then, in the next moment, Feng Mian snapped open her eyes. "Level One Ice Magic: Blizzard!"


    Immediately, a raging flurry of snow coated the stage. It was, however, captured by the invisible magic barrier surrounding the arena, which was always in ce during duels to ensure the audience''s safety.


    I grinned. A smokescreen (snowscreen?) as her first move, huh? I see. It seems this wouldn''t be as easy as I thought. She probably predicted the stone pendant''s power and ws based on recent events, and devised a strategy based on that. Or, someone had told her - maybe that mysterious man threatening her? Even if my stone pendant had the ability to suck in mana, I still had to be able to predict where the attack was going toe from. However.


    ...Why not just suck in the entire smokescreen?


    A devious smile painted on my face, I rxed as I felt the stone pendant absorbing the energy around. I could feel the cold blizzard being converted to warm mana and flowing into my Dantian. After about 10 seconds, my Dantian was stirring powerfully once more - the same feeling, albeit not as strong, that I had experienced yesterday and in the Magic Training Room. It was one that symbolizes power, the mark of strength. This, was where the battle truly began.


    To the audience, it seemed as if the entire whitendscape unleashed by Feng Mian had justpletely disappeared, and were extremely confused. But Feng Mian herself was the most shocked of all.


    "What..." she murmured to herself.


    But I wasn''t about to give her the pleasure of rxing. I concentrated my mana and let it flow all around my body. Things were going exactly I had expected. "Kuku...let''s begin."


    Not leaving a second to spare, I began my incantation. "I will end this quickly...Potentia Excitant: Celeritas!"


    The adrenaline rush of the speed boost spell (albeit only Level One) was something I could never get used to. I grinned devilishly and lowered my body, preparing to dash directly at her. I still couldn''t control the speed very well, but I could at least turn my body to hit the opposite wall with my leg, then use it as a tform to leap off of, changing my direction in the process.


    Meanwhile, the crowd was going wild.


    "H-Hey...did he just use magic?!"


    "S-Since when...?!"


    "How is that possible?!"


    Feng Mian shook her head, seeming to have finally snapped back to her senses, and quickly prepared a defense. "cier Form: Wall!"


    A giant wall of ice rose up in front of her, blocking my path. But she didn''t stop there. She cast three more cier Form: Wall spells that surrounded herpletely, leaving me no opening to attack from...


    ...Is what she thought, but I merely smirked. I leapt back from the ice wall, twisted my body, hit the magic barrier behind me, then shifted at an angle so that I could use the momentum to spring myself all the way to the top of the arena, hitting the ceiling. I then kept going, facing straight down, aiming for directly above Feng Mian while turning so that I couldnd safely on my feet.


    Unfortunately, she wasn''t just your average mage either. She noticed meing from above, and desperately tried to block me off with another ice wall. But realizing that there wouldn''t be enough time, she quickly tried to think of another option.


    But by the time, I was already directly above her. It was a sure victory - all I had to do was touch her school crest-


    And at that moment, she VANISHED.


    Completely gone from my vision, Inded right where she had just been standing moments ago.


    I was confused at first, but slowly my frown twisted into a devious leer.


    Shadow Magic.


    Ah...how could I have forgotten? She had reminded me just earlier today (though she didn''t know) of that conversation I overheard, between her and the cloaked man. She was a Dual-Element Awakener, Shadow and Ice. She got me good there. But y''know...everything has a weakness. Still...this was troublesome. At first, I wanted to only use one element to defeat Feng Mian in order to not show my true power to everyone watching, but she leaves me no choice...


    "Kukuku. Nice one, Feng Mian," I mused. "However, that isn''t going to stop me."


    I''ll say it again. Everything has a weakness. That''s why...


    "Level One Light Magic: Illumination."


    At my calling, a bright but harmless sh exploded in the arena, and at the same time, so did the crowd.


    "WHAT?! LIGHT MAGIC?!"


    "F-FEI WU KAI CAN USE TWO ELEMENTS?!"


    "What in the world..."


    I ignored thesements. I had a job to finish. I looked around at the ice walls surrounding me, and cursed inwardly. Feng Mian...why did you have to make it so tough for me? I can''t break through these thick ice walls without hurting you identally unless I use Fire Magic to melt them away...


    I sighed and gave up on hiding my strength.


    "Level One Fire Magic: Ring of Embers."


    "FIRE MAGIC TOO?!"


    "T-TRI-ELEMENT AWAKENER?!"


    Immediately, the ice walls around me melted away to nothingness. What was left behind was a beautiful blonde girl with deep amethyst eyes, lying on the cold arena floor. She was tired and derived of any mana left. I walked up to her gorgeous figure, stopping the ring of fire around me just in time. Bending down, a gently reached out and touched her school crest. I then twisted my hand into a handshake posture, and held it out to her.


    "...You okay?" I asked.


    "...Hehehe...you got me." Feng Mian beamed as she warmly took the hand I offered.


    A mechanical voice from above us cut through the silent arena.


    "Duel End: Victor - Xuan Kai!"

 Chapter 23 - Decisions

    - Feng Mian''s Perspective -


    I...lost. Horribly.


    I was currently standing on the roof of the school, arms resting on the railing, staring at the beautiful sunset. Beside me, was a boy. The same boy that I had just lost terribly to in a duel. I had asked him toe after the duel finished...but now that we were actually here, I couldn''t bring myself to say anything.


    Like me, he was also gazing at the horizon, and an awkward aura filled the air. I-I wasn''t a-admiring his face or a-anything! Then, taking a deep breath, I decided to break the silence.


    "Hey...Xuan Kai?"


    "...What is it?"


    "Congrattions. For beating me."


    "...Thank you."


    T-That wasn''t what I meant to say. I just...um, once again, was too embarrassed to say it.


    "...Is that all you wanted to say?" Xuan Kai prompted as he turned to look at me in the eyes. My heart began beating rapidly, while gazing back into his deep, ck pupils.


    "Huh? U-Um, n-no, I-"


    "You''re wondering why I didn''t use offensive magic during the duel, aren''t you?"


    Wha-! How did he know?! Does he secretly have precognition abilities or something? It was like that in the duel too, it seemed as if he had predicted I would use Shadow Magic to escape. The thought of lying crossed my mind, but I quickly decided against it. C''mon...I can''t lie when you''re staring at me so intently like that...and especially if it''s you...


    With no other choice, I answered truthfully. "Yes...how did you know?"


    He grinned and twisted his body, leaning his back on the railing. The sight subconsciously made me blush. "What other question could you have?"


    Ah...that''s true. There''s no other reason why I would call him onto the roof like this, away from other people.


    "Then...can you tell me?" I asked timidly.


    "Hm...first, tell me what you think," he replied after a short pause.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Why do YOU think I didn''t use offensive magic?"


    The question hit me in the head hard. I mean, the reason I was asking him was that I didn''t know!


    "I''m asking you precisely because I don''t know!" I eximed.


    He then turned back around to face the magnificent andvish sunset. "Do you truly not know the answer..." he paused and tilted his head ever so slightly towards me. "...Or do you just not want to ept it?"


    The prating gleam in his eyes that seemed to see through all was in no way weaker than that of the masked man that had the lives of my parents in his hands. But Xuan Kai''s was...determined, and full of burning passion, in stark contrast with the cold and frightening one of that man.


    His words coursed through my entire body, and made me realize that he was right.


    I did know the answer. I just didn''t think it was possible. I wanted to hear it reassuringlying from another''s mouth.


    Did he...care about me?


    Did he...not want me to get hurt?


    I had to know.


    "Xuan Kai."


    "...Yeah?"


    "Was it because...you care about me?" I asked hopefully. I knew my face was as red as a tomato, but at that moment, I didn''t care. I needed to know his answer.


    "...I just didn''t want you to get hurt." He averted his gaze as he said this, but that in itself was more than enough of an answer.


    "Hehe..." I giggled to myself.


    Xuan Kai then added in a softer voice. "Besides, you challenged me after witnessing my powers yourself. You actually wanted to lose, didn''t you..."


    He had seen right through me. Something I didn''t want to admit myself, deep down, I didn''t want to do this kind of thing anymore.


    Now then...why did I bother so much about whether he cared about me or not? Why was it that whenever I was around him, my heart always thumped against my chest so loudly? Why did I want to spend every minute of my life together with him?


    The answer was simple.


    I had hopelessly fallen in love with the very person who was supposed to be my enemy.


    "Hey." Xuan Kai called out, interrupting my romantic daydreams.


    Kyah!! I mean, what?! I wasn''t t-thinking about spending time w-with him! I s-swear!


    "Y-Yeah?!" I replied in a pitch higher than I would''ve liked.


    "I''ll help you."


    "Fwah?!" What??? He said he''ll help me? With what?


    As if reading my mind, he continued. "That man...he has captured your family, correct?"


    He didn''t need to say anything more - it was clear which man he was talking about.


    I sighed and tried to calm down. "Y-Yes...and to be honest, I''m kind of in a dilemma right now."


    I...might as well tell him my true feelings.


    ...N-Not in that sense!


    "How so?" he replied with an arched eyebrow. Ah...just looking at him makes my heart at ease-


    -Wait! That''s not the point here! I shook my head. "I...my mission was originally to steal the stone pendant from you."


    "Mhm."


    I took a deep breath. "But now...I don''t think I can. And not just because how much more powerful you are than me."


    "...I see."


    Then, after a brief dy, he continued. "...In that case, we''ll just have to free your parents, no?"


    "Huh?" What was he talking about?! Of course I knew that. "But that''s a lot easier said than done!"


    "I''ll help you. We''re...partners, aren''t we?" It seemed like it took him a while to find the right word, but the term he chose in the end warmed my heart. While not explicitly ''a couple'', it was fairly close. At least that''s what I wanted to believe.


    "R-Right..." I replied shyly, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.


    "By the way...that man doesn''t have a tracking or recording device on you, does he?" Xuan Kai asked carefully.


    "No. There''s no chance he heard this conversation. That was one of the terms I listed when I epted his offer." When he had first threatened me with my parents, I had made him promise to not put any tracking or recording device on me, in the name of privacy (with showers and whatnot).


    "Kuku...he actually gave you enough leeway to make terms?" He didn''t appear convinced, but I couldn''t me him. This rtionship was purely master-servant. And servants didn''t get to set conditions. But I guess, I was an exception.


    "I managed to convince him, somehow..."


    Xuan Kai appeared deep in thought. "He probably never thought that you would be brave enough to put your parents'' lives on the line and fight back."


    Hm...that is indeed a possibility. It seems that Xuan Kai was not only strong now, but also quite clever. "You''re right, that could be it," I replied.


    "I''ll take it you''ve epted my proposal then."


    "Wha-! Proposal?!" I felt my face immediately turn flushed.


    He sighed. "Er...not in that sense."


    Um...okay. I felt strangely disappointed when he said ''not in that sense'', but it''s a first step, I guess?


    "Ehehe..." Iughed nervously.


    "So. Come over to my room tonight."


    "E-Eh?!!!"


    "...Not in that sense," he sighed once again. "We''re just discussing how exactly we''re going to save your parents and free you from that man''s control."


    "Ah...right. Okay," I replied, slightly dejected. Mou~he''s making my emotions go up and down... "Y-You need to be more careful when saying things like that with girls!"


    "...I see."


    And with that, I abandoned my mission to steal the stone pendant, and joined forces with Xuan Kai to rescue my parents. I knew that it was going to be dangerous. I knew that if that man ever found out about our conspiracy, my parents would be as good as dead. But despite all that, I chose to follow Xuan Kai. I trusted him...and he trusted me too. We were partners. Teehee!


    Ahh~ I think...I''m only falling for him even more...


    But I will never show it! That would be way too embarrassing!


    ...M-Maybe sometime in the future...?


    N-No! Too cringeworthy!


    But maybe. Just maybe...


    Atst, the both of us stopped talking, and silence once again settled in the atmosphere. But unlike before, it was a soothing,fortable tranquility, without a trace of awkwardness to be seen. And there I stood beside Xuan Kai, watching the beautiful sunset, ever so slightly leaning my head on his shoulder.


    Xuan Kai...today, just today for now, let me beforted by the warmth of your body.

 Chapter 24 - Strategizing...

    - Later That Night -


    I was sitting in my room, attempting to devise a good n. n for what? Well, earlier today I promised Feng Mian to help her free her parents. From the very first time I met her, I knew this was a problem I would have to resolve eventually.


    Why would I go out of my way to help her, you ask?


    1. She was a nice girl deep down. This has been proven on several asions.


    2. I guess...she can be considered a friend of mine. She did take me to the infirmary, after all. I owe her.


    3. I don''t want anyone innocent to suffer the same fate as me - losing their parents.


    Back then, I had let her go not because I was a kind person. No. It was because I knew the feeling of losing your family all too well. Whether I realized it or not, I probably made a vow in my heart to help her a long time ago. You ask again: am I a kind person? No, I''m not. I just want to live up to my parents'' expectations.


    I have power now. So I will fulfill the responsibilities thate with that power.


    Soon after, I heard faint knocks on the door. I got up from the couch and gave a slight stretch. "Who is it?"


    "It''s me...F-Feng Mian..."


    After making sure it was someone I knew, I unlocked the door and let her in. However, she seemed hesitant.


    "Don''t worry, I already disabled all the traps."


    "A-Ah! I w-wasn''t worrying about those..."


    "Then what is it?"


    "E-Er...it''s just, you know, um..."


    "..." Can you please get to the point? Though I didn''t say this out loud, since it might''ve seemed harsh.


    "A-Ah! Um...i-isn''t t-this a-against the rules?"


    "What?" The hell was she talking about?


    She began fidgeting nervously with her hair. "You know...a girling over to a boy''s room alone at night?"


    Ah...there was indeed a rule like that. Every school has this rule implemented, as required by the IMF. After 9:00 PM every night, no one was allowed in the room of someone from the opposite gender. This was to prevent secretive sexual activities from taking ce. If a boy was discovered in a girl''s room, the boy would be punished severely, possibly even expelled. However, if a girl was found in a boy''s room, the one to be punished was STILL the boy.


    Such were the rules that the IMF established. But right now, it was only 8:00, and no one paid attention to my room anyway. I was practically free from the rules, as the faculty didn''t even consider me a student...at least, until today. I had wanted to show just the minimum of my powers in the duel today, but unfortunately, the circumstances didn''t allow.


    Considering therge audience, there was going to be a hugemotion tomorrow. In fact, I''m quite surprised I haven''t been approached by anyone apart from Feng Mian since the duel ended. They say ''I only believe what I see''...but sometimes, even things you see with your own two eyes are so unbelievable that you do not want to ept it.


    In any case - we should be fine for now. I''ll just have her go home before 9:00. "It''s alright, just make sure you return to your room by 9."


    "R-Right..." she responded timidly.


    "Anyway,e sit. The first step we have to do is gather information," I said as I beckoned her over to the couch. "What do you know about that man?"


    "...Not much, unfortunately," she replied as she sat down. "I don''t even know his name."


    "...As expected."


    "You already knew?!" Feng Mian suddenly perked up. "Then why did you even ask in the first ce?!"


    "...Well, I was 99% sure, given how careful that man is, what with wearing the mask and cloak."


    "-Wait."


    "Hm?"


    "...How did you know he wears a mask and a cloak?"


    -Oh shit. Ipletely forgot she still didn''t know that I eavesdropped on their conversation in the dark alleyway. "Er...to tell you the truth, I did indeed hear that exchange you had with him a couple days ago. Sorry for lying, I just didn''t trust you enough at the time."


    "..." she merely stared at me with a look of anger. But after a while, she sighed and the tension in the air evaporated. "Fine, I forgive you."


    "Much appreciated."


    She then faintly blushed and continued in a quieter voice. "Is that to say you trust me now, then?"


    "Of course. We''re partners." That was the best term I coulde up with for our rtionship at the moment. Friends might be taking it a step too far, but then again...she did kind of lean on me earlier today on the rooftop. I didn''t push her away because well...she smelled pretty nice, you know? But that was just a one-time thing, I suppose.


    "Hehe..." Feng Mian giggled cutely, which made my heart beat quicken.


    "A-Ahem. In any case - right now we don''t have any information whatsoever on that man. So all we have to do, is GET information."


    "...Huh? How exactly will we do that?" Feng Mian asked as she tilted her face slightly.


    "You have to keep doing what you are currently doing, and report back to him constantly. Basically...grow closer to him. And eventually-"


    "No."


    "Er..."


    "NO."


    "Okay okay, fine. But why?"


    "I''m not about to sell my body for this n of yours," she said angrily. After a little bit, she looked downwards and her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Besides, there''s already somebody I''m saving this body for..."


    ...I''ll pretend I didn''t hear thatst part. "Er, alright. n B then."


    "n B?"


    "Full-on assault."


    "That''s not a n at all!" she cried.


    "Hey hey, just listen to me exin..."


    *****


    - An unknown amount of timeter -


    I had just finished telling Feng Mian about my ''Full-On Assault'' n, and she reluctantly agreed after I exined how it wasn''t just ''charging in blindfolded''. Anyway, she had also given this n of mine the name of ''Operation: Freedom'' for some reason. Personally, I thought that ''Full-On Assault'' was a fine name in itself. But she was the main character of this ploy, so I had to let her have her way.


    She also had many, many questions, and I had to answer each of them. Quite tiring, in fact.


    "What about Qing Yue? Is she in on this?" Feng Mian asked.


    "No," I replied immediately. "I''m not about to get her caught up in this."


    "You know...she''s going to yell at you again if she hears that."


    "So be it. It''s too dangerous for her to participate. We still don''t even know if that man has other aplices or not."


    "Hm...sure, I guess. Well then, I guess I''ll be leaving now..." Feng Mian nced at me with a look of hope in her eyes.


    Uh...why are you looking at me like that? What, you want me to ask you to stay? Hell no. I''m bound to get expelled sooner orter, but not for something like this.


    "Yeah. Be careful-" I looked at the clock hanging on the wall and my throat went dry.


    9:17 PM.


    "Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian waved her hand in front of my eyes. "Hello?"


    I gulped and pointed at the clock my eyes were still fixed on. "Er...the time."


    "Huh? What are you talkin-" she nced in the direction of my finger and her visionnded on the object I was pointing at. I assume her throat also went dry.


    An awkward air immediately filled the atmosphere. I broke the silence first. "Er...yeah. Exining the n took longer than I expected, and with all the questions you had..."


    "H-Hey! Are you saying this is my fault?!"


    "N-No...just...never mind. More importantly, what do you propose we do now?"


    "Ahaha...." Feng Mian began nervously fidgeting with her elegant golden hair.


    I sighed and pointed at the wall opposite of the clock. "The window."


    "Eh?" she stopped.


    "Thest time you were here, you left through the window too, didn''t you?"


    "Oh yeah! You''re right!" she eximed happily at me finding a solution. "But...um...my mana..."


    Ah. Her mana still hadn''t replenished itself since the duel? Casting an AOE (area of effect) spell along with four cier Forms in rapid session in addition to a Shadow Element spell...that indeed drained mana very quickly. Normally, she could probably have cast far more spells. But casting them without even the slightest of breaks to rest...that consumed mana at an insane pace.


    "...I see. I guess I''ll have to think of something else then..."


    "U-Um, no, it''s fine, actually!" she interrupted quickly.


    "Huh? Did you just drink a mana elixir or something?"


    Elixirs were potions that gave buffs and healing. There are many different elixirs in the world, but even the simplest of them all, a mana elixir, costed around £¤1,000 RMB (Ren Ming Bi, the world-wide economy system, once again established by the IMF).


    "N-No, my mana is still depleted, but I just thought of a slight alternative..." Feng Mian trailed off.


    "Oh? borate." I wanted to hear what kind of n she thought of.


    "Well, y''know, you can use every Element, right? I used Vanishing Shadowsst time to get down to the ground safely from this height, and from what I was taught, if you are touching someone, they can enter the shadows with you too...so um, if you carry me...then we should be able to get down just fine..."


    Ah. How could I forget that I can use every element now? Right. I went to open the window, and looked down. 12 stories, approximately 40 meters. Not too bad. I didn''t want to do this to be honest, if only I could use the Level 3 Gravity Element spell Gravity Neutralize...


    "Very well. I will do as you say," I replied as I picked her up in a princess carry.


    "W-Wait! I-I''m not ready ye-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    I took a running stance, and leapt straight through the window. Ignoring Feng Mian''s desperate cries, I chanted. "Level One Shadow Magic: Vanishing Shadows!"


    Immediately, I felt my body being pulled in to the wall of the building, which at nighttime like it was now, was just a giant shadow. Once I was halfway in, I decided to test if I could stop at will.


    ...It worked. I could pause and resume going at my discretion, so currently we were horizontally hovering in the middle of the air, half my body stuck in the wall (at least that''s how it looked to outside viewers, if there were any) and the other half carrying Feng Mian. I''ll leave the visualization up to you.


    I continued going at a rapid pace, and stopped inches from the ground. By the way, Feng Mian was screaming the whole time. If she attracted attention, the whole point of this n would be ruined.


    Once we were safely on solid gravel, I put Feng Mian down. "Jesus...you mind not screaming? My eardrums were very close to exploding. Your screams are...something else."


    "H-Hey! It''s not my fault you just jumped off from the 12th floor of an apartment 40 meters above ground-level without ANY PRIOR WARNING!"


    "Yikes...I just told you to stop screaming..." I winced as I covered my ears in defeat. "What will you do if someone hears you? We would''ve done all that for nothing."


    "You-!" She raised her hand in an attempt to smack me, but then looked around and decided against it. "F-Fine. But I demand an apology for this..."


    "Sure. I''ll treat you to dinner...tomorrow."


    Feng Mian closed her eyes and folded her arms, clearly embarrassed. "H-Hmph! Very well. B-But this is only for an a-apology, okay?! Okay?!"


    "...Right."


    And shortly after that, Feng Mian left for the girls'' dormitories, and I headed back to my room via Vanishing Shadows. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn''t help but worry whether she remembered ''Full-On As-''


    -''Operation Freedom'', at all.

 Chapter 25 - Operation: Freedom

    <strong>- Feng Mian''s Perspective -</strong>


    Whew. Okay. Today was the action phase of Operation: Freedom. Can you believe that idiot Xuan Kai wanted to just call this n "Full-On Assault"? I mean sure, that''s what it is, but still.


    That being said, it wasn''t literally just charging in headfirst without any thinking. That''s what I thought when I first heard the name of this n, but well, turns out, there''s actually some brainwork going on.


    It was the day after our night together. I-I mean, our p-nning meeting! To tell you the truth, I was bombarded with questions at school regarding Xuan Kai''s performance yesterday. The person in question himself? He took the day off to avoid the drama, leaving me to deal with it. What a man. Though I''m sure he had his reasons....probably. H-He definitely had his reasons. In any case, I just brushed them all off with an "I don''t know either". Hey, it was the truth...partly. I didn''t know exactly how he is able to produce such powerful magic or how he is able to take in mana from the environment.


    It was a cold, November evening...or at least that''s what I want to say, but the truth was, the weather was insanely hot, considering it was supposed to be winter. This was due to that Fire Elemental''sir the IMF discovered recently, ording to the teachers at Shenzhen Magic High School.


    I was currently dragging an unconscious (?) Xuan Kai behind me, walking down the same dark pathway I had went down just a few days ago, and the one that Xuan Kai had saved me in. Just thinking back on the memory makes my heart thump...


    A-Anyway! Beforehand, I had already followed the n and contacted a certain person. I met up with Xuan Kai soon after, and everything proceeded smoothly. But that was just the beginning. Now, was where the operation truly began.


    Not long after, I came face to face with a tall man wearing a cloak. Though to be honest, he was wearing a silver mask that covered the top half of his appearance, so it wasn''t really face to face. Indeed, this was the person I had made a phone call to earlier. And yes - all those evil acts I''ve done...he was the true culprit.


    This man had the lives of my parents in his grasp, and he could end them anytime he wanted. That''s why I had been forced to sumb to his immoral orders. But if this n works out - all that will end today.


    "Oho...so this was what you were talking about," the man rasped quietly while walking towards me slowly. "A wonderful gift indeed..."


    I had called him earlier with only one message: "I have a gift for you. You know where to meet." After that, I hung up the phone, stirring his curiosity just enough in order to get him to call me back. Sure enough, here he was, in our usual meeting spot.


    Of course, Xuan Kai thought of this, and not me. Honestly, I didn''t think this would actually work. But again, it''s him we''re talking about. He has proven the impossible to me many times over. Does ''impractical'' mean anything to him at all? Who knows.


    "So? What do you n to do with him? The stone pendant is right on his neck."


    The man began to bend down to closely inspect Xuan Kai''s body. I stiffened, but I couldn''t let him notice anything off...for if he did, this n would get thrown out the back window. Sweat trickled down my back and it took everything I had to not break down from the tension. I felt a slight headache, possibly due to the stress. I continued to hold on to Xuan Kai''s cor nervously.


    C''mon...Just a little more...


    Great! He was within rang-


    Just as I was about to unleash an attack, Xuan Kai snapped open his eyes and threw out a punch directed at the man''s masked face. H-Hey! That wasn''t the n...


    Whoosh! The man leapt back at a frightening speed, and paired with his cat-like reflexes, dodged the attack.


    "Hah...nice try, little boy," he rasped, slightly out of breath. Then, turning to me, he gave an evil sneer. "You betrayed me for him, Feng Mian? Don''t you know what will happen to your beloved parents now? Mwahahaha!"


    "Hmph. You won''t be able to leave here alive," I replied confidently.


    The manughed coldly. "Oh-ho...and what gives you that confidence when this waste-of-a-human partner of yours missed his only chance just now? What can he hope to do without being able to use magic?"


    Xuan Kai gave a devilish smile in return as he climbed to his feet. "Heh...I''ve already aplished my goal."


    The man appeared confused. "Huh? The hell you-"


    Crrrrrack. Gradually, lines began forming on the silver mask the cloaked man wore, and shattered to the floor. The man, seeming to have realized what happened, widened his eyes in surprise. Xuan Kai, not giving him the time to let the news sink in, dashed towards him at an inhumane speed.


    "What?! When did you-Ngh!"


    Not even having time to finish his sentence, the man dashed backwards further into the dark alley. Xuan Kai followed. I quickly used Vanishing Shadows to increase my speed and keep up. Fortunately, there was no shortage of shadows for me to travel in around here.


    "Ah...mou~ this wasn''t the n!"


    I arrived at the scene just in time to see a massive wall sprouting out from the ground, cutting off the cloaked man''s escape. Xuan Kai had him hopelessly cornered.


    "Curses! I really wish I had awoken the Sky element instead right now..." the man swore to himself. He then turned around to face Xuan Kai. "That guy said not to make too much of a ruckus...but I guess I''ve got no choice now. Heh...fine! You really want to fight, huh? I''ll grant you that wish...if you don''t mind dying in the process!"


    Xuan Kai remained expressionless and charged directly at him, fist retracted to prepare for a punch. I assume he wasn''t using ranged magic because it would attract a load of unwanted attention, considering how powerful his attacks are. Just when victory was all but assured, the man let out a terrifying howl. "Mwahahah! Witness the power of the Midnight Syndicate!"


    The Midnight Syndicate? N-No...that can''t be! They were a mass crime organization that was wiped out years ago! And if I remember correctly, all their members were at least Advanced Mages and could all use Dark Magic-


    The man leapt into the air. "Demonification Level Three - Full Body Transform!"


    It was toote. Demonification Level Three...that allowed for even a Human to wield the full physical strength of an adult Demon. A ck whirlwind surrounded him, and began spinning rapidly. Although humans who transformed using only Level 3 Demonification couldn''t use any Demon powers such as Mana Interference or Hyper Regeneration, they could still use physical abilities such as Flight and superior sense and awareness.


    "Xuan Kai! Be careful, he is almost as powerful as an actual Demon now!" I called out in worry. I could provide back-row support at most, which at my level would not do much against an adult Demon.


    I received no response. Xuan Kai, as calm as ever, merely got into a fighting stance once more. I winced at his carelessness. Meanwhile, the Demonification had finished - the whirlwind dispersed, and the once cloaked man was now a fiery red demon with crimson-colored wings sprouting from his back. Devilish eyes that seemed to stare right into my soul (even more so than before) bore down on us. An impish tail hung from his rear, and although I knew this was not the time for it, I still covered my eyes out of modesty.


    The man - no, demon - cackled. "Mwahahahah! You forced me to do this! This takes years off my life, you know! What shall I do?" he paused before licking his lips in a evil sneer. "Guess I''ll just replenish it...with your souls!"


    He screeched before lunging downwards toward Xuan Kai. "Look out!" I cried. I quickly mustered my mana and began my incantation for a defensive spell. "cier Form - Wall!"


    A chunk of ice rose from the ground, blocking the demon froming any closer...or so I thought, but his sharp ws punched a hole straight through my defense. "No way..." I began, but it was futile. The outreached w made contact with Xuan Kai''s fist, and the demon forced his whole body onto him.


    "Xuan Kai!"


    BOOM!


    Smoke filled the air from the impact. The demon had crashed into the ground, arm still pinning down something - the body of Xuan Kai. It took a minute for all this to sink in. Only a few seconds had passed, and yet it caused something that could change my life forever. Xuan Kai...did he really-


    "H-Hey...X-Xuan Kai?" I murmured quietly, hoping to receive a response, desperate for an answer. My hands began shaking and tears formed in my eyes. Despite the demon still there, I began walking closer to where Xuan Kaiy.


    The demon looked up smugly and stared at my disheveled figure, a nasty sneer on his face. "Heheheh...how do you like that, huh?"


    "N-No..." I began, on the verge of breaking down.


    "This trash without magic, what does he hope to do against me? Mwahahahah!" the demon mercilessly continued rubbing in his victory to me. But that didn''t matter. Only one thing was on my mind. "Xuan Kai...hey..."


    "Well well well...do you regret your decision, my cute little Feng Mian?" the demon got up atst, a fake smile stered on his face. "Tell you what - if you serve me in bed tonight...I''ll let your parents go."


    But I paid him no attention. Nothing else could sway me right now. I just sat there in misery, muttering Xuan Kai''s name over and over again. Was this really how things would end? Had I known, I never would''ve gotten him to help me...Xuan Kai...don''t leave me like this. I....I love-


    "Level One Ice Magic - Skewer of Ice." A voice whispered an incantation quietly. But it wasn''t just anyone...I looked up at the rooftop of the building on the left of the and felt hope, bringing a genuine smile to my face, and a happiness I''ve never experienced before swept through my body, like a warm, gentle breeze.


    At first, I thought it was just a mirage, or perhaps a fake that God sent to toy with me. But no - one look at him, and I knew that it was the real person - the one that I loved. The demon, meanwhile, turned around and felt fear. His eyes widened in shock.


    "What?! How could you-" he opened his mouth lined with sharp teeth, but at that moment, he stopped talking.


    ...And he wouldn''t talk again, for the rest of his life.


    A massive ck ice spike glowing with a red aura formed in the air, and came flying towards the demon faster than the eye could see, piercing a hole in his buff body. The demon''s expression froze, eyes bulging and mouth hanging wide open.


    "Tch. Don''t look so surprised." Xuan Kai looked on at the dying demon, not an ounce of regret being shown. "You did the same thing to Feng Mian''s defense."


    I stared at his figure, wearing a simple ck hoodie and ripped jeans, ck hair swaying in the air. Those eyes...were that of a cold-blooded killer - a man that has suffered all the tragedies of life, and lived through them. But I wasn''t afraid. Onlypassion swelled in my heart, and...no matter how he is, what he bes, my feelings from him will never change. I was hopelessly in love with this man.


    As the demon turned to mist, I quickly wiped my tears away and stood up. "Hehe...you really like making people worry, don''t you? Huh?" I called out at the top of my lungs. Unwanted attention? At this point, who cares?!


    Xuan Kai shifted his gaze from the empty space where the demon had just been, and turned to look at me. He smiled warmly, and together, we stood like that, gazing at each other.


    ...There were a lot of things he had to exin to me, but that can be saved forter. For now, this is enough.


    Yes...for now, this is enough.

 Chapter 26 - The Aftermath

    "Okay, okay...I get it..." I muttered as Feng Mian pulled on my ears painfully.


    "You...still haven''t told me why!" she yelled. For the record, her yells were pretty loud and high-pitched. My ears couldn''t take it.


    "I-I''ll tell youter. But isn''t there something more important you should be doing?" I replied, hoping to change the topic.


    "Ah, right. My parents. Don''t worry, I know where they are."


    "You do?"


    "Mhm. They are in this guy''sir," Feng Mian said as she pointed towards the area on the solid gravel where the demon had turned to mist.


    "I see...and where did you get this information?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.


    She sighed. "When he called me for the first time to inform me he had captured my parents, the first thing I did was make sure he really had them. So we struck a deal. I would work for him as long as he allowed me to see them in person once, and never harmed them in any way."


    "...I see." Certainly, that did make sense. "Well then...let''s go."


    Feng Mian nodded and beckoned me to follow her.


    *****


    We were inside a different alleyway in the slums of Shenzhen. After countless turns in the narrow roads that weaved between worn-down buildings, we arrived at...a nk wall.


    "Hey...you sure this is the ce?" I asked, looking over to Feng Mian.


    "Yes. The wall that you see is merely an illusion," she exined, and seemed to be signaling me to do something (though I didn''t know what) with a gaze. After a few seconds, I couldn''t take it anymore.


    "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"


    She sighed and facepalmed dramatically. "Illusions are Shadow Magic. And in order to dispel them, you''ll need..." she prompted me once more.


    "...Light Magic." I finished.


    "Can''t believe it took you that long to figure it out..." she muttered disappointedly.


    I chose to ignore that, and began channeling the mana in me...but then stopped abruptly.


    "Er...I''m out of mana."


    "..."


    "Hey...it''s not my fault. The only source of mana since the duel was taking just the minimal amount needed through my illusion, in order to support it."


    She sighed once more. I feel like people tend to groan a lot around me...


    "Fine. I''ll cast some magic for you," Feng Mian said after a short while.


    "Right...thanks."


    She then called upon the mana inside her and released it, forming a giant ice rock, directly above my head.


    "Holy shit-!" I cried before moving instinctively to dodge it.


    Crrash!


    The rock (ice) came crashing down, and shattered to pieces on the floor.


    "Hey...you trying to kill me or what?!" I yelled, panting.


    "Oops, finger must''ve slipped," Feng Mian replied casually, folding her hands behind her head in a rxed manner.


    "That has nothing to do with casting magic!"


    "cier Form: Rock!" Yet again, a giant rock of ice formed above my head.


    "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"


    "One isn''t enough. right? Consider this a luxury."


    And the same process repeated for about 7 times before she finally stopped.


    "Hey now...you''re lucky...I don''t...consider you...an enemy..." I panted while slightly bent over, hands on my knees.


    "Well...Just think of that as your punishment for not telling me anything about your ''actual n'' or whatever," she said poutingly. "Go on, hurry up and dispel the illusion."


    I sighed and concentrated my newfound mana. "Level One Light Magic - Dispel!"


    A brilliant radiance shone in the air, lighting up the entire slums. After a blinding sh, the wall was gone and in its ce, was a stairway leading downwards, as a side entrance into the basement of a building.


    "Now then..dies first?"


    "Hmph. Nice try. Hurry up," Feng Mianmanded.


    *****


    The stairway seemed to be endless. After about 10 full minutes of walking, with the surroundings getting darker every step, we reached the bottom. A sole eerie green light dimly lit the room, and it seemed to be emitting from antern.


    "Well...how weing," I muttered quietly.


    "This is how it is. Follow me," Feng Mian replied.


    Iplied and hurried after her. We were heading to a deeper part of the room.


    "Here it is...but there''s a lock on it," Feng Mian arrived before a massive door, enclosed inrge steel chains with a lock at the center, and knocked quietly. "Mom? Dad?"


    Silence. She tried knocking again, harder this time. "Hello? You guys okay? It''s me, Feng Mian!"


    "F-Feng Mian...? Is that really you...?" a female voice responded timidly. Judging from her tone, she seemed to be in need of water and very exhausted.


    "Mom? Yes, it''s me! Just hang on...I''ll get you out!" Feng Mian called back. "Is Dad okay?"


    A deep male voice answered. "Yes, I''m fine! Feng Mian, why are you here? If that man catches you-"


    "He''s dead," I replied in her stead.


    "What...who are you?" the female voice from earlier, Feng Mian''s mom, asked skeptically.


    "H-He''s a friend of mine!" Feng Mian interrupted before I could answer. "A-Anyway, Xuan Kai,e help me get this lock open...ngh!"


    "...Right."


    I went closer to her and inspected the giant lock in the middle of the door. "Hm...we don''t have the key for this."


    "Great, I didn''t know that, thank you for the info!" Feng Mian said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. "I definitely won''t be able to do it...but if it''s you, couldn''t you just use brute force and st the door open?"


    "I was just thinking the same thing," I replied. "Hey. You might want to back away from the door, as far as possible." I hollered towards the door, raising my volume.


    "W-What, why?" Feng Mian''s mom asked, a hint of fear in her voice.


    "Mom, it''s okay! We''re about to break the door open, so just to be safe, get away from it as far as possible!" Feng Mian cried.


    "Alright, we will do as you say." Feng Mian''s dad replied. He seemed to be more reasonable than her mother. Though I couldn''t me her, to be honest. A random guyes out of nowhere and deres he''s going to st the door open? Yeah...I would be suspicious too.


    After hearing a "Okay, we''re ready" from Feng Mian''s father, I closed my eyes and concentrated my mana, visualizing it into a perfect sphere, then exploding and spreading to every tissue of my body.


    "Level One Fire Magic - Fireball."


    Immediately, a massive orb of fire formed in my outstretched right hand, and I threw it towards the steel door.


    BOOM!


    The attack made contact, but the door only shook a bit. "Guess I''ll use a little more power..."


    "Level One Fire Magic - Fireball." Once again, I called upon my mana and formed a sphere of fire in my palms. I let it go and it struck the door once more, yet still, to no avail.


    "Well...it''s working, but this is going to take a while," Feng Mian said. "Do you have anything more powerful?"


    "I do...but will you risk them getting hurt?" I asked back. "You know I can''t control my power very well."


    "Ngh...you''re right. Then what should we do?"


    After thinking about it for a moment, I grinned. "I have an idea..."


    I walked closer to the door. Putting a finger on the lock gently, I chanted. "Level One Metal Magic - Metal Morph."


    As soon as I finished chanting, I felt the lock be soft and liquidy, and dropped to the floor in a sorry heap. The chains, unable to attach to a fluid, swayed to the sides. I took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.


    That''s right. Metal Morph - a Level One Metal Element spell, capable of changing the attributes of a metal substance. The lock seemed to be made of steel, after all. Normally, it would be impossible to alter something of this size, but thanks to my power-multiplying ability, it was a walk in the park.


    "Feng Mian...I''ll leave the rest to you," I said, backing away.


    "You really never fail to surprise me," Feng Mian beamed happily at me, cheeks tinged with a slight pink.


    Just when I thought I had redeemed myself-


    "Oh, but this doesn''t mean you won''t be exining things to meter tonight."


    Well, shit...


    *****


    - The Next Day (Xuan Kai''s Perspective) -


    ...I''m tired.


    Very, very tired. Why, you ask?


    Well, I got a 2 hour-long lecturest night from Feng Mian after she sent her parents back to their old residence, and probably will get another one from Qing Yue today. By the way, if you were wondering, Feng Mian, being the forgiving type, decided to tell everything we did in full detail to Qing Yue as punishment for me.


    I don''t understand why she''s so pissed, can''t she see that I had a reason for not telling her theplete n? I mean, yes, it was partly because I didn''t trust herpletely yet, but mostly it was just that I didn''t trust her acting skills.


    Let me exin. I had only told Feng Mian a bit of my true n, in order to make sure the operation goes wlessly. And it did...except for one minor part. I didn''t expect Feng Mian to break down sobbing when she realized that I (my doppelganger) had died. I wasn''t worth the trouble, really.


    Regardless, our original n (the one I had told her) was that Feng Mian would bring me to that man, while I was pretending to be unconscious. Then, once the man got within range to inspect me, Feng Mian would hurriedly cast Ice Prison on him, and lock him in ce. Then, I would drop the act and attack him while she trapped him.


    But considering therge soundproof barrier he hadid down thest time I saw him, there''s no doubt that he was an Advanced Mage, or perhaps even higher. Because of this, I deduced that the fake n wouldn''t work on him. After thinking about it for an entire day (hence the reason I was away from school, though Feng Mian seemed to think I was just escaping unwanted attention), I came up with the actual n, utilizing the brilliance of illusions.


    Indeed - the ''Xuan Kai'' that Feng Mian was dragging around was merely an illusion of mine. From the moment we met up prior toing face to face with that man, it had been an illusion. Meanwhile, the real me headed to the dark alleyway faster than Feng Mian, and climbed up the same roof that I had usedst time. It was hard controlling my illusion detailedly from such a distance, and used up a lot of mana. Fortunately, beforehand, I had set the illusion to be constantly absorbing Shadow Element mana from Feng Mian while she was holding it.


    Of course, I only took minimal amounts, making sure it''s just enough to support the illusion''s programmed movements. It probably gave her a little headache at most, simr to what one might feel if they had a tiny bit of blood extracted from their body. Mana was like blood in a way, after all.


    I was able to do this since the spell I cast, Illusion Level Two, was in fact a Shadow Element spell. Luckily, this was one of the few level two spells that the school taught to everyone. It isn''t very useful in proper fights, after all...or at least that''s what they think.


    Because of my passive power-multiplying ability (though I still don''t know how I could do it), I was even able to make someone think they are touching something - when in reality, they aren''t. Technically, this was supposed to be only something Illusion Level Three could aplish, but I''ve already transcended such limits. I wonder...when I learn a Level Three spell, will it be as powerful as a Legendary-Tier one?


    I think it''s also thanks to this power of mine that man didn''t find out anything fishy. So my illusions can even withstand the eyes of an Advanced Mage? Hm...that''s good to know. This coulde in handy in the near future, when I go up against the Xuan family. There''s nock of Advanced Mages in there...


    Another reason I decided to go with this n, was to see if I could fish any information out of him - and I did. I had already known this, but the man had said "that guy" at one point during the fight, implying there''s indeed someone above him. But what really was valuable was a certain term they leaked by ident. One I haven''t heard anything about for years...


    ...That''s right. The Midnight Syndicate. From what I know, it was an organized crime group that specialized in mass killings. It was said that all of its members were at least Advanced Mages, and they could all use Dark Magic of some sort. When that man transformed using Demonification yesterday, it only further strengthened my hypothesis. However, this organization was supposed to be wiped out by the IMF years ago. So why did this term suddenly pop up again yesterday? The remains? No. They wouldn''t have a clear hierarchy if it was merely the leftover escapees. But this will have to wait until further investigation.


    To sum it up, I fooled both that man and Feng Mian. It was essential to make sure the n goes seamlessly. But some people just don''t understand that, even after I exined everything to them already...


    Looking back on it now, I might''ve been able to beat that man if we just used the n I told Feng Mian. He wasn''t as strong as I expected. But at the time, I had no way to gauge his strength, and therefore chose the safe route. As long as the n worked, it''s fine. All''s well that ends well.


    *****


    - ???''s Perspective -


    A certain man sat on a ck throne embedded with skulls and radiating a faint green light. Before him was a woman, wearing full-ck clothes thatplimented her brilliant violet hair. A mask covered her nose and mouth, and the first word a person would think of had they seen her outfit, would be ninja.


    "And you are certain this information is true?" the man bellowed with a deep, dark voice, like that of a king.


    "Yes, my sire. I saw it with my own two eyes," the woman replied emotionlessly, kneeling on one knee, right arm crossed over the opposite shoulder.


    "Heheh...it seems, things will begin to get even more interesting from here..." the man chuckled quietly. "Amethyst, your next mission is to get closer to this boy. Attend his school if need be. I will make the arrangements..."


    "As you wish, sire."


    The manughed. "Heheheh...now, I wonder...how will things y out from here?"

 Chapter 27 - The Magic Training Class

    I was currently sitting at my usual desk, in the far back corner of the room. Everything seemed normal...except for one thing. It was quieter than usual. People were staring at me - though not out of disgust and insult like before, but now of curiosity and perhaps jealousy.


    Yu An Xue in particr seemed to be greatly interested in me, but of course, she wouldn''t show that, being a cool beauty and all. But I could catch her sneaking gazes at me when she thought I wasn''t looking. Everyone still kept their distance from me (not that I minded, to be honest), but they didn''t just not want to talk to me. Instead...it seems they were reluctant to approach me. I could guess what the reason was:


    If someone was the first to engage in conversation with me, they would undoubtedly be theughingstock of the ss. At least, that''s what they all thought. It wasn''t true now that I''ve shown a little bit of my powers - everyone was curious. But they had no way to tell what each other were thinking. Every one of them thought that they were the only one that wanted to talk to me, and therefore were afraid to actually put it into action.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai!" a cheery voice rang out across the awkward ssroom. Yep. This girl - Qing Yue - had no difficulty talking to me, as usual. But right now, I was terrified. Terrified of what she was going to do to me, with that extra-innocent-looking smile on her face. "Hehehe...let''s have a little talk!"


    Well, this was bad. By ''talk'' she probably means another two-hour-long lecture. "Er...w-why don''t we do that..ter..." I trailed off, seeing as how she was right in my face.


    "Let''s have a little talk!" she repeated, that pure smile still stered across her cute face.


    "Um, er, r-right. Okay." I gave in. Fine...I''ve already been through one lecture, what''s the harm in another?


    Little did I know, I would soone to think back on this as the worst decision of my life.


    *****


    - The Next Day -


    Yeah. That was the worst decision of my life.


    I thought it would be only two hours, but Qing Yue made me stay up all night (No, not what you''re thinking of right now). Can you believe it? She even made Feng Mian sit there the whole time as a punishment for not telling her either. Feng Mian objected, but it seems neither of us could beat Qing Yue in a psychological battle (even without her using Psychic-Element Magic). Pretty ironic, considering Feng Mian was the one who told her about our operation afterwards. You dug my grave, now you have to lie in it too.


    She made us go without dinner that night as well. Correction: she made us eat what she made. I wasn''t keen to taste her cooking again after zong zi incident, and well..let''s just say her skills haven''t improved since then. So in reality, it was worse than having no dinner at all. Though, of course, neither Feng Mian nor I voiced ourints out loud. We knew better.


    I''ve got to acknowledge her integrity though. In order to make sure WE didn''t fall asleep, she stayed up all night too. She had us repeat the story of Operation: Freedom from beginning to end, over and over again. Does it not get boring, listening to the same thing on loop?


    But in any case - with that, here we were. Feng Mian and I, sitting beside each other in ss with very distinct deep ck circles surrounding our eyes and clear fatigue, likerades in suffering. Qing Yue, meanwhile, seemed to be perfectly fine on the other side of Feng Mian. I sighed. Today, if I remember correctly, had a magic training ss as well, meaning I would have to disy my skills once more. I don''t think I''ve used up all the mana given to me by Feng Mian the day before yesterday, but...


    I would ask Feng Mian or Qing Yue to supply me with more mana sometime today. They were the only ones that knew of this vulnerability of mine, after all. Reason being, I couldn''t let others know of my weakness. If they found out I had to rely on external mana to be able to cast magic, I would be done for. Before, I was just a joke to everyone, but now that they''ve seen me wield three elements at the age of 14...


    That''s right. They''ll want to eliminate me as soon as possible.


    *****


    - 1:00 PM, Magic Training ss -


    It was time. I would like to show as little of my power as possible, but...it seems the circumstances just wouldn''t allow me to. Today just happened to be the day where the school would test if anyone has awoken a new element - the tester is to channel mana into an Awakening Orb - a special Magic Artifact made directly for this purpose.


    It was like an Awakening Stone in the sense that they both had mana traces of all 21 Elements, but that''s where the simrities end. While an Awakening Stone could only be used once and allowed for the user to gain a new element, an Awakening Orb could be used infinitely but could not help the user awaken a new element.


    I had already received some mana from Qing Yue earlier during Lunch (Feng Mian was too exhausted from staying up all night). Apparently, Level Two Blessing-Element mana-restoring spells like Restitutio: Mana could work on me as well. It was the one Qing Yue had cast on me. I infer that other mana-replenishing spells could do the same.


    To be honest, I would usually sit these lessons out, and the teachers couldn''t care less. But today, Mr. Wang had made sure I was present for this ss. It seems the students weren''t the only curious ones. In fact, I''m pretty sure news of my duel had also spread to the upper years, and the neers (first-years).


    Thus, here I was, in the Magic Training Room for 2nd Years. ss-A students of each year got their own room for doing practical training, but the rest of us had to stick with this public one. I had been in this room just a couple days ago, but so much has happenedtely that it felt distant. Along with the other 24 students of the ss, I stood in a vertical line along the main pathway marking the middle of the entire room. Mr. Wang had ordered us to do so without too much care, seeing as how we had already done this many times (except for Qing Yue, Feng Mian, and I).


    Suddenly, the door swung open and a cart was brought in by what seemed to be a school staff member, albeit not a teacher, and we shuffled further into the room hurriedly to make space. ced in it was an Awakening Orb, carefully set on top of a red cushion, as if presenting it to a king. Mr. Wang nced at it and signaled for the woman that had brought it in to retreat. Sheplied after a slight bow, and shut the door behind her quietly.


    "Alright, we are ready to begin now," Mr. Wang announced after she was gone. "As usual, we will go in alphabetical order. First up - Ai Yao!"


    A girl with short, ck hair, walked up to the Awakening Orb. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Putting her right hand on the orb, glowing with energy, she began channeling mana into it.


    After a short while, the orb began shing a light purple. Mr. Wang nodded twice and spoke. "Sky Element aptitude, no change."


    Ai Yao seemed dejected, and let out a sigh. She then walked back into her spot on the line, without even being told to. Mr. Wang didn''t seem fazed at all, seeing as how this was natural. When people find out they haven''t awoken a new element, it''s only logical they will feel disappointed.


    "Next up - Bao Yan Shi!"


    And so, the testings continued. Those with multiple elements were able to make the orb change colors in rapid session, in ordance to which elements they had.


    This testing exists because of the infinitesimal chance that someone awakened a new element in their body, without the help of an Awakening Stone. It was certainly rare, but not unheard of. The thing is, a lot of people awaken a new element without them every finding out. It''s impossible to tell by yourself which elements you have, unless you try casting magic belonging to every single one. This was time-consuming and tedious, so most people didn''t bother. Thus, the Awakening Orb system took ce.


    It was done mandatorily once a month, excluding summer break and winter break. In addition, those who felt something off about their mana could request to use the Awakening Orb to test if they had awoken another element...though theoretically speaking, this was inconceivable. After all, if it were possible, this system wouldn''t exist in the first ce.


    Before long, it was Feng Mian''s turn. She stepped out of line and went up to the Awakening Orb after a brief nce at me for some reason. Surprisingly enough, Mr. Wang was actually treating Feng Mian the same as the other students. Everyone had suddenly be cold to her after she ced her desk beside mine, but their attitudes were changing now. Naturally, the same thing was happening to Qing Yue.


    "Hm...Feng Mian, Ice-Shadow Dual-Element Awakener..." Mr. Wang muttered.


    Feng Mian ignored him and did the same as all the other students before her. She appeared nervous and took a deep breath. Was this really that scary? Anyway. She ced her right hand on the Orb, and it immediately began shining - brighter than when anyone else tried before. At first, it was a crystal clear light blue, depicting the Ice Element. A split secondter, however, it changed into a heavy ck - Shadow. It continued altering between the two for a while, and Mr. Wang opened his mouth to tell her that''s enough, but then-


    "Huh?! Deep violet?!" a voice spoke all of our minds.


    The orb was now emitting a deep purple aura, in contrast to the light purple Sky-Element from before.


    Mr. Wang widened his eyes like the rest of us. "Th-This is...the Poison Element!"


    Immediately, shouts broke out among the masses.


    "Woah! Someone really awakened another element without going through an Awakening?!"


    "Wow! This is the first time I''ve seen this!"


    "Way to go, Feng Mian!"


    Though in the midst of all the excitement, there were also some voices of envy, of disgust.


    "Hmph."


    "Tch...she thinks she''s so good..."


    "Still can''t believe she survived that..."


    Indeed - it was Li Yi Fei and his twockeys. And by ''that'', they meant the Abomination re incident. Li Yi Fei had originally targeted Feng Mian in order to make her submit to him and be his girlfriend, but Feng Mian refused defiantly and the trio soon ran out of patience. They had used the art of Conjoined Release to unleash an offensive Level Two spell - Abomination re.


    If I had not been there at the time, Feng Mian would''ve died. I had leapt from the roof just in time tond in front of her and block the attack. Fortunately, my stone pendant absorbed most of the power, and left me dirty and shirtless, but otherwise fine.


    The three of them had already escaped by the time hordes of people came to investigate, and so had we. Though I passed out on the same roof from before and Feng Mian had to carry me to the school infirmary...but that''s a different story. Just thinking back on it makes me embarrassed.


    In any case, after all they''ve done - when Feng Mian showed up safe and unharmed at school the next day, their minds were filled with confusion and frustration. And to this day, they hate her down to the bones, perhaps even rivaling their hate for me.


    Feng Mian exhaled and opened her eyes slowly. Then, turning to me, she gave a cute wink and a secret thumbs-up. I smiled in return.

 Chapter 28 - A Shattered Hope

    "A-Ahem," Mr. Wang cleared his throat, and the shouts of awe died down. "Okay, that''s enough. Next in line is...Gao Ruo Jie, pleasee up."


    ss 2-D - 2nd years at Shenzhen Magic High School, rankedst of the four sses in our year. We were currently in the Magic Training Room, in the process of doing the mandatory monthly Awakening Orb Procedure. The goal of this system was to check if anyone had suddenly awoken another element without the use of an Awakening Stone.


    Cases like such were rare, but it has happened before. That''s why such a system was implemented - a mandatory monthly check-up using a Magic Artifact known as an Awakening Orb. And it has proven to be worthwhile - we all just witnessed such a a situation with our own two eyes.


    Indeed - Feng Mian had never been through an Awakening process before, and henceforth had no way toe in contact with an Awakening Stone. Yet, she had just awoken a new element - Poison. The Awakening Orb had shone a dark purple, contrasting the bright, lightning-like one that represented the Sky Element.


    Each element had their own colors to identify it:


    Fire - Bright Orange


    Water - Blue


    Earth - Bright Yellow


    Sky - Light Purple


    Ice - Light Blue


    Psychic - Light Pink


    Shadow - ck (with a hint of purple)


    Light - White (with a hint of yellow)


    Curse - Indigo


    Poison - Dark Purple


    Time - Navy Blue


    Space - Cyan


    Metal - Silver


    Sound - Light Green


    Blessing - Lime


    Gravity - Mahogany


    Summoning - Transparent (no color is shown)


    Enchantment - Red


    Demon - Crimson


    Necromancy - Dark Green


    Void - Purple (with a hint of white)


    These colors were developed by the IMF for ease of ssifying elements, derived from the color of spells of that element. In addition, some elements were also more rare than others, statistically speaking. Time and Space magic are the most rare, and also the most powerful. Thenes Secondary Elements and Dark Magic, rarity-wise. The mostmon of all are the Primary Elements - and even out of those 12, Fire, Water, Earth, and Sky are the most dominant elements.


    The other Year 2 sses all had at least 1 person who could use Time or Space Magic. This gave them a tremendous advantage in team fight tournaments, and are practically unbeatable unless you also have a Time or Space Mage on your side. Unfortunately, our ss (2-D) has neither, cing us at the bottom of the rankings.


    Mages who possessed an aptitude for Time or Space Magic were often high up on the Magus Rankings as well. Their control over time and space dominates the battlefield, and it would take a lot of nning and trickery to ovee it. Brute strength wouldn''t work against them. In fact, out of the top 10 on the Magus Rankings of our school, 9/10 had Time or Space Magic. The one that didn''t, was ced 10th.


    With all that being said, there''s no doubt that Time or Space Mages were highly valued by society. Many of them were in fact hired by the IMF - and that was the highest possible position you could hope for in this world, without being an immensely sessful entrepreneur yourself.


    In this world, no matter how hard you worked, there were some things you just couldn''t ovee raw talent in. No matter how much you try, you won''t be able to guarantee that you''ll awaken Time or Space Magic. No matter how much effort you put in, you won''t just suddenly gain magic (I don''t know how I did it, but it was certainly not thanks to my hard-work).


    Before long, it was Qing Yue''s turn to go up to the Awakening Orb. Originally standing on one side of me (Feng Mian on the other), she tugged on my sleeve. I patted her head in return and gave a reassuring smile that said ''You got this''. She nodded, satisfied, and stepped out of line.


    Imitating Feng Mian''s movements as if hoping to awaken a new element as well, she took a deep breath and ced her right hand on the orb. And then, suddenly, the room was filled with a blinding sh, and I covered my eyes out of instinct.


    "What happened?"


    "ck- No, Whiteout?"


    "You dumbass! That''s a writing utensil!"


    "Quiet! Calm down, that''s just the Awakening Orb..." Mr. Wang''s voice cut through the panic. "But still...this is really something. Such a powerful reaction...I''ve never seen it before."


    "What? B-But then that was even brighter than Feng Mian''s!"


    "Does that mean she has awakened a new element as well?!"


    "Calm yourselves! I''m blinded too...Qing Yue, you''re the closest to the orb, what do you see?" Mr. Wang hurriedly said.


    "U-Um...the orb is shing lime, which is Blessing Magic, pink, Psychic magic, and...a bright white...with a little yellow, I think?"


    "That''s Light Magic! Okay, you can remove your hand now. Hurry!"


    "R-Right!" Qing Yue quicklyplied. Immediately, the light receded and all of us could see again.


    Mr. Wang looked relieved to be able to see again, and blinked a few times to adjust his eyes. "O-Okay...c-congrattions, it seems you have awoken the Light element. And it appears you have an incredible talent for it as well," he spoke in aposed tone to Qing Yue, befitting a teacher.


    "Thank you!" Qing Yue beamed happily.


    "Ah...I don''t deserve the gratitude. This was all thanks to your own talent," Mr. Wang in a refined manner, having practiced these words many times over. "You may head to one of the training chambers now if you please."


    "Hm...nope! I''ll stay here to watch Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue replied, happily skipping back to her original ce beside me.


    "Hey, are you proud of me?" she asked, tugging on my sleeve once more and looking up. From an outsider''s perspective, there''s no way they would guess that she was the same age as me. Honestly, perfect little sister material (I swear I don''t have a little sisterplex). My heart thumped at how cute she was...


    "Y-Yeah. Good job," I said while rubbing her head. The surrounding boys all red at me in envy...and by the looks of it, so did Feng Mian, though I wasn''t too sure why.


    But there was a more pressing matter on my hands. What will I do when it was my turn...? I had mana - that wasn''t the problem. But for one, I don''t want to show everyone what my true power is. Second, I don''t know what will happen if I channel my mana into that orb - my magic is very, very weird, after all. It may cause the orb to malfunction - or even break. That would...cause problems.


    And just as I was pondering this thought-


    "Okay. Xuan Kai, you''re next." Mr. Wang''s deep voice cut through my worries, and also gave birth to a bigger worry.


    Shit. Shit, shit, shit shit shit. As I creatively scrambled for a good way to avoid going up, my mouth blurted out the first thing I thought of.


    "...I need to go use the washroom."


    Mr. Wang appeared skeptical, but gave in regardless. "Uh...very well. We will have the next person go first then. That is...Yu An Xue,"


    "R-Right." I nodded twice and dashed out the door. I could hear murmursing from behind me-


    "Geez...is he really in such a hurry?"


    "How long has he held it in for?"


    "Disgusting..."


    -but I ignored them.


    But. I didn''t go to the washroom (what, you really thought that I had to go?). Instead, I camped right outside the Magic Training Room door, and spied inside. Why? So I could know when toe in, of course. I have to wait for the perfect moment to go in. There wasn''t anyone else after Yu An Xue since Zhang Zhe Rui was away today for whatever reason, so I might as well go in right after she''s done. Besides, it would be suspicious if I were gone for too long.


    And so, I watched on as Yu An Xue calmly strode up to the Awakening Orb, long pink hair fluttering behind her. I always knew she was recognized as one of the top beauties of Shenzhen for a reason, but it wasn''t until now that I really had an opportunity to admire her wless features and perfect proportions. She hadrge pink eyes that went brilliantly with her hair of the same color, and the skirt she wore showed off her long white legs as well - befitting the Xue (snow) in her name. With a bust simr to Feng Mian''s, it wouldn''t be an overstatement to say they were the perfect size. Not that I had an opinion, really.


    She was very different to the two other beauties of Shenzhen, Qing Yue and the newly added Feng Mian. Qing Yue was short and cute, with lovely white hair and yellow eyes that made peoplemonly see her as an angel. Feng Mian had beautiful blonde hair and purple eyes that contrasted with it. She was also the only true cool beauty of the three.


    But before I could gawk at her elegant figure any longer, she had ced her hand on the orb and an intense sh that rivaled even Qing Yue''s filled the room. I backed away from the door immediately and had to squint to make out what was going on inside. The door was soundproof, however, so I couldn''t tell what they were saying. Though the reaction couldn''t have been too different from Qing Yue''s.


    After a while, the light subdued, and I also headed back inside at the same time. After careful thought, I had decided to just channel as little mana as possible into the Orb, and hope for the best. Pretending to ce my hands on the orb was out of the question, as such arge audience had seen me use magic in my duel with Feng Mian.


    When I got inside, the first thing I noticed was themotion. Loud murmurs and stares were directed at Yu An Xue, though they weren''t of malice. I asked Feng Mian what happened while I was gone (I wasn''t really gone, but no need to tell her that). Apparently, Yu An Xue had also awoken another element - Space, in addition to Ice and Water, both of which she already had. This meant that we now stood a chance against ss 2-C, in which a student possessed Time Magic. No wonder my ssmates were making such a fuss.


    "Ah! Xuan Kai, you''re back. Then, why don''t youe up and have your turn now?" Mr. Wang said, having finally noticed my presence.


    I nodded in return, and walked towards the Awakening Orb. Once there, I ced my hand on top of it, sighed, and murmured to myself. "Alright...here we go."


    I closed my eyes and began visualizing the mana stored inside my Dantian. It was nowhere near full - hell, I don''t even know if there was a limit. I took a slight drop of mana from my storage and condensed it into a mini sphere. Then, concentrating even further, it exploded, and I guided the tiny bit of mana that was the result into my right hand, still ced on the orb.


    After taking a deep breath, I let it flow out of my hands.


    ...


    Everyone was watching in anticipation. This was the moment they were waiting for, ever since the duel. I held my breath.


    ...


    "Nothing...happened?" I murmured hopefully.


    Indeed, nothing. No blinding shes, not even the slightest bit of a glow.


    "What the hell? I clearly saw him use magic in the duel!"


    "Haha, guess trash will always be trash!"


    "Was it someone else that cast the magic for him back there...?"


    I kept my hand on the orb for a bit longer just to be safe, then finally let go. I exhaled in relief, and began turning around to walk back in line, ignoring all thements. This wasn''t ideal, as people saw me use magic in the duel, but perhaps it could just pass as them seeing an illusion, or a third-party helping from the shadows.


    ...Better to let them believe I still couldn''t use magic than I could use all 21 elements, and cast spells ten times more powerful than normal. Yu An Xue pierced her eyes into me the entire way back which made me slightly ufortable, but I paid her no attention.


    But just when I thought it was over and I could finally rx-


    "Everyone! Get away from the Awakening Orb! Quick!" Mr. Wang ran over to us and shouted in a panic. Then, he twisted his body and quickly put up a water barrier of protection. "Mizu Shield!"


    Voices of confusion rang out, but it was better for them not knowing.


    My eyes were fixated on the orb, and so were Feng Mian''s and Qing Yue''s. It was radiating an ominous ck and red energy, filling the room at an insane rate. The only thing protecting us from it was Mr. Wang''s water barrier, and even that seemed like it wouldn''t hold up much longer. Large cracks began forming on the orb as the energy waves began leaking even faster, and suddenly, the entire thing-


    -Shattered.

 Chapter 29 - The Student Council

    Magic Training Room. We were in the process of doing the mandatory monthly check ups to see if anyone has awoken a new element without the help of an Awakening Stone, but that had been terminated - by me.


    The Awakening Orb, a Magic Artifact designed solely for this purpose,y shattered on the floor. A deep ck and red energy filled the room, and we had our backs to the main entrance of the room, with Mr. Wang in front putting up a barrier to shield us.


    However, how could that mere water barrier stop such a powerful energy? Before long, the ck and red waves began seeping through. Mr. Wang, sweat breaking out on his forehead, turned his head around and yelled, "Open the door! Quick! I can''t hold on much longer! Ngh!"


    Yu An Xue, being thest in line with a name starting with Y (Zhang Zhe Rui was absent today for unknown reasons), was also the one closest to the door. She quickly followed Mr. Wang''s instructions and pushed the door open. The students filed out hurriedly, and Mr. Wang camest. As soon as he was out the door, Yu An Xue closed the door once more.


    The students all crowded around the panting Mr. Wang, having drained most of his mana putting up that barrier. He motioned for them to just let him have a breather first. The students reluctantlyplied, though that didn''t stop them from conversing with one another and making absurd assumptions on what happened.


    ...I was different. I knew what had happened. That energy, was from none other than myself. But I clearly only channeled the slightest bit of my mana into the orb. Just as I was pondering this, the arrogant tone of Li Yi Fei called out to me. Ah...why was it always him...?


    "Hey! Xuan Kai, you damn bastard!" he yelled in a loud tone purposefully, so that all the students of the ss loitering around waiting for further instructions from Mr. Wang could hear him perfectly. "You were thest one to use it! This happened because of you!"


    I sighed. I had enough headaches to worry about...


    "Oi! Don''t just ignore our boss!" Pang Zi hollered, like the fat ass he was. "How do you n to pay for this shit?!"


    Seeing as how they would not stop until I gave them a response that satisfied them, I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you to question me?" I delivered cooly with a threatening re. I didn''t have to fake it, either. I just had to bring out my hate for him treating me like trash all these years...though just enough not to kill him. Not that I minded if he died horribly and suddenly right here and now, but it would make a scene, which I would like to avoid.


    "-!" Li Yi Fei shuddered under my gaze, and subconsciously backed away a few steps. Seems like the n worked. Pang Zi flinched as well.


    With Zhang Zhe Rui''s absence, the two of them were just a dumbass and a fat ass. In this world, people bow down to the strong, and trample all over the weak. Nothing else mattered - only strength was recognized.


    The crowd (ssmates of mine) that had been attracted by Li Yi Fei''s stupid scheme to turn everyone against me was now jeering andughing at his ipetence. Of course, they wouldn''t do it under the broad daylight like they did with me back then, since Li Yi Fei was still a young master of the Li family, one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, but the mockery was still clear.


    Li Yi Fei grimaced and walked away from the crowd, avoiding eye contact with anyone. They rounded the corner of the hallway and disappeared from sight. This would cause quite a bit of trouble for Mr. Wang (who just saved their lives) if someone found them elsewhere when they were supposed to be in ss. But right now, the person in question was too tired to even care. Mr. Wang sat on the ground, back to the door. I could see that inside, the ck and red energy was still pulsing and fluctuating all around the room. Just then, however-


    "Damn...it seems we were toote, president."


    "Toote indeed...."


    Two students walked towards us. One seemed to be a 2nd Year just like myself, and the other looked like a 5th or perhaps even 6th year. The elder one cleared his throat after sweeping his gaze through all of our ss''s students. Our ss stared at him right back in curiosity.


    "Which one of you is Xuan Kai?" he asked in a gentle tone, the type that belonged to a talented public speaker.


    I stopped leaning against the wall with my arms folded and gave a slight wave. "I am. Who might you be?" I kept my tone as polite as possible, since I didn''t know his identity yet. It would hardly be considered wise to speak without holding back to someone of the Four Great Families, or perhaps royalty from a foreign country.


    "Ah...forgive me for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Tang Jia Yi, 6th Year at Shenzhen Magic High School and the current student council president." He then shifted his gaze to the boy standing beside him, and spoke once more. "This is Ming Hao, a 2nd Year at the school, and the current vice-president."


    "Yo!" Ming Hao said cheerfully with a wave.


    The gazes focused on the two individuals widened. The student council president and vice-president weren''t just people you interacted with everyday. In fact, they rarely showed their faces at all, so most people had no way of knowing their identity. Speeches were done by teachers, and most of the work that involved meeting face-to-face were handled by the secretary.


    So these shut-insing personally to ask for someone? That''s never happened before. What''s more, the vice-president was in fact only a 2nd Year? This was certainly news. He must be exceptionally strong or had a powerful background to make it to this position at such a young age.


    But what concerns me the most is that they had specifically asked for me. Could they perhaps have figured something out...? The thought worried me. So, I decided to take the initiative.


    "If you don''t mind me asking...what do you need with me?" I asked, not letting a trace of emotion show on my face. I couldn''t let them see any nervousness or fear.


    "Hm...it would be a problem to say it out here. Would you like toe to the student council room instead?" Tang Jia Yi said earnestly.


    Inviting me to the student council room...? That was a ce that even teachers couldn''t go in to without permission. In this school, the student council held authority second to only the principal. As I''ve stated before, strength rules all in this world. The student council members are all students that are stronger than even the staff, in terms of magic power. Thus, they had more control over the school.


    And now...the president himself is inviting me? That sounds suspicious. In fact, this could all be an assassination plot, after they caught on to something fishy regarding my sudden awakening and boosted power. The typical - lure me somewhere alone, then gang up on me together. Though if that really happened, I would just st the entire room with all my strength. With my power, even an Advanced Mage wouldn''t survive unscathed.


    Then, as if reading my mind, Ming Hao chuckled. "Don''t worry, we don''t n on killing you in secret or anything, haha!"


    ...That only made me more suspicious. After carefully thinking this through, I nodded in return, and they began to lead me away from the rest of my ss. Yep, definitely an assassination plot. But just as we started to walk away...


    "Uh...Mr. Tang? What about the Magic Training Room? There''s been...a slight disturbance." Mr. Wang said timidly, with his head bowed. Even teachers had to show this level of respect to the student council president, huh. And, well. They knew better to question the student council''s actions (asking for me in particr). I''m sure they were curious, but this is one of those things where some wise old man will go ''you don''t always get what you want in life''.


    Tang Jia Yi stopped walking and paused for a bit, cing his finger on his chin in aposed thinking gesture. Then, he shrugged indifferently, as if it was no big deal.


    "Ming Hao, solve it," he ordered quietly.


    "Yessir!" Ming Hao replied, giving a yful salute. Breaking off from us, he headed back to where the rest of my ss was standing, still shrouded in confusion. I didn''t know how he nned to dissolve my mana, but...perhaps a Magic Artifact or something would do the job?


    ...In any case, really? Is this Tang Jia Yi that confident he can kill me alone?

 Chapter 30 - ...Security Cameras?

    "So...what did you need me for?" I asked, still having my guard up. We were in the Student Council Room, in the Administrative Campus of the school. It was where teachers held meetings, and also where the principal''s office was located.


    "Yes...I am truly sorry for asking youe here without any prior notice or exnation," Tang Jia Yi replied, bowing his head slightly. This was a man that even teachers had to show respect to...don''t you think it''s a bit much for you to bow your head to me...? After a slight pause, the tall 6th Year student continued. "You see...it was in fact the principal of the school that wanted to speak with you. He had asked us directly to bring you to the principal''s office."


    The principal...? That makes sense. The only figure in the school that had even more authority than the student council. In contrast, however, he shows his face publicly a lot, and is well-known among the students. Though it is also true that he tends to stay in his office inside the top floor of the Administrative Campus...


    Never mind. What''s more important is why he had asked to see me, and through the secretive student council no less. The principal could easily have just informed one of the teachers. This really was starting to look more and more like an assassination plot...


    "Do you know why he wishes to see me?" I inquired further.


    "...Unfortunately, no," he replied. "...But I do have some guesses."


    "Oh? Let''s hear them."


    "Well. For one, your sudden awakening is something that deserves to be investigated, and the spectacr performance you showed at your duel with student Feng Mian was nothing short of a miracle either."


    I nodded my head as if agreeing to his inferences. Deep inside, however, I felt that the things he suggested weren''t the crucial point. A sudden awakening was rare, but not never heard of. And the fact that I used three elements at the duel was more than enough to make me be considered a talent, but that was all it was limited to.


    It certainly wasn''t enough for the principal to meet me in person, much less in such a private way. But seeing as how I was already here, there''s no going back now.


    "Well...let''s not keep him waiting."


    "Haha, I like how you think. Follow me."


    *****


    The Administrative Campus was a short buildingpared to the main campus where we studied, and also far smaller than the dorms. It had two floors - the first floor upied the teacher''s work rooms as well as the student council room. The second housed arge meeting room for staff, and the principal''s office.


    After our short conversation, Tang Jia Yi led me to an enormous door upstairs, not any less grand than the Magic Training Room''s. It had golden etchings that stood out on the pale white surface, and it looked more like the meeting room than the principal''s office, to be honest.


    "I thought you said we were meeting him in the principal''s office, not a damn royal suite."


    Tang Jia Yi gave a slightugh. "This IS the principal''s office."


    "..."


    "Haha, it''s okay. Our principal is...quite an extravagant person. But don''t tell him I said that, alright?"


    "Don''t tell me what?" a booming voice interrupted, as the white door opened from the inside, apanied by a loud noise.


    "Ah...Principal Song. I''ve brought Xuan Kai here, just as you''ve asked." Tang Jia Yi didn''t seem fazed at all, as if he was used to these meetings. After a slight bow, he motioned for me to go inside. A tall, old man with a beard and wearing sses sat in a white chair at the end of the room. Song Qian Long - Shenzhen Magic High School, principal. Late Golden Monarch stage, pretty much unrivaled in Shenzhen.


    "Very well. Good job, as always," he dismissed him bluntly. "You may leave now."


    After a slight bow, Tang Jia Yi retreated and left us alone in the massive room.


    "So...Xuan Kai, was it?" the principal began, eyes scanning over some documents piled on his marble desk.


    "At least memorize the name of who you''re talking to..." I muttered in reply. I wasn''t very fond of this man - my parents had begged him years ago to let me in the school for protection. Thus, I felt no need to show him any respect...though it didn''t seem to bother him at all.


    "Oho! You''re right, you''re right indeed..." he bellowed inughter that didn''t suit his age, and I cocked my eyebrow in confusion. Seeing my expression, he exined. "It''s been a while since someone had the guts to talk to me like that...it was nice for a change."


    "Masochist..."


    "Ahahaha!" the manughed even louder. "I like you. Though I''m not a masochist."


    "The fact that you liked that just further proved my point."


    He seemed to freeze in realization, and after a while beganughing awkwardly once more. "Ah...you''re right, but I''m still not a masochist."


    I didn''te here to argue with him about whether or not he''s a masochist, so I quickly steered the conversation back on track. "Anyway...what do you want with me?"


    Song Qian Long didn''t respond. He stroked his beard, and after an ufortably long silence, picked up a device that looked suspiciously like a TV controller.


    I narrowed my eyes. "What, we going to watch TV or something?"


    "Hahaha! Though I would love to take some time to enjoy a show with you sometime, that''s something for another day."


    "No thank you."


    "Ahaha.....in any case - please take a look up here." He ced his hands on the edge of the table and pushed his chair out of the way, allowing me to see what was behind it.


    It was a giant screen that covered the entire back wall - and it was then that I noticed an overhead projector, hanging from the lofty ceiling. It was positioned at a 45-degree angle, lens aiming directly at the center of the screen. A projection system -monly used to disy some sort of data to an audience.


    Then, Song Qian Long pressed something on the remote he was holding, and the screen immediately flickered on. And what was shown in it was...


    "This is you in the video, correct? Along with students Feng Mian and Qing Yue."


    "..." I made no response.


    What he had projected on the screen, was me testing out my aptitude for the elements in the Magic Training Room. That day, I had blocked Li Yi Fei''s attack on Feng Mian, and used that as a catalyst to awaken my powers. Not long after that, however, something happened and I fell unconscious...though to this day, I still can''t remember what had caused me to ck out.


    It was Feng Mian that informed Qing Yue of the incident and brought me to the school infirmary, since it was closer than the hospital. Qing Yue had then been the one to heal me with her extraordinary Blessing Element Magic. Once I had woken up, we decided to test out what elements I could use, and as for the results...


    "Before you ask, yes - I have the full footage," the principal said in a serious tone.


    "...How?" I asked, genuinely curious how he got his hands on this information.


    "Security cameras, of course!"


    "Huh?"


    "Securit-"


    "Yeah, I heard you the first time," I hurriedly stopped him from repeating himself. "I was just shocked I hadn''t thought of that..."


    I truly hadn''t expected security cameras. They were considered cheap items in this world of magic - the rich people use special magic arrays for monitoring locations - it was more urate, efficient, and useful overall.


    As if reading my thoughts (or perhaps he really is, I don''t know if he has the Psychic Element or not), he chuckled. "You think I would use some sort of monitoring magic array on a school of this size? Hah! Just imagine the amount of money and mana that would cost!"


    "Tch. You''re quite stingy with money for a man as wealthy as yourself."


    He owned the school. There wasn''t a council or anything that controlled him. This man, Song Qian Long, built Shenzhen Magic High School from the root foundations to what it is today with no outside help whatsoever. Doing that sure cost a lot, but the profit it would bring? Not to mention all the fame and reputation that came with building a school of such a caliber - money is just an infinite toy for someone like that.


    But he refuted me quite quickly, and seemed almost offended. "Hm...if you had tons and tons of something, would you just waste it for fun?"


    "Depends on the object in question."


    "I suppose you are right. But money is one of the cases where just because you have a lot, doesn''t mean you can just waste it all on something that you don''t even need. You never know when an enormous debt may be dropped on you, after all."


    That was true. The dueling system established by the IMF applied for regr, non-student mages as well. While high-ss members of society tended to duel without putting anything on the line, there were still times where something just had to be decided through a matter of force. And if such a thing needed to be done - well, most people figured why not include in the conditions, say...10 million RMB? As stated, money is a mere toy to the truly wealthy ones.


    Still...security cameras, huh?


    I sighed. "So...you know that I can use all 21 Elements?"


    "Indeed. Which is why you are here today."


    I tightened. "You''re nning to assassinate me for fear of my power?"


    "What?" he stared at me in bewilderment. "AHAHAHA! God no! Why the hell would I do that?"


    Huh...? "So you didn''t call me here to kill me?"


    "Bahaha! If I wanted to kill you, I would''ve done so a long time ago, and there wouldn''t even be a need to meet you myself."


    That was true. He had many methods at his disposal, and most of them are more discrete than getting me alone in a room with him. In the slim chance that I escape, things would certainly be traced back to him, and that wouldn''t be good for his reputation or the school''s.


    "So then what''s your purpose here?" I prompted. If it wasn''t to kill me, what was his motive for inviting me here...?


    The principal settled down once more, and a serious glint took his eyes. "The truth is, I invited you here today to tell you to be sure not to let anyone know that you can use all 21 Elements."


    "Hmph. That''s a given. I''m the type of person that dislikes attention, having received the unwanted kind all my life."


    "Ah...I suppose that is true." Then, seeming to realize something, his eyes widened and opened his mouth. "One more thing...about your parents-"


    "Stop." I interrupted him without any hesitation. "You don''t deserve to talk about my parents."


    "...You''re right. I''m...sorry."


    The old man seated in front of me looked honestly sorry, and his face was creased with genuine sorrow. My heart softened a little, but quickly put up my guard once more. It didn''t matter if they felt remorse now. What''s done is done.


    "Is that all you have to tell me?" I wanted to get out of this ce as soon as possible.


    "...Yes. Feel free to leave...not that I could stop you anyway."


    "Hmph."


    I turned around and strode calmly out the room, without so much as a backwards nce. Song Qian Long...


    ...I''ll spare you for now.

 Chapter 31 - Amethyst

    <em>"Pain makes you stronger. Fear makes you braver. And tragedy...makes you wiser."</em>


    *****1


    After the unwanted conversation with the principal, I headed back to the Magic Training Room to meet up with the rest of the ss. When I had arrived, everything was back to normal and the students of ss 2-D were all focused on their own training. It seemed that this boy named Ming Hao had indeed resolved my mana, just like he said he would...


    While I was curious how he did it, I didn''t see him anywhere. I decided to save the question for another day...I had a feeling we would meet again. Feng Mian and Qing Yue immediately noticed my presence and hurried over to me.


    "X-Xuan Kai! You''re finally back. A-Are you okay? Did they hurt you anywhere?" Feng Mian asked with a worried expression on her face.


    "Aha...don''t worry. I''m fine."


    Then, as if realizing something, she widened her eyes and began blushing furiously. "N-No one was worried about you!"


    "I was!" Qing Yue jumped in with a bright smile.


    "Right...thank you, Qing Yue," I said as I patted her head, and she hugged me back happily.


    Feng Mian looked slightly annoyed, so I stopped after a while. I began, "A-Ahem...anyway. There''s something I have to tell you two."


    Their ears both perked up. "What is it?" they said at the same time.


    I scanned our surroundings. "...Let''s go somewhere more private, shall we?"


    --------------------------------


    In a remote section of the hallway, three figures stood - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I. Even after carefully checking that no one was in the vicinity, I put up a sound barrier just in case.


    "So? What did you have to tell us?" Feng Mian asked with an arched eyebrow.


    I sighed. "The principal...he knows about my true strength."


    Their eyes both widened and were frozen in shock. "Y-You met the principal?!" Feng Mian cried in surprise.


    "I think you''re missing the point here..."


    "B-But...how?" Qing Yue muttered quietly.


    "You probably won''t expect this..." I stopped for a dramatic effect. "...But it was security cameras."


    "Security Cameras?" Feng Mian had the same expression as me when I first heard it.


    "Indeed. He had used security cameras to monitor every single location in the school, the Magic Training Room included."


    "Who would''ve thought..."


    "Yeah. But - it doesn''t seem like he''s against us. In fact, the reason he called me there today is to personally remind me not to tell anyone I can use all 21 Elements." After a while, I hurriedly added, "You two are an exception, of course."


    They both nodded as if satisfied, and I let out a sigh of relief. We went back into the Magic Training Room, and I, as usual, hid my strength.


    --------------------------------


    - The Next Day -


    It was just like any other day. The warm morning breezes drifted into my room as I struggled to wake up. After getting out of my bed (albeit extremely reluctantly), I once again skipped breakfast (because I didn''t have any) and began my walk to school.


    I met up with Qing Yue and Feng Mian on the way, and we engaged in idle chatter on our way to the ssroom. However - what happened next was what no one expected.


    In my usual desk, was seated an elegant girl with dark purple hair and simrly colored eyes. She was someone I''ve never seen before. She looked our age, and Mr. Wang had yet to arrive, so I assumed she was another transfer student. I decided to investigate.


    "...Hey. Do you have business with me?" I approached her and asked. "This is my seat."


    She didn''t so much as nce up, and just gave a slight ''hmph.''


    Hey now...that attitude reminds me of someone, but it would be rude to say so. But seriously? Another cool beauty...one was enough, if you ask me. They were hard-to-get and that caused many boys to just want them even more, but we already have Yu An Xue. In fact, now that I really look closely, the two of them are not only simr in personality but also in appearance. They were almost like...sisters.


    But of course - that is impossible. I''ve never heard about an heir to one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen that looked like her. Out of the four families - Xuan, Li, Yu, Qing - the Li family was the strongest, followed by the Xuan family. The Yu family was only a fraction weaker than the Xuan family, and the two swapped cements frequently, cing the Qing family inst.


    Therefore, there''s no way people wouldn''t know about an heir to the Yu family. So I quickly perished the thought about Yu An Xue and this girl being sisters and looked around for another desk to sit at. No point arguing with someone like her.


    However - then the near identical counterpart of her walked in the room - Yu An Xue. But upon seeing the girl with purple hair sitting in the corner of the room (my old desk), her eyes widened and she froze in her tracks. In contrast, the purple-haired girl showed no reaction whatsoever, though I''m sure she''s noticed Yu An Xue''s presence. The other students all gawked at the scene, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. It seems I wasn''t the only one that noticed their simrities.


    "N-No way..." Yu An Xue covered her mouth and stuttered, which was something she had never done before. Then, she bolted out the door she came in from just moments ago, and I furrowed my brows and decided to follow her.


    There was definitely something wrong here. Yu An Xue has helped me out many times before, and had been the only one to risk making an enemy of the whole ss - no, school - by defending me from the insults, before Qing Yue came. I was a person who kept my benefactors and enemies clear, and will pay back hundredfold those who have formed a rtionship with me, be it in a good way or bad way.


    So seeing Yu An Xue act so abnormally, I couldn''t just sit around doing nothing. Actually...I couldn''t exactly sit down anyway since that mysterious girl had taken my spot, but that''s besides the point. I dashed out the door after her, ignoring Feng Mian and Qing Yue''s protests.


    -----------------------------------


    - 5 minutester, school rooftop -


    I pushed open the door that led to the top of the school. And there, I saw a beautiful girl with long pink hair and brilliant pink eyes to go with it. She was Yu An Xue, one of the top beauties of Shenzhen, and the same girl that had helped me out many times before. She didn''t do much and the insults kepting, but...the little things, they add up.


    "You...why are you here?" Yu An Xue asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "Hah...you are certainly a fast runner..." I panted, dodging the question since I didn''t know how to answer. She was really fast at running. That wouldn''t have been a problem if I used some Potentia magic, but I still couldn''t control the speed very well and needless to say, many problems could arise if I were seen.


    "Answer the question."


    "I''m under...no obligation to...now am I?" I asked rhetorically. Unfortunately, I didn''t know how to use Level Two Blessing Magic, the Restitutio spell family in particr, so I couldn''t restore my own energy and hence couldn''t help panting.


    She stared at me for a while more, then gave a decisive "hmph" and twisted her head away. Yeah...the two of them definitely had some sort of connection.


    She wasn''t really the type to engage in conversation, so I got right to the point.


    "That girl...does she have some sort of connection with you?"


    "...I don''t know what you''re talking about," she replied. But she had flinched ever so slightly when I asked that question. Normally no one would be able to tell, but I noticed. I decided to keep prying, even though this may bring her to hate me.


    "Are you two...sisters, perhaps?"


    She widened her eyes, and nced at me, as if surprised I had deduced this. "What...n-no. She''s not. S-She can''t be..."


    I sighed. It seems I was right on the mark. I had already seen resemnces between the two of them from the moment I saw the purple-haired girl, but I hadn''t thought that it would actually be the case.


    "There''s no point in lying to me anymore - not to me, not to yourself. But if you are willing...I''m here to talk to."


    Her eyes met mine. They were filled with tears, and not a single soul would recognize the frail girl before me as the renowned icy beauty of Shenzhen. And then and there, she copsed on the floor, crying and weeping like a girl who had just lost her family. I didn''t know what happened between the two of them, but...it definitely wasn''t something small.


    Not sure exactly what to do, I sat down awkwardly beside her and just watched her cry, pouring out all of her sorrow. >.>

 Chapter 32 - A Forgotten Tale

    "Are you feeling better now?" I asked after Yu An Xue had finished crying.


    We were on the roof of the main campus of Shenzhen Magic High School, the same one where Feng Mian and I had been days ago. This girl before me had dashed out the door after seeing a particr person of unknown identity. The person was strikingly simr to herself, the only difference being the color of their hair and eyes - one had purple, one had pink. I had followed after her...in worry? I guess you could say that.


    She wiped away the remaining tear in her right eye and nodded. Even after seeing her break down in front of me, I still couldn''t believe she was the same cold beauty the boys of Shenzhen worshipped and longed for, Yu An Xue.


    "...I see," I looked away from her and pondered what I should say next. But before I could, she took the initiative - which was something rare for her to do in a conversation.


    "You...you said you would listen?" she asked timidly, just on the verge of weeping in tears once more.


    "Yes." I replied without any hesitation. If there''s one thing I can do, it''s keeping my promises. That held true even back when I didn''t have power. Especially if it''s a promise made to someone who had helped me before.


    "...Okay. Then listen closely...I''m only going to tell this story once."


    *****


    Once upon a time, there were two sisters. Two inseparable, twin-like siblings. Most people, even their own parents, just considered them twins - they were born with only a week''s difference of time, after all.


    These two sisters soon grew up to be beauties, at the young age of 6. One had vivid pink hair and simrly colored eyes, the other brilliantly colored violet hair and deep purple eyes to go with it. The two had simr personalities as well - cold and distant to everyone, even their own family.


    The only exception to their attitude was with each other. It was only with each other that they could open their hearts, spill their secrets, and show their true emotions. Truly, they were just like twins.


    The girls lived happily this way. They only relied on each other, be it for learning, training, or ying. It was as if the two shared the same life, the same fate. But even so, no matter how much they tried, it was as clear as day that they were two separate girls, two disparate lives, and-


    -Two very, very different destinies.


    It happened on a ruthless, stormy night. A certain man invaded the Yu family mansion with an army of assassins, and demanded a child, preferably female. He also required this child to be one of the direct descendants of the Yu family, meaning one of the children that might one day seed the family. His motives were unknown, but either way the Yu family wasn''t about to let this intruder just take away one of their heirs. They took the two sisters and kept them safe in a deeper part of the mansion, where they soon drifted off to sleep, unaware of the battlefield outside that was once their loving home.


    A bloody battle ensued. The Yu family fought hard, but unfortunately, their patriarch was not present at the time. The elders have already sent him a message, and he is hurrying back as soon as he could. But it was toote. The guards and elders left behind had no way to fight back against hundreds of trained assassins, all Advanced Mage level...much less the man leading them, who had the aura of a Golden Monarch.


    As the Yu family forces were depleting more and more, the elders held an emergency meeting. In order to save the family, one of the only two heirs of the Yu family would have to be given up. In the end, they ced the fate of the sisters all on one coin flip. They really...just couldn''t decide which one to abandon. The two were so simr, even in their studies and magic power. Their talent was unrivaled.


    It was decided that if the coin came up heads, the elder sister with purple hair would be given away. If the coin came up tails, the little sister with pink hair would be given away...


    ...And the coin - came up tails.


    The elders sent a servant to check on the two girls. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for the elders), the two were both soundly asleep in the hidden underground basement the elders had ced them in. The servant took advantage of this opportunity and picked up the one with pink hair...


    But what they didn''t know, was that earlier that day, the two sisters had dyed each other''s hair a different color for fun. They were nning to wash it out the day after. The one with pink eyes now had purple hair, and the one with purple eyes now had pink. The servant had no way to check on their eyes since they were closed...


    And so, the next morning, the girl with pink eyes woke up confused. Beside her where her beloved sister should''ve been, was now cold, empty space. She immediately got out of the bunker she had been ced in without being told the reason and began searching everywhere for her sister.


    But...she couldn''t find her anywhere. Even their secret spots...not a single trace of her elder sister could be found. Torn and dejected, she murmured quietly in tears. "Hey...if this is a joke...it''s not funny..."


    But no response came. It wasn''t a joke. It was harsh reality.


    But she didn''t want to ept that. The girl barged into the elders'' room, and demanded to see her sister. The elders, considering her age, yed dumb and all shook their heads in a ''nothing-I-can-do'' gesture.


    After spending the entire day searching everywhere for her sister, she came face-to-face with the facts.


    Her beloved sister, with whom she had spent all these years with, was GONE. Dead or alive, she had vanished without saying anything to her precious little sister beforehand. At that moment, the now lonely pink-eyed girl didn''t know what to feel. Sorrow? Anger? Perhaps even...hatred?


    No. From that day on, the girl was devoid of all emotions. She grew even more distant and cold to everyone else than before, having lost her onlypanion. She tried her best to forget about the person once known as her sister - and she had almost seeded...


    ...Until the day she met her again, in the most unexpected way possible.


    *****


    "That''s...all." Yu An Xue sniffed and wiped away a tear from her eye.


    It seems she had begun crying once again somewhere while telling the story, but I was too engrossed to even notice. Perhaps that is not the right word to use in regards to someone''s tragic past...but the truth was, I really was surprised - fascinated at how simr the two of us truly were. Maybe...that was why she defended me? Did she see a small fraction of herself in me? There''s a high chance I would never know the answer.


    She then continued. "It wasn''t until yearster that I found out about the truth. The elders must''ve felt guilty hiding it from me all these years...and when I heard it, I just thought it should''ve been me, you know...it should''ve been me who was taken away...why did we choose to dye our hairs on that day...And just thinking about that makes my heart convulse in pain."


    "After hearing that...I''m not sure what I should say," I replied - which was the truth. "So...the girl with purple hair that was sitting at my desk earlier...that was really your sister, huh?"


    She nodded her head as if acknowledging that fact. "There''s no way I would mistake her..." she lifted her head and nced far away at the distant sky covered in clouds, as if searching for something.


    I continued. "By any chance...do you remember what day your sister was taken from you?"


    "Huh? What does that have to do with anything...?" she asked, puzzled.


    "Er...it''s just, the way you described that night...it fit the night when my parents were killed as well."


    Her beautiful pink eyes widened. "Let''s see...I think it was October 31st, 2014, 8 years ago."


    "October 31st, huh... "


    "Something wrong?"


    I quickly snapped out of my trance and shook my head. "Er...no. It''s nothing. Just...my parents were also targeted by a group of assassins, on October 31st too. Though it was justst year."


    "...I don''t believe this is a coincidence," she replied, narrowing her eyes. It seems she had calmed down and went back to being the cool beauty everyone knew.


    "Indeed. I believe some sort of organization ismitting evils every year, on October 31st."


    "Wait. That''s too far of a conclusion to jump to. We still don''t have any evidence, and I may be wrong about the date."


    "This year''s October 31st was also a rainy night, if I remember correctly, though I didn''t hear about any incidents, per se. Plus...I don''t believe you''ll be able to forget the day your family was taken away from you..." I said quietly and took a deep breath, but Yu An Xue still heard it. "Besides, I trust you." I looked up and smiled to the best of my abilities.


    She blushed faintly and avoided eye contact. "Y-You shouldn''t easily trust someone like that..."


    I shrugged. "So...what''s your n?" Without saying too much, she knew what I was referring to.


    "I...I''ll try talking to her," she replied, a hint of determination in her voice.


    Come to think of it, I did overhear my parents talk about some girl going missing several years ago. I wonder...it''s a possibility. But that wasn''t going to help much, to be honest. And besides-


    "Let''s head back to ss then," Yu An Xue stood up from the ground, brushing some dust off her skirt elegantly.


    But wait. ss?


    ...


    "Er...what''s the time right now?" I asked a question that I knew the answer to, despair painted over my face.


    She nced down at the watch on her left wrist, and reported the time back to me. "9:45 AM."


    ...


    "Shit! ss is almost over already...damn it..." I shot up and punched the steel door leading to the staircase.


    Then, I heard a cute and softugh from beside me. "Huh?" I quickly turned around, surprised.


    "W-What?" Yu An Xue stared back at me.


    "W-Wait. Did you just..ugh?"


    "Um...yes?" she tilted her head, confused.


    "What the hell?! You canugh?!"


    She finally realize what I meant, and began shouting loudly. "H-Hey! I''m not a robot, you know! Actually, even robots canugh if you program them to!"


    "What the hell?! You can actually shout too?! What kind of spell was cast on you?!" I shouted right back.


    And just like that, the two of us began having fun together, and unknowingly became friends -panions. Seeing her giggle and genuinely having fun like this, I was relieved. Perhaps...she had finally...after 8 years of loneliness...found another person she could trust? I didn''t know if I could live up to her expectations, but...I will certainly try my best.


    As an aside, by the time we remembered about ss, it was already lunch time. And so, we had to stay after school together to make up for our missing lessons, but that''s a story for another day.

 Chapter 33 - Personality Crisis

    After Yu An Xue and I had finished our make-up lessons, we each headed our separate ways. She had made me promise with a slight blush not to breathe a word of what happened on the rooftop to anyone else, and that it would be our little secret. Iplied, lest she killed me on the spot. Though after some convincing, she allowed me to tell Feng Mian and Qing Yue of the events, since I had deemed them trustworthy and we may need their help in the near future.


    That''s what I told her, anyway. The truth was, if the two of them ever found out I had been lying to them, then...well, I would be screwed.


    When I reached the dorms, I found Feng Mian and Qing Yue waiting there for me, and I already knew what was going to happen...


    Iughed nervously. "Er...hey there."


    "You already know why we are here, yes?" Feng Mian asked, arms folded over her generous chest.


    "Ahaha...ah...yes." I replied, still trying to ease the atmosphere byughing awkwardly. The two of them had already told me the moment they saw me after lunch that we would be having a ''talk'' after school ended.


    Even Qing Yue was squinting at me with her cheeks puffed out, and...wait. Is that supposed to look intimidating? Sorry to break it to you, but...I just find it cute. I invited them inside to my dorm and checked the time. 7:00 PM...goddamn. Those make-up lessons took way longer than expected, and well...Yu An Xue and I were both sneaking nces at each other during the lessons and stillughing discretely over what happened on the rooftop.


    The two girls plopped themselves down on my couch like it was their own home, and began the inquisition.


    "So...this morning, why did you run out like that?" Feng Mian began, leaving me no time to even prepare a good lie.


    "B-By the way..." I avoided the question. "Whatever happened to the girl with purple hair anyway? Did she leave, or...?"


    "She left the ssroom as soon as you did," Feng Mian answered quickly. I sighed in relief as I seeded in changing the subject-


    "Now, answer the question."


    After a little debating inside my head, I decided to tell them the truth...


    - A Few Minutes Later -


    "I see...so that girl is Yu An Xue''s sister? She did look familiar when I saw her, even though I was sure I''ve never seen her before." Feng Mian said as she took a sip of tea (that I was ordered to make) - Qing Yue brought some tea leaves.


    "Riiiight? They are both really beautiful!!" Qing Yue remarked.


    I nodded. "Their personalities are quite simr too, but...I don''t know. The girl from this morning...she seemed a bit...indifferent? I get that she''s a cool beauty and all, but it seemed almost...fake."


    "Mm? You must''ve been paying an awful lot of attention to her to notice such details..." Feng Mian quirked an eyebrow and stared at me threateningly. For some reason, this was more menacing than just her screaming and impairing my hearing. I didn''t know why she was so mad, but I still quickly denied her statement.


    "No, not at all. Besides, it would be hard for me NOT to pay attention to her when she''s sitting in my seat."


    "...Whatever. By the way, do you know her name? You''ve just been referring to her as ''the girl with purple hair''."


    "Ah..e to think of it, I don''t." I would need to ask Yu An Xue the next time I saw her.


    "Hm...I''m more concerned about what happened on the rooftop," Qing Yue interrupted poutingly.


    "W-What?" I stammered.


    Reason being, I had left out the fact that we began just ying around after a while. Yu An Xue had strictly prohibited me from telling anyone about that part. I have to admit, it would be pretty embarrassing if word got out that the famous cool beauty of Shenzhen was seen smiling and dancing around on the roof of a building with a boy, and misunderstandings would be unavoidable.


    "Hm...so her telling you a story took a couple of hours...?" Qing Yue continued, eyes inspecting me like a true detective.


    "Y-Yeah. It was...a long story."


    She stared at me for a while more, then eventually gave up. I''m pretty sure this wasn''t over though. Feng Mian seemed to have caught on to something as well, as she was simrly watching me with a skeptical expression, and I winced. Funny how I''m great at acting in front of enemies, but useless at lying to girls...


    No. It''s just that they are too sharp for their own good. Let''s leave it at that, as to not hurt my self-esteem.


    "Anyway. Are you nning to help her? Yu An Xue, I mean." Feng Mian asked as she stood up, getting ready to leave. It was 7:30 now, and none of us had ate dinner yet.


    "...If she asks for it," I replied briskly. I didn''t want to meddle in her family affairs too much, but if she asked for assistance, I would certainly lend a hand. That was something..panions - friends - do, after all.


    Feng Mian nodded. "If you''re going to help, don''t forget to let us know, okay?" she asked, giving me a flick on the forehead.


    "Ow...what was that for?" I muttered. But theypletely ignored my protests.


    "I won''t forgive you if you go act on your own again!" Qing Yue yelled, lightly punching my chest. It was a pretty cute gesture considering how short she was, but I still pretended to be hurt just for fun.


    "Right...hey, can you stop hitting me now?"


    After that, the three of us headed off to get dinner at a local restaurant (definitely not the one we made a scene at), and prepared for the next day.


    --------------------------


    - The Next Morning -


    "Onii-chan...!"


    What. The. Hell?


    No, it wasn''t Qing Yue. The room was empty apart from me, except for one lone girl in the corner. It was one of those days where I woke up early, so not many people were around. I had just arrived in the ssroom of ss 2-D, and what greeted me was the same girl with purple hair and purple eyes from yesterday once more sitting in my desk. However, this time, as soon as she saw me, she leapt from the chair and hugged me tightly, almost identical to Qing Yue, except for the height and these two squishy things pushing against my chest tightly.


    I was taken by surprise at first, but then immediately realized what was going on and tried to push her away. "Hey...let go of me-"


    "Onii-chan, d-do you not like me anymore?" Tear-filled purple eyes stared up at me, on the verge of crying.


    In a panic, I quickly yelled, "N-No! I d-didn''t mean it like that!" The girl, seemingly satisfied, rubbed her head against my chest lovingly and embraced me even tighter.


    "Oho...so you do like her then?" a third voice interrupted my conversation with my newfound little sister. It was...


    ...My albeit not blood-rted, real sister.


    "Q-Q-Qing Yue?!" I quickly turned my head around since I couldn''t maneuver my body very well with the girl with purple hairtched onto me like this. And there she was, eyes ring daggers at me. I sensed...killing intent. I didn''t know who it was directed at, but either way that''s not a good sign. At all.


    "E-Er...ah...listen to me exin!" I hurriedly yelled. Luckily no one else had arrived in the room yet, so it was just the three of us. I couldn''t help but wonder when Yu An Xue''s sister got here, considering I was fully expecting to be the first one to arrive.


    "Hehe...I''m listening." Qing Yue smiled like a little devil. All she was missing was the wings, tail, horns, and perhaps a kitchen knife. I took a deep breath and first gently pushed the girl with purple hair away (Yu An Xue''s sister) and ced a finger on my mouth to signal her to be quiet.


    She nodded twice like a good little sister and just sat there quietly, staring at me. I turned back around to face Qing Yue, and exined the circumstances.


    - A Couple Minutes Later -


    "So...she jumped on you as soon as you entered the room?" Qing Yue asked, having calmed down a bit now that I exined everything properly to her.


    "Y-Yeah. I was taken by surprise as well."


    "I see. Then it isn''t your fault, I suppose..." she muttered. The truth was, Yu An Xue''s sister''s scent was amazing, and her warm body was nothing toin about either. But there was no way I''m telling Qing Yue that. However-


    "But even so! This is unforgivable!" she dered suddenly.


    "Q-Qing Yue?" I stared at her in confusion.


    "O-Only I can be Big Brother Xuan Kai''s little sister! You can''t just take that spot!" she continued, pointing at the girl with purple hair, still seated behind me. "A-And what the heck is ''Onii-chan'' anyway?! This isn''t some incest anime!"


    "H-Hey! Where did you learn that word!" I shouted, catching on to her use of...obscene vocabry.


    "T-That''s not the point!" she yelled back, and cleared her throat. "A-Anyway. Big Brother Xuan Kai is mine, and you can''t steal him from me!!"


    She then moved in for a punch, and I hurriedly stopped her. "Okay, okay...that''s enough, all right?"


    "Y-You''re still protecting her?!"


    I quickly pulled Qing Yue into an embrace and patted her head, soothing her. "Hey now...you know that your big brother won''t take anyone but you as his little sister. That spot will always be yours, okay?"


    After several moments of silence, Qing Yue gave in and hugged me back tightly. She began rubbing her face on my chest, possibly to hide her tears. I sighed. She really was the best, cutest, most beautiful little sister I could ask for.


    The purple-haired girl, still staring at me from behind in curiosity, just watched on as Qing Yue and I disyed the closeness between us through a tight embrace.

 Chapter 34 - Experimentation

    After a while, Qing Yue let go of me and I turned back around to face the girl with purple hair, still staring curiously at me. This made little sense. Yesterday, she was all cold and distant like Yu An Xue, but today she''s calling me her big brother intimately? As I struggled to deduce the reason for this to happen, Yu An Xue walked in the room.


    I looked to her and signaled for her to try to talk to her sister. She noticed my gaze and gave a slight nod back. Qing Yue nced between the two of us suspiciously and I made a mental note to myself to make it up to herter. I then moved out of the way, dragging Qing Yue along with me, and motioned for Yu An Xue toe over, which she did. But the seated girl didn''t even notice, just continued following me with her eyes. She remained quiet, however, perhaps thanks to my ''shhh'' gesture from earlier. Truly...an obedient little sister.


    Qing Yue also stayed silent, reading the mood. She was a clever girl, so I had no doubt she had already figured out what was going on. We watched on as Yu An Xue walked towards the purple-haired girl, who still didn''t even realize she was there. Or perhaps she did, just didn''t care - in which case that would make things a lot more difficult.


    "Um...hello there," Yu An Xue began, trying to get her attention.


    The girl didn''t respond, just continued staring in my direction.


    "Ah...c-can you hear me?" Yu An Xue tried once more.


    Again, the girl remained silent, as if oblivious to Yu An Xue''s entire existence. I decided to do something to help.


    I walked closer and bent down a bit. "Er...do you recognize the girl standing beside you?"


    Hearing my words, she finally showed a reaction. Tilting her head, she gave a slight shrug with a puzzled expression on her face. I sighed. Turning to Yu An Xue, I shook my head. "It seems that she doesn''t remember who you are."


    "I-I see..." she murmured in reply. She tried to hide it, but I knew that deep down, she was hurting. Agonized over the sister she had lost for so many years to reappear before her again, only to not recognize her anymore. "But why does she respond to you?" she questioned, having realized something.


    "To be honest...I''m not sure either. Yesterday she was acting cold and indifferent just like- actually, nevermind. But today, as soon as I entered the ssroom, she sprang up and suddenly hugged me while saying ''Onii-chan''." I was about to say ''just like you'', but decided against it in the end.


    "That''s...weird." Yu An Xue sat down in her chair across from me dejectedly, and sighed. Then, after a while, she looked at me and spoke. "Could she...maybe have multiple personalities?"


    I nodded twice. "That is certainly a possibility. I guess we''ll have to run some...experiments to find out."


    "You''re correct. So how will we be doing that, exactly?"


    "I suppose we must wait until tomorrow, and see if her personality reverts - or perhaps even change to a new one altogether."


    "Hm...I see."


    "Oh oh! I''ll help too!" Qing Yue joined in. "Just as long as she doesn''t ever call you ''onii-chan'' again," she said with a wink.


    I looked to Yu An Xue for consent, and she nodded in return. I then gave a smile to Qing Yue and said, "Thank you, Qing Yue. We''ll be needing your help."


    "Heehee, no need for formalities like that between the two of us!" Qing Yue replied happily. "Oh, and what about Feng Mian?"


    This time, it wasn''t me that responded but Yu An Xue herself. "She''ll be a great help as well. If you wouldn''t mind...could you ask her for me? I...don''t really know her. The only person that I really have a connection with, is...Xuan Kai."


    Qing Yue squinted her eyes at Yu An Xue, as if inspecting her. After finally realizing her request, she replied, "Hmm...? Well...I guess I can do that."


    "Don''t worry - Feng Mian isn''t the type to reject someone in need."


    "Thank you," she said to Qing Yue. Then, turning to me, she smiled bitterly. "I''m envious...you have someone that you can say you understand them with confidence."


    "You''ll find someone like that too...just interact with them more, and soon enough you''ll begin to understand them," I replied in aforting tone.


    "Interact with them, huh..." she echoed. "I wonder...if I''ll be able to understand you like that, someday."


    She spoke faintly, but I heard it. "You definitely will...someday."


    ------------------------------


    - The Next Day -


    It was time for school once more. As an aside, Yu An Xue''s sister clung to me for the entirety of yesterday, and attracted a lot of attention. But none of the students in my ss said anything, possibly because they were now looking at me with fear in their eyes. I could feel it.


    Was it because I destroyed the Awakening Orb? Possibly. The student council had passed it off as just an unfortunate incident where the orb had exploded due to it being used for a long time now, but the students of my ss, at the very least, didn''t believe that one bit. They tried to, but s, couldn''t deny what they saw with their own two eyes.


    Anyway, when I got to school (again, earlier than everyone else), not surprisingly, the purple haired girl was sitting at my desk once again. Yesterday she had moved after me telling her to, so I could sit down, but she had insisted on sitting on myp instead. Nothing I could do, so I reluctantlyplied, while receiving death res from Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and even Yu An Xue. Sorry, okay? I''m not harassing your sister. Really.


    This time, she didn''t immediately jump up and call me ''onii-chan'', so I sighed in relief. Time to see if her personality reverted to the cold, indifferent one, or a new one altogether. Having two personalities was rare enough, but three is almost unseen before. I walked closer to her.


    She picked up on my presence, and stood up calmly from her chair. Then, taking out something from behind her back, she offered it to me, looking away and blushing slightly. "I-I didn''t m-make this for you or a-anything!" she yelled loudly with her eyes shut tight.


    ...A tsundere? These are some...interesting personalities she has. What kind of trauma has she experienced to have three such cliche identities in her? I took the neatly wrapped gift box from her outstretched hands, and she ran away in a furious fluster.


    "Hey-" I began, but she was already out the door. I decided against chasing her since I would have to report this to Yu An Xue and the others.


    By the way, Feng Mian had epted helping Yu An Xue, just like I said she would. And after hearing what happened yesterday morning from Qing Yue (who had apparently just let it ''slip out'' while informing Feng Mian of Yu An Xue''s request, which I didn''t believe in the slightest), she started chasing me whileunching spikes of ice at me, which I absorbed conveniently and turned it into mana. This made her even more mad, but regardless, she epted. I didn''t even know why she was mad in the first ce...


    I opened the gift box and inside was a heart-shaped chocte. I grabbed it out of the box and took a bite. Mmm...delicious. Nothing like Qing Yue''s...homemade cooking. This was perfect and had just the right bnce between sweetness and bitterness, just like a dark chocte should have.


    Soon after, Yu An Xue, Feng Mian, and Qing Yue all arrived and I reported what happened this morning to them. We all agreed further experimentation was necessary.


    -------------------------------


    - The Next Day -


    Once again, I arrived early at the school. It was confirmed that Yu An Xue''s sister had at least 3 separate personalities, which was extremely rare already. If she had 4...well, that would be pretty much impossible. We would have to begin thinking of other possibilities.


    As a side note, Yu An Xue''s sister was not seen again for the rest of the day yesterday, leaving my seat my own once more.


    I entered the ssroom, and found her sitting at...yeah, my desk again. However, this time, even when I got close, she didn''t stand up. At first I thought she had finally reverted back to her first personality, the one simr to Yu An Xue''s. Though to be honest, Yu An Xue''s been getting closer to Qing Yue, Feng Mian, and I, albeit the same couldn''t be said about other students.


    But then, she looked up at me, and threw her arms around me without making a sound. I winced. This was definitely a new personality again. She looked up and puffed out her cheeks, making a cute chubby face expression. But in reality, she had no expression at all. As in, her face lookedpletely nk, showing no sign of emotion. That being said, she was still hugging me tightly around the waist (she was sitting, I was standing).


    Is this...a kuudere? I''ve read some manga from Qing Yue''s mega collection, so I knew about the basic few types of girls in them. The tsundere from yesterday, and today''s kuudere personality. Don''t tell me...tomorrow''s going to be a yandere?


    After a while, the girl let go, and still remaining expressionless, she spoke. "Good morning."


    Uh...you''re supposed to say that first, not after you hug someone for 10 minutes straight. But I didn''t tell her that. I muttered a greeting in reply, and grabbed a chair from elsewhere. I ced it in between ''my'' desk and Feng Mian''s. As a reminder, there was supposed to be a short walking space between desks, but Feng Mian had took up that walking space by cing her desk in between Qing Yue''s and mine. So today, I was going to be squeezed between Yu An Xue''s sister and Feng Mian. I sighed.


    After a little bit of waiting, the trio of girls arrived once more, and I told everything to them in full detail.


    Today, when Mr. Wang got into the room after all the other students had arrived, he immediately spotted the purple-haired girl beside me - Yu An Xue''s sister, though he didn''t know that, of course.


    "Ah! Student Amethyst!" he called out. "I heard from some students that you were here a few days ago as well, but left the room before I could get here. Come up to the front, and do a little introduction."


    Her name was...Amethyst? Hm...that was a rare name around these parts. It sounded foreign. Because of this, I knew immediately it wasn''t her real name. It didn''t begin with a ''Yu'' for one, and second, it didn''t sound like a name from here either. So then who had given her this name...? Herself, perhaps? I looked over to Yu An Xue and saw that she too, had her brows furrowed in thought.


    Remembering that Amethyst didn''t pay attention to anyone else, I prompted her to go up to the front and give an introduction about herself. She nodded and followed my instructions obediently. Then, as expressionless as ever, she began her introduction, eyes still focused on me.


    "My name is Amethyst," she said.


    ...And that was it.


    "Ah...i-is that all you want to say?" Mr. Wang asked, scratching his head.


    She didn''t give a response. I sighed and mentally smacked myself. In a desperate attempt, I discretely motioned for her using signnguage to nod and thene back to me.


    Surprisingly enough, she understood my meaning, and followed my instructions once more. Feng Mian and Qing Yue from beside me both witnessed this, and nced over at me in surprise. Hey...don''t expect me to have an answer. I''m just as confused as the rest of you are.


    Making a mental note to inform Yu An Xue of thister, I began trying to find an alternative possibility as to why Amethyst was acting like this, other than having multiple personalities.


    ...And I still have to ask Yu An Xue for Amethyst''s real name.


    I keep forgetting...

 Chapter 35 - Dangerous Possibility

    - After School, Main Campus Rooftop -


    It was the day Yu An Xue''s sister had introduced herself under the alias of Amethyst. I was currently together with Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and Yu An Xue on the school rooftop, discussing the the person in question.


    "So...you said that she understood signnguage?" Yu An Xue asked while furrowing her brows.


    "Correct. She deduced what I meant, even though I didn''t speak out loud at all," I replied. I had already reported what happened earlier today to her earlier, and we all scheduled this meeting to further deliberate the details.


    "Could it be Psychic Magic instead?" Feng Mian suggested. "I remember basic mind-reading being a Level Three Magic, but maybe she''s just exceptionally talented in it..."


    Yu An Xue immediately shook her head and dismissed the idea. "For one, my sister never had the Psychic Element to begin with. She possesses Sky and Fire aptitude, in stark contrast with my Water and Ice."


    "Eh...Fire and Sky, huh? Two of the most destructive elements..." Qing Yue remarked, nodding to herself.


    "Indeed. Furthermore, being able to use Level Three Magic - in other words, being an Advanced Mage - at this young age of 14, is unheard of."


    "Though from what I can tell, Xuan Kai''s Level One magic is already on par with a Level Three one in terms of power..." Feng Mian added with a sigh.


    "Hey...I don''t know how it works either," I interrupted, hearing my name pop up.


    "...He''s an exception." Yu An Xue shrugged off Feng Mian''s input with a brief sentence, marking me as an ''exception''. I mean...in a good way, or a bad way? I guess a month ago, it would be the bad way. But now that I had magic, and such a special type at that, I suppose it''s the good way now.


    "Okay okay! I think we''re getting off track here." Qing Yue, noticing that fact, quickly guided us back to the matter at hand. "If it isn''t Psychic Magic, it''s gotta be that she really knew signnguage then, right?"


    The rest of all us all nodded slowly. I realized something, turned to Yu An Xue, and asked, "By any chance, do you know how she learned signnguage?"


    If she had learned if after she was taken away, then obviously Yu An Xue wasn''t going to know. But if she learned it earlier...


    "Yes. The two of us had decided to learn signnguage years ago, to allow for secretmunication between the two of us," Yu An Xue replied, which made me exhale in relief.


    "That makes things easier then," I said, now more rxed than before. The others weren''t so eased, however. They all stared at me with confusion. I sighed and exined what I was thinking. "Okay...let me break it down. One, Amethyst had learned signnguage together with Yu An Xue when they were young, years ago. Two, she STILL understood it, even today. What does that mean?"


    The three of them weren''t stupid. After Iid things out bare like that, they all understood fairly quickly, though Qing Yue was the first.


    "Ah! I see! So Amethyst still has some of her memories from before she was taken!"


    I nodded. "But it also looks like she doesn''t remember who Yu An Xue is, so..."


    "...She only has fragments of her memory intact. And only the ones that involved knowing how to do things - pure skills, not any people." Feng Mian finished.


    Yu An Xue grimaced, and her elegant face was evidentially filled with pain. "So...she''s essentially turned into a machine, with no memories of anyone...she''s known in the past..."


    She seemed like she was fighting back her tears, not letting her weakness show in front of us. Now that I thought about it, I was the only one that had seen her frail, lonely side, huh? I hastened tofort her.


    "Not necessarily," I said, shaking my head. "Memories are a part of a person. They cannot be forcibly taken away, and taking away only a select part of them is even more impossible."


    My mother had taught me this before she had been assassinated. Looking back...she probably knew that day wasing, and that''s what made her say this to me beforehand - so I would forever remember her in my heart, regardless if she is alive or not.


    It was just a pathetic way tofort me...but nheless, what she said was true. She was an expert in Psychic and Curse Magic both, along her other elements, meaning she had a fairly in depth understanding of memories and how they could be manipted.


    Yu An Xue blinked away any lingering sadness, and looked at me. "What do you mean by that...?"


    "...The memories inside of her. They aren''t gone, but sealed."


    "...Sealed?"


    "Indeed. You could almost think of it as her having ''forgotten'' you, in a literal sense. But that doesn''t mean she doesn''t know who you are."


    Yu An Xue looked away and murmured quietly, "I''m still confused..."


    This was when Qing Yue jumped in. "Basically, what Big Brother Xuan Kai is saying, is that there''s still a way to make her remember you again."


    "Yep," Feng Mian joined in as well. "What''s the best way to remember something you''ve forgotten?"


    "...Be reminded of it," Yu An Xue answered, a hint of a smile on her lips. She then bowed down deeply. "Thank you, everyone. I know what I have to do now."


    Qing Yue and Feng Mian both smiled in return like true friends, and quickly stopped Yu An Xue from bowing. "We''re friends, right? No need to be so formal," Feng Mian beamed.


    "That''s right! Just tell your sister once she remembers everything again not to ever call my Big Brother Xuan Kai something weird like ''onii-chan'' again!"


    Yu An Xue smiled faintly, but it wasn''t merely a hint anymore. She had truly begun to get closer to others, the three of us in particr. Perhaps...her sister could do the same, once she was saved from this nightmare.


    I decided to add onest thing. "Be careful though - it won''t be easy. But I''ll say this again - I trust you. I believe you can do this."


    Yu An Xue blushed slightly, and avoided my gaze. "Y-Yes...thank you."


    The other two girls narrowed their eyes and stared at me, unamused, but that''s a story for another day.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Next Day -</strong>


    It was morning once more, and time for school. Just like how I''ve done for the past week, I got to school earlier than everyone else, in order to talk to Amethyst. However, today, Yu An Xue was with me, and in her hands held a bag. We stood outside the ssroom, and were just about to head in.


    "What''s in there?" I said, pointing to the luggage she was carrying.


    She sighed. "I don''t know if this is going to work or not...but I gathered all the different things I thought could make her remember all the time we spent together..."


    It was a broad exnation, but it was enough. I didn''t want to dig too deep, and besides, retelling the story of each item in there would probably take hours. We unfortunately did not have that kind of pleasure, to sit around rxing for that long. Her sister had arrived at this school suddenly, and may leave just as abruptly.


    And furthermore, I had an indescribable feeling that she didn''te of her own volition - someone had instructed her to do so. Why else would she purposefully get close to me like that? It just didn''t make any sense.


    We entered the room, and unsurprisingly, we found the beautiful purple-haired and purple-eyed girl - Amethyst - sitting once more at my old desk, which she had so conveniently ''stole''. As she noticed the two of us immediately (only me in reality - it seems that she didn''t care about other people at all) and stood up, I wondered what kind of personality she would put up today.


    The two of us walked closer to her, and she turned to face me. Suddenly, she whipped out a knife from behind her back and had it on Yu An Xue''s throat before I could even react. Yu An Xue leapt back a safe distance, but Amethyst continued charging at her at inhuman speeds. My eyes widened, and I quickly grabbed her by the back of her cor to rein her in.


    I just barely caught her, and even then she was still frantically trying to escape. I grabbed her arm and wrestled the knife out of her hands, and forced her to sit down back in her chair. Yu An Xue was panting exasperatedly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.


    Amethyst, on the other hand, continued to stare at Yu An Xue with a murderous, twisted smile painted over her face. I didn''t know if this was a good thing or not - on one hand, she had finally noticed someone apart from myself without me telling her to, but on the other, the first thing she wanted to do was kill her. Running out of options, I ced my hands on either side of her face and turned her head towards me.


    "Okay...calm down. Calm down, okay?" I whispered, sping her ears tightly.


    After a short while, the murderous gleam on her face disappeared and I let go, breathing out in relief. She then pointed at Yu An Xue, still bent over and panting, and asked, "Who...is...she?"


    It seems that the worst hase. The personality I least wanted, the ssic YANDERE. I never really understood these characters. I remember in that one manga I read that Qing Yue rmended...F*ture D*ary, was it? There was a yandere in that one, I believe. I''m not scared of much...but that, I was pretty terrified of.


    "She''s...a friend," I replied, implying ''friend and nothing more'', in order to make her rx. "Do you...want to try talking to her? And apologize for what you did earlier."


    Amethyst looked confused, but nodded regardless. I motioned for Yu An Xue toe over. Perhaps if they started as friends...?


    "Um...hello," Yu An Xue initiated the conversation nervously, and I gave a reassuring smile.


    "...Hello," Amethyst replied. She then looked at me once more for confirmation, and I nodded in return. "I''m...sorry...for just now..."


    Yu An Xue quickly stopped her. "Um, n-no worries! J-Just please don''t do that again, out of the blue..."


    Amethyst nodded twice. "I...won''t..."


    Somehow, seeing her talk like this was kind of cute, but then I remembered her killing frenzy from just a moment ago and immediately dismissed the thought. Yanderes...truly fearsome.


    "G-Great! Then that''s settled..." Yu An Xue muttered. She then fished through the bag she was carrying from earlier, and took out a...violet flower petal. "Hey...do you know what this is?"


    Amethyst squinted her eyes, and expectation arose in Yu An Xue''s and my heart, but then she shook her head, shattering our hope.


    "I-I see...that''s okay. What about this?" Yu An Xue continued, and took out a neatly packaged...candy? She held it out to Amethyst, who took it with both hands.


    "This...is...?" she frowned in confusion. Yu An Xue hurriedly urged her to just peel it open and give it a try.


    Amethyst did as she was told, and ced the candy in her mouth. It was a Nian Gao (year cake), a type of chewy and delicious treat. "It...is...good..." Amethyst murmured, mouth still full of food.


    ...But it didn''t seem like she had any reaction other than that. I decided to step in. I dragged Yu An Xue outside, away from Amethyst. "Yu An Xue...do you have anything more direct?"


    "...Direct?"


    "Yeah. The things you''ve been showing right now are too...broad, I think, to be of any use," I exined.


    "...I see...I have a picture of the two of us when we were young, do you think that could work?"


    "...It definitely has a higher chance of seeding than the things you''ve shown her so far," I replied. "And also, try...using her real name."


    "Her real name..." Yu An Xue echoed.


    "That''s right. What is it anyway? I''ve been meaning to ask you, but just keep forgetting."


    She took a deep breath. "It''s...Yu An Yan."

 Chapter 36 - Shattered Mind

    "It''s...Yu An Yan."


    Hm...that made sense. The Xue in Yu An Xue''s name meant snow, which portrayed her ice and water elements. The Yan in Yu An Yan meant fire or perhaps heat, portraying the fire element. It was certainly a clever way to name the two sisters.


    "...I see. It''s a fitting name. Try calling her it, and seeing her reaction - but only use that as ast resort, since we don''t know what aftereffects it may have, to unseal the memories she''s kept locked away for so long," I replied.


    "...You''re right." Yu An Xue nodded in agreement. "Let''s head back..."


    And with that, the two of us went back into the ssroom, and found Yu An Yan sitting exactly where we had left her. She stared at us as we opened the door, eyes devoid of emotion. Yu An Xue walked closer, and sat down in the chair once more.


    "S-Sorry about that, we just had something we needed to talk about."


    "Mm..." Yu An Yan didn''t give a clear reply, but shook her head as if it didn''t matter.


    Seeing this, the pink-haired sister of the two took out the photo she had just shown me. "Do you...know who this is?" she asked, pointing to her younger self in the picture.


    "...Is...this...you?" Yu An Yan murmured uncertainly.


    Yu An Xue quickly nodded her head, hope igniting in her heart once more. "W-What about this girl over here?" she said, moving her finger to the slightly taller girl next to her younger self, with purple hair and purple eyes. "Do you know who she is?"


    The older self of the girl in the picture concentrated on the photo ced before her with her brows furrowed, but still shook her head in the end.


    Yu An Xue, remembering my advice, quickly proceeded with the next step. "The girl in this picture...she''s my older sister," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Her name...it was Yu An Yan."


    "Yu An Yan..." the other sister echoed. Yu An Yan then stared at the picture for a while more, and widened her eyes. "That...is-!"


    Then, suddenly, she began sping her head in pain, and shut her eyes tightly. "Ngh! No! Don''t show me that...! UGH!"


    She copsed to the floor, sprawling in agony, and Yu An Xue quickly pulled her into an embrace as to not let her bump into anything dangerous. "H-Hey! Are you okay? S-Stay with me!"


    But the girl couldn''t hear her sister''s desperate cries. She continued sping her head, drowning out everything else, leaving only the pain behind.


    I winced. I had expected some side effects, but I never would''ve thought they would be this severe. With a grim look on my face, I decided on the best course of action.


    "...Take her to the school infirmary."


    "...R-Right!" Yu An Xue replied in a panic.


    She was usually so calm and collected around others...but seeing her as she was now with her sister, it made me really understand what the word panion'' meant to her, and just how important it was. Her sole true friend she could rely on, vent to, and y with - her only truepanion ever since she was born, held a tremendous weight in her heart.


    ...And the greater that weight is, the more pain it will bring when that precious person is taken away from you.


    - The School Infirmary -


    It was still pretty early in the day, and most of the other students had not arrived at school yet. Fortunately, the school nurse was already present, and had just finished cing Yu An Yan in a deep sleep and calming her mind using high level Psychic Magic. The nurse had nced at me suspiciously, probably wondering how I was together with the heir to the Yu family, but that''s another story. Yu An Yan slept peacefully within the white sheets of the infirmary now, no sign at all of the seizure she was having before.


    Seeing this scene, both Yu An Xue and I breathed out in relief. Who knows what could''ve happened if we didn''t bring her here.


    But that still left a slight problem. Seeing the picture didn''t cause her to go crazy, but hearing her real name WHILE looking at the photo did. Or perhaps just the name was enough? If that was the case, wouldn''t it be a problem if someone else who she used to spend time together with recognized her?


    ...Actually, I take that back. From what Yu An Xue''s told me, the two of them rarely ever went out in public, and even then avoided everyone to the best of their abilities. And besides, both of them look very different from years ago, when the photos were taken. Yet somehow, Yu An Xue was able to recognize her sister with one nce - something to do with blood rtions, perhaps?


    I sat together with Yu An Xue by her sister''s bedside, waiting anxiously. The two of us were thinking the same thing right now - I didn''t even have to ask:


    What personality will Yu An Yan have when she wakes up?


    Indeed. I don''t believe we''ve broken the seal by just saying her name, but we definitely triggered something in her mind somehow. Whether that leads to any conspicuous change...we''ll have to wait and see.


    Deciding to break the silence, I spoke. "By the way...did you ever tell your parents about finding her again?" I was looking at the purple-haired girlying in bed peacefully, so there was no doubt who the ''her'' I was talking about was.


    "No...they would be heartbroken to hear that I''ve found her again, but she''s in a state like this," Yu An Xue replied. This was a considerate side to her I''ve never seen before. As expected, despite the cold appearance and distant personality, she was a nice girl deep down. "I won''t be telling them anytime soon....at least, until I resolve this matter."


    "You''re determined no matter what, huh?"


    She nodded. "That''s right. Now that I''ve seen her again, I''m not letting go of this opportunity."


    "..."


    She then looked away with a slight blush. "I won''t be able to do it alone though, you know..."


    I nced over. "...I understand. I will assist you. Feng Mian and Qing Yue will too, of course."


    She smiled faintly - but for a cool beauty like her, that was enough to show just how happy she was to hear that. "Thank you...truly."


    I chuckled. "It''s just what...friends do, isn''t it?"


    She sighed, but it wasn''t one out of exasperation. It was a happy one, one that held all of her inner loneliness and spoke her true feelings. She kept up the cold act on the outside all these years. But the truth was, deep inside, she was hoping. Yearning for a friend, someone she could rely on. Someone to fill the gap in her heart her sister had left behind.


    "You''re right...friends, huh?"


    ...And now, she had finally found it.


    -------------------------------------


    - After School -


    Yu An Yan never did wake up this morning, so we headed off to ss in order to not bete. Now that sses were over, Yu An Xue and I were about to go back to the infirmary to check on her. Feng Mian and Qing Yue were tagging along for the ride as well - I had already informed them of what happened, and they dered they would be going to see her as well immediately (not taking ''no'' as an answer).


    And so, the four of us soon arrived at the infirmary. Yu An Xue held her breath as I knocked the door, clearly nervous but excited at the same time. She held hope in her heart, and waited to see if her sister had returned to normal, regaining all of her memories. But the chances of that were slim, though I didn''t want to dump a bucket of ice on her like that.


    A few secondster, the door swung open, and we were invited inside by the same nurse from this morning. Now back with 2 morepanions, the nurse raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The four of us quickly filed through the door, with me beingst.


    Inside, Yu An Yan was sitting straight on her bed, with an expressionless face. She didn''t even look up as we approached. But as we got closer, I heard her muttering something quietly.


    "No...What is this...no..."


    Then, having finally noticed us, she quickly grabbed my forearms in fear. "N-No, w-whoever you are, what are these things in my h-head...make them stop, make them stop! PLEASE!"


    The nurse was standing by at the ready, so we could tell her whenever we wanted to put Yu An Yan back to sleep. But we didn''t need that just yet...


    Her personality right now wasn''t any of the ones we''ve seen. It was one of fear, of sheer terror. A frail little girl, scared of something - SOMEONE.


    "Okay...take a few deep breaths. We''re here to help," I told her in a calm tone. I then showed her what exactly I meant, and she repeated after me. "Just like that, yeah...you got it."


    After she calmed down a little, I began asking questions. "What...do you see, inside your head?"


    "I-I don''t know...I see this...man, he wears a terrifying mask, a-and he made me drink some kinda of...liquid? And also s-some training sessions, forbat and assassination."


    A man. That was most likely the one who captured her.


    "But there''s also these...shbacks...of a girl," she continued shakily. "Someone I''m really familiar with...but at the same time, I can''t remember who...Ngh!"


    She sped her head with both hands once more, and squeezed her eyes shut tight. But after a while, she let go.


    "E-Every time I try to remember...I get this horrible head pain...like something is preventing me from recalling that girl..."


    I could sense Yu An Xue behind me watching on with sadness, so I quickly continued the inquisition. "That''s okay. Leave that aside for now. First things first...do you...remember your real name?"


    "...Yes," she replied, though her voice was quivering with fear. "It''s Yu An Yan, I think...in my visions, people called me that..."


    "...I see." So she''s remembered her name, at the very least. "What about that man? Do you remember anything about him?"


    "N-No...I just know that he used some Curse Magic on me...something that made my mind break down, and obey his orders..."


    ...Yeah. It makes sense that whoever the man was, he wouldn''t let Yu An Yan know his true identity - in case something like this happens. He was almost certainly the same person that sent her here too, to get closer to me. Was his objective also the stone pendant? I had no way of knowing.


    I nodded. "That''s alright. Just rest now. Don''t think too hard about that man, or...the girl from your memories."


    "O-Okay..." she replied shakily with a nod.


    And so, I motioned for the nurse toe over, and she put Yu An Yan to sleep once more.


    Throughout the entire exchange, only I spoke. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and even Yu An Xue, her own sister, kept quiet. That was probably for the best. Yu An Xue would probably break down, after all - though who can me her? Seeing her elder sister in such a state...


    Feng Mian and Qing Yue probably stayed quiet as well since it just wasn''t the mood to interrupt. Though I''m sure inside their heads, they were doing plenty of thinking and nning as well. Both were clever girls and people you could count on when you need it - there was no doubt about that.


    I lead the 3 of them out the infirmary, and to the rooftop once more. It was the best ce to have a private conversation or meeting, since not many people go here.


    "So...what''s the n from here?" Feng Mian began first. She was probably anxious to talk, having stayed quiet all that time.


    "Yu An Yan mentioned something about a man..."


    I nodded. Qing Yue had grasped the critical point - I would expect nothing less of her. "That man is unmistakably the same one that had taken her away years ago - and also the person who sent her to this school."


    "But what was his purpose in doing so?" Feng Mian asked curiously.


    "The same as why that demon man from the Midnight Syndicate sent you, I suppose," I replied.


    "You mean...for the stone pendant?" Feng Mian checked, just to make sure.


    "Indeed. Otherwise, why would she purposely get close to me, and go through the trouble of using multiple personalities to do so?"


    "So he''s the culprit behind all this, huh..." Qing Yue concluded. "Then our next step should be to find out his identity."


    Yu An Xue had her hands balled up in fists, tight enough to draw blood. It was enough to show just how much she cared about her sister. "I will hunt him down. This I swear."


    I gave a devious smile, one that itched for killing, and corrected her. "No - WE will hunt him down. Together."


    She smiled in return, and with that, the four of us began discussing our n to eliminate the man who had split apart two happy sisters and decimated their fate:


    - Operation: Unshackled. -

 Chapter 37 - Gathering Information

    After our meeting on the rooftop, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and I decided that the first thing we have to do is gather information.


    This was no surprise - we barely had any intelligence on our target, and our goal is to find out his identity first. This was Phase 1 of Operation: Unshackled. And yes, Feng Mian was the one that came up with that name. I had just suggested full-on assault once again (after we found out our target''s identity, of course), but she was full-on against naming our n that.


    Anyway, we were currently heading to the Yu family manor, led by Yu An Xue. Why? Well - what''s a better ce to get information than the crime scene itself? We were hoping to ask one of the elders or perhaps any servants that might''ve remembered something distinctive about the man. Though this was highly unlikely, given how careful he was. Regardless, it was worth a try.


    The Yu family manor was in the central part of the city, near the Coastal Metropolis. I''m not surprised - the other 3 Great Families of Shenzhen have their mansions in the area as well.


    We crossed the same slums I had rescued Feng Mian from weeks ago. That seemed so far away...well, I guess a lot of things have happenedtely. No gangsters or hooligans tried to stop us since Yu An Xue was with us. And besides, they couldn''t beat us in a fight anyway.


    Before long, we arrived at the Yu family manor. We were weed inside warmly by the guards, probably having been informed beforehand. I''m pretty sure Yu An Xue already told her parents that she was bringing us over, though I didn''t know what excuse she used. There''s no way she could tell them the truth, after all - since if she did so, she would have to also tell her parents that she had found her long-lost sister...


    - A Couple Minutes Later -


    ...Not.


    "So these are the friends you mentioned, yes?" Yu An Xue''s father - the current Yu family patriarch, Yu Ao - said, inspecting Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and me in particr carefully.


    Yu An Xue nodded. "They are going to help me with the investigation."


    Her mother then appeared from behind her father, and traces of tears were evident. "Yu''er...you have grown so much. I''m so proud of you. You are even strong enough to get revenge for your sister now."


    ...Yeah. She had told them the truth, but avoided telling them the COMPLETE truth somehow. I have to admit, I''m impressed. Apparently, she had just said she was going to track down the culprit that captured her sister, and her parents didn''t even ask what made her do so. They just thought she had held it in her heart all this time (which wasn''t wrong, per se) and she felt she was strong enough to take on whoever that man was now.


    But with this, we were free to ask questions around without using a secretive, roundabout way. I''m going to have to thank Yu An Xue for thister. But just as I was about to proceed with the n...


    "Boy...your name is Xuan Kai, correct?" Yu Ao said with a look that bordered a re. "The one...without any magic?"


    I clenched my fists. I''ve had enough with people looking down on me. "...Do you have a problem with that?" I said coldly, returning him a far harsher re than his own.


    Yu Ao seemed surprised at the killing intent behind my look, and averted his gaze quickly. "Hmph," he snorted, but left it at that.


    Yu An Xue, sensing the tension, quickly thought up a way to disperse it. "A-Ahem...well. We''ll be going, then - to the elders'' hall."


    "Alright. I will ensure they do everything they can to assist you...your sister is also my daughter, after all," Yu Ao replied while his wife cried uncontrobly behind him.


    ----------------------


    "S-Sorry about earlier..." Yu An Xue stammered, clearly embarrassed for her father.


    She had sent Qing Yue to grab some sweets from the cooks so the two of us could be alone, and being the smart girl Qing Yue is, she dragged along Feng Mian as well.


    "...Whatever," I replied indifferently. I don''t care who he is, if he looks down on me for not having magic, then he has to die. But...he isn''t exactly a bad person. Just an ignorant one. And besides, I don''t want to hurt my...friends? Can I call Yu An Xue my friend? I don''t know. We are alike in more ways than one, it seems. The definition of friend...I''m just as confused about that as she is.


    "M-My father, he...he hasn''t seen your duel, most likely."


    I perked up. "So you did?"


    She nodded. "I was...undercover, but yes."


    "I''ve always wondered this...but what made you pay so much attention to a nobody like me?"


    "I-I wasn''t paying attention to you particrly...just...we have a lot inmon," she averted her gaze and spoke quietly.


    Well, I mean, that was true. We were both lonely deep down, and distant to people. Others tried to get close to her, but she rejected them. As for me, no one wanted to get close to me in the first ce.


    "...I see. Now that I think about it, we really do, huh?" I replied.


    But it was at that moment that Feng Mian and Qing Yue returned from getting their food, and so we began heading to the elders'' hall.


    As we walked through the Yu family''s property, I couldn''t help but muse at just how big their residency was. While the Xuan family''s was bigger, I normally never went to explore it to avoid attracting attention and trouble to both myself and my parents. So this is the first time I was actually walking through a vicinity this big.


    The pathways were all lined with walls made of green bushes, and converged at a beautiful fountain in the middle of it all. If you looked at the entire system from above, it would probably be considered a maze, though nothing tooplicated.


    Flowers were everywhere. This looked almost like a royal pce garden. If I had to guess, it would be that Yu An Xue''s mother really loves flowers. All sorts of different species were nted around, from roses to daisies. Yu An Xue, having lived in this royal pce all her life, showed no signs of being impressed at all or even proud at how well-managed her home is. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I, however, all gawked at the majestic scenery painted around us.


    Before long, we arrived at a massive white building that closely resembled the Administrative Campus of our school. We knew this was the ce, since there was arge sign saying ''Elders'' Hall'' stered above the doorway, in a neatly decorated fashion.


    Yu An Xue pushed open the door and the four of us all went inside. What was waiting for us was a polished atmosphere that was just as grand as I expected, considering how the exterior looked. It was in no way inferior to the principal''s office at Shenzhen Magic High School. A servant girl soon greeted us and led us upstairs, where another double door was waiting. The girl retreated as soon as she had done her job, and Yu An Xue knocked on the door.


    "Come in," an old yet haughty voice said in response.


    Having being granted permission to enter, we pushed open the door and headed in. Inside was arge elliptic white table, along with twelve elders sitting around it. 4 seats were ced opposite to what looked like the head elder, wearing the grandest clothes and had an aura of superiority. No doubt, he was the one that had answered our knocking.


    "Take a seat," the head elder said, motioning at the 4 seats opposite from him.


    The four of usplied, and the moment we sat down, Yu An Xue cut to the chase.


    "Greetings, head elder," she began politely, despite this being the same man who had agreed to give her away years ago - even if it was to save the family. "I trust you know why we are here today."


    The head elder sighed and rubbed his forehead as if relieving a headache. "Yes...to uncover the incident regarding your sister, correct?"


    Yu An Xue nodded in return. The rest of us stayed silent, as we were in someone else''s backyard right now. Saying anything out of turn wouldn''t do us any good. "Then that makes things easier. Let''s begin."


    But just as she was about to begin asking questions-


    "Just hold on a minute..." the head elder interrupted in an clearly irritated tone, not trying to hide his annoyance with us at all. Yu An Xue and I picked up on this detail and narrowed our eyes in suspicion as the other two piqued in curiosity. After a short pause, he continued.


    "...Just what do you hope to achieve, by digging up matters of the past?"

 Chapter 38 - The Head Elder

    "Just what do you hope to achieve," the head elder paused for a brief moment, and feigning calmness, took a sip of tea. "...By digging up matters of the past?"


    Yu An Xue replied immediately without even blinking. "It doesn''t matter when it happened. I will take revenge for my sister - and now that I had a sufficient amount of power, it''s time to put that n into action."


    "Hmph," the head elder snorted. "Naive little girl, you think with that tiny power of yours, you can avenge your sister?"


    The other elders around the table all looked ufortable as they sensed a fighting, but were all too scared to say anything to stop it. Did the head elder really hold this much power? And as an aside, his actions right now were very suspicious. From what the patriarch told us, the elders were supposed to exert their full effort to help us in this n. But reality says otherwise.


    "I won''t know until I give it a try," Yu An Xue replied calmly. "Besides, that is none of your business. All you have to do is follow my father''s - the family patriarch''s - instructions, and assist us to the best of your ability."


    She ced emphasis on the ''patriarch'' part, which under normal circumstances held the highest authority in a family. However, in the Yu family, it seemed that the head elder had the entire elder hall on his side (albeit not willingly, from what it looked like), which totaled up to power equal to if not more than that of the patriarch, Yu An Xue''s father.


    Furthermore, the head elder''s face was practically covered in the word ''dislike'' when he looked at Yu An Xue in disdain. He wasn''t even trying to hide it at all. And if he disliked the family patriarch''s daughter, chances are he despised the patriarch himself as well.


    We decided to leave for the day, since the elders were clearly not going to tell us anything useful. Soon after, Yu An Xue left to report this back to her father, which left Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I walking around aimlessly in the massive garden, awaiting her return.


    "That head elder...there''s something fishy about him," Feng Mian began. "I could feel it."


    "I did too," Qing Yue added. "If only I had the Level Two Mind Read spell..."


    "No. He had an exceptionally powerful aura, only slightly inferior to Song Qian Long, our school principal. It would no doubt take at least a Mind Read II to be able to figure out what he''s thinking, and if he has a Pyschic Element attribute, perhaps even a Legendary - Mind Read III - or Mythic tier - Mind Read IV - spell."


    "You can already sense auras?" Feng Mian seemed surprised.


    I nodded. "Only extremely strong individuals show up on my radar though. For example, I can''t feel anything from the two of you."


    "H-Hey! Did you just call us weak?!" Qing Yue ced her hands on either side of her hips and pouted.


    "Er...sorry. Didn''t mean to," I replied, which was the truth.


    "A-Ahem...putting that aside, usually only Advanced Mages are able to sense the magic auras of others," Feng Mian exined, but then added somethingpletely unnecessary. "Though unlike you, they can also read weak people''s auras."


    "...Was that meant to be an insult?"


    "''Sorry, didn''t mean to.''" She imitated my statement from before in mockery with a shrug, and Qing Yue gave her a wink and a thumbs-up that really couldn''t be called ''secret''.


    I sighed at their childish schemes and made a mental list of questions I would ask Yu An Xue when she got back. Mostly surrounding the head elder.


    - Several Minutes Later -


    Yu An Xue returned to us with a crestfallen face. The three of us picked up on this immediately and hurried over to investigate.


    "What''s wrong?" Feng Mian began, naturally cing a hand on Yu An Xue''s shoulder like good friends.


    She let out a deep sigh, and spoke. "My father...he said he can''t do anything about the head elder."


    I grimaced. "Didn''t he say he would ''ensure the elders assist us to the best of their abilities'' earlier?"


    "W-Well, he said that he did tell them to, and they had agreed - at least, on the surface," Yu An Xue replied shakily.


    "So what you''re saying is that the rtionship between your father and the head elder is to the point where one can lie to the other''s face."


    She weakly nodded her head. "And the worst part is...my father can''t do anything against him."


    Hm...this was certainly a problem - under normal circumstances, that is.


    In this case, the head elder not willing to tell anything to us is a clue in and of itself. I doubted he was not giving us any information just to spite us, since he had nothing to gain from it. From what I can tell, the head elder is probably trying to steal the patriarch seat away from Yu An Xue''s father. Not an umon scenario in this world, where strength rules all. Thus, the head elder is almost certainly a selfish man who only cares about his own gain, and won''t do anything that doesn''t prove to have any benefits for him.


    Look at it this way - if he tells us any information he knows, that could earn the patriarch''s favor and trust. This will make betraying him in the end a lot easier, so there''s no reason he wouldn''t choose this course of action. And by his age, I''m sure he had already thought of this from the moment the patriarch informed him about using here.


    With all that being said, the next most likely possibility is that he''s trying to HIDE something. The annoyance that he''s shown us, and the reason why he''s not trying to disguise it at all - is because he WANTS to show us that he''s irritated. It''s all a front, to make us think he merely considers this matter bothersome, whereas the truth is, he is...afraid.


    Afraid that we''ll find out the truth, scared that we''ll expose him for doing some evil deed rted to this incident.


    I have to admit; it was a well-thought out n for an old geezer like him. But if I had to say where the w was, it would be his acting skills. He had gone way too overboard with showing us we annoyed him. That was when I started finding him suspicious, after all.


    After some careful thinking, I exined my entire thought process to the three girls, and they all seemed surprised at how I figured all this out.


    ...I mean, if they had just observed and used their heads a little, they probably could''ve discover the truth behind this conspiracy too. Though I wasn''t going to say that out loud, lest they start mocking me in some childish manner again.


    Just this once, I''m thankful for Qing Yue not being advanced in Psychic Magic enough yet to learn Mind Read.


    ------------------------------------


    - The Next Day -


    We had school all 7 days a week, so we could only head to the Yu family manor after school had finished for the day. But this time, unlike yesterday, we were prepared - prepared to uncover the truth behind the episode years ago.


    We arrived at the elder hall building soon enough, and were once again led to therge room by a servant girl (though it was a different one today).


    The servant girl retreated as soon as we arrived at the double doors from yesterday, and just as Yu An Xue was about to knock, I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.


    "Just confirming one more time..." I began, not letting go of her slim wrist. "The head elder...he''s really your uncle, correct?"


    Indeed. Yesterday, I had asked Yu An Xue for the true identity of the head elder as I was exining my logic to the three of them. She had revealed that the head elder was in fact her father''s brother, making him her uncle. The previous patriarch had made Yu Ao the patriarch, which obviously upset Yu Niao (the head elder). After Yu Ao seeded the patriarch''s seat after his father had passed away, he took pity upon his emotionally scarred brother and made him head elder.


    What he didn''t expect was for his brother to turn on him as soon as he gained the support of the entire elder hall. Of course, he had won their support not through righteous ways, but through bribery, threats, and sick maniption. And now, his influence was too strong for Yu Ao to do anything to him. The kindness in his heart back then proved to be a fatal mistake.


    I wasn''t like him. I''m not some extremely kind person, nor am I some sort of hero. I am a 14 year old boy who has no qualms about murdering someone. If you''ve done me good, I will indeed pay you back.


    ...But if you''ve harmed me or the things and people I care about, I will pay you back as well - in a much more bloody, violent way. Hundredfold.


    Yu An Xue then nodded. "Yes...and I''ve already told you the full story yesterday, I think."


    After getting the confirmation I needed, I let go of her slim wrist and she proceeded to knock on the massive double door.

 Chapter 39 - Confrontation

    A heavy voice sighed loudly enough for us to hear even from outside the door. "Come in," the same haughty tone from yesterday said, giving us clearance to enter.


    The four of us - Yu An Xue, Qing Yue, Feng Mian, and I -plied, and pushed open the massive white double door with ease. Waiting for us was the samerge elliptical table from yesterday, along with the same aged and wrinkle-filled faces of the elders.


    ...And directly opposite of us, was the grey-haired head elder, Yu Niao.


    "I thought you had given up on the idea..." he began, rubbing his chin. "...But it seems not. You are here today for the same reason asst time, yes?"


    However, instead of Yu An Xue doing all the talking like yesterday, I spoke up. "You''re half-right."


    The head elder narrowed his eyes and focused his vision on me. "You are...the talentless wast- a-ahem, sorry...talentless child of the Xuan family, yes?"


    Anger immediately surged in my heart hearing him about to call me a ''waste'', then changing it on purpose and fraudulently apologizing, but I didn''t let it show and kept a cool expression.


    "You may call me Xuan Kai," I said in a condescending tone, as if mocking his own.


    He showed no reaction, but I saw the corner of his eyebrow twitch up slightly. My words definitely had an impact. I made a mental note of this, and waited to see what he would say next.


    "...Xuan Kai...very well," Yu Niao said indifferently. "So? What''s this about me being only ''half-right''? Does that entail you are here for something else?"


    I smirked. This was the prompt I was waiting for. He had yed right into my hands, as expected. "No...we just have found some clues regarding the matter, and was hoping for you to verify them."


    "Hmph...I had thought you could take a hint after seeing you leave yesterday, but unfortunately I was wrong," he scoffed. "So I''ll make this clear...I have no intention of assisting you in any way."


    The devious smile on my face growing even wider as he continued walking around in the palm of my hand, I spoke my next line calmly. "And...is there a reason behind that?"


    Indeed - this was the turning point. My entire n for this confrontation was based on his answer here. But he only had two options here.


    1. Refuse to answer this question, in which case I would continue pressing the matter with cold threats until he did, or-


    2. Continue with his act up until now, and say he is merely annoyed with us digging up matters of the past, for no apparent reason, in which case...


    "I have nothing to gain from telling you anything," the head elder replied. "What you are doing right now is merely bothersome and aplete waste of my time. In other words, you''re annoying me. Quite a bit, actually. Does that satisfy you? If so, you can leave now, yes?"


    It took everything I had not to burst outughing. This man had quite the talent for following someone ELSE''s ns, if nothing else. He had perfectly recreated the ideal scenario I had in mind. Truly a great feat.


    With a devilish grin on my face, I spoke the words that would lead to our sess.


    "Are you annoyed..." I paused dramatically for effect. "...Or are you scared, perhaps?"


    I stared at him right in the eyes as I said that, and just as expected thanks to my little experiment earlier, the corner of his left eyebrow twitched up subconsciously. Though he was certainly proficient at masking his true feelings, details like this cannot be avoided. It all depends on how careful your opponent is in this psychological war - thus, leaving it up to luck.


    That was his fatal mistake. In a cold war like this, you NEVER leave things up to luck. Control your fate with your own two hands, and determine your own destiny. Don''t rely on the heavens to grant your wishes, achieve them with your own strength. These are all things I''ve learned over my years of suffering and humiliation. Unfortunately, those who haven''t gone through the same agonizing experience I have won''t be able to learn these lessons. Without risk, there is no reward, as they say.


    The other elders shifted ufortably in their seats as the three girls next to me grinned in triumph. Even Yu An Xue, usually cold and expressionless, had a smug look on her face. We had won. All that was left was to see how he would respond to this. But regardless, victory was already all but ours.


    "S-Scared? Of what?" After a long silence, Yu Niao asked right back, but he was clearly nervous and losing his cool. As he bit his fingernails in anxiety, I continued with the secret allegations. By secret, I mean I''m hinting at them in a way only the perpetrator would understand.


    This was the strategy I chose instead of full-on using him, for two reasons:


    1. We didn''t actually know what exactly he had done. This n was built upon the precondition that Yu Niao didn''t know we didn''t know, which was true.


    2. Talking in this way emits an aura of secrecy and unrity. Yu Niao''s primary concern right now is just HOW MUCH we know. By not disclosing all of our cards in one go, we can keep him suspended in mystery and guessing. That way, he cannot recklessly make any assumptions about us and make things take a violent turn (essentially eliminate us).


    "...How long are you going to keep up that act, Yu Niao?" I addressed him by his actual name instead of his title to strengthen the threatening atmosphere.


    His eyebrow twitched again, and this time I could also make out faint beads of sweat forming on his wrinkled forehead. "I-I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "I see you are as stubborn as ever, uncle," Yu An Xue spoke in my stead this time.


    I had only told the others ''I had a n to deal with the head elder'', but she seemed to have caught on to my intent throughout this entire exchange, and assisted me beautifully. She was just as clever and quick-witted as Feng Mian and Qing Yue, which in all honesty surprised me. She then continued, and impressed me even further.


    "Why don''t you go show that obstinacy of yours to my father?" Yu An Xue crossed her arms across her generous chest and seemed to be almost looking down on the head elder across therge elliptical table, even though thetter was far taller.


    I smirked. Having understanding teammates like this was every gamer''s dream. Not that I gamed a lot. The only times I yed multi-yer online video games was when Qing Yue came over to y, when my parents were still alive. To be honest, they were pretty fun, but having dogshit teammates was also quite frustrating. There''s two sides to everything, I guess.


    I decided to ask Yu An Xue how she figured out my intent sometimeter, but for now...


    "A-Ahem...What does the patriarch have to do with any of this?" the head elder cleared his throat in a futile effort to look calm.


    This time, it was Feng Mian that spoke. "Oh, we just thought maybe you would be willing to talk in front of the family patriarch."


    Qing Yue thenughed like a little devil, and joined in the fray. "Since, you know, the patriarch surely has many, many different ways to MAKE you talk."


    "H-He wouldn''t dare!" The head elder stood up, mming the table. All signs of feigning calmness were gone. "I...I am the head elder of this family! He cannot use torture tools agains-"


    It was my turn to have fun now. I cut Yu Niao off mid-sentence, and stared directly into his terrified eyes. "-He''s the patriarch," I said in a dark tone. "The most powerful, highest authority position in this family. You would do well to remember that."


    His eyes widened in fear and began his entire body began shaking uncontrobly.


    "N-No...No!" Yu Niao cried and punched the table again and again, until his fists began bleeding. None of the other elders even blinked at this pitiful sight. Instead, they were all staring at the head elder in mockery, and perhaps cursing at him inside their hearts, screaming ''you deserved it''. No one knew how much time had passed, but eventually, the head elder copsed, perhaps from losing too much blood.


    I quickly leapt over the brown table between us to where Yu Niaoy, grey robes torn and hat a dirty mess. At this moment, he looked more like a street ve than a glorious head elder. I couldn''t help but wonder just what exactly did he do to be afraid to this level someone found out. His eyes were still open in fear, and for a minute I thought he had died (which would be less than ideal), but when I checked his right wrist for a pulse, I sighed in relief at the faint but still existent beating. I guess people can pass out with their eyes still open.


    The other elders must be confused at how four 14-year-old high school students managed to push the head elder of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen to this stage, but the answer was simple:


    No matter how powerful you are, it won''t help at all against MY mind games.

 Chapter 40 - Inquisition

    - The Great Hall -


    "...I see..." Yu An Xue''s father, the Yu family patriarch, spoke quietly.


    We were currently in the Yu family Great Hall, the center of the vicinity and where most official business took ce. It was even more magnificent than the elder''s hall, bothrger and more exquisitely designed. The exterior and interior were both filled with the color white, and I couldn''t help but wonder if the Yu family just really liked white or something.


    After the head elder passed out from fear, the four of us - Yu An Xue, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I - had dragged him to the great hall, where Yu An Xue informed her father of the circumstances.


    The other elders didn''t stop us (they were grateful to us for showing them a side to the head elder they''ve never seen before), and the few servants we ran into on the way back said nothing since Yu An Xue was with us. I was the one who carried the head elder on my back, by the way. I wasn''t about to make a girl my age carry a disgusting old geezer like him.


    When we burst through the front door with an unconscious disheveled elderly man with us (his own brother, at that), the patriarch was bound to be suspicious. After Yu An Xue nced around and hinted to him with her eyes, he immediately ordered all present servants to leave the room and spread the news: No one is to enter the great hall until the patriarch says so. This only made him more confused, but after some exining from his own daughter, he gradually began to understand the situation and appeared to be deep in thought.


    "So...what you are trying to say is, my brother - n-no, the head elder - has something to do with An Yan''s disappearance years ago?"


    When he said ''An Yan'', he was referring to Amethyst - Yu An Yan. Simrly, he intimately called Yu An Xue just ''An Xue''. Seeing as how Yu An Xue has already went on for a whole 15 minutes retelling the events leading up to the fainting of Yu Niao, I decided to let her take a break, and spoke up.


    "Indeed. Although we aren''t sure what exactly he did, there''s definitely something suspicious about him," I replied. "His extravagant reaction proves that."


    The patriarch, Yu Ao, sighed. "Yes...you are right. I still do not wish to believe it, but the facts have already beenid bare."


    Ignoring his remark, I continued. "What''s your n once he wakes up?"


    The patriarch looked away and clenched his fists. "I will...ensure he talks."


    I smirked. Everything was still going exactly ording to my n.


    *****


    - Half an Hour Later -


    30 minutes has passed. Yu An Xue, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, the patriarch, me, and the unconscious head elder were the only ones in the room. The patriarch, Yu Ao, had already ordered everyone else to leave the room. It made sense, since others, whether it''s a servant or a noble, hearing about such a scandal wouldn''t be ideal for the family or its reputation.


    By this time, the sun had set, and it was gettingte. Our school''s curfew was 9 PM, and it was currently 8 (I had checked Qing Yue''s phone). Just as I was about to get ready to leave (Qing Yue and Feng Mian would follow me, of course) seeing as how the head elder didn''t seem like he was going to wake up today, we heard a grunt from the shacked figure in front of us.


    Yu Niao, former head elder of the Yu family. Now chained to a wooden cross-like structure, ced before the patriarch, his own brother. Yu An Xue and Feng Mian sat to the left of him, while Qing Yue and I to his right (she had forced me to sit with her).


    "Mmngh....where is this...?" Yu Niao muttered to himself quietly.


    The patriarch, seeming to have been waiting for this moment (we all were, actually), spoke first, voice filled with anger. "Yu Niao...do you know your crimes?"


    "H-Huh?" the former head elder blinked a few times as if unsure of what was going on, and widened his eyes as he realized he was chained, and now in a prisoner''s clothes.


    ...As a side note, I was the one who tied him up and...changed him, and it was not a pleasant experience. While switching his clothes, I had my eyes closed the entire time and thus took multiple tries to get it right, but it was worth the trouble. I''m not gay, and definitely don''t have a sexual attraction to old geezers.


    I red at the patriarch with killing intent when he asked me to do so, but Yu An Xue, Feng Mian, and Qing Yue were in the room apart from myself and the patriarch (who couldn''t do it himself due to his position), and so Iplied, albeit extremely reluctantly.


    The wooden cross and magic-restraining chains came directly out of the patriarch''s Space Locket, a Space Element Magic Artifact used to store things - that apparently had endless space inside of it. This made them highly expensive, but it was no surprise the patriarch of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen could afford one. Still, I wonder what kind of other things he had stored in there...


    The head elder, Yu Niao, continued to look around in fear, and shut his eyes once more, as if pretending this isn''t real. He then began violently shaking, attempting to shatter the chains shackling him. But it was no use. It didn''t take long for him to realize they were magic-restraining chains, and definitely not breakable with pure force.


    After a while, he tired out and the rest of us just watched him without an ounce of pity as he panted heavily. The patriarch, temper boiling, spoke again.


    "I shall ask you again....do you know your crimes?"


    "H-Heh...I don''t know what you''re talking about," Yu Niao panted, ring at his brother, seated sofortably in the patriarch''s throne that was supposed to be his.


    The two brothers stared at each other in silence, both equally angry at the other, though for different reasons.


    "How long are you going to keep acting for?" Yu Ao asked, now with a hint of killing intent.


    "Acting? Hmph. Even if I did do anything, you think I''m going to just tell you?! AHAHAHA!" the other brother cackled evilly.


    The patriarch took a deep breath, as if calming himself. "Onest chance. Do you know your crimes?"


    "I don''t know what you mean, ahahaha!"


    Yu Ao shut his eyes and exhaled deeply amidst his brother''s mockingughter. When he opened his eyes once more, they were filled with a new determination, and a glint of hatred.


    The man before him was no longer his brother.


    He was an enemy, a culprit behind his beloved daughter Yu An Yan being taken away from him, and his other daughter''s despair.


    Just now, he had severed any remaining kinship he felt for Yu Niao. The two of them sharing the same blood, being born from the same parents, carried no meaning anymore. He was just an enemy, nothing more.


    Yu Ao nced at the person once known as his brother with regret onest time, and closed his eyes lightly. Cutting off any lingering emotion, he then spoke the words that would seal the fate of the man before him.


    "...It is time to use the Yu family''s long-sealed Domestic Law."

 Chapter 41 - The Truth Revealed

    "H-Huh? W-Wait...the Yu family Domestic Law?" Yu Niao''s eyes widened in shock and fear.


    Yu An Xue appeared just as surprised, while the rest of us sat in confusion.


    "Uh...if you don''t mind me asking, what exactly is the Yu family Domestic Law?" I asked cautiously. "And...why was it sealed away?"


    Yu An Xue took a deep breath and answered my question. "It''s a torture tactic that had been sealed away generations ago, due to it being too harsh."


    "...Too harsh, even among torture tactics?"


    She nodded. "I''ve never actually seen it myself, but...I''ve heard stories."


    I pondered this for a moment, but eventually realized that if the patriarch himself wanted to use it, who am I to object? This was a decision they had to make themselves. I did what I can, the rest is up to them.


    "H-Hey, you''re joking, right? B-Brother, y-you won''t actually use t-that monstrous technique on me, r-right?" Yu Niao had a hopeful look on his face, despite it being so disheveled and aged. Yu Niao, who had beenughing in mockery just moments ago, was now on the verge of begging his former brother.


    "I do not go back on my words," the patriarch, Yu Ao, spoke calmly and quietly. But there was no mistaking the menace in his voice.


    He opened his Space Locket once more and reached inside. What he pulled out, was a scroll. I''m guessing that was the Yu family Domestic Law they were talking about. But if it came out of the patriarch''s Space Locket...was this locket something passed down from generation to generation, storing all the treasures obtained by past patriarchs? I had no way to find out.


    He calmly opened the scroll, in contrast to his brother''s horrified expression. By the looks of it, this Domestic Law of theirs was probably some kind of Magic Array, since it''s in the form of a scroll, and not a book.


    "Yu Family Domestic Law-" the patriarch began chanting the activation phrase, but was quickly interrupted.


    "W-Wait! I''ll talk! I-I''ll tell you everything!" Yu Niao cried, on the verge of tears. It seemed that the Yu Family Domestic Law was indeed very frightening, enough to make such an egotistic man bend down and confess. Either way, our goal was achieved, though I have to admit I was a little regretful I wasn''t able to witness the array.


    "...Speak," the patriarch said threateningly, still not returning the scroll to where it came from.


    Yu Niao took a couple deep breaths and calmed himself.


    "The truth behind that massacre years ago..."


    *****


    - Weeks Before The Night of The Yu Family Massacre -


    "...And you''re sure that idiotic brother of yours is going to be away?" a masked man asked.


    "Hahah, no worries there. I''ve made some...arrangements," an old and haughty voice responded. This voice belonged to Yu Niao, head elder of the Yu family and brother of the current Yu family patriarch, Yu Ao.


    "Oho? Kekeke...let''s hear them," the same masked man from before spoke once more, taking out a cigar from his breast pocket and lighting it easily with Fire Magic. He then ced it casually in his mouth and waited patiently for the other man''s response.


    "I organized some hooligans to attack one of our hunting outposts in the mountains on the other side of the city," Yu Niao said with an evil sneer. "Those guys...they''ll do anything for a little money. Their leader is as strong as myself, if not stronger. "


    "...Meaning the patriarch will have to head there himself to resolve the issue," the masked man finished, taking the cigar out of his mouth and blowing out. "Kekeke...nicely done."


    "I thank you for your praise. Now then...I trust you will hold up your end of the agreement?"


    The masked man gave a darkughter. "But of course. You have assisted us so well, after all."


    "Your words put me at ease. Shall we review the n onest time?"


    *****


    - Present Time -


    "...And? What is this n you speak of?" the patriarch, Yu Ao, asked the former head elder and his own brother, now prisoner and enemy, before him. "Tell me...everyst detail."


    "...As you wish," Yu Niao agreed quietly. "That man''s objective was a child. A child with exceptional talent for magic, the younger the better."


    "Did he say why he needed one?" I interrupted, picking up on key information.


    "...Yes, but only very briefly. He dodged my questions every time I asked him for information," Yu Niao responded obediently. "...He said it was for an experiment."


    "...An experiment, huh..." I muttered to myself. Chances were, it was an experiment that involved selectively ''erasing'' the child''s memories and turning them into a human battle machine. It was a sickening idea...but a valiant one. "And he didn''t say anything more, I presume?" I continued just to make sure.


    "...Unfortunately, yes. That was all I was told."


    "And what did that man offer you in return for you to help him at the cost of your own niece?" the patriarch inquired further, doing his best to keep his temper in check, probably.


    "H-He said he would eliminate you for me..." Yu Niao murmured inaudibly. Or at least, that''s what he hoped. We all heard it, thanks to the silence in the room.


    "...But here I am, alive and well," Yu Ao concluded. "Simply put, you got double-crossed."


    "Y-Yes..."


    Yu Niao, the ingenious (and perhaps ingenuous, seeing as how he got cheated this hard) head elder, closed his eyes and reflected on that memory. I didn''t feel any pity for him, however. In this world where the strong prey the weak, it was the victim''s fault for getting tricked.


    But all that is not important. What is important, is...


    "Do you remember anything distinctive about that man?" I asked, switching the topic.


    Indeed - It didn''t matter if Yu Niao got tricked or not, we were questioning him in the first ce to find out the identity of the person who had taken away Yu An Yan, and the man from Yu Niao''s story was very likely to be that person, or could at least lead us to him.


    "...Nothing that I can recall, no..." Yu Niao replied exasperatedly. "It was years ago, after all."


    I sighed and rested my chin on my hand. "Think hard. How did the mask look? Did he have any strange tattoos or anything on him?" Wild guesses, but hopefully they could trigger something in his memory.


    "The mask...was just pure ck. And as for tattoos..." the old man chained to a cross went silent for a moment, then widened his eyes. "I-I remember now! When I pretended to fight him for appearance''s sake, I grazed his arm, cutting away his sleeve. Underneath was a ck tattoo with lots of swirls and looked...kind of like a dragon? I was too far away so I couldn''t tell, but I remember being confused when I saw it."


    I narrowed my eyes. A ck dragon-like tattoo...why do I feel like I''ve seen that somewhere before...? And fairly recently too...


    By chance, I nced over at Feng Mian sitting across from me, and she seemed to have noticed something as well. Then it hit me. It was during Operation Freedom, or whatever she had called that mission to save her parents from that man from the Midnight Syndicate.


    He had a design simr to Yu Niao''s description imprinted on his left arm. I saw it very clearly after he used Demonification, which eliminated all clothes in the way. I had wondered what it was, but since time was urgent and he was about to destroy my illusion, I quickly forgot about the tattoo entirely. It wasn''t until today that I finally remembered.


    The man that had captured Feng Mian''s parents was wearing a ck mask too. Could it be...just a coincidence? Yeah...no. Like hell it was. That man had mentioned someone above him also in Shenzhen...perhaps...the two of them were connected somehow. No - they were DEFINITELY connected.


    And after putting together all the different pieces of this massive puzzle, that leads to my conclusion.


    The tattoos were a symbol, a sign of a certain organization.


    That''s right...


    ...It was The Midnight Syndicate, once more.

 Chapter 42 - Yu An Xues Inner Heart

    - The Next Day -


    It was a cloudy morning, one that hinted at thunderstormster in the day.


    Last night, after hearing about the tattoo from Yu Niao, I had said my farewells and taken my leave from the Yu family manor, with Feng Mian and Qing Yue soon following behind. Yu An Xue stayed, since it was her own residency. As long as your parents or guardian call the school and let them know, you were allowed to stay elsewhere past curfew, and even pass the night there.


    On the way back, the three of us had discussed the information we had received from Yu Niao. Feng Mian and I had exined to Qing Yue about the tattoo, and how we had seen it before. But that was the best we could get. We couldn''t form a n without Yu An Xue present with us, so for the remainder of the walk back to school, we just chatted casually about nonsensical things.


    I jumped off my bed and began getting ready for the day, as usual. I met up with Qing Yue, Feng Mian, and Yu An Xue outside the boys dorm. It seemed the three of them were all waiting for me. Do girls need sleep at all? How early do they wake up? Sheesh. But anyway, we decided to drop by the infirmary to check on Yu An Yan before heading to ss. I half-expected her to be gone, but fortunately she was still lying peacefully on the white sheets of the school infirmary when we entered.


    She sat up when she noticed us, and rubbed her eyes cutely. "Mm...? You guys...are the same people...from a few days ago..."


    "Ah...sorry, did we wake you?" I asked gently.


    Yu An Yan shook her head timidly. "No...it''s okay."


    "...I see," I replied. "By the way,e to think of it, we haven''t even introduced ourselves to you yet, have we?"


    The purple-haired girl in front of me shook her head once more. "I...want to know. Your...names."


    I smiled. "Sure. I''m Xuan Kai. Nice to meet you." I looked towards the others, and they received my message.


    "I''m Qing Yue, Big Brother Xuan Kai''s little sister! Nice to meet ya~" Qing Yue beamed cheerfully. "Oh, but you aren''t allowed to call Big Brother Xuan Kai ''onii-chan'' anymore, okay?"


    Yu An Yan tilted her head slightly at Qing Yue''s second statement, and I did a slight facepalm, wincing. Luckily, Feng Mian was watching and she quickly jumped in.


    "My name is Feng Mian. Let''s get along, yeah?" Feng Mian winked, and reached out her hand in an invitation for a handshake.


    Yu An Yan took her hand shyly and lightly shook it. She still remembered basic etiquette, it seemed. Not surprising, since that counted as a ''skill'', not a ''memory'' (memory referring to specific people, ces, or objects that hold significent meaning to her).


    Yu An Xue wasst. I nced at her and gave a slight but firm nod. She nodded back in return, and took a deep breath. "I am...Yu An Xue. Pleased to make your acquaintance."


    Uh...too formal. But of course, I didn''t say that out loud. Yu An Yan didn''t seem to notice the formality though, so I think we were good.


    "Yu...An Xue. You...have the same..st name...as me?" Yu An Yan asked, noticing this.


    Yu An Xue flinched as she heard this, and quickly looked at me for help. Why are you looking at ME for help? ...Well, no matter. If she can''t answer, someone else has to do it.


    "Yeah, she does," I answered. "Funny coincidence, isn''t it?"


    "A...coincidence..." Yu An Yan muttered to herself. "Yes...you are right."


    I don''t know if it''s just me, but she seemed to be in a dazed personality right now. The way she was talking was sluggish, and her eyes seemed distant.


    Soon after, the four of us said goodbyes and left the infirmary. On the way to ss, I instructed the three girls to search the library or online in their spare time for a technique that can unseal memories. They probably would not be able to find anything, but it was worth a try. Besides, even if they did, the procedure almost certainly required the person who sealed them in the first ce, or something that belonged to that person, such as blood or hair. This was almost certainly the case...it was the Midnight Syndicate we were dealing with, after all. It was troublesome, since otherwise we could''ve asked the Yu family for help. It would make them worry, yes, but it would be worth it if doing so could help Yu An Yan somehow. But unfortunately, the Midnight Syndicate was just that cunning.


    I also told them I wouldn''t be attending the usual meeting we had on the rooftop everyday after school for today, and they could share their findings with each other.


    The reason? The three girls had their own task toplete, and I wouldn''t be doing any research work, so me hearing it is useless. And besides, more importantly...


    ...I would be busy doing something else.


    I would be investigating a certain ce.


    *****


    - After School -


    I was alone. I stood still in the slums of Shenzhen, and thought back hard on the incident with Feng Mian''s parents. Recalling every twist and turn she had take when she led me to that undergroundir...


    I snapped open my eyes. I took a deep breath, and began tracing the exact steps Feng Mian had taken not long ago.


    *****


    - On the Rooftop -


    (Yu An Xue''s perspective)


    I was presently on the rooftop of Shenzhen Magic High School with two other girls - Feng Mian and Qing Yue, who both transferred to this school only recently. I had noticed them when they transferred in, of course, but never paid much attention to them, just like how I was with others.


    I was slightly curious about Qing Yue who announced herself as Xuan Kai''s little sister when she first came to the school, but eventually forgot all about it. Feng Mian''s strange behavior when she first came was slightly intriguing as well, but once again, nothing too noteworthy. The two of them were just two more existences in this cold, ruthless universe.


    I realized this truth at a young age. Born from a wealthy family, I shouldn''t have ever done so...but an unexpected ident changed everything.


    I once had a sister. Her name was Yu An Yan. I was everything to her, as she was everything to me. We were two inseparable, devoted sisters with intertwined fates.


    ...But in the end, what was fate?


    If it was fate that gave me this sister, this onlypanion, then why had it also taken her away from me? If it was fate that brought me the only sliver of warmth I had in this unweing world, then why had it also erased it? If it was fate that allowed me hope, then why had it also shattered it?


    My sister and I...we had only spent 6 years together, before she was stolen away from me. After that, I lost all faith in this despicable universe. At first, I contemted suicide. What meaning was there living in a world without warmth?


    But I decided against it. I didn''t believe my sister would just leave me without saying anything, and so I was determined to find out the truth. And that determination proved worthy.


    Yearster, the elders of my family revealed the truth behind my sister''s disappearance. I remember being furious at the time, even though I knew deep down that they did it for the sake of the family. Yet...I couldn''t just sit around and do nothing after finding out the truth.


    But s, what could I do? Not a single clue could be found, and I wasted all my time searching for someone that may or may not even be still alive. And besides, as I was, there was no way I could beat someone even the elders together could not. Eventually, I gave up the idea. At least, until I was stronger.


    I continued living. Without a care in the world, I indulged only in my own training. Thinking there wasn''t anyone else in the world that could understand how I felt, I distanced myself from everyone else.


    And then I met HIM.


    His name was Xuan Kai. I had heard about him before - there was no shortage of rumors surrounding him. But just like anything else, I ignored them and continued focusing only on honing my skills. But in my first year at Shenzhen Magic High School, I noticed he was in my ss. At first, I didn''t care.


    But after seeing him continue living on, despite all the insults and gossip about him, I couldn''t help but secretly admire him. Everyone else said he was a weakling without any magic, but in my eyes, he was the strongest of them all. Not in physical strength, perhaps, but in will. What a strong heart one must need to be able to keep going in his situation.


    Soon enough, I noticed just how simr the two of us were. By the time November came around, the news of Xuan Kai''s parents'' deaths rolled around, and the insults against him and even his now deceased parents only grew worse. But even so, he kept living.


    He had it far worse than I did. He lost not one, but the two dearest people to him in life. And they had DIED, right in front of him. In my case, at least there was still a possibility my sister was still alive. But he...what a frightening experience it must''ve been, seeing your family murdered before your very eyes.


    And in addition to losing his beloved father and mother, he was humiliated and tortured at the hands of others, both physically and mentally. And yet - despite all that, he was able to survive, and live on through the storm of agony.


    At some point I don''t even know myself, I began defending him naturally.


    At some point, I began caring for another person once again.


    At some point, I found anotherpanion atst, someone I could rte to and rely on.


    At some point...I found...a friend, the word I thought I had already forgotten the meaning of.

 Chapter 43 - The Syndicates Lair

    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Here I was. After countless twists and turns in thebyrinth known as the slums of Shenzhen, I had arrived at the same ce Feng Mian had brought me to not long ago. I faced a seemingly innocent stone wall. But what it hid underneath...


    Remembering what Feng Mian told me (that the wall was merely an illusion, a type of Shadow Magic), I closed my eyes and began channeling the mana in my Dantian.


    I snapped open my eyes. "Level One Light Magic - Dispel."


    A bright radiance enclosed my surroundings, and when it dispersed, the dull stone wall before me had been reced by a familiar narrow stairway leading downwards. I made a small light orb so I could see better and proceeded cautiously down the staircase.


    The endless journey down was once again apanied by an eerie silence, and when I finally reached the bottom, the same ghostly green lights fromst time greeted me.


    I began walking around, searching for clues.


    The reason I had came here today was to investigate. This was a secretir of the Midnight Syndicate. The man from before who captured Feng Mian''s parents had been the resident of this ce before I killed him. Before he died, he had mentioned another person, someone who was above even him in terms of hierarchy. The man who had captured Yu An Yan was very likely that person.


    I circled around to the massive door Feng Mian''s parents had been locked in, and went inside. Nothing was in there either. I had searched everywhere, but to no avail. I had thought that there would be some kind of clue hidden around here as to the location of another base, or something like that, but...


    Then it hit me. Why hadn''t I realize it before? If the entrance was hidden by illusion magic...then why couldn''t they also hide a secret room within a already secret room with the same tactic?


    I channeled slightly more mana this time to cover the entire area, and chanted the incantation. "Level One Light Magic - Dispel."


    At first, I didn''t sense that anything had changed. But after going back inside the room where Feng Mian''s parents were once kept, there appeared a trapdoor on the floor, leading even further down. Seeing this, I grinned.


    I bent down and opened thetches. Swinging the door open, I looked inside. I could see the floor, and it seemed that this room had actual proper lighting in it. Since the distance wasn''t too big, I leapt down directly.


    Inded on one knee and stood up slowly, brushing off dust from my jeans while inspecting my surroundings. The first thing I spotted was the source of light - amp resting on a desk. But it wasn''t plugged in to anything, nor was it lit by a me. I deduced that it was a mana-powered Magic Artifact, and probably one that had infinite usage time by constantly replenishing its own power level by sucking in mana from the environment.


    Reason being, dust could be seen all around, and it didn''t seem like anyone had been in here since my battle with that man in the dark alleyway. Yet, themp was still bright and showing no signs of diminishing. I wondered how much such an artifact would cost. From what I know, Magic Artifacts with infinite usage costed an insane amount of money. Was the Midnight Syndicate that rich? Or did they just steal the money? Probably thetter, knowing them.


    Then I noticed some papers spread around on the desk in an unorganized fashion. I found this suspicious, and so I began inspecting them. But what was written on these few seemingly unimportant scraps of parchment, was something I would never have thought of.


    It was a n.


    A n that could bring this entire city to the grounds.


    *****


    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I were on the school rooftop, exchanging the information we had found today in our free time, regarding techniques to unseal memories. None of us three had found anything useful, but that was obvious from the beginning. Xuan Kai probably already knew this when he assigned us this hopeless task.


    But then, where was he now? This morning, he had said he wouldn''t be present for the usual meeting we had after school, but hadn''t gone into any specifics. No doubt, the other two girls beside me right now were also thinking the same thing.


    The three of us sat in an awkward silence, each having our own thoughts. The only useful chat we''ve had sinceing here was Feng Mian exining to me the meaning of that tattoo my uncle had describedst night. Apparently, it represented the mass organized crime group, the Midnight Syndicate.


    Soon enough, though, we settled into silence and stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. I decided to break it. However, just as I was about to bring up the topic of Xuan Kai''s absence...


    The door leading to the rooftop swung open. "Guys. We need to talk," a boy with ck hair emerged out of it, panting and sweating bullets.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    I raced up the stairs leading to the rooftop, where I knew Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and Yu An Xue would be waiting. Having finally reached the metal doors, I pushed it open with great effort and immediately took a couple breathers.


    "Guys. We need to talk," I panted, wiping some sweat from my forehead.


    The three girls all blinked at me a couple times in surprise, but eventually came back to their senses.


    "Didn''t you say you weren''t going to be here today...?" Feng Mian questioned, puzzled.


    "Never mind that. I have something I need to show you all," I replied, avoiding the question.


    I then took out the papers I had kept within my jean pockets, and showed them to the three girls.


    "What are these...?" Yu An Xue murmured quietly, but her eyes soon widened as she finally noticed what it was.


    Qing Yue and Feng Mian soon followed on the uptake, and all of our expressions grew dark.


    "Where did you find these, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, furrowing her brows. "These papers aren''t the type to just be lying around somewhere."


    I took a deep breath, and exined what I did today. "The truth is, I went to the Midnight Syndicate''sir today, while you guys were discussing memory sealing techniques up here. Don''t feel bad if you didn''t find anything, it was just something I came up with on the spot to divert your attention."


    Then, turning to Feng Mian, I continued without letting them interrupt. "Feng Mian, it was the sameir you brought me to some time ago. Where your parents were kept."


    Feng Mian''s expression went from understanding, to shock, and finally, to anger. "Putting that aside...you did something off on your own again without telling me, didn''t you?"


    I averted my gaze. "Sorry, this was something I had to do alone. If I told you, you definitely would''ve forced me to let youe along."


    "You bet she would! I would too!" Qing Yue joined in.


    "I-I think you two are missing the point here..." I stammered.


    Luckily, Yu An Xue was there to back me up. "He''s right. We can figure out his unpleasant habit of doing everything aler. For now...we should probably report this to the IMF."


    W-Wait, ter''? I take back what I said about her backing me up.


    "The IMF? Hm...I suppose you''re right," Feng Mian appeared deep in thought, and soon gave a decisive nod. "Okay, should we go to the Shenzhen branch now, or...?"


    "J-Just hold on," I butted in. "We don''t know if this information is reliable or not yet."


    "But you said you found it in thatir of the Syndicate or whatever, right? So it''s gotta be valid info," Qing Yue argued.


    "That''s true, but it''s better to be 100% certain. It''s possible these papers are forged, and used to divert attention instead. One of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, lure the tiger off its mountainir," I replied.


    "So how do you propose we verify this information?" Feng Mian asked, still skimming over the papers with her eyes.


    I took out onest sheet of paper from my other pocket in reponse, and showed it to them. "This is a map of the entire city," I exined. Then, pointing to the many red circles on the map respectively, I continued. "See these? They are markings."


    "Markings? For what?" Yu An Xue asked, and Feng Mian and Qing Yue seemed to have the same inquiry.


    I sighed. How had they not noticed this yet...?


    I sighed and answered darkly.


    "...For the Midnight Syndicate''sirs. Here in Shenzhen."

 Chapter 44 - The Search (1)

    There were 8irs marked in total on the map of Shenzhen created by the Midnight Syndicate. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and I decided to investigate each one. Reason being, it was highly likely that the man who had captured Yu An Yan was the boss of all of the Midnight Syndicate members here in Shenzhen, so it made sense for him to also have air. If this n worked out, it would be two birds with one stone - we would both verify the legitimacy of this battle n, and also save Yu An Yan in the process.


    I had proposed we investigate each one on our own in order to save time, but apparently the other three girls thought it was too dangerous. Thus, we decided to search eachir together. There wasn''t a specific date listed on the battle n documents, but that is precisely the reason I want to get this over with as soon as possible. The Midnight Syndicate could attack in a month, a week, perhaps even tomorrow. We had no way to know.


    We also asked for assistance from the Yu family, and the patriarch generously epted our request. We now had a dozen or so Advanced Mages at our call.


    I took the day off today, since I knew there was going to be a Magic Training ss. For the record, that''s what I''ve been doing ever since the Awakening Orb incident. It was just a precaution to...avoid causing more drama.


    As a side note, the principal also made sure not to spread around my performance at the duel with Feng Mian to anyone, but there were plenty of students watching live at the time, and so this procedure was not very likely to work. The Yu family didn''t seem to know anything about it though. They still thought I was just a magic-less trash.


    *****


    - After School -


    It was time. I met up with Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and Yu An Xue just outside the front gates of our school, and began heading to the nearestir location. Out of the 8 different locations marked on the map, 7 were in the slums of Shenzhen, which made sense. The dark and narrow alleyways provided an ideal ce to hide. But the 8th one...it was marked as somewhere INSIDE the Coastal Metropolis.


    There are a few reasons why this is suspicious. For one, considering how popted the ce is with people going in and out constantly, it would be near impossible to hide a Midnight Syndicateir in there. What''s more, the security around that ce is insane as well, since the Four Great Families of Shenzhen all had their manors rtively close to the area.


    Thus, this location was the least likely to be the headquarters (here in Shenzhen, anyway. The Midnight Syndicate''s true headquarters has to be far bigger than this.) of the Midnight Syndicate.


    But at the same time...defying logic, it also seemed to be the most likely. Perhaps their was hidden in in sight? That certainly could work, though it definitely would be difficult.


    In any case, the four of us decided to save that one forst. And with that, we headed off to the slums of Shenzhen, once more.


    *****


    - At the first base, somewhere within the slums -


    "...It should be here," I murmured, eyes darting back and forth between the map I held in my hands and the solid wall in front of me.


    "But it''s just a stone wall...?" Yu An Xue arched an eyebrow, skeptical of my conclusion.


    Feng Mian and I exchanged nces, and we both smirked. "Just watch and learn," Feng Mian said smugly.


    I closed my eyes and began channeling my mana. After several milliseconds, it wasplete, and I snapped them back open. "Level One Light Magic - Dispel."


    A familiar bright light illuminated my surroundings once more, and when it dispersed, a narrow stairway leading downwards had reced the stone wall. The entire process had little to no differencepared to the one Feng Mian''s parents had been kept in. For the record, we were skipping that one. It was originally going to be the 4th one on the list, but since I had already investigated it, there was no need to do so again.


    Yu An Xue and Qing Yue blinked a couple of times to make sure what they were seeing in front of them was real. It was at that moment that the guards sent by the Yu family arrived on scene, and we prepared to go in.


    I headed in first, and Feng Mian was next. Yu An Xue and Qing Yue camest, along with the Advanced Mage guards we received from the Yu family patriarch.


    The endless staircase down took quite a while, but by this point, I was used to it already. Takefort in knowing that the way up will be ten times worse. Wait...that''s not reallyfort, is it? Oh well.


    We reached the bottom, and theyout was very simr to their I had been in before. There was also a massive door that was locked byrge steel chains with a lock in the middle, and I used the same technique I had used in order to get Feng Mian''s parents out of the cell without hurting them from a st - Metal Morph.


    But this time, I wasn''t the one to actually do it. I didn''t want the Yu family guards to find out I can use magic now, and every single element at that. Instead, I just casually listed this as a viable strategy, and got one of the guards that had a Metal Element affinity to do it.


    The three girls seemed to understand my purpose in doing so, and hence didn''t say anything unnecessary. I''m honestly pretty shocked that Yu An Xue was helping to hide my secret from her own family, but I''m notining.


    The guard was soon finished with getting rid of the lock, and all of us piled into the room. Even the interior of this ce was very simr to the one I had just visited yesterday. That only helped confirm the validity of this map.


    "There''s nothing even in here," the guard muttered angrily. Then, turning to me, he yelled haughtily. "Oi, you talentless waste, there aren''t any enemies here that your weak ass needs us to protect you from. Can we go now?"


    I bit back my anger and was about to respond calmly, but was interrupted by Yu An Xue.


    "Watch your tone." Yu An Xue red at the guard who had just spoken. "He''s the one who got us in here in the first ce."


    She looked like she wanted to say more, but after ncing at me, she swallowed the words back down her throat. I''m guessing it was something along the lines of ''besides, he can single-handedly obliterate all of you.'' 12 Advanced Mages...I should be able to beat them as I am now if all 12 aren''t exceptional talents like my parents were, but even then it would certainly prove difficult. I definitely wouldn''t survive unscathed. In conclusion, she was overestimating me. But not by too much.


    The guard seemed shocked at the young heiress''s defending tone, but still reluctantly cowered back and murmured a slight apology, though not before giving me a re.


    I sighed. I was already used to this type of treatment, so there was no need for Yu An Xue to defend me like that. But nheless, it felt good having someone back you up.


    I instructed another guard with a Light Element affinity to cast Dispel on the area, and once more, a trapdoor appeared below us. The previous guard that had shouted at me averted my gaze when I turned to look at him with a smug expression.


    But just as the guard who had cast Dispel lowered himself and opened the trapdoor-


    "Look out!" a voice shouted. No one could tell who the sayer was. Because that was not important.


    Everyone''s eyes were focused on the guard who had opened the trapdoor. Just a few minutes ago, he had beenughing and trash-talking with his friends in the guard team.


    ...And now, he was pinned to the wall, impaled by a massive blue skewer of ice, painted crimson red with his blood.

 Chapter 45 - The Search (2)

    The guards panicked. Their eyes were glued to the corpse of their formerpanion, now transfixed by a massive ice skewer.


    "Tch..." I muttered under my breath. Then, raising my voice, I called out to the guards to get their attention again. "He''s dead! Focus on the enemy in front of you!"


    Just as I was saying that, multiple figures in dark cloaks began climbing out of the trapdoor, and before the guards could even react, all kinds of attacks shot out and immediately turned the area into a bloody battlefield.


    "You guys are too fuckin'' loud! Ahahaha!" one of them shouted.


    In an instant, several of the Advanced Mage guards dropped to the floor, dead. Not even knowing what killed them. Atst, the guards came back to their senses and hurriedly began casting return fire.


    I internally debated whether or not to help. Using magic here would expose the truth about myself to the Yu family, but...


    In the end, I settled on only helping if it seems necessary. I didn''t sense an aura from any of the Midnight Syndicate members, so most likely none of them are very strong.


    Yu An Xue, Feng Mian, and Qing Yue all helped out though. We had the advantage in numbers, and before long, the Midnight Syndicate members were wiped out. That didn''t mean we didn''t suffer any losses, but Qing Yue did the best she could to heal the injured and pray for the dead.


    The guards all eyed me with looks of disgust (probably for not helping at all during the fight), but I ignored them. I didn''t care if one or two guards died. Keeping my secret was more important.


    I bent down on one of the Midnight Syndicate members'' corpses. I ripped off his sleeve, and narrowed my eyes at the tattoo on his arm.


    "This was just confirming my suspicions, but..." I trailed off. "Take a look."


    I motioned for the three girls to look at the arm. None of the three feared corpses or anything like that, which surprised me just a little. I had seen too much bloodshed ever since I was young, so I was used to it. But for people who''ve lived in a rtively safe environment most of their lives, it took an inner strength to be able to view such bloody scenes in real life without cowering in fear, especially for girls.


    "It really was the Midnight Syndicate after all, then..." Feng Mian muttered quietly.


    Yu An Xue clenched her fists, but said nothing. She didn''t need to. It was clear what she was thinking right now - revenge.


    We all piled into the room below, with the trapdoor now out of the way. The inside was different to the other secret room I had been in before. Considering this room was essentially the Midnight Syndicate members'' ''living quarters'' though, this really wasn''t all too surprising. Everyone had different tastes as to how they wanted their home to look.


    In this room, however, there weren''t any infinite-usagemps or whatever. Instead, they had a normal electricmp, plugged in to the wall. It seemed that not just anyone in the Midnight Syndicate could get their hands on such an expensive Magic Artifact. The man from before who had it also had air of his own, so he was probably a somewhat high-ranking member in the organization.


    Thisir was definitely more spaciouspared to the one I had been in before, which also made sense since it housed around a dozen people. But even so, I spotted what I was looking for immediately, spread out around on arge circr table in the middle of the room.


    I picked up the several sheets of paper spread across the table untidily, and examined them one by one.


    After a while, I sighed. "Yeah...these are identical to the ones I got from the otherir."


    I then handed the papers out to the girls, who also looked closely through them.


    Having reached the same conclusion as me, we all agreed to head to the next location.


    *****


    - Several Hours Later -


    After 5 repeats of doing the same thing, atst only the 8th and finalir, located at the Coastal Metropolis - one of the most crowded and active areas in all of Shenzhen - remained.


    The 5irs we investigated after the first one were all pretty much indistinguishable from each other. The processes of extermination were as well. We cast Dispel, went in, cast Metal Morph, went in further, cast Dispel again, and wiped out the Midnight Syndicate members.


    Only difference was, our numbers grew less and less every time. And now, only Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and I remained. The guards had all perished. Luckily for me, the guard that survived the longest just happened to have both Metal and Light element affinity, so I didn''t have to use magic at all during this whole excursion.


    Soon enough, we arrived at the Costal Metropolis, and as expected, it was bustling with people. All four of us highly doubted there would be air hidden somewhere here, but since the map has proven correct for the past 6 times, we still decided to give it a search.


    The four of us couldn''t even split apart to save time, since I didn''t have a valid means of long-distancemunication. The other three girls all had phones, but...


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, you really need to get a phone," Qing Yue had said shaking her head exasperatedly. "If you want, I can give my current one to you, and tell my family that I lost it, so they can buy me a new one."


    "N-No, it''s fine," I had replied. I wasn''t about to make Qing Yue do something like that for me. Though she was right, I really needed to get a phone. Feng Mian had also offered to just straight out buy me one, but I refused immediately. Getting a girl to buy me something? C''mon. Where would my pride as a healthy young man go?


    And so, the four of us proceeded together to search the massive mall.


    *****


    - Nearly An Hour Later -


    Four 14-year-olds sat together at a circr couch in the middle of a gigantic shopping mall.


    "Just like we had thought..." Feng Mian muttered, sighing. "There''s no way a Midnight Syndicateir would be here!"


    She raised her voice near the end, and several people sitting close to us turned towards us with puzzled expressions. Feng Mian, sensing this,ughed awkwardly and made an apologetic gesture with her hands.


    "Haiz...we''ve been looking around for almost an hour now. Should we just give up and head back to campus?" Qing Yue seemed extremely tired, and was already asking to go back.


    "I concur. The probability of there being air here was infinitesimally low in the first ce." Even Yu An Xue seemed to agree. "Besides, even if there was, it would most likely be hidden in in sight, in which case we would never find out its exact location."


    I nodded along to all three of their conclusions, and began to feel like giving up myself. Standing up, I gave my opinion. "...You''re right. Let''s head-"


    "Is there anything I can help you with?" a deep and mature male voice, like that of a king, interrupted.


    I leapt away and turned around immediately, shocked. He had came up behind me without any of us noticing. The three girls seemed surprised as well, as they didn''t realize his presence at all. It was as if he had been there all this time, just hidden from view. This stranger had to be extremely skilled in Shadow magic to be able to do that. I gave a deep re at the man in front of me, tinged with killing intent.


    He wore a luxurious suit and refined ck pants, in stark contrast to my ck hoodie and ripped jeans. "Ah...forgive me, did I frighten you?" he asked with a fake act ofpassion.


    "...You appeared behind me out of nowhere, and you''re asking if you surprised me?" I responded to his question with one of my own, tone dripping with venom.


    The man froze for a moment, but then put up a bright smile as if nothing had happened. "My apologies. It''s just that you looked deep in discussion, and I didn''t want to disturb you."


    "Tch...you''ve still disturbed us in the end..." I muttered.


    I was sure he heard it, but if so he didn''t show a reaction at all. Instead, he continued on, still wearing that fake smile of his. "It appears to me that you are searching for something."


    "It is none of your business," Yu An Xue cut in coldly.


    "H-Hey, Yu An Xue...you don''t need to be that cold," Feng Mian murmured quietly, tugging on Yu An Xue''s arm softly. "He''s just trying to help, I think..."


    "I thank you for your understanding, finedy," the man got down on one knee and suddenly took Feng Mian''s hand. He then nted a kiss on it before any of us could react, which caused Feng Mian to yelp in surprise.


    She then pulled her hand away immediately and turned to ME while blushing furiously, for some reason.


    "I-It isn''t what you think, Xuan Kai! This is, um-"


    But before she could finish, the man spoke again, now on his feet once more. "Now then...do you mind telling me what exactly it is you are searching for?"


    Yu An Xue opened her mouth to reject his offer once more, but I silenced her with a look that said, ''Leave it to me''.


    "I understand, you need to know in order to pinpoint its location for us. Sorry, but we can''t tell you what we''re looking for," I answered. And just as he was about to reply, I continued. "However...we do have something that may serve the same purpose."


    The man grinned slightly. "That''s what I like to hear. Show me the map."


    I smiled devilishly. He had fallen right into the trap I had set. He was strong in magic, but not very bright, it seems. Not leaving him a chance to change his mind, I sealed his fate.


    "...How do you know we have a map?"

 Chapter 46 - Ghosteye

    "...How do you know we have a map?" I asked with a smug grin on my face.


    The smile on his face faltered for a second, and he froze in ce, but soon put up his kind mask once more.


    "Whatever could you mean?" the man asked with a smile so wide his eyes turned to slits. "You had said that you had something that may serve, so the first assumption that came to mind was a map."


    I smirked. He was going to continue this act, I suppose. The girls seemed to have caught on to this as well.


    "Not necessarily," I replied. "I could''ve meant some sort of tracking device, for example."


    "Besides, we never said whether we were looking for a ce or an object. Why did you automatically assume it was a location we were searching for?" Yu An Xue added.


    The man''s smile quickly diminished as his expression now resembled a scowl. "I see...you had set up that trap on purpose."


    I said nothing, and merely smiled just as widely as he had a few moments ago in response.


    "You''re more clever than I thought, boy," the man continued. "But that won''t help you against me."


    I narrowed my eyes. He was an enemy, alright. But I didn''t know who. "Who are you?"


    The man smiled once more, this time in a devilish fashion. "Heheh...you may call me Ghosteye. Think of this as a token of my sincerity. Not just anyone can call me that, you know...not even the head elder of the Yu family..."


    Yu An Xue widened her eyes at the mention of her uncle. "You have some sort of connection with my unc-" she paused, correcting herself. "-the former head elder?!"


    "Yu An Xue. We''re in public," I muttered, giving her a re. I didn''t know who could be listening, and this was confidential information we were discussing.


    She received my message and backed down, apologetic.


    I understood her impatiency though. This was regarding her own family, after all.


    "You mentioned something about sincerity. What do you mean by that, Ghosteye?" I asked, keeping my tone low.


    The man nced around at our surroundings, and expertly avoided the question. "Let''s move somewhere more...private, shall we?"


    The three girls seemed nervous at this invitation, but I epted. "Deal. But not today. It''s nearing curfew for us."


    "Hm...how about tomorrow at 6 PM, then? At the restaurant over there," he said, pointing at the second floor of the Coastal Metropolis Central Mall. There was a food court there, with countless different restaurants, from cheap to luxurious.


    "Which one in particr?" Qing Yue asked. "There''re dozens of them up there in the food court."


    The man turned around, and as he began to walk away, he gave his answer.


    "The Midnight Lily. See you there."


    *****


    "The Midnight Lily, huh?" I muttered quietly to myself as the four of us walked back to school together. Lots of other boys stared at me in jealousy on the way back (since I''m walking together with the 3 top beauties of Shenzhen), but I ignored their envious gazes. Not important.


    "About that man..." Yu An Xue began, looking towards me. "He said something about my uncle. You don''t think...?"


    I nodded, immediately understanding her concern. "That man...is almost certainly the same one that invaded the Yu family and took away your sister all those years ago. He certainly has the strength to do it, based on his aura. It was in no way inferior to our principal, Song Qian Long''s."


    Yu An Xue averted her gaze and stared forward, at nothing in particr. She clenched her fists tightly, a deep look of hatred in her eyes.


    "He''s on the same level as the Dragon of Shenzhen?" Qing Yue asked, surprised. The Dragon of Shenzhen was a nickname for Song Qian Long, and his unsurpassed dominance in Shenzhen. The ''Long'' in his name meant Dragon, so it made sense.


    "He was able to appear behind me in an instant, not even giving me a chance to react, much less notice his presence. My senses have always been sharp, yet they didn''t stand a chance against his cloaking ability," I exined. "His strength is clear."


    "If that''s the case...then why did you ept his invitation?" Feng Mian asked, scratching her head slightly. "It''s almost certainly a trap."


    "There''s a saying called ''turning your opponent''s trick against them''," I replied calmly. "We''ll beat him at his own game."


    *****


    - The Next Day, After School -


    The four of us met outside the front gates once more, and headed off to the Coastal Metropolis. Our destination this time was a restaurant by the name of The Midnight Lily, located in the 2nd floor of the central mall.


    We soon arrived at the familiar entrance of the Central Mall, and quickly headed upstairs without any hesitation. I nced at Qing Yue''s phone. 5:58 PM. We should be able to make it.


    The four of us entered the food court and Qing Yue led us to the restaurant by the name of The Midnight Lily. She was familiar with the Coastal Metropolis, having been here many times before (or so she imed).


    The Midnight Lily looked more or less like a normal restaurant. I say ''more or less'', because it had a dark and creepy theme that didn''t exactly wee customers. At the same time, however, a delicious and inviting aroma could be smelled from where I was standing, 10 meters away from the front of the joint. It was contradictory, yes, yet somehow drew people in with that very same paradox.


    Then, suddenly, a figure appeared behind me, and the chill that went up my back was familiar, though I didn''t want it to be. I breathed in and out twice to calm down, and spun around to face the man.


    "Oho...you managed to notice me this time, without me saying anything," the man said.


    "I would be dead by now, had you really wanted to kill me," I said in return, giving a re full of killing intent.


    "Ahahaha!" heughed loudly. "Well then...let''s get a move on, shall we? Follow me." the man neither confirmed nor denied my statement, and merely beckoned us to follow him into a narrow corridor to the right of the restaurant. From what I could see, the path took a left, circling around to the back.


    This was a dangerous decision. No one knew where he would take us. And with his strength, he could easily defeat all four of us even if we came at him together, not to mention he surely has backup.


    Besides, it wasn''t just me operating alone. The lives of those three girls behind me rested on my shoulders right now. I had to consider this carefully. If I decided to back out now, we may never find the culprit to Yu An Yan''s disappearance years ago, and the solution to her current state with a shattered mind, filled with pieces of memories unable to put together. On the other hand, we would be safe from danger. For the time being, at least.


    But with great riskes great reward. I took a deep breath, and gave my answer.


    "Lead the way, Ghosteye."

 Chapter 47 - The Eighth Lair

    We followed Ghosteye into the narrow corridor that seemed to take a left at the end. There was a door with an electronic lock guarding it, but Ghosteye had already disabled those beforehand.


    As expected, we took a left, and soon stopped at another door on the left-hand side of the hallway. This one was locked as well, but not with an electronic look. It was instead secured with a magic array, simr to the ones used on the school dorm rooms (except for mine).


    Ghosteye, who was probably the owner of this lock, unlocked it with ease and the five of us entered the room.


    I widened my eyes as I realized what it was. "This is..."


    Ghosteye, seeing my reaction, nodded. "Indeed. The restaurant kitchen."


    "Why have you brought us here?" Feng Mian asked, skeptical. The back kitchen of a restaurant...not really the ce for a private conversation. Employees were all around, since it was working hours still.


    "This is what you have been searching for all this time," he cackled. The man then spread his arms out wide, and made a weing gesture as the four of us made puzzled expressions.


    "Wee,dies and gentleman, to the Shenzhen headir of the Midnight Syndicate."


    *****


    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    This was it. The headir of the Midnight Syndicate here in Shenzhen. And this man - Ghosteye - was the culprit who took my precious sister away from me 8 years ago.


    Their really was hidden in in sight. Not really, since it was impossible to see the back kitchen from the outside, but still. I hate to admit it, but it was impressive they managed to avoid being found out all this time. Had The Midnight Lily always been their base, or did they just recently take over? Either way, it was a brilliant feat. I shouldn''t underestimate the Midnight Syndicate.


    Anger was boiling inside of me, but when I saw Xuan Kai not fazed one bit by this shocking revtion, I secretly admired his ability to remain calm, and decided to try and learn from him.


    "...I see," Xuan Kai replied indifferently. "But this kitchen clearly isn''t the true appearance of their. So why don''t you get rid of this farce already?"


    I blinked. True appearance? Farce? What did he mean...?


    Ghosteye thenughed out loud, and called upon one of the workers there. "You heard him, Cobra. Get rid of the illusion. Oh, and don''t forget to disable any traps."


    Illusion? Traps...? This conversation was moving so quick I couldn''t even keep up.


    Ghosteye then turned to Xuan Kai and smiled warmly. "You certainly are a clever one, perhaps even more so than I had thought. My judgement has not failed me. Tell me, boy, how did you find out?"


    I wanted to know this as well. How was he always one step ahead...?


    Xuan Kai gave a shrug in response. "It was fairly obvious. For one, this kitchen looks too spotless. A real back kitchen, no matter how much cleaning one does, could never be this immacte."


    "Hm...I''ll keep that in mind," Ghosteye murmured to himself, genuinely taking this as feedback.


    "If you want any more advice, you''ll have to pay me," Xuan Kai continued nonchntly.


    "Hahaha! You are not just witty, but quite the jokester as well!" Ghosteyeughed heartily. Then, in a serious tone, he added, "In fact, I do have an offer for you in mind..."


    Xuan Kai arched an eyebrow and prompted him to go on.


    The man smiled devilishly andplied. "As you wish."


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "My proposal for you is simple and straight-forward: Join us."


    "Come again?" I replied, not sure what I heard was right.


    "Join the Midnight Syndicate. I promise you a life of fortune and glory. With your abilities, you can easily make it to a position of my level if not higher," Ghosteye exined.


    It took all I had not to burst outughing. Who the hell did he think he was, to recruit me into that bullshit organization of theirs?


    "Was this the reason you showed me your ''sincerity'' yesterday?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.


    "Indeed. I have been watching you for a while now, and your strength and intelligence are both nothing short of remarkable."


    I smirked. I wasn''t nning on joining them whatsoever...but this may be a good opportunity to get some valuable information.


    "Hm...let''s discuss this deeper in, in your actual domain," I said, pointing at a door that had appeared in the wall after the employee named Cobra had removed the illusion cast over it.


    The three girls stared at me with different expressions as I said this. Two with shock, one with confusion. The one with a puzzled expression was Qing Yue. She probably understood my intentions, but notpletely, hence the confusion. Feng Mian and Yu An Xue were just pure shocked, seeing me actually considering their offer (not that I was).


    However, that was soon resolved as I noticed the two girls'' expressions soften, while Qing Yue appeared concentrated. My guess was that she had used Telepathy, a Level One Psychic Element spell. It allowed for the user to transmit messages directly into specific targets'' heads, but the consumption of mana was greater the more recipients there were and the longer the transmission was.


    At Level One, you could only send one message. At Level Two, you would be able to have a brief back and forth conversation. The recipients are not required to have Psychic Element magic to do so - all they have to do is think of a reply in their heads and the original sender would receive it.


    I didn''t know when Qing Yue had learnt this skill, but it was certainly useful. I would have to ask herter. She had two elements (prior to awakening Light) - Blessing and Psychic - but had always been better with the former. She never really paid attention to her Psychic Element affinity, so I wondered what caused her to suddenly learn such a spell.


    But now was not the time for that. The four of us followed Ghosteye once more into the door, and what awaited us at the end of the path was a dark andrge room, illuminated only by 8 ghostlynterns. There were 4 on each side, between them a ck carpet leading up to a simrly colored throne, engraved with skulls.


    "This is more like it..." I muttered to myself. This fit in a lot more with the rest of theirs we visited.


    As soon as we entered the room, however, Yu An Xue stopped. I nced back at her in confusion, and she met my gaze.


    "This...I can smell my sister''s scent in here," she said, voice quivering.


    I narrowed my eyes and moved closer to her, leaning in to her right ear.


    "Don''t let it show," I whispered quietly. She nodded frantically and I moved away as if nothing had happened. It would be problematic if Ghosteye found out that we already knew his-


    "Since we''re already in here...why don''t we drop the act?" Ghosteye twisted around suddenly and I realized that his entire appearance had CHANGED.


    He now wore a ck mask, simr to the one I had broken before during the fight for Feng Mian''s parents'' freedom. His originally fancy tuxedo had been reced by a dark cloak.


    "Your assumptions were correct. Yu An Xue, I am the one who captured your sister 8 years ago, and used Curse Magic on her. And...I am also the one who holds the key to her memories." Ghosteye sneered as the loud nk of a door mming shut rang out behind us.


    "You have two options here, Xuan Kai," Ghosteye directed his gaze at me,pletely neglecting the other three. "One - you join the Midnight Syndicate and I''ll free Yu An Xue''s sister from the curse, or two you be my puppet, just like Amethyst. What will it be?"


    I smirked deviously. He was strong, sure. But not strong enough that I couldn''t defeat him.


    "Kukuku...I choose option three," I responded with a cackle.


    Ghosteye furrowed his brows in confusion. "Huh? You only have two optio-"


    "Perhaps I wasn''t clear enough," I interrupted, and cleared my throat. "I choose option three - erasing you from this world."

 Chapter 48 - Operation: Unshackled - Phase I

    "Hahahaha! Very amusing indeed!" Ghosteye jeered. "Erasing me from this world? With only the four of you? Surely you jest!"


    "We''ll see," I replied stoically, without emotion. I began concentrating my mana, and prepared for the fight that was about toe.


    *****


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    Uh, what is going on?! Xuan Kai agreed toe in here, and now we''re suddenly fighting Ghosteye?! Didn''t he say Ghosteye was on the same level as our principal, meaning he is at least ate Golden Monarch stage?!


    No matter how powerful Xuan Kai was, he couldn''t possibly defeat a Golden Monarch, who could cast Legendary-Tier spells! Not to mention battle souls, which were known as an extremely overpowered skill to have!


    I didn''t know what he was thinking, but...he usually had a n...I think? Last time, in the alleyway, he had even fooled me. But I didn''t think the boy before me was just an illusion this time. He was here, in the flesh, and perfectly capable of dying.


    I had seen Xuan Kai''s power before. Yes, he could use every element. Yes, he somehow amplified the power of his spells as if it was second nature to him. Yes, his magic was unique and a different color scheme from anyone else''s. But even so, could he defeat a mage 4 levels above him? Xuan Kai''s power in reality was probably equivalent to that of ate-stage Advanced Mage, but formally he was still considered merely a Novice Mage. He didn''t stand a chance against a Golden Monarch.


    The only thing that could defeat a Golden Monarch, was...another Golden Monarch.


    But well, either way, I would do what I can to support him. I concentrated my mana and prepared myself. That''s the job of an ally, after all. J-Just an ally, nothing more, o-okay?!


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus," I chanted calmly, raising my right hand and directing it towards Ghosteye, standing in front of me.


    I couldn''t see his expression thanks to the mask, but I was pretty sure he was smirking inside. As the lotus-shaped me was about to hit its mark, the man disappeared. I looked around patiently, waiting for him toe out.


    "Where did he go?" Feng Mian asked, frantically turning her head left and right, hands at the ready for casting magic.


    The other two girls seemed equally on alert, and narrowed their eyes. We gradually came close together, forming a square. Each of us had our backs to one another, and covered one direction. I was responsible for the front, where the throne sat. Feng Mian was the left, Qing Yue was the right, and Yu An Xue watched my back.


    "Hahahaha! Wondering where I am, are you?" a voice hollered arrogantly.


    I grinned. "You''re a Shadow Magic expert, this is no surprise at all."


    I said this casually, but in reality I was still on my toes. I couldn''t afford to let my guard down. This is the Midnight Syndicate we were dealing with. And besides...I have to keep my act up. One wrong step, and this entire n goes to waste.


    "So you realize how advantageous this scenario is for me, at least!" against bellowed mockingly. "Well? Have you reconsidered?"


    "No, not at all," I replied with a bright smile.


    "Guess I''ll have to force you to, then!" the man said with augh.


    Suddenly, I felt the air grow thin, and I immediately realized what it was.


    "Sky Magic, huh..." I muttered under my breath.


    "Already having trouble breathing, are you?" Ghosteye scoffed. "Last chance before I suck all the air in this room dry!"


    Of course, he would leave some air for himself to breathe. But we wouldn''t be able to ess it, and therefore die fromck of oxygen eventually.


    That is, if I didn''t do anything about it.


    I looked behind me at the three girls, who seemed to be having trouble. None of the three had a Sky element aptitude, and hence couldn''t do anything in this situation. The best Yu An Xue could do was create a water bubble around us, but that would run out of oxygen eventually as well.


    I sighed and closed my eyes. I searched my memory for any Sky Element spells that would help us here.


    And...found it.


    "Level One Sky Magic - Wind Barrier."


    I set up walls of wind all around us, and above us as well. We were now enclosed within a cube made of air. And with that...


    "Generate: Air."


    The Generate spell family was one that had spells in different elements. It was a simple but useful spell. You could create fires, water, air, rocks, and such with it. It was perfect for this scenario. It didn''t consume much mana either, and I had a good amount of mana left in my storage. Besides, even if I ran out, I could just get one of the girls to cast a spell, or absorb any spells Ghosteye sends towards us.


    "Hm...Generate, is it?" Ghosteye murmured, but to us it sounded like a megaphone, his voice resounding across the dimly illuminated hall. "Very well. If you are insistent on CREATING more...then I''ll just have to TAKE MORE!"


    I winced as I felt the suction force be stronger, but luckily my wind barriers held up. I quickly strengthened them once more.


    "U-Um, do you need me to put up an ice wall as well...?" Feng Mian asked hesitantly.


    "No need. I wouldn''t be able to see the outside if you used ice," I replied.


    After a while, the suction stopped, and Ghosteye appeared shocked. "Impossible..." he gasped. "How can a mere level one wind barrier hold up against my Oxygen Drain...?"


    "Kuku...look closer," Iughed darkly.


    Ghosteye seemed to be listening, since wind barriers were not soundproof.


    "What is this...? A ck wind wall? And red?"


    "Why don''t you show yourself and have a proper fight with me?" I baited. "Tell you what - if you win, I will dly serve under you. I respect strength, after all."


    "Ahahaha! Very well! I have indeed not chosen wrong. You are worthy of bing my disciple."


    <em>More like your puppet...</em>


    But I didn''t say that out loud. After a while, Ghosteye appeared before my eyes once more, sitting on the throne. It was instant, like he had been there all along. How much mastery did you need to be able to use a certain element to such a stage?


    I got rid of the wind barriers around us, and the three girls looked on nervously as I approached Ghosteye. As I got closer, an invisible force suddenly struck me from above, its aim forcing me to kneel. I smirked and discretely cast my own magic without an incantation to stop that from happening.


    Using your hands to direct your magic wasn''t necessary, but it was a good idea to do so until you reached the Ancestral Mage level, since anyone before that didn''t have absolute control of their own mana nor enough experience yet. Using your hands to aim your spells was safer, lest your magic run wild and identally hit an innocent person or object.


    Incantations, on the other hand, were needed depending on the person. Some people unlocked the ability to cast magic without a chant at the Novice Mage level, while others had to wait until being an Ancestral Mage to be capable of doing so. I had never done this before, but it seemed I could, thanks to this little experiment.


    As a general rule of thumb, the earlier you unlocked this ability, the more talented you were. Most people had to reach the Ancestral Mage to learn how to cast spells without an incantation, and even then it was rare. Out of the entire world, maybe 1% of the people could do so. Out of that 1%, the ones who actively <em>chose</em>to actually do so were even fewer, as chanting your spell out loud provides more stability and power to your mana, making your spells slightly stronger.


    All you had to do was picture the incantation in your head strongly enough, let your mana run throughout your body, and it would cast the spell.


    In this case, I cast Wind Palm, a Level One Sky Magic spell that sent a gushing invisible force of wind at someone. Normally, this spell was extremely weak and was used more for daily activity and convenience than fighting, but with my mysterious power that could amplify my magic to be at least two times as strong as anyone else''s, this spell was enough to push back Ghosteye''s. I let the mana flow out from my back, and directed it upwards with my mind.


    It worked exactly as nned, and I continued walking on the ck carpet, getting closer and closer to Ghosteye.


    He didn''t show a reaction at my unfazed expression, but I knew that deep inside he was shocked at how easily I repelled his attack.


    I nced up to stare at him in the eye slits of his mask. "Now then...shall we begin?"

 Chapter 49 - Operation: Unshackled - Phase II

    "Level Two Sky Magic - Thunder sh!" Ghosteye yelled as he spread his arms wide and looked up to the sky.


    Immediately, several purple and deadly lightning bolts struck down from the sky, which was weird, since we were supposed to be in an enclosed room. He must''ve created the lightning bolts himself, not called upon the sky to do it for him. Either way, I evaded them easily.


    "You aren''t the only one that can use Shadow Magic, y''know..." I whispered.


    If I hid myself within the shadows using Vanishing Shadows, the lightning bolts would not be able to hit me. Inside the shadows was a separate world of nothingness, in which any other element''s attacks cannot enter except for Light magic, and of course - Shadow Magic itself.


    "Ah...you can use Shadow Magic as well? Interesting!" Ghosteye bellowed with augh. "I''m very curious...just how many elements can you use?"


    I smirked. "Why don''t you find out, then?"


    "Hahaha! Very well!" he replied, andunched another barrage of electricity unto me.


    The reason I was hiding and avoiding his attacks instead of directly consuming them and turning them into mana I could use, was that I didn''t want him to know all my tricks.


    In the slight chance that he does escape from here somehow, perhaps with a Magic Artifact or whatnot, I wouldn''t want him to be spreading the word about my abilities. That would certainly cause a lot of trouble. Thus, I decided to save my consumption skill as ast resort. My mana was looking good so far, so I didn''t have to worry about that. But even so....he was a Golden Monarch, bound to have more mana than I did. This was slowly turning into a battle of endurance, which I did not wish for.


    "Hey now, this is getting boring," I taunted as I zoomed between the shadows. "We could go on forever like this. Where would be the fun in that?"


    Ghosteye stopped his attacks for a moment, and seemed to consider my proposal. "You are indeed correct! What do you suggest we do then?"


    This man was really an idiot. But I wasn''tining.


    "Come at me with your full power. Use whatever other elements you have up your sleeve. That would certainly spice things up, don''t you think?"


    Now then...if he agreed to th-


    "Hahaha! Fine! Just beware that you might die in the process!" Ghosteye gave his reply almost instantly, and I didn''t know whether tough or sigh and shake my head.


    He then made some weird gestures with his hands, and chanted a spell I never would''ve expected.


    "Level One Necromancy Magic - Skeleton Summon!"


    I winced. Necromancy...a Dark Magic element. I hadpletely forgotten it was said that all Midnight Syndicate members possess Dark Magic. However...if skeletons are the best minions he could summon-


    "Level Two Necromancy Magic - Wraith Summon!"


    "Level Two Necromancy Magic - Revenant Summon!"


    "Level Three Necromancy Magic - Acolyte Summon!"


    Hey, hey now....


    This wasn''t just one or two skeletons.


    This was an entire necromantic army.


    Skeletons to scout, wraiths for ranged attacks, revenants as footsoldiers, and acolytes as healers.


    This was a force capable of defeating a real army, let alone just me.


    *****


    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    Necromancy Magic. The element of bringing the dead back to life.


    Perhaps that is a misconception. It doesn''t bring the dead back to life - it brings the dead back to the world of the living, but the dead will always remain dead. What necromancy really is, is using the dead as servants to do your bidding, and not letting them ever get peace.


    Therefore, it wasbeled as a type of Dark Magic.


    ...And the Midnight Syndicate specialized, in Dark Magic.


    Before me, the once seemingly huge yet empty room was now filled to the brim with undead soldiers, healers, and mages alike. It was an entire necromantic army, and we were the ones that had to fight it.


    I looked to Xuan Kai, and even his usual calm expression seemed to be in a grimace.


    But surprisingly, that grimace soon faded away, and a devilish smile appeared on his face once more.


    "Sky, Shadow, and Necromancy...are those the only elements you have?" Xuan Kai asked in a haughty tone, as if looking down on the person he was saying this to.


    Ghosteyeughed and spoke threateningly. "They are all I need...to make you cower in fear."


    Xuan Kai merely shrugged at the malice in his tone, and continued. "But I''m not cowering in fear right now, am I?"


    He gave off a very rxed and calm aura, as if he was resting at his own home. I couldn''t see Ghosteye''s expression through his mask, but this had to make him angry at least a little.


    "Heheheh...we''ll see about that," Ghosteye said darkly in reply.


    He raised his hand, and made a move-forward'' gesture with it, like a militarymander.


    And in response, the hundreds of undead soldiers in the room shrieked an ear-piercing battle cry, and came charging directly towards us.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    The skeletons were first, acting as scouts. Not for espionage, but to test our defense capabilities. The 3 girls, now standing on either sides of me, were at the ready to fight back against this dark force.


    No point in wasting all of our mana here, so I only had one person defend at a time if possible.


    I nodded towards Feng Mian, who gave a nod back in response, and began chanting. "Level One Ice Magic - Blizzard!"


    Immediately, a white nket of snow covered the area in front of us, along with a howling wind and raging blizzard that converted the entire room into a winter-likendscape.


    The skeletons, being too short, were buried underneath the snow, unable to budge an inch. The revenants and acolytes were much too tall to be buried, but even then their tracks would be slowed by the snow and wind blowing against them. Even the wraiths who hovered in the air would be blinded by the fluttering snowkes and slowed by the wind.


    "Nice work, Feng Mian," I remarked honestly.


    She blushed and looked away. "T-This is nothing..."


    A mass scale environmental spell like this used up a lot of mana, but it was worth it. It didn''t stop the undead armypletely, but with one spell, we had eliminated a full race from their troops and slowed the rest. A fair trade-off, even if Feng Mian had used up all of her mana with that one attack.


    "Hm...good move indeed. But you''ll need more than that to stop me!" Ghosteye dered arrogantly. "Move forward, my army!"


    A bloodthirsty battle cry resounded across the room once more, and I had Yu An Xue take care of them this time.


    "Level Two Water Magic - Aqua des!" Yu An Xue chanted.


    Multiple round discs made of water spinning at an insane speed formed around her, and sheunched them at the iing enemy. The discs danced between the revenants, who were crawling at the pace of a turtle thanks to the blizzard Feng Mian had set down. And before they could even react, two wraiths were dead, heads lopped cleanly off by Yu An Xue''s attack.


    But they didn''t stop there. After eliminating all the ranged attackers of the group, the discs came flying back around to the revenants, still moving like snails through the blizzard. They were wearing armor and had thicker skin than the wraiths, but even then it wasn''t enough to stop Yu An Xue''s spinning rings of death.


    "Level Two Magic, huh..." I murmured. "As expected of Shenzhen''s number one beauty and talent."


    "N-No, you are far stronger than I am," she replied meekly, tinged with a blush at thepliment. She was one of the few people that knew about my true power, after all. Feng Mian and Qing Yue had told her everything a long time ago, including how I could use all 21 Elements, and the fact that my magic differed from everyone else''s - both in strength and appearance.


    Seeing his entire necromantic army being massacred, Ghosteye couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Boy, you and your allies are all exceptional talents! Have you reconsidered yet?"


    I sighed. He just won''t give up, will he? "No, and I never will," I replied. "They won''t either," I continued, looking at the three girls.


    "We''ve just annihted your undead army," Feng Mian boasted. "What more do you have up your sleeve?"


    "Hahaha...yes you have. It looks I will have to do some fighting myself," Ghosteye hissed dangerously.


    "Come forth, my battle soul!" he yelled.


    I narrowed my eyes as he raised himself from his throne, and sped his hands together. Suddenly, a green light appeared behind the visor of his mask. He looked like a demon knight, in full armor and left eye evoking an eerie green radiance.


    But that wasn''t the most fearsome part.


    What really gave off his powerful aura that threatened to make my knees buckle, was the projection above him.


    It was a green tiger that matched his left visor, enormous and menacing. It gave a loud roar like that of a real beast, shaking the entire chamber.


    But its eyes weren''t just that of any tiger.


    They were the eyes of a demon, staring down at its prey.

 Chapter 50 - Operation: Unshackled - Phase III

    "Hahaha! Let''s see if you can continue to hold up - this time, against my battle soul," Ghosteye provoked.


    "Tch..." I grimaced. This was not looking good. I didn''t expect him to bring out his battle soul this early. No matter how powerful I was, a battle soul plus its wielder, ate Golden Monarch stage, was not something I could take on, even with the help of Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, and Qing Yue.


    Still...this was an excellent opportunity to test just how much I could hold up.


    The three girls were all clearly nervous, and I could make out faint beads of sweat on their foreheads. Surprisingly enough, however, just like me, they remained standing on their feet. They were stronger than I had thought, able to withstand the tremendous pressure emitted from Ghosteye''s tiger battle soul.


    Why did it emit such a strong pressure? Well...


    Battle souls were powerful spirits that helped their master when needed. They gave the wielder buffs in ordance to the original creature - for example, a mage with a Dragon Battle Soul would have increased resistance to Fire Element Magic, and also have his own Fire Magic boosted significantly.


    Furthermore, your Battle Soul could fight and think independently as well. This meant that they could fight on their own, and act as a support. Taking the Dragon Battle Soul as an example once more, it could breathe real fire from its mouth, and do damage to its enemies.


    Of course, it didn''t have a physical shape, meaning it could not be touched, but magic attacks can still hurt it. Once it has taken a significant amount of damage, it will retract into the wielder''s body once more, and restore itself there. It would take some time before the wielder can call upon it again.


    Unlocking one required a cultivation of at least Ancestral Mage. Once someone hit this rank, they would take a Battle Soul Enkindling test in addition to the usual rank up Awakening process, organized by the IMF. This test would examine the testee''s inner heart and element affinities, and awaken a battle soul within him based on that. If this seeded, they would be promoted to Golden Monarch instantly,


    A battle soul could take any shape or form. The only parameters that restricted it were the examinee''s personality and his awoken elements.


    Animal Battle Souls were the mostmon. By that, I mean normal animals like lions or cats, not magic beasts. They weren''t powerful at all by battle soul standards, but to us, even Ghosteye''s Animal Battle Soul was insanely strong.


    Next were Magic Beast Battle Souls. These were normal magic beasts that could be found quitemonly in The Wilderness, unlike Mythical Magic Beasts. They were far stronger than normal animals, and so the battle soul version of them were as well.


    After that came Element Battle Souls in terms of rarity, which specialized in a certain element and could boost the power of that specific element by a frightening degree. This was under the prerequisite that the wielder of the battle soul had an affinity for that element, of course...though even if the wielder didn''t have an affinity for that specific element, he or she might as well have just gotten it - since battle souls can think and act on their own, it would be equivalent to having an ally that has that element, except the ally is pretty much within you.


    Next were Mythical Magic Beast Battle Souls. They were very umon, and powerful enough to match their rarity. Mythical Magic Beasts included Dragons, Phoenixes, Pegasi (Pegasus), Griffins, Basilisks, and many more. They were the strongest of all beasts, and their battle soul forms were just as powerful.


    And finally...the rarest kind of battle soul: Human Battle Souls.


    Indeed - humans. Not any other race, but humans. The reasons for this were unknown, but out of all the people on the of Xenith, the number of people who have awoken a Human Battle Soul could be counted on one hand.


    Human-type battle souls were highly impressive, even more so than Mythical Magic Beasts. Their power was unpreceded, and they were the only type of battle soul that could take physical shape - be felt and seen just like a real human.


    Other battle souls could be seen too, but only in a translucent, single-color form, above the user. They could only be used for battle, and nothing else. Human Battle Souls, however, could be used for battle, gathering information, and doing literally everything a normal human could do. They also had emotions and basic needs just like a real human does, and were bound to their masters by an unbreakable bond.


    And so, everyone wanted a Human-type battle soul. They were far more versatile and convenient to use,pared to any other type. But the chances of someone actually awakening one were very slim. Every time someone awakened one, the news would instantly be spread across the world. And so far, thest time someone did it was...7 years ago in Shanghai, the Magic Capital.


    This was Human territory, meaning it was most likely a human that awoke the battle soul. In fact, I''ve heard that most of the current Human type battle soul wielders are humans. It makes sense - humans have a higher chance of awakening a Human Battle Soul.


    Suddenly, Ghosteyeunched himself at us at a shocking speed, like that of a tiger.


    "Hahaha! You didn''t think I would have the Blessing Element as well, did you?!" he yelled as he rampaged forward.


    Blessing Magic...hm. I see. So he had 4 elements in total. That''s still quite sad, considering he is a Golden Monarch stage. It meant that he would have to awaken only 1 element every time he went through the Awakening process, or awoke two in one process and zero in another.


    Failing the Awakening process isn''t all that rare, which mye off as surprising, but it really isn''t.


    As you progress your cultivation in magic, it bes harder and harder to awaken a new element. The reason being, you''re bing more and more proficient in the elements you already have, so your body naturally alters itself to match those elements. Building a new element affinity from scratch...that is quite difficult.


    Either way, however, having only 4 elements as ate Golden Monarch stage...he definitely could not be considered a talent, or exceptionally strong for his level.


    Feng Mian and Yu An Xue quickly put up a cier Form: Wall together, which stopped Ghosteye''s advance. But he wasn''t done.


    "Level One Sky Magic - Aerial des!" Ghosteye yelled, unleashing a barrage of des made of wind at the ice wall.


    "U-Uh...Xuan Kai, you got a n here, or what?!" Feng Mian yelled in a panic, desperately trying to enforce the defence she had ced down earlier.


    Yu An Xue also seemed to be concentrating very hard, doing the same thing Feng Mian was.


    "Hm...whatever. No point in wasting anymore time," I murmured.


    "Huh? What do you mean, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, pulling on my sleeve.


    I sighed. "Stop the defences and get out of the way, Feng Mian, Yu An Xue," I instructed calmly.


    "E-Eh?! B-But-" Feng Mian began.


    "Trust me," I cut her off, looking at her in the eyes. "I''ll handle things from here."


    She looked back and forth between the ice wall and me, but eventually sumbed to my wishes. Yu An Xue did the same, and the ice walls shattered immediately. The aerial des dispersed as well, leaving Ghosteye and I staring at each other, face to face.


    "Well? Do you see the gap in power between us now?" Ghosteye asked haughtily. "I haven''t even used any Legendary spells yet."


    I grinned. "Yeah..." I began, and made a slight pause for a dramatic effect. "...And you''ll never get a chance to."


    "What?" Ghosteye asked in confusion. "You still think you can defeat me? What a farce."


    "Mhm," I hummed nonchntly. Then, after a short period of thought, I continued. "Well...it''s not me that will defeat you, per se, but..."


    I couldn''t see his face thanks to the mask, but I could''ve sworn he raised an eyebrow at my statement.


    I merely smiled and took out something from the back pocket of my jeans.


    "It''s your time to shine, old geezer."

 Chapter 51 - Operation: Unshackled - Phase IV

    "It''s your turn to shine, old geezer."


    Immediately, a brilliant light lit up the arena, and blinded everyone''s vision.


    When it dispersed, what remained was a single figure, emitting a impossibly powerful aura.


    "He unleashed his battle soul," I said to the old man before me. "I can''t handle that...yet."


    The man stroked his beard and nodded as Ghosteye and the three girls stared in awe at who it was.


    "You''ve done more than enough. I will take things from here, Xuan Kai."


    I backed away, and the instant I did so, a pressure that far surpassed that of Ghosteye''s battle soul filled the room. Though this pressure wasn''t directed at me unlike Ghosteye''s, I could still feel the tension. I immediately knew what it was - his own battle soul. It was a ferocious dragon, matching his name.


    Ghosteye trembled slightly. He tried to hide it, but his voice was definitely quivering. "Y-You are..."


    His opponent, the old man, smiled. "Song Qian Long, The Dragon of Shenzhen, at your service."


    *****


    (Ghosteye''s Perspective)


    Song. Qian. Long. The number 1 mage in this city, known as The Dragon of Shenzhen.


    In terms of raw power, the two of us were probably equal. However, his battle soul, a Mythical Magic Beast type, was far stronger than my own Animal type. I didn''t stand a chance...I had to escape!


    "Thinking of escaping?" Song Qian Long said with a smile, still calmly stroking his long white beard. "I''ve been on the verge of breaking through to the Holy Emperor stage for a while now...this could just be the fight that allows me to do so. Thus, I cannot let you get away."


    "H-Heh....I can provide you with someone else to fight, someone stronger than myself," I offered, hoping to trick him.


    "Ah...but I''m afraid even then, I cannot let you escape," Song Qian Long replied, and look at the boy I was nning to recruit - Xuan Kai. "This boy here would absolutely never forgive me if I were to do that. Isn''t that right?"


    Xuan Kai only gave a slight ''Tch'' and turned away. Song Qian Long was clearly saving him, but he doesn''t show an ounce of gratitude at all...was there some sort of dilemma between the two of them?


    W-Wait. That''s not what I should be worrying about...


    "Y-You see, Mr. Song-"


    "Enough talk. Let''s begin," he cut me off without hesitation.


    If that was the case...then I wasn''t going down without a fight. I gritted my teeth and prepared for the iing bloody fight.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Level One Wind Magic - Wind Barrier." The three girls and I had backed away as far as possible, and we now had our backs against the cold stone door that we had entered to get in here. It was locked, of course, but soon, it wouldn''t be...


    I put up several wind barriers to protect us from the battle of Golden Monarchs that was to ensue. To be honest, I didn''t know if this entire room could even hold up. In the case that it copses, I would have to jump around a lot to avoid getting crushed by a rock weighing 10 tons. Wind barriers wouldn''t do shit. Bothersome.


    "I will end this quickly to save time," Song Qian Long said quietly. "Unless you want to have a long fight?"


    "Heh...do whatever you wish," Ghosteye replied.


    "Very well..." Song Qian Long closed his eyes for a brief moment, and snapped them open once more.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re - Tier III!"


    mes erupted around him and his battle soul, and converged into a massive ball of fire above him. His dragon battle soul then seemed to inhale, and breathed out into the sphere of pure fire. The original ball shaped me turned into a death ray, and shot out downwards, aiming for Ghosteye.


    "Legendary-Tier Magic right off the back?! Potentia Excitant: Celeritas!" Ghosteye cried in surprise as he quickly cast Blessing Magic (a Potentia spell family speed boost spell in particr, further enhanced by his tiger battle soul) on himself and moved to dodge the attack. "Damn you, old geezer!"


    Abomination re was originally only a Level Two spell, but after being upgraded two times using Upgrade Runes, it has be equivalent to a Legendary-Tier spell in terms of power - for Song Qian Long only, though. The spell itself is still only Level Two. Tier I meant the original spell, Tier II means upgrading once, and Tier III means upgrading twice.


    Ghosteye narrowly dodged it thanks to his speed-type battle soul, but was still recovering from the shock. Song Qian Long wasn''t about to give him any time for rest though, and was already beginning to cast his next attack.


    "Legendary Fire Magic - Sr Nova."


    I winced as a gigantic ball of light rose up in the air. It was even bigger than the one before, and certainly more powerful. Song Qian Long thenunched it at the entire area before him, with a mere wave of his hands.


    Ghosteye looked around frantically, and realized that the attack was too big for him to dodge. He gritted his teeth and tried to block it instead.


    "Legendary Sky Magic - Fang of Zeus!"


    A huge purple spear of lightning appeared above him, and with a gesture of his arms, he sent it flying towards Song Qian Long''s attack.


    BOOM!


    I shut my eyes tight, blinded by the bright sh that urred when the two legendary strikes met. I opened one eye hesitantly, and the first thing I saw was the sky. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and Yu An Xue soon followed.


    The ceiling had caved in, and in its ce was the starry night sky. I opened my other eye and struggled to find who was the victor, and sighed in relief as I saw Song Qian Long standing nonchntly, as if nothing had happened.


    He also must''ve protected us from the copse of the entire room, since my wind barriers were gone. Besides, there was no way a barrier made of literal air could block an entire throne room''s worth of rubble.


    I stood up and made my way towards him.


    "Did he escape?" I asked.


    Song Qian Long merely smiled at me and pointed underneath a pile of rocks, and...was that a throne?


    I looked to where he was hinting at, and found a human-like figure crushed under all the debris, his mask still on.


    "Crushed under his own throne, huh..." I muttered.


    "This was fate. I did not do anything to make it happen," Song Qian Long exined, stroking his beard as calmly as ever.


    "Will this cause any problems? You just punched a hole through the ceiling of a part of the Coastal Metropolis Central Mall," I said, switching the topic since I did not want to hear an old man''s ramblings about fate.


    Song Qian Long raised a hand to stop me, and answered. "You need not worry about that. I will deal with anything thates up."


    I nodded, and was about to ask about Yu An Yan (the whole reason we got into this mess), when he read my mind (maybe with Psychic Magic? I knew for a fact that he had Fire and Earth, but...).


    "If you are concerned about Yu An Yan, then rest assured. The seal should''ve undone itself already."


    "Undone itself...?" Yu An Xue came up behind me and appeared to have been listening in on the conversation.


    Song Qian Long nodded. "The safest type of seal is one that links directly to the caster''s body."


    "...Meaning now that the caster in question - Ghosteye - has died, the seal should have automatically unlocked," I finished. "And the Midnight Syndicate, who''s so careful about everything, is sure to use such a method to ce seals."


    The principal smiled brightly at my conclusion, which I winced at. He looked like some pedophile. I knew he was only being nice to me since he felt he owed me - my parents in particr - but still, this is excessive. Besides, anything he did now could not change the past. Maybe if he was a Time Magic expert, but unfortunately he is not (that''s what I assumed, anyway).


    "Now then...that matter is solved," I muttered with a sigh, and looked up at the beautiful starry sky.


    What''s next in store, I wonder? I needed to improve my own magic abilities quickly, and raise my strength in general, of course, but that''s not what I mean.


    Will there be more troublesing? More allies to be met, and with them more enemies to fight? I didn''t know.


    But no matter what came my way, I will never lose sight of my true goal:


    Revenge.


    Everything else was just a side quest - quests to make me stronger and smarter.


    I would meet friends and foe alike in this journey, but neither can stop me from getting my revenge. I will never stray from this path, and will not rest until the bastards who murdered my parents are erased from this world.


    That is my ultimate goal. And I am slowly getting closer and closer to it.


    "H-Hey, Xuan Kai!" a familiar female voice hollered. "How did you suddenly summon our principal?! You went off and did something on your own again this time, didn''t you?!"


    ...But first, it seems, I would have to get some exining and lecture-avoiding done.


    One step at a time.


    One tiny step at a time, I will edge closer to my ambition, andplete my mission.


    Mother...father...I will seed. I promise.

 Chapter 52 - The Forsaken Sister: Fateful Reunion (1)

    - The Next Day, 6:00 PM, School Infirmary -


    Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and I stood outside the white sliding doors of the school infirmary. The school nurse was already gone by now, but our principal - Song Qian Long - had unlocked the door and left with a mysterious wink directed at me. I shuddered at the memory. Yu An Xue had wanted to visit her sister as soon as possible after our fight with Ghosteye, but Song Qian Long told her it was better to give it some time. Thus, we came after school the next day.


    ...As a side note, because we were doing this today, my lecture from Feng Mian and Qing Yue was going toe tomorrow.


    Yu An Xue was shaking slightly and appeared nervous, which was understandable. Song Qian Long had already guaranteed her Yu An Yan would be back to normal, but even then she couldn''t help but have doubt rise up in her heart.


    Feng Mian moved closer and ced aforting hand on Yu An Xue''s fragile shoulder, which stopped her trembling.


    "It''ll be fine," Feng Mian soothed. "It will be fine."


    Qing Yue joined in too. "Go on! This is the moment you''ve been waiting for all this time, right?"


    Yu An Xue looked at the two girls, one on each side of her, andughed slightly, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes. "Thank you, everyone...truly."


    I assumed the ''everyone'' meant me as well, but I made no reaction.


    Then, taking a deep breath, the forsaken sister opened the door that would lead her to her long lost counterpart.


    *****


    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    aaack.


    The door before me slid open with ease. I had my eyes closed, despite the eagerness hiding deep inside my heart. Qing Yue was right - this was the moment I had been waiting for all this time.


    ...So then, why was I scared? Why was I hesitant to open my eyes?


    Questions surfaced in my head, threatening to break me down from the inside. What if the principal had been lying? What if my big sister could nevere back to me? What if...the two of us could never go back to like 8 years ago?


    I shook my head. I could stand around here all day asking myself these pointless questions, and never reach an answer. Remembering Feng Mian and Qing Yue''s encouragement, I stepped forward blindly, eyes still shut tight.


    I didn''t crash into anything until I felt my knees bump into a soft cushion. Immediately, I knew what it was - my sister''s bed. My hands began shaking against my will, and I clenched them tight in an attempt to stop the trembling. But it didn''t work.


    Doubts filled my head once more, and my legs felt weak as I stood, half leaning on the edge of the bed. I could feel tears forming in my eyes once more, and I desperately tried to stop them. But...


    Woosh!


    I felt an impact, and snapped my eyes open. The first thing I saw was the bright and beautiful orange of dusk. The sun shone brilliantly, even as it was making its exit for the day.


    But that wasn''t what I was most surprised about. What really made me open my eye, was-


    I felt arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.


    This feeling...it was nostalgic, yet distant. It was warm, and reminded me of happier days - when I was a child, innocent and carefree. And before I knew it, a tear coursed down my right cheek as I stood there, still in a state of surprise and confusion.


    I heard a voice. It was gentle andforting, and I rxed within the sayer''s arms.


    "It''s okay now, An Xue. I''m here."


    I smiled genuinely. Although I already knew who it was deep down from the moment she embraced me, I didn''t believe it at first. It seemed too good to be real. But now that I had heard her voice, I was sure. Bringing my arms up slowly, I wrapped them around the girl who hadforted me.


    The girl who I had been searching for ever since 8 years ago.


    The girl who had been my onlypanion until I met Xuan Kai.


    The girl who was my forsaken sister - Yu An Yan.


    After all these years, we had finally defeated fate, and reunited.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Ah...this was indeed a very wholesome sight. Quite beautiful, too.


    Two beauties, each having their own appearance and aura, embracing the other with tears - not of sadness, but of joy. Illuminated by the beautiful sunset, the two sisters shared their first genuine act of affection after eight years of separation.


    It was a weird position, the two of them were in, considering one of them was sitting up on her bed and the other was standing up, leaning slightly downwards, but despite that the entire picture was still beautiful.


    There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask Yu An Yan, but...I would really have to be a dimwit to interrupt this heartfelt reunion. For now...I could just sit back and enjoy this moving scene, paired with beautiful scenery.


    We - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I - had let Yu An Xue walk into the room by herself, as we remained outside. This was something she had to do alone - the only thing we could do was give encouragement and reassurance.


    Fortunately, she was able to ovee her inner doubts and cross thest obstacle in the way of her reuniting with her sister - her inner self. And this was her reward.


    After a long time, the two sisters separate from each other, and Yu An Yan got up from the bed.


    The three of us still outside walked into the room, and we each gave a slight wave to Yu An Yan.


    For some reason, when she met my eyes, she quickly averted her gaze, but that wasn''t the most important concern right now.


    "There are a lot of questions we have, Yu An Yan," I began after initial greetings. "Are you okay with talking right now? Or would you prefer spending some more time with your sister first?"


    Yu An Yan shook her head. "It''s okay. I had suspected as much. Are we just going to talk here, or...?"


    Just as I was debating inside my head, Qing Yue chose that moment to interrupt, and pulled on my sleeve. "Since it''s around time for dinner anyway, why don''t we go to a restaurant?"


    Feng Mian and Yu An Xue seemed to be in agreement with this idea as well. "How about Grange Grill? I heard it was a pretty good Western-themed restaurant around here," Feng Mian suggested.


    Qing Yue and I nced at each other knowingly while sharing an awkwardugh. Feng Mian and Yu An Yan tilted their heads, as Yu An Xue exined the reasoning.


    "You see...Xuan Kai had a bit of an incident there before."


    - A couple of minutester -


    "Huh...I see," Feng Mian said. "In that case-"


    But I cut her off. "It''s alright. We can go to Grange Grill. I doubt they even remember me by now."


    Yu An Yan seemed to be concerned. "Are you sure? I mean, it''s going to be very embarrassing if you get recognized..."


    "I''ll be fine," I replied. Then, in a lower voice, "Hopefully, anyway..."


    The girls didn''t protest any further, and so, with that, the five of us set off for the restaurant.

 Chapter 53 - The Forsaken Sister: Fateful Reunion (2)

    - Two Hours Later, The Starry City -


    We arrived at the familiar deluxe entrance of the 5-star hotel, The Starry City, two hours after our departure from the school infirmary - almost curfew already. Luckily, Song Qian Long had said he would cover for us if we went over curfew today, since the sisters were getting reunited and there was definitely a lot they would want to talk about.


    But still...it usually wouldn''t have taken this long, but Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and Yu An Xue insisted on buying some things for Yu An Yan.


    ...And when girls shop, they take forever.


    After a while of sitting at a bench all by myself doing literally NOTHING, I couldn''t take it anymore and went to find them.


    And of course, when I go to find them, they were inside a women''s undergarments store. I spotted them and entered immediately without thinking, and was met with lots of condescending gazes (considering I was dressed kind of like a pervert with my ck hoodie and ripped jeans) and two furious girls (Qing Yue and Feng Mian) plus two blushing ones (Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan).


    After a lot of exining and apologies, they finally let me off the hook and we arrived at The Starry City, where Grange Grill was located. The five of us went inside and sat down. This time, I wasn''t stared at by anyone (though we still attracted attention due to how beautiful the four girls were), since the girls had apparently bought me a some proper clothes and things like hair polish and perfumes while shopping as well. I was grateful for this, but not for the fact that I had to change within a bathroom, and had to put my old clothes into the Space Locket lent to me by the Yu family patriarch.


    Ah...speaking of, I would have to return that.


    Why had I lent it?


    Well, it was necessary for my n to seed. I had first concocted this n after seeing the Magic Artifact in action, after all.


    Putting that aside for now, the five of us quickly ordered some dishes and once they were served, we began eating. We were at a round table for five, and Qing Yue taught me how to use a fork and knife while the other three immersed themselves in conversation.


    "Tch...chopsticks are way easier," Iined, cutting a steak in half with my knife.


    Qing Yue put her hand over her mouth andughed giddily with amusement. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, you have to look natural or you may end up attracting attention again, hehe~!"


    "Yeah yeah...whatever," I muttered. This was not I was here for. Clearing my throat, I got everyone''s attention, and brought the topic back on track.


    "Now then...starting off first. Yu An Yan, do you remember anything that happened in the past 8 years, while you were under Ghosteye''s control?" I asked.


    Yu An Yan nodded, face now serious. "Everything."


    Everything, huh? That makes things simpler. I continued.


    "I see. And...do you feel unwell or anything like that? I mean emotionally."


    She shook her head, and her expression turned slightly sad. "I...I know I have done many evil things. But whenever the guiltes back to haunt me, I just tell myself that the person who did those things wasn''t me. It was a clone, someone that may have the exact same body as me, but is not me in the end."


    I nodded. "That is the best way to cope with it. I was going to advise you to do that, but...it seems you have already figured it out yourself during the short time that you came back to your old self."


    Feng Mian perked up as she heard this, and quickly asked, "Speaking of, when did you ''wake up'' anyway?" She did a slight quotation mark gesture with her hands when saying ''wake up''.


    "This morning," Yu An Yan replied. "The nurse was kind and brought me some food and water, which helped me organize my thoughts and figure out what had happened."


    Feng Mian seemed satisfied with this reply, and went right back to eating her spaghetti and meatballs.


    I took this opportunity to continue with my questions. "By the way..." I began, and Yu An Yan turned back around to look at me. "...I felt like you were avoiding my gaze slightly earlier, in the infirmary. You don''t have to answer this, but...I''m just curious - why?"


    Her face turned redder than Feng Mian''s tomato sauce all of a sudden, and she looked away. "T-That''s, uh..." she trailed off. I sighed. Didn''t seem like I was going to get an answer.


    ...Or that''s what I had thought, but Qing Yue decided to intervene. "Hehe...it was because of all your failed attempts at trying to seduce my Big Brother Xuan Kai, right?"


    She ced heavy emphasis on the ''my'' part, and I winced at the memory. She had gone through many different personalities to get closer to me, as that was probably the task given to her by Ghosteye. It wasn''t necessarily of her own volition, but still - remembering doing such a thing was bound to be embarrassing.


    "H-H-Huh?!" Yu An Yan cried out in surprise. Then, turning at me, she continued. "N-No! I-It isn''t like that, okay?!"


    "Uh...I''ll try my best to forget it ever happened...?" I offered, not sure what to respond with.


    "Ah...damn it!" Yu An Yan cursed, still blushing furiously.


    Her sister, Yu An Xue, however, seemed to be amused at this whole situation. "Hehe, big sister, you have moments like this, too, huh?"


    "Q-Quiet!" Yu An Yan yelled, though not loudly enough that other people would be able to hear us. But then, she dropped a bomb that surprised me the most.


    "You like Xuan Kai too, don''t you?!" she said, pointing at her sister.


    "H-Huh?!" Yu An Xue cried, and began blushing as well. "W-What are you talking about, big sis?!"


    Uh...she was joking, right? Probably. Definitely.


    Still...seeing the two sisters, normally cold and distant to everyone else, happily bickering like normal girls...I smiled slightly.


    "Hah! You can''t hide from your big sister! It''s clear as day! You were so careful when picking his clothes earlier! There''s no way you would do that for just anyone!" Yu An Yan continued.


    "E-Eh?! I-I wasn''t! And besides, what did you mean by ''too'', big sis?!" Yu An Xue rebuked.


    "Huh? What ''too''?"


    "You said ''you like Xuan Kai too, don''t you'' just now!"


    "W-Wha-!"


    Yu An Xue held the upper hand now, and didn''t let this chance slip away. "Heheh...could it be, big sis...he defeated your captor like the hero in a fairy tale, and now you''re in lov-"


    "N-No! Y-You are the same, aren''t you?!"


    I quickly calmed the two of them down. "Uh, okay. That''s enough."


    The two stared at each other for a while more like they each had more to say, but eventually backed down.


    Qing Yue sighed. "The first thing they do after finally reuniting after eight years is start fighting over my big brother..."


    I arched an eyebrow, but didn''t say anything in response to Qing Yue''s remark. Instead, I decided to rify things.


    "Just so we''re clear, I wasn''t the one that defeated Ghosteye," I said truthfully. "That old geezer, Song Qian Long, was the one."


    Yu An Yan shook her head. "Even then...you were the one that came up with the n, right? These three told me everything while we were shopping, including the fact that you still haven''t exined how you summoned the principal all of a sudden," she said, pointing at Qing Yue, Feng Mian, and her sister.


    Why did she have to add in thatst part...?


    But before I could protest, she continued. "That''s why...thank you." She stood up and bowed deeply, which surprised me.


    And before I could even react to just her alone, Yu An Xue also got up from her seat and bowed beside her sister. "That''s right...I would like to express my gratitude as well. Thank you, Xuan Kai."


    "I, uh..." I began, but couldn''t say anything good in response.


    "You were the one that allowed the two of us to meet again, after eight years," Yu An Yan continued, getting up from her bow.


    Yu An Xue nodded beside her and also stood up straight again. "You were also the one that gave me courage and strength when I needed it most," she said with a wink, reminding me of that morning on the rooftop.


    "So that''s why-" they began together.


    "-Thank you. Truly." they finished in perfect sync, beautiful and genuine smiles on their faces.


    ...In contrast, the only thing I could do was keep up my nk expression and mutter hesitantly, "Uh...you''re wee?"


    Qing Yue and Feng Mian looked to me with smiles as well, and I still hadn''t really made sense out of the whole situation.


    But either way...this was pretty nice.


    I guess...I could ept their gratitude? Thinking about it this way - the two loving sisters before me right now were able to reunite thanks to me...


    ...It was indeed something to be proud of. I grinned slightly in return to the four girls'' cheerful smiles, and spoke my next words quietly, but audible.


    "Don''t worry about it. We''re..panions, after all."


    The girlsughed and the sisters sat back down in their chairs.


    Qing Yue was the only one that seemed in disagreement. "Eh?? Companions?" she asked, and all of us looked at her like, ''uh, yeah''.


    She thought about it for a moment, and then continued. "We''re more like a big family, don''t you think?"


    The rest of us all widened our eyes, and stared at Qing Yue in disbelief. "F-Family?" Feng Mian echoed, not sure if she heard right.


    Qing Yue nodded. "Yep! I mean, families are made up of people who love one another, and it''s pretty obvious that all of us here love a certain someone, right?"


    The other three girls all looked away, blushing slightly.


    And just like that, the five of us chatted deep into the night about tales of the past and present, even after everyone else had left. After the restaurant closed, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I headed back to the school while Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan went to the Yu family manor to exin everything to their father.


    As for me...I wondered who the ''certain someone'' from Qing Yue''s deration earlier was. Whoever it was, to have these four top beauties of Shenzhen in love with them...they would have to be some spectacr talent, or a big shot of some kind.


    The thought ''could it be me?'' crossed my mind for a second, but I quickly perished it. Too good to be true.


    I didn''t deserve these four sweet and beautiful girls. My life was one hellbent on revenge, and my path was one of blood and death. There was a lot of danger toe, and I didn''t want to get anyone else to get caught up in it.


    ...But maybe...just maybe, had I been born in a different way, it could work out.

 Chapter 54 - Side : Qing Yues Determination

    Heya! My name is Qing Yue, and I am Big Brother Xuan Kai''s kawaii little sister! We aren''t actually blood rted, but he still sees me as his precious family, and loves me very much. Nya~


    Let''s begin by talking about our rtionship. I love him as well, but not just as a big brother. I like him romantically, and want to be with him all the time!! Mm...his arms feel sofortable around me!! I could hug him all day, no joke. But he''s a baka when ites to this kind of thing, so he can''t tell at all. Hmph!


    Hmm...when did I start seeing him romantically, I wonder? Was it a year ago? Two? Or have I maybe always saw Big Brother Xuan Kai like that? I don''t know. But! It doesn''t matter anyway, since that''s how I feel now and I am determined to win his heart.


    You see...before, I was shy when trying to get closer to him in THAT sense...cause, like, I kept thinking about it too hard, and got embarrassed. And besides, I figured that I had time, y''know? I mean, I could just take it slowly, one step at a time - and eventually, no matter how long it takes, Big Brother Xuan Kai WILL see my feelings for him!


    But.


    Now, I can''t afford to wait anymore. At first, it was just me and me alone who would be by Big Brother Xuan Kai''s side. But now, there are 3 other girls - and each of them have way more developed bodies and are far prettier than me! Grr....


    First it was just Feng Mian. Okay, she is fine, and I can allow Big Brother Xuan Kai to marry both of us in the future. She is a kind, smart, and beautiful girl in all senses of the word. But as long as I remain #1, she can be tolerated.


    But then, another girl jumped into the fray - Yu An Xue. Simrly, she was a top beauty of Shenzhen and would be one in any part of the world. She had a nice figure, slim at the parts that should be slim and busty at the parts that should be busty. She could easily pass for a model. And above all that, she was a known as a cold beauty, distancing herself from everyone else. But when ites to boys, the more you can''t get something, the more you want it. And Big Brother Xuan Kai is no exception.


    But all that being said, she is still a friendly person. Yu An Xue carries an inner burden in her heart that no one would ever find out about, until Big Brother Xuan Kai came in and swayed yet another girl without even meaning to. She had lost a certain someone 8 years ago, and Big Brother Xuan Kai helped her reunite with that person.


    SPEAKING OF THAT PERSON, her name is Yu An Yan - Yu An Xue''s sister. And well - after Big Brother Xuan Kai seeded in saving her from that evil man Ghosteye''s grasp, she fell in love with him too. She''s not a bad person at all, but she''s the top priority on my watchlist. Why? Because at one point she called Big Brother Xuan Kai ''onii-chan''. Only I can do that! Hmph!


    So, there you have it! All of a sudden, I have threepetitors for the #1 wife spot! And each is a formidable foe!


    They are all my friends, but when ites to my big brother, I won''t give in to anyone! None of them can rece me!


    The most frustrating thing of all is that I can''t even me Big Brother Xuan Kai whatsoever! He didn''t try to get these girls to fall for him - but THAT''S EXACTLY WHAT MADE THEM DO SO! But of course, there''s no way my dense big brother would know that, so he''s just going to continue acting the way he is. I can''t even tell him to stop, since he''ll just reply with ''stop? stop what?''.


    Ugh...this is so disheartening. Every time I look at my threepetitors, my eyesnd on their voluptuous boobs, then subconsciously move my hands to feel my own non-existent ones, and feel close to crying.


    Since I didn''t have such a nice body...I only had one hope:


    Is my big brother a lolicon?


    ...


    Probably not...


    But it''s okay! Even if he isn''t, I''ll just get my boobs to grow bigger! I swear this! I''ll ask my three ''enemies'' for the method to do so...and then SURPASS THEM! Mwahahaha! Just you wait, Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan! I will beat all of you and seduce Big Brother Xuan Kai first!


    I''ve made up my mind! I won''t overthink things anymore, and just tell myself what I''m doing is natural. That way, I won''t start blushing and stuttering whenever doing something to get closer to Big Brother Xuan Kai! Hehehe~


    No matter how many more ''foes''e my way, I will defeat them all, and secure my ce as number 1 inside Big Brother Xuan Kai''s heart! That is my ultimate goal! Kyaaaa!

 Chapter 55 - Advancement Exams

    <em>"Some of the greatest battles you will ever have, are those fought within the silent chambers of your own soul."</em>


    <em></em>*****


    "Okay, ss. I have some news for you," Mr. Wang, our ss teacher, announced.


    It was the day after Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, and I had ate at Grange Grill, and the sisters had their fateful reunion. ss 2-D, Shenzhen Magic High School. My name is Xuan Kai, and I am in my 2nd year at this school, ss D - meaning we rankedst out of the 4 sses of each year.


    Yu An Yan had decided to remain at this school, unsurprisingly. She now sat at her own seat, and I got to have my seat back to myself, fortunately.


    Since a ss consisted of 25 students, we were organized into a seating arrangement of 5 x 5 (five rows, each row having five seats in it). Our ss just happened to be short 3 people before Qing Yue transferred in, so it goes without saying that Feng Mian and Yu An Yan who transferred inter were automatically ced into ss D.


    And therefore, the entire back row was now filled with people who knew my secret - the 4 girls, and myself. Though since Feng Mian had her seat in between Qing Yue and I''s, there was technically still a vacant spot for a desk to be ced. From right to left (my perspective), the order was as follows:


    Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, Qing Yue, Feng Mian, and I.


    Before, people would only look back here to humiliate me, but now most of the boys'' eyes were constantly glued to the back of the ss, in admiration of the beauties. Even the other girls were curious.


    In any case - Mr. Wang sure got everyone''s attention with that announcement. My fellow students of ss 2-D all settled down to listen to what our teacher had to say.


    Seeing everyone focused on him, Mr. Wang continued. "As you know, the Advancement Exams areing up."


    The students all nodded, while Yu An Yan and I raised an eyebrow. Yu An Yan since she was still new, and me because I never really cared about such things. Mr. Wang, as if having seen through the two of us, exined what he meant.


    "It is the end of your 2nd year at Shenzhen Magic High School. Thus, by regtions, you are required to take an examination in December - that is, one week from now - in order to advance to the next level of mages."


    Ah...the Advancement Exams. I see. Every two years at any high school, students were required to take a test to see if you were able to advance to the next level. Currently, all of us were Novice Mages, meaning we could only cast Level One spells (without the use of Conjoined Release, of course). Once we have proven we could use Level Two spells with proficiency through this exam, we would be awarded the title of Intermediate Mage, thus advancing to the next level.


    This came with its benefits, of course. For one, you were respected more in society - the more powerful you were, the higher your rank was, after all. You also gained ess to more advanced lessons, better equipment provided by the school, and basically unlocked everything you need to advance to the next level. Rank skipping wasn''t allowed, so in order to study the necessary information to be an Advanced Mage, you had to first be an Intermediate one. It wouldn''t be an overstatement to say that if you wanted to continue improving on the path of magic, you had to take and pass this Advancement Exam.


    The student sitting directly in front of me raised her hand. What was her name again? Ah...forget it.


    Mr. Wang saw this, and pointed at her, giving her permission to speak. "What is it, Ai Yao?"


    Ai Yao...eh, probably not going to remember it anyway.


    The girl then asked her question after confirming she had been given permission. "Yes! What will be the exact date of the examination, Mr. Wang?"


    Mr. Wang adjusted his sses slightly and replied in a calm tone. "I will get to that eventually, just sit tight."


    Ai Yao or whatever her name is nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer.


    "Now then, where was I..." Mr. Wang muttered, going through some papersid out on the table. "...Ah, right! I would like to inform you that this year''s Advancement Exams are not like any of the past ones."


    The students were all even more curious now, and kept quiet in order to listen clearly. Seeing this, Mr. Wang was pleased, and continued.


    "This year''s Advancement Exams will be battle-focused."


    "Battle focused?" someone echoed.


    "What does that mean?" another asked.


    Mr. Wang motioned for everyone to calm down, and after a short silence he carried on.


    "Allow me to exin. This year, every Year Two ss will be divided into teams of five, and engage in a single elimination battle tournament within the ss itself. After that, the winning team of each ss willpete against each other, and the 5 members of the champion team thates out on top in that 4-way tournament will be automatically promoted to an Intermediate Mage. Each member will also receive a prize that will help them greatly in their cultivation, and in addition - the ss that the team belongs to will automatically be the new ss A, pushing all the other sses down a rank."


    A bunch of ''oohs'' and ''woahs'' filled the ssroom at the rewards for winning. Not only do the team members get amazing prizes, the entire ss gets to benefit from it as well.


    "What about the others? How will they be assessed for passing?" a boy in the front row asked. Once again, I didn''t know his name. No matter.


    "Those apart from the winning team will be evaluated based on their performance in the fights," Mr. Wang answered. "We will be inviting several powerhouses on the day of the examination, and they will be the ones to act as our judges."


    Powerhouses? Hm...there were countless big-shots in Shenzhen. It was a nice city, and close to the Magic Capital Shanghai as well. The Coastal Metropolis is a huge attraction for tourists, making it a popr hotspot for business owners as well. Just how many judges were there going to be...? Of course, it depended on just how much of a ''powerhouse'' they were, but...


    Zhang Zhe Rui, one of Li Yi Fei''s twockeys, spoke up. "Mr. Wang, why are the exams like so this year? In previous years, the tests were simple - show that you can cast 5 Level Two Spells over a course of 2 hours, and you would pass."


    "Hm...you heard that from your elder brother, yes?" Mr. Wang asked.


    Zhang Zhe Rui had an older brother...? Ah...I remember now. Ranked 6th on the Magus Rankings of our school, 4th year - Zhang Yu.


    "Yes. That is also precisely why I am curious as to why the system has been changed."


    "Well...to be honest, I do not know either," Mr. Wang replied, sighing slightly. "The principal decided on this in a staff meeting, and the other teachers didn''t do much to veto the idea, since they each want to use this chance to advance their own ss rank..."


    That made sense. If a ss got promoted in rank (for example, from D to C), then the teacher that taught this ss would receive a raise in pay and resources ordingly. This system motivated the teachers to put their all into teaching the students, both to promote their own ss and prevent your ss from being overtaken (since no ss could share one rank - if ss D became ss C, then ss C would drop to ss D).


    Zhang Zhe Rui, realizing he wasn''t going to get any useful information here, nodded and retreated.


    Mr. Wang then scanned the ssroom for a while, and after seeing there weren''t any more questions, he concluded, "Very well. Since there are no more further inquiries, you may begin forming your teams."


    Then, as a friendly reminder, he added, "Ah, remember - teams of 5, no more, no less. You must finish organizing and reporting your team roster to me by the end of today."


    And finally, after seeing all of us acknowledging his announcement, he sighed and ended the ss.


    "That''s all. ss - dismissed!"

 Chapter 56 - Forming Teams

    Mr. Wang dismissed our ss, and it was lunchtime already. I went to the cafeteria as usual, and the four girls followed.


    "Hey, you know you don''t have to eat in the cafeteria with me, right?" I said as I walked down the (mostly) empty hallway leading to my destination.


    "It''s okay, we don''t mind," Feng Mian replied.


    "But still...this is going to attract a lot of unnecessary attention for me..." I muttered inaudibly.


    Qing Yue heard it, however, and pulled on my right ear.


    "Ow! Q-Qing Yue!" I cried, begging her to let go.


    "Heheh...you are secretly happy that we are together with you, aren''t you, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" she asked, havingpletely seen through my farce.


    Okay...fine. I admit that I was a little happy deep down they wereing with me, but hey - who wouldn''t be? These four were all goddess-level beauties, each having their own aura and attractive characteristics. I''m a boy, can you me me for being slightly excited?


    "U-Uh...f-fine, I am," I reluctantly responded, in order to make Qing Yue let go of my ear, which was really starting to hurt.


    With a decisive "hmph", she let go and I sighed in relief.


    *****


    - Inside the Cafeteria -


    All five of us had just gotten our foods, and after searching for a good ce to eat for a while, I settled on a table in the top left corner of the cafeteria.


    Once we sat down, Yu An Xue began the conversation. "Xuan Kai, what is with you and corners...?"


    Her sister, Yu An Yan, also joined in. "Right? It''s like he can''t sit anywhere else."


    However, just as I opened my mouth to respond, Qing Yue interrupted. "That''s because he feels more secure in corners."


    Feng Mian raised an eyebrow as she put a chunk of meat into her mouth. "Secure?


    "Yep!" Qing Yue responded excitedly. "You see, when he''s sitting in a corner, he doesn''t have to worry about someoneing up behind him."


    That caused the three other girls to allugh. "That sounds like him alright," Yu An Yan said, covering her cuteugh with her hand in adylike manner.


    "Always the careful one..." Feng Mian murmured, sighing exasperatedly.


    Even Yu An Xue was trying her best to hide a smile. I figured she would rte to me since she didn''t have much interaction with others either, but...


    I just liked corners. I also liked having my hood up, since it gave me a sense of protection. Was this really that weird?


    But my thoughts were quickly interrupted by a bunch of boys in our ss, now all of a sudden crowded around our table. The girls seemed to notice this as well, and blinked in surprise.


    "Uh...do you guys need something from us?" Feng Mian prompted.


    Then, all of the boys bowed down towards us suddenly, which caught all of us off guard.


    "E-Eh?" Feng Mian was taken aback.


    "Please join my team for the Advancement Exams, Goddess Feng Mian!" the boy in front said.


    "G-Goddess?!" Feng Mian echoed, even more shocked than before.


    "No, join mine!" another male voice shouted.


    "Mine! I promise to bring you victory!"


    ...Ah. I see what this was. The boys all saw the advancement exams this year as an opportunity to impress the girls, and so obviously every one of them would want one of the top beauties of Shenzhen join their team. Feng Mian wasn''t the only one receiving requests either, many of the boys were trying their luck with every single one of the girls - Qing Yue, Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, and even the newly transferred Yu An Yan.


    Seeing as how there was nothing to do with me here and it was getting really loud (which I hated when I was eating), I attempted to discretely leave the scene, when suddenly-


    "Okay, that''s enough!" Qing Yue jumped atop the table, her bright voice yelled above all the boys''motion. "Stop, and listen to me."


    The boys obediently turned silent to nce up at the angelic white-haired beauty. Was this the power of love and admiration? Or perhaps - worship would be a better word, at this point. In fact, I also stopped to see how she was going to deal with this.


    Qing Yue cleared her throat, and began her deration.


    "The truth is, the four of us have already formed a team!"


    "You mean all four of you are together in one team?" Li Yi Fei asked. He was among the group of boys to get the beauties to join their team as well.


    "That is correct!" Qing Yue answered.


    "Then...there''s one spot remaining! I see! You will only ept one boy into your team!" a boy in the crowd shouted, which caused all the other boys to erupt in excitement once more.


    "Woah!! One of us will be able to be in a team with all four of these beauties?! It''s a damn harem!"


    "Kekeke....I am the strongest boy in this ss by magic power, and also the smartest by intelligence," Li Yi Fei boasted, which caused all the other boys to look at him in disdain. But he paid them no mind and continued. "My goddesses, I will surely lead us to victory. Now then - let us begin discussing our strate-"


    "Hey! Why are you talking like we are already in the same team?!" Feng Mian interrupted.


    "Huh? But there''s no other boy better than me here," Li Yi Fei replied, narrowing his eyes.


    "There sure is," Yu An Yan refuted.


    The entire crowd went dizzy with confusion, and all asked in sync, "Who?"


    The four girls all smiled devilishly, and pointed their fingers at me, who was already half-way sessful in my escape from the scene.


    All of a sudden, 14 pairs of eyes turned to stare at me with killing intent, and I couldn''t do anything except mutter under my breath.


    "Ah, shit."


    *****


    - Later That Day -


    I managed to escape from the other boys by a hair''s breadth, dashing through the hallways and staircases, and atst stalled until the afternoon lessons. I currently sat in the ssroom of ss 2-D, while waiting for Mr. Wang toe in. The boys still eyed me with venom from time to time, but they wouldn''t do anything since our teacher could enter the room at any time now. But even then, there was another problem...


    "Hey...what did you mean by that?" I asked, reaching over Feng Mian to lightly tap Qing Yue on the head.


    "Whatever do you mean, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue responded innocently, getting out of her chair and walking around toe up behind me and threw her arms around my neck gently.


    "I mean, what you said earlier in the cafeteria," I rified. "Are you four sure you want to form a team with me...?"


    "Of course." It was Feng Mian that responded instead. "There are no other boys we can trust in this ss."


    "Couldn''t you just choose a girl to be your final member then...?" I muttered.


    "What''s done is done," Yu An Yan joined in the conversation. She also got out of her seat and came closer to me. Then, to my surprise, she leaned in to my ear and whispered softly, which caused my heart to begin pounding rapidly against my chest. "These three girls say they''re only forming a team with you because there are no other boys they can trust in this ss...but the truth is, they just want to be together with you. Especially my sister. Teehee~!"


    I blushed slightly and looked away. There was no way that was true...was it?


    Yu An Xue, seeing my reaction, stood up immediately, and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "H-Hold on! What did you tell Xuan Kai, sis?!"


    "Nothing~" Yu An Yan replied, then turned her head slightly to give me a wink before returning to her own seat.


    Meanwhile, Feng Mian was staring down at herp, face flustered.


    "Uh...Feng Mian, y-you alright?"


    "W-What she s-said just now, t-that isn''t true, okay?!" she replied, pointing at Yu An Yan, now back in her own seat calmly reading a book while her sister, blushing simrly to how Feng Mian was, was yelling at her about something.


    "You...heard that?" I asked.


    "I-I did! So what?!"


    "I heard it too, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue added, arms still around my neck gently. "And everything she said was true. But she left one part out - she actually wants to be together with you too, just doesn''t want to admit it."


    Uh...so many bombs are getting dropped at once that I didn''t know how to handle this situation. I decided to just ept reality and figure out my next steps.


    To be honest, I didn''t want topete in this exam at all. But the principal, Song Qian Long, must''ve had some reason to suddenly change the system this year - that was the type of man he was, always calcting and nning ahead. We had a lot alike in that sense.


    Thus, I decided I would have to pay him a visit, and figure out his true intentions.


    ...But for now, I would work just work on managing my rtionships with the girls properly, and not getting chased by an angry mob again.

 Chapter 57 - Invitation Of Gratitude

    - After School -


    Finally...school was over for the day. I packed up the few belongings I had and prepared to leave the room. I was going to see the principal, to find out what exactly was his motive behind changing the Advancement Exam system so abruptly this year.


    "Hang on, Xuan Kai," Yu An Xue called out from behind me and grabbed my sleeve gently just as I was about to exit.


    I turned around. "What is it, Yu An Xue?"


    "Um...my father asked me to give you this..." she murmured quietly with a blush on her face, as she took out an envelope from her uniform breast pocket and handed it to me.


    I took it from her and inspected the object. The envelope itself was exquisitely designed and made of high quality materials. With white as its primary color and golden linings as decoration, there was no doubt it fit in with the Yu family''s royal theme.


    "What''s this?" I asked, rotating the envelope so I could see the backside as well. It was simrly designed to the front.


    "It''s...an envelope?" she mumbled uncertainly.


    I nced at her like, ''seriously?'', but seeing her innocent look I quickly looked away. No shit, it was an envelope - I was asking what was inside of it. But then again, if she had responded with ''a letter'', I would''ve facepalmed with the damn table.


    I sighed and sat down once more. Opening the envelope with ease, I looked inside. As expected, it was a letter. I took it out, and began reading. The Yu An Yan, Qing Yue, and Feng Mian also came over to see what was going on.


    The letter wrote:


    *****


    Dear Mr. Xuan,


    My name is Yu Ao, the Yu family patriarch. I believe we have met before.


    This letter is to formally invite you to the Yu family manor in honor of your gracious self. Not only me, but the entire Yu household owes much to you. Thus, we are nning on using this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude.


    We hope you ept our sincere invitation.


    May we meet soon,


    Yu Ao


    *****


    "Er...this is...?" I began. The rest of the girls seemed to have finished reading as well, and blinked a couple of times in surprise.


    "I didn''t even know about this..." Yu An Yan muttered. "An Xue, you never told me!"


    "W-Why would I tell you? Father asked ME to give this to him," Yu An Xue replied smugly.


    "Yeah, and I bet you''re very happy about having an excuse to talk to him!" Yu An Yan shot back.


    "W-What are you talking about?! You want to be the one to do it for the same reason!" Yu An Xue argued, now blushing furiously.


    "H-Huh?! What do you-"


    "Stop fighting," I cut in. Having two girls scream at each other right beside me was not healthy for my ears. Didn''t know what they were arguing about, but it clearly wasn''t something important.


    They both looked apologetic and averted their gaze, still blushing.


    I changed the topic - or rather, brought the topic back on track. "They mentioned something about gratitude in here," I said, skimming over the letter once more. "I don''t remember doing anything worth their gratitude though..."


    "Sure you did!" Yu An Yan cut in. "You saved me, remember?" she said as her cheeks turned pink.


    "Eh...like I said, it was the principal who defeated Ghosteye..." Luckily, no one else was in the ss, since if anyone heard this it would cause quite a stir.


    "Well, that may be so, but you were the one that came up with all the nning," Feng Mian said. "Wait, speaking of, you STILL haven''t told us just what you did!"


    Uh...may as well get this over with. "Fine, I''ll tell you," I replied. "Basically..."


    *****


    - shback: The Day Xuan Kai Investigated The First Lair -


    "Okay...let''s hope this works," I muttered under my breath. I had more or less thought up a n after getting a brief idea of the evil man''s strength (the one who captured Yu An Yan eight years ago).


    I stood in front of the Yu family residence front gates, and the guard waved at me. He probably recognized me from thest time I was here together with the others. "Good evening. Do you have business here at the Yu family residence?"


    "Yes," I replied. "Please inform the patriarch that I wish to see him."


    The guard nodded. "Your name was...Xuan Kai, yes?"


    "Correct."


    "Well then, please wait here for a couple of minutes. I will be back soon," he said, turning on his heels, and began heading in the direction of the main manor.


    "Much appreciated."


    *****


    After a few minutes, the guard came back and invited me inside. He retreated back to his duties after leading me to the main manor, and I knocked three times on the door.


    "Come in," a familiar deep male voice said.


    Iplied and pushed opened the door. The room had not changed at all since thest time I had been here. The same royal atmosphere surrounded the room, and I felt an air of grandness. No one else was in the room, since if I was visiting it surely was for something rted to his daughter''s disappearance and his own brother''s evil acts.


    "Speak, boy. What brings you here today?" Yu Ao, the Yu family patriarch, asked, sitting on his throne.


    "I havee today to request your assistance, patriarch," I answered truthfully.


    Yu Ao raised an eyebrow. "Assistance, you say? What kind?"


    "It is concerning the man that captured your daughter years ago. I need help in defeating him," I replied.


    "...I see. You want me to fight him?"


    I made a thinking gesture, and then asked, "Do you have the ability to?"


    Yu Ao shot up from his seat, eyes aze with anger. I stared at him head-on, not a trace of fear in me. We stood there, gazing at each other for a while more, before he retreated and slumped back into his throne.


    "Normally I would have you punished for insulting my strength, but..." he sighed. "The truth is, even back then, I was probably only his equal, not stronger. I may be a Golden Monarch, but only an early-stage one. Someone able to take down all the guards and elders in the Yu family must''ve been a Golden Monarch or higher, after all. And as for now..."


    "Now, you may not even stand a chance against him," I finished for him.


    The Yu family patriarch looked infuriated, and balled his fists up tightly. "I hate to admit it, but you are right. I haven''t been focusing on my personal cultivation much for the past few years. Instead, I was busy sorting out family and business affairs."


    I nodded. "A Golden Monarch Stage, huh..."


    "I am sorry. There''s no way I can help you in this matter, if you want me to fight that man. As much as I want to take revenge with my own two hands....I have the family to worry about. If I were to die..."


    I quickly shook my head. "No need. I have someone else in mind," I said. "All you have to do is provide me with a certain object."


    "An...object?" Yu Ao asked, and frowned in confusion.


    "Correct. I need something that can store a person within it for an extended period of time," I said.


    "Something that can hold a person? I don''t believe I have any artifacts that can-" he began, but I cut him off.


    "The Space Locket."


    "But that''s for storing things, not humans!" he yelled.


    I sighed. "Have you ever tried to store a human in it?"


    "That''s-! That''s absurd!"


    "I''ll take it as a no. So, it remains a possibility. Now then - do you agree to lend me the Space Locket for the time being?" I asked, getting to the main point.


    "Definitely not! This Magic Artifact is a Yu family treasure passed down from generation to generation, and it is filled with the Yu family''s prized possessions! How can I trust an outsider with it?"


    I walked closer to him, leaned in, and stared at him directly in the eyes. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead as I mmed the armrest of the throne loudly with my palm, but I ignored them.


    "What are you-"


    "Do you value those so-called treasures more..." I interrupted. "...Or your daughter'' life more?"


    I stared into his eyes as if piercing his soul while saying these words cold and menacingly. Yu Ao, after a while, couldn''t take it anymore and closed his eyes. I backed away, knowing my n had seeded.


    "Fine. I don''t know what exactly you mean by my daughter''s life, but..." he trailed off as he took out a pouch from the inside pocket of his shirt.


    "Take good care of this. If you lose anything within it, I will never forgive you. And don''t even think about taking this and running away either - as long as you are on this, I will hunt you down and kill you. Do you understand?"


    I nodded, and took the pouch from his hands. It looked just like any ordinary pouch, but I could sense the powerful aura radiating from it. Just as I turned around and was about to leave, however-


    "Hold it, boy. Who was the ''someone'' you had in mind to defeat the bastard that took away my An Yan?" Yu Ao asked.


    I smirked, and nced behind me slightly, hands shoved in my pockets. "Someone stronger than you, old geezer."


    "You-!"


    "Oh, and onest thing: don''t tell anyone about my n. Or else it won''t seed," I added before darting out the room quickly, lest he change his mind about lending me the Yu family''s prized treasure, and headed off to my next destination.


    *****


    - Present Day -


    "...And that''s how it went," I concluded. The four girls around me seemed shocked, especially the two sisters.


    "No way...my father didn''t tell me anything..." Yu An Xue muttered.


    "Well, yeah. I told him not to tell anyone," I replied like it was something obvious.


    "But that was a lie, right?! There wasn''t ANY harm in telling us!" Feng Mian argued, and crossed her arms in a cute pouting gesture.


    "Uh, mostly..." I trailed off.


    "What do you mean, MOSTLY?!" she yelled.


    "Okay, okay, fine! I''m sorry, alright?" I raised my hands up as if surrendering.


    "Hmph!" she still seemed angry, and looked away. But at least she wasn''t screaming anymore, and that made my ears happy.


    "But still...to think you were able to make The Dragon of Shenzhen listen to your demands and ept to help you..." Yu An Yan murmured in awe.


    "Er, we...kind of have a past," I exined. I would leave it at that and not say anything more.


    "Heheh, that''s my Big Brother Xuan Kai for you!" Qing Yue beamed, jumping up and down happily before throwing her arms around me.


    "You''re not mad, Qing Yue?!" Feng Mian asked in shock. "Last time, you had us stay up the entire night without dinner for not telling you anything!"


    Ah...right. That happened. Not a pleasant memory...why did she have to bring it up again?


    Qing Yue, meanwhile, still had an innocent smile on her face, like an angel.


    ...But her next words were akin to the devil himself''s.


    "Oh, don''t worry, Feng Mian. That part will being, VERY soon~?"

 Chapter 58 - The Yu Family Manor, Once More

    - The Yu Family Residence Front Gates -


    After I exined my entire n to the girls, I had quickly changed the topic onto the letter Yu Ao sent me. For the first time ever, I thanked the Yu family patriarch, for giving me something to direct the conversation towards, thus avoiding Qing Yue''s wrath...for now.


    Coincidentally, the same guard from thest time I was here was at the gates, and immediately opened the gates after seeing the two young heiresses (Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan).


    He gave me a slight wave as we entered, and I gave a discrete nod in return.


    This young man slightly older than me was one of the few nice people in this world, where evil outweighed good. Thanks to the unspokenw - strength rules all - people were constantly striving to be stronger, but with every step they take in this path, the temptation of power threatens to corrupt their mind further, until they eventually forget what they initially started cultivating for...and turn to evil.


    - Inside The Manor -


    We were weed into the familiar white building by multiple servants wearing formal white clothes, and the atmosphere was clearly more inviting than thest time I was here. The usual empty grand hall had been turned into a banquet, and six white seats were ced in total around arge - you guessed it - white table. I feel like I''ve wondered this before, but...what is it with the Yu family and the color white?


    Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan bowed down slightly and greeted the patriarch with a traditional fist and palm salute. "Father."


    Yu Ao nodded, and signaled for them to rise. His two daughtersplied, and stepped back.


    "Sir Xuan Kai, my honored guest, this Yu wees you to our humble manor," the patriarch then said, and did the same salute the Yu sisters had just did to him. "Please take a seat." he motioned for me to sit down.


    "Er..." I blinked in surprise as all six of us sat down in our chairs. This was too different of an attitudepared to thest time I saw him. The girls were also shocked, especially the two sisters. Seeing their venerable father bowing down to the likes of me, there was no doubt they were going to be overwhelmed.


    The patriarch was unfazed. "I have invited you to my manor today in order to express my gratitude. I believe that was already stated in the letter."


    "Uh...yeah," I replied. I still hadn''te to terms with his respectful attitude towards me.


    "Well then, that makes things easier," Yu Ao smiled warmly. "Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest tonight, Sir Xuan Kai and his mistresses."


    I frowned. "Huh? Mistresses-"


    "We''re not his MISTRESSES!" Feng Mian screamed, face beet red.


    "Ahaha! Youngsters these days..." Yu Ao murmured quietly.


    "N-No! You have it all wron-" Feng Mian began, but-


    "Oho, was it that obvious?" Qing Yue interrupted out of nowhere, a sinister grin on her face.


    The patriarchughed once more. "There''s nothing wrong with a man as brilliant as Sir Xuan Kai having multiple wives, after all."


    "Heheheh...and you want your own two daughters to join the harem?" Qing Yue continued.


    A bead of sweat formed on Yu Ao''s forehead. "Ah...you saw right through me."


    "F-Father?!" The two sisters yelled in unison. "What do you mean by that?!"


    "Heehee, there are actually two reasons behind this banquet," Qing Yue exined in the patriarch''s stead. "One - to thank Big Brother Xuan Kai for saving his daughter, Yu An Yan. And the other...to offer an engagement for your two daughters, correct?"


    The patriarch smiled and nodded.


    "J-Just hold on a second, father!" Yu An Yan cried. "You haven''t even asked about our own feelings! We could be unwilling to marry him!"


    "Y-Yeah, that''s right," I added as support. "I think these kinds of things are best left up to the people in question themselves."


    "Come on now. You just said ''could be''," Qing Yue said with an eye roll. "If you really didn''t want to, you would''ve made that clear already."


    Yu Ao nodded as if agreeing with her analysis, and Yu An Yan blushed deeply.


    "I do not wish to marry him," Yu An Xue said with an expertly crafted cold expression.


    "Heh. Imagine this scene, Yu An Xue..." Qing Yue began, as a devilish n formed inside her head. "Your sister kissing Xuan Kai, and he looks like he''s enjoying it. What do you feel?"


    "H-Hey! Don''t drag me into this!" Yu An Yan shouted, but was sadly ignored by everyone present.


    "Ngh..." Yu An Xue shut her eyes, and listened to Qing Yue''s instructions. But...soon after, she began furiously shaking her head. "No...!"


    Qing Yue looked towards me like, ''See? Now hurry up and praise me.''


    I averted my gaze, as Yu An Xue atst calmed down, and opened her eyes.


    "I felt...nothing," she tantly lied. But everyone in the room nced at her with pitiful looks, and she looked towards herp with a flushed face.


    "Ahem! As you can see, both my daughters are deep in love with you, Sir Xuan Kai," the patriarch dered. This time, both daughters looked as if they wanted to rebuke him, but couldn''t think of any good points to back their opinions up, it seems.


    "I am, uh...ttered?" I said hesitantly, scratching my head.


    "Are you not satisfied with my daughters in any way?" the patriarch furrowed his brows in genuine confusion.


    "A-Ah, no, not at all," I replied. "It''s just...everything happened so quick, my apologies if it felt like I was looking down on your daughters."


    "Then I see no problem. Let''s have you get engaged with the two of them!" Yu Ao pped his hands together and announced.


    "Er...c-can we put this matter aside for now?" I suggested desperately. I wasn''t interested in this kind of discussion.


    "Very well, we can discuss this in more detail at ater date," Yu Ao agreed.


    Yeah...let''s not discuss this, today or any day.


    I cleared my throat. "This mighte as a stupid question, but...just what did I do to make you be so grateful towards me?"


    Yu Ao sighed. "This may just be a small matter in your heroic life, but to me and the entirety of the Yu family, this was something worth more than anything," he exined, though I still didn''t quite understand.


    Then, as if reading my mind, he continued. "You saved my An Yan, and returned her to us after eight years of grieving. Publically, this matter was long since forgotten, but deep down, everyone in the Yu family, especially my wife and I...how could we just forget about our missing daughter?"


    "..." I listened in silence. Right now, the man before me was not the patriarch of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, but just a grieving father.


    "What you have done is far greater than what you may think. And in fact, An Yan wasn''t the only one you saved," a female voice joined the conversation. I turned around to see who it was, and I saw a gorgeousdy dressed in white enter the great hall. I stared in awe at her brilliant fuchsia hair, a mix of pink and purple. She had simrly colored eyes, and was practically like abination of Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan, except older. She smiled as she met my gaze, and introduced herself.


    "Greetings, Sir Xuan Kai. I am Yu Ao''s wife, and the mother of An Xue and An Yan. You can call me Yu Rong."


    I stood up from my chair out of courtesy and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Lady Yu Rong. I can see where Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan get their beautiful appearance from."


    "Fufufu...you tter me," sheughed in a very constrained,dy-like manner. "I am getting old, and cannotpare to these beauties surrounding you."


    I smiled in return, slightly embarrassed, and a servant quickly rushed into the room, bringing a chair with her. The maid ced the chair beside Yu Ao, and quickly dashed out of the room as soon as her task was done, as if escaping the atmosphere. Yu Rong seated herself beside her husband, and the two sisters greeted their mother with a curtsy, unlike how they greeted their father. Customs.


    "Lady Yu Rong, do you mind exining what exactly you mean by ''Yu An Yan wasn''t the only one I saved''?" I asked once she had settled down.


    "Fufu...Xue''Er was the one who suffered the most when Yan''Er was taken away...and that was also why my husband and I agreed with the elders'' decision to not tell her the truth until she was older."


    "So then, you mean..." I began, nearly arriving at the answer now that she had directed the topic onto Yu An Xue.


    She nodded with a smile. "Indeed. By saving Yan''Er, you also saved Xue''Er''s heart."


    "...I see. By the way, here''s the Space Locket...you can have it back," I said, taking the magical pouch out of my pocket.


    "No, my boy. Keep it," Yu Ao replied immediately.


    "Huh...?"


    "You deserve it. Think of it as a reward for saving my daughters."


    After a short mental debate, I eventually gave in and sighed. "...Fine. But I''ll give everything within the Space Locket back to you."


    "...Alright, that''s fair," Yu Ao said after some thought. "You can just empty it in the corner over there, I''ll sort through itter."


    I did as told, and dumped the full contents of the Space Locket onto the floor, in the corner of the room. Quite a bit came out, and it took up a lot of space. Fortunately, none of it was fragile, so nothing broke or anything. After that, I headed back to my seat.


    <em>I saved not only Yu An Yan, but also Yu An Xue''s heart, huh...</em>


    I may be good at formting ns and battle strategies, but...rtionships and human emotions were still a mystery to me.


    A rtionship was a connection between two or more people. There were bad rtionships, and intimate rtionships...but that''s about the extent of my knowledge on the subject.


    As for emotions, I knew what they were, obviously. There were many different emotions one could experience, and I understood most of them. But...there was just one I could notprehend, no matter how hard I tried: love.


    Just what, was love? Why do people experience love, and how? What, exactly, was an intimate rtionship? What did it mean to have such a rtionship with someone? These are questions I may never find an answer to, but even so, they constantly nagged at my mind. I wonder, when did I start having these inquiries?


    Was it after my parents were assassinated?


    ...I remember my parents telling me they loved me. And in the past, I could feel it - I could feel their love.


    But ever since that day, I couldn''t recall the feeling of being loved or loving someone else, no matter how hard I tried. I figured I would have to restart, and discover the meaning of love all over again.


    Maybe, someday, I could find an answer to all these questions. Maybe someday, I could experience the emotion called love again.


    But until then, I will continue my search, and strive towards that goal.

 Chapter 59 - His True Identity

    After the banquet was finished, we all headed back to the dorms together. I quickly convinced Qing Yue that it was toote, and we still had school tomorrow, so the ''torture'' session could be saved for another day.


    Luckily, during the meal, no further talk of marriage came up. I expected the sisters to stay behind at the Yu manor for the night, but apparently they didn''t want to listen to their parents nag them about the engagement, so...


    I parted ways with the girls and headed in the direction of the boys'' dorms...not. After making sure I was safely out of their sight, I changed directions and headed towards the school administrative building. It was just a bet, but right now was a great time to meet the principal secretly. Of course, I didn''t know if he was still here or not, but...


    The door to the Administrative Campus was usually locked, but not today. I felt a grin creep up my face.


    "Kukuku...That sly old bastard..."


    I pushed open the door lightly and slipped inside. Recalling where the principal''s office was from thest time Tang Jia Yi had apanied me here, I followed the same twists and turns.


    Eventually, I arrived before the massive white double doors. I pushed it slightly, and as expected, it was also open.


    "Oh? What brings you here today?" a familiar old bearded man asked as I swung open the doors.


    *****


    - Meanwhile, The Girls'' Dormitories -


    (Qing Yue''s Perspective)


    Four girls were currently in one of the elevators of the girls'' dormitories - Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, Feng Mian, and I. Coinidentally, all four of our dorms were on the same floor - the topmost and 30th one.


    In order to amodate therge number of students attending this school, from years 1 through 6, such a tall apartment was needed to act as a dorm. I looked at the girls surrounding me, and furrowed my brows.


    ...How was I going topete with these goddess-level beauties?


    They were more developed than me in every way - figure, personality, and even strength! There''s no man who wouldn''t fall for them. But if Big Brother Xuan Kai does end up falling in love with them, I have to at least make sure one thing...


    The elevators swung open, and a loud ding signaled that we had arrived at our destination floor. The four of us piled out, but just as we were about to say our farewells, I blurted out, "Wait, everyone. Can we talk for a little?"


    The three of them all looked at me with puzzled expressions.


    "Um...I have something to ask you guys, that''s all," I exined hurriedly.


    "Something...to ask...us?" Yu An Xue echoed.


    I nodded my head twice. "Yep! Comee, we can talk in my room," I said, pulling on her arm. The other two soon followed.


    I opened the door to my dorm after unlocking the magic array lock. "Ta-da! Wee to Qing Yue''s dormitory!!" I beamed happily.


    "Woah..." Feng Mian mused, eyes scanning around the room. "This was even more pink and cute than I was expecting."


    "Hehe~I''ll take that as apliment!" I replied.


    My room was filled with pink - it was my favorite color! Pink walls, pink ceilings, and just cute andfortable in general. Thanks to me being from one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, the school gave me a lot more freedom in customizing my room and such.


    To be honest, this was a feature that could be given to every single student, since rooms could easily be reset to the defaultyout with a Time Element spell, but the school decided to consider this an exclusive privilege to those from one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen.


    "Come sit!" I said, beckoning them toe over to the couch (yes, it was pink).


    The three girls obediently sat down. "So? What is it you need to ask us?" Yu An Yan asked. The other two''s eyes were asking the same question. Well, there''s no point in beating around the bush, so...


    I took a deep breath. "I''ll be straight with you: Do you guys...really like Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    *****


    - At The Same Time, Principal''s Office -


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Oh? What brings you here?" Song Qian Long asked this obvious question.


    Song Qian Long - known as the Dragon of Shenzhen, famed for his unbeatable strength in the entire city. Ate Golden Monarch stage, said to be just one step away from a Holy Emperor. He was also the founder and principal of Shenzhen Magic High School. This wasn''t surprising, as the stronger you were in your cultivation, the longer you could live. Bute to think of it, this guy must be nearing 200 years of age, considering this school was founded quite some time ago.


    "Kukuku...the main entrance door and this one were both unlocked," I remarked, a grin on my face. "Enough acting. You knew I was going toe today."


    He smiled. "There''s no escaping your eyes, huh?"


    My grin disappeared and I took on a serious tone. "I''m going to get straight to the point. Why did you change the Advancement Exams this year?"


    The smile on his face faded as well. "There is...a certain powerhouse that has taken a notice to you."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Does he...know about my secret?"


    Song Qian Long looked troubled, but under my menacing gaze, he atst sighed and nodded. "I do not know how he figured it out, but..."


    "Who is this person?" I asked.


    "...The principal of Shanghai Magic Academy - Liu Jian."


    My eyes widened. The Shanghai Magic Academy was known as the best magic high school on the. From what I know, it adopted a simr ss system to Shenzhen Magic High school - 4 sses in every year, ranked A to D. But the cruel thing was...even the ss D students there were stronger than our ss A ones.


    That was the strength of the Magic Capital. Truly, worthy of its title as the best magic high school. But...how did its principal find out about me?


    "...That doesn''t make any sense," I muttered to myself. "We don''t have any sort of connection..."


    "Er...if I may add, he was the one who proposed this change to the exams this year. The Advancement Exams at Shanghai Magic Academy have always been this way, after all," Song Qian Long exined. "Also, he will be one of the judges on the day of the exam..."


    Shit...this was getting more and moreplicated. The only people who knew about my secret were the four girls, myself, and...the man before me.


    "I know what you are thinking right now, but I can safely say that no one leaked the information," Song Qian Long said, as if reading my mind.


    "Kuku...and how do I know you are telling the truth?" I replied menacingly, killing intent dripping in my voice. I red at him with venom.


    But he didn''t even flinch. Instead, he answered me calmly. "I do not have any proof to back my statement up, but...I can only hope you trust me."


    I stared at him for a while longer, then sighed. "You didn''t even flinch when I looked at you with killing intent. That''s more than enough to prove your honesty. Besides - if you really wanted to leak my information, you would''ve done so a long time ago."


    He had known about my secret from the moment I used my powers in the Magic Training Room, just never told me about that fact until muchter. He had plenty of opportunities to spread the word about me. And also...I didn''t believe he would mean me harm. Call it instinct.


    Song Qian Long smiled. "You can use Psychic Magic just to be safe, you know, Kai Kai?"


    I flinched, but quickly came back to my senses and looked at him with hatred. "Don''t...call me by that nickname."


    Song Qian Long did seem fazed this time, and looked apologetic. "I-I apologize."


    "...How do you even know that nickname, anyway?" I asked, and after a little thought, continued. "And also...I''ve been wanting to ask you this for a while now, but...just why do you care about me so much?"


    Song Qian Long appeared troubled, looked away, and stared outside at the starry night sky to avoid the question.


    "Tell me, please." I continued genuinely. I was grateful for his actions, but...I wasn''t someone who just epts help without knowing why that person decided to help me. Sure, some people do it simply because they are kind, but Song Qian Long''s actions have long since passed that point.


    The old bearded man closed his eyes, and my eyes widened in surprise as I saw a tiny tear streak out of his right eyelid.


    "Xuan Kai, the truth is..." he paused, as I waited in anticipation.


    "...I, Song Qian Long, am your godfather."

 Chapter 60 - Liu Jian

    Hah...how troublesome. It seems I have no choice but to participate in this Advancement Exam. I would much rather have preferred to just sit this one out, and avoid attracting any attention to myself.


    However, you don''t always get the things you want in life. I also couldn''t tell the girls about Liu Jian, so I would have toe up with some viable excuse as to why I was actually going to participate in this exam...


    *****


    - shback: Last Night -


    "You...are my godfather?" I asked, still paralyzed in shock.


    Song Qian Long turned towards me and smiled warmly. "That''s right. But...I do not deserve to be called that by you."


    "I..."


    "I have failed both you and your parents..." the old man closed his eyes and continued. "Truly...I have let you down, Xuan Ying, Ruo Lan."


    In this moment, it was hard to believe this tearful aged senior before me was the number 1 mage in Shenzhen. But with this, I have finally gotten an answer as to just why he spoiled me this much.


    I clenched my fists in anger. He was the strongest person in this entire city, but couldn''t save the real parents of his godson. No, he hadn''t even TRIED. But just as I was about to throw a fist at him, I stopped. And I realized something - I couldn''t bring myself to hit him. I don''t know why, but I got the feeling that he had his own hardships and difficulties to deal with.


    I dropped my stretched back hand and sighed, taking a few deep breaths to calm down.


    "...It''s fine," I said quietly atst. "You...probably had your own difficulties."


    He then widened his eyes at my words, and looked at me as if he had found redemption.


    "Kai Kai..." he murmured weakly.


    "Don''t get me wrong. I haven''t forgiven you," I rified, and I could see his expression be crestfallen once more. I closed my eyes and looked away. "But at least...now, I don''t hate you as much anymore. I''ll...allow you to call my by that name."


    Song Qian Long quickly turned happy again, and wiped away his tears. "Haha...well. It is a first step, I guess."


    I cleared my throat to get rid of this awkwardness in the air. "A-Ahem...anyway. Back on track...I suppose there isn''t any way I can avoid this exam altogether, correct?"


    Song Qian Long sadly shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Should you do that, Liu Jian will undoubtedly suspect something is wrong being the sharp man that he is, and he will definitely do something to this school."


    I gritted my teeth. "Tch...he threatened you, didn''t he?"


    The principal looked surprised I had figured that out. "Ahaha...yes. How did you know?"


    "The certainty in your voice is more than enough to confirm he said something to you beforehand," I replied. "Now then...what exactly did he say?"


    The principal sighed. "It wasn''t a clear threat, but I could hear the implication in his voice. These were his exact words: ''Make sure that boy will participate in this exam, you hear me?''"


    "The ''or else'' was omitted. I see..."


    Still, what a demanding tone...


    "Just what is his cultivation level?" I asked, curious. Someone with such an arrogant manner of speech must be exceptionally strong.


    "He is ate-stage Golden Monarch, just like me," Song Qian Long replied, and I dropped my jaw open in shock.


    "That''s...not that powerful though?"


    "You''re right. Just his cultivation level on the surface alone isn''t powerful..." he muttered. "But the frightening thing about him, is that he is able to defeat masters a whole tier above him."


    "What?!"


    The old man nodded, showing that he wasn''t joking. "He defeated a Holy Emperor at the National Magic Tournament 2018 with three strikes back when he was only an entry level Golden Monarch, under the gaze of millions of people. That''s how he made a name for himself."


    He...defeated a Holy Emperor with only three attacks, as a mere entry level Golden Monarch?! That means he was able to defeat someone who - on the surface - should be stronger than him by a mile. And a Holy Emperor who was able to make it to the National Magic Tournament no less...


    The National Magic Tournament was a solopetition held every four years in every territory. The entry requirement was to be at least a Golden Monarch stage, and to pass a special entry test.


    The entry test wasn''t easy by any means. I didn''t know the details, but apparently out of 10,000 entrants, only around 2,000 made it into the actual tournament. That''s a less than 20% chance.


    Everyone wanted to try their luck in this tournament - the champion would be granted fame, riches, and the privilege topete in an even bigger, grander tournament...


    As mentioned before, this solo tournament was held in every territory, meaning any race could participate. The top three mages in every territory would thene together at ater date topete in the Arcane World Cup, where only one team of three would emerge victor. The ''teams'' are pre-determined - the top three of every territory would automatically be formed into a team to face off against the other races.


    The winner of the Arcane World Cup would not only gain insurmountable rewards for themselves, including any one wish for each of the winning team''s members (and because the IMF were the ones who organized the tournament, this wish could be virtually anything), but also glory and prizes for their race as well. Thus, it was no overstatement to say that this tournament was the biggest event ever. Every time the four-year mark rolled around, the popce of the entire world would wait in anticipation.


    "Did that man...win the tournament?" I gulped in fear.


    "No," Song Qian Long answered with a sigh. "He was eventually defeated by a Saint Realm master, but even then the master had to use his ultimate move in order to do so."


    "Only defeated by a Saint Realm Mage''s ultimate move, huh?"


    The principal nodded. "So...as you can tell now, we cannot afford to go against him."


    I sighed. "Fine...if he wants a show, then he''ll get one."


    I turned around and prepared to leave, but was given onest reminder.


    "By the way, Kai Kai...don''t tell anyone else about our rtionship, alright?"


    "Tch. You didn''t have to remind me," I replied.


    *****


    - Present Time -


    I took a shower, brushed my teeth, slipped on my usual attire, and went to the elevators. Before long, a lift came to my floor and I entered it, pressing the 1 button to head to the bottom floor. A loud ding sound signaled I had arrived at my destination, and I got out of the elevator, tired and deep in thought as I recalledst night''s conversation with Song Qian Long...my godfather.


    "Good morning, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" a cheerful and cute voice called out.


    "Hm?" I turned to see who it was. "Ah...Qing Yue. Good morning."


    My kawaii non-blood rted little sister. She immediately hopped over excitedly and clung to my arm.


    "Uh...what brings you here today?" I asked, unsure whether to pull away or not.


    "I just came here to see my big brother. Something wrong with that?" she replied, staring up at me with big yellow eyes.


    "Eh? Uh, no, not exactly..."


    "Hehe~then let''s go!" she said and began skipping away, dragging me behind her.


    I sighed. Seeing her so carefree and innocent like this, I couldn''t help but smile. There were many things I have to worry about, but for now...I could just sit back, and enjoy this kind of lifestyle.


    I wonder...just how long will these peaceful daysst?

 Chapter 61 - Training (1)

    "Alright, ss!" Mr. Wang announced, pping his hands together. "From now until the beginning of the Advancement Exams, ss time is your training and nning time! The Magic Training Room on this floor will be open to all 2nd Years during this time. In addition, I will not be teaching anything more, but feel free toe find me if you have any questions. That''s all, get to work!"


    Cheers erupted in the confined room, and everyone quickly grouped together with their team members and dashed out the door, eager to be the first ones in the Magic Training Room. Space was limited, after all. Mr. Wang also left the room.


    As for me? Well. I stayed behind as usual, and began drafting a n. The girls, however...


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, what are you doing?!" Qing Yue cried, jumping up and down. "We have to train for the uing exams!"


    I looked at her exhaustedly. "What''s the rush? We have plenty of time to train - a full week."


    "Um, yeah, but the more training time the better, no?" Feng Mian argued.


    "Er...by standards, yes," I replied. "But there''s no point fighting for it in this case."


    The four girls stared at me, puzzled. I sighed.


    "Look - everyone else has the exact same thought process as you right now, so they are all going to be rushing to the Magic Training Room. And so, there''s no doubt it''s going to he crowded, and skirmishes between different sses will definitely ur," I exined.


    "That''s true, but..." Yu An Yan trailed off.


    "Meaning," I continued. "Even if we go there now, there''s little chance we''re going to get any actually effective training in."


    "Quality over quantity, huh?" Feng Mian said, finally understanding what I''m getting at.


    "Um...then what do you suppose we do now?" Yu An Xue asked shyly.


    I smirked. "Mr. Wang said that ss time would be used for our training..."


    "...And nning," Qing Yue finished.


    "Aha! So when we''re nning, everyone else will be training. And when we are done, they will be as well - and that''s when we begin our own training," Yu An Yan summarized.


    I nodded. "That way, not only do we get quality training time, but also a sufficient nning stage to make sure nothing goes wrong. Time management, people."


    "Hehe~ as expected of my Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yueplimented, and threw her arms around me as the other girls watched with slightly ufortable expressions, for whatever reason.


    *****


    - Meanwhile, The Magic Training Room -


    "Tch...did he note?" Li Yi Fei said with his hands shoved in his pockets as he spat on the floor arrogantly.


    "Doesn''t seem like it," Zhang Zhe Rui replied, scanning their surroundings.


    "Hmph! That bastard is clearly too scared to evene!" Pang Zi, Li Yi Fei''s otherckey, punched his own palm loudly, as if asking for a fight.


    The three of them had been one of the firsts to arrive at the Magic Training Room of the 2nd Years. They had originally wanted to witness Xuan Kai''s magic once more just to make sure what they saw at the duel was really his own magic, but unfortunately for them Xuan Kai had not shown up.


    They sat in the Fire Dimension together on a burnt log. Surrounding them was a miniature magma river that abruptly cut off at the end of the dimension, where the fiery orange barrier stood. There used to be a mini volcano across this river as well - used to, because after one night a huge hole had been punched through it. Now, it could hardly be called a volcano. No one knew what happened to cause that, but apparently remains of fire magic being used were found. Still, whoever did it, must''ve been exceptionally powerful at Fire Magic to be able to do that.


    The Magic Training Room was a very special ce. It was divided into 21 separate dimensions, with narrow pathways that intersect and form a massive array: 3 rows, 7 columns. Each dimension was literally almost like a separate world. Apart from a massive barrier that surrounded each dimension, it waspletely as if you were really in the scenery that the dimension depicts.


    The sky, ground, and environment overall are all strikingly realistic. But the most fascinating part about it was that the barriers were see-through - you could see what''s going on in another dimension. And as soon as you walked out of the barrier, the sky was reced by the familiar ceiling, and the ground with normal floor tiling.


    Such a room was used to train mages. It contained 21 dimensions as mentioned before. Each dimension was based on one element, and within it was an abundance of mana for that specific element, making it especially good for training. There was one Magic Training Room for every year at Shenzhen Magic High School, with the higher years having more mana in their dimensionspared to the lower years, since the difficulty of spells and enlightenment rise.


    Since all three of them had a Fire Element affinity, Li Yi Fei and his twockeys had decided to enter the Fire Dimension. That was how they were able to use Conjoined Release to cast that Level Two Fire spell weeks ago against Feng Mian, after all. And since Li Yi Fei was a young master of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, no one bothered them. In fact, they had plenty of space around thempared to other people.


    Had they been some nobody, there''s no doubt they would''ve been cast out by the other students who also wanted to use that space. It was really crowded in the Magic Training Room, due to everyone wanting to train as much as they could. Space was valuable and limited.


    "Hm...I don''t know why, but I feel like it''s not that he''s scared ofing here..." Zhang Zhe Rui muttered, vetoing Pang Zi''s conclusion.


    "Then what is it?" Li Yi Fei asked, arching an eyebrow.


    "...I''m not sure exactly, but I can feel it," Zhang Zhe Rui replied, pushing up his sses. "Xuan Kai...he''s dangerous."


    "Dangerous? You mean...that actually was his own magic at the duel?" Pang Zi asked.


    Zhang Zhe Rui nodded. "There''s a 90% chance that is the case."


    Li Yi Fei clenched his fists tight. "That bastard...just how did he be able to use magic all of a sudden...?!"


    "...My apologies, master. There isn''t any data on such a scenario at all, since it has never happened before," Zhang Zhe Rui responded, bowing to show his sincerity.


    "Never mind that. We can use Level Two Magic now as well, but even then I don''t know if we''ll be able to beat that bitch..." Li Yi Fei said, and mmed his fist down on the log. "If what you say is really true, then he is really a problem we have to get rid of..."


    "I agree with boss. All the beauties of the city are flocking towards him!" Pang Zi added.


    Zhang Zhe Rui''s calm smile quickly twisted up into an evil sneer as he sensed his master''s intentions.


    "I see...if THAT''S what you need...heheheh," heughed darkly. "Just leave it to me, master."


    Li Yi Fei''s grin turned ominous as well. "Then I will leave it to you. It''s what you do best, after all..."


    *****


    - Back in the ssroom -


    "Our first step should be to gather information," Yu An Yan said thoughtfully. "You know, about the other contestants."


    I nodded. "She''s right...but before that, let''s just go over what WE can use."


    "Fair,e to think of it, we don''t really know each other''s real battle capabilities, despite being such close friends," Feng Mian added.


    Close friends...? Uh...did they do something without me? Since when did they be able to call each other ''close friends'' so naturally?


    "Okay! Then I''ll go first~" Qing Yue said, raising her hand up.


    ...We aren''t in ss, my cute little sister.


    "My name is Qing Yue, and I can use Blessing, Light, and Psychic Magic!" she carried on excitedly. "Oh, but I''m best with Blessing, heehee~"


    "So...she''s a healer - support," I summarized.


    "Alright - my turn!" Feng Mian cut in. "I can use Ice, Poison, and Shadow magic - Level Two spells included."


    "Oh yeah, I can use Level Two Blessing Magic, working on it for Psychic and Light," Qing Yue added, having been reminded by Feng Mian to say what level magic she can use as well.


    "Qing Yue is very talented at Blessing Magic...it won''t be long before she can use Level Three spells," I supplemented.


    It wasn''t a lie - I believe she definitely could use Level Three Blessing Magic very soon. And considering the level of the mages we would have to face...Level Three Blessing Magic was equivalent to a free immortality card.


    "Ehehe...you''re overpraising me, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." Qing Yue said shyly while fiddling with her beautiful white hair.


    "Well - anyway. Back on topic..." I muttered. "Feng Mian can be an assassin, used to take down the enemy team''s supports and backliners. With her skillful use of Vanishing Shadows, that should be an easy task."


    "Hm...as long as they don''t cast area of effect Light Magic such as Illumination, I should be fine," Feng Mian replied.


    I nodded. "Next...Yu an Xue." I signaled for her to begin introducing her abilities.


    "Um...I can use Water, Ice, and Space Magic..." she said almost inaudibly. "I can cast Level Two spells as well..."


    "Water Ice, and Space...okay. You can be our rearguard then," I said as she looked at me with a confused expression. "Ah...basically, your role is to protect Qing Yue at all costs. And also help out with offense when you can," I hurriedly exined what a rearguard was to her.


    "...I see," she murmured in reply.


    "It''s a very important role," I added, seeing her slightly sad she wasn''t assigned an offensive position. "Without it, Qing Yue would be left exposed to danger - and once she is wiped out, our team wouldn''t have any healing left."


    "Ah...okay," she responded, now smiling happily. "I will do my best...!"


    I sighed in relief, but-


    "Hey, what about me?" Yu An Yan asked, pulling on my ear. "Don''t tell me...you forgot I existed?"


    "Er, no. Of course not," I answered, which was far from the truth.


    ...Yes, I had forgotten about her. But I wasn''t going to tell her that.


    "Hmph! You better not have!" Yu An Yan let go of my ear and folded her arms in a pouting gesture.


    "Uh...let''s see. You''re a Fire-Sky dual element..." I trailed off.


    "Yeah! Oh, but not a dual element. I''m a Tri-Element - Fire, Sky, and Time! I can use Level Two Magic as well."


    This caused all of us to gawk at her in shock. "Wait, you can use Time magic?"


    "Yeah. I discovered recently that I could use it, when flipping through some spell books in the Yu family storage. Only Level One spells though."


    "You...never...told me," Yu An Xue muttered, displeased. She didn''t even tell her own sister, apparently.


    "Eh? I didn''t?" the other sister scratched her head. "Erm, sorry! I totally just forgot. You know me, I''m a bit of a klutz, hehe..."


    ...What an obvious excuse. But Yu An Xue seemed to believe it, so whatever...


    "You can be our main attack force then," I decided. She also seemed happy with my decision, so I guess it''s a win-win situation. I didn''t get my ear pulled off, and she got a role she wanted. Hooray...


    My role assignments weren''t just random, of course. Each element had their own specialties. Blessing Magic is obviously going to be a support role, and Qing Yue''s Psychic Magic can be a nice support as well, albeit not necessarily supporting us directly, but more interfering with the enemy''s mind, making it easier for us to attack. Light Magic also had more utility spells than offensive, fitting for a support role.


    Feng Mian''s Shadow Element affinity is great for wrapping around the back as a nker, and taking out the enemy supports. Furthermore, she was extremely proficient with Vanishing Shadows, strengthening her power as an assassin even more. Paired with her other elements - Poison, which was used for killing without a trace, and Ice, which was used for quick executions just as much as defense, she made a great killer from the shadows in general.


    Yu An Xue had Water, Ice, and Space Element affinity. The Water Element is great for attack, but also for defense. With the variety of shield spells in its library, it made Water Magic users a great choice for rearguards. The Ice Element can also be used for creating walls that could block attacks - especially useful for rearguards. Besides, she could also help with offense, and even perhaps use Conjoined Release with Feng Mian to cast a powerful Ice Element attack should it be necessary. Space Element is also useful for defense - space maniption can help put distance between yourself (plus allies) and the enemy.


    Yu An Yan possessed the Fire, Sky, and Time elements. All three were great for attack. Fire Magic was the most destructive, while Sky was abination of mobility and power. Time Magic was very helpful overall - time maniption was definitely something you would want for offense. Besides - Yu An Yan, being a talent and able to cast Level Two spells, should be able to break through the opponent''s defenses with raw power alone.


    "What about you, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, interrupting my thoughts.


    "Hm? Me?" I scratched my head, and after going to the door and looking both sides to make sure no one was listening in, I came back to my seat and spoke. "Well - I can use every element, and as for Level Two spells...I know how to cast some. Only the ones taught in ss though."


    The school taught Level Two spells this year, and I memorized all of them. However, there are also many other Level Two spells that the school has not taught. But obviously, you couldn''t rely only on the school for learning magic. Most families had their own library of spells, obtained from generation to generation. All the student had to do was request their family for some Level Two spells, and they would be granted them. Another option was to ask their own family members to personally teach them some spells.


    Me? I didn''t have that luxury. I was cast out of my family a long time ago, and my parents never had the chance to personally teach me anything. Thus, I only knew how to cast the few Level Two spells that the school taught everyone.


    "Heh...you left out a lot of important details there," Feng Mian scoffed.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Like...?"


    "The fact that all the spells you cast are somehow amplified in power?" she suggested.


    "Well..." I trailed off.


    "And the fact that your magic is all ck and red for some reason?" she continued.


    "Er..." I didn''t have any excuse.


    She sighed. "Well, I suppose we already knew all of that though. I''ll let you off this time."


    "Thank you...?" I asked uncertainly.


    "However!" Feng Mian began, and I tensed up once more. "That bad habit of yours, always telling some and hiding some, you need to get rid of it."


    "Yes, ma''am..." I sumbed to her demanding tone, and sighed in defeat. "Anyway - I''ll also be an attacker then, I guess. We arecking in offense as of right now, after all."


    So far, Yu An Yan was our only main attacker. We had a fairly solid defense already - I didn''t have to worry with Yu An Xue protecting Qing Yue, but we definitely needed to strengthen our attack power.


    "Okay, then all the positions are assigned!" Qing Yue dered.


    Yu An Yan nodded. "Next step...gathering information on the other contestants," she said with a wink.


    "Um...we should also teach Xuan Kai some more Level Two spells, I think..." Yu An Xue added.


    "That''s right," Feng Mian agreed.


    "Huh?" I blinked in surprise. "Wait, I appreciate it, but that really isn''t necessary-"


    "Then it''s decided!" Qing Yue announced.


    And unsurprisingly, that, signaled the end of our conversation.


    Still...it seemed all of us could cast Level Two magic, meaning we would all probably pass the exams, even if we don''t win the tournament. Plus, the four of them could all use three elements - such talents would obviously pass the test.


    ...That''s one less thing for me to worry about, at least.

 Chapter 62 - Training (2)

    After we had finished sorting out who would y which role during the tournament, the four girls insisted on teaching more Level Two spells. And so, from there, we came to the Yu family manor once again, since I wasn''t weed at the Qing family.


    By the way, after a lot of convincing, I finally agreed to telling Yu Ao I could in fact use magic. I trusted he wouldn''t betray me, but even then I really didn''t want to meet him again...


    "Er...can I not go in?" I asked hopefully, sweat forming on my head.


    Thest time I was here, I was suddenly roped into an engagement. Not exactly the best wee. Well, it was an engagement with two goddess-level beauties, so...eh. Maybe for some other boys, but not me. But had it been themselves that came to me, not their parents, I might''ve given in to the temptation...


    "We''re already here, what''s the harm in going inside?" Feng Mian said with a shrug.


    Yeah...easy for you to say. You''re not the one getting dragged into a marriage.


    "C''mon, the Yu family has a lot of Level Two spells in its library," Yu An Yan urged with a wink. "I guarantee you''ll find some you like!"


    And so, the five of us entered the Yu family residence, once more.


    "Y''know, I''ve been curious for a while now, but..." Qing Yue said as we were walking through the beautiful and diverse gardens of the Yu family. "Yu An Yan, ording to your sister, you were just like her - cold and distant to everyone. But it doesn''t seem that way to me..."


    Yu An Yan tilted her head at the question. "Hm...certainly, before I was taken away by Ghosteye, I disliked talking with anyone other than An Xue. Eh...I don''t know. All the personality changes I''ve gone through may have affected my initial character."


    "That''s not umon - once someone goes through multiple personality changes...even if all of them are reverted, there''s a high chance they won''t ever go back to their original one," I added. Then, after receiving several bewildered looks that said ''how do you know all this'', I continued. "My...mother taught me..."


    That caused everyone to go silent, since they knew about what happened to my mother.


    "Um...I''m sorry," Yu An Xue said timidly.


    "No, it''s fine," I replied hurriedly. "It was...a long time ago, after all."


    She must''ve felt really guilty inside. I helped her get her long lost sister back, but my parents...they will nevere back, no matter how hard I tried. Necromancy was an option, but...I would rather they not be disturbed, even in their death.


    It was then that I realized we were heading in the direction of the main manor.


    "Wait," I interrupted, and the two sisters who were leading us nced back at me in confusion. "Er...why are we heading in the direction of the manor?"


    "To say hello to my father first, of course!" Yu An Yan replied energetically, and Yu An Xue nodded beside her.


    "But, uh, is that really necessary?" I asked.


    "Sure it is! We could go straight to the library, but that would be really impolite," Feng Mian cut in.


    "Mhm, that''s right," Yu An Yan added. "As obedient daughters, we have to greet our parents upon returning to the manor."


    "No, I mean, is it necessary for ME to be there...?" I asked, getting desperate.


    "Well...not exactly, but you will never find the library without us, soe on!" Yu An Yan shut me downpletely.


    I sighed, and inside my mind, I cursed. Old geezer...we meet again.


    *****


    Yu An Yan pushed open the mansion doors, and bowed deeply. "We have returned, father."


    "Ah! My two daughters and son-inw!" The patriarch''s booming voice resounded loudly against the marble floor and walls.


    "Who''s your son-inw?!" I yelled immediately.


    The man scratched his head. "Oh...that''s right. I forgot, you haven''t epted my offer yet."


    "What do you mean by ''yet''?!"


    "Well, no matter! My two daughters will always be here, waiting for you!" he continued, ignoring my rebuttalpletely.


    "H-Huh?!" The two sisters were caught off guard, and quickly turned red as they realized what their father meant. "F-Father!" Yu An Yan cried, blushing deeply.


    "Ahaha! Embarrassed now, are we?" he bellowed inughter. "Anyway! What have you fivee today for?"


    "Father, we would like to teach Xuan Kai some more Level Two spells in preparation for the Advancement Exams. In other words, we would like ess to the Yu family library," Yu An Yan answered truthfully, head bowed.


    "Oho...yes, I heard from you two that Xuan Kai can actually use magic...but anyway - the Advancement Exams, huh?" Yu Ao rested his chin on his right hand. "I heard that this year, it will be in the form of a tournament?"


    "That is correct," Yu An Yan replied. "Father''s informationwork is certainly reallyrge."


    "Hah! Sucking up to me won''t get you anywhere..."


    I gulped. Was he going to refuse? I looked at the other girls, and they all seemed nervous.


    "...But he''s my son-inw, so of course he can use library, ahaha!"


    The girls all let out a sigh of relief, while I could only wince.


    *****


    - Within The Yu Family Library -


    "Annnd here we are!" Yu An Yan announced excitedly.


    "Wow..." Qing Yue and Feng Mian mused in awe.


    Who can me them? This was very impressive, even for one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen. The walls were painted white, books and scrolls neatly organized, with a massive chandelier hung above everything. The ce was tremendouslyrge and tall, with multiple floors and even a basement.


    The building was perfectly round. The Yu family insignia, a massive golden falcon, was painted on the floor. Four staircases spiraled upwards, with exits at each floor. The closest thing I''ve seen to it was a clock tower, but this was far more impressive and exquisitely designed.


    "This is...quite extravagant," I remarked.


    "I think you mean IMPRESSIVE," Yu An Yan corrected. "That''s right! This is the Yu family library. Wee!"


    "I never knew the Yu family had such a huge library..." Feng Mian said.


    "We don''t...tell just anyone about this..." Yu An Xue exined.


    "Oho, I guess we are special then?" Qing Yue smiled smugly.


    "Mm." Yu An Xue nodded in confirmation.


    The two sisters then led us all around the library - it was like a museum. From Level One spells to Legendary Magic, this library had it all. And apparently, there was a Mythic-Tier spell hidden here as well, but only the patriarch knew its exact location.


    Atst, we circled back around to the Level Two spells section. They were ced on the second floor - Level Three spells on the third floor, Legendary Magic on the fourth. It was a neat and simple way to organize the spells.


    Each floor was separated into 21 different sections. Each section represented one element, and spells corresponding to that element and the floor''s level would be ced there.


    "Since you can use every element, just go through every section, I guess," Yu An Yan said out loud.


    "Hey!" I whispered sharply. "What if there are any wiretaps or bugs set around?"


    The two sisters stared at me nkly-


    "PFFT! AHAHAHA!" Yu An Yan burst out inughter. "Wiretapping? Who uses that still?!"


    "Huh?" I was confused. Wiretapping was using a device to secretly listen in on another''s conversations.


    "Ever since the Sound Element was discovered years ago...wiretapping has been out of date...a simple Sound Element spell can do everything a covert listening device can do...plus more..." Yu An Xue exined.


    Now, even Feng Mian and Qing Yue couldn''t help butugh. They ced their hands over their mouth in a miserable attempt to cover it up, but it was tantly obvious they wereughing at me.


    "Er...i-it doesn''t hurt to be more careful, right?" I argued desperately.


    Yu An Yan sighed. "Well, fine. If you don''t want me to talk about your abilities, then I won''t. I understand how careful you are," she replied.


    Finally convinced her. Damn...I''ve won, but why did I feel like I lost instead?


    "T-Thank you," I said quietly, and quickly fled the scene.


    *****


    Now then...where should I start?


    Each section was a separate room, with doors to connect them together. Think of it like a round pizza divided into 21 equal slices. Then, take a circr utensil, and cut out a portion from the middle. That was the top view of the interioryout of the Yu family library. I was currently in the Fire section, and the color scheme in here was mainly red and orange. Quite a nice design - it reminded me of the Magic Training Room, kind of.


    Within each room were shelves that held books and scrolls of the respective element and tier. There were also tables and chairs ced around for people to cultivate.


    Indeed - cultivate. I noticed that there was actually Fire Element mana in this room, and quite an amount of it too. I assumed the other rooms were the same, with a different type of mana. This was a neat feature, since then people could attempt learning the spell right after they''ve gotten the book or scroll. In this mana-rich environment, learning new spells should be easier than normal. Whoever designed this ce must''ve been a very considerate person, or just a genius.


    Since I was already here, I figured might as well try some spells out. I walked over to the shelves, filled with precious spell books and scrolls. I took out one of them by random, and read the name on the cover.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux."


    But as soon as I read the name, I felt my hands be hot, and quickly dropped the book. Suddenly, two zing lines of ck fire shot out of my hands. My first reaction was to aim it downwards at the marble floor in order to avoid catching anything on fire. Luckily, marble wasn''t mmable.


    But my relief was short-lived.


    I forgot one tiny detail:


    My magic, was amplified in power.

 Chapter 63 - Training (3)

    "Shit...!" I muttered, as the zing ck fire shooting out from my palms began to slowly melt the marble floor. The question ''what do I do'' spiraled round and round inside my head.


    However, just when I was getting desperate-


    "Attention: Fire detected. Initializing defense and sprinkler systems."


    -A mechanical yet pleasant female voice solved the problem with ease. Gentle rain teemed down, and radiant blue shields emerged from the ground, protecting the shelves and other furniture.


    "Huh...?" I blinked a couple of times, still bewildered at what happened. The fire in my hands were put out in an instant, and I cautiously turned my palms upwards, lest fire shoots out of it against my own volition again.


    At that moment, the door swung open. "What happened?!" a worried female voice came.


    "Er..." I scratched my head and faced the four girls who looked at me with worried gazes. "I, uh, identally made a fire...?"


    "Obviously you did!" Feng Mian cried. "Otherwise the sprinkler systems wouldn''t have gone off! What we are asking is HOW you ''identally'' made a fire!"


    Iughed awkwardly. "Uh, to be honest, I''m not too sure of that myself. All I did was read the title of this spell book here," I said, picking up the book I dropped in a panic earlier, now slightly wet from the sprinkler systems.


    "Let me take a look," Yu An Yan said, and Iplied, handing it over to her.


    After flipping through the pages, she sighed in relief. "Fortunately, the water didn''t damage it too bad. It will dry off on its own, eventually."


    "Ah...that''s good to hear," I replied.


    "Still, Big Brother Xuan Kai...you didn''t actually mean to cast the spell written in this book, right?" Qing Yue asked thoughtfully.


    I nodded. "I didn''t even channel any mana...all I did was read the title - or rather, say the spell name."


    "That''s impossible..." Yu An Yan muttered.


    Indeed - it was SUPPOSED to be impossible, at least.


    "Should we...report this to father?" Yu An Xue asked hesitantly.


    "No," I immediately answered. "Sorry, but...right now, he only thinks I''ve had magic all along, which is far from the truth. Let''s keep it that way."


    I had agreed to the two sisters telling Yu Ao about me having magic, but that was the extent of it. It was a necessary thing to do in order to ess the Yu family library of spells, since no one was allowed to take the spell books and scrolls outside the Yu family property. That''s the reason I (albeit very reluctantly) agreed.


    That, was the extent of it, however. From what Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan told him, Yu Ao currently thought I had magic ever since I was born, but was just hiding it from everybody. I''m sure he had his questions as to why I did so and was probably burning with curiosity right now, but out of politeness (I guess) he hadn''t dug too deep into the matter. I made sure the sisters didn''t tell him anything too detailed as well, so he was still kept shrouded in mystery.


    Yu An Xue nodded in understanding at my decision. "Mm...okay."


    "How are we going to deal with this then?" Yu An Yan asked. "We can''t have you going around casting spells without even meaning to, especially when your magic is stronger than normal people''s. That''s like asking for an ident to happen."


    It hurt, but it was true. At this rate, I was literally a walking time bomb. I had to figure out the culprit of this problem, fast.


    "This is just a guess, but..." Feng Mian began, and all of us turned to look at her. "Could it be this room''s mana? Xuan Kai is different from all of us - he doesn''t automatically regenerate mana, but instead sucks in mana from the outside, and environment."


    "You mean...he may have identally channeled mana subconsciously as he was absorbing it?" Yu An Yan asked for rification.


    Feng Mian nodded. "This could be dangerous, but...let''s test this theory outside, where the mana isn''t as rich as in here."


    *****


    - Outside the Library -


    After carefully making sure no wandering servants were in the area, I got ready to read the title of the spell book I held in my right hand. It wasn''t the same one as before, since that one needed to dry off a bit. cing it in a warm area like the Fire Element section was perfect for that.


    That being said, the spell book I held in my hand was also a Fire Element one. Its name was Twin Dragons, and apparently it was a simr spell to Pyroflux, the one I had cast earlier. In fact, we specifically chose it because of this simrity. ording to Yu An Yan (who had already learnt this spell a long time ago thanks to her Fire Element affinity), this spell sent out two dragons made of pure fire in a straight line towards the enemy. Pyroflux did the same thing, except the rays of fire it sent out didn''t take on the form of a dragon, but a line that could bend and curve as the caster willed.


    Making sure very carefully not to channel any mana beforehand, I directed my hand at the ground. It was the safest ce to aim the spell at. I close my eyes, and nervously read the title of the spell book, memorized in my head.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons."


    I felt...nothing. After a minute or so, I opened my eyes hesitantly, and nced at my hand, still pointed downwards. The ground below it was perfectly fine, no sign of damage at all.


    I sighed in relief, and so did the girls.


    "So it really was the Fire Mana in that room after all," Qing Yue remarked. "Feng Mian, you''re so smart!"


    "Ehehe...no, it''s nothing," Feng Mian replied, slightly embarrassed.


    "But still...that is weird," Yu An Yan said with furrowed brows. "Even if he sucks in mana from his surroundings, he shouldn''t be able to cast a spell without consciously channeling mana, no matter what. It''s impossible!"


    "He''s proven the impossible possible multiple times now," Feng Mian sighed.


    "Ahaha...that''s true," Qing Yue added.


    I could onlyugh awkwardly in response.


    *****


    - Back Inside the Library, Floor 2, Fire Element Room -


    "Okay...pick out any spells you find interesting, and put them inside the Space Locket my father gave you," Yu An Yan said. "After that, you can test them outside."


    Yeah...the space locket. When I tried to return it, Yu Ao had said, "What''s the matter? We''re all one family - just keep it."


    So, I now had the Space Locket of the Yu family on me, used to be contained with countless treasures...I mean, I really shouldn''t beining, but I felt guilty somehow...?


    "Alright," I replied to Yu An Yan, and began browsing through the shelves once more. The defense systems had retracted as soon as the sprinkler systems put out my fire, so I had no problem essing the spell books and scrolls. Shortly after I picked up the first book, the four girls seemed to have settled on something and went outside, leaving me alone.


    I didn''t care about the scrolls too much, since they were for Magic Formations, not spells. Spell books were my focus - I looked for ones that seemed highly destructive, since our team wascking in attack power right now, and my magic amplifying abilities worked well with offensive-type abilities.


    I picked up some spell books from the Fire Element room, including the two I had already tried out - Pyroflux and Twin Dragons. After repeating this process for all 21 rooms on the second floor, I headed outside, where the girls were waiting.


    Feng Mian noticed me first. "Done already?" she asked.


    "Yeah. I don''t want to owe too much of a favor to the Yu family," I replied.


    "You saved me though," Yu An Yan argued. "We are indebted to you, not the other way around."


    "Even so..." I began, but was quickly interrupted by my little sister.


    "Okay, that''s enough arguing back and forth," Qing Yue cut all of us off. "More importantly, let''s help Big Brother Xuan Kai with his new spells!"


    I took out the Space Locket in my jean pocket, and copied the way Yu Ao used to take out items from it. Picturing the spell book I had in mind, I concentrated and reached inside the pouch. I felt the familiar leather cover of the spell book, and decisively grabbed it.


    What I took out, was indeed exactly what I had wanted. The process was easier than I had thought, but that was a good thing - it just meant the artifact was even more convenient.


    "So, how are we going to do this?" I asked the girls. "Where do I aim it? I don''t want to cause any damage, so..."


    "Hm...why don''t we have a bit of strength testing?" Feng Mian suggested.


    "What do you mean by that?" Yu An Yan asked, arching an eyebrow.


    Feng Mian turned towards me. "Basically, Xuan Kai will test out his spells on US, and we have to put up defenses to block his attacks."


    "It is...a good opportunity...to test our...strength," Yu An Xue murmured.


    "That''s true. While Xuan Kai trains his offense, we can train our defense at the same time. We can save timeter that way," Yu An Yan added after some deep thought.


    "Then let''s do it!" Qing Yue also joined in, excited to start.


    It seems the other three were all in agreement with Feng Mian''s idea, but I wasn''t that confident...


    "Er...are you guys sure?" I asked, scratching my head. "I still cannot control my own strength very well. What if I identally hurt one of you?"


    "Heh. Are you looking down on us, or just that confident in your own strength?" Yu An Yan challenged. "You are certainly very strong, and probably none of us could beat you in a real fight. But I''ll have you know that the four of us are all considered talents in Shenzhen."


    "That''s right! Big Brother Xuan Kai, I''m going to show you that Qing Yue is very strong as well!" Qing Yue added with a wink.


    Even Yu An Xue, who usually only spoke when necessary, couldn''t just take this lying down. "Mm...the four of us together...can definitely...block your attacks."


    "Er, no, I''m not looking down on you or anything, but...are you sure you can do this?" I asked for confirmation onest time, even though I already knew the answer I was going to receive.


    "Hmph. Why don''t you find out?" Feng Mian said in a haughty tone. "With your actions, that is."


    I sighed and made an exhausted expression. But that soon turned into a wry smile.


    "Well...you asked for it."

 Chapter 64 - Training (4)

    - The Yu Family Training Field -


    It waste afternoon, and the chilly evening breeze swept over me. The sun had not set, meaning our surroundings were still clearly visible, but even then this wasn''t really the ideal time for a long training session. However, that didn''t seem to hinder the excited steps of the girl before me at all.


    "We''re here," Yu An Yan announced proudly atst.


    The five of us were currently on arge and empty grass field, behind the Yu family main manor. Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan had led us here after we settled on our training method, since it was a - I quote - ''wide and open space where no one can bother us''.


    And they were right. It certainly was wide and open, except...this was a bit TOO big.


    "Damn. I had no idea there was such a huge field here..." I muttered.


    "You don''t know?" Yu An Yan asked haughtily. "Heheh, they are called training fields. Every single one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen have one in their residence. Just ask Qing Yue - she''s from the Qing family, right?"


    Qing Yue, slightly surprised she was called out all of a sudden, nodded. "That''s right! They are used specifically for highly destructive training purposes, as you can probably tell by the name. Oh, but the Qing family''s isn''t nearly as big as this..."


    "What about you, Xuan Kai? Aren''t you also from one of the Four Great Families?" Feng Mian asked curiously. She was the only one out of the five of us not born from a wealthy family, and hence was just surprised as I was seeing a field this big behind the Yu family manor.


    "Me? Hah," Iughed dryly. "...I was cast out of the family as soon as I was born. How would I ever get the chance to witness such a scene?"


    I won''t lie though, I have to admit, I was a bit intrigued. I wonder if the Xuan family''s field was bigger than this one. Out of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, the Li family was the strongest, followed by the Xuan family, then the Yu family, and finally the Qing family. But the interesting thing is that sometimes the Yu family would be second, while other times (like currently) the Xuan family would be in that spot. The two were pretty much equal in power and resources, with no clear victor even after years of trying to beat down the other.


    "Ah...right. Forgot about that," Feng Mian murmured apologetically, realizing she triggered a bad memory. "It''s just...I don''t know, I guess I''ve forgotten you were born without magic..."


    Yu An Yan sighed. "To be honest, I did too...ever since I was young, I''ve heard rumors about this guy. The talentless waste of the Xuan family - was that what they called you? Despicable."


    "Eh, it''s all in the past," I replied, hoping to move on to a new topic. "Let bygones be bygones. Besides, I never cared much about the rumors anyway."


    Qing Yue nodded along to my words happily for some reason, and when I finished, she said proudly, "My Big Brother Xuan Kai is strong. Mere rumors and gossip won''t do anything to him, heehee~"


    ...I wanted to say it was just because I was used to it by now, but decided against that, seeing how proud and happy she was about me being ''strong''. Strong and I don''t belong in the same sentence. I may have strong magicpared to other people my age, and put up a strong farce, but deep down, I was weak. I knew that, and it wasn''t something I could change, for now.


    They say that a strong man knows his own weaknesses...but I find that extremely ironic. If one such man had countless weaknesses, but he recognized that fact and came to ept it, is he considered a strong person? Simrly, if a man was just naturally talented, had innumerable strengths and very few weaknesses, but failed to recognize these ws, is he considered weak just because of that?


    These are extreme examples, but such cases do exist in this world. Maybe, when I find the answer to my own weakness, I will be able to solve this irony. For now, however, I had some training to do.


    "Alright, enough talk. The ce is here, and the time is now - let''s begin our training," Yu An Yan said eagerly, unable to hold back her excitement any longer. She dropped into a battle stance and by the looks of it began channeling her mana.


    "Why are you so bloodthirsty-" I began, but then realized that the other girls have all done the same thing, and I sighed. "Very well...let''s begin."


    *****


    - Meanwhile, The Li family Training Field -


    A massive yet empty green field stretched over the horizon, as far as the eye could see. On this field were five boys that seemed smallpared to the full size of the pasture. They were training in preparation for the Advancement Exams that were toe in about a week.


    "What are the two of you doing, huh?!" Li Yi Fei, the first young master of the Li family, yelled impatiently.


    The two poor students that were yelled at bowed their heads in apology. "W-We''re very sorry, young master!"


    "Tch..." Li Yi Fei turned away and fell into a sulk. He then directed his anger at the person who came up with the n. "Zhang Zhe Rui! How are these two dogshit teammates supposed to help us beat Xuan Kai?!"


    Li Yi Fei''s team roster consisted of five people: Zhang Zhe Rui, Pang Zi, a boy named Bao Yan Shi, a girl named Ai Yao, and himself. Zhang Zhe Rui and Pang Zi had always been close with him and werebeled as hisckeys by the public, but the other two he wasn''t too familiar with. But he knew one thing for sure - they were very weak. They were only barely able to take his attacks.


    The two of them had came crawling to him earlier that day, right after Mr. Wang announced the information about the Advancement Exams. He took them as just another pair of suck-ups, and...well, they were. They were just like the others, flocking towards him just to earn the favor of the Li family. Originally, he had wanted to reject them, but Zhang Zhe Rui convinced him to ept for reasons unbeknownst to him. And so, with five people now in his party, he had decided to move somewhere less crowded than the Magic Training Room - the Li family training field.


    "P-Please calm down, young master..." Zhang Zhe Rui said exhaustedly. To be honest, he also hadn''t known the two of them were this weak when he epted them into Li Yi Fei''s team for the uing tournament. He hadn''t paid much attention to the two of them, since the n he had in mind didn''t require a fourth and fifth person at all.


    But since the Advancement Exam rules state your team must have 5 members - no more, no less - Zhang Zhe Rui was forced to ept two other students into his team. Li Yi Fei was kept in the dark about his true intentions, however, because he knew how careless and boastful of a person the young master was. If he told Li Yi Fei about the full n now, there was a good chance he would let it slip somewhere. That would be equivalent to wasting all of Zhang Zhe Rui''s previous efforts.


    Still...Zhang Zhe Rui couldn''t help but feel wronged. He had served Li Yi Fei for years now, but the young master hasn''t shown a single sign of appreciation. Had Li Yi Fei not been the young master of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, there was no way Zhang Zhe Rui would bow down to him like this.


    But he was used to it. Over the years, he had learned to cope with the young master''s unappreciative attitude. He had decided a long time ago to rely on the Li family to climb his way up the socialdder. He knew he wasn''t strong in magic or physical strength, but he did have a brilliant head atop his shoulders. At a young age, he was exceptionally talented in mathematics and various other subjects, but the unfortunate thing was no one cared.


    His family was one that valued strength above everything else. As a boy with low magic aptitude, he was quickly abandoned by his parents. After getting thrown out of the family with no food, no home, and no one to rely on, he had met the first young master of the Li family by chance. Ever since then, Zhang Zhe Rui had followed him, and that was how he survived until today.


    He felt indebted towards Li Yi Fei for saving his life, but that didn''t mean he was happy about his current situation. After getting abandoned by his family, Zhang Zhe Rui had developed a burning passion to rise to the top. There was no way he would be satisfied living as a servant of the Li family for all his life. There would one daye a time when he would leave Li Yi Fei, and use his own abilities to w his way to the top.


    The things Zhang Zhe Rui was doing now were all part of one giant n. And when the time came for that n to be realized, he would be ready.

 Chapter 65 - Training (5)

    - The Yu Family Training Field -


    "Level Two Water Magic - Aqua des."


    Multiple rapidly spinning discs of water formed around me, and I sent them hurling towards the four girls before me. Though it wasn''t just any normal magic - the water discs I generated were ck while pulsing with red energy, and abnormally powerful.


    But that didn''t faze the girls at all...I had to admit, their bravery was worth praising.


    "cier Form: Wall!" Feng Mian and Yu An Xue called out together, mming their palms into the grassy terrain.


    Two massive walls of ice erupted from the ground, ovepping with each other to form two formidableyers of defense.


    "Oho...not bad," I remarked. "But defenses don''t do anything...if you don''t hit them in the first ce!"


    Saying this, I maneuvered the aqua discs to swerve around the two walls. But when I did that, the ice wall in front of me disappeared into thin air, like an illusion, and I sensed my attack hit something solid.


    "Huh...an illusion to trick me into changing the projectile trajectory...I see," I noted to myself. But I wasn''t allowed the pleasure of rxing, as Yu An Yan was about to fire a powerful concentrated st of mes at me - one she had charged up while I was busy moving the aqua discs to go around the illusory walls.


    "Shit...!" I moved backwards and hurriedly thought of an escape n. "C''mon...ah, right! Level One Shadow Magic - Vanishing Shadows."


    I slid into the depths of the shadows. Luckily for me, the sun was blocked by therge Yu family mano and it wasn''t very bright outside, leaving me able to travel freely in the dark. However-


    "Level One Light Magic - Illumination," a cute voice that fell out of ce within this battlefield called out.


    But regardless of how she sounded, the spell worked. I was forced out of the shadow realm, and now vulnerable exposed to Yu An Yan.


    "We have you now!" she yelled, and unleashed her attack. "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re!"


    A massive ball of fire wasunched towards me at full speed. I stared as the destructive attack drew closer and closer, and somehow, the scene felt nostalgic. I wonder...ah, right. Li Yi Fei and his twockeys had used Conjoined Release to cast this spell against Feng Mian, and I had blocked it, awakening my powers.


    Well..st time, I was helpless and could only take the impact. But this time...


    "Kukuku...nice try. What do they call it...fight fire with fire? Heh...very well." I closed my eyes and raised my arm, hand outstretched in preparation for casting. "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons."


    *****


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion rang out in the Yu family training field. Smoke filled the air, and the originally deep blue sky was painted ash-gray with fog. Within it all, were four girls, sweating and panting heavily.


    "That...explosion...took all...we had...to block..." Yu An Xue panted, and fell to the ground, exhausted.


    "Did we...get him?" Yu An Yan asked, wiping sweat from her eyebrows. She simrly copsed to the grassy floor, and stared at the sky, blocked from view by smoke.


    "Yeah...probably. The explosion...meant there was...impact," Feng Mian exined while panting. "Your attack...it either hit him, or he tried to block it. Either way, I doubt he had time to put up a second defense to protect himself from the aftershock."


    "Mm...all this smoke...the explosion...must''ve been...huge..." Yu An Xue murmured almost inaudibly.


    Explosion...smoke...? Qing Yue thought. But that was only a Level Two spell...it shouldn''t have created a smokescreen thatsts for this long. Wait...smokescreen...it can''t be!


    "No...! The smoke isn''t from the explosion, it''s from-"


    Qing Yue''s words were cut off by the sight of two huge obsidian-colored dragons zing with deadly ck fire apanied by burning red eyes, charging straight towards them through the grey smoke.


    *****


    "W-What do we do?!" Yu An Yan cried, staring in despair at the iing attack.


    "I-I don''t know either! It''s too close to put up a defense!" Feng Mian shouted in response. "That damn Xuan Kai, not holding back at all!"


    "Screw it! Let''s just take it head on!" Yu An Yan yelled, as she began channeling her mana once more.


    "There''s no time! And we''re all low on mana as well!" Qing Yue added nervously, which was a rarity for her, who was normally carefree and cheerful.


    "Are...we...going to...die?" Yu An Xue asked anxiously, trembling in fear.


    The twin dragons came closer and closer, as the four girls stared in horror.


    "Xuan Kai, damn you--!" Yu An Yan yelled as she shut her eyes tight and braced for impact...


    ...


    "Huh...?"


    ...The impact that didn''te.


    "I heard someone calling for me," I, who had been watching over this entire scene from within the smokescreen I ced down, said calmly.


    "E-Eh...? What is going on...?" Qing Yue looked around, puzzled.


    Feng Mian was the first one to react. "X-Xuan Kai?!"


    "Yeah, that''s my name," I replied rhetorically.


    "A-And the dragons...?" Yu An Yan asked hesitantly.


    "Oh, those? I stopped them already."


    "Y-You stopped them?"


    "Uh, yeah. I technically summoned them, so it makes sense for me to send them back to wherever they came from, right?" I exined as if it was something obvious. "Besides, this isn''t a real fight. We''re just testing each other''s strength here."


    "But you didn''t hold back at all..." Feng Mian scoffed.


    "Did you, when you cast that Abomination re?" I shot back.


    That made her silent for a while, but it didn''tst long.


    "S-Still! As a man, you should hold back a bit against girls!" she yelled heatedly, cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment.


    I scratched my head in confusion, but eventually decided to y along. "Hey now...if I held back there, you may have beaten me with that attack. I''ll give you credit for that."


    However, when I said this with the aim to cheer the four girls up, they instead looked even more sullen than before.


    "E-Eh...? Did I say something wrong...?"


    Yu An Yan sighed. "You may have been trying to make us feel better, but in reality all you did was imply you weren''t fighting at your full strength before..."


    Ah...I see. Rtionships really were troublesome. Even when you''re trying to be nice, sometimes the person you''re talking to can still take it the wrong way. As expected, I still have a lot to learn in this matter.


    "...Sorry." That was the only thing I could say in response.


    "Well, in any case - all of us our tired and it''s gettingte, so let''s head back," Feng Mian suggested, resolving the awkward aura in the air.


    And so, with that, our first day of training came to an end.


    *****


    - The Xuan Family Manor -


    Within a massive enclosed room, an ominous meeting was taking ce.


    "Oi, old man, what the hell did you call me here for?" a young male voice asked impatiently. "It better be important, I got training to do."


    "Training for the Advancement Exams, yes?" a distinctly older man spoke calmly, showing no irritation at the junior''s impatient attitude.


    "So you know. Then get on with it," the younger man replied, tapping his feet restlessly.


    "Very well...recently, I''ve heard some rumors. About your younger brother."


    "Huh? I don''t got no younger brother."


    "Whether you like it or not, he is your younger brother. Yes, he was cast out of the family, but even then the same blood flows in the both of you."


    "Tch...fine. What about him? I know the rumors you are talking about. He can use magic now, or somethin''? Hah. Load of bullshit. Wait, you better not be telling me to go easy on him in the Advancem-"


    "No. In fact, quite the opposite," the senior of the two cut the junior off mid-sentence. "There is no need to show mercy."


    The young man seemed pleased at this. "Hmm...in other words, you want me to crush him, thoroughly and mercilessly?"


    "That''s correct. In fact...if you are able to kill him ''identally'', that would be the best case scenario."


    "Heh...that I can arrange," the junior cackled evilly. "But tell me, old man, why are you so insistent on this? Even if he can use magic now - which I don''t believe one bit - you think he can do anything to us, the Xuan family?"


    "...That is not something for you to know." The elder man''s tone turned dark and serious.


    The junior, sensing this, backed off in a cold sweat. "Heh...whatever. By the way, I was nning on crushing him in the exams even without you telling me to."


    "Hmph. Don''t get too cocky," the old man advised, tone back to normal. "Your younger brother...there''s something off about him."


    "Yeah, something off with his head! Ahahaha!" the young manughed evilly. "Just sit tight and await my good news, old man. I won''t let you down."


    "Then I shall," the old man said quietly. He seemed satisfied with the younger man''s eptance of his request - no, order. But just to be sure, he said onest thing that was more like a threat than a warning.


    "Do not disappoint me...Xuan Kun."

 Chapter 66 - Training (6)

    - The Next Day, ss 2-D -


    "Alright...and with that, attendance is over," Mr. Wang announced. "You are now free to continue with your training now. The Magic Training Room on this floor will be open to all 2nd Year sses once again today, so use it wisely. That''s all - dismissed!"


    As usual, most of the ss was gone within seconds of Mr. Wang finishing his sentence. My team, however...


    "So? What do we do today?" Yu An Yan asked after everyone else was gone, arms folded over her chest. "Xuan Kai should have learnt enough Level Two spells now, right?"


    "Uh, yeah..." I muttered. For a second, I thought about telling her what I really thought - I didn''t need to learn that many spells at all - but eventually decided against it.


    "Hm...the next step should be to gather information then, right?" Qing Yue asked, looking around at us.


    I nodded. "For now, lets think of people that may pose a problem."


    "Mm...the people on the...Magus Rankings..." Yu An Xue murmured.


    The Magus Rankings. Every school had one - it ranked the top students in terms of magic power and fighting ability.


    "Yeah...but do you know of any second years on the list?" I asked. I never paid much attention to this kind of thing, so...


    "Let''s check," Feng Mian suggested, and pulled out her phone from her pocket. After some tapping and scrolling, she showed the screen to us. "I believe there are two noteworthy 2nd Years pretty high up in the rankings...Ming Hao, rank 13, and Xuan Kun, rank 20."


    I widened my eyes at the second name, and clenched my fists.


    "Wait - Xuan Kun?" Yu An Yan asked, having picked up on something. She then looked at me. "Uh...do you have some connection to him, Xuan Kai? The two of you have the same surname."


    I gritted my teeth. "He''s...my older brother."


    "Eh?! You have an older brother?" Feng Mian seemed surprised. "You never told me!"


    "...You never asked," I replied apathetically. "Besides...he isn''t my brother anymore."


    I was exiled from the family. That automatically removed any connections I had with it, blood rtions included.


    "Ah...right," Feng Mian murmured. Then, in a brighter tone, she asked, "So? What''s he like?"


    "What do you mean?" I was confused. "Personality-wise or physical traits?"


    "Um...I was thinking more about his magic, strengths and whatnot, but..."


    "Oh, sorry." Apparently, Feng Mian had been trying to get information on him and analyze it. As expected, I took it the wrong way again. "Hmm...I''m not too sure myself, to be honest. We never had much interaction with each other."


    "I see..." Feng Mian looked slightly dejected.


    "Don''t worry!" Qing Yue hurriedly said. "Just check his profile on the Magus Ranking app or whatever!"


    The Magus Ranking app - it was a mobile application that could be downloaded onto our phones. It contained live stats, footage of duels, and information regarding specific people.


    In order topete in the Magus Rankings, having this app downloaded was a necessary requirement. Every person had a profile that contained information about them, though users could choose which ones to show and which ones to hide from public. However, you were not allowed to post fake information.


    Information listed on a specific person''s profile included the elements they had affinity with, what stage they were at in their cultivation, and also less critical things such as age and gender. However, users were able to customize which ones the public could see, and which ones the public couldn''t. Most people choose to hide information that could put them at a disadvantage should a future opponent find out about it, such as the elements they mainly use, and their fighting style.


    "But I doubt he will have all his information just exposed like that..." Feng Mian said with a sigh.


    "Not necessarily," I interrupted, which caused her to look at me in confusion. "I said we didn''t have much interaction, but...the few times I talked to him were enough to know he was a very arrogant person. He will definitely have his element affinities listed on his profile, as a sort of challenge."


    Yu An Yan arched an eyebrow. "Like, ''you won''t beat me even if you know my weaknesses'', that kind of thing?"


    I nodded. "Something like that."


    "How unsportsmanlike..." Yu An Xue muttered. Indeed, it was unsportsmanlike - what he was doing was essentially looking down on his opponents.


    Feng Mian scrolled through her phone while muttering Xuan Kun''s name. "And...okay, here it is."


    We all crowded around Feng Mian to see what was on her phone screen. Sure enough, Xuan Kun''s profile showed the elements he could use. He had three - Shadow, Curse, and Void. We browsed through footage of him fighting in duels. His fighting style was quick executions, much like an assassin. All of his fights thus far have ended abruptly no more than two minutes from the start of the match.


    "So...he''s an assassin type, like me," Feng Mian concluded.


    "Seems like it," Qing Yue agreed. "But more importantly, how do we counter him?"


    "Hold on," I cut in. "This may be an unnecessary precaution, but just keep in mind...the tournament is going to be a 5v5 team battle. The footage we have here are all him fighting solo."


    "That''s true, but we should still be able to devise some strategies based on this," Yu An Yan said thoughtfully. "For example, the spells he likes to use."


    "Yeah. From all the footage we''ve seen so far, there are a few distinct Curse Element spells he uses a lot," Feng Mian pointed out. "They are mainly of the Maledictum spell family."


    The Maledictum spell family - a group of Level One magic used for basic debuffs such as slowing, weakening, and rooting. Normally, such spells could be easily countered. However...Xuan Kun had upgraded all of his Maledictum spells to the next tier using Upgrade Runes, by the looks of it. He called out ''Mark Two'' when casting his Curse Magic, and his curses were abnormally powerful for a Level One spell. In reality, the proper terminology for a spell that has been upgraded should be ''Tier II or Tier III'', depending on how many times they upgraded it, but Xuan Kun chose to just say Mark Two instead. Others choose to say ''Tier'', and some choose to not say the tier number at all, as it isn''t necessary.


    Because of this, Xuan Kun''s spells had the power level of a Level Two spell, but consumed the same amount of mana as Level One magic. Therefore, he could cast his curses in rapid session, quickly leading to quite the sticky situation for his opponents. His fights were all fairly one-sided - he bombards his opponent with curses as soon as the match begins. Eventually, when his enemies get rooted and worn down enough by all the curses, he finishes them off with the Level One Void Element Spell, Void Bomb.


    The reason he uses a Level One spell to finish off his opponents? It''s looking down on them. Xuan Kun had a nasty personality, and would do anything for his own gain. As for why looks down on others so much...probably just his ego.


    "Qing Yue should be able to counter his curses with Blessing Magic," I stated confidently.


    "But as we can see in these fights, he casts curses almost simultaneously," Yu An Yan noted worriedly. "Can Qing Yue keep up...?"


    Indeed. His casting speed was so fast it was almost as if he was casting them at the same time. However...


    I shook my head. "Probably not - but she doesn''t need to."


    "Ehh?? I don''t understand, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said while scratching her head cutely.


    I sighed. "Listen. You don''t have to counter every single one of his curses. Just once every few seconds is fine."


    The girls still appeared confused. So, I continued exining.


    "Just a single curse won''t kill us. In his duels so far, he has been relying on multiple curses stacking up on a single target, thus wearing them down greatly. As long as you prevent that from happening with your Blessing Magic, it''ll render his Curse Magic useless."


    "Oh, I get it! It''s more efficient for me too, since I''ll be using less mana than him. And when he runs out, that''s when we''ll seize victory!" Qing Yue beamed excitedly.


    "Correct," I replied. "You have to be very careful about the timings though. From what I''ve seen so far in the videos, his opponents start to weaken significantly after five or six stacks of curses."


    "Five or six...okay! I got it," Qing Yue winked and puffed out her modest chest in triumph.


    "Um...that is...great and all, but...we won''t have to face him...until the...main tournament..." Yu An Xue interrupted gently, and had it not been for the silence at that exact moment, no one would''ve heard her.


    But regardless, she was right. Xuan Kun was in ss 2-A, and Ming Hao was in ss 2-B. Both were characters we wouldn''t have to face until muchter. For now, we would have to defeat all the other teams in our ss. Only then would we get a chance to participate in the main tournament.


    "But...I really can''t think of anyone in our ss that may be a threat to us," Feng Mian muttered, deep in thought.


    "Come to think of it...all the strong students of our ss are in this team, aren''t they?" Yu An Yan added, having realized this thanks to Feng Mian.


    ss 2-D. It could be said that we were the weakest ss - as a whole, anyway. The truth was, the four girls on my team all had the talent and strength to be in ss 2-A, but unfortunately the ss was already full. Therefore, the only option if they want to climb up to ss A would be with the rest of the ss, as a whole. But since three of them had only recently transferred in and the fourth distanced herself away from everyone, there was little chance this would happen.


    And besides...most of the other students in this ss were all fairly weak,pared to the other sses. Even if the five of us were insanely talented and strong, it would still be difficult to hard carry the other 20 students.


    But that aside...this situation may just prove advantageous for us in the Advancement Exams. The rest of the ss being weak meant we should be able to advance to the main tournament without any troubles, but even then, it would be wise to keep an eye out.


    ...After all, you never knew who would be plotting against you in the dark.

 Chapter 67 - Training (7)

    Over the next few days, the girls and I continued to gather information, devise battle strategies, and train diligently in the Yu family training field. However, the information we gathered...it was mainly for the strong students in the other sses, not our own. We were confident we could make it to the main tournament without any difficulties, at the very least. That''s why we set our sights on the other sses instead of our own.


    In the end, we narrowed it down to a select few individuals'' teams we would have to watch out for:


    From ss C:


    - Liao Fen (ranked 31 on the Magus Rankings of our school)


    From ss B:


    - Ming Hao (ranked 13 on the Magus Rankings of our school)


    From ss A:


    - Xuan Kun (ranked 20th on the Magus Rankings of our school)


    We decided Liao Fen was the weakest among the three, and also bad at fighting as a team. He was generally known throughout the school as ''The Solo Devil'', which more or less confirmed our suspicions at hisck of efficient teamwork skills.


    Xuan Kun was my former older brother, but I didn''t know too much about him. However, most of the important information about his battle capability was publicized on his Magus Ranking App profile, and we concluded he was an assassin-type like Feng Mian, except he is extremely proficient at Curse and Void Magic unlike Feng Mian''s Ice and Poison.


    As for Ming Hao...we couldn''t find any information on him. He had a Magus Ranking App profile, but it was a nk te - no information was shown whatsoever, from the elements he specialized in to even his gender. At first, I just thought he was simply a very careful person...but when I saw that there wasn''t any battle footage of him either, I began to get suspicious.


    Ming Hao was ranked 13th on our school''s Magus Rankings, yet there isn''t any footage of him fighting...? Such a thing was impossible. The only way for this to happen...was if someone contacted the IMF (who invented and managed the Magus Rankings) personally and asked them to manually remove the clips. However, who held such power that they could get even the IMF to approve of their request?


    Come to think of it, I''ve only interacted with Ming Hao once so far, together with Tang Jia Yi (the school council president). It was during the Magic Training ss incident, when I destroyed the Awakening Orb. I faintly remember Tang Jia Yi ordering him to ''solve'' the issue with my mana - the ck and red energy - fluctuating inside the Magic Training Room. However, my mana was far stronger than any normal person''s...not just anyone could disperse it.


    I never was told whether he seeded or not, but since the Magic Training Room was open the next day like usual...it was almost certain he did. Even I didn''t understand just what this energy in my body was and why it was so much more powerful than other people''s, yet he was able to get rid of it easily. As expected...he was someone I would have to be careful of. There were too many mysteries and unknowns surrounding him.


    In any case, it was Friday morning, only two more days until the Advancement Exams - or should I say, tournament - began on Monday. On Wednesday, the main tournament would take ce, and by evening the champions would be decided. By now, we had thoroughly finished the nning phase, and began the training one. But just training on the Yu family training field wasn''t enough. It was time to move into the Magic Training Room.


    "Eh? We''re going into the Magic Training Room?" Qing Yue perked up after I announced what we were going to do today.


    Mr. Wang hadn''t arrived in the ssroom yet, but most of the students already were. I motioned for Qing Yue to lower her voice a little, and responded to her inquiry.


    "Yeah. By this time, most of the people who''ve rushed to train as much as they can in the past few days should be getting ready to formte battle strategies and ns."


    "I''m not against the idea," Yu An Yan joined in. "But aren''t we doing fine training on my family''s training field?"


    I shook my head. "It is a suitable surrogate for the Magic Training Room, but in the end it''s only a substitute."


    "I agree," Feng Mian concurred. "The richness in mana of the Magic Training Room is perfect for training - there is no better ce in this city."


    Yu An Xue remained silent as usual, but nodded slightly at Feng Mian''s words, showing her approval with the idea.


    I pped my hands together just as Mr. Wang walked in the room. "Alright...it''s decided then - we''ll train inside the Magic Training Room today."


    *****


    - The Magic Training Room (2nd Years) -


    I pushed open the familiar winged white doors (having been here twice before) to the Magic Training Room. As expected, it wasn''t crowded at all. There were still some students here, and I expected there to be more toe after us, but even then there will be plenty of space to spare within this massive room and its 21 separate element-respective dimensions.


    "Huh...you were right," Yu An Yan murmured quietly, almost as if she didn''t want to admit it.


    I grimaced. "...Why do you look so surprised?


    Sheughed cutely, and gave me a flirtatious wink. "Teehee! I''m not surprised, just slightly in awe you were so urate."


    ...Isn''t that pretty much the same thing?


    I wanted to say that, but decided against it. Letting out a loud sigh, I began heading to the Fire Element dimension...but was stopped by Feng Mian with a hand on my shoulder.


    I turned around. "Uh...what do you need?"


    "I was just wondering...which elements will you be using for this Advancement Exam?" she asked with worried eyes after scanning the area to make sure no one else was listening in.


    I grinned at her in reassurance. The truth was, I had thought about this and came up with my solution a long time ago. "I''ll try my best to only use the elements I used against you in our duel, of course."


    Blessing, Fire, and Light. Those were the three elements I had used against Feng Mian in our duel. From the perspective of clueless onlookers, I had gone from being a powerless waste straight to a mighty Tri-Element Awakener. Of course, my real power was far more impressive than merely three elements, but there was no reason for me to show that. If anything, it would only bring unwanted attention to myself and cause troubles for both me and my allies...just like what happened with Liu Jian, the principal of Shanghai Magic Academy. I still haven''t figured out how to deal with him if he confronted me directly, but it was something I would have toe up with a solution to soon enough.


    "I see. I had a feeling you already thought about this a long time ago, but I just wanted to make sure," Feng Mian replied with a bright and beautiful smile.


    "Yeah...thanks, but uh..." Iughed awkwardly. "...When are you going to let me go?" She had been gripping my shoulder all this time, and it was starting to ache a bit.


    "A-Ah! I-I''m sorry!" Feng Mian hurriedly apologized and let go of my shoulder, blushing furiously. "Erm, I-I wasn''t trying to c-cling onto you excessively, or a-anything!"


    I sighed. "I-It''s fine...I know."


    And with that, our exchange ended with the other girls staring at us with...envy, was it? I didn''t understand why they were feeling that way, but...


    I headed to the Fire Element dimension, this time without any interruptions. I noticed Yu An Yan following me, after making the excuse that she also had a Fire Element affinity to the other girls.


    Entering the fiery orange barrier of the Fire Dimension, it was like I opened a whole separate world. I looked around at theva river, crimson sky, and burnt trees all around. Atst, my eyes settled on where the ''volcano'' used to be. I winced at the memory of blowing it up and decided to just forget itpletely.


    I headed over to a ck burnt log lying on the tar-colored ground near theva river. I sat down on it, closed my eyes, and prepared to begin meditating...but then opened my eyes once more, remembering a certain someone who had followed me here.


    "What do you need?" I asked, ncing at the gorgeous purple-haired girl who had just walked through the barrier.


    "Oh, I just wanted to train here as well. Is there a problem?" she asked, walking closer to me purposefully and staring at me with her pretty amethyst eyes.


    I averted my gaze since had I stared back for any longer I would have been drawn in to her eyes too much to look away. "N-No. Do as you please."


    "Okie-dokie!" she said happily and plopped down directly next to me.


    "U-Uh, I said do as you please, but do you really have to be this close to me?" I asked ufortably. There was no way I could meditate like this...the temptation is too strong!


    The best environment for meditating is a quiet and peaceful ce that is also rich in mana - the more so the better. Meditating required the cultivator to close his or her eyes and purge any other thoughts from his or her mind. In doing so, the body could benefit from the rich surrounding mana, slowly absorbing it while increasing the cultivator''s maximum mana capacity and power.


    Once the meditator reaches a certain point in mana capacity and power, they break through to the next stage by meditating in the same way. However, starting from Golden Monarch and up, merely sitting still and meditating isn''t enough to break through anymore. It required a certain enlightenment to be able to use Mythic-Tier spells and break through to the Holy Emperor stage...something like a battle with a strong opponent, from what I''ve seen with Song Qian Long. He had originally intended to use the battle with Ghosteye to advance to the Holy Emperor stage, but unfortunately Ghosteye was too weak to provide him with the enlightenment.


    Still - the meditation method was a simple and rxed way to get stronger, and that''s the reason why so many people use the Magic Training Room. ces rich enough in mana to meditate in were rare and expensive, after all. A free ce like this provided by the school was a great benefit of studying here.


    Of course, meditating won''t be as fast as practical training in terms of getting stronger. Real battles, where mages cast spells with the intention to kill, were the best for progressing to the next stage. Then came mock battles - the training we did on the Yu family training field - they are quite efficient for getting stronger as well. Eventually, once the mages found themselves strong and profound enough to use the next level of spells, they would be promoted to the next stage after passing a test given by the IMF.


    That was how training worked - but even if the meditation method was slow, many people still use it, just because of how easy and rxing it was. And right now, I was trying it out as well...well, no. That was a farce. My real goal ining to the Magic Training Room and pretending to ''meditate'' was...


    "Yep! I''m sitting right here," Yu An Yan beamed, but then her tone turned serious. "By the way...you didn''te here to meditate, did you?"


    "Hmph, so that was your real intention in following me," I muttered.


    She merely smiled as brightly as ever, and I sighed in defeat.


    "Fine. You''re right. I came here...to absorb this ce''s mana."


    "Eh, so that''s what it is. I see!" Yu An Yan pped her hands together, but then frowned in confusion. "Wait, but couldn''t you just get us to cast some spells for you?"


    "That''s what I''ve done for the past few days, but unfortunately we won''t be able to do that in the real tournament. The mana your spells provide...it''s too small," I answered with brutal honesty.


    She pouted, and appeared a bit angry at my words, but I didn''t apologize. I wasn''t in the wrong. After staring at each other a bit more, she retreated and stood up.


    "Well, d you actually answered. Normally you''re all mysterious and stuff, not telling us anything, so..." Yu An Yan murmured.


    Uh...was I like that? Hmm, I would have to pay more attention in the future...in order to not let them find out I was hiding things.


    She began walking back towards the barrier, and prepared to exit the room. She turned around onest time with a flirty wink at me, and waved me goodbye.


    I exhaled. Finally...I was alone. Now then...let''s get to it.

 Chapter 68 - Training (8)

    I took a deep breath, and silently closed my eyes. Envisioning mana around me inside my head, I took ahold of the stone pendant hanging around my neck and grasped it tightly. I pictured the mana getting sucked into me, and immediately I felt a familiar warmth flow into my body. I could also feel my Dantian welling up with rich, concentrated mana.


    After a couple of minutes, I opened my eyes, and took a deep breath once more. "Okay...that should do it," I muttered to myself.


    I had taken in as much mana as possible, to the point where I could feel the mana thinning in this Fire Element dimension. Hmm...perhaps I should''ve taken a little bit from every single dimension to avoid causing suspicion...? But then again, the mana in here regenerates fairly quickly, so I should be fine.


    I did some mild stretches, and prepared to leave the Fire Element area and check up on how the others are doing. However-


    "Well, well...you really dide," a boy called out to me. "Zhang Zhe Rui, you were quite urate. Good job."


    "It is my pleasure to be of use to you, young master," the person he praised replied humbly.


    I red at the owner of the voice and guessed immediately he wasn''t here for anything good. "What do you want...Li Yi Fei?"


    "Heh. We came to give you a little warning," a third voice - Pang Zi - replied in his stead.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what might that be?"


    This time is was Li Yi Fei that answered. "Nothing much, just a friendly reminder..."


    I narrowed my eyes as his fake smile twisted up into a nasty sneer.


    "...It''s better for you to forfeit the Advancement Exams now. That is, if you don''t want to get destroyed."


    I nearly choked withughter, even though I wasn''t drinking anything. It took all I had to stay calm and replyposedly.


    "...Are you done?"


    "Huh?" Looks like he hadn''t been expecting this reply. "What...?"


    "Looks like you''re done. Great. Then, farewell." I brushed past him and exited the Fire dimension without a second thought, ignoring their futile protests.


    *****


    - 10 Minutes Earlier, The Ice Element Dimension -


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    "Um, I get it for Yu An Xue, but why are the two of you here as well...?" I asked exasperatedly.


    Us four girls were all grouped together in the Ice Element dimension, for reasons unknown. Yu An Xue and I both had Ice Element affinity, so it was understandable for us to be in here, but the other two...


    "This is a very important secret meeting!" Qing Yue dered, puffing out her chest confidently.


    "It''s not really secret if you scream it out loud like that, but sure..." Yu An Yan muttered, but didn''t seem to be against the idea. "Besides, anyone can just walk in right now..."


    "It''s fine, I''ll keep an eye out," Qing Yue replied with a wink, then pped her hands together. "Okay! Moving on...this meeting will be about Big Brother Xuan Kai."


    I sighed. Another one of Qing Yue''s whims-


    -Wait, didn''t something like this happen before...?


    Ah...that''s right. On the night Mr. Wang first announced the Advancement Exams, after the banquet at the Yu family manor. Qing Yue had insisted we go to her room to ''talk'', once Xuan Kai had split off from us to head to the boys'' dorms. The three of us had hesitantly agreed, not knowing what her purpose was. But the topic of the ''talk'' was somethingpletely unexpected...


    *****


    - The Night of the ''Talk'' -


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    "I''ll be straight with you: Do you guys...really like Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    ...Huh? What did this girl just-


    "Huh?!" Yu An Yan blurted out before I could even react. Apparently, she had quick reflexes. "W-W-What do you mean?!"


    Qing Yue sighed. "Was it not clear enough? Fine - I''ll repeat the question." She cleared her throat, and repeated her question from seconds ago. "Do you...really like Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    Normally Qing Yue was a carefree and innocent girl, but right now I could see the seriousness in her eyes. The question she asked was certainly something surprising, but I had a feeling she''s thought about this for a long time now. I guess she just decided to make use of tonight''s opportunity, when the four of us were all together.


    Yu An Yan, however, didn''t seem to get this at all. "E-Eh?! U-Uh, I-I really don''t u-understand...w-what do you mean, l-like?"


    Qing Yue facepalmed exasperatedly. "Don''t y dumb, Yu An Yan. You know very well what I mean by like."


    This made Yu An Yan go silent, because Qing Yue was right. Knowing what Qing Yue meant by ''like''...


    She did. We all did. Qing Yue was referring to like, in a romantic sense - love. Pretending to not understand...that was just Yu An Yan''s way of covering up her embarrassment and inability to answer the question.


    But then again, who was I to talk? I hadn''t said a single word yet. I COULDN''T. I was every bit as embarrassed as Yu An Yan. Thinking this, I decided to take initiative and make the step forward.


    "I...I do."


    Silence. That only made me feel more awkward, and I could feel heat rising to my cheeks. But then Qing Yue spoke.


    "...I see. Thank you for admitting it," she said with aforting smile. Then, turning to the Yu sisters, she continued. "You see? Feng Mian could do it, you should be able to as well! C''mon, we''re all girls here, no need to feel shy!"


    Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue looked at each other in the eyes. At first, it was empathy, each feeling sorry for the other. But then, it turned into a burning rivalry, as if fighting over something - someone.


    At the exact same time, the sisters turned toward Qing Yue, and dered boldly.


    "I do."


    "...I do."


    "Mmm! Very good!" Qing Yue praised, apuding lightly. "You''ve all finally admitted your true feelings. Next, is to say them directly to Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    "W-Wait, I don''t think we''re ready for that yet." I interrupted bashfully. Telling that to Xuan Kai...wasn''t that basically just confessing?! N-No...there''s no way I can do that.


    "Well, I thought as much." Qing Yue didn''t seem annoyed at my intervention at all, and instead acted as if she had expected it. "The three of you are all big-time tsunderes, so there''s zero chance you''ll be the one to confess."


    "H-Hold on," Yu An Yan cut in. "D-Doesn''t that mean you knew all along? Then what was the point of calling us here and getting us to say such embarrassing things?!"


    Yu An Xue also appeared slightly angry, which was a rarity for her. Well, calling her ''angry'' may be overdoing it...maybe ''pouty'' would be a slightly better word? She usually didn''t show emotion on her face, so ''angry'' is probably too much.


    Qing Yue, however, merely brushed it off with a slight shooing gesture of her hand. "If you''re going to confess, you need to have some practice beforehand, no?"


    "W-Who said we were going to confess?!" I mmed my palms on the table, blushing furiously.


    Qing Yue sighed. "At the rate he''s going...Big Brother Xuan Kai''s going to have many other girls revolving around him in the future. Sure, you can say you aren''t going to confess all you want here with me, but how long can you stand watching another girl getting closer to him than you are?"


    I stopped, and so did the Yu sisters. Her words...they were all true. Certainly...Xuan Kai himself may not realize it, but he''s in fact a very attractive boy, in looks, personality, and strength as well. Chances are, more girls will appear at his side in the future. I clenched my fists.


    Even now, with only the four of us around him...I feel ufortable when Qing Yuetches onto him so naturally, and when he shows care for the Yu sisters. I didn''t want to admit it, but...put bluntly, I was jealous. And this is when no one has confessed to him directly yet, so he doesn''t know of their feelings, being the dense person he is.


    If one of the three here were to confess to him, and he epted...


    I visualized what it would look like, and my heart suddenly felt torn and weak. The worst part was on the surface, I would still have to act just like usual, and perhaps even appear happy for the two of them.


    ...No.


    I''ve decided.


    Decided that I couldn''t tolerate it.


    Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue also seemed to arrive at the same conclusion, and the three of us eyed each other with burning rivalry. However, Qing Yue then cut in smoothly, like a feather.


    "Okay. Seems like the three of you have all settled on the course of action you''re going to take," she leaned back on her pink couch and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the seriousness I saw earlier waspletely gone. "But even then...let''s stay friends, okay?"


    It wasn''t an order, or even a request.


    It was simply the casual, rxed suggestion of a friend.


    I smiled. "Yeah."


    Yu An Yan also sighed and smirked. "Of course."


    "Mm." Yu An Xue nodded faintly, signaling her eptance.


    "Hey, Qing Yue?" I said, reaching over to pat her cute and tiny head.


    "Hm?" she looked over at me, but allowed me to pat her head without any resistance.


    I smiled happily. "...Thank you."


    "Eh? For what?"


    "For showing us our true feelings," Yu An Yan answered in my stead, and I nodded in confirmation.


    "Heh," Qing Yueughed, and hopped up from the couch, energetic even though it waste into the night. "I just want to make sure my opponents don''t lose at the starting line. I''m your rival too, remember."


    "Don''t worry, we won''t forget," I replied, and looked out the window at the starry sky. "A fair fight, huh?"


    "That''s right. A fair fight," Qing Yue echoed.


    And just like that, on this night, three girls realized what it is they really want - no, really NEED - to do.


    *****


    - Present Time -


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    "Uh...this better not be a repetition of THAT night..." I murmured hesitantly.


    "Hm? Oh, don''t worry, I won''t make you say those kind of things in public," Qing Yue replied with a bright smile.


    "So you know this is public..." Yu An Yan scoffed almost silently. "Then why did you yell it was a ''secret'' meeting...? Ah...whatever."


    It was then that another person cut in-


    "Say what kind of things in public?"


    -A familiar deep male voice, belonging to the boy the four of us loved, and fought over.


    Qing Yue quickly smoothed her mistake over.


    "Oh, it''s nothing...Big Brother Xuan Kai."

 Chapter 69 - The Tournament (1)

    It was a bright, sunny Wednesday, fitting for the grand event that was toe: The Advancement Exams. I wasn''t particrly excited, but most people were, be it the contestants themselves or the audience. I sighed and sat up on my bed.


    After a week of nning and training, we had atst arrived at the day of the tournament. Well, in reality, it was an Advancement Exam for us - currently only Novice Mages - to advance to the Intermediate stage, but this year the school had set it up in the form of a tournament.


    No one else knew why they decided to change it up for this year, but I did. My godfather, the school principal (I am still quite shocked at the news even now, to be honest), had told me some inside information.


    The true culprit of this sudden change was a man named Liu Jian. He is the headmaster of Shanghai Magic Academy, the best and most powerful magic school on the face of this, located in the Magic Capital of Shanghai. He is also exceptionally powerful, even as an individual. ording to my godfather, Liu Jian had once fought with a Saint-stage master on even terms, when he was only an early Golden Monarch stage. That was an impressive feat, no matter how you looked at it.


    In any case, there was no doubt Liu Jian was strong. It would be nice if such a powerful character is my ally, but unfortunately, he is my enemy...that''s just troublesome. I don''t know how, but he had found out about my secret power. None of the girls or Song Qian Long have any motive to leak my secret, so just how did he...?


    What''s more, this Liu Jian will also be acting as one of the judges in the main tournament. No doubt, he was there to keep an eye on me. As much as I wanted to not stand out, my magic was very unique in terms of appearance, and it would be hardly possible to conceal that unless I don''t attend the tournament at all.


    Besides, many people have already seen me use magic during the duel with Feng Mian, so I couldn''t just im I don''t have magic anymore. I would try to hide my strength as much as possible, but I knew it was a futile attempt. Well, maybe if I didn''t have to cast magic at all, and let the girls handle it...no, unlikely. There was no way around this.


    Thinking this, I got off the bed and headed into the bathroom. I needed a nice shower to clear my thoughts.


    10 minutester, I was done. I began brushing my teeth, and slipped on my usual clothes in the process. I looked at the time - only 15 minutes until sses start. Seeing this, I hurriedly rushed out the door while cursing under my breath. I gave up on breakfast a long time ago, so at this point I didn''t even feel hungry in the mornings. Still can''t say that not eating breakfast is healthy though.


    After exiting my room and locking the door behind me, I headed into the elevators feeling refreshed. However, that mood was quickly ruined by another person that entered the same elevator as me.


    The door slid open, and I came face to face with another person - a boy that looked nearly identical to myself. I narrowed my eyes, though I couldn''t quite describe what this emotion I felt was. Annoyance? Hatred, perhaps? All I can say was it wasn''t a pleasant one.


    The other boy seemed to be feeling the same way, from the way his face was turned down into a scowl. But then, to my surprise, that scowl twisted up into an evil sneer, just as the elevator doors slid shut once more behind him.


    "Why hello there...my little brother," he said, tone dripping with venom.


    I acted nonchnt, and replied as calmly as I could. "Former brother," I corrected.


    This caused the boy tough. "Yes, that is right. You were driven out of the family for being a talentless waste."


    He spoke these words slowly, as if grinding them deep into my heart. I wasn''t affected, much to his dismay. "What do you want?" I spoke quietly, but coldly.


    "You see...something''s been weighing on my mind for the past few days. In fact, it''s so worrying I wasn''t even able to train properly because of it..." he said, a nasty sneer still painted across his face.


    "Despite that, you look quite energetic," I remarked mockingly. His devious smile didn''t look worried whatsoever - it was clear what he said was a lie.


    "No, not at all..." he denied, though his eyes said otherwise. "Anyway...about the thing that was on my mind..."


    But then, the elevator stopped at another floor, and the doors swung open with a ding. A feeble looking boy with sses was waiting there, and prepared to enter the lift. However, Xuan Kun then sent him a re with killing intent, and the poor kid nearly copsed out of fear.


    "E-Eek!" the sses boy scrambled to get away, and the elevator doors shut close again.


    "Now then...back to what I was saying," Xuan Kun continued, acting as if nothing had happened. My anger was boiling at his cruel treatment toward innocent people, but I couldn''t let it show on the surface. Emotions were a dangerous thing. An enemy finding out your emotions was the same as them discovering your weakness. That''s why...no matter the cost, I had to keep this mask up.


    "The man next in line for the patriarch position of the Xuan family - that is, my father - gave me a little, but bothersome order," Xuan Kun exined indifferently. He leaned on the wall of the elevator to show just how rxed he was. Deep down, he was acting to see how I would react to his attitude, but I remained expressionless with my hands shoved in my pockets.


    "Oh? What might that be?" I asked casually, in order to not let him grasp my true intentions.


    "Hmm...nothing much, just..." he suddenly brought himself closer to my face to stare at me in the eyes with a sh of killing intent, and continued. "...To crush you in the Advancement Exams."


    I red at him right back, not bothering to contain my killing intent either. "...I see. Well then, I wish you the best of luck."


    "Hahaha!" Xuan Kun backed away and covered his stomach inughter. "My goal is to kill you, and you''re wishing me luck? How amusing!"


    It was at that moment that the elevator reached the bottom floor, and I decided to get out first. But when I passed Xuan Kun, I patted his shoulder and whispered something into his ear.


    "Hey, big brother. The luck I wished you...it wasn''t for you to seed in killing me. Perhaps I should rephrase. I wish you the best of luck..."


    Seeing his brows furrow, I smiled devilishly, and finished my sentence.


    "...On surviving the uing exams."


    And just like that, I walked out of the elevator, leaving my former brother both shocked and speechless.


    *****


    - Shenzhen Magic High School, ss 2-D -


    "Alright, ss! I''m sure you all know this already, but today marks the beginning of the Advancement Exams. Throughout this past week, you have all trained diligently and nned wisely in preparation for this day. And now, it is time to show your skills - in the arena, that is!"


    Cheers erupted in the ssroom, and the excitement of everyone was evident. Mr. Wang made a hand gesture for everyone to calm down, and once it was silent again he continued.


    "Now then, here''s how the exams are going to work. First, there will be a single-elimination tournament within each ss to decide the representative of the said ss. The representative team will then proceed to the main tournament, which will be taking ce at the Outdoor Arena tomorrow. The winner of that tournament will be the champions, and receive corresponding rewards. There will be more details about the main tournament tomorrow, but for now let''s focus on the intra-ss tournament."


    The Outdoor Arena - just as the name suggests, it was a massive outdoor battle stadium, used only to host massive events like this. It was superior to the school''s indoor arenas in every aspect possible. However, constructing such a site costed far more too, so there was only one in all of Shenzhen - and that was where the main tournament will be taking ce.


    As for the ss tournaments...there was a slight problem. Each ss had 25 students, meaning five teams of 5. So then, how would a single-elimination tournament work...?


    "I know some of you might be wondering - there are five teams in each ss, how will the tournament work? Well, the answer to that is a strength test beforehand."


    This made everyone confused, but luckily Mr. Wang continued exining.


    "Each team will choose one representative to take part in this strength test. What you will have to do, is hit this-"


    He dragged out a trapezoid-shaped tall stone b from behind the teacher''s podium.


    "-with all of your strength," he finished.


    The stone b didn''t look interesting in particr, but I could feel the mana emitting from it. However, by the looks of it, no one else was able to sense this mana, and all looked at the stone b with skepticism. I assumed this was because I was able to read powerful people''s auras, so I should be able to detect mana better than normal people to a certain extent.


    "Don''t look so skeptical," Mr. Wang sighed exasperatedly. "This may not appear like anything special, but it is in fact a very valuable Magic Artifact for strength testing."


    Now that I looked closer at it, there were some horizontal lines etched onto the face of the stone, separating it almost as if there were different levels. And as expected, I was right.


    "When you hit this artifact with all of your strength, these bars here will light up ording to your power level. There are six bars in total, meaning six different strength categorizations. For the record, the average 2nd Year should be able to at least light up two bars. And obviously, the gap between each level isrger as you go up," Mr. Wang exined.


    After looking around to make sure no one had any questions (it was literally hitting a piece of rock with all your strength, how confusing was that?), Mr. Wang pped his hands together and announced, "Alright, every team, choose your representative!"


    I looked at the four girls, all to my right on the back row, and waited for an answer.


    But surprisingly enough, they all pointed at me. I immediately shook my head, signaling that I can''t do it. Thest time I did something like this, I destroyed the artifact (the Awakening Orb). I wasn''t about to cause such amotion again. In a panic, I randomly pointed at Yu An Yan, and she widened her eyes at me in shock, as if saying ''Eh? M-Me?''.


    I shrugged, but soon enough the other three girls also agreed with this idea. I mean, it was a valid decision, since she was our main attack force (myself excluded). And so, albeit against her will, Yu An Yan was chosen as our representative for this strength test.


    Mr. Wang, after seeing everyone finish selecting their representatives, nodded firmly.


    "Good, seems like you are all done. Now then, who''s up first?"

 Chapter 70 - The Tournament (2)

    The first to take the strength test was led by a handsome boy, though I didn''t know his name. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Li Yi Fei had actually wanted to be the first to do it, but was stopped by Zhang Zhe Rui.


    It was a wise decision. As expected, Zhang Zhe Rui was the brains of their group. Going first in these kind of things was never ideal. After all, you were able to gain experience by watching other people. Being thest one to go in this scenario isn''t bad at all.


    The handsome young man strode confidently towards the nd looking stone b.


    "Hmm...Gao Ruo Jie, is it?" Mr. Wang looked at a clipboard held in his hands. "Let''s see...your team members are Fu Xia, Lei Mu, Du Ruo Gang, and Qiu Chen."


    Apparently, a sheet of paper listing everyone''s names and the team they belong to was what was on the clipboard.


    The boy named Gao Ruo Jie nodded, then pointed at the strength testing artifact. "Uh...so I just hit this thing right?"


    He still looked skeptical. On the surface the stone b looked just like a tall rock, easily breakable with magic. Mr. Wang, however, merely smiled. "Correct. Hit it with all of your strength."


    "Er...okay. Then, here I go-!"


    Gao Ruo Jie shut his eyes and began concentrating his mana as the rest of us watched in interest. Then, his eyes snapped open and he formed a swirling fire ball within his hands.


    "Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus!" he yelled.


    A beautiful fiery lotus formed within his palms, and heunched it towards the stone b with all his strength. At first, I was worried about the explosion that woulde with it, however-


    "Huh?" Gao Ruo Jie blinked a couple of times to make sure what he was seeing was correct. "No way..."


    The strength testing Magic Artifact only had one bar lit up. As soon as the me lotus came in contact with the stone, it was sucked into the b of rock. The explosion I was concerned about...never came. From this, I had pretty much grasped how this artifact worked.


    Basically, whenever an attack came within range of its built-in detector, it would convert and suck in the mana of that attack, kind of like how I did with the stone pendant. However, it didn''t use that mana to replenish itself like I did - instead, it gauges the power of the attack, and the bars shown on its surface would light up correspondingly.


    It was a simple concept, but none of us had thought it would actually function like this - we were all fooled by the outer appearance. Mr. Wang seemed pleased with our surprise, as if he had been waiting for this moment.


    "Would you like to try again?" Mr. Wang asked, trying to hide hisughter.


    Gao Ruo Jie gritted his teeth. "Ngh! T-That wasn''t my true strength. I''ll use a Level Two spell this time..."


    Saying that, he concentrated his mana once again and prepared to unleash a another Fire Element attack.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re!"


    A massive swirling ball of fire that threatened to burn the entire ssroom to a crisp appeared, but before it could even cause any damage, the stone b sucked it in. After a while, two bars lit up dimly on its face, and Gao Ruo Jie sighed in defeat, returning to his seat without even being told to, since he knew his turn was over. His teammates also looked at him with disdain.


    "Well...don''t be too frustrated. Very few exceptional talents can reach the third bar in their 2nd Year, after all," Mr. Wangforted. He then turned towards the rest of the ss. "Now then, I assume you all now have a good understanding of how this artifact functions and just how difficult the test is. Who will be next?"


    This time, it was Li Yi Fei that raised his hand. Looks like Zhang Zhe Rui couldn''t hold him back any longer.


    "Alright, Li Yi Fei,e on up." Mr. Wang moved aside and signaled for him toe closer.


    "Hmph! Unlike you weaklings, I''ll reach the sixth level of this damn thing easily!" he boasted while walking towards the tall grey stone b positioned upright on the floor.


    I sighed. He didn''t understand Zhang Zhe Rui''s intention in not letting him go first at all, did he? When it came to this idiot, it made no difference whether he went first orst. I looked over at Zhang Zhe Rui who had a conflicted expression on his face, and felt nothing but pity for him. Serving such an ipetent young master...truly a painful experience.


    That being said, no matter how low his intelligence is, his strength was the real thing. He had two innate elements, and that was considered a talent for humans. Trash in other races, but a talent by human standards.


    Li Yi Fei had Sky and Fire affinity, much like Yu An Yan. He appeared to be debating inside his head which element to use. Atst, he settled on the Sky element, and began concentrating his mana.


    "Level Two Sky Magic - Lightning Blitz!" he chanted, and pointed his finger towards the stone b.


    A deadly purple electricity bolt flew out of his hand, and headed straight for the stone b. Sky Magic was known for its powerful AOE (area of effect) spells, but Lightning Blitz was one of the few single-target point style attacks. The stone b, however, didn''t care what type of spell he cast. It was drawn in easily, just like before.


    After a few seconds, three bars lit up on the front of the stone. "Not bad," Mr. Wang mused.


    Li Yi Fei himself, however, didn''t seem to be satisfied with this result. After all, he had boldly dered he would reach the sixth level with ease just a minute earlier. And now...only reaching the third bar was like a direct face p to him.


    "I-Impossible! There must be something wrong with this stupid artifact!" Li Yi Fei yelled, and prepared to unleash another attack. However, I immediately noticed this time, he was unleashing a powerful AOE-type spell. That would destroy the entire ssroom before the stone b would even have a chance to suck it in-!


    Fortunately, Mr. Wang also noticed this, and put a stop to Li Yi Fei''s movements by using his own magic.


    "Level One Earth Magic - Bind," he said calmly, mming the floor with his palm.


    Roots sprouted up from the ground, and entangled Li Yi Fei''s hands, taking him by surprise and preventing him from doing any damage.


    "Wha-! Let me go! Hey!" Li Yi Fei struggled to break free, but the bonds were too strong.


    Although only Level One Magic, Mr. Wang was an Ancestral Mage. His mana was far more refined and powerful than the likes of Li Yi Fei. Therefore, even if he is using Level One Magic, it is more than enough to restrain a weak Novice Mage.


    "You had your chance. Give up." Mr. Wang spoke coldly. He wasn''t afraid to offend the Li family, since he had the school backing him up.


    Li Yi Fei red at our teacher, but eventually sumbed. "Tch..."


    Mr. Wang sighed as Li Yi Fei dejectedly walked back to his seat, where his twockeys were waiting tofort him.


    "Alright...who''s next?"


    *****


    - A Few Minutes Later -


    All the other teams have finished taking the strength test. So far, Li Yi Fei''s team was still the highest, with 3 bars. However, our team - Yu An Yan - still had not gone yet. I didn''t know what level she would achieve, but I have faith it will be at least four bars.


    "Alright, Yu An Yan, you are the representative of your team?" Mr. Wang asked.


    Yu An Yan nodded, and headed up to the front, where the stone b was waiting. She then looked back at me as if asking which element she should use, and I shrugged nonchntly. My eyes said ''just give it your all''.


    She sighed at my uselessness, and took a deep breath to calm down. I watched as she began channeling her mana with her eyes closed.


    When she opened them, the preparation was ready.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux!" she chanted.


    Pyroflux was one of the spells I had learnt through the Yu family library. It made sense that she would know it as well. Though in terms of power...Twin Dragons was probably better. I wonder why she didn''t use it instead?


    Two powerful zing lines of fire that shook the entire room shot out of her outstretched palms, only to be sucked in effortlessly by the dull b of stone. I began holding my breath without even realizing it.


    After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, the bars on the stone b''s front face reacted.


    Mr. Wang almost dropped his sses. "T-This is...a level 5?!"


    "Woo-hoo! Way to go, An Yan!" Qing Yue cheered from beside me.


    "As expected of her," Feng Mian joined in as well, smiling happily.


    Yu An Yan turned around with style, and gave me a flirty wink. She then strode proudly back to her seat, flicking her hair back in the process. All eyes were on her as she did this; it was a sight too beautiful and attractive to not see.


    Li Yi Fei wasn''t too happy about this oue, but there was nothing he could do with Mr. Wang there monitoring him.


    "A-Alright...that was unexpected, but it was a pleasant surprise. The highest level I have ever seen a 2nd Year reach on this throughout all my twenty years of teaching, was a level 4," Mr. Wang remarked, still a bit bewildered. However, as expected of a teacher, he quickly regained hisposure and announced the result.


    "With this...the victor of the strength test is Yu An Yan''s team. They will automatically advance to the intra-ss tournament finals. The other teams will duke it out, and whichever one wins among the four will challenge them for the right to participate in the main tournament happening tomorrow. That''s all. Any questions?


    Mr. Wang looked around the ss for any raised hands. "No? Alright, then let''s begin heading for the Arena."


    The Arena he was referring to was the indoor arena within the school, not the outside one where the main tournament would take ce. I wonder, what kind of battlesy ahead? I predict Li Yi Fei''s team being the ones to challenge us in the intra-ss tournament finals, but as for the main tournament, I had no idea how it worked or which opponents I would be facing.


    And above all that, there was still one massive problem: Liu Jian. Even now, I still hadn''te up with a good strategy to counter him. To be honest, Liu Jian himself wasn''t the biggest trouble. The real mystery is how he managed to find out about my powers. There''s a very little chance one of the girls or Song Qian Long leaked the information, so someone either overheard us talking about it or Liu Jian had acquired the info through some other method. Either way, it was something I needed to be wary of.


    My secret...wasn''t so secret anymore.

 Chapter 71 - The Tournament (3)

    - The Indoors Arena -


    It was around 9:00 in the morning. When we arrived at the Arena, all the other sses were already there. They eyed us with condescending looks as we walked to our reserved section in the audience. For the record, the Arena was by no means small. In the center was a square tform surrounded by a powerful magic barrier where contestants could battle without worrying about hurting onlookers. Surrounding this tform on all four sides were rows on rows of seats for the audience. Each level of the main campus had a room like this, though for the upper grades the center tform was bigger since their duels were of a higher caliber.


    After a short while, an old voice rang out from the speakers, which were usually used to announce the victor of a duel. Come to think of it, this was the same arena where Feng Mian and I had ours. However, today, it was used to something much grander.


    The sses will choose their representative for the main tournament through today''s series of battles. However, at the same time, all the other sses will be watching, so the smart contestants won''t show all their trump cards if possible. This was the system Shanghai Magic Academy used every year for the Advancement Exams. They were a school that focused on real battle experience.


    "I wee you all to the Shenzhen Magic High School Advancement Exams," the old voice said. "Today, the intra-ss tournaments will take ce. And tomorrow, the main tournament will." I could immediately tell who it was: Song Qian Long, our school principal...and also my godfather.


    Song Qian Long continued exining how today was going to work. To summarize, the first ss to go would be ss A, followed by ss B. There would then be a 1-hour lunch break at 12:00, with everyone grouping back here once more at 1:00. Then, the intra-ss tournaments of ss C and D will take ce, in that order. By the end of the day, the representative teams of each ss for the main tournament happening tomorrow will have been decided.


    "And with that, the Advancement Exams - begin!" Song Qian Long''s voice echoed throughout the entire arena. Cheers erupted from the audience; everyone unable to contain their excitement any longer. I didn''t really care about this exam one way or another, but...I felt something deep within me long for battle. I couldn''t really describe this feeling, but it was somewhere between excitement and an unquenchable thirst for blood.


    "The first match of the day will be a heated sh between two top tier teams in ss A - The Red Dragons and The Cursed Warlocks!"


    Wait. They had team names...? I looked over at the four girls (two sitting on either side of me), who were also wondering the same thing. I then nced at Mr. Wang, who sheepishly looked away when he met my gaze.


    ...So he had forgotten about that.


    I sighed and turned my focus back on the match. But I couldn''t help but wonder what kind of name would be announced when it was our turn...


    The Red Dragons. By the name of the team, I expected them to specialize in Fire Magic. The five people who walked on stage were all wearing a red-colored variation of the original school uniform, which was ck for boys and white for girls. I then looked down at my own attire - a ck hoodie and ripped jeans. I self-consciously pulled the hood over my head, and continued observing the situation.


    The opponents of the Red Dragons were a team known as The Cursed Warlocks. Something to do with Curse Magic, perhaps...? As the five students walked out of the gates across from the Red Dragons, I immediately narrowed my eyes.


    They were wearing an indigo-colored variation of the school uniform. There were 4 boys and 1 girls, all with haughty looks on their faces. I felt an inner feeling of hatred swell up within me as soon as I saw who the team consisted of. Not only were Li Mu Shen and my ex-fiancee (Lan Gui Ying) there acting all flirty, the one leading them...


    ...He was the person I didn''t want to see most: Xuan Kun.


    The girls beside me also seemed to have realized this. They looked over at me in worry.


    "Xuan Kai..." Feng Mian murmured in concern.


    I shook my head. "Don''t worry about me. More importantly, this is a good opportunity to see him fight live."


    I noticed Feng Mian blush slightly even under the dim lights of the audience area, where we were sitting. "You''re right, but...I-I wasn''t w-worrying about you..." she murmured sheepishly, which was cute, to be honest.


    I closed my eyes, and opened them again slowly, watching on as my former brother began crushing his opponents.


    *****


    (Xuan Kun''s Perspective)


    Pfft, The Red Dragons? More like the red lizards. They were weak, and this was boring. There was only one person I was excited to face, heheh....


    "Are you ready to fight?" the leader of the red lizards asked me, disturbing my thoughts.


    "Huh?! You just fucking disrupted my train of thought!" I shouted back, ignoring his questionpletely. Weaklings didn''t get a right to talk.


    The boy looked taken aback at my words, and his face soon turned down into a scowl. "Not even showing the minimal amount of respect for your opponents...very well. You asked for this."


    My lips twisted up into an evil sneer. "Heheheh...that''s more like it."


    He found motivation to fight, and was resenting me deep in his heart. I finally found a reason to even duel this guy. I would crush his confidence, over and over again. Why? Because it''s fun, of course. I love destroying opponents who think they have a chance against me, or have a burning will to fight. It''s always so satisfying, seeing their torn expressions as I torture them, again and again...


    But since this is a team fight...I''ll have him experience the feeling of seeing his own allies get hunted, one by one...hahaha!


    "The Red Dragons vs. The Cursed Warlocks: Duel - Begin!"


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    The instant Song Qian Long announced the beginning of the duel, Xuan Kun beganunching a barrage of Curse spells at the boy who appeared to be the leader of The Red Dragons. They had a brief conversation beforehand, but since that wasn''t broadcasted I had no way to find out what they were talking about.


    However, the broadcast began now, and we could all hear what they were saying within the dueling tform. Though I was fairly sure most of the words we''ll hear would just be incantations for spells, with Xuan Kun here, I couldn''t tell for sure.


    "Here, how do you like that, huh?!" Xuan Kun yelled as heunched Curse Element spells one after another with a evil cackle, expression nearing that of a mad man. "What about this?!"


    "Ngh..." The leader of The Red Dragons was still standing and doing his best to block the iing attacks, but he was slowly getting worn down and wouldn''tst too long. Xuan Kun...he wasbining Maledictum spells of different types to slowly weaken his opponent. His teammates kept the other team''s members busy while he continued toying with the poor leader of The Red Dragons...to put it ndly, this was a pitiful sight.


    "P-Please...stop..." the leader of The Red Dragons begged miserably, his confidence and spirit from earlier nowhere to be seen. He was crawling on the floor, with no strength left to even stand, much less fight.


    "Heheh...since you asked so nicely..." Xuan Kun murmured darkly, an ominous Void Element ball of energy began forming in his hand. "I''ll put you out of your misery."


    An explosion ensued-


    "Duel End: Victor - The Cursed Warlocks."


    *****


    The rules of a 5v5 team fight were as follows:


    - Each team is to designate a leader.


    - If the leader of a team is knocked unconscious or has his school badge destroyed, then the team that the leader belongs to loses the entire fight.


    - Surrenders can only take ce if more than half the team''s members agree.


    - Contestants may not receive any type of external help, including Magic Artifacts.


    - Killing, crippling, and simr acts are all forbidden.


    Those were the rules, but...Xuan Kun had left them just barely alive. While on the surface this may seem like a vile act to do and shouldn''t be allowed, the rules only say you weren''t allowed to actually kill your opponents. Therefore, leaving them with just a strand of life left will not result in any direct punishment. That''s the reason Xuan Kun was able to act so boldly without any fear of getting banned from the tournament or even expelled from the school.


    That wasn''t to say his actions were justified, however. He had a nasty reputation in the school, but because everyone fears him and his backing (The Xuan Family), no one confronts him directly, so he just continued doing as he pleases with no constraint.


    I clenched my fists as anger swelled up in me. There was a difference between torturing innocent people and killing the bastards who deserved to die. Xuan Kun was the former, while I was thetter. Before, I was forced to do this Advancement Exam - if I didn''t, Liu Jian would crush this entire school.


    But now...I had one more reason to participate.

 Chapter 72 - The Tournament (4)

    The ss A battles ended with Xuan Kun obliterating the other teams entirely. At first, I questioned how he didn''t be the team to automatically advance to the finals of his ss, but after some careful thought and considering his personality, he probably held back on the strength test on purpose just to participate in more battles, and crush more people.


    And afterpletely annihting the other four teams, it was confirmed The Cursed Warlocks would participate in the major tournament tomorrow. This was troublesome for us, since it wasn''t just Xuan Kun who was dangerous on their team - the other four team members were also exceptionally strong.


    My guess was all the strong people of ss A flocked to one team, in order to secure sess for the ss as a whole in the main tournament. But the leader of The Red Dragons...he really did hold hatred for Xuan Kun inside his heart, I could sense the killing intent from all the way here. Unfortunately, he just was not strong enough to do anything.


    In addition to my ability to read the auras of powerful individuals, I am also able to sense killing intent within a certain distance from me. I know a lot of people harbored hostility towards me since I have multiple beauties hanging around at my side, but most of them didn''t go to the point where they wanted to actually murder me.


    Xuan Kun, though...this morning in the elevator, the killing intent from him was thergest I''ve ever sensed, full of malice. However, my desire to end HIS life was just as strong. Congrattions...you have sessfully pissed me off, my former brother. I wasn''t some hero of justice, but I also won''t sit idly by when an innocent person is getting humiliated to that degree...since I was once a victim of it as well, I knew just how painful it is.


    I held this thought in my mind as the battles of ss B began-.


    *****


    "First up in the battles of ss 2-B, we have The Golden Crusaders vs. Team Kraken!"


    I sighed. The Kraken was a Mythical Magic Beast, capable of demolishing an entire city with a swing of its arms (tentacles?). It was usually considered bad luck to name your team after an evil monster of mass destruction like this, but then again, Xuan Kun''s team name was The Cursed Warlocks...


    Ming Hao wasn''t on neither team, so I didn''t pay too much attention. The Golden Crusaders won in the end, though Team Kraken put up a surprisingly good fight. Both teams however, weren''t too strong. We could handle them for sure.


    "Next up, we have The Catalysts vs. The ck Knights!" Song Qian Long announced through the loud speakers of the Arena.


    I sighed once more after I realized neither team was Ming Hao''s. He was the exact opposite of Xuan Kun - trying to avoid battles as much as possible, simr to me. Without a doubt, his team was the victor in the strength test, thus automatically advancing to his ss''s finals. I expected this from how careful he was with his Magus Rankings profile, but even then I couldn''t help being a bit disappointed.


    With this, Ming Hao was the only one I didn''t have any knowledge at all on. That fact bothered me, since I couldn''t devise a n without any information. While Xuan Kun may be a more troublesome opponent because of his personal hatred towards me, Ming Hao was more dangerous in my opinion.


    "Duel End: Victor - The ck Knights."


    The duel ended with The ck Knights as the victors. If I had to say, they weren''t that weak. The five team members had good synergy with each other, and it was clear they were close friends. Every single one of them had excellent teamwork skills, and they are able to face battle with a smile. However...their next opponent would be Ming Hao''s team, after a short break to recharge mana and strength. The school would provide mana potions at this kind of time free of cost, so the contestants can be up and ready for another fight as soon as possible.


    Still...I had a bad premonition for these five ck knights.


    *****


    - 10 Minutes Later -


    "And for the finals of ss B, we have The ck Knights, with two victories, against The Lion''s Roar, who still have not even shown their faces on the Arena!" Song Qian Long yelled, in an attempt to sound excited.


    ...I cannot believe this man was my godfather.


    Usually, in a tournament like this, you would expect two pretty girls doing the livementary and announcements, but instead, we have our principal, an - although powerful - old man. It wasn''t like I would get hyped up about this tournament had it been two beautifuldiesmentating instead of this damn old geezer, but still.


    I shook away these thoughts and focused on the matter at hand. So Ming Hao''s team''s name was The Lion''s Roar, huh?


    When the two teams walked on the stage, one wearing ck, the other wearing gold, I was surprised. Not at the colors, but at the teamposition of The Lion''s Roar. Usually, the team leader would stand in the middle, at the front. But instead, Ming Hao was off to the very side, as if he was unimportant to the team.


    I furrowed my brows. Was Ming Hao not the team leader? As I held this question in my mind, the battle began.


    The teams shed at each other with all their might...except for one person. He didn''t take a single step from where he was, and just stood there nonchntly.


    "What is he doing...?" I muttered out loud.


    The person I was speaking of was none other than my primary investigation target, Ming Hao. Did he know I was watching, and intentionally didn''t do a single thing? If so, then he is very strong, to be able to figure out my intentions. However, the possibility of this is low...he probably just didn''t want to show anyone his abilities, not just me in particr.


    Still...this is troublesome. Even with Ming Hao not doing anything, The Lion''s Roar was dominating this 4v5 battle. The teamwork of The ck Knights from before was now nowhere to be seen, due to the constant distraction and harassment from The Lion''s Roar. They were slowly losing a fight they should''ve had an advantage on.


    Suddenly, The ck Knights'' assassin-role member got impatient seeing Ming Hao just chilling in the back-line doing absolutely nothing, so he decided to circle around and ambush him from behind. However, he was swiftly intercepted by a short but sturdy boy, who was the main defender on The Lion''s Roar.


    "Tch..!" the assassin of The ck Knights tried to use his speed to swerve around the muscr student, but-


    "I won''t let you!" the defender of The Lion''s Roar yelled, before mming his palm into the ground and chanting, "cier Form - Wall!"


    A massive ice wall spanning horizontally across the entire Arena battle tform''s width rose up from the ground, blocking all enemies outside. The other Lion''s Roar team members fell back into the safety of this covering as well. This short yet strong boy was an Ice Element user, just like Feng Mian. It was a versatile element that could be used both for offense and defense, more so than any other one.


    Furthermore...if I had to say, his cier Form was stronger than Feng Mian''s. But at the same time, the boy looked pretty tired after that one spell, and I guessed that was his ultimate move, more or less. I made a mental note of that and added one more task to my to-do list - figure out a strategy to counter that huge wall.


    I could just st it away, but a spell of that caliber would not only draw unnecessary attention to myself but also cause a powerful explosion upon contact with the wall. It could possibly hurt my own allies, if Yu An Xue was too busy to put up a defense.


    The wall copsed, and The Lion''s Roar now knew to keep an eye on the assassin. Before the poor assassin could even react, all of the Lion''s Roar''s members (excluding Ming Hao) leapt towards him and swiftly cut his school crest. It was a frightening scene, seeing an assassin, who specialized in speed among other things, be cut down before he could even react.


    After that, it became an even 4v4 match, except The Lion''s Roar was far more coordinated and more powerful even by individual basis. The match soon ended with The ck Knights'' leader getting his school crest broken. Both teams retreated from the Arena tform, and Ming Hao, who had done nothing this entire round, silently followed them.


    I wonder...these four all protected Ming Hao when he was in danger. If he was really just a normal member, and someone who doesn''t even fight at that, there wouldn''t be any reason to guard him, and end up using their only defender''s ultimate move in order to do so.


    The only answer was this:


    Ming Hao was their leader, but they didn''t reveal that to anyone else. Though to anyone who watched their fight just now carefully, that fact should now be as clear as day. There was no other reason to protect a useless person that didn''t contribute anything to the team.


    However, that raised another question - if he really was useless, why was he selected as the leader? Well, he ranked pretty high on the Magus Rankings of our school, so he definitely isn''t weak. Then the only conclusion that makes sense, would be he''s hiding his strength, as much as possible. Simr to me, in a sense - except I still would have to fight when the timees, albeit not seriously, in order to fool Liu Jian. It didn''t matter to me personally if we lost, but I have the four girls on my team to think about.


    Basically, I had to hide my strength but notpletely, and also at the same time win the tournament.


    I sighed as I thought about this.


    ...How troublesome.

 Chapter 73 - The Tournament (5)

    - Lunch Break -


    After the ss B battles finished, it was time for lunch break. The audience was gone within minutes, all scrambling to be the first ones out. For what reason, I do not know. I took a deep breath and also stood up in preparation to leave once everyone else had left...


    "Where we going, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, tugging on my sleeve.


    ...Except a certain four girls.


    "Well...I''m going to the cafeteria as usual," I replied exasperatedly. "You girls can do as you please."


    The girls stared at me first, then at each other. After a while, they all sighed.


    "Welp, can''t help it then," Feng Mian said with a light shrug.


    Yu An Yan sighed. "Yep."


    Qing Yue yawned cutely. "Just what I''d expect from Big Brother Xuan Kai..."


    Even Yu An Xue nodded in agreement.


    "...?" I was confused, and raised an eyebrow to show that.


    But before they could exin, I sensed someoneing up behind me, and turned around immediately.


    "Hm...good reflexes," the man with sses before me mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.


    I sighed and rxed. "What do you want, Mr. Wang?"


    Our ss teacherughed awkwardly. "Ahaha...well, you see, about the team names..."


    Ohhh. So he caught me looking at him earlier when Song Qian Long announced the first set of teams. I still can''t believe he forgot to tell us toe up with a team name, but then again, it wasn''t really anything important, so...


    I shrugged. "They aren''t important. All they''ll be used for is announcing our identities as a whole. It won''t improve our strength or anything."


    Mr. Wang scratched his cheek anxiously. "Well, that may be so...but Mr. Song gave me a call just now, asking why no ss-D team has a name..."


    That sly old bastard. I bet he just wanted to hear what kind of name I woulde up with for our team...


    "So, you want us to, like, think of a name on the spot?" Qing Yue asked.


    Mr. Wang looked apologetic and bowed his head down slightly. "Yes...it was irresponsible of me, as a teacher, to fail in informing my students of this task beforehand. Apologies."


    I shook my head. "Er...to be honest, even if you had told us beforehand, I probably would''ve forgotten, since this isn''t anything significant..."


    "Yep, I can back up that statement," Yu An Yan agreed with an exasperated sigh. "Xuan Kai has a bad habit of only remembering the things crucial to him."


    Feng Mian and Yu An Xue nodded as well.


    I spoke up to defend myself. "Uh, why is it that all of you agreed immediately when it came to something bad about me? C''mon, this is the time for some more controversy, y''know? Some more defending and arguing...some more...no? O-Okay."


    After getting stared at with ufortable gazes, I trailed off and gave up on the idea of defending myself. Arguing with girls was hopeless.


    "A-Ahem...c-can we move back to the original topic?" Mr. Wang interjected, eager to steer the conversation back on course.


    "Ah...right. Sorry," I replied to him. Then, turning back to the girls, I continued. "So...team name. What do you guys think?"


    The four of them looked at me like, ''why are you asking us? You''re the team leader''.


    "I-I just wanted to hear some of your opinions..." I said meekly, and took a deep breath.


    Team names weren''t that important, I told myself. There was no need to exert too much effort for this - just think of a random name you''ve heard somewhere else...


    "Okay...fine," I began, as multiple viable team names began popping up in my head. "How about...The Shadow Walkers?"


    Cue the dubious gazes.


    Cue to ufortable silence.


    "...Uh-" I opened my mouth to ask what the problem was, but was quickly interrupted.


    "H-Hold on. I didn''t realize you were so bad at thinking of names," Feng Mian said with her eyes closed, probably tired from staring at me for so long. She also had her hand out in a ''stop'' gesture...


    Meanwhile, Yu An Yan wasughing while wiping away tears. "Ahahaha! What the heck?! What kind of name is ''The Shadow Walkers?!!'' Oh man, I''m dying!"


    Qing Yue also looked exasperated. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...I''m not letting you name our kids in the future..." she spoke quietly.


    "Huh? W-Wait, our kids?" I asked, picking up on something I probably shouldn''t have.


    "Nevermind..." Qing Yue averted her gaze.


    "Uh, okay..."


    So the three of them were all disappointed in my inability to name things. I looked to Yu An Xue as ast resort, but even she shook her head sadly when I did so.


    "...Was the name really that bad?" I murmured to myself, and looked at Mr. Wang.


    ...His eyes said ''yes, it was''.


    I racked my brain for any more ideas, not ready to give up, and blurted them out whenever a new one came to my mind.


    "Er...how about Nightravens?"


    "No." Immediately rejected by Feng Mian, huh?


    "Uh...Angels of Death?"


    "Nah."


    "...The Avengers?"


    "Definitely not!"


    "Ngh..." I groaned in despair. Why were all of my well-thought and creative names rejected by these four girls?! I carefully looked at each one of them, and then down at myself. They were wearing the beautiful white school uniform and skirt for girls, while I was wearing a pitch ck hoodie with jeans. White uniform, ck hoodie...white...ck...


    "Oh, I got it!" I eximed in genuine joy, and pounded my fist into my palm.


    "Hm?" the girls all looked at me with genuine anticipation.


    I took a genuine deep breath, and told them the name I had came up with after very careful observing and thinking.


    "Behold: 4 Girls in White & 1 Boy in ck!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    As I thought, the name was so good, it left everyone speechless.


    "...Just so you know, we aren''t talking, not because the name was good," Feng Mian.


    Huh? Then-


    "AHAHAHAHA!" Yu An Yan burst intoughter. "Okay, okay...I''m good...you never fail to amuse me, Xuan Kai."


    Qing Yue made a huge, dramatic facepalm. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...I think I''ll have to give you a lesson on naming things. Properly."


    "Wait, what? Was that name also no good?" I asked, confused.


    "Mm...it was...bad," Yu An Xue concluded, and pierced my heart with those words. The brilliant name I came up with, one that portrayed us perfectly...was bad, you say?! Then what is a team name supposed to be like?! Is it not supposed to depict yourselves?!


    Yu An Yan sighed, having calmed down now. "An Xue, it''s useless exining to him. He''s hopeless."


    "Yeah," Feng Mian agreed. "More importantly, let''s focus oning up with an actual good name for now. Got any ideas?"


    Hey now...once again, why are you all so quick to agree with each other whenever one of my weaknesses are brought up?


    "Hm...how about The Holy Cavaliers?" Qing Yue suggested.


    The Holy Cavaliers? Hm...not a bad name, I suppose.


    "It''s an option, but doesn''t it sound a bit too...grand and formal?" Feng Mianughed awkwardly. Not being from one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, it was understandable she felt this name was a bit too ''royal-like''. Even I felt a bit conflicted.


    "Then, what about The Crystalline Fairies?" Yu An Yan proposed. "A little girly, but I''m sure Xuan Kai wouldn''t mind, with his nonexistentprehension skills."


    ...Weakprehension skills? Well. Maybe she''s not wrong, but at least I could tell she was dissing me just now? And right in front of me, no less.


    Feng Mian scratched her head. "The Crystalline Fairies, huh...it''s a pretty name, sure, but doesn''t that sound...kind of weak?"


    "Oh, now that I think about it, you''re right," Yu An Yan nodded while looking at the ceiling as she continued brainstorming.


    "Um..." a tiny, almost inaudible voice began.


    "Yu An Xue, you have an idea?" Qing Yue asked, hearing her since she was the closest. "Don''t be scared, there''s no way your suggestions can be worse than Big Brother Xuan Kai''s, after all."


    ...Was it really necessary to insult me there, Qing Yue?


    Yu An Xue nodded at Qing Yue''s encouragement. "Mm...okay. I was thinking...maybe we could be called...The Chaotic Tranquility?"


    "Huh...? The Chaotic...Tranquility?" Feng Mian raised an eyebrow. "That doesn''t make much sense..."


    "No, that''s actually really clever, Yu An Xue," Qing Yue defended.


    "How so?" Yu An Yan asked. Even her own sister didn''t seem to understand...


    Qing Yue sighed, and began exining Yu an Xue''s thought process for her. "The Chaotic Tranquility - on the surface, it certainly doesn''t make any sense. Chaos and tranquility don''t work well together. However...it is exactly that characteristic that made Yu An Xue choose this name, correct?" she looked at the original founder of this name for confirmation.


    Yu An Xue nodded, strengthening Qing Yue''s argument. She appeared pleased that someone else understood her.


    "I still don''t quite understand..." Feng Mian murmured. Yu An Yan looked simrly puzzled.


    "Just wait, I''m not done," Qing Yue exined. "This irony, this conflict, this paradox that shouldn''t exist - isn''t that exactly what Big Brother Xuan Kai, and the rest of us are?"


    I pondered about what she said. A paradox that should not exist. Indeed, I matched that description perfectly. I was originally born without any magic, and destined to be weak for my entire life, living as nothing more but a punching bag for others. But ironically, I was now more powerful than any of the people who had once looked down on me. I was the product of a sudden awakening at the age of 14, with a unique power different from everyone else, residing within me.


    Such a case has never been heard of before, and the answer was simple - it shouldn''t have happened in the first ce. I was an existence that defied fate, acted against thews of nature, and bent the rules of this universe.


    If we look at our team as a whole, the same applies. I, a talentless waste, was on the same team as the top four beauties of Shenzhen, and of their own will, no less? That was something that shouldn''t have happened. The current friendly rtionship I have with the four of them shouldn''t exist.


    I spoke my opinion once I thought this through. "...I like this name."


    Feng Mian and Yu An Yan soon followed.


    "Yeah...after that exnation, everything bes clear," Feng Mian said as she closed her eyes to rest them.


    "An Xue, I never knew you had such a knack foring up with good names!" Yu An Yanplimented her sister.


    "Agreed. Good job, Yu An Xue. With this, our problem is solved," I said with a smile.


    "Mm..." Yu An Xue blushed slightly and went back to being her quiet self.


    "I take it you have settled on your name, then?" Mr. Wang, who had been listening in to the conversation this entire time, said once our discussion was over.


    I faced him, and answered.


    "Yes. We will be known as...The Chaotic Tranquility."


    *****


    - The Cafeteria -


    After we gave our team name to Mr. Wang, we headed to the cafeteria while our teacher went off to find the other teams of our ss (to get their team names, obviously. Looks like somebody won''t be eating lunch today...).


    Well, to be more precise, I headed to the cafeteria, the girls just followed me for some reason. They could eat at a luxury restaurant outside easily...but if I had to be honest, them staying with me was the correct decision - this allowed us some private time to talk.


    We sat down at a table in the corner of therge school cafeteria, and began discussing what we gathered from watching the fights so far as we ate.


    "As I thought, Ming Hao is still our number one priority, huh?" I said after getting confirmation from the girls.


    Feng Mian nodded. "I also found his actions odd during their battle against The ck Knights."


    "Well, he didn''t really make any ''actions'', per se..." Yu An Yan added.


    "Yeah, that''s the mysterious part," Qing Yue rested her chin on her hand as she brought a spoonful of rice into her mouth.


    I wasn''t particrly hungry, so I didn''t even touch my food one bit, and instead focused on all the information I had currently.


    "Seeing as how his profile on the Magus Rankings app was also very discreet, my guess is that he doesn''t want to show his strength to any watchful eyes - like us - before it is necessary to do so," I exined my thoughts.


    "That''s certainly a possibility," Feng Mian agreed.


    "Uh, what about Xuan Kun?" Yu An Yan asked me. "Ming Hao is the most mysterious one right now and has the most unknowns, but in my opinion Xuan Kun is definitely the most dangerous to us."


    I clenched my fists. "You''re right. You''re right, but...he won''t be a problem."


    Qing Yue picked up on my absolute tone. "Oh? Big Brother Xuan Kai, do you have a n in mind?"


    Normally, I would never say such things with 100% certainty. Instead, I would use the words ''probably'' or ''perhaps''. But this time...


    I shook my head. "An exact n? No..."


    The girls all looked at me with puzzled expressions. I smiled reassuringly.


    "...But he WILL be defeated," I stated confidently. "...I will defeat him."

 Chapter 74 - The Tournament (6)

    - The Arena -


    "Good afternoon, everyone. I wee you back to the Advancement Exams," Song Qian Long''s booming voice resounded across the Arena, via the advanced speakers system. "I hope you all have enjoyed a delicious lunch."


    Several snickers could be heard directed at us, from people who happened to saw us heading to the cafeteria earlier.


    "However! Eating time is now over," the old master continued. "Now, is when the second half of Shenzhen Magic High School''s intra-ss tournaments will begin! Prepare yourself, for the uing battles of ss C - and D!"


    He said that in an excited tone, but most of the other students consisting the audience weren''t as hyped up as before. ss A and B had already finished their battles this morning; they were the main spotlight of today''s show. Everyone expected ss C''s and D''s battles to fall way behind in terms of excitement and thrill.


    However, they still held hope for two battles in particr. One, was Liao Fen''s, known as the Solo Devil of Shenzhen Magic High School. Infamous for his insane physical prowess and magic power in duels, he held the 31st spot on our school''s Magus Rankings, as a mere 2nd Year. It was frightening to even think about just how strong he would be by the time he graduates as a 6th Year.


    The other fight was ours - though for quite a different reason. Excluding myself, all of our team members were strong, sure, but they didn''t really make a name for themselves through duels. Three of them had just recently transferred into this school, and the other didn''t care about that kind of thing.


    Even so, I was confident they would be able to make it to the top 100 at least. Considering our school had 600 students across 6 years, spanning 4 sses each, making it into the top 100 was quite a feat already, not to mention they were only 2nd Years. It was the general rule of thumb that the older a student was, the more powerful they were, after all.


    The Magus Rankings didn''t care about age or gender. It was simple and straight-forward - if you wanted a higher cement on the charts, you dueled for it. Simrly, if you wanted to make it into the top 100, you had to fight your way there, whether it was 1st Years or 6th years in the way of that.


    That being said, the four girls didn''t seem to have any intention of doing so. Therefore, arge portion of the audience was focused on us for a different reason. By arge portion, I meant all the males.


    ...You probably see where this is going.


    Indeed - they were excited for our battle because of how stunning the four girls were, in terms of appearances. Each and every one of them was considered a top beauty of Shenzhen. In fact, the four of them took the top four spots, in no particr order. Maybe there was an order, actually? Not sure...never paid attention to that kind of thing.


    But yeah, that''s the reason all the boys were excited to see us fight - not to witness our strength, but to witness the gorgeousness of the four beauties on my team...


    Well, in any case. Our match will be thest one of the day, so there was still quite some time before we would have to fight.


    I sat back thinking this and watched as the ss C teams began to fight.


    As expected, the battles that followed weren''t anything exciting. I carefully evaluated every team that has fought so far, and the only ones I wasn''t 100% confident we could beat were Xuan Kun''s and Ming Hao''s. That being said, there was one more dangerous character I should be wary of...


    "And now, the finals of ss C - The Devilyers vs Death''s Door!" Song Qian Long announced. He appeared a bit ufortable reading these names, since they were excessively dark. It was an attempt to sound badass that failed miserably, to the point where it''s just cringey now.


    ...Then again, who was I to talk? Thinking back, the names I came up with weren''t much better. Funny how they seemed like such good ideas at the time


    Death''s Door was the team that automatically advanced to the finals in ss C. Devilyers, on the other hand, fought their way here, and were considerably worn down, putting them at a slight disadvantage. Though they were given sufficient time to rest between matches, it still took a toll on their bodies, be it little or big.


    I spotted Liao Fen on the team Death''s Door. He wore the standard male school uniform, dressed in all ck. Basically, my outfit, except more fancy and fashionable. I then recalled Liao Fen''s alias in the school: the Solo Devil.


    Ah...so that''s how it is. I see. On one team, we have the Solo Devil. On the other, we have the Devilyers. And from the looks full of hatred the Devilyers were giving Death''s Door, I doubted this was a coincidence. Most likely, the Devilyers were a group of students that held anger or resentment towards Liao Fen. This wasn''t surprising - he may be strong, but that came with a price. Liao Fen''s nasty personality andck of any teamwork skills were infamous around the school. There was bound to be some students who hated him.


    I really couldn''t care less, though. It didn''t matter to me who won here - if it was Death''s Door, I will have obtained enough information about Liao Fen to form a n. And if it were the Devilyers, well...that just means the so-called ''Solo Devil'' isn''t as strong as the rumors say. And once again, I have seen enough of their fights to know how to counter them.


    A loud, mechanical beep from the Arena speaker system signaled the beginning of the match. The Devilyers didn''t waste a single moment - the five of them all immediately targeted Liao Fen together, with three front-liners and two back-liners. The Solo Devil was taken by surprise for a moment, and widened his eyes. However, luckily, Liao Fen''s teammates weren''t just sitting idly by either. Their support, who was argely-built boy with sses, cast the Level Two Earth Element spell, Earth Surge, forming a massive wall made of pure hard rock, halting the Devilyers'' advance.


    "Pay more attention," therge boy said to Liao Fen. "The match has started."


    From everyone else''s perspective, that was nothing more than a friendly reminder as a teammate, especially whening from someone who just saved your ass. However, to Liao Fen, it seemed like the student was looking down on him.


    "Tch...I don''t need ya help," he muttered angrily, and red at the boy who had just protected him.


    Therge boy narrowed his eyes. "Oi, I just saved you. Shouldn''t you be more grateful-"


    "Hey, save it forter. They''reing," a third voice cut in - their assassin, and the only girl on the team. The earth wall put up earlier had copsed, and the Devilyers were about to attack once more.


    It was good timing too, since had the poor guy continued talking any longer he would''ve gotten sacked by Liao Fen first, before even getting hit by the other team. The Solo Devil''s re held killing intent. Even though it wasn''t directed at me, I could still feel it from all the way here, in the audience seats.


    "Liao Fen, you''re going down today!" a handsome boy with blonde hair who appeared to be the leader of the Devilyers, yelled with determination as he pointed towards Liao Fen''s tall figure.


    "Heh...I usually hate teamfights, but the only reason for that is I have to worry about not identally hurting my own allies. But...not once have Iined about my opponents..." Liao Fen taunted in response, with a mad grin. "I''m perfectly fine with a 1v5! Come at me with all ya have, ahaha!"


    "Grr...! We''ll wipe that cocky smile off your face!" another boy from the Devilyers stepped up, and dered this as he charged in and jumped up high, preparing to unleash a barrage of spells from above.


    "Level Two Poison Magic - Intoxication Cloud!"


    A fog of poison emitted from his palms, and descended onto where the Death''s Door members were standing. The student whounched this attack remained hovering in the air, so I assumed he had a Sky Element affinity as well. The poison gas blocked everyone''s vision, including the audience. No one could see if the attack seeded or not, but I doubted a single Poison Element AOE (area of effect) spell would wipe out the Solo Devil''s teampletely.


    The boy who had cast this spell, however, was far too naive. He appeared to be feeling rxed, as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.


    "Ah...that should do it," he sighed in relief, after seeing nothinge out of the toxic fog he ced down. "Liao Fen...how do you like that, huh? What ''Solo Devil''? You''re nothing but a weak-"


    A shadow appeared behind him in the blink of an eye-


    "Oh...I heard someone say my name...?" a deep voice, dripping with venom, asked quietly but threateningly. The boy who had been bragging just moments ago stood frozen in fear, still levitating in the air - for he knew who this voice belonged to. He knew who was behind him, and his entire body immediately became paralyzed, too scared to move even a single inch.


    "Look out, Jiao Nan!" his teammate cried, but it was toote.


    CRASH!


    Liao Fen, with a decisive roundhouse kick to the boy named Jiao Nan''s stomach, sent him flying. He crashed into the hard magic barrier set around the battle tform, and fell to the ground, unconscious.


    "Jiao Nan!"


    The Devilyers quickly ran to where Jiao Nany, limp and bleeding from the corner of his mouth.


    "...He''s unconscious, but alive," one of the members reported after checking Jiao Nan''s wrist for a pulse.


    "Liao Fen, you...!" the blonde boy, leader of the Devilyers, clenched his fists as he whipped around to re at the perpetrator of this incident, who was still hovering in the air since he also possessed the Sky Element.


    "Heh...who''s next?" the Solo Devil made a hooking gesture with his index finger, as if saying e at me''.


    "Tch!" the blonde boy, blinded by anger, fell for the taunt, and began running towards Liao Fen at full speed, ignoring the warnings and protests from his teammates behind him.


    *****


    By this time, the poison cloud that Jiao Nan had created also dispersed, and it was revealed that in fact, none of the Death''s Door members were hurt one bit. The samergely-build boy from before had cast the Level Two Blessing Element spell, Shield of Life (a better version of the Level One Blessing Element spell, Mana Shield), on every single one of his team members - Liao Fen excluded, of course.


    "Damn...why you gotta run out alone like that...?" therge boy muttered in dissatisfaction. He seems to have forgotten the audience can hear everything he''s saying thanks to the special Sound Element Magic Array embedded in the Arena battle tform magic barrier, since he began cursing without showing any restraint.


    "Eh...it''s fine, isn''t it?" the assassin girl from before said. "He seems to be doing okay."


    "Uh...pretty sure he''s doing better then just ''okay''..." a young man, the tallest in the group, said as he pointed at Liao Fen, who was having fun toying with his opponent. He remained in the air on purpose and dodging his the blonde boy''s attacks by just a slight margin every time, as if encouraging him to keep trying.


    "So...we were holding him down in the end?" thest of the four concluded as therge boy from earlier took down the shield he had put up. He was a short boy, also wearing sses. In fact, he resembled therge boy so much you could say he was the split image of therge boy, except much shorter and less buff.


    "Yeah...I hate to admit it, but he really is strong," therge boy sighed. "Let''s just stay here and wait for him to end this..."


    "Yuppers!" the assassin girl agreed as she stared at Liao Fen''s fighting figure with a slight blush.


    "I wonder why he can''t work better with others," the tallest boy pondered.


    The assassin girl merelyughed heartily, gaze not once leaving Liao Fen.


    "Hehe...he is the ''Solo Devil'', after all..."

 Chapter 75 - The Tournament (7)

    Throughout this entire day of battles, three of four spots for the main tournament have already been taken. From ss A, The Cursed Warlocks, led by Xuan Kun. From ss B, The Lion''s Roar, presumably led by Ming Hao. From ss C, Death''s Door, led by Liao Fen. Only one spot remained - the representative for ss D.


    Since our team triumphed in the strength test, we would advance directly to the finals of the ss 2-D battles. What this meant was the other four teams of our ss would duke it out, and the one thates out on top would then face us,peting for the final spot in the main tournament taking ce tomorrow.


    That made our fight thest one of the day. I wasn''tining though - this gave me sufficient time to observe and analyze the strategies of other teams. I had a good idea of how to face Xuan Kun, who excelled in pinning his down opponents, and Liao Fen, who could only work solo. The only unknown in the equation was Ming Hao, but...I would figure something out. I could only hope I won''t have to face him before then.


    Currently, two teams from our ss were dueling in the battle tform below. Since the girls and I were positioned pretty high up in the audience seats, we had a good view of what was happening in the battle. These were the semi-finals of ss 2-D - the winner of this fight would then face us. Of the two teams, the one I was more interested in was Li Yi Fei''s. Their team name was apparently Kamikaze. I wasn''t too amused at them naming themselves after Magic World War II suicidal bombing nes, but hey, it''s their team. If they have a kink for that kind of thing, by all means. I won''t judge.


    Besides, they seemed to be winning. I won''t lie, their strength deserved to be acknowledged. While it was clear they were nowhere near the level of, say, The Lion''s Roar, I could sense they were holding back a little. I guessed this was Zhang Zhe Rui''s idea.


    He probably figured there would be people like us among the audience watching not for entertainment, but for espionage. Li Yi Fei was pretty stupid and easy to manipte, but Zhang Zhe Rui...he was a problem, if it came down to a battle of wits. Even I didn''t have 100% confidence I could defeat him in a mind game.


    The battle finished soon after with Team Kamikaze as the victors. Li Yi Fei, Zhang Zhe Rui, and Pang Zi had ended it with a wless, power-boosted Abomination re, utilizing the Conjoined Release technique. It was the same attack they had used on Feng Mian around a month ago, but this time it was definitely stronger, and not by a small margin. Incidentally, it also took less of a toll on their bodies,pared to before. This was evident, since the three of them didn''t look tired at all, even after casting that ultimate move.


    We weren''t the only ones training - the fact that even Li Yi Fei and his squad got this much stronger within a mere one month, was enough to prove that. In fact, at first I thought of him as a mere annoyance in this tournament. But after seeing his performance just now...I may just have to take him a little seriously in the uing fight.


    I then noticed Mr. Wang gave me a little wave, signaling it was our turn. I conveyed the message to the four girls and we headed off to the waiting chambers together.


    *****


    Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, and I waited in the dimly lit corridor that led to the battle tform. I knew Li Yi Fei was on the other side of the tform, inside a different, but simrly designed corridor. They were probably thinking of ns to defeat us right now.


    It was pretty silent, so I decided to speak up to ease the atmosphere. Well, it wasn''t as if there was any awkwardness between us, it''s just everyone was deep in their own thoughts.


    "You girls...ready for this?" I asked casually, leaning against the wall with my hands shoved in my jean pockets.


    "Hm? Oh, yeah," Yu An Yan replied easily. "Team Kamikaze, right? I saw them fight just now, they aren''t nearly as strong as The Cursed Warlocks or Death''s Door."


    Feng Mian nodded as she joined the conversation. "We shouldn''t have any trouble beating them, but...it''s best to stay on guard."


    "Feng Mian, shouldn''t you be, like, more excited?" Qing Yue asked. "I mean, you can finally take revenge on those three bastards who hurt you."


    Ahh...right. The incident around a month ago. Li Yi Fei and his twockeys had cornered Feng Mian in a dark alleyway in an attempt to have a little bit of ''fun'' with her, but she brilliantly refused, and things ested from there.


    Slowly we were getting back into our normal, talkative selves. With the exception of Yu An Xue and I, of course. I only spoke when necessary, and Yu An Xue just barely talked at all in general. The atmosphere was getting more rxed.


    Feng Mian shrugged. "I got over that a long time ago. Besides, I didn''t actually get injured too much." She looked at me with a wink.


    "...Ah, so you''repletely okay with them hurting me. I see," I muttered, dissatisfied.


    "E-Eh?! Oh, um, I didn''t mean it like that!" Feng Mian quickly denied after seeing me take what she said the wrong way. "It''s just...all''s well that ends well, right? You awakened your magic after that incident, after all."


    "Well, she has a point," Yu An Yan agreed. "Besides, you''re a man, protecting a beautiful youngdy like Feng Mian...is only the natural thing to do!" She said as she crept up behind Feng Mian, and suddenly groped her sizeable breasts from behind.


    "K-Kya-! H-Hey, what are you doing?!" Feng Mian screamed cutely with a blush. "L-Let go-!"


    "Oh, embarrassed to be seen like this in front of Xuan Kai, are we?" Yu An Yan continued teasing her, while rubbing and squeezing her breasts tenderly. I averted my gaze.


    "H-Huh?! What are you talking ab-kya!"


    "Qing Yue,e join in on the fun!" Yu An Yan eagerly invited.


    However, Qing Yue appeared to be unhappy, and her eyes kept darting between Feng Mian''s bosom and her own (which, quite frankly, wasn''t much of a bosom at all).


    Wait, could it be-


    Oh.


    So she wasparing herself to Feng Mian, in terms of bust size...yeah, don''t do that, my cute little sister. You''ll only be more depressed...


    As Feng Mian kept getting sexually harassed by Yu An Yan, I decided I couldn''t take this anymore.


    "Er, that''s enough, Yu An Yan. The match is about to start."


    "Aw...shucks," Yu An Yan murmured, and returned to where she originally was. But when she passed me, she stopped for a moment, and whispered seductively into my ear:


    "You enjoyed that view, didn''t you?"


    I closed my eyes, partly to pretend I didn''t hear what she said, and partly to avoid looking at Feng Mian, who was still as red as a tomato, panting. Was this what they called friendly fire?


    "F-Feng Mian, are you alright?" I approached her and asked, still carefully ensuring not to make any direct eye contact with her.


    "Y-Yeah..." she responded weakly, and leaned on the wall. After a while, she calmed down, and her breathing went back to normal...though her cheeks were still flustered for some reason.


    "Hey...you didn''t see that, right?" she asked.


    Well. This was a dilemma.


    "Uh...do you want to hear what you want to hear, or the truth?" I asked back.


    Feng Mian seemed to have understand what I meant by that. I gave two options, meaning the two choices aren''t the same (the truth and what she wants to hear are different, in this case). She stared at the ground intently, still blushing.


    "F-Forget what you saw just now, understand?!" she cried desperately.


    As if it were that easy...I wanted to say that, but decided against that. I nodded to make her happy, knowing full well the image of her getting groped by Yu An Yan will be forever saved in my memory files.


    *****


    "And now, we have the final battle of ss D, determining thest team that will be participating in the main tournament tomorrow," Song Qian Long announced with his usual deep tone that didn''t sound raspy at all.


    "First, let''s wee Team Kamikaze, with two overwhelming victories!"


    Apuse erupted around the Arena, but most of it was just for appearances. Very few of the audience were actually rooting for them.


    "And from the other side, we have a team who has not even shown their faces yet - until now. Wee, The Chaotic Tranquility!"


    The doors in front of Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and I opened. We walked forward, one step at a time, until we reached the battle tform. A white magic barrier erupted around the perimeter as soon as we got on top of it, marking no escape. Wild cheers came from the audience as we entered the arena, though the focus was the four beauties beside me, not our team itself.


    From the other side of the tform, Li Yi Fei stared at me with deep hatred within his eyes. I red at him right back, the resent I''ve held within me for all these years unable to be contained any longer. Out of everyone I''ve met, he was the one that insulted, bullied me the most. And now, it was time to pay it back, hundredfold.


    "Countdown, start! 3, 2, 1-"


    I met the eyes of each of the girls on either side of me, one by one. After receiving a reassuring nod from each of them, I smirked devilishly. The ck stone pendant hanging from my neck began emitting a dangerous red light as I cracked my knuckles.


    "Kuku...let''s do this."


    "Team Kamikaze vs. The Chaotic Tranquility: Duel - begin!"

 Chapter 76 - The Tournament (8)

    The battle against Team Kamikaze began with a loud signal from the mechanical speaker systems. We were aiming to end this battle as quick as possible as to not show all of our hands. Just like how we had observed other people''s fights, they will do the same to us. Especially Xuan Kun. There was no doubt he was lurking in the audience right now, watching our every move.


    On that note, the same could be said for Liu Jian. While Song Qian Long told me he would only be acting as a judge for the main tournament, it was still necessary to take precautions. I had to be very careful about when to show my power, and when I do, how much of it.


    And so, with that in mind, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and I - the five of us, decided to end this fight as quickly as possible. That''s why, as soon as the system signaled the beginning of the fight, Yu An Yanunched a Level Two Fire spell at Team Kamikaze, who just barely reacted in time.


    "I''m not done yet!" Yu An Yan leapt into the air and prepared to bombard them from above. "Level Two Fire Magic - Ember Barrage!"


    "Tch...! Bao Yan Shi!" Li Yi Fei called for his support, a rough looking boy by the name of Bao Yan Shi.


    "Level Two Earth Magic - Earth Surge!" Bao Yan Shi yelled, striking the floor with his palm. Arge wall of rock rose up in front of him and blocked Yu An Yan''s projectile attack.


    "Damn it!" Yu An Yan fell back to the ground, at the ready to cast another attack spell.


    I was currently on stand by. The best case scenario would be where the battle results in our victory without me having to do a thing, simr to how Ming Hao''s team did it. Right now, I was leaving everything to Yu An Yan, but if she couldn''t handle it, I would step in.


    "Do you need me to help?" I asked, eyeing her.


    She quickly shook her head, and turned to me with a grin. "I''ll prove to you that while I''m not as strong as you are, I''m certainly not weak either."


    I closed my eyes and smiled. "...I never said you were."


    However, just then, I noticed the ground beneath Yu An Yan glow faintly red for a second. My eyes widened as I realized what it was. "Look out below!"


    "Huh- Woah!" she leapt back at thest moment, right before a massive pir of fire engulfed where she had just been standing moments ago. "That, was a little too close..."


    "Save the talking forter," Feng Mian came up behind us. "I''m going in."


    I gave a firm nod, as Feng Mian slid into the shadows after faintly muttering ''Level One Shadow Magic - Vanishing Shadows''.


    Yu An Yan quickly moved to continue herbination of Sky and Fire Element attacks without even being told to, since she understood why Feng Mian had came to specifically tell us she was going in. Yu An Yan would have to distract them while Feng Mian snuck up behind.


    Team Kamikaze didn''t have anyone who specialized in the assassin role, so we wouldn''t have to worry about anyone targeting Qing Yue when we weren''t paying attention. Thus, I decided to have one more person join the frontline.


    I swiftly backed away from the action and headed to where Qing Yue and Yu An Xue were.


    "It''s time for you to shine, Yu An Xue," I told her, to which she responded with a short "mm".


    However, she clearly understood what I was getting at. She dashed to where her sister was, and helped with the offense.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, what about me?" Qing Yue asked.


    "Hm...there''s no need for healing magic right now, so you can use your Psychic Magic to interfere with their minds."


    Qing Yue nodded in return, and also headed to Yu An Yan''s location. I quickly followed, but my role wasn''t to actually contribute to the battle in any way right now. Instead, I was observing Li Yi Fei''s actions.


    "Are you just going to keep cowering behind that wall of yours, or are you going toe out and fight like a man?" Yu An Yan taunted, trying to reposition herself to avoid the wall. But the boy named Bao Yan Shi was more formidable than I had thought, and thwarted her at every turn.


    However, Bao Yan Shi was going to run out of mana faster than Yu An Yan at this rate. Putting up a defense spell of that scale would definitely have a significant cost. Yu An Yan was ying smartly; poking them with Level One spells instead of Level Two ones. However, since Team Kamikaze''s view was obstructed by the wall (which was ced right before Yu An Yan cast her spell), they had no way to measure the strength of the spell and decide whether or not to put up a defense.


    That being said...Bao Yan Shi still seemed to have quite a bit of energy left in him, so this battle would drag on for longer than I had hoped...or actually, maybe not. I spotted Feng Mian, who had sessfully circled behind them without anyone noticing, and smirked subconsciously.


    However...by pure chance, Zhang Zhe Rui must''ve looked behind him at that exact timing.


    "Behind you, Ai Yao!"


    "H-Huh?! Ah!" the girl named Ai Yao jumped away right before Feng Mian could stealthily grab her school crest from behind.


    "Tch!" Feng Mian gritted her teeth and attempted to sink back into the shadows, but Zhang Zhe Rui quickly stopped her.


    "Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus!"


    A brilliant explosive projectile in the shape of a lotus was sent flying towards Feng Mian''s location, and she quickly dashed away. Ahh...this wasn''t good. She was deep in enemy territory with no escape. I looked over at the other three girls who were still busy with breaking through Team Kamikaze''s defense. However, thanks to Qing Yue applying a bit of hypnosis on Bao Yan Shi with Psychic Magic, they were on the verge of seeding.


    But at this rate...they weren''t going to make it. No one was focused on me since the battle was so intense elsewhere, so I took the risk and cast a Shadow Element spell. I narrowed my eyes and began my incantation.


    "Vanishing Shadows."


    <em>No screams of shock or surprise...okay, looks like no one noticed I used Shadow Magic.</em>


    I slid through the shadows, the feeling familiar to me by now. Peeking my head slightly once in a while to make sure I was still on the right course, I discretely headed to where Feng Mian was getting pinned down by Zhang Zhe Rui and Ai Yao''s attacks.


    *****


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    Ah..damn it! That timing couldn''t have been worse! Right when I was about to snatch Ai Yao''s school crest and eliminate her, Zhang Zhe Rui just happened to look back. And now, I''m stuck in this predicament. I had to think of a way to get out of here, or I would soon get worn down and eventually eliminated.


    Just running and dodging isn''t a good strategy...I''ll just have to use this!


    "Level One Ice Magic: Blizzard!" I chanted.


    A nket of white fell onto my surroundings. Ai Yao and Zhang Zhe Rui were also enclosed within this field of raging snow. This was my chance! They were in my domain - I could easily get both of them within this spac-


    "Attention: Ai Yao - Eliminated."


    Huh?


    "Attention: Zhang Zhe Rui - Eliminated."


    W-Wait, what? I haven''t even done anything yet! Who?! Who was it that stole my kills?! Well, they aren''t really kills, but...


    A dark figure appeared in front of me, and I immediately put up my guard. But when he pulled down his hood, I realized who it was, and sighed in relief.


    "So it was you..." I muttered exasperatedly.


    "Er...are you okay?" he asked with concern, and I could feel my heart beating faster.


    "E-Eh?! A-Ah, yes, I-I''m fine," I stuttered out, flustered.


    He nodded, satisfied with my reply. "I see. Good to hear."


    As I stared at him amidst this blizzard, I couldn''t help but wonder what was going on inside his head. And before I knew it, a smile had reached my face, as I watched on. But then, his face turned serious and he nced backwards with the corner of his eye.


    "...So you finally decide to show yourself," the boy I was staring at, Xuan Kai, said quietly.


    "Hahah...you noticed me?" another person asked, his male voice almost sounding hysterical. I couldn''t make out who it was since my blizzard was still active, but he continued without a care. "Well, I supposed it doesn''t matter. You''ll be dying here today."


    Wait, dying?! Didn''t the exam strictly prohibit killing other contestants, ally or foe?! Even if this was only trash talking, that''s going a bit far!


    "What are you talking about?!" I cried out before I could stop myself.


    The boy who had said thisughed darkly. "Ho...you still don''t understand? Very well. I will exin - the n is already 99%plete. And the final phase, begins here."

 Chapter 77 - The Tournament (9)

    - A few minutes earlier -


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Level One Ice Magic - Blizzard!" Feng Mian chanted, a raging snowstorm forming around her, enclosing both Zhang Zhe Rui and Ai Yao.


    I smirked. Did she know I was here, or was it purely by chance that sheid down such a good assist? Well, no matter. Either way, it showed we had good teamwork and affinity with each other.


    I stayed within the shadows and entered the blizzard. Immediately, I made out two figures, one tall, one short. Both of them weren''t Feng Mian''s height, so I immediately judged they were my two targets. Once I was in range, I swiftly cut through between the two of them, snatching their school crests in the process. As soon as I grabbed them, I crushed them, along with their hearts.


    "Attention: Ai Yao - Eliminated."


    The mechanical speakers announced my sess.


    "Attention: Zhang Zhe Rui - Eliminated."


    Right now is when I should be celebrating, but what just happened...almost seemed TOO sessful. It was as if the two of them didn''t have their guard up at all, even while inside an enemy''s domain. It felt...too easy, like they were LETTING me eliminated them. I observed as the floor below them opened up to let them fell through, before closing again. The two didn''t hold any expressions of anger, unhappiness, or even shock. If anyone were taken by surprise like that from behind, it was only natural to be surprised, but the two didn''t seem to give off that feel at all.


    I couldn''t quite ce my finger on it, but something was definitely off. But first thing first, I decided to check up on Feng Mian.


    After some wandering, I found her with her guard up. I didn''t want her shooting something at me, so I lowered my hood.


    She sighed in relief seeing it was me, and muttered exasperatedly. "So it was you..."


    "Er...Are you okay?" I asked.


    She stiffened for some reason, and blushed deeply. "E-Eh?! A-Ah, yes, I-I''m fine."


    I nodded. "I see. Good to hear."


    We then stared at each other for a couple of seconds in silence. However, that tranquility was soon broken by the footsteps of a person. The sound wasn''t heavy, so I immediately discerned who it was.


    "So you finally decide to show yourself," I said eyeing behind me but without turning my headpletely.


    "Hahah...you noticed me?" the figure replied,ughing hysterically. "Well, I suppose it doesn''t matter. You''ll be dying here today."


    ...I see. Turns out, HE - Li Yi Fei - was the cause of the uneasy feeling I''ve been having. Li Yi Fei and his team...they weren''t aiming to beat us fairly in the first ce. From the moment this Advancement Exam was announced, they had began secretly plotting against me. And now, Feng Mian had unknowingly set the perfect stage for them to execute their forbidden n.


    "What are you talking about?!" Feng Mian cried out, bewildered at his words.


    "Ho...you still don''t understand?" Li Yi Feiughed darkly. "Very well. I will exin - the n is already 99%plete. And the final phase, begins here."


    *****


    - Meanwhile, outside Feng Mian''s Blizzard -


    "He''s down!" Qing Yue announced, wiping sweat from her forehead.


    "Roger that!" Yu An Xue replied, and sent onest st of magic at the solid rock wall in front of her.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re!"


    A loud explosion resounded across the arena, and so did the shattered fragments of Bao Yan Shi''s Earth Surge shield. Smoke enveloped their surroundings.


    "Whew! That took longer than expected..." Yu An Yan muttered after gently falling back to the ground.


    Qing Yue and Yu An Xue quickly ran over to her. "Mm...are you okay, big sis?"


    "Yeah. No big deal," Yu An Yan replied. "Still...that certainly was tough," she said while looking at where the earth wall used to be, now shrouded in smoke.


    "I agree...it took me a very long time to make him give in using my Psychic Magic. If I didn''t do so, it probably would''ve been even harder to break through," Qing Yue added.


    "It''s okay, you specialize in Blessing Magic, after all. No need to be so hard on yourself," Yu An Yanforted.


    The smoke dispersed soon enough and the three girls went up closer to investigate. However, what awaited them was a fat boy, namely Pang Zi. It was strange - there should''ve been three people waiting for them here, instead of just one. The girls assumed Bao Yan Shi had already been cleared off the arena, but that still left one person...


    "Where''s your master, loyal dog?" Yu An Yan taunted angrily. Pang Zi had participated in attempting to hurt Feng Mian, and gravely injured Xuan Kai in the process. That was something she would never forgive, even if the victims themselves had already forgotten all about it, and let bygones be bygones.


    "Heh, you think I''m going to tell you that?" Pang Zi replied triumphantly, showing no sign of anger from being called a dog. "I''m not stupid. There''s absolutely no way I''m going to tell you my master''s in the process of killing that bastard Xuan Kai in the blizzard right now. Haha!"


    Had it not been time was urgent, the three girls would''ve facepalmed on the spot at this boy''s stupidity. However, they weren''tining, since it was exactly that nonexistent intelligence that helped them out.


    "The blizzard, huh..." Yu An Yan muttered.


    "Is it that one over there?" Qing Yue said, pointing to the corner of the tform, where nothing could be seen from the outside, since the entire area had been enveloped in a raging snowstorm.


    "That seems to be Feng Mian''s snowstorm..." Yu An Yan guessed. "Something must''ve went wrong. Let''s go."


    "Huh? Where do you think you''re going?" Pang Zi asked. "Fight me!"


    "I don''t have time to y with you right now," Yu An Yan said coldly, tone dripping with venom.


    "Hmph! You don''t have a choice!" Pang Zi dered, and stood firmly between the girls and their destination.


    Yu An Yan gritted her teeth, and prepared to straight up st him out of the way, but Yu An Xue then spoke up.


    "Big sis...let me handle this."


    Yu An Yan, seeing her little sister''s determined eyes, sighed and steeled her own resolve. "Okay. I''ll leave it to you."


    Saying this, she and Qing Yue dashed around Pang Zi. He tried to stop them, but Yu An Xue quickly shot an ice projectile at him. For how fat he was, he sure had some fast reflexes. Dodging out of the way, he cursed.


    "Your opponent, is me," Yu An Xue said firmly.


    "Keh...I''ll finish you quickly then," he spat.


    *****


    - Inside the Blizzard -


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Feng Mian, be on your guard," I said cautiously. I didn''t know what kind of n Li Yi Fei had, but knowing Zhang Zhe Rui''s intelligence, I have no doubt it will be a dangerous one - for us.


    "Mm," Feng Mian nodded at my words, and stayed behind me.


    "Man...still, I have to say," Li Yi Fei began, walking closer towards us. "Lady Feng Mian, you did me a great favor by cing down this blizzard. Originally, I had wanted to use the smoke from your allies outside breaking down Bao Yan Shi''s shield as cover, but...this will do just fine."


    "Huh?! What do you mean, I did you a favor...?" Feng Mian asked, still confused.


    I tried to calm her down, and asked her a question in aposed manner. "Feng Mian...how long do we have until this blizzard wears off?"


    "Um...around five minutes more?" she replied uncertainly, meaning there was a chance it would be longer...shit. Five minutes is already more than enough for him to kill me, depending on what method he used.


    I turned to face Li Yi Fei, now clear within my view. "Li Yi Fei...over the years, haven''t you done enough to me? What more do you want?"


    He snickered. "Yeah, you''re right...I have done a lot of things to you. But there''s still just one more thing want."


    I narrowed my eyes. "And? That ''thing'' is...?"


    "I want you...to be ERASED!"


    Li Yi Fei took out a gun from behind his back, and my eyes widened. The amount of mana flowing from this gun was something I have never witnessed before. There was no way it was just an ordinary pistol. Li Yi Fei spun it around in his hand a couple of times, and aimed it at me.


    "DIE, XUAN KAI!"


    "Shit-! Feng Mian, dodge!" I yelled behind me.


    "R-Right!" she quickly moved out of the way, but by now the gun had finished charging up. This wasn''t just any gun. This was a Magic Artifact, and quite a powerful one at that. The projectile size was farrger than I imagined, and I quickly realized that dodging was out of the question. At this rate, both Feng Mian and I would be hit.


    Li Yi Fei pulled the trigger-


    "Damn it!" I held my stone pendant up as a desperate,st minute move. Previously, it had absorbed the power of the Abomination re...but everything has a limit. I didn''t know whether or not it could withstand this powerful Magic Artifact, but it was myst resort.


    Feng Mian and I shut our eyes tight, and hoped for the best.

 Chapter 78 - The Red-Haired Calamity

    Soon after I closed my eyes, a loud explosion signaling impact pierced my ears, but that...was it. I didn''t feel any pain or shock. The first thought that crossed my head was - did it work?


    I slowly opened my eyes. I saw...red? But there was too much of it for it to be the stone pendant...wait, where did the pendant go? I had just been holding it. I pinched my fingers together to make sure it really wasn''t there, and as expected - felt nothing but air.


    Then, what was this flurry of red in front of me?


    I blinked a couple of times, and let my eyes adjust to the light. Before me, was a girl about Qing Yue''s height, dressed in all ck. The red I had seen moments ago was in fact this girl''s bright crimson hair. She wasn''t facing me, but it was clear she had been the one to block Li Yi Fei''s attack.


    "Uh...who are you?" I asked.


    "Please wait just a moment, master. I shall get rid of this nuisance," the girl replied calmly. Despite having such a small appearance, her voice was grand, like a queen or sorts. It sounded familiar...had I heard this voice before? I couldn''t remember for some reason.


    But wait. Did she just call me ''master''?


    "Huh? I think you got the wrong person...I''m not your master," I continued, ignoring what she said about waiting.


    She sighed exasperatedly, and responded without even looking back at me. "I shall exin everything in due time, master. Please just let me erase this trash first."


    The ''trash'' she was referring to was Li Yi Fei, obviously. I looked towards the person in question, who was frozen in ce out of fear.


    "What...the hell?" Li Yi Fei muttered to himself. His hand, still pointing the gun at us, began to shake violently, causing the Magic Artifact to tter to the floor.


    "Now then. Die, trash," the red-haired loli said condescendingly.


    Woah, wait, die? I quickly moved to grab her arm to stop her. "Hold on, whatever-your-name-is. Don''t kill him."


    The girl, who finally turned around to look at me, appeared confused. "Why, master? Has this waste not harmed you in the past? And he even attempted to kill you just now."


    I didn''t respond. Why? Well, put simply, I was too in awe to answer. The girl before me was beautiful. By that, I don''t mean just Feng Mian level or Yu An Xue level. Her appearances were so perfect, it seemed out of this world. It was as if she was not a mortal, but a true goddess.


    "Master?" she asked again, and I finally snapped back to my senses.


    "A-Ah, right. Uh, yes, Li Yi Fei has done a lot to me in the past, and it would be a lie if I said I didn''t want him dead," I replied.


    "Then...why?" the girl pressed on further.


    I sighed. "Because...it would cause many problems if he were to die here."


    "It would inconvenience master if I killed him here?"


    "...Yes."


    "...I see."


    "Yeah."


    "...So, can I send him into an etern, at least?" she asked matter-of-factly.


    "Isn''t that the exact same as killing him?" I retorted.


    "Master, that''s where you''re wrong. You see-" she began, but I put a stop to her words with my hand. I didn''t want to hear a long ass lecture about why dying and an etern were two different things.


    "Either way...all you have to do, is take that hexagon-shaped crest on the front of his uniform and break it," Imanded. Since she called me master, I guess I could order her around? "Do you see it?"


    The girl nodded. "If that is what master wishes."


    Then, before I could even react, she dashed towards Li Yi Fei at a frightening speed - no, perhaps it would be more urate to say she teleported directly to his location. Li Yi Fei was still frozen in shock, the only part of his body moving being his shaking hand.


    In the blink of an eye, she swept her hand across Li Yi Fei''s chest horizontally, and the school crest was broken...and so was his uniform.


    "Attention: Li Yi Fei - Eliminated."


    "Duel End: Victor - The Chaotic Tranquility!"


    *****


    After the battle, we were brought to a meeting room for inquisition. The reason, of course, being the red-haired girl''s unexpected appearance. While at the time, no one could see her apart from us since we were still in the snowstorm Feng Mian created, after the blizzard dispersed, everyone in the audience was undoubtedly shocked at the sudden emergence of a new contestant.


    We were currently sitting within the meeting room of the Administrative Campus of Shenzhen Magic High School. The five members of our team, plus the red-haired girl, were sitting on one end of the beautiful marble table, with Song Qian Long at the other side. The 2nd Year teachers of our school and the student council were also present, sitting along the long sides of the rectangr table.


    We were about to be ''asked some questions'' by these people. In reality, it was just an interrogation. Depending on our answers here, we could be disqualified from the tournament. Even if Song Qian Long had been the one to make me participate in the first ce, even he couldn''t protect me if I directly vited the tournament rules. However...thinking about it this way, wouldn''t it be better if I were to be eliminated here? That way, Liu Jian wouldn''t be able to cause any harm to the school - my disqualification was justified.


    I quickly scratched that thought, however, as the four girls on my team would undoubtedly be disappointed. They might not show it on the surface out of care for me, but deep down, they would definitely hold some feelings of sadness and perhaps even anger towards me.


    Speaking of the girls...they were also looking at me with skeptical looks on their faces. Did I say ''we'' were getting interrogated earlier? Well, let me rephrase - I, was getting interrogated. By the rest of the people in here (the four girls on my own team included). I could hardly me though, since it was only natural to be suspicious if a random girl with features like that of a goddess appeared on the battlefield as an ally. I was confused myself, but I didn''t even have a chance to tell the girls that before getting dragged way by the staff team after the fight against Team Kamikaze.


    "Your name is...Xuan Kai, yes?" Song Qian Long addressed me formally and acted like we''ve never met before, since the teachers were present.


    "...Yes," I replied, not showing a shred of emotion or any sign we''ve met before.


    He really was my godfather. Our acting skills were both excellent, and managed to fool the eyes of the teachers. With these unspoken words between the two of us, we continued the meeting.


    "Very well. I trust you know why you are here?" Song Qian Long asked with an arched eyebrow.


    I nced sideways at the red-haired girl, sitting expressionless on her chair. "It''s because of her, right?"


    I asked in a questioning tone, even though I knew full well she was the reason.


    "Indeed," Song Qian Long replied without batting an eysh. "Now then...can you exin who - or what exactly she is?"


    After some mental debate, I decided to tell them the truth: I didn''t know either. But before I could open my mouth to speak, the girl herself, who had remained peacefully silent until now, began talking.


    "I am master''s servant."


    "Hey, that''s going to give people the wrong idea..." I began, but was interrupted once more - this time by Song Qian Long, who seemed to be especially intrigued in this ''servant'' of his godson (me). Oi, old geezer, you''re letting your abnormal interest show...


    "What do you mean by servant?" Song Qian Long asked, eager for more information. "And this master you speak of, is Xuan Kai, correct?"


    The girl nodded. So she could understand what other people were saying as well, not just my words, whom she called master. It was safe to assume she knew the humannguage, but she wasn''t strictly...human. She didn''t have a pulse, for one. I had checked this discretely on our way here by casually grabbing her wrist. She had twitched a bit, but that was it. I thanked her for not showing anything on the surface, lest anyone finds something suspicious.


    Anyway, back to what I was saying...the girl didn''t have a pulse. But she didn''t seem ''dead'' to me either. Which left me to one conclusion: she behaved like a human, looked like a human, but in the end wasn''t strictly a human. Whether she possessed human emotions or not...that will have to wait until further investigation.


    The girl took a deep breath, and responded just as emotionlessly as before.


    "My master''s name is indeed Xuan Kai," she said firmly. "However, that is as much as I will say. I see no obligation to tell you anything more."

 Chapter 79 - Interrogation

    "...I''m afraid you don''t have a choice," Song Qian Long narrowed his eyes and said this in reply to the red-haired girl''s refusal to speak.


    The girl in question, however, didn''t show any anger or worry. She merely stayed silent, not giving two shits about this conversation.


    "Well...Xuan Kai, she''s clearly not going to talk. So how about you?" Song Qian Long turned his attention onto me. "Just what is your rtionship with her?"


    I stiffened as I scrambled to find a good lie in my head. If I told them the truth, ''I don''t know'', then there was no doubt they were going to investigate the girl, and hold her captive for the time being. Whoever she was, she did save my life. There was no way I was going to pay her back by letting her end up confined in a locked room.


    She wasn''t strictly a human, but even she didn''t want to be treated like a prisoner...probably. Wait, not a human...? That''s it!


    I took a deep breath, and stared at Song Qian Long straight in the eyes to avoid the suspicion of lying. "She is, in fact, one of my Magic Artifacts."


    Song Qian Long, along with the other teachers present, all raised their eyebrows. "Magic Artifact? Exin further."


    I cleared my throat, and began saying the most brilliant lie I hade up with yet.


    "This girl here, is in fact not a human," I said confidently. That part was the truth. "You can validate this by checking her pulse. She does not have one."


    One of the teachers sitting closest to us moved to take the girl''s wrist, and sheplied, which surprised me. From what she has done so far, I expected her to p the teacher''s hand away. Maybe she understood my intentions...? If so, then she is able to think like a human does, and also is quite clever.


    The teacher nodded at Song Qian Long, signaling that the red-haired girl indeed did not have a pulse. I continued.


    "As you can tell, it would be difficult to say she is ''alive'', much less human," I said, not letting a single sign of lying show.


    "Then just what is she? Or rather, what is ''it''?" Song Qian Long pressed on.


    I grinned for dramatic effect. "This humanoid girl right here...is actually a golem."


    "A golem?" Everyone in the room looked at me wide-eyed, including the girl herself. But I couldn''t back down now, and so continued lying tantly.


    "That''s correct. Her original form is a stone pendant, if any of you recall the one I wore on my neck every single day..."


    "I can validate that," Mr. Wang spoke up. He had seen me in ss everyday, there was no way what I wore would go unnoticed, especially now that he began paying more attention to me after the Magic Training ss incident. "However...I never would''ve guessed that ne was in fact a Magic Artifact..."


    I nodded my head. "It was designed to be inconspicuous."


    Song Qian Long was bewildered. "A-Ahem...so what you''re saying is that the stone pendant was in fact a humanoid golem?"


    "That is correct," I replied. "It was given to me by my deceased parents as a guardian to protect me."


    "...I see," Song Qian Long murmured while stroking his beard. "Is it possible for it to return to the stone pendant form, then?"


    I shook my head slowly. "I''m not sure. I''ve never had to awaken it before. It was only because Li Yi Fei fired a projectile that threatened my very life that this golem was activated."


    Song Qian Long mmed his fists down on the table and stood up hearing that. "What?! There is no way Li Yi Fei has the power to kill you!"


    "C-Calm down, principal..." one of the teachers seated close to him tried to pull him down back into his seat. Her name was...Ms. Wan, I think? She teaches ss 2-B and is especially popr with the students, because of her young, beautiful appearance and sexy body. Apparently, she was also very kind.


    "R-Right...apologies, I got worked up," Song Qian Long muttered as he sat back down into his seat. It was understandable he was mad, since I was his godson, but that was information privy to only the two of us. It could spell trouble if anyone else were to find out. I...did appreciate his care for me though.


    Ms. Wan sighed and turned to me. "Now then...Xuan Kai, could you please borate, regarding what you just said about Li Yi Fei?"


    I nodded. From here on, I could tell the truth. "I don''t know what exactly it was, but Li Yi Fei held a Magic Artifact that looked a lot like a revolver. In fact, it should still be on him right now..."


    I said thatst part to hint at the staff to go look for him immediately. Evidence was necessary to convict someone, after all.


    And as expected, Song Qian Long quickly nced at another female staff sitting beside him, who in turn nodded back and hurried out of the room. I pretended not to notice, and continued.


    "The revolver wasn''t just any normal gun, however. It needed time to charge up a powerful st, and at full power, not even an Ancestral Mage can block a hit, I predict..."


    This caused some suspicion among the masses. "How can you tell?" Mr. Ren, the teacher of ss 2-C, asked me with narrowed eyes.


    I acted very frustrated with myself, and looked downwards. "It was just mere spection, but...I had a very bad feeling when I saw him charging it up. That''s all I can say."


    "That''s not very convincing..." Mr. Ren muttered. "This connects to the severe punishment of a student. If you are caught lying-"


    "Whether I''m lying or not, you will find out soon enough," I replied, just as the door swung open, with the female teacher from before standing there. She was holding the Magic Artifact Li Yi Fei had used in our battle.


    "Principal. Xuan Kai...was telling the truth. I found this in the possession of Li Yi Fei," she exined, walking into the room. "When I tried to take it away from him, he even tried to attack me with it."


    Song Qian Long had veins popping out of his forehead. He clenched his fists and muttered angrily, "How dare that bastard..."


    The teacher then came forward and ced the revolver on the table. Only now could I truly marvel at how exquisitely it was designed. It''s handle was sky blue, with a beautiful ray-like pattern. The body of the gun was furnished in a brilliant gold, barrel emitting some kind of bright white light. The tip of the revolver was not a hole as you would expect from a gun, but instead a zapper. In general, it looked a lot like The Death Ray skin from a certain popr battle royale game.


    "Yeah, this is the gun Li Yi Fei used against me in that blizzard..." I said after some observation.


    "Principal, what do we do?" the woman who had brought the gun here asked.


    Song Qian Long stood up. "Isn''t that obvious? Expulsion."


    *****


    - The School Roof, Sunset -


    After the interrogation with the teachers, we were let off the hook. However, even after dealing with the staff of the school, I still had these four girls to worry about, which could prove to be even more troublesome than the teachers, since they knew me better and were far more perceptive.


    And thus, I told them the roof, as usual, would be a better meeting spot for this kind of discussion. And so, here we were. As an aside, the red-haired girl followed along as well, possibly because she didn''t exactly have a better ce to go to for the time being.


    "Now can you tell us? It''s clear as day what you said back in the interrogation room was a lie," Feng Mian said, leaning against the railing.


    Calling it an interrogation room was kind of unpleasant, but I guess that''s what it was. For us, anyway.


    I sighed and nced at the red-haired girl, who was staring nkly at the lingering horizon. "To be honest...I''m not sure who or what she is, either."


    "Whew..." Yu An Yan sighed in relief.


    "Big sis...why are you...so happy...at that fact?" Yu An Yan asked, gazing intently at her own sister.


    "Hm? Oh, um, well, y''know..." Yu An Yan trailed off after blurting out a plethora of interjections.


    "Hehe, she''s just relieved Big Brother Xuan Kai hasn''t gone and seduced a beauty like that girl without telling us, right?" Qing Yue said with a sinister smile.


    "H-Huh?! What do you mean?!" Yu An Yan cried, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "B-Besides, aren''t you the same, An Xue?!"


    "Wha..." Yu An Xue could only blink in surprise, before her face also blushed scarlet.


    "Okay...I think we''re getting off topic?" I said, ignoring the contents of their conversation.


    "R-Right, sorry," Yu An Yan murmured sheepishly.


    I sighed and turned to the red-haired girl, who was still gazing longingly at the sunset. "Hey, red-haired girl. I don''t know your name, so I''m just calling you that. Sorry if that makes you feel ufortable, but for now...just who are you?"


    The girl finally turned around to face me, and I subconsciously averted my gaze, since if I stared too long I was afraid I wouldn''t be able to take my eyes off of her. That was how stunning she was. However, in the end, it didn''t matter how beautiful the girl was. If she was an enemy, I would eliminate her. It was that simple.


    But the next words that came out of her mouth left me both shocked, and confused.


    "I...am an Elemental. A Chaos...Elemental."

 Chapter 80 - Her Identity (1)

    "I...am an Element. A Chaos...Elemental."


    The five of us stared at the crimson beauty in awe. After a few seconds, I was the first toe back to my senses.


    "H-Hold on, what?" I asked, making sure what I heard just not was correct. "You''re...an Elemental? As in the most powerful race on the face of this?"


    She nodded. "We Elementals may be strong individually, but there are very few of us, and we all hate each other..."


    Feng Mian the noticed something off. "But wait...if you''re an Elemental, then what element are you...?"


    The red-haired girl wrinkled her nose a little. "Didn''t I already say? I''m a Chaos Elemental."


    "A Chaos Elemental...?" Yu An Yan echoed in confusion. "What is that? I''ve never heard of it."


    "Is there even an element called Chaos?" Feng Mian said, suspicious.


    "There is," the red-haired girl replied firmly. "I am the only Chaos Elemental, however."


    The other girls were still skeptical. "That''s just what you are saying...sorry, but it''s really hard for us to believe you," Feng Mian said.


    "No, I''ve actually heard of the Chaos element before..." I interjected quietly.


    "You have?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Yeah."


    "Well...what is it?"


    I sighed and began exining. "The Chaos Element...it''s something written about only in legends. Apparently, the entire universe was created from something known as the Primordial Chaos - thus, it could be said that the Chaos Element is the beginning of everything. However...no one has ever awoken this element before, so before long it became nothing more than a forlorn story..."


    Qing Yue seems to be the only one that followed what I said. "Huh...I see. So the Chaos Element actually exists, and this girl right here is living proof of that?"


    "Well, not exactly living, per se, but..." I remarked.


    "I am living," the girl unexpectedly rebutted. "I just do not need to breathe, eat, or drink like humans do."


    "Er...okay then," I replied hesitantly. "But more importantly...what is your connection with me? You called me ''master''. Do you have the wrong person...?"


    "No, master. You are my master. I am sure of it." She sounded very determined and confident when she said that, but even then I had my doubts.


    "Uh...how do you know?" I asked carefully.


    "I can sense the Chaos within you, master."


    "The Chaos...within me?" I touched where the stone pendant used to be, at my neck area.


    "That is correct. I''m sure you''ve noticed, master. Your magic is very different from everyone else''s, no?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know...?"


    The girl sighed. "To be honest, your lie back in that meeting room wasn''t that much off from the truth."


    I raised an eyebrow hearing this, and she continued.


    "I am not a golem of any kind, but the part about the stone pendant is true. This body you see now is my original form, but I have stayed dormant within the stone pendant for millennium and millennium, waiting for the right person toe."


    "And since you have awoken now, you''re saying I am that ''right person''?" I concluded.


    "That is correct, master."


    "H-Hold on, I still don''t get it," Feng Mian cut in. "How is he the right person? Just a month ago, he didn''t even have magic!"


    The red-haired girl red daggers at Feng Mian, and I felt a dangerous killing aura emitting from her. The other girls must''ve felt it too, since they backed away from her quickly. However, the girl herself didn''t seem to care or even acknowledge that fact, and continued in a low voice.


    "Do you not find it odd he was able to suddenly awaken magic at the age of 14?" she said coolly.


    "W-Well, I did, but I never really thought about it too hard..." Feng Mian replied meekly, clearly intimidated by the crimson beauty.


    "Wait, that means...the voice I heard at the time, that was you?!" I asked in surprise, finally recalling the events that had transpired that day, now that she had brought it up.


    The girl nodded. "It seems master finally remembers."


    I clenched my fists. The voice I heard at the time...was this short girl in front of me. "At the time...why did you tell me to kill Feng Mian?"


    "E-Eh?!" Feng Mian blinked at me, surprised at my words. I never told her about how exactly I was able to awaken my magic, so it was understandable she would be confused. Well, technically, I had forgotten what happened as well until today, but...


    The crimson-haired girl closed her eyes. "There''s a good chance she will betray master, that''s all."


    "Wha-?! What''s going on?" Feng Mian was still confused, and nced back and forth between me and the red-haired girl.


    "...Never mind," I said, wanting to change the topic. "More importantly...if what you said is really true, then you surely can answer all of my questions, correct?"


    The girl shook her head. "There are things even I do not understand. However, I will do my best to answer your questions, master."


    I nodded, satisfied. "Then...first off, what''s with my sudden awakening? Like Feng Mian said, I was born without magic. How did I awaken this...Chaos within me?"


    The red-haired girl stared at me as if saying ''that''s it?''.


    "That is easy," the girl replied nonchntly. "You simply activated the power dormant within you, master."


    The power dormant within me...?


    "So in other words, in reality, I had magic all this time, but just never activated it?" I asked.


    She nodded. "From what I know, the Chaos Element requires three factors to activate the first stage: a firm determination, unshakeable resolve, and strong negative emotion. Master aplished all three of those on the day those three maggots decided to attack master."


    Three maggots...? Uh, how do I put it...her use of words and personality did not fit her exterior image at all. I expected someone more cheerful and yful like Qing Yue, but she was theplete opposite. Ruthless and cold.


    "Hang on, I swear I just heard ''the first stage''," Yu An Yan, who had stayed silent until now, interrupted.


    "Yes. Master has only sessfully awoken the first stage until today. The second stage was awoken during the battle - though it was hardly even worthy of being called a battle - earlier," the crimson-haired girl replied.


    "And I assume Xuan Kai awakening the second stage was what allowed you to return to your original, humanoid form?" Feng Mian concluded.


    The girl didn''t say anything in response, but instead merely nodded.


    I fell deep into thought. To summarize, I was in fact born with an innate element all along. However, my magic was very special and unique. I had to fulfill certain requirements to unlock it. And apparently, there were also several stages to it, meaning I could get stronger with each evolution. But that leads to my next question...


    "How many stages are there in total?" I asked the scarlet-haired loli. Since she had answered every single one of my questions so far without any hesitation or signs of confusion, I expected her to also be able to answer this one with no problems. However...


    "Unfortunately, even I do not have that information, master."


    "Huh? O-Oh, er, that''s okay. I wasn''t expecting you to know everything at all. Nope, not one bit," I replied hurriedly after blinking a few times in surprise.


    "I am very sorry, master," the girl said apologetically, and bowed down like a maid.


    "N-No, I already said, it''s fine..." I murmured, and felt heat rise to my cheeks. This was embarrassing, having this scarlet goddess call me master and bow down to me like so.


    I felt a bit dejected at not being able to find out just how far I can still ''level up'', but then the girl spoke again.


    "Master...perhaps I should rephrase," she said after seeing my crestfallen face. "I said I did not have information on this matter, but what I really meant was ''I do not have the full extent of information on this matter''."


    I perked up, hearing this. "You mean...you still know a little bit?"


    She nodded. "Yes. In fact, I should know everything regarding the Chaos element, since I was born directly from it, but...somehow, no matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to recall theplete information. In human terms...my memories are sealed, by an unknown force. My inference is that you, master, have to get stronger. As your partner, my strength increases along with yours. I believe once you have broken through more seals and advanced to higher stages, not only will my fighting power also be increased, I will be able to remember more information as well."


    "...I see," I replied. "Well, just tell me what you kno-"


    "Huh?! Since when were you his ''partner''?!" Feng Mian cut in out of nowhere.


    "That''s right! You can''t just go dering things like that out of the blue!" Yu An Yan joined in heatedly.


    "Hmm....a new love rival has been detected," Qing Yue murmured quietly to herself as she devilishly stared at the crimson-haired girl around her own height.


    "Master, these three bitches are disturbing our conversation," the girl to which these statements were directed at nced at me, and brilliantly brushed off the other girls'' words.


    "Uh,nguage...?" I muttered hesitantly.


    "M-My apologies, master. I did not know you disliked suchnguage," she responded timidly.


    "I-It''s fine, but, uh, these four girls here are friends, alright? So...you can treat them more nicely," I said with an awkwardugh.


    She bowed down deeply once more. "If that is what master wants."

 Chapter 81 - Her Identity (2)

    "Anyway...you said you knew some information about the stages, right?" I said to the red-haired girl, who had risen from her bow.


    "Yes. From what I currently know, there are 3 stages. However, I suspect there is far more than just that," the girl exined.


    I nodded and fell into thought. "And every time I advance to the next stage, I be more powerful?"


    She nodded. "That is correct, master. However, instead of ''advancing to the next stage'', perhaps a better phrase would be ''break the next seal''."


    I raised an eyebrow, hearing that. "Oh? Exin."


    "As you wish, master," she replied, and continued after a pause. "In order to break through to the next stage of Chaos, you must break your seal. In other words, the power is already residing within you, but you just cannot use it as of now."


    "I see..." I murmured. "So just like the first stage, there are requirements for breaking every seal, right? And the higher level the seal is, the harder the requirements will be to fulfill."


    "Yes. For example, you broke the second seal today and advanced to the Inner Chaos stage by harboring hopeful emotions while in a near-death situation."


    I sighed, and the girl looked at me in concern. "What''s wrong, master?"


    I shook my head. "Ah...nothing. I just thought the requirements would be more...battle-rted? Like, defeat fifty enemies of a certain species or something. And wait, each stage has a name of its own?"


    "Those names are just what I came up with. Since you are the only one with this power, there is not a ''standard'' naming for the stages. As for the requirements...I predict there will be such battle-rted challenges in future seals. However, because Master is currently only in the beginning stages, the requirements are more or less on the easy side. I do not know the specifics of the challenges, and I assume Master does not either."


    "Huh...okay. So I can''t do anything specific in order to advance to the next stage of Chaos, but can rather only get stronger and hope I''llplete the unknown challenges sometime."


    "That is correct, Master."


    It was then that I realized it was only the two of us talking, when there were six people present. The other four girls had just been listening to our back and forth Q&A, evidently shocked by something.


    "What? Why are you guys all staring at us like that?" I nced at the four girls and asked, confused.


    "H-Huh?! O-Oh, erm...nothing, it''s just...we''re quite surprised," Feng Mian replied slowly after snapping back to her senses.


    The other girls all nodded to this statement, showing their agreement. I tilted my head. "Surprised? At what?"


    "I-I mean, you''re usually a very introverted and careful person, but...you pretty much just told that girl all of your secrets," Yu An Yan was the one who answered this time.


    I furrowed my brows. "It''s useless hiding something from someone who already knows everything. One who does that, is nothing more than a fool."


    "Well, true, but she hasn''t necessarily proven her identity yet, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said thoughtfully. "She ims she''s a Chaos Elemental, but we have no way of knowing for sure, do we?"


    I looked over at the scarlet-haired girl. Then it hit me - certainly, she hasn''t done anything to actually back up her statements. However...I can''t quite describe it, but a gut feeling was telling me this girl could be trusted.


    "Qing Yue...you''re right, but she is definitely not lying," I replied calmly.


    Yu An Yan, hearing this, raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"


    I averted my gaze, since even I myself thought the reasoning behind my conclusion was a bit careless.


    "...My heart is telling me so," I muttered, hoping they didn''t hear me.


    ...They did. But their reaction wasn''t quite what I expected. I thought they were going to burst outughing, but instead when I looked over at them, they were all wearing unreadable expressions. It looked like a mixture between shock, jealousy, anger, and sadness.


    "Huh? What''s wrong...?" I asked, blinking at them.


    Yu An Yan cleared her throat. "Uh...your ''heart'' told you, you said?"


    I nodded. "I can''t quite describe it, but something within me is telling me that girl can be trusted."


    Feng Mian appeared really nervous, and began fidgeting with her hair as she mumbled out, "A-And that ''something'' is y-your heart?"


    "Well, no, not necessarily...that was just a figure of speech," I replied hesitantly.


    And then, the four girls all breathed out sighs of relief in unison. I had many questions, but decided to leave them aside for now, and turned back to the red-haired girl with goddess-level beauty.


    "A-Ahem...that being said, I would feel more at ease if you did something to confirm your identity," I said, again, averting my gaze since...well, the same reason as before. "For example, show us your magic, or something? A Chaos Element surely uses Chaos Magic, right?"


    The girl nodded. "My stats as of right now are about triple master''s, and I can also use every element, including Chaos."


    "W-Wait, your strength is three times mine?!" I yelled in surprise.


    "Yes. In human terms, that would make me...ate-stage Advanced Mage."


    "Then, what am I?" I asked, curious.


    "Master currently has power on par with that of an entry-stage Advanced Mage," she replied with no hesitation.


    "Advanced Mage, huh...I see."


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but think back to the day of my parents'' assassinations. The assassins sent back then...they were also Advanced Mages. I wonder...with my strength now, am I able to take them on? If I could go back in time with my current strength...would I be able to prevent my parents'' deaths from happening...? I subconsciously clenched my fists, and closed my eyes. After a while, I took a deep breath, and returned to reality.


    "So, little girl. You''re triple my strength, yeah?" I leaned against the roof railing casually, and sent the red-haired girl a challenging look. "Kuku...let''s see if you really have that power."


    "Master, what should I do to prove myself to you?" she said, looking up at me with the eyes Qing Yue usually eyes me with. You know, the big, sad, puppy dog eyes. I felt my heart churn with emotion and begin beating faster. I quickly nced away.


    "Er...why don''t you two have a duel?" Yu An Yan suggested. "You can use my family''s training field."


    I shrugged. "I''m fine with that."


    The red-haired bowed down slightly before saying, "If master is fine with it, then so am I."


    And so, we began setting off for the Yu family training field. However, just when Feng Mian was about to pull open the door to head down the school''s staircase, I paused.


    "Wait."


    The five girls present all nced back at me in confusion. I scratched my cheek awkwardly and continued. "Er...I think I''ve forgotten something really important."


    "What is it, master?" the red-haired girl said in confusion.


    "You...don''t have a name, do you?" I asked the girl.


    She tilted her head ever so slightly. "A name...? No, I do not."


    I nodded. "Heh...I see. Then...do you want one? A name, I mean."


    She thought about it for a moment before nodding happily. Well, her actual expression was monotone as always, but I could feel that she was happy, somehow. It was the same thing as that inner feeling telling me she was trustworthy. I could tell, deep down, that she was happy.


    "Well then...since I am very bad ating up with names, as seen from the incident at lunch earlier today..." I began, and turned to the rest of the girls. "I''ll leave it to you guys toe up with a name for her."


    "Eh?? This is unlike you, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue murmured.


    "Yeah...normally, he wouldn''t care about this kind of thing at all..." Feng Mian added.


    Yu An Yan''s eyes widened as she came to a possible conclusion. "Could it be, he''s really fallen in-"


    "Shut up!" the other three girls hurriedly covered her mouth, before blushing in embarrassment.


    Iughed awkwardly at the situation, and attempted to bring the conversation back on course. "So, uh...about that name?"


    "Well...to be honest, I''m that good at naming things either, you know. In the end, it was Yu An Xue who came up with our team name." Feng Mian said exasperatedly.


    I smiled. "Kuku...can''t be worse than me, right?"


    "Not exactlyforting..." Yu An Yan muttered.


    Qing Yue then seemed to havee up with something, and began talking-


    "How about-"


    "No."


    -But was rudely interrupted by none other than the red-haired girl herself.


    "E-Eh?" Qing Yue was taken aback, having been rejected before she even said the actual name.


    "...I want master to name me," the girl said quietly, avoiding making eye contact with me. She looked down at the floor, clutching her ck robes cutely.


    I blinked. "Uh...you sure? As I said...I''m very bad at naming things. I definitely won''t be better at naming people."


    She shook her head. "I don''t mind. The name master gives...is the best name for me."


    My heart pounded loudly against my chest, and I looked at her shy figure. "Er...how do I put it...it''s kind of embarrassing, hearing that said out loud..."


    She then finally mustered up the courage to look at me in the eyes. Her expression was still nk and unreadable, but this time...I could see a faint, very faint pink color on her cheeks. It was almost unnoticeable, but I was able to see it since she stood so close to me.


    "Master...please choose a name for me."


    I racked my brains to find a good name for this cute girl before me. I recalled when I first met her, on the arena battlefield. The first thing that caught my eye, was her brilliant scarlet hair. The next thing I saw, once she turned around to face me, was her unmatched beauty, that reminded me of a a lovely flower.


    ...Scarlet...red...flower.


    I smiled as I nodded in satisfaction at the name I hade up with. The red-haired girl nced up at me curiously, waiting in anticipation for the name she would be known as from now on.


    "In the future...you will be called Mei Gui."


    "Mei...Gui?" she echoed.


    "Yes, that''s right. Mei Guis are beautiful red flowers, the same color as your hair."


    She then closed her eyes, and began murmuring the name I gave her over and over again. "Mei Gui...Mei Gui."


    I smiled faintly at the sight. And although she had looked to the ground once more, I could''ve sworn I saw the ever so slight trace of a smile on her delicate lips.

 Chapter 82 - Mei Guis Strength

    - Yu Family Training Field -


    "We''re here," Yu An Yan announced as we pushed open the familiar gates of the Yu family training field, where we had trained just days ago.


    We were met with the same vast green field, and in all honesty, the scene was not too different from when I had first set foot in this ce. However, there was one tiny difference this time - we had an extra person. I nced at the the short girl beside me, with brilliant long scarlet hair, and looks that rivaled that of a true goddess.


    "Is this where we will be dueling, master?" the girl in question, Mei Gui, said quietly.


    "Uh, yeah," I replied, slightly embarrassed not because of her question, but because she was clutching my hand casually for no particr reason. It felt warm and nice, but that was a secret I would take to my grave...


    I winced as I felt four sets of cold eyes boring into my back. We quickly moved in, and the gate nked shut behind us. A Magic Barrier rose up around the perimeter of the field, to prevent any stray shots from damaging property. I went on one side of the field after Mei Gui reluctantly let go of my hand, and she went on the other. The rest of the girls stayed on the sidelines. I was a bit worried since a battle of our scale could potentially hurt them, but they seemed insistent on spectating our duel as close as possible, so I gave up on convincing them.


    "How are we going to do this?" I asked, calling out Mei Gui who was standing on the other end of the exceptionallyrge field. However, its extensive area provided a nice and suitable battleground where I could go all out.


    "Mm...however Master wants to," she said.


    Or, rather, she didn''t exactly say it. Instead, she transmitted the message directly into my head. I widened my eyes in surprise, and sent a message back to her, also via telepathy. "You can use Psychic Magic?"


    "Yes," she replied, again, using telepathy. "However, the bond between Master and I is far greater and more private than just normal telepathy. Therefore, no enemies will be able to listen in on our conversations, no matter how strong in Psychic Magic they are."


    "Huh...pretty neat," I remarked. "Well then, let''s keep it simple. No weapons, stop right before injuring the other party, and...oh, I won''t be sucking in your attacks, since that''s kind of cheating. Sound good?"


    "As you wish, master."


    I grinned, and signaled to Yu An Yan, who had opted to be the referee of this match, that we were ready to begin.


    "Okay..." she took a deep breath once she saw my hand signal. "3, 2, 1 - Start!"


    *****


    Since the sun was still high up, I couldn''t use Vanishing Shadows to hide my presence andunch a surprise attack. I made a mental note to set the timeter at night should a duel like this appear again. But what''s done is done; I decided to just go all out with a frontal assault.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons," I chanted quietly. Although I didn''t actually need to chant the spell name to cast it (from my knowledge, everyone else must say the incantation in full), doing so still helped me conserve mana.


    Two massive ck dragons with fiery red eyes appeared behind me, blocking the sun and clouding over the entire area. For a minute, I contemted using Vanishing Shadows now since there was something to slide into, but then I realized the shadow only extended to about two feet in front of me. I cursed at my own stupidity, and unleashed the dragons toward the frail-looking Mei Gui.


    She didn''t seem fazed at all, despite being met with an apocalyptic wave of burning destruction. Instead, she calmly raised her right hand and pointed it towards the iing attack.


    "Chaos Mirror."


    A translucent screen made of raw ck pulsating energy appeared before Mei Gui. I narrowed my eyes. I''ve never even heard of this spell before, much less use it. There was a chance it was a Level Three spell that I haven''t learned about yet, but even then...what element was it? The color scheme was practically screaming ''Shadow'', but I quickly crossed that possibility out since the Shadow Element did not have any wall-type defense spells. Shadows are not solid things, hence a wall out of them would hardly be effective.


    So then...what was it? But before I could think about this more, my eyes widened at the scene unfolding before me. I had expected there to be some sort of explosion or noise signaling impact when my twin dragons hit the wall Mei Gui had put up, but instead, what I heard was a distorted warping sound I have never heard before.


    My twin dragons were also nowhere to be seen - to put it precisely, it had been sucked in by the mysterious ck screen. In fact, the area on the said screen where my attack should''ve struck true was now emitting a faint red glow, as the cacophonous disturbing noise continued. I noticed the other four girls were also staring at this scene in shock, mouths agape.


    However, the next act was the real climax. The red energy continued emitting dangerously from the center of the ck screen, until a bright light enveloped the entire area, and my own twin dragons from earlier, flew out of it. But they weren''t my own anymore. From their trajectory, they were heading straight towards me, and it wasn''t just for a friendly reunion.


    The most shocking part of it all, was that I could evidently feel the power of the twin dragons. They were far more powerful than my initial attack. Through the ck screen, their power had been tripled, perhaps even more. It felt like a very simr process to my own magic, since my spells were at least three times as powerful as any other person''s.


    ...This simrity was not a coincidence.


    But I would have to save my questions forter. Right now, I had to deal with this flying disaster, heading straight towards me. I doubted I could take it head on, since only Ghosteye''s and Song Qian Long''s battle souls had beat this attack in terms of the power I could feel emitting from it.


    However, I then remembered my own ''stupid'' idea from earlier - Vanishing Shadows. If you can''t block an attack, you dodge it. It''s that simple. Since the twin dragons were facing me now, it provided plenty of shaded areas to enter. In fact, the long bodies of the dragons allowed me a direct route to where Mei Gui was standing.


    I smirked devilishly and sliced into the shadows, this time without an incantation since Mei Gui could possibly hear me. I was going for a surprise attack, after all. As nned, I quickly advanced through the shadows of the dragons looming above me. I could feel it - just a bit more, and I would reach where Mei Gui was standing,pletely defenseless...


    ...?


    I arrived at my destination, and what awaited me was-


    "Master, you lose," Mei Gui said calmly with her outstretched hand pointed at my head, the only part of my body that had emerged from the shadows.


    It was clear what had happened - she had been waiting for me all along. But the question was - how? I sighed and rose my body out of the shadows.


    "I concede," I said quietly. It would be a lie if I said I wasn''t disappointed, but well, a loss is a loss. The only thing I can do now is get stronger so I don''t lose the next fight, if there is one.


    She then grasped my hand once more, and shook it firmly. I was a bit taken aback, but then gave a short chuckle. "So you do know human mannerisms, huh?"


    Shaking your opponent''s hand after a duel was a sign of courtesy and respect. It meant that you valued this duel highly, and was greatly honored by this duel. It sure was surprising that Mei Gui knew of this, though. However-


    "Mannerisms?" she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "No, master. I simply wished to take your hand."


    Wait. Huh?


    "Uh, hold on. T-Then why did you shake it? If you simply wanted to hold my hand, there was no need for that shake, was there?" I asked, hoping she hadn''t just broke all my hopes.


    "That shake was simply me getting a firm grip on your hand, to make sure you can''t escape," she responded nonchntly, as monotone as always.


    "W-Wait. You serious?"


    "Yes, master."


    "..."


    She then looked up at my conflicted expression with a curious face.


    "...Would you have preferred a hug instead, master?"


    "Huh?! No, that''s not what I''m conflicted about..." I muttered. "Ah...whatever. That was just my bad."


    It was then that the other four girls walked over to us. "Um...what just happened?" Yu An Yan asked, which was quite ironic since she was supposed to be referee.


    In their defense though, from their perspective they had no way of telling who won the duel exactly, since the twin dragons were obstructing their view.


    I sighed, and told them the results of the duel. "Well...I lost."


    The four girls all dropped their jaws in surprise.


    "E-Eh?! No way...you, of all people, lost?!" Feng Mian cried out in disbelief.


    I scratched my head anxiously. "I''m not some peerless undefeatable battle god, you know...I can lose sometimes too."


    "A-Ah, right...but does that mean everything she said was true...?" Yu An Yan asked hesitantly.


    "It looks like it..." I murmured in response. Then, remembering something important, I nced back down at Mei Gui, who was still holding my hand tightly. "Oh yeah, by the way, Mei Gui...just what was that spell you used back there? How was it able to not only send my own attack back to me, but also amplified in power?"


    The other girls stared at me like, ''what spell?'' but I ignored them.


    Mei Gui then looked up at me with her usual nk expression, her beautifully crafted and refined features on full disy. "Master, have you never used a spell like that before...?"


    I shook my head. "Before you were awakened earlier today...I never even knew what this power within me was, or why my magic was different from everyone else."


    She turned away and looked down. "I see...it seems there is a lot you do not know yet, master..."


    "Uh, yeah...wait, was I supposed to know these things?" I asked, suddenly ovee with nervousness.


    Mei Gui quickly shook her head. "No...it is my fault for not awakening sooner."


    "Er, if you put it like that, then it''s also my fault for not meeting the necessary requirements for breaking the second seal sooner." I retorted in reply. "Don''t worry about it, okay? Just tell me what that spell is now, and you can tell me more about this power of mer."


    Mei Gui nodded her head slowly, and took a deep breath.


    "The spell I used was...Forbidden Magic."

 Chapter 83 - Forbidden Magic

    "Forbidden Magic...?" I muttered. "What is that?"


    "Sounds ominous..." Feng Mian remarked.


    The other girls all nodded their heads in agreement. Mei Gui didn''t seem fazed at all, however.


    She sighed and began exining the answer to our questions. "Forbidden Magic, is essentially what you would call Chaos Element Magic, though there are spells in other elements that are powerful enough to be known as Forbidden Magic as well."


    "How powerful exactly are they?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Not counting Chaos Magic, Forbidden Magic exceeds the power of even Divine-Tier spells," Mei Gui replied. All of our eyes widened in surprise.


    Despite having said something that revolutionized our entire knowledge of the modern magic society, Mei Gui, as always, didn''t seem fazed whatsoever.


    "Exceed Divine-Tier spells?! No way that''s possible!" Feng Mian eximed. "They werebeled as the highest tier spells for a reason, and though they exist, no one has ever been able to cast one!"


    "I am just telling you what I know from my memories. Whether you believe it or not, that is up to you," Mei Gui brushed Feng Mian''s statement off casually.


    Feng Mian was taken aback, but remained quiet.


    "Wait. Earlier, you said ''excluding Chaos Magic,''" Qing Yue pointed out. "Does that mean...Chaos Magic is even stronger?"


    Mei Gui then asked me via telepathy whether or not she should say this out loud, and I replied yes, everyone here is our allies. I was still not very used to her suddenly entering my mind, but I couldn''t deny it was a useful ability to share.


    She then turned to face Qing Yue, and spoke. "Yes, and no. The most powerful Chaos spells are far stronger than the Forbidden Magic of other elements, but even the most basics of the basics of Chaos Magic is ssified as Forbidden Magic, no matter how weak they are."


    "...I see," I sank deep into thought. After a while, I looked towards Mei Gui with determination in my eyes. "Hey, Mei Gui...do you think you can teach me these spells?"


    She nced at me, and after we stared each other like that for a few seconds, she smiled gracefully - the first sign of emotion she''s shown since we met. I blinked a couple of times to make sure what I was seeing was right, but by the time I finished doing that, the smile was gone, reced by her usual calm, monotone demeanor. But I was fairly sure she had indeed smiled there, however slightly.


    "If that is what master wishes," Mei Gui said with a bow. "However, master can only learn the basics as of right now. In order to learn more advanced and powerful Chaos Magic, master must get stronger first."


    "I''m fine with that. That was what I was nning on doing, anyway..." I murmured.


    "Then, please stand back, master. I will first teach you the spell I used just now - Chaos Mirror."


    Mei Gui said that, and the rest of us all backed away cautiously. I was a bit concerned with her only telling me to stand back, as if she didn''t care about the other girls'' well-being, but for the moment that could wait. She seemed to be concentrating, after all. However, the next words that came out of her mouth threw everyone off.


    "Okay, master. I''m ready."


    "R-Ready?! For what?!" Feng Mian squeaked out loud before anyone could stop her.


    "Wow!! Teaching magic turn into maid-master cosy!" Qing Yue eximed happily. I was concerned at her excitement for this kind of thing.


    "H-Hold on, shouldn''t there be a process for this kind of thing?!" Yu An Yan reddened up and looked away.


    Yu An Xue closed her eyes and pretended nothing had happened, but her cheeks were blushing as well.


    Mei Gui tilted her head in confusion. "Master...? What is going on? Why are these bitches all screaming?"


    "Language..." I sighed exasperatedly. She bowed down apologetically, and I continued. "They are just a little shocked...what you said earlier could be taken the wrong way, you know?"


    "What way?" she asked, face full of innocence.


    I gulped. Should I tell her? N-No, she''s still just like a newborn baby, unaware of the ways of the world. I definitely shouldn''t be feeding her information like this!


    "U-Uh, Feng Mian is more suited for this kind of thing..." I blurted out without thinking, thus pushing the matter onto Feng Mian.


    "Bwah?! Me?!" Feng Mian covered her face in embarrassment as Mei Gui turned to re at her. "N-No, I think An Yan is a better choice..."


    "H-Hold on, why are you pushing this onto me?!" Yu An Yan, having being called on, shouted angrily. But she immediately backed down after Mei Gui began ring at her instead. "U-Um, how do I put it....that''s right! An Xue here is far more experienced with that kind of thing!"


    "H-Huh?!" Yu An Xue, caught by surprise, widened her eyes at her own sister''s words, feeling betrayed. I smiled sadly, and decided to forget that this entire tragic scenario was caused by me. Mei Gui turned to stare at Yu An Xue nkly, and she couldn''t do more than point a finger at-


    "Okay~ It''s finally my turn! Little sister Mei Gui, I, big sister here will educate you in the ways of adulthood!"


    "Why are you so excited over something like that?!" I yelled in despair. My little sister, who I thought was innocent and angelic, was getting hyped about teaching another girl about sex and kinks. I really didn''t know how to feel about that.


    Then I noticed something else-


    "Wait, why do you look so interested in it too?!" I cried, seeing Mei Gui''s eyes brimming with curiosity. Qing Yue, meanwhile, puffed out her modest chest in pride.


    "Ahem, but before we get into that, you should teach Big Brother Xuan Kai your Forbidden Magic," Qing Yue told Mei Gui, finally getting back on track.


    "Okay....master, watch closely," Mei Gui said, turning to me. She sped her hands together. "First, you have to visualize the Chaos mana within you."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Visualize? How is that different from when I cast a normal spell?"


    "When you cast a normal spell, you have to first condense your mana into a small sphere, then break it to let the mana spread through your entire body. However, visualizing the Chaos mana within you is easier. Master, close your eyes. Can you feel it? The red and ck mana flowing through your veins," Mei Gui exined.


    I did as I was told, and shut my eyes. I concentrated very hard, and pictured my Dantian''s mana being sucked out to flow throughout my entire body, a ck and red energy running through my veins. And then, suddenly-


    My eyes snapped open. "I can feel it."


    Me Gui nodded. "As expected of my master, you were able to unlock the Chaos within you so easily."


    Apparently, what I just did was ''unlock the Chaos within me''. Indeed, I felt a lot stronger than before. Now, even without visualizing the Chaos mana, I could automatically feel it flowing through me.


    "Does this mean...I can cast Forbidden Magic now?" I asked.


    Mei Gui nodded. "Not only that, but you should be able to cast normal spells any time you want, without having to condense your mana first."


    "What?!" Feng Mian eximed. "That''s such an overpowered ability!"


    She was right. Not needing to take that few seconds to condense your mana first was a busted power to have - to the point where it''s a matter of life and death. For example, if you were walking alone on a road, and were ambushed suddenly, it is doubtful you would have time to condense your mana first. However, if you didn''t need to condense your mana, then you would be able to react andunch a counterattack instantly.


    The other girls were also simrly shocked at this news. I wasn''t all that impressed though. Instead, I attempted to analyze the theory behind the Chaos mana.


    "I see..." I muttered as I came to a conclusion. "So before, I never emptied my Dantian in one go. And so, after I finish casting a spell, the excess mana returns to my Dantian. However, now...I pretty much ''shattered'' my Dantian, and all the mana within it is constantly flowing through my body, and hence I do not need to condense my mana first."


    "That is correct," Mei Gui replied. "I am impressed, master. I never thought you would be able to figure that out."


    Her voice sounded sarcastic because of the emotionless tone, but I could tell she was actually impressed, thanks to our telepathic connection. I realized that I could not onlymunicate with her using telepathy, but also see her emotions. This surprised me, as despite her constantly having a deadpan face, she had various feelings and emotions, just like humans.


    "Well then...what''s the next step, Mei Gui?" I said, moving on.


    "All you have to do is cast the spell like any other - picture the spell inside your head, and follow your instincts. The Primordial Chaos chose master, so it should not be hard," Mei Gui answered.


    I nodded, and visualized the ck screen Mei Gui had put up earlier. My hands then moved on their own, and before I knew it, before me was a massive translucent ck wall, swirling with energy.


    "Damn, that WAS easy," I muttered in awe.


    Mei Gui didn''t say anything, but instead walked around to directly face me. We were separated by the ck screen I had put up. "Master, this is the power of Chaos Magic."


    Saying that, she raised her arm towards me, and a ck and red fireball flew out of her palm. I was surprised for a second, but quickly realized she was simply showing me what this spell, Chaos Mirror, did.


    I, along with the other girls, watched on in amazement as the Chaos-imbued fireball Mei Gui had cast was sucked in to the ck screen, which was now crackling with red sparks. Soon after, the fireball emerged from the center once more, and flew back towards Mei Gui.


    I was about to say ''watch out'', but I swallowed those words as she simply sucked in the attack, as if she was a mirror herself, except she didn''t send the fireball back.


    Mei Gui tilted her head in confusion as the rest of us watched her in shock.


    I was the first one toe back to my senses. "A-Ah, nothing. I should''ve known..."


    The other girls were still puzzled, however. They looked at me for an exnation, and I sighed.


    "I forgot...this is Mei Gui''s original form, but prior to today, she was in the form of my stone pendant," I exined.


    I didn''t need to say anymore, as the girls all nodded in understanding. Since the stone pendant was able to suck in attacks, it made sense for Mei Gui to be able to as well. However...


    "But...doesn''t this mean Big Brother Xuan Kai won''t be able to use that skill anymore?" Qing Yue said in worry.


    She was referring to the ability to nullify and suck in enemy attacks, of course. I originally used the stone pendant to do that, but now that it had returned to its original form and separated from my physical body...


    "No need to worry," Mei Gui interrupted calmly. "Master is still able to use that ability. Earlier, I said that I possess all the elements and skills that Master has, but the reverse applies as well. Master, simrly, has ess to all of my abilities."


    My eyes widened. "So that''s why I could cast that Chaos Mirror spell so easily, huh..."


    Yu An Yan then joined the conversation. "Well then...a lot of things happened today, and honestly I''m still not quite back to my senses, but what I do know is that we have a tournament tomorrow, and it''s gettingte."


    "Ah, right...I had almost forgotten about that," I said, scratching my cheek awkwardly.


    "Then, shall we head back to the school?" Feng Mian suggested.


    "Yeah, let''s go!!" Qing Yue eximed giddily. "Little sister Mei Gui, why don''t you start living with me from now on? I will teach you-"


    "I will sleep with master," Mei Gui cut Qing Yue off instantly.


    "Alrigh- Wait, what?!" I almost just went along with the flow there. "Mei Gui, what do you mean...?"


    "I replenish energy by being close to master," she replied nonchntly.


    "Uh, does that mean you have to sleep with me though?"


    "Yes, that is the most effective method."


    "..."


    "..."


    After getting stared at by her for an ufortably long time, I sighed and gave in. "Fine...but you are sleeping on the bed, I''ll go on the couch."


    "But-" she began.


    "I''m not taking any ''buts'' on this." I red at her, and she backed down. Since she called me master, she would have to listen to my orders. I didn''t want to use my authority over her like so, but every man had his limits.


    Throughout this duel, everyone began trusting Mei Gui more, not only in her strength but also her personality.


    And so, just like that, our original group of five gained one new member.

 Chapter 84 - The Eventful Night Before

    - After the Duel -


    We arrived at the school dorms at around 8:30 PM, half an hour before the curfew. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and the Yu sisters headed off towards the girl dormitories while Mei Gui stayed with me. I nced at her with an awkward smile on my face.


    "Uh...Mei Gui, are you sure you want toe with me into the boy dorms?" I asked hesitantly.


    She nodded. "There will not be any problems for Master unless I am seen, correct?"


    "Er, yeah...but if you are, then I will almost certainly be expelled from the school, y''know..." I replied sheepishly.


    "Not to worry, Master. Even if you are expelled from this trash school, together, we will survive and be stronger than anyone else."


    "Hah...that sounds tempting, not gonna lie," I grinned. "But...there are still things I must do within this city. And right now, this school is acting as a perfect base for me."


    Mei Gui perked up. "The Xuan Family, correct? I will aid Master in whatever he wishes - even the destruction of the entire, much less a mere family."


    I smiled and pat her head gently as we entered the elevator. Luckily for us, no one was around - I had checked with Detect Presence earlier, a very basic Level One Psychic Element spell. It told me whether or not there was anyone within an 100 meter radius. However, since my magic was boosted, I could detect up to 500 meters, and even people purposely using Conceal Presence, the Psychic Element spell that directly countered Detect Presence, would be caught by my senses. Of course, this naturally meant that people using other methods to hide their presence would be rendered useless as well, for example - Vanishing Shadows (Level One Shadow Element spell).


    That being said, if someone was using a Level Two spell or higher to conceal themselves, I probably wouldn''t be able to know. But really, who would bother using the mana for a Level Two spell just to hide their presence? Especially since we were in this rtively safe school dorm environment. Unless someone was on a spy or assassination mission, they wouldn''t bother using an advanced technique to hide their presence.


    It was still better to be on our guard though, which is why I had Mei Gui run a Detect Presence on the entire dorm building as well. Her strength was three times mine, so she should be able to detect even people using Level Two spells to hide their presence.


    s, no one appeared on our radar - everyone was inside their rooms, and so the two of us had headed in. We entered the elevator and pressed the button that read ''12'', and the door closed behind us. I was still pretty nervous, since there was no telling when someone may leave their room and get on the elevator...though this was unlikely since it was already nearing curfew. Students had to be within their room by 9 PM, even being in the hallway of the dorms didn''t count.


    Around a minuteter, we arrived on the 12th floor. I ran another Detect Presence just to be safe, and we left the elevator. I walked the familiar steps to my room, Mei Gui trailing behind me silently. As I was unlocking the door''s lock as usual, a thought popped into my head. Since I had magic now, I suppose I could use a Magic Array for my lock as well? They were far more secure and convenient than the security mechanism I had right now.


    That wasn''t anything urgent though, so I just made a mental note of asking Song Qian Long this the next time I meet him, and threw this thought to the back of my head. The door opened with a creak and Mei Gui and I stepped inside. I shut the door behind me after Mei Gui entered, and locked it. I finally breathed out deeply, since the entire way up I had been in fact extremely nervous. After a while, I noticed Mei Gui staring at me.


    "Oh, uh...what is it?" I asked.


    She looked at me for a bit longer, but then shook her head. "Nevermind...Master, you don''t have to trouble yourself."


    I stared back at her, and tried to figure out the meaning behind her words. I then realized her fidgeting with her hair, and realized that despite not being a human exactly, she was still a girl, and had basic necessities.


    "Uh, the bathroom''s over there," I pointed at the white oak door leading to the washroom. "You can take a bath and sleep first, you must be tired after teaching me earlier."


    She tiled her head. "But...what about you, Master?"


    I shrugged. "I''ll goter. Don''t worry about me."


    She shook her head. "No...Master, you should go first. You are more exhausted than I am."


    "No no, I already said, I''ll goter," I replied with a sigh.


    However, it seemed that Mei Gui wasn''t going to budge. "I refuse. Master, you should go first."


    I blinked. "...Look, Mei Gui...just go first, okay? I have some things to do still, by the time you''re done I''ll be finished with my stuff as well."


    "...That''s a lie, I can feel your emotions."


    I flinched, and stiffened up. "Uh..."


    "..."


    After a long and ufortable silence, Mei Gui finally broke the awkwardness lingering in the air.


    "...Seeing as this argument will not get us anywhere...in that case, Master, how about we take a bath toget-"


    "Denied," I immediately rejected her suggestion. "Just go first...that''s an order."


    Mei Gui appeared slightly unhappy, but since I had emphasized that it was an order, she had no choice but to obey. She entered the bathroom and I let out a sigh of relief. However, that was short lived...the door soon swung open once more, just seconds after it had been closed by Mei Gui.


    I nced at her exhaustedly. "What is it this time...?"


    "M-Master...I have encountered a slight problem."


    I blinked. This was very out of character. Seeing her blush and fidgeting with her ck dress wasn''t a verymon sight. I then replied, "Uh, okay...details?"


    "I c-cannot seem to g-get this machine w-working..." she stuttered as she responded to my question.


    I chuckled. "Ah...I see. I''ll get the water running for you this time, just watch so you know how to do it by yourself in the future."


    Mei Gui nodded vigorously, and I finally knew what the source of her embarrassment was. As a ''servant'' (though I didn''t exactly think of her that way) who called me Master, she probably had a strong feeling of wanting to be useful. Thus, not being able to even start the water of a shower must''ve had a huge impact on her confidence. Though I had to admit...seeing her like this was kind of cute.


    After I was done setting everything up for her, I left the bathroom and sat down on the couch. I began thinking of what to do tomorrow, at the main tournament. The other three teams, apart from ourselves, were all troublesome opponents. Xuan Kun was without a doubt the most dangerous, but Ming Hao was the most mysterious. As for the Solo Devil, Liao Fen...he has a very high and explosive power. They were the only team I had 100% confidence in beating, but they could definitely cause some damage to our team members, possibly causing a disadvantage for us in the next round.


    As I was organizing my thoughts and devising a n, time passed faster than expected. Before long, Mei Gui had finished bathing, and came out dressed in the same alluring ck dress she had been wearing earlier. Except this time, her hair was wet, and I could smell the faint scent of flowers emitting from her from where I was sitting. Put bluntly, she looked like a beautiful fallen angel, d in ck. I subconsciously averted my gaze.


    "Uh...why are you wearing the same clothes as earlier?" I asked meekly, scratching my cheek in an attempt to hide my awkwardness.


    Mei Gui looked down at her dress, expressionless as usual. Her embarrassment from earlier was nowhere to be seen. "These are the only clothes I have, Master."


    "Er, aren''t they dirty though?" I continued, still not looking directly at her. Instead, I was gazing out the window, at the beautiful moonlight. I needed a distraction right now, or else I might not be able to hold back...I am a boy in my teenage years, after all.


    Mei Gui, however, didn''t seem concerned at all. "These clothes are brand new, Master - I can make them with mana. While they look the same as my earlier attire, they arepletely clean."


    "Ah...I see," I nodded. "Still, you''re a teenage girl, you probably want more clothes, right?"


    "..." she didn''t reply, but thanks to our telepathic link I could feel her emotions. She was troubled since she indeed wanted new clothes, but at the same time knew I was short on money and could barely support myself. She also didn''t have any money, so buying it herself was out of the question.


    I couldn''t help but smile at her concern for me. Despite her expressionless and cold demeanor, she was in fact kind on the inside...at least, to me. It was clear she didn''t care about the other girls or anyone else whatsoever. That was a problem, as we were allies for the time being, but maybe with time she will grow close to them as well. Then it hit me - this was a perfect opportunity to let her be more friendly with them!


    I snickered. "Hey, Mei Gui...if you want something, just say it. I might not have the money to buy anything right now, but the girls from earlier today certainly do. Why don''t you go ask them?"


    She immediately shook her head. "...I do not want anything if it is not from Master."


    I sank into thought. "Hm...what if I told you they are all my close friends?"


    That was partly a lie, since to me, they were allies and nothing more. Perhaps Qing Yue was closer to me than the others, but I couldn''t call them ''friends''. After all...I didn''t even know what that word meant. Still, I would have to say this to convince Mei Gui. Since it wasn''t a full lie, Mei Gui didn''t notice anything off through our telepathic connection.


    "..." she didn''t say anything, but instead gazed at me deeply, as if searching for something.


    I smiled as warmly as I could. "They are all nice girls. Trust me."


    She stared at me for a while more, and for a second I was afraid she had seen through my gimmick. But then, she smiled faintly. Thought it was very small, could barely be seen, and left as soon as it came, it was enough.


    "...Okay," she replied.


    I gave her a thumbs-up gesture, and stood up from the couch. I went into the shower, and finished after around 15 minutes. I pulled on a clean sweatshirt and shorts. Mei Gui was waiting for me when I came out from the washroom, and I pointed at the bedroom I usually sleep in.


    "Uh, you can sleep on the bed, if you don''t mind using something I''ve used..." I muttered. "I''ll just sleep on the couch."


    "...No, Master, you sleep on your bed," Mei Gui replied. I blinked, and thought it must''ve been since she didn''t want to sleep in my bed. I didn''t really expect anything different, but it still hurt being told that to my face.


    "Ah...well, okay. I''ll get you a pillow and nket," I replied, and hurriedly went into my bedroom. Pillows and nkets were provided by the school, and each room had two sets. You were meant to swap between the two - use one while the other is being washed and dried.


    I tossed the pillow and nket onto the couch, and waved goodnight to Mei Gui, who was sitting on the couch on top of the nket I threw her, and also surprisingly didn''t seem tired at all. I didn''t think too much of it though, and closed my bedroom door.


    As Iy down in my bed, lights closed, I sighed and wondered...


    ...Would I ever be able to discover the true meaning of friendship?

 Chapter 85 - The Main Tournament (1)

    - The Next Day -


    I woke up to the familiar buzzing of my rm clock. I was still using an old-fashioned one since I couldn''t afford a phone. Regardless, it functioned, and that''s all I cared about. My eyes remained closed as I attempted to reach my arm over the table to shut off the rm clock, but-


    "What the..." I muttered, and blinked my eyes slowly open. There was a weight preventing my left arm from moving. But it wasn''t too heavy, and didn''t strain me whatsoever. Instead, it was warm, and felt nice and cozy.


    After a long struggle, I finally got the remaining sleepiness out of my eyes, and looked down to see what the weight on my left arm was.


    "Mm..." I heard a cute sound that almost sounded like a moan.


    I blinked. Was I hallucinating? A beautiful red-haired girl wastched onto my arm tightly, as if I was her lifeline, herst hope. For the record, she waspletely naked, and I had a full view on her glossy body. I shook my head vigorously and blinked a couple of times again to make sure this was reality, and I wasn''t still in a dream. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I wasn''t. I then recalled the events ofst night...


    After I had gone to sleep, this girl must''ve crawled into my bed without me noticing. I sighed and gently shook her awake.


    "Mm...?" she moaned softly, a blinked a couple of times. She then sat up, still groggy. I averted my gaze immediately and bit my lip.


    "Er...Mei Gui, didn''t you say you wanted to sleep on the couchst night...?" I asked, still not looking at her lest I get a nosebleed early in the morning.


    Her reply, as monotone as always, was, "I only said ''Master should sleep on the bed''."


    I blinked. She was right...not once has she ever said that she didn''t want to sleep in the bed...


    "But still, that doesn''t exin why you are naked and clutching onto my arm..." I murmured.


    Mei Gui, however, seemed unconcerned. "I cannot retain my clothes while I am sleeping. Additionally, the easiest way for me to regain energy is to be as close to Master as possible."


    I sighed. "R-Right, okay..."


    After that, I told her to put her clothes on, and stay in my room for the entire day. If she was seen together with me, it could spell trouble since she wasn''t exactly a student. Only the teachers knew about her being a golem, after all (well, that was a lie as well, but they didn''t need to know the truth).


    I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and headed out. I wasn''t even hungry at not eating breakfast, since I was used to it. Not exactly a good habit, but I''m stuck with it nheless.


    On the way to school, I met up with Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and Qing Yue. Our team walked to school together, though I was very much ufortable the entire way there. From the outside, it seemed like a dream - walking together to school with the four most beautiful girls in the entire city. But to me, all that brought was nervousness. Though I was used to being stared at in disdain and contempt my entire life, every time I was seen together with the girls, I was stared at with jealousy instead.


    While they weren''t as directly insulting as the looks I had received before, they felt far more ufortable. Regardless, the girls didn''t seem to notice they were causing me to be uneasy whatsoever, and so I didn''t bother telling them either.


    "How do you guys all feel?" Yu An Yan asked, the one to initiate conversation as always.


    "Hm...good, I guess," Feng Mian replied hesitantly. "I''m a bit nervous about the tournament, but..."


    "Don''t worry, Feng Mian. We''ve already made it this far, what''s a little more?" Qing Yue joined in, cheerful as usual.


    "Mm...we got this," Yu An Xue said in encouragement.


    "Everyone..." Feng Mian smiled. "Thanks. I feel more at ease now."


    I had been just listening in to their conversation without saying anything, but then I got picked on for no reason whatsoever.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, how about you?" Qing Yue asked devilishly. "How was your first night with Mei Gui, hm?"


    I stiffened. I turned around slowly like a cranky old robot as cold sweat trickled down my back, and was met with four pairs of curious gazes.


    "W-What do you mean, Qing Yue?" I stuttered, an innocent smile on my face.


    "Hehe~you know what I mean, Big Brother Xuan Kai~" Qing Yue replied with a wink.


    The other girls all looked back and forth between the two of us. I swear, Qing Yue was either psychic (without using Psychic Magic) or she had just found out about the incident this morning somehow. I awkwardly turned back around and did my best to continue walking as if nothing had happened.


    The girls'' idle chatter apanied me as we headed towards the school, and the tournament that would decide our fates.


    *****


    - The Arena (Outdoors) -


    The five of us had arrived at the ssroom, where Mr. Wang then gave us instructions to head to the outdoor arena, a special ce meant to host the main tournament. And so - here we were.


    I had thought it would be big, but this was beyond my imaginations. One look at the four girls and it was clear they were also visibly amazed and captivated by this mourous sight. The shape of the Arena was more or less a giant circle, but perhaps it would be more urate to say it was a round hexagon.


    Six ominous ck pirs arose at the vertices of the shape, and they were connected by round lines bending slightly towards the center in the middle. At the top of each piry a burning me, each a different color. Four of them, which, if linked by invisible lines, formed a square, resembled the team colors of the four teams that would bepeting today in the main tournament, while the other two mes were white, contrasting with the ck walls and portraying Shenzhen Magic High School''s uniform colors (white for girls, ck for boys).


    Of the four, our team''s fire''s color was a deep, fiery crimson, simr to Mei Gui''s hair and my mana. The Lion''s Roar, led by Ming Hao (though I still wasn''t 100% sure on that), had the pir to the right of ours, and had a glorious golden me. The Cursed Warlocks, led by Xuan Kun, had a dark and ominous purple fire, directly diagonal from our pir. Lastly, Liao Fen''s Death''s Door was below ours, in the bottom-left corner. It had a bright yet eerie green that reminded me of the Midnight Syndicate''s secretirs in Shenzhen. Bad memories, didn''t want to remember them again...


    Overall, the entire structure gave off a deadly coliseum kind of look. We entered through the wide entrance, where we were then led to another room through a narrow corridor. There were three other rooms in the area, one for each team. Ours was painted crismon since it was our team color, and the other rooms were also painted in their team colors respectively.


    Within each room was a TV, a table, a couchrge enough to fit exactly 5 people, and a whiteboard. I assume the TV was for watching the other battles, while the whiteboard was for strategizing and such. In addition, several tters of fruit were ced on the table, along with a variety of mana elixirs.


    In one word, the room could be described as - beautiful. The furniture was all exquisitely designed, and reflected our team color very well. Since I didn''t eat breakfast, I picked up an apple and took a bite out of it after using Detect Poison, the Level One Poison Element spell, to check whether or not there was any poison. Of course, I didn''t say my incantation out loud, lest the girls start calling me paranoid. My theory was, it never hurt to be more careful.


    That aside, the apple was delicious. I''ve eaten apples before, but none of them were as sweet and fresh as this one. It was clear all the items in this room was top-tier, and I honestly wasn''t used to such luxurious treatment. I plopped down on the centre of the couch, and sighed in rxation. The fabric was smooth, and whatever was used as filling was soft andfy.


    "Man, this is prettyfortable," I mused. "You guyse give it a try as well."


    I beckoned the girls to try sitting on the couch as well. Qing Yue was the first, and hopped onto the couch after taking off her shoes, revealing a pair of alluring white stockings. She jumped a couple of times as if testing the spring of the couch, and eventually settled down.


    "How is it?" I asked.


    "Hm..." she appeared deep in thought. However, to my surprise, she then scooted closer to me and eased herself onto myp.


    "Uh...Qing Yue?" I said anxiously.


    "Ehehe~Big Brother Xuan Kai''sp is the best seat after all," she replied happily. Seeing her cute smile, I sighed and let her be. Sensing my tension released, Qing Yue leaned back into my chest, and I patted her head with a smile.


    After a short while, I noticed the other three girls staring at us in disdain. I began sweating profusely and quickly made Qing Yue get off myp. She was kind of disappointed, but I was more scared of the three girls and what they would do to me had I not stopped. I was so lost in admiring her brilliant white hair that I didn''t even see the venomous res I was receiving.


    "Er...you guys want to try sitting on the couch?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence.


    The three girls exchanged nces with each other, and wordlessly sat down on either side of me. I was now squished between four gorgeous girls, Qing Yue and Feng Mian on my right while Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue were on my left.


    After a while, just when I was thinking I couldn''t bear the pressure and awkward silence anymore, my godfather saved me. The TV screen before us flicked to life, and Song Qian Long, our school''s principal, appeared within the frame. He seemed to be in therge announcer tform suspended off the back wall of the Arena. A loud ceremonial music began ying in the background, and when it stopped, Song Qian Long spoke.


    "Wee, everyone, to the final stage of Shenzhen Magic High School''s Year 2022 Advancement Exams!"


    I clenched my fists, all other thoughts forgotten.


    Xuan Kun...it''s time to settle the debt you owe me once and for all.

 Chapter 86 - The Main Tournament (2)

    Soon after Song Qian Long made his initial announcement, we heard a knock on our room''s door. I originally thought it was one of the other teamsing to seek trouble, but when Feng Mian opened the door, a young man in butler-clothes was standing there, holding what looked like a piece of paper, rolled up into a scroll.


    He had blonde hair and blue eyes. Quite handsome, to be honest. He gave a clearly rehearsed smile, and spoke.


    "Greetings, team members of The Chaotic Tranquility. I havee here to deliver your tournament bracket, and a basic outline of how today''spetition will function."


    "Oh, uh,e in?" Feng Mian said hesitantly after taking the paper, unsure of what to do next. She nced back at me for answers, and I nodded.


    However, contrary to my expectations, the butler shook his head. "I could not disturb you like that. I have delivered the item; my mission here isplete."


    With those words, he bowed deeply and vanished out of sight. I sighed. I could hardly me him...the atmosphere here was pretty tense, after all. The butler was still a young man, he probably felt like a third wheel-


    Wait, there are far more than just two people here...so it would be more like a sixth wheel? I put that thought aside for now and looked to Feng Mian, who was carefully reading over the piece of paper given to her by the boy.


    "Feng Mian, what does the paper say?"


    "Um...exactly what that person said what it was," she closed the door with one hand and replied, walking back over to us and sitting back down on the couch. "Our tournament bracket."


    She handed me the paper and I took it. Inscribed was, indeed, our tournament bracket for today. ss D (us) would be facing ss B, while ss C would be facing ss A. I was a bit disappointed I wouldn''t be able to face Xuan Kun in the first round, but I would have to deal with it. I can only hope he doesn''t get crushed by anyone other than me.


    "Seems we will be facing Ming Hao''s team in the first round," I said to the others.


    "ss B, huh...the only team which we still don''t have too much info on," Yu An Yanmented.


    "Yeah...that''s why, in the battle, if Ming Hao doesn''t join the fight, I won''t either," I replied. "Can you guys handle it?"


    "Hmph, who do you think we are?" Yu An Yan winked.


    "Leave it to us, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue eximed excitedly.


    "I don''t really get why, but..." Feng Mian sighed, but then smiled charmingly. "You can count on us, Xuan Kai."


    I looked at thest member, Yu An Xue, and she nodded when she met my gaze.


    I grinned. "d to have such amodating teammates."


    The speaker system then turned on, interrupting our conversation. "The Chaotic Tranquility and The Lion''s Roar - please prepare for battle."


    Sighing, I stood up and nced at each of my team members once more. "Well then - shall we go?"


    *****


    As soon as we exited our room, we were led down the hallway by the same butler from before. We soon arrived before a set of doors directly at the end of the hall way, and entered through it. What awaited us was another corridor, this time dark all around, illuminated only by the faint white lights above.


    "Please wait here until the battle begins. The door behind you will automatically open when it is time," the butler said.


    "Uh, door behind me...? Where?" Yu An Yan asked, eyes darting around rapidly.


    The butler smiled. "You may not realize it right now, but it is in fact right behind you, yourdyship."


    ''Yourdyship'' was a polite way of addressing a female. Though by the looks of it, Yu An Yan was embarrassed over being addressed this way, especially since this title was usually given to slightly older women. And, well, no one wanted to be called old, so it was understandable that Yu An Yan was embarrassed. She turned away and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.


    The butler then exited the corridor and shut the doors that had led us in here. The five of us were now alone. The feeling was very simr to when we faced Li Yi Fei''s team, back in the indoor Arena. We each held our own thoughts. Instead of breaking this peaceful silence, perhaps it was better to let each of us have alone time to prepare for the uing fight. Thinking this, I closed my eyes and also leaned on the wall.


    Ming Hao...just what are you hiding?


    *****


    Outside, the audience seats have been filled to the brim, and lively cheers exploded throughout the crowd as Song Qian Long made his wee message. It was no exaggeration to say that this was one of the biggest events of the year. Everyone with authority was present, and most of the Shenzhen poption was here as well.


    The Four Great Families of Shenzhen were naturally also present. They had special reserved seats, above everyone else. That being said though, only the patriarchs of each family had this privilege. The four patriarchs were currently seated on a balcony-like tform directly opposite of the announcement room, where Song Qian Long was. In other words, they were right on top of the entrance.


    "Hoho...this is the first time this school has hosted an event like this, is it not?" said Xuan Yang, the current patriarch of the Xuan family. After Xuan Ying had been assassinated, Xuan Yang was the only male heir to the house, and therefore assumed the role of patriarch. The old patriarch was already too old (though not dead just yet) to do anything, after all.


    "Indeed it is," the patriarch of the Li family, Li Hai Tang, replied. "Though I must admit...this is far more impressive than I had expected."


    "Agreed," Yu Ao, the Yu family patriarch, joined in. "This arena never even existed until now. It is truly fascinating that they were able to construct something as detailed as this in such a short time."


    "Yes. That aside, however...if you do not mind my curiosity, which team are you all rooting for this tournament?" Xuan Yang asked the other patriarchs.


    "Well, it is ss A, of course. They have the best students, after all - my son included," Li Hai Tang said smugly. One of his sons - Li Yi Fei - had already been disqualified, but his other one, Li Yi Bai, was just fine in the ss A team.


    Xuan Yangughed boldly. "Ahaha...naturally. My son, Xuan Kun, is the one leading it, so there is no way they will lose."


    "Oho...are you sure about that?" Yu Ao interrupted with a sinister grin on his face.


    The two patriarchs looked at the third with raised eyebrows. "What do you mean?" Xuan Yang asked darkly.


    "Hmm? Oh, nothing. I just have my eyes set on a different team, that''s all. One that will crush your son''s," Yu Ao replied with a nonchnt expression. However, near the end, his tone began dripping with venom.


    The Xuan family and the Yu family were constantly contesting with each other in secret. In public, they don''t show their conflict since that would ruin the reputation of both families, but in private they are constantly at each other''s necks. Recently, the Xuan family has been trying to suck up to the Li family, hoping they would help destroy the Yu family. But s, the Li family hasn''t made a move yet.


    "Oh? Which team is it?" Li Hai Tang asked in genuine curiosity, no sign of animosity in his tone at all, despite the fact that Xuan Kun''s team was also his own son, Li Yi Bai''s team.


    "This might sound surprising, but...I am in fact rooting for ss D''s team - The Chaotic Tranquility, was it?" Yu Ao answered.


    "Hmph, so in the end you''re just choosing whichever team your daughters are on..." Xuan Yang scoffed.


    "And you aren''t?" a fourth voice cut in, one that hasn''t said a single word until now.


    Xuan Yang, upon hearing this female voice, quickly shrunk back into his chair. "Aha...yes, you are right, Lady Qing."


    The one who had spoken was indeed the matriarch of the Qing family, Qing Xin. She was the only female matriarch of the four, and also the only one who has not married yet. Contrary to all expectations, however, she was in fact the strongest, despite the Qing family cedst among the Four Great Families. That was the reason why even the Li Hai Tang had to show significant respect to her, much less Xuan Yang. She was ate Golden Monarch stage with affinity for 8 elements - Ice, Water, Light, Psychic, Blessing, Sound, Sky, and Void. Born with two innate elements, every time she advanced to the next stage she awakened two more, resulting in 8 elements as a Golden Monarch stage.


    The second strongest patriarch was Li Hai Tang, with 6 elements. It is widely believed that even if the other three patriarchs joined hands to fight Qing Xin, they would only have a 60% chance of winning. That was how powerful thisdy was. However, she doesn''t talk much nor does she care about growing the Qing family in terms of strength. The reasons for this are unknown.


    "Oho? Then which team does Lady Qing favor, I wonder?" Li Hai Tang asked, looking at Qing Xin with eyes full of lust. This was hardly surprising, as Qing Xin was just as much of a beauty as her adopted daughter-


    "The team that will win is ss D," Qing Xin dered confidently. "My daughter''s team."


    Indeed - she was Qing Yue''s adoptive mother. Instead of being short and cute like Qing Yue, however, she was tall and had a majestic, untouchable aura around her. She had long since exceeded the word ''cute''. A better term would be gorgeous, perhaps. Many think that when her daughter grows up, she will be just as much of a beauty as her mother, maybe even more.


    Despite not sharing blood rtions, Qing Yue had a striking resemnce with Qing Xin. It is said that Qing Yue was in fact one of Qing Xin''s close servants'' daughter, but unfortunately said servant died right after giving birth. Thus, Qing Xin took over the mother role. Although without any experience in taking care of children or even romance in general, Qing Xin made for a surprisingly good mother. Doting, yes, but good nheless.


    Hence, it was clear why Qing Xin would ce her hopes on ss D''s team.


    "Aha! Good taste, Lady Qing," Yu Ao said, pping his hands together.


    "Well then, the odds are two to two," Li Hai Tang dered. "On that note...to spice things up, why don''t we all ce down bets?"


    "As you wish, Patriarch Li," Xuan Yang responded immediately. "I bet $1,000,000 that ss A wins. If by some reason they do not, Lady Qing and Patriarch Yu can split this money evenly."


    Li Hai Tang nodded, satisfied. "Since Patriarch Xuan has already ced down such arge sum of money, I will offer something else instead - any two Magic Artifacts from the Li family treasury. One for each of you. Does that sound fine?"


    Xuan Yang''s jaw dropped open in shock. Magic Artifacts were extremely precious, especially ones that could go in the Li family treasury. This was the kind of opportunity one wouldn''t dream of. Hence, Xuan Yang was extremely surprised hearing this bet.


    "Er...Patriarch Li, don''t you think that''s a bit..."


    "Much?" Li Hai Tang finished the sentence for him. "No, of course not. After all, you believe in your own son''s team, no? Then I shall also put my faith in him."


    Despite the warm, smiling face he had, these words were in fact a threat to Xuan Yang. The other two patriarchs also noticed this, and they snickered. Basically, Li Hai Tang was saying that if he loses these two artifiacts, it would be Xuan Yang''s fault. A truly evil move.


    "A-Ah, right..." Xuan Yang also picked up on the threat, and shivered uncontrobly. "M-More importantly, how about you two, Patriarch Yu, Lady Qing?"


    "Hrm...let''s see. How about one Mythic spell and two Legendary spells of your choosing from my family''s library? For each of you, of course," Yu Ao said after some consideration.


    "Sure, that sounds adequate," Li Hai Tang confirmed. "Andstly, Lady Qing?"


    After a short silence, the cold beauty known as the matriarch of the Qing family spoke.


    "...I offer all thend the Qing family possesses, apart from the manor itself. The division is up to yourselves."

 Chapter 87 - The Main Tournament (3)

    "L-Lady Qing...are you sure about betting that much?" Li Hai Tang murmured, so taken aback that he stuttered a bit, despite usually being very calm andposed. The other two patriarchs were also gaping in shock.


    Qing Xin didn''t respond, but instead looked towards the transparent speaker room across from their seats. Song Qian Long was currently preparing to announce the start of the first match.


    "Lady Qing, I rmend lowering your bet," Xuan Yang suggested. "After all, should you lose, the Qing family will bepletely depleted of allnd..."


    Qing Xin nced at Xuan Yang in disdain. "Hmph. If you''re so concerned, there''s always the option of not taking anything even if you win."


    "Ah...hahahaha...." Xuan Yangughed awkwardly, having being caught off guard with this statement.


    "Still," Li Hai Tang joined in. "Lady Qing, ss D does not have a chance of winning this tournament. I suggest you reconsider."


    "We''ll see," Qing Xin responded bluntly.


    "Wee everyone once more to the Advancement Exams of Shenzhen Magic High School!" Song Qian Long''s loud voice resounded across the arena, echoing on the walls. "Our first match today will be ss D''s The Chaotic Tranquility against ss B''s The Lion''s Roar - which team will emerge victorious? Please wee them on stage!"


    As cheers erupted in the crowd, the corner of Qing Xin''s lips turned slightly upwards.


    "Good luck, Yue''Er..."


    *****


    The silence of the grey corridor was broken by the sudden rumble of the wall - no, door - before us. What had only looked like a wall until now parted cleanly in half, and slid away from each other like automatic door. In front of us was a desert-like atmosphere, the ground made of sand instead of gravel. The sun was directly above us, and I mentally noted that Vanishing Shadows probably would not be very functional in this environment.


    I squinted, and could make out five figures on the other side of the arena, wearing a bright gold depicting a royal lion. I grinned, then turned to the four girls, who were already standing at the ready behind me.


    "Well, you all ready?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.


    The four of them all nodded firmly, and I turned back around to face the front.


    "Then, let''s go."


    The five of us stepped unto the bright arena, and so did the opposing team.


    "Yo, Xuan Kai," Ming Hao called out to me, to my surprise. "Long time no see, eh?"


    "Uh, yeah, I guess?" I responded questioningly.


    I was taken aback by his friendly tone, since one, we didn''t know each other that well. We met once or twice at best. Two, we were opponents facing off currently. There was no reason to show an enemy any kindness. Did he really have the pleasure of chatting idly with me here right before our fight is about to begin? Was he that confident he could beat us?


    "C''mon, why do you sound so dejected? Loosen up more!" Ming Hao continued excessively warmly, which made me ufortable.


    "Apologies, but this is just how I always am," I replied.


    "Heh...well, how about this? If we beat you here, you gotta show me a genuine smile, yeah?" Ming Hao said yfully. It was clear he wasn''t taking this seriously at all.


    "...You do realize, if you are directly telling me to smile, it won''t be genuine?" I muttered just loudly enough for him to hear.


    "Ah-" his jaw opened, but he couldn''t finish his sentence.


    "..."


    "Ahahaha....that''s embarrassing," he then continued, after awkwardlyughing it off. "Well, no matter. Shall we begin?"


    I smirked. "As you wish."


    *****


    - Ming Hao''s Perspective -


    There was something off about that guy - Xuan Kai. I could feel it. Since birth, I had the special ability to sense the mana of others. I can tell how strong someone else and what elements they possess just by looking at their mana. At least, that''s what I thought until I met Xuan Kai, at the Magic Training ss incident. While to public, it was said that the Awakening Orb just broke down on its own, very few individuals, myself included, knew what really had urred. The root cause of the incident was without a doubt, Xuan Kai.


    Back then, when I entered the room to ''fix'' the mana, what the student council president was really telling me to do, was investigate it. The mana emissions were unusual, something I''ve never seen before. The president must''ve noticed this as well, and hence told me to go in under the excuse of ''fixing'' it. In the end, I just used a Magic Artifact known as the Manascope to suck all the abnormal energy away, and store it within the artifact.


    I had then taken the Manascope back home to thoroughly investigate what the mana really was. However, to this day, I still have not reached an answer. That guy, Xuan Kai...his magic was abnormal. His mana did not hint towards any few elements, but instead had traces of every single one, along with an unknown energy that I couldn''t even begin to interpret.


    Even putting that strange power aside, having traces of every single element within his mana...was simply impossible. That meant he had an affinity for every single element. No one - and I mean no one in history - has ever had affinity for all 21 elements. In the end, I concluded that the reason for there being traces of every element in his mana to be that their entire ss was doing the monthly Awakening Orb system on that day, and some of other people''s mana must''ve been caught up in the explosion.


    Still, that left the question of the mysterious energy that made up 80% of the sample I had taken. Although I couldn''t identify what exactly it was, I could feel its dark and ominous energy. It was, without a doubt, extremely powerful. But if so, how did Xuan Kai, who was born without magic, obtain this power? There were endless mysteries to that guy...perhaps even more so than myself.


    I have, of course, ryed all of this information to the school council president already. He told me to keep an eye on Xuan Kai, and watch for any suspicious or peculiar movements. Though so far, he hasn''t done anything out of the ordinary...


    For this battle, I will stay back and observe. Xuan Kai...what will you do, I wonder?


    *****


    - Xuan Kai''s Perspective -


    "3, 2, 1 - Battle begin!" Song Qian Long''s voice marked the beginning of our match. However...


    Silence.


    "Huh?" Confusion and murmurs broke out among the crowd.


    "What the heck?"


    "Why aren''t they fighting?"


    Indeed - the battle began with a loud mechanical beep, but neither teams moved. We both stood our ground, neither budging an inch. I grinned at Ming Hao in a challenging manner. I then made a hand gesture at them as if beckoning them toe.


    Ming Hao, sensing my intentions,ughed. "So this is how it is...you saw through my n, huh?"


    "I don''t know what your motive is for doing so, and I don''t care either," I replied. "But for the sake of this battle, why don''t we drop all the careful scheming and just have a proper fight?"


    After some careful consideration, Ming Hao stepped forward. "Hm...I like that proposal. How about this then - just you and me, 1 on 1."


    "L-Leader?!" a boy who appeared to be the team''s vanguard turned to look at his leader in shock. This also confirmed my suspicions about Ming Hao being the team leader, though I was already 90% sure.


    "Don''t worry about it, lil'' Nan," Ming Hao smiled reassuringly. "What, you don''t believe in my capabilities?"


    The boy who was addressed with affection faltered. "N-No, it''s not that...are you sure though?"


    "Yeah. As long as Xuan Kai epts," Ming Hao replied, eyeing me purposefully.


    I smiled. "Sure. Simple and direct. I like it."


    "We are both team leaders, so naturally, whichever one of us gets defeated will mark the loss of the entire team," Ming Hao exined as I listened in thought.


    I then nodded. "You''re right. So, how are we doing this? Are we doing things violently or keeping it a friendly bout?"


    Ming Haoughed. "Friendly bout, huh? So you finally consider me a friend?"


    I scratched my cheeks awkwardly. "Just an expression..."


    "Well, in any case - let''s keep things friendly then. I will do my best not to injure you too hard, but no promises."


    I scoffed. What a deceptive person. First he says ''let''s keep things friendly'', and in the next second he says he probably won''t injure me too hard.


    "Tch...just don''t hurt yourself trying," I responded with a defiant sneer.


    Ming Hao smiled as if acknowledging my challenge, and turned back around to face his team. "Team members of The Lion''s Roar, listen up - stand back, as far as possible. Understood?"


    The four members of his team, although reluctantly, all moved back a few paces to the corridor where they had came from, though not insidepletely. I looked behind me, and simrly told the girls to move back. They nodded, inplete agreement and understanding. And then, just when I was about to move closer to the center of the arena in preparation for our duel-


    A hand tugged on my sleeve. I turned around.


    "...?"


    It was Qing Yue. She beamed at me brightly. "Good luck, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    I smiled in return, and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."


    Turning, around, I began walking towards the center of the arena, where Ming Hao was already waiting. My thoughts at the time?


    Even if it was only to see that cheerful smile of my little sister''s again...I would win this fight, no matter what.

 Chapter 88 - The Main Tournament (4)

    "Level Two Sky Magic - Hurricane!" Ming Hao chanted, signaling the start of our duel.


    Of the Sky element, there were two main spell families: Kaze, specializing in spells that used wind and air, and Raijin, specializing in spells that used lightning and electricity. Most Sky Magic users were proficient in only one of the two, since apparently learning both of them caused conflict in the mana of the practitioner. Ming Hao seemed to be a mage that practiced the Kaze family of spells.


    I quickly dodged out of the way. If this had not been a tournament fight with thousands of people watching, I would''ve simply just sucked in the attack, but many powerful characters were watching from the crowds, including Liu Jian. From the corner of my eye, I could see him gazing at me intently from the speaker room, while Song Qian Long stood next to him ufortably.


    It didn''t seem Liu Jian knew that I had already recognized him, which was good. That meant my act would appear more natural. Still, Ming Hao was no normal opponent. Even as I was dodging his previous attack, he would already beunching another barrage of projectiles at me. He was mainly using Sky Magic, Kaze Magic in particr, to pin me down. The reason I wasn''t firing back was because I still did not know his full capabilities. Judging from the strength of his teammates and his position as the student council vice-president, he definitely was not a weak opponent. Therefore, I decided to carefully observe him as he continued to fire magic at me.


    After a while, I grew irritated of his constant attacks, and decided I had gathered enough information. I skid to a stop from running around in circles, and chanted even though I didn''t need to, just to avoid any suspicion.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons."


    Two obsidian-colored dragons shot out from the ground and headed straight for Ming Hao who was hovering in the air. They ate and demolished any projectiles that stood in their way. Although anyone could tell my spell was abnormal due to the ck and red color scheme, there was nothing I could do about that. Should anyone ask, I could just pass it off as an illusion to make my magic look cooler.


    "Wha-!"


    Ming Hao was forced to back away at top speed, swiftly moving through the air with Kaze Magic. However, that wouldn''t be enough to stop my Twin Dragons. The two bestial disasters were homing - they continued to chase Ming Hao, no matter where he went. I smirked as I watched him getting chased all across the arena.


    "What the hell is this thing...?!" Ming Hao yelled, frantically trying to get away. "None of my attacks work against it?!"


    "Have fun with my little pet!" I shouted.


    "Damn it...to think I would have to use this move..." Ming Hao muttered angrily. "Hah, you got me good, Xuan Kai! But I''m not quite done yet...!"


    I narrowed my eyes. He didn''t seem to be bluffing when he said that.


    "Level Two Void Magic - Phasewalk!"


    My eyes widened in shock as Ming Hao vanished into thin air. To be more urate, he opened up a rift that led to the void and entered it. As I scrambled to locate him, I could feel sweat forming on my forehead. I never expected Ming Hao to have Void Element, one of the three Dark Magic elements. I didn''t have any preparation. My twin dragons, looked around, confused about where its target went. However, it then stared directly at me-


    "Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus!" I chanted, extending my hand behind me.


    "Wha-" Ming Hao''s surprised voice rang out from the same direction I fired my attack at.


    "Ugh!" The fire lotus mmed directly into Ming Hao''s stomach with a loud explosion, and he was sted away.


    "Leader!" the boy from before, lil'' Nan, cried in worry. He looked like he was about to run to Ming Hao, but was stopped by a taller boy d in golden armor.


    "Stop, lil'' Nan...going now would be viting the rules of their duel," the taller boy said in a gentle tone.


    "B-But, leader is-"


    "I''m fine..." Ming Hao managed to croak out, and slowly got to his feet once more.


    "Oh? You''re still conscious?" I asked, eyeing him with genuine surprise.


    "Hah...yeah, barely," Ming Hao replied while panting heavily. "How did you know I was there...?"


    I grinned and pointed upwards at my twin dragons, still circling around in the sky while eyeing Ming Hao with hostility. I had it stop attacking Ming Hao since I thought he would already be knocked unconscious from the me lotus. We agreed before the match not to injure each other more than needed, after all. However...it seems that I have underestimated Ming Hao''s durability.


    "Damn it, that thing can track me even in the void?" Ming Hao muttered. "I''ve never seen a spell that can do that before, where did you get your hands on it?"


    "The Yu family, of course," I answered truthfully.


    "Hah...makes sense," Ming Hao murmured to himself. "The two Yu family sisters are on your team, yeah?"


    I nodded, then steered the conversation back on course. "So, do you want to keep fighting, or will you admit defeat?"


    "Defeat? Never heard of that word," Ming Haoughed. "Bring it on!"


    I smiled. "As you wish."


    Saying this, I snapped my fingers, signaling the Twin Dragons to start attacking once more. Ming Hao quickly shot into the air and the game of cat and mouse began once more. Honestly, I was pretty shocked. Despite him being covered in wounds and blood, he showed no sign of slowing down or getting any weaker from before.


    "It''s time to end this..."I murmured after a while of watching him being chased around to no end. But then he did something that shocked me once more-


    "Tch! Level Two Gravity Magic - Binding Order!"


    "Ngh!" I felt an invisible force weighing down on me, binding my movements. It wasn''t powerful enough to outright crush me, but I couldn''t move either. "Gah...you can use Gravity Magic too...?!"


    "This is my final trump card..." Ming Hao muttered, drifting down to the ground gently, now free from his pursuer since I lost focus from the sudden impact causing the two dragons to disperse into thin air. "Well? You can''t move, right? I guess this is my win, then?"


    "Kuku...don''t get cocky, bastard..." I smirked devilishly, despite being pinned down by an overwhelming gravitational force.


    Ming Hao either really didn''t hear what I said or just chose not to. Regardless, he walked closer to me, stopping about a foot away. "Man...this was a tough fight, even for me. Xuan Kai, you have my respect."


    "Don''t talk like you''ve already won..." I sneered, but this time he definitely chose to ignore my words.


    "Admit it, you lost," Ming Hao said, eyeing me condescendingly.


    "Heh...is that really true?" I said, mustering just enough strength to raise my head and re at him in contempt.


    Ming Hao, finally acknowledging my words, narrowed his eyes. "You''repletely immobilized. What do you hope to do to me in this state? Just admit defeat, I don''t want to keep hurting you."


    "Immobilized, huh...?" I muttered quietly. "But y''know...a mage doesn''t need to be able to move to cast spells."


    <em>I didn''t want to have to reveal a 4th element, but...in order to face my brother, I must win this.</em>


    <em>Level One Earth Magic - Stgmite.</em>


    Ming Hao''s eyes then widened in shock - whether it was at my words or at the sudden rumbling of the earth below him, no one knew.


    "What the hell?!"


    Those were thest words he said before getting brutally knocked into the air by the rock spike I created, now emerged from the ground.


    *****


    - After the Duel, Infirmary -


    (Ming Hao''s Perspective)


    Where the hell am I...?


    I opened my eyes, and all I saw was white. The ceiling looked familiar, and yet distant. Since I was staring straight at the top of the room, I assumed I was lying down. And so, I sat up groggily, looking around at my surroundings. I shook my head violently and pped my own face to get any remaining sleepiness out of my system.


    What happened...?


    Thest thing I remembered was-


    That''s right - the duel. The fight with Xuan Kai, the fate of both our teams resting on our shoulders. That was at the outdoor Arena...so where the hell was this?


    "Finally awake?" a mature female voice asked.


    I whipped my head around to look in the direction of the door, and there stood a mature-lookingdy dressed in a white coat holding a teacup. Someone I knew.


    "The school nurse...?" I murmured quietly.


    "I have a name, you know? Mrs. Fang," she replied exasperatedly. "Goodness, kids nowadays are so impolite..."


    "A-Ah, s-sorry," I hurriedly apologized, having regained control of my consciousness. "Mrs. Fang, where exactly am I?"


    "Hm? What a dumb question," she said with a raised eyebrow. "If you can tell I''m the school nurse, then you''re obviously in..."


    "...The school infirmary," I finished.


    "Bingo! Took you long enough..."


    "W-Wait, this still doesn''t sound right. This is the school infirmary, sure, but why am I in here?" I scratched my head nervously, trying to recall what had happened in the duel with Xuan Kai.


    For some reason, I only remembered up to me pinning him down with my most powerful spell and final trump card, the Level Two Gravity Element spell, Binding Order. What had happened after that...I couldn''t remember, no matter how hard I tried.


    "Oh? Don''t tell my you forgot," Mrs. Fang said as she came closer and ced her cup of tea on my nightstand.


    "Forgot...?"


    "You sure you didn''t hit your head?"


    "Ah...I don''t think so?"


    "..."


    "C-Can you please tell me what happened, and how did I get sent here?"


    Mrs. Fang sighed. "Fine...from what I was told, this is what urred..."


    *****


    - 5 Minutes Later -


    "So, in short, I was defeated by Xuan Kai in the duel, and suffered a huge injury as a by-product?" I said, somewhat dejected.


    "Yep," Mrs. Fang confirmed, nodding her head while taking a sip from her tea.


    "No way...that can''t be, from what I remember, I had him pinned down with my Gravity Magic, how was I the one to lose?" I asked no one in particr.


    "How am I supposed to know?" Mrs. Fang shrugged her shoulders. "In any case, your injury was pretty nasty. Apparently you were sent flying into the air by a huge stgmite that rose out of the ground. Luckily, the tip of the rock was blunt, otherwise you would probably be dead by now."


    "Wow..." I sighed both in awe and exasperation. Xuan Kai must''ve purposely made his attack blunt to hurt me as least as possible. And to think he could use Earth Magic as well...just how many more secrets are you hiding, Xuan Kai?


    Still...just how did he turn that situation around? My memories were a mess, but I remember very clearly that I had him at the edge of defeat. But anything past that...I couldn''t recall a thing. Not only was this weird, it was also suspicious. If I really just hit my head somewhere and lost some memories, why were my memories so conveniently cut off right before Xuan Kai turned things around? It couldn''t be just a coincidence. Someone must''ve altered my memories.


    I nced at Mrs. Fang, but she didn''t seem like the type to do that. Memory maniption required high level Curse or Psychic Magic, and while Mrs. Fang does have an affinity for the Psychic Element, if I remember correctly she isn''t very proficient at it.


    This was a mystery I had to solve, and I am determined to investigate to the bitter end. But before that...this was the first time I have been bested by someone of my own age, and he had even held back against me while I was forced to use my trump card.


    Xuan Kai...just who are you?

 Chapter 89 - The Main Tournament (5)

    - After the Duel, Waiting Room -


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Hah..." I sank into the soft andfy couch, exhausted.


    We were currently in our team''s designated waiting room. After I knocked Ming Hao unconscious with my Earth Element attack, our victory was announced and he was sent directly to the school infirmary. Since the outdoor Arena wasn''t that far from the school campus, I assume the trip didn''t take long. He should be waking up soon.


    That being said, what I did back there was a risky move. I had to win while hiding my true strength as much as possible, but Ming Hao forced me to show one of my secrets - being able to cast magic without chanting.


    At the time, I had moved my mouth to make it seem like I had chanted, just really quietly. However, the spell I had used, Stgmite, in fact needed the user to m their palm into the ground and send their mana to the exact point they wanted the attack to rise from. Since I didn''t need to chant, I naturally also didn''t need to do the necessary actions. I could cast a spell with a single thought, now that my mana was constantly active thanks to Mei Gui.


    I could fool most people with my little act, but true experts like the patriarchs of the Four Great Families or Liu Jian would still be able to tell I was abnormal. But s, had I not used this move, I would''ve lost the match. There was nothing I could do now but hope for the best.


    Still...Ming Hao had proved to be a bigger threat than I had thought. I had discretely used Psychic Magic at the end to erase part of his memories, but I didn''t have enough time to thoroughlyplete the spell before his teammates, lil''Nan in particr, came rushing over. I was forced to pretend nothing had happened and walked back to my own side.


    It was then that Qing Yue decided to hop on the couch as well...or rather, myp.


    "Qing Yue?" I was taken by surprise by the sudden weight that fell atop my navel area.


    "Mm...good job today, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." she murmured, rubbing her head into my chest.


    I smiled and patted her head gently. "Yeah...thanks."


    Feng Mian then plopped down beside me, and folded her arms over her generous bosom. "We can''t rx just yet, we still have to fight whoever wins this next match..."


    Then, the TV flickered to life once more as if it had been listening in to our conversation. Shown on screen was Song Qian Long, in the middle of broadcasting within the speaker room.


    Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan then sat down to my left, thetter grabbing an apple off the tter ced on the table. "How did you beat him anyway, Xuan Kai? You were pinned down by Ming Hao, and all of us totally thought you were going to lose."


    "...Seriously? Where''s your faith in me?" I asked, slightly disappointed.


    "I knew you were going to win, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." Qing Yue murmured in response, snuggling even closer to me.


    "Thank you, Qing Yue..." I rxed and let myself be embraced by her.


    "I-I mean, can you really me us?" Feng Mian spoke up in Yu An Yan''s defense. "You looked powerless in front of Ming Hao''s Gravity Magic...we knew you were holding back as to not show your true strength, but we couldn''t help but hold some feelings of worry."


    Yu An Yan nodded along, taking a bite out of her apple. "But hey, don''t dodge the question. Nom...nom...how did you beat him anyway?"


    "Well...it was a hunch, to be honest," I admitted.


    "A...hunch?" Yu An Xue echoed, the first time she spoke since this conversation began. "What do you mean...?"


    Since the other girls seemingly had the same question (except for Qing Yue, who was hugging me happily without a care in the world), I sighed and began exining, though not before running a Detect Presence in the area and also making sure there weren''t any wiretaps or cameras in the room.


    "So, you all know that I can cast magic without chanting, correct?"


    They all nodded. I continued. "Well...I was thinking, if I can cast magic without a chant, then I should also be able to cast magic without doing the necessary actions, no?"


    "Ahh...certainly, that is true. Most spells require a special action from the caster to actually activate," Yu An Yan said before taking another bite out of her apple.


    "I can''t believe you...what is that luck you have?" Feng Mian sighed exasperatedly. "But you can''t count on just luck every time, you know..."


    I shrugged. "Yeah, I know. This time I just got lucky, the next time probably won''t go as well...but still, it worked out fine in the end."


    "Well, whatever," Yu An Yan stretched her arms, having finished her apple. "Let''s watch the next battle between ss A and ss C."


    "Right..." I said, beginning to turn my head towards the TV, but then quickly snapped back to Yu An Yan, remembering something. "Wait, you ate the core of the apple too?!"


    She stared at me and nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Um...yeah? Why?"


    "...Okay, buddy..." I slowly averted my gaze, and prepared to watch the next fight between Xuan Kun and Liao Fen.


    Still though...who the heck eats the core of apples?


    *****


    - Outside, Spectator tform -


    "To think ss D''s team would win against ss B''s..." Li Hai Tang, the patriarch of the Li family, murmured in surprise as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    "Hmph...they got lucky and nothing more," Xuan Yang retorted disdainfully.


    "Oho...how crass," Yu Ao remarked. "That boy...Xuan Kai, was it? He is from your family, no?"


    The reason he feigned not knowing Xuan Kai was to avoid any unnecessary trouble. It would be a problem if anyone found out about their rtionship. There was no reason why the patriarch of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen should know the exiled son of another, especially someone with no power such as Xuan Kai.


    The only possible exnation was that by some twist of fate his daughter fell in love with the boy in question. While he did wee Xuan Kai as a son-inw, if baseless rumors began spreading before the matter was actually decided, should Xuan Kai reject the offer, it would be quite the disaster for the Yu family''s reputation. That is why, for the sake of his family, until Xuan Kai officially epts the marriage, Yu Ao has no choice but to pretend he didn''t know him.


    Xuan Yang, however, was in far more of a hurry to cut off any ties he has with the boy. "Correction, Patriarch Yu - that boy WAS from my family. However, he has long since been exiled."


    This caused Li Hai Tang to perk up in curiosity, which could spell trouble for Xuan Yang.


    "Oh? Why was he exiled?" Li Hai Tang asked. "He seems more than capable to me, being able to defeat the student council vice-president of the school."


    "A-Ah, patriarch Li...this is quite an embarrassing story on my part, but I''m sure you''ve heard of the boy with no magic," Xuan Yang hurriedly said in a fluster.


    "Hmm...yes, I do believe hearing about that sometime. You are saying that this Xuan Kai is the boy born with no magic?"


    "Precisely," Xuan Yang replied. "That is the reason we exiled him out of the house. The Xuan family has no need for useless wastes."


    Yu Ao''s eyes narrowed dangerously at this, possibly due to natural paternal protection, but didn''t say anything. Qing Xin also sent Xuan Yang a stare full of killing intent, but simrly kept silent. The reason for this was Xuan Kai being her sister''s son. In other words, Qing Xin was Xuan Kai''s aunt.


    While in public, it was announced that Xuan Kai''s parents were assassinated by an unknown organization, Qing Xin had her doubts. Organizations powerful enough to take down two extremely talented Advanced Mages would not do so for no reason. Someone powerful must''ve asked them to, be it with money or some other reward. As for the identity of that someone...Qing Xin strongly surmised it was someone within the Xuan family - and Xuan Yang was her prime suspect.


    Li Hai Tang, unlike the other two, didn''t seem angry at this statement, but instead sighed in...disappointment, almost?


    "Useless waste, you say? Hmph, that boy is anything but a useless waste. I judge him to be on the same level as your son Xuan Kun, if not stronger," Li Hai Tang mused. "Truly...what a misjudgement on the Xuan family''s part. You all lost a peerless talent from one hasty, irreversible decision."


    "Y-Yes..." Xuan Yang hung his head in embarrassment. Having no choice but to go along with what Li Hai Tang said, he was made a fool out of today, in front of the three patriarchs and everyone watching in the stands. Deep within his mind, a dark emotion begin bubbling, something along the lines of:


    ''Xuan Kai...you made me suffer shame today. A year ago, I let you survive in order to make you experience the pain of losing your parents. But you have crossed the line...very soon, I will have you die a miserable death.''


    As he was thinking this, however, Song Qian Long cleared his throat from the speaker room, and began announcing the next fight.


    "Next up - ss 2-C''s team, Death''s Door, versus ss 2-A''s team, The Cursed Warlocks! Which team wille out on top in this bout, and advance to the finals?! Let us wee them on the Arena!"


    The metal doors across from each other within the hexagonal arena slid open, and two teams of five emerged. From one side, Liao Fen''s haughty face came into view, while on the other, Xuan Kun''s wicked grin came to light.


    "Heh...Xuan Kun, huh?" Liao Fen said condescendingly with his arms folded in contempt. "So you''re the infamous Curse Magic wielder in our school. Hate to tell ya, but your magic ain''t gonna do shit against me."


    Xuan Kun responded with a sneer. "That''s rich,ing from a piece of trash still stuck in ss C."


    "This ss C student will break your neck today," Liao Fen shot back. "Prepare yourself, Mr. Cursed Warlock."


    As he said thest part in a mocking tone, Xuan Kun''s grin spread even wider.


    "Heheh...Likewise, Solo Devil."

 Chapter 90 - The Main Tournament (6)

    - Outside Arena -


    (Xuan Kun''s Perspective)


    "Maledictum - Segnis! Infirmis! Enervis!" I chanted,unching curse after curse at the so-called Solo Devil. I had to admit, his title wasn''t there just for show. He was dodging my attacks at an inhuman speed, but with my Void Element to escape, he couldn''t get close to me either. Put simply, we were at a stalemate.


    My allies were all preupied with The Solo Devil''s team members, though he himself didn''t seem to care about his teammates at all. Fortunately for them, though, the four students on his team seemed to be holding up fine. I swear, my allies are all so useless. First, that bastard Li Mu Shen. All he knows what to do is flirt with that bitch Lan Gui Ying. The only reason I epted this yboy into my team was because my father ordered me to.


    I don''t really get it, but apparently my father was trying to get the Li family''s support. No matter how Li Mu Shen acted, he was still an heir to the Li family. His older brother, Li Yi Fei, was utterly crushed by my younger brother, Xuan Kai, so Li Mu Shen was the most likely candidate for the next patriarch of the Li family.


    I can understand my father''s motive, but from how I see it, the entire Li family is full of trash, especially the next generation. If a woman-loving man like Li Mu Shen became the next patriarch of the Li family, it would cease to be one of the Four Great Families real quick. That''s why I find currying their favor utterly pointless. If they decide to stand in our way, just crush them together with the others. That''s my philosophy, but my father denied it. As I am right now, I still can''t fight back against my father. But soon...heh.


    As for Lan Gui Ying...Li Mu Shen insisted she join the team as well, or he wasn''t joining either. I inwardly cursed at the time. Both of them were weak as hell, and just one baggage was enough. Now I have to carry two? Shit. If my teammates were actuallypetent students that deserved being in ss A, this battle would''ve been over a long time ago. But no, instead, I got these two idiots who were only in ss A because of the Li family. Well, screw it. I''ll just have to use the power of three peoplebined then...


    "Xuan Kun, you''re not bad!" Liao Fen yelled, now back in his original spot when the duel began. "But just sitting there and defending like a pussy won''t win ya this fight, y''know?"


    I haven''t moved a single step from where I was since the duel began, and had been mainly focusing on the defensive to adapt to Liao Fen''s overly aggressive fighting style. Since he was a close range fighter that never used ranged attacks, he possessed the Blessing and Demon elements. Both, he only used for enhancing his own body and stats. The best strategy to use against a brute like him is maintaing your distance and poking him down. I admit, this was a pretty cowardly tactic, but it was necessary. I''ve always been someone who doesn''t give two shits about what others think of me, and so...such a taunt won''t do anything to me.


    "Heh, you''re talking big, but you still haven''tnded a single damn hit on me," Xuan Kun said condescendingly. "I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve, how about you?"


    "Don''t underestimate me, ahaha! Level Two Demon Magic..." Liao Fen''s eyes took a dangerous scarlet hue as he yelled towards the sky. "BLOOD BREAK!"


    Blood Break - a Level Two Demon Element spell that enhanced physical abilities and senses greatly. It was a three-tier spell that had more powerful effects the higher the tier was. The Level One version of this spell was Blood Veil, while the Level Three version was Blood Shatter. Together, they are collectively known as the Blood Enhancement Spell Family.


    "Tch...to think you could raise your abilities even further," I muttered. This posed quite the problem. Liao Fen was already fast enough as it was, but with the demonic enhancements of Blood Break, his physical abilities would evolve beyond ''inhuman''. It would be more urate to call him a true monster now.


    "I said...not to underestimate me," Liao Fen murmured, slowly looking up. His eyes, if they had a shred of humanity before, were devoid of any now. Instead, he had a mad grin stered over his face, and was staring straight at me.


    I gulped out of instinct, and could feel cold sweat sliding down my back.


    "H-Heh...you think just doing that can defeat me?" I said, putting up a false bravado. I had a n in mind. But in order for it to seed I needed to stall as much time as possible here...damn it, to think I would have to resort using this...


    "What, are ya going to use your trump card as well?" Liao Fen smirked devilishly. "Hmph, fine. Go ahead, I''m waiting."


    I stared at him, dumbfounded, still putting up my front. "You''re just going to let me prepare my trump card?"


    "Yeah," Liao Fen said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It wouldn''t be a fair fight if I came at ya right now. I fuckin'' hate sneak attacks like that."


    Iughed deep down at how splendidly he is falling for my n. Yes...that''s right. Keep talking, idiot.


    "I must say, your respect for your opponents is worth noting," I continued, dragging the conversation on longer than needed.


    "Respect for my opponents? Nah, that''s not what it is," Liao Fen muttered.


    "Then what is it?"


    "Who the hell would feel satisfied winning an easy fight?" he scoffed.


    Well..everyone except for you, I would say. But that doesn''t matter...what''s important is the time. I have stalled enough...heheh.


    "Hey, Liao Fen," I hollered intentionally. "My trump card...you want to see it, right?"


    "Hmph. Give me all ya got."


    I cackled evilly. "You asked for it."


    I closed my eyes and took the same stance Liao Fen had just moments ago.


    "What the hell?! That is-"


    "Level Two Demon Magic - Blood Break."


    *****


    - Within the Chaotic Tranquility''s Waiting Room -


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Our team was currently sitting on the coach, watching the battle between The Cursed Warlocks and Death''s Door on the TV in the room. Xuan Kun had just taken the exact same stance as Liao Fen had when he had cast Blood Break.


    "That is..." Feng Mian began, but trailed off, unable to say another word. More urately, no more words were needed. We all knew what she was going to say.


    "Yeah...Blood Break," I muttered. "He used the same spell as Liao Fen."


    "B-But isn''t that a Demon Element spell?!" Yu An Yan asked, shocked at what had just happened on screen.


    "It is," Qing Yue confirmed. "But this just means that that guy has the Demon Element as well."


    "Didn''t his profile on the Magus Ranking app say Curse and Void Element though?" Yu An Yan flipped out her phone to check once more. "Yeah, it says here..."


    I shook my head. "The information on the app is notplete. And it was probably done on purpose."


    Feng Mian made a thinking gesture. "In other words, that guy intentionally hid that he in fact has the Demon Element as well?"


    "Mm...that makes sense..." Yu An Xue murmured quietly.


    I turned back towards the screen. "Chances are, this was his ultimate trump card, the one he was originally nning to use against me. But unfortunately, he never expected Liao Fen to be this strong, and ended up having to use this here."


    "Well...I guess this is good for us then?" Yu An Yan shrugged. Then, in a lower tone, "But Liao Fen is not so lucky..."


    "Whatever," I said nonchntly. "I''ve already figured out his n here."


    "Wait, what?! But you''ve only been watching for a minute or so!" Feng Mian eximed in shock. "I don''t even have any guesses as to what that guy''s motives might be, how have you figured it out already?!"


    I looked at her with a deadpan expression. "The question should be, how have you not?"


    "Wha-"


    "Look, it''s simple. Have you not realized? Xuan Kun''s talk with Liao Fen earlier - it was to stall time," I exined.


    "Stall time...? For what?" Yu An Yan cut in.


    I sighed. "All physical enhancement spells have a duration limit, and Blood Break, from what I know, is no different. And since Liao Fen activated his before Xuan Kun..."


    "...Liao Fen''s Blood Break will run out first, of course," Qing Yue finished for me. I looked at her with a smile, and she gave me a wink back. I could always count on her to understand what I was thinking inside my head...though sometimes that isn''t exactly a good thing, like this morning when she called out my night with Mei Gui as if looking inside my head. For the most part though, this was an advantage...I think. Despite us not being a real pair of siblings, we certainly had the tacit understanding of one.


    The two of us then turned towards Feng Mian together. "So? You get it?" we said in unison.


    "Y-Yeah..." Feng Mian averted her gaze, embarrassed at how she wasn''t able to figure out such a simple thing.


    I took a deep breath. "In any case, these kinds of spells neverst too long, especially only a Level Two one, so Liao Fen''s should run out anytime n- well, actually, there it is."


    Indeed, on the screen, Liao Fen appeared to be exhausted, and was suffering the bacsh from going over the time limit. He knelt on the ground, sweating profusely. Xuan Kun, on the other hand, appeared to be just fine, not strained or tired in any way.


    Then, swiftly, Xuan Kun formed a Void Element attack, andunched it at the defeated Liao Fen. He had no way of dodging,pletely immobilized by the overuse of Blood Break. A nasty explosion ensued, and...


    These two students had been the spotlights of this fight. And the one to emerge victorious was - Xuan Kun.

 Chapter 91 - Side : Lunch Break

    Soon after the battle between The Cursed Warlocks and Death''s Door finished, we heard several knocks on our door. Feng Mian, as usual, got off the couch and went to open it.


    "Hello...oh, it''s you again," Feng Mian began politely, but quickly switched to an informal tone seeing who it was - the same butler from before.


    "Apologies for the interruption," the butler said, bowing down graciously.


    "Uh...no worries," I said, standing up. "What''s up?"


    "It is nothing worth mentioning - I just came over to bring your lunch," the butler said with a dazzling smile.


    I blinked. "Lunch?"


    "Yes, that is correct. It is already noon," he replied.


    I nced up at the clock hanging on the wall. "Ah...time passed by so quickly."


    "Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I''m feeling pretty hungry!" Qing Yue eximed, hopping off the couch by doing a backflip.


    "What the heck Qing Yue, since when did you know how to do backflips?!" Yu An Yan shouted, shocked at my little sister''s impressive disy of acrobatics.


    Truth to be told, I didn''t know she could do that either, but whatever. More importantly...


    "So? Where do you guys want go eat?"


    "Mm...how about...that Western style restaurant in Starry City?" Yu An Xue suggested.


    "Sure! What was it called again...ah, that''s right! Grange Grill!" Qing Yue eximed in jubtion. "I remember taking Big Brother Xuan Kai there one time..."


    "Stop," I immediately cut her off. "That was an embarrassing incident..."


    The first time I had went there with Qing Yue, we had run into quite some trouble. My fiancee Lan Gui Ying (as much as I would like to deny it), along with her boyfriend of sorts, Li Mu Shen. The two of them had humiliated me, and in the end I had to be rescued by Yu An Xue, a girl. This was a sensitive subject for me...


    "But you''re okay now, right? That time I woke up, wasn''t Grange Grill the ce we went to for dinner?" Yu An Yan said thoughtfully.


    "Uh, yeah...I''m fine with the ce itself, just the memory of getting humiliated...whatever," I shook my head. "Let''s go."


    However-


    "My apologies, but I am afraid you are misunderstanding something," the butler, who had remained silent as we discussed where to go for lunch, cut in suddenly.


    The five of us all turned to look at him curiously.


    "Ah, don''t get me wrong. If you wish to eat outside, by all means," the butler quickly corrected himself. "However, I have already a meal prepared for you..."


    "Wait, what?!" Feng Mian eximed in surprise. "Say that sooner!"


    "M-My apologies..." the butler bowed deeply. "I just did not wish to interrupt your conversation."


    "Heehee, the food better be good!" Qing Yue rubbed her hands together in anticipation.


    The butlerposed himself, smiled, and snapped his fingers. Several maids then seemed to appear out of nowhere, and entered the room, each holding a tter of food. Thest maid seemed to be holding utensils instead of tters though. Nevertheless, the sight was so grandiose that the five of us were shocked speechless.


    "Holy shit..." I unconsciously let out.


    "Woah..."


    "Hey, hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai...this treatment is even better than Grange Grill''s..."


    "No kidding," I replied, my gaze following the maid in the front as she set down the food on our table. "It''s like we''re royalty..."


    The maids ced the tters of food on the table one after another, and when thest one was finished, the lot of them piled out of the room together without a word. The entire process took less than a minute.


    "Woah...it''s like they''re robots," Yu An Yan mused. Indeed, the maids'' movements were so smooth and clean they seemed to be mechanical-


    "They are," the butler interrupted with a smile.


    "Huh?"


    "The maids you saw just now were not human," the butler exined. "Instead, they are golems that resemble humans."


    Ahh...that makes sense. Since this world had magic, not much effort was put into developing and evolving technology. There was no way artificial robots would be this detailed and advanced. Magic Golems, however, were a different matter altogether. They were highlyplex beings that resembled humans. However, because they do not possess human emotions, they will follow any order given to them by their registered master. This was also the main advantage of golems - essentially, they could be used a suicide bomber, no matter how dangerous the task was.


    Although many people around the world are against this idea of sacrificing golems, I don''t find any problem with it. Golems might look like humans, but they weren''t living human beings. In the end, they were machines, mere tools to help fulfill a purpose. Therefore, sending golems to do the dangerous work wasn''t a selfish, heartless act, but instead a wise and tactful strategy. That''s what I think, anyway.


    "Now then, I shall take my leave," the butler said. And with onest bow, he exited the room, gently shutting the door behind him.


    The five of us couldn''t contain our excitement anymore, and hurriedly hopped back on the couch. There were a total of eight different dishes, and five smaller bowls that probably contained rice. We each took off the lids off the smaller bowls first, and a sweet aroma filled the air. Indeed, it was rice.


    "Whew...this is some high quality rice, I can tell by the smell," Yu An Yan whistled.


    "Don''t get too impressed by just the rice, the actual dishes are probably even better..." I said, waiting in anticipation. Then, turning to Qing Yue, who had been eyeing the tters with eagerness for the past minute, I spoke. "Go ahead, Qing Yue."


    "Okay~"


    Saying this, she lifted the lids one by one, and a plethora of different vors filled the room.Among them were lemon chicken, Szechuan boiled fish, roastmb skewers, and a beef stew - all traditional dishes.


    "W-Wow..." Feng Mian stuttered out amazed by the sight.


    "I wasn''t even hungry a second ago, but after seeing these..." I trailed off. Everyone knew what I was going to say.


    "Well, whatever!!" Qing Yue dered happily. "Let''s dig in! Itadakimasu!!"


    However, just as she picked up the chopsticks provided by the maids, I stopped her.


    "Hold on, we have to examine this food first," I said. This was the first time I''ve had such an extravagant meal, so I wanted to thoroughly investigate the ingerdients and such.


    "What?? But I''m so hungry..." Qing Yue pouted unhappily.


    "You can eat after," I replied.


    "But what got you so worked up all of a sudden?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Yeah...this isn''t like the Xuan Kai I know," Feng Mian added.


    I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Uh, w-well, you see...I''ve actually always wanted to learn cooking, ever since my parents passed away," I exined.


    "Cooking?" Qing Yue perked up. "Woah, Big Brother Xuan Kai, you never told me about this!"


    I nced sideways at her. "You never asked..."


    "Oh, true."


    I cleared my throat. "Anyway...because my parents are no longer here, I have to get by somehow on my own. I can''t rely on the school cafeteria forever, y''know? So I made up my mind to learn how to cook."


    "Huh...well, have you ever actually tried since you made up your mind or whatever?" Yu An Yan asked, curious.


    "Er...no."


    "..."


    "..."


    "THEN WHY THE HECK ARE YOU TRYING TO DISSECT OUR FOOD?!"


    "I-I''m not trying to dissect it! I''m just taking it apart and identifying what''s inside!" I attempted to refute, but was cut off mercilessly by Yu An Yan.


    "That''s LITERALLY the meaning of DISSECTION!"


    "Okay, okay, calm down, both of you..." Feng Mian muttered, cupping her ears from Yu An Yan''s yelling.


    "I AM CALM!" Yu An Yan shouted.


    "Not very convincing, when you say it like that..." I murmured quietly. She either didn''t hear me, or just chose not to hear me, because she didn''t say a word in response.


    "Now then...let''s begin dissec- ahem, examining the contents of this lemon chicken..." I said to myself, turning around. I nearly said dissect thanks to Yu An Yan, but I quickly corrected myself before anyone could notice...not.


    "You just said dissect, didn''t you?" a shadow crept up behind me, and I immediately knew who it was. Cold sweat dripped down my back as I stuttered out a reply.


    "U-Uh, no? You must''ve misheard. Also, I think you yelling was better, don''t suddenly use a quiet voice..."


    Indeed, it was Yu An Yan. Who else could it be? She ced a hand on my shoulder and a shiver ran up my spine. "Xuan Kai...don''t you dare touch the food."


    "R-Right, okay..." I gave in and backed away slowly.


    Yu An Yan gave me a refreshing smile that I would''ve found cute if she hadn''t just threatened me wordlessly earlier. Oh well, even if I didn''t get the chance this time, there''s always a next. For now, I would just enjoy the lun-


    "Apologies for the interruption, but are you all finished eating?" a familiar young male voice called from the direction of the door.


    "Huh?" Yu An Yan turned to look at him - the butler from before.


    "Ah...I just came to inform you that it is time to head to the Arena. Your next match is about to begin."


    "Wha- but it hasn''t even been 10 minutes...not." Feng Mian began, but quickly finished her sentence upon gazing at the clock on the wall. 20 minutes had already passed since the first entrance of the butler earlier. The time given was more than enough to finish eating, but we wasted a lot of time discussing where to go outside to eat like a bunch of fools.


    "This is all your fault!" Yu An Yan pointed at me angrily.


    "W-What?! How is it my-"


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...you''re going to have to pay dearly for this~" Qing Yue interrupted with an angelic smile on her face.


    "Ah, shit....here we go again," I muttered to myself.


    And so, the five of us headed off together to the finals of the Advancement Exams - withpletely empty stomachs. Now then, how will things turn out from here?

 Chapter 92 - The Final Showdown (1)

    It was time. The finals of the main tournament, and the Advancement Exams. However, the meaning of this uing fight was far greater than just that. The feud between Xuan Kun and I does not just concern ourselves. Xuan Kun''s father was the one to single-handedly devise the n to assassinate my parents. That was something I would never forgive - both him and his future generations.


    The wall before us that was in fact a door slid open, and we were met with the same familiar desert-themed arena. But this time, although the stage was the same, the opponents we would be facing were very different, and not in a good way. From what I have seen, Xuan Kun is more powerful than Ming Hao. If I had such a hard time with Ming Hao, then Xuan Kun would undoubtedly even more difficult to defeat, especially since I have to be wary of Liu Jian who was watching from the crowds.


    Xuan Kun soon emerged from the opposite side of the arena, and gave me a condescending look when he saw me.


    "Long time no see, my dear former brother," he sneered, voice dripping with sarcasm.


    "Not long enough," I muttered in reply. "I find it quite unfortunate, seeing your face again here today."


    "Hmph...likewise," he scoffed.


    Our eyes then met, both of ours glowering with the anger and resentment we''ve built up over all the years. "Xuan Kun," I said.


    "Xuan Kai..." he responded in turn.


    Then, the both of us in unison-


    "It''s time to settle the debt between us, once and for all."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 20 Minutes Earlier,A Certain Waiting Room</strong><strong>-</strong>


    "Old geezer, what are you doing here?" Xuan Kun asked the man before him.


    "I came to provide aid," the man replied mysteriously. He wore a ck fedora, and within this dark, isted part of the hallway, it was impossible to get a good glimpse of his face. His tone was aged, and it was clear this man was an old master from the aura he was extruding.


    Xuan Kun leaned on the wall, and asked, "Aid? For what?"


    "The annihtion of Xuan Kai, of course."


    Xuan Kunughed hearing this. "You think I need help in getting rid of that trash?"


    "Hmph. Don''t underestimate him," the man advised. "He was able to defeat the vice-president of the school''s student council."


    "So? That just means the vice-president was weak," Xuan Kun scoffed.


    "Keep in mind we still do not know how Xuan Kai is now able to use magic," the man continued, ignoring Xuan Kun''s remark. "This is beyond the scope of ate awakening. Usually, ate awakening happens within a month of when the baby was first born. Even to the extreme, thetest awakening recorded was two months after the baby was born. To only awaken his powers after 14 years...this is abnormal."


    "Tch. Who cares? It''s not like he has some godlike power we don''t know about," Xuan Kun shrugged.


    "...And what if he does...?" the man muttered quietly.


    "What was that?"


    "No, nothing," the man quickly shook his head and took out what looked like a vial of elixir from his shirt pocket. "Take this, it will help you during the battle. Do not use it unless you absolutely need to though."


    "I already said I don''t need-"


    "Just in case. If you are really so confident, then it wouldn''t hurt to sleep on it, no?"


    Xuan Kun sighed after a long mental debate. "Fine, old geezer. I know you won''t leave until I agree, so I did. Now get out of here."


    "Sure," The man turned on his heels, and began walking away, but then stopped after a few steps. He looked behind him at where Xuan Kun was standing, waiting for him to leave. "Just remember...do not use that elixir, unless it is absolutely necessary. Do you understand?"


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Xuan Kun rolled his eyes and made a shooing gesture with his hands.


    Hearing this, the man resumed walking away once more. When he rounded the corner and was finally out of sight from Xuan Kun, the man undid his appearance transformation, and smiled deviously as any sign of the old age from his voice earlier disappeared.


    "Now then, Xuan Kai...it''s about time for you to show me your true abilities."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Present Time, Arena -</strong>


    "The Finals of the Tournament, The Cursed Warlocks vs. The Chaotic Tranquility - Battle Begin!" Song Qian Long''s loud voice resounded across the arena through the advanced mana-powered speaker system, signaling the start of our battle.


    I nced at the girls standing behind me, and nodded. "Just follow the n."


    They nodded firmly in return, and the five of us each dashed to our respective opponents. Well, more urately, it would be the four of us. Qing Yue stayed behind us to provide support, especially against Xuan Kun''s curses. However, it seemed that Xuan Kun was focused solely on me, which I was perfectly fine with. Not only would this lessen the burden on Qing Yue, it would also make things easier for the other girls.


    As for thest, selfish, reason...it would be I wanted settle things with Xuan Kun by myself. Despite the two of us hating each other, we were still brothers - cousins in reality, but close enough. We both understood each other''s personality quite well, although our paths haven''t crossed all too many times. Xuan Kun, I''m sure, was thinking the same thing I was. Without a doubt, he also wanted to have a proper one on one with me, as seen from him not targeting anyone else and walking straight towards me. Iplied and walked towards him as well.


    Meanwhile, the other battles have already began. Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue grouped together to face off against Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying while Feng Mian faced off against their team''s assassin, each not letting the other get past to the other side, for if one of them seeded in doing so, it could very well lead to the defeat of the entire other team, since their support would be as good as dead.


    With the support gone, the battle would turn into a 5v4 with the 4-person team without a rearguard. The oue of such a fight is obvious, unless someone is exceptionally powerful on the 4-person team. However, the most powerful person on Xuan Kun''s team was himself - in fact, Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying are doing nothing but holding him down.


    "Ngh! This isn''t good!" Li Mu Shen yelled as he struggled to put up a Water Element shield against the Yu sisters'' iing attacks, which were a deadlybination of Fire and Ice. While the Water Element usually countered Fire, in this case the sheer power of the attack was able to ovee the natural weaknesses of the element.


    "H-Hang in there, Mu Shen!" Lan Gui Ying yelled in a fluster as she panicked to shoot back an attack of her own. "L-Level One Earth Magic - Vines of Binding!


    However, with the Yu sisters as her opponent, there would be no chance whatsoever to fight back. Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying were stuck on the defensive, no matter how hard they tried.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux," Yu An Yan chanted, sending two devastating fire beams of disintegration towards Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying, instantly obliterating the iing vines intended to bind her still, and still not showing any sign of diminishing.


    "Fuck! Level One Water Magic - Water Barrier!" Li Mu Shen yelled in a panic. He either didn''t know any Level Two Water Element defensive spells, or just didn''t have time to use one, since Level Two Magic generally took longer to cast.


    Regardless, a Level One spell has no way of defending against a Level Two one. Yu An Yan''s mes burned straight through the water barrier, and exploded upon impact with Li Mu Shen.


    "Mu Shen!" Lan Gui Ying called out in worry.


    "Ngh..." Li Mu Shen struggled to get back on his feet after being blown away by the impact. Since Yu An Yan held back significantly, the security staff supervising the matches didn''t take action. They would only make a move if an attack could really kill the other person. However, that is not to say that Yu An Yan''s attack didn''t hurt. The searing pain of burning mes was something that could not be described in words.


    However, the Yu sisters still weren''t done. Just when Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying thought it was over, Yu An Xue followed up with her own Ice Magic.


    "Level Two Ice Magic - Subzero Hail!"


    A storm of small ice skewers formed above Yu An Xue, which she then sent flying towards Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying.


    "What the hell-" he began, but was shut up by an icicle that flew straight into his mouth. He doubled over on the floor, choking. Lan Gui Ying, meanwhile, wasn''t as lucky. She was met with the majority of the barrage, and screamed in agony.


    The Yu sisters, however, didn''t show any sign of pity.


    "This is payback for what you did to Xuan Kai and Qing Yue," Yu An Yan said condesendingly with a dangerous gleam in her eyes, as she walked closer to her two enemies, now sprawled across the floor in pain.


    "Xuan Kai tried hiding it from us...but we forced Qing Yue...to be honest," Yu An Xue added. Then, shooting the two a deadly re that didn''t suit her, she spat, "Scum".


    Under normal circumstances, the Li Mu Shen and Lan Gui Ying probably would''ve gotten angry, and shot back a number of insolent remarks, but right now they were too agonized to be able to do anything.


    Finally, as if putting the two out of their misery, the Yu sisters walked up even closer to them - Yu An Yan to Li Mu Shen, and Yu An Xue to Lan Gui Ying. Together, they sliced their respective opponents'' school crests cleanly in unison.


    "Attention: Li Mu Shen, Lan Gui Ying - Eliminated."

 Chapter 93 - The Final Showdown (2)

    <strong>(Feng Mian''s Perspective)</strong>


    The final battle of the tournament. We were facing Xuan Kai''s brother - Xuan Kun. Since the two of them both wanted to settle things by themselves, this was less of a teamfight and more of just a solo duel between the two of them. That being said, it wasn''t like the rest of us were just idling around doing nothing either. We each had our respective opponents, and by chance, I was facing the other team''s assassin, a girl named Meng Fei, alias Girl of the Shadows.


    I had heard about this girl before. She was a student of ss 2-A, and quite high in up in the Magus Rankings of our school for a 2nd Year. Granted, she was a strong opponent. She was the second person I''ve faced who doesn''t have a single opening to be found. The first, of course, was Xuan Kai.


    I didn''t think she was quite on Xuan Kai''s level, but nevertheless she was still a troublesome enemy. Being an assassin herself, she knows all the tactics an assassin would use, and also their thought processes. That''s why, when it came down to a duel between two people of the same specialty, it became a battle of pure skill, while in other fights, one person may have an advantage over the other simply because their specialty counters that of their opponent''s. For example, a support versus an assassin. Unless the support was insanely powerful and could hold her own even against a skilled assassin, he or she would most likely lose this fight.


    Between two assassins in a teamfight, however, we weren''t actually fighting each other. Instead, we were each trying to get across to the other side in order tounch an attack on their support. As a result, neither of us were firing any offensive magic at the other. We were both closely inspecting the other, at the ready to take advantage of any split second opening.


    Eventually, however, the Girl of the Shadows got impatient of staring each other down like this. She cast Vanishing Shadows on herself and quickly sliced into the depths of darkness. As expected of her alias, Meng Fei was an expert in Shadow Magic. There were barely any shadows in the area, yet she was able to still use this technique by moving through the however small shadows of the Arena rim that separated us from the audience.


    I wasn''t about to let her get past to our precious support, however. I hurriedly turned around and called to Qing Yue.


    "Qing Yue! Use Light Magic, quick!" I yelled. "Their assassin is using the shadows from the walls!"


    "Huh?! Got it!" Qing Yue was surprised at this sudden callout at first, but quicklyposed herself and got her thoughts straight. "Level One Light Magic - Illumination!"


    A bright orb of brilliant white light formed above Qing Yue, which she then redirected towards the wall Feng Mian was signaling at. All shadows in the area disappeared, and Meng Fei was forced out of the shadow realm.


    "Tch...!" Meng Fei muttered angrily, seeing her n obstructed. She was now trapped within enemy territory with nowhere to go. Her own strategy ended up backfiring on her.


    She red at Qing Yue. "To think you had Light Magic as well...I wasn''t informed of this."


    "Oh? Then I guess your information source just isn''t very reliable~" Qing Yue replied casually.


    This only served to make Meng Fei even more annoyed, however. "Well, so be it. I''ll remove you from this fight right here and now."


    "Hold it," I interrupted, standing in between Qing Yue and Meng Fei. "Your opponent, is me."


    She narrowed her eyes at me, but I didn''t back down. Instead, I nced back at Qing Yue and gave a reassuring smile. "Focus on supporting the others, Qing Yue. I won''t let this girl touch a hair on your head."


    "Okay~I believe in you, Feng Mian!!" Qing Yue replied happily, and went back to casting Blessing Magic on Xuan Kai and the Yu sisters to help them in their respective fights. I smiled and turned back to face Meng Fei.


    "This is fair, don''t you think?" I asked. "A proper duel - between two assassins."


    "Hmph," she snorted. "I''ll quickly end you and go after the white-haired one next."


    "Let''s see if you have the ability to do that first," I taunted, making a beckoning gesture with my hand as if saying e''. I wonder where I learned that action from...ah, right. It was Xuan Kai, obviously. He rubs off on me, seriously...


    I shook my head to clear my mind, and focused on the battle at hand. Meng Fei, taking the taunt, dashed straight towards me at inhuman speeds. However, my reaction times as an assassin who specialized in speed was nothing tough at either. I jumped to the right and dodged out of the way by a hair''s breadth.


    "Ho...you managed to dodge that," Meng Fei remarked, genuinely surprised. "Looks like you aren''t all talk after all."


    "Heh...likewise," I replied. "I never expected you to be that fast."


    "If you can barely handle this, you won''tst," she scoffed. "This isn''t even half my full speed."


    It was an audacious im, but at the same time it also didn''t seem like just a bluff or baseless boast. I could tell; she was strong - strong enough to live up to that statement. I nced at her as I was inspecting her, which caused her to raise an eyebrow.


    "What? You don''t believe me?"


    "Oh, no. In fact, quite the opposite," I replied with a quick shake of my head. "But y''know...aren''t you looking down on me a little?"


    "Huh? How so?"


    "I mean, how can you be so sure I won''t be able to handle your full speed?"


    "..." Meng Fei narrowed her eyes and red at me with venom. After a while, however, she closed her eyes - and smiled. It wasn''t a bright, happy smile, but instead a confident, challenging one that thirsted for battle.


    "Fine...just don''te crying to meter," she said. Then, closing her eyes, she chanted. "Potentia Excitant: Celeritas - Mark Two!"


    A Potentia spell, huh? Xuan Kai had used this very same spell in the Magic Training Room around a month ago when we were testing to see which elements he could use. It was also one of the few spell families that didn''t need a spell specification before the spell name to cast. Thus, the casting time was inevitably shorter, since you didn''t have to say the ''Level One Blessing Magic'' part.


    In any case, I knew exactly how this spell functioned, having witnessed Xuan Kai using it before. It wasn''t a really hard concept - all it did was boost the user''s speed and agility for a short period of time. However, since Meng Fei upgraded hers to Mark Two, it would be significantly more powerful.


    I smiled in response to her casting, and prepared myself. I kept my eyes fixed on her the entire time, but even then, she then just suddenly - vanished.


    "Wha-Ngh!" Before I knew it, I felt a fist sink into my stomach, and was sent flying backwards by the impact.


    I quickly stood back up, knowing that the second I let down my defenses was the second I would be eliminated. I nced around to see where the perpretrator was, but could not see anyone. Suddenly, I felt a wind rush behind me, and whipped around, but once again saw no one.


    "What, that all you got?" I felt a voiceing from behind me - the direction I had been facing just moments before. It was condescending and clearly a taunt, which I had no intention of falling for. But then, I received a kick from behind me, straight into my back.


    "Ugh..." I struggled to my feet once more, but the moment I did I was struck once again, from the exact same spot as where she had just kicked me moments before. This time, however, instead of a kick, it felt more like a punch.


    This process repeated several more times, and each time was more painful than thest. However...that aside, I''ve pretty figured out what she was doing and why I could never catch even a glimpse of her, despite knowing she was somewhere close to me. Therefore, it was worth it. She would pay the price for not directly going for my school crest or my head to knock me unconscious.


    Basically, what is going on is she always remained behind me - or rather, directly away from where my eyes were facing. Whenever I looked behind me, she would be at my original front in a split second, and move back once I turned back around to always avoid being seen. From an outsider''s perspective, it would seem as if Meng Fei was blinking from location to location, always remaining in the blind spot of my vision.


    It was a brilliant strategy, to be honest. With this, she could not only deal physical damage on her opponent, but also cause effective mental damage - making her enemies overthink things, and cast oveplicated spells to counter the powerful magic that they thought she was using, such as illusions or invisibility. This will cause her opponents to waste mana and lead their thoughts astray, bringing down their logical thinking skills.


    However - there was just one w to this strategy. It was heavily reliant on it not being found out. There were some tactics that still function perfectly fine even if your opponent finds out about them and how they work, but Meng Fei''s was not one of them. Once her opponent discovers what she is really doing, it would spell defeat for her - just like in this case.


    For the fifteenth time (not that I was really keeping count), I rose to my feet once more after being struck to the ground by Meng Fei. However, this time was thest. Discretely, I began chanting an Ice Element spell...


    I felt the familiar rushing of wind behind me which I had experienced numerous times already, and I knew exactly what was going to happen next. But this time was different. I was prepared.


    Instead of being helplessly struck, I instead shot open my eyes and mentally controlled the icicle that I had discretely created earlier. It was a very tiny and weak ice spike generated from the Level One spell family Generate - usually used for daily life purposes instead of a fight. However, in this case, such a weak attack was enough.


    I felt the blow of Meng Fei''s kick sink into my back once more, and I fell onto the floor in pain. But this time, I didn''t try to get up once more. This time, I was<em>smiling.</em>


    Seeing my actions as a sign I had given up, Meng Fei finally showed herself where I could see. "Have you admitted defeat?" she asked.


    "No..." I replied softly.


    "Hmph. You don''t even have enough energy to stand up anymore, do you?" she scoffed, folding her arms.


    "That may be so..." I began, smiling mischievously. Meng Fei raised an eyebrow, seeing my expression unfitting with my current, defeated state. I paid her no mind, and continued my sentence. "...But I win this one."


    And then, as if on cue, the mechanical voice belonging to the automated speaker system rang out across the entire arena.


    "What the hell-" Meng Fei nced down at where her school crest used to be, and realized her mistake-


    "Attention: Meng Fei - Eliminated."

 Chapter 94 - Brothers

    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    Xuan Kun and I stared at each other, each harboring hostile feelings towards the other. However, neither of us made a move. As the other fights took ce around us, we simply looked at each other in disdain. Soon enough, Xuan Kun couldn''t take it anymore and began his attack.


    "Maledictum - Segnis! Infirmis! Enervis!" he chanted,unching a barrage of deep violet orbs of Curse energy at me. This spell was already designed to be used in rapid session, and along with Xuan Kun upgrading it to Tier II he is able to cast it even faster.


    Had this been a fight without anyone watching, I would''ve simply sucked up his Curse Magic and converted it into mana for myself. However, Liu Jian was somewhere in the crowds, and I couldn''t afford to show him this ability of mine. Therefore, I instead put up arge wall of ck mes.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Wall of mes."


    I struck the ground with my palm, and a curtain of obsidian mes rose up from the floor in front of me, disintegrating all projectilesing my way. Xuan Kun cursed and attempted to delve to the side to get a better angle on me, all while continuing tounch his plethora of Maledictum spells. However, I wasn''t about to let him just do as he pleased.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons," I chanted, unleashing two ck dragons of apocalypse into the arena. The two surreal beings swallowed up all of Xuan Kun''s Curse Magic, and continued to chase him.


    "Damn it..." he muttered.


    As Xuan Kun ran around the arena, I prepared another attack. I wanted to end things as quick as possible, in order to avoid future problems.


    "Level One Fire Magic - Infernal Arrow."


    It was a pain having to pretend to chant every time I cast a spell, but I would regret it if I neglected to do so here. The act had to be convincing too; Liu Jian was a master and could definitely see through my act if there was even the slightest w in my incantations.


    I aimed therge ck bow that had formed within my hands and nocked the ming crimson arrow. Waiting for the right opportunity, I observed as Xuan Kun slowly was running in my direction with my Twin Dragons chasing behind him.


    I narrowed my eyes, and discretely cast Tempus el, a Level One Time Element spell, on myself in order to enhance my senses by elerating my perception of time. Color drained slightly from my surroundings and everything else seemed to slow down, including Xuan Kun running. This made it far easier to aim. I tracked Xuan Kun with my bow, ever aiming slightly ahead of where Xuan Kun was currently. Put in video game terms, it would be called ''leading your shot''.


    <em>3...2...1</em>. I closed my eyes and let the arrow fly.


    The Tempus el canceled out just after I fired, and I perceived everything with a normal sense of time once more. Xuan Kun seemed to just realize my ming arrowing at him, but it was toote.


    "What the hell!" he cried out, as the zing projectile of mine struck him directly in the chest, blowing him to the floor. He was wearing protective armor underneath his clothes, so the blow didn''t kill him. However, a normal Infernal Arrow hit squarely on one''s chest would already do quite a bit of damage in addition to the burning, much less one that was amplified multiple times in strength by the power of Chaos. Xuan Kun was severely injured from that one hit, but miraculously managed to stand up and began running again before my Twin Dragons could reach him.


    "Bastard...I''ll fucking kill you!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he ripped out the arrow from his chest and covered his wound with his hand. He slid and turned around to face my Twin Dragons.


    "You''re...SO DAMN ANNOYING!" he screamed in anguish. "Level Two Void magic - Void Suction!"


    A massive swirling mass of purple energy formed in front of him, akin to a ck hole. My Twin Dragons decided it was just another spell they could devour, but they were terribly wrong. A sudden suction force suddenly enveloped the two fiery beasts, and sucked them directly into the void. The ck hole closed soon after, and Xuan Kun dropped to the floor, panting.


    This was out of my expectations. To think his Void Suction had the force to counter even a Chaos-imbued spell. However, he was still severely wounded, and was probably running low on mana as well. I walked closer to him.


    "You''re finished," I said condescendingly.


    "Heh...is that so, my dear brother?" he replied, slowly getting back on his feet. "I still have a trump card though..."


    "Even if you use Blood Break, you won''t be able to defeat me," I scoffed. "In fact, you probably don''t even have enough mana left to cast that spell."


    Xuan Kun, however...merely cackled like a mad man.


    "What''s so funny?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.


    "Former brother, you are far too naive," Xuan Kun shook his head. "That old geezer...I never thought I would really have to use his help."


    "Who...?"


    "I must say though, little brother, your strength has exceeded my expectations. In the near future, maybe a year or so from now, I won''t stand a chance against you," Xuan Kun continued, ignoring my question. "However...precisely because of that - I have to crush you right here and now."


    I leapt back from Xuan Kun cautiously, unsure of what he was going to pull. He then smiled deviously and reached into his breast pocket, taking out a vial of mysterious blue liquid. It wasn''t a deep sea blue like Mana Elixirs, but instead a bright sky blue, something I''ve never seen before.


    I then realized what he was about to do. "Xuan Kun...if you do that, you''ll be disqualified."


    Drinking elixirs in the middle of a fight, no matter what they were for, was forbidden by the rules of this tournament. However, Xuan Kun didn''t seem to care, merely popping open the cap and downing the entire bottle in one chug.


    "Heheheh..." he threw away the vial with such force that it shattered even on the ground made of rtively soft sand. It was clear - his strength had been raised exponentially by drinking this unknown elixir. He slowly began walking towards me groggily. There was something off about him, however. His movements...they didn''t look human anymore. He had grown far bigger than before, and his wound on his chest also healed instantly.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Song Qian Long nning to turn on the speaker system and announce Xuan Kun''s disqualification, but was stopped by the man standing behind him - Liu Jian. The security staff wouldn''t move unless the speakers said so, hence they aren''t budging an inch. I was forced to face Xuan Kun by myself. Curse you, Liu Jian.


    Focusing on the matter at hand, I doubted Xuan Kun had a shred of humanity left in him. That elixir boosted his stats, yes, but at the cost of his intelligence, his very identity as a human. I cursed and quickly evaded Xuan Kun''s charge at me by rolling to the side. He had be clumsy, and was no better than a beast now, though he still looked human...a very big human.


    "Xuan...Kai...!" he growled. It seemed that even in insanity, he kept his grudge against me.


    "Tch...Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons!" I sent the same spell I had used earlier to keep Xuan Kun off of me, but that n was demolished by a single attack from Xuan Kun. As the two dragons rushed towards him full of vigor, Xuan Kun grabbed one in each of his hands, and literally strangled them to death. The dragons dissipated into thin air.


    "Are you kidding me..." I muttered.


    "Xuan Kai!" Yu An Yan called out, running over to me, having finished her fight. Yu An Xue soon followed. "What is that thing?!"


    "Can''t you tell? It''s Xuan Kun," I replied, clenching my fists.


    "What the heck?! How did he end up like that?!" Yu An Yan asked quizzically.


    "Never mind that...! Level One Ice Magic - cier Form: Wall!" Yu An Xue quickly put up a defense, as Xuan Kun was slowly getting closer.


    However, such a defense was frail, nothing more than tofu in front of the monster once known as my brother. He shattered the ice wall with one punch, and continued lumbering towards us.


    "What is the security staff doing?! This clearly isn''t normal!" Yu An Yan yelled. "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux!"


    Two beams of disintegration shot out from her palms, but barely did a scratch to Xuan Kun. Yu An Yan cursed and backed away.


    "That bastard Liu Jian is not letting the security staff help," I exined. "He wants to see my true abilities this bad, huh..."


    "What?! He''s insane!" Yu An Yan eximed as she dodged Xuan Kun''s punch to the floor that shook the entire arena.


    Strangely enough, the audience wasn''t frightful whatsoever, assuming this was just part of the fight. Instead, they were cheering even louder than before, eager to see who woulde out on top.


    "Level One Ice Magic - Blizzard!" a voice chanted from behind me.


    "Feng Mian?" I turned around just as she unleashed the snowstorm on Xuan Kun, blinding him and slowing his movements.


    "What is going on here?" Feng Mian asked, running towards us. "I just eliminated their team''s assassin and support, so Xuan Kun should be only one left...wait, is that weird looking humanoid Xuan Kun?!"


    "Uh...it''s hard to exin," I replied. "For now, all you need to know is we have to defeat that guy..."


    Feng Mian looked skeptical, but didn''t question any further for the time being.


    "Our attacks aren''t hurting him one bit though..." Yu An Yan muttered in despair.


    "The catalyst that turned Xuan Kun into that thing is a light blue elixir I have never seen before," I said, trying to figure out a solution to this predicament. "Essentially, the elixir was a poison that turned humans into giant, mindless zombies."


    "But the question is, does this poison have an antidote?" Qing Yue, who had just made her way over to us, joined the conversation with this question.


    I shook my head. "Even if it did, we have no way to get our hands on it. We have to defeat this monster with pure strength."


    The girls collectively sighed and nced at me in exhaustion.


    "What?" I asked, confused.


    "You always get yourself into messes like this, I swear..." Feng Mian muttered, facepalming.


    "Yeah...and every time he does, we''re dragged into it with him," Yu An Yan added.


    "Mm..." even Yu An Xue nodded slightly.


    "Well, there''s no helping it. It''s my Big Brother Xuan Kai we''re talking about here," Qing Yue said with a wink. "Let''s just quickly defeat this thing for now!"


    "Okay...let''s strategize quickly while Xuan Kun is still trying to get out of Feng Mian''s blizzard," I decided. Then, after confirming this was okay with the girls, I continued. "Here''s what I was thinking. I need the three of you to distract him and divert his attention. Qing Yue will focus on support, while I will go for his weak spot."


    "Does that thing have a weak spot though?" Feng Mian asked in worry.


    I clenched my fists. "It''s just a hunch, but...before he transformed, I managed tond a hit squarely on his chest. After he drank the potion, the wound appeared to heal from the outside, but now that I''m thinking back on it, it was more as if a newyer of skin had enveloped his body. A tougher, more resistant hide - think of it as armor."


    Yu An Yan sank into thought. "So what you''re saying is that the wound you gave him from earlier is still beneath thatyer of armor?"


    "Yeah. So if I get a perfect, powerful strike exactly where I hurt him from earlier...that should deal the killing blow in one shot."


    "Hm...got it," Feng Mian replied. "This n could very well work."


    "Agreed," Yu An Yan said.


    "Mm...let''s do it," Yu An Xue stated firmly.


    "I''ll listen to whatever you want me to do, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue gave me a thumbs-up apanied by a bright smile.


    I smiled devilishly in return, and looked over at Xuan Kun''s monstrous figure, who had just finished crawling his way out of Feng Mian''s blizzard unharmed.


    "Well then...operation: begin."

 Chapter 95 - Bonds Severed

    After I exined the n, we immediately moved into action. The four girls dashed towards the giant humanoid monster once known as Xuan Kun, each heading towards one of his limbs. While they were doing so, I readied another Infernal Arrow, waiting for the right moment to shoot it. This time, however, I wouldn''t have any Time Element to help me. I wouldn''t know when an opportunity would arise, so I had no way of properly timing the Time Magic, seeing as how it didn''tst forever.


    That being said, I didn''t think an opportunity would arise anytime soon. The monster purposefully didn''t let me get a clear shot on his chest, where I previously wounded Xuan Kun. This only confirmed my theory from earlier, but it was troublesome. The girls were trying their best to give me a clear shot, but the monster was effortlessly dealing with them with itsrge arms.


    "Damn...! My attacks aren''t hurting him at all!" Yu An Yan yelled in frustration, narrowly dodging one of the monster''s fists.


    "Yeah, we already established that!" Feng Mian shouted in reply. "But there''s nothing we can do about that! Just keep hitting it with all you''ve got!"


    "...If only...we could immobilize him..." Yu An Xue gritted her teeth.


    "Immobilize...that''s it!" Feng Mian eximed, then quickly went to work. "Level Two Poison Magic - Intoxication Cloud!"


    A cloud of poison formed directly around the monster''s eye level, and it was blinded momentarily. Feng Mian called out to Yu An Xue. "An Xue! Help me freeze its feet!"


    "Right...!" Yu An Xue reacted quickly. "Level One Ice Magic - Freeze!"


    One of the most basic Ice Magic spells - Freeze. It did exactly what its name implied - freeze target location. In this case, Yu An Xue directed her magic at the monster''s right foot, and the ice instantly did its work.


    "Nrghn??!" the monster growled in confusion.


    Feng Mian, however, wasn''t going to allow the realization to sink in for it before she froze its other foot.


    "Level One Ice Magic - Freeze!"


    Blue ice crawled up from the ground and enclosed the monster''s footpletely,pletely preventing it from moving or turning.


    "Grrahh!" the monster finally realized what they had done, and was furious. Cracks appeared in the ice the two girls had created, and it was on the verge of breaking free. However, the girls weren''t about to let their hard work go to waste, and Yu An Yan wasn''t just idling around either.


    "I''ll keep this guy off of you!" Yu An Yan dered, skidding to a stop directly in front of the monster. "Focus on strengthening that ice!"


    "Got it!"


    "Mm...!"


    The two girl appreciated her help, but this was no time for polite words. They quickly went to work on the ice, and soon enough the cracks disappeared. However, this wasn''t just the two of them''s doing...


    "Level Two Sky Magic - Thunder sh!" Yu An Yan chanted, unleashing a barrage of lightning one after another focused directly on the monster''s head.


    "GAHHH!" the monster roared, and ced its two arms over its head to defend against the lightning strikes. From this, it was revealed that he did in fact feel pain, and could be injured through magic attacks. It seemed that its head was weaker than the other parts of its body.


    I had an open shot right now. However, since the ice casing from the two girls still wasn''tplete, there was a chance the monster would break free and dodge....ah, screw it. I took careful aim, and let the arrow fly.


    However, since the ice casing still wasn''tplete, the monster could still shift slightly, and my arrow missed by a hair''s breadth. I cursed, and prepared another arrow. Firing it now wouldn''t work, so I had to wait until the ice casing wasplete...


    "Level One Sky Magic - Flight!" Yu An Yan chanted, rising up into the air directly after as a better method of distraction. Indeed, the monster took the bait, and looked upwards, forgettingpletely about the two girls back on the ground busy freezing him. The ice was now up to his thighs, and still going.


    "I''ll help you, An Yan!" Qing Yue, who had remained silent until now, yelled. "Potentia Excitant: Celeritas!"


    "Thanks, Qing Yue!" Yu An Yan called back.


    Casting a speed boost Potentia spell not on herself but on Yu An Yan, Qing Yue received gratitude and smiled. "Now go beat the shit out of that monster~!"


    Had this been normal circumstances, I would''ve told her to watch thenguage, but I was too focused on aiming and carefully looking for any open opportunity to even care.


    "Level One Sky Magic - Voltage Strike!" Yu An Yan chanted,unching lightning strikes one after another from her palms while dashing around at amazing speeds thanks to Qing Yue''s speed boost. The monster iled around wildly with its arms, trying to get a hit on Yu An Yan. However, she, like a beautiful butterfly, gracefully dodged them all.


    The attacks weren''t doing much damage to the monster, but it definitely served as a good annoying distraction. And then, before the monster knew it...


    "Okay, An Yan! We''re done!" Feng Mian hollered up into the air, and Yu An Yan sent them a thumbs-up. She flew back andnded on the ground while the monster struggled to free itself from the ice - which was now more than halfway up his body now, right beneath the ce where I was aiming at. They had done so on purpose, obviously. I smiled realizing this, and took careful aim. However-


    I narrowed my eyes. "Is that thing...actually intelligent?"


    The monster had shielded itself with its two arms, wrapping them around itself as if in a hug. With it covering its own weak spot with its durable arms, there was nothing I can do without using more powerful magic, which I couldn''t afford to do here since Liu Jian was watching.


    "Damn it..." Yu An Yan cursed, flying up into the sky once more. "Feng Mian, An Xue, you two just make sure not to let him break free! I''ll try to move his arms, somehow..." she trailed off at the end, since she probably wasn''t confident she could actually do so.


    "Level Two Sky Magic - Thunder sh!" she chanted, using the same spell from before. She recalled thest time she had used this, the monster had used both of its arms to protect its head. However...


    "So even this doesn''t work, huh..." Yu An Yan muttered in frustration.


    The monster had used one arm to shield its head, while its other still remained where it was, blocking the weak spot in the center of his chest.


    "Damn...if only we had one more person..." I muttered. If we had just one more ally, this battle would be over. Each of them control one of the monster''s limbs, and that way I can have a clear shot on the monster''s chest. Qing Yue wouldn''t work, since she barely had any attack power. Perhaps she could blind the monster at best.


    Then, suddenly, a crimson javelin burning in red and ck fire flew down from nowhere, stabbing directly into the monster''s arm. This was the first attack that had actually drew blood on the monster. As for the victim itself, it was surprised he had actually gotten injured, and roared in anger. However...the fight was already over.


    The slight timeframe when the monster''s arm left its original ce after being hit with the impact of the javelin - I had taken advantage of it. The roar of the monster...it would be thest thing it ever did. The ming bow in my hand dispersed into thin air, and I walked closer to the monster, who was still standing upright, though not moving one bit.


    When I was right in front of it, I looked up at its disproportionate face, which still, although faintly, resembled my brother, Xuan Kun''s. I closed my eyes.


    <em>Xuan Kun...since birth, you have always hated me. For what reason, I do not know. However, since you despise me so, I will return that favor. This is the result of that. That being said...we are still rted by blood, however much the two of us wish to deny it. And despite your repulsive personality...your strength deserves to be respected. However...strength without morals is just evil. The moment you drank that elixir, the moment you decided to rely on someone else''s help to get stronger - the moment you chose this path, you were destined to lose. The moment you did so, you turned into a monster, something no human would show mercy to. Don''t repeat the same mistake in your next life, former brother.</em>


    <em></em>Thinking this, I leapt up from the ground, and shoved the Infernal Arrow I had shot into his chest earlier even deeper. I drove it into his chestpletely, utterly without any mercy orpassion.


    I jumped back to the ground, as the massive monster copsed onto the sand with a sound that shook the entire arena.


    <em>Farewell, former brother.</em>


    <em></em>"Duel End - Victor: The Chaotic Tranquility!"

 Chapter 96 - Promotions

    "So? Why are you here...?" I asked skeptically.


    I stared at the crimson-haired beauty in front of me, who was hanging her head and sulking silently. We were currently in the waiting room of the Arena. After we defeated Xuan Kun, we were sent back here. However...while this time was supposed to be for resting, I wasn''t the least bit rxed. The reason for that being none other than the sudden, uninvited guest in front of me right now.


    I sighed, seeing how I wasn''t going to get a reply out of her. "Well, whatever. I''ll look over you not listening to me this time, Mei Gui."


    She tilted her head up to look at me in confusion. "...Why?"


    I shrugged. "If you didn''t jump in there, we probably never would''ve been able to defeat that monster. So, uh...thank you."


    She looked at be nkly, then blushed and looked downwards again. I raised an eyebrow at her actions since she wasn''t supposed to have human emotions, but I would confront her about that sometime in the future, if I don''t forget.


    "However," I continued with a stern tone. Mei Gui looked back up at me with a flinch, clearly nervous of what''s toe next. Then, I suddenly softened my voice and gave a tiny smile. "Don''t just go charging straight into danger like that next time, okay?"


    Mei Gui averted her gaze, a faint pink still coloring her cheeks. "Master...you need not care for me so..."


    "Huh? What was that?" I asked, since her voice was so low I couldn''t make out what she had been saying.


    "N-Nothing," Mei Gui replied. "I am very sorry, master. However...given the same situation, I would still go in without a second thought. Master''s safety is my top priority."


    I stood up, sighed, and patted her head slightly. Mei Gui was surprised at my sudden action for a second, but quickly rxed and gave in to the sensation.


    "Look...I know you don''t consider yourself a human or whatever, but to me, you''re just as important as any of the other girls. You''ve saved me twice now, and have taught me many useful things. And...I believe you will continue doing so, yeah?"


    Mei Gui, finally dropping all her burdens, nodded happily. "Mm...!"


    While she didn''t let such emotions show on her face, I could tell thanks to our telepathic connection that she was truly happy. Despite being so expressionless and deadpan most of the time, she really in fact does have human emotions after all, huh?


    "That''s why...even if it''s for me, put your own safety as your highest priority," I continued with a smile.


    "...Okay," Mei Gui replied after a short pause.


    I sat back down on the couch directly after, as the other girls all watched this exchange, dumbfounded. The four of them were all staring at me with surprised expressions.


    After a while, I couldn''t stand it anymore. "What is it?"


    "Oh! Uh, nothing..." Feng Mian was the first to snap back to her senses and quickly denied everything.


    "Nothing, my ass. The four of you have been staring at me like you''ve seen a ghost for the past 5 minutes."


    "Well, it''s just that...you said, we were important to you?" Yu An Yan spoke up, fidgeting nervously.


    "Well, yeah," I replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What, you think I''m just going to abandon you after all you''ve helped me with?"


    "Oh, so that''s what you meant..." Feng Mian sighed, slightly disappointed. Simrly, Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue also sighed, dejected. Qing Yue wasn''t affected that much, but she also furrowed her brows a bit when she heard what I said.


    As for the meaning behind their actions...I see what they''re trying to say here, but...I don''t think I am eligible for a romantic rtionship, much less with multiple girls at once. It''s true; all of them are important to me, and there''s is essentially nothing wed about them. They are all world-ss beauties, kind, and strong. Every man''s dream, isn''t it? Yeah, well...as much as I would like to, I just can''t form a rtionship like that with anyone.


    My path is one of revenge. It is one filled with blood and death. It is one I must travel down alone. I can''t drag anyone else into this, despite knowing how they feel. And so...that''s why, the only option I have here is to act dense and pretend I didn''t know what she was hinting at.


    "Well? What did you think I meant?" I replied with the most dense expression I could muster.


    "Nevermind..." Feng Mian shook her head and looked away.


    Mission sessful, I guess? Just when I was thinking this, three knocks came at the door. I already knew who it was and what he was here for, but I didn''t really want to answer. I barely had time to even rest yet...!


    Nevertheless, what''s meant toe wille in the end. Feng Mian, our professional door opener, weed the boy inside.


    "Greetings once again, everyone," the butler said with a slight bow. Yep, the same butler from before. And without a doubt, the reason he was here... "I came to inform you all that the judges are finished evaluating all the contestants today. It is time to head to the Arena once more to receive your rewards."


    ...As expected.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, The Speaker Room -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Liu Jian, are you satisfied now?" Song Qian Long asked, narrowing his eyes.


    "Satisfied? Hmph."


    "...It should be very clear from this tournament that the boy doesn''t have any special powers," Song Qian Long continued, anger boiling within him. "You even went to the point of forcing them to fight that monster alone, despite it being a clear infraction of the rules! The monster...from what I can see, it was at the very least on par with an early stage Golden Monarch! That is something for the security staff to handle, not the students!"


    "Calm down, my friend," Liu Jian muttered quietly. "It is as you say - the monster was indeed extremely strong. However...that boy and hispanions made it out just fine, no?"


    Song Qian Long clenched his fists. "That is purely because it was a five on one."


    Liu Jian clicked his tongue. "Not five, Qian Long. It was six. Six on one."


    "You mean that red-haired girl that joined in at the end?" Song Qian Long asked. "That is something we have already investigated. The girl is an artifact - a golem. That boy''s golem, in particr, given to him by histe parents."


    Liu Jianughed slightly. "Hmm...golem, huh?"


    "What is that supposed to mean?"


    Liu Jian sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Qian Long, have your senses weakened over the years? That girl''s aura is extremely abnormal. I do not know what exactly it is, but she is certainly not a golem."


    "..."


    "Heh. I assume you have noticed it as well, then?"


    "...Still, that does not prove anything," Song Qian Long desperately fought back. "The boy could very well be oblivious to the her abnormality."


    Liu Jian patted Song Qian Long on the shoulder. "But did he not personally tell you the girl was just a golem? Otherwise, how would you be able to reach that conclusion?"


    This caused Song Qian Long to go stiff. "You..."


    "Hahaha...worry not, Qian Long. I will not make a move...just yet. Still, it seems my evaluation was correct. That boy, Xuan Kai...there is definitely something off about him. And it isn''t anything small either, haha..."


    Saying this, Liu Jian exited the speaker room, leaving behind a stressed and frustrated Song Qian Long.


    "Xuan Kai...you have many troublesing your way," Song Qian Long spoke sadly. "I, your godfather, could not prevent any of these from happening...I am truly sorry. I can only wish you...good luck."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, a Certain Bathroom in the Arena Facility -</strong>


    "DAMN IT!" Xuan Yang yelled in anguish, kicking over the trash can in the corner of the bathroom. "That bastard...he DARES to kill MY SON!"


    "Hey now...calm down a bit, will you?" a second voice said exasperatedly.


    "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO STAY CALM?!" Xuan Yang yelled in return. "My son was KILLED! MURDERED in front of my very eyes!"


    "Oh, now you''re acting like a caring father?" the second person scoffed. "What were you thinking when you agreed to use him as a test subject for my elixir?"


    "That''s..." Xuan Yang gritted his teeth. "It was for the benefit of the family."


    "Hmph. You can lie to yourself all you want. You knew the elixir was a prototype, filled with danger, yet you still agreed to use your own son as the firstb rat. Hell, you even told me to impersonate your father just to convince the kid."


    Xuan Yang red at the second person, who was wearing a ck hooded cloak and a dark mask. On the right sleeve of the cloak was the ominous and unforgettable dragon-like insignia of the Midnight Syndicate.


    "Whatever," Xuan Yang muttered. "I just want to get rid of that bastard."


    "Who, Xuan Kai?"


    "Who the fuck else?!"


    "Heh, and you want me to help you?" the voice asked smugly.


    "I helped you test your elixir. You help me with this. It''s an even trade," Xuan Yang proposed.


    "Very well. I will get rid of him," the masked man agreed without hesitation. "However..."


    "What, you still want more test subjects?!"


    "Ahaha, precisely. The elixir is almostplete...I just need a few more experiment results."


    "You greedy bastard..." Xuan Yang clenched his fists. "Fine. I will trick my father into drinking this elixir, and report the symptoms to you."


    "Oh...? Your father? But can you handle killing him once things get out of hand?"


    "Hmph. Don''t fucking underestimate me."


    "Heheh....what a sinister man. To use not only your son but also your father as test subjects for a stranger, all for your own personal gain."


    "Don''t judge me, Midnight Syndicate member," Xuan Yang said dangerously. "Just do your job, and I''ll do mine."


    "Very well. I am looking forward to your results," the masked man said with a chuckle.


    "Likewise..." Xuan Yang sneered, an evil smile creeping up his face.


    The two of them shook hands, and the masked man disappeared into the shadows as if he hadn''t been there at all. However, just before Xuan Yang felt his presence leavepletely, the voice came back once more.


    "By the way...I have an alias. I''d prefer it if you address me by that in the future."


    Xuan Yang didn''t seem the least bit fazed as the voice seemingly rang out from nowhere, since he had already seen this gimmick many times before. "Oh yeah? What is it?"


    "Heheh...you can call me...gue."

 Chapter 97 - Advancement (1)

    <strong>- Sometime Later, The Arena -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    After being informed by the butler to head to the Arena once more, we did. I left Mei Gui behind though, just to avoid any questions from being brought up at the sight of her.


    On our path there, we went down the same hallway, and entered the same dark corridor with the ''invisible'' door. However, when said door opened, what awaited us wasn''t the familiar light brown ground of sand. In fact, no sign of sand remained - not even a speck of it. Instead, the ground was now a polished ck, much like a mere extension of the dark corridor. While the crowds and basic structure were still there, it felt as if the entire Arena had gone through a renovation.


    "What in the world...?" I mused in wonder.


    "This is really something..." Yu An Yan agreed, stepping outside and tapping her feet on the floor a couple of times. Yu An Xue mimicked her actions, and I was once more reminded of how simr the two of them were - not in <em>personality</em>, though. Definitely not.


    "Mm...this is so rxing!!" Qing Yue eximed jumping around happily like a little fairy. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the tranquil evening wind. "Whew...hey, hey, you guys should try it too! C''mon, close your eyes and take a<em>deeeeeep</em>breath!"


    "Wow, you''re right. This feels so much nicer," Feng Mianplied to Qing Yue''s request and shut her eyes as she breathed in the rxing evening air.


    Indeed, it was already evening. Around 6 PM, to be exact. The sun had already set, but the excitement of the crowds didn''t seem to diminish one bit. In fact, they were even more hyper now, cheering and roaring. To put it in a way that was easier to picture, think of a sportspetition. This would be like the section where the winner received his or her medal. Thus, I expected the crowd''s excitement, but what I didn''t expect was for what some of the cheers said.


    Although few, I could make out some cheers in the crowds that weren''t for the girls...but for me. For the first time in my life, I received genuine praise, true appreciation for my achievements from someone other than my parents. That was not to say I became a huge star all of a sudden, though - very few voices were calling my name. Out of the entire crowd, there were maybe three, five at best.


    However...those few five voices...to me, they outshone all the rest. I knew full well I was still hated by many people, but...it was a start, wasn''t it?


    I smiled at this realization, and like the others, took a deep breath. Indeed, it was rxing. It was just like the air outside after raining.


    Before long, all the various teams gathered in the Arena - not just the four teams thatpeted in the main tournament, but also everyone else. In other words, the entirety of the 2nd Year was gathered in the Arena grounds, waiting to be given the news of whether they passed the examination or not.


    Despite the form of this year''s Advancement Exams, it was still an exam - a test to see whether or not you had the skill and aptitude to advance to the next level. While we, the winners, were guaranteed to pass (as stated when the exams were first announced), other people would have to be thoroughly evaluated by the judges.


    Speaking of...where were the judges?


    I nudged Feng Mian, who was standing beside me. "Hey, have you seen any of the judges?"


    "Judges....?" Feng Mian blinked in confusion. Then it finally clicked for her. "Oh! I remember now, they did say something like that when they first announced the exam, huh? The judges were apparently supposed to all be major powerhouses of Shenzhen."


    "Uh...okay, nevermind," I muttered. If she had forgotten they even existed until I reminded her, there was no way she would be able to answer my question. After all, even if she did see a judge, she wouldn''t be able to identify him or her as a judge...


    That aside, the question remains. Where were the judges? I remember Song Qian Long saying something about Liu Jian being one of the judges, but there was definitely more than one. I didn''t see anyone else in the speaker room though...if they were disguising in the audience, I''m sure they wouldn''t be able to just blend in within the crowd, if they were truly powerhouses. That possibility is out.


    Hmm...if they were sitting in an isted area like where the patriarchs of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen were, then perhaps...oh, wait. The patriarchs...don''t tell me...?


    "Good evening, everyone," Song Qian Long began his speech before I could finish processing the thought. With his loud and clear voice (well, in reality he was talking into a mic which was connected to the speaker system, but whatever), he instantly grasped the attention of everyone present, both the contestants and the audience.


    "Throughout our series of battles today, we had many exciting fights," Song Qian Long continued. "In the end, the champions of this fierce tournament was also decided. However, they could not have done it without all of your cheering and encouragement. Thus, before anything else, I would like to thank all of the audience here. Truly, you all deserve a round of an apuse. Give yourself a pat on the back, all of you!"


    "I''m pretty sure we could''ve won even without all the loud noise and distraction, thank you very much," Yu An Yan scoffed.


    Iughed awkardly, and decided to never tell a single soul about Song Qian Long being my godfather. I was already hated enough; I didn''t want any more trouble.


    "Now then," Song Qian Long spoke again after waiting for the apuse and cheering in the crowd to die down a bit. "With the formalities out of the way, let''s begin by announcing the winners of this tournament! A huge round of apuse to..."


    Cue the drum roll BGM.


    Cue the anticipating crowd.


    "...The Chaotic Tranquility!!"


    All of a sudden, holograms I didn''t even know existed popped out of thin air above us. Out of the six panesing together to form a hexagon (to match the Arena itself''s shape), five of them showed a picture of one of my team members or myself, and the final one was just a disy with our team name on it. As for our reactions to this...well, each one of us were different, to say to the least.


    "W-What the hell?! Yu An Yan shrieked at the sudden appearance of herself on arge screen.


    "U-Um, hi?" Feng Mian gave a cute little wave, unsure of what to do.


    Qing Yue, on the other hand, beamed happily and jumped up and down. "Hey everyone! I''m Qing Yue, Big Brother Xuan Kai''s little sister!!"


    Yu An Xue merely closed her eyes and ignored everything, while I did the same. However, in the case of Yu An Xue, everyone took it as how she was and only screamed praises even louder. I wasn''t so lucky...I could hear several loud voices ofint directed at me from the crowd, but I pretended they didn''t exist.


    "Congrattions, the five of you," Song Qian Long said after a while. "Now then, as your reward for winning the tournament, each of you will be receiving a prize that will greatly help you in your cultivation, depending on your elemental affinities and fighting style. Pleasee to my office at 9 PM today to receive your rewards."


    "9 PM? Isn''t that curfew?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Well, he''s the principal," I replied. "If he says it''s fine, it''s fine."


    "In addition, ording to the rules, ss 2-D, led by Mr. Wang, will be the new ss 2-A," Song Qian Long announced. I could hear multiple voices cheering from amongst the other students in the Arena, as well as some groansing from others.


    When the tournament was first announced, the rewards were all specified. Therefore, I wasn''t really surprised at all to hear any of this. The girls also didn''t seem to be fazed.


    After that, Song Qian Long announced the names of the students that passed their examination. Turns out, there were six judges in total. Four of them were, in fact, like I predicted, the patriarchs of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen. The fifth judge was Liu Jian, and thest one was Song Qian Long himself. Mr. Wang wasn''t exactly wrong when he said the judges of this tournament would all be huge powerhouses, but...I kind of expected more variety, I guess?


    Anyway, most of the students had the ability to pass this exam. Those who didn''t, like Li Mu Shen or his girlfriend Lan Gui Ying, still passed anyway since his own father was one of the judges. In the end, everyone in the 2nd Year of Shenzhen Magic High School was able to pass the exam without any difficulties.


    "And with that, I would like to announce that this year''s 2nd Year Advancement Exams are nowplete!" Song Qian Long dered once he had finished naming everyone off his list of people who passed. "sses will not be taught for the next two days in order to host the other Advancement Exams, for the 4th and 6th Years respectively. After that, there will be another two days off as a rest period. You all can take a break and enjoy yourselves as you wish."


    Cheers erupted from the crowd of students below, which overshadowed that of the audience. It wasn''t everyday we get to have a 4-day straight break, especially at this school where we had sses as usual even on weekends. The students, myself and the girls included, were all pretty happy about it.


    "That''s all," Song Qian Long concluded his speech once all the cheering had died down. "Dismissed!"


    As the students scuttled around and prepared to go celebrate, I looked up at the night sky and leaned against the wall.<em>This is another problem solved, but...what else is going toe my way? Although Liu Jian didn''t make a move this time, who could guarantee he wouldn''t the next?</em>I closed my eyes.


    <em>Well...no point worrying about the future like this. For now...I suppose this is fine. Yes, this is fine.</em>

 Chapter 98 - Advancement (2)

    *****


    - Later That Night, The Principal''s Office -


    "It''s this way..." I murmured to the four girls trailing behind me.


    The five of us were currently in the school''s Administrative Campus, heading to Song Qian Long''s office as instructed earlier. Right now, it was 8:50 PM, so we would be arriving a little bit early than the designated time.


    "You are awfully familiar with this ce..." Feng Mian mused.


    "Well...I''ve been here a number of times before," I replied awkwardly, scratching my cheeks. "C''mon, up the stairs."


    Soon enough, the five of us arrived before the massive white doors with an elegant gold design inscribed on it. This was the entrance that led to the principal''s private quarters.


    "Wow...it''s beautiful," Yu An Yan remarked in awe.


    "No kidding..." Feng Mian agreed.


    "Woah...hey, hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai, look! This is gold! Real gold!" Qing Yue hopped closer to the door and began observing it at point nk range.


    Yu An Xue also was attracted by the beauty of the design, and traced her fingertips along the edges. I was pretty confused at their extravagant reactions-


    Ahh...that''s right. This was the first time the girls wereing here. It was natural they would be amazed by the magnificence of this ce. I was when I first came here led by Tang Jia Yi too.


    As that realization dawned on me, I knocked on the door.


    "Come in," said the familiar old voice of my godfather.


    I pushed open the doors and walked inside, the four girls following soon after. Thest to enter, Yu An Xue, closed the door behind her as an act of courtesy.


    "Wee to my office, members of The Chaotic Tranquility," Song Qian Long said with a kind smile. He sat facing us, resting his chin on his hands.


    Tch...still using that name? I swear, if it wasn''t for the girls being here, I would''ve gave him a scolding right here and now for acting all formal and shit. However...I had to keep our rtionship a secret, so there was nothing I could do right now. But I''ll remember this, old geezer...


    "U-Um, t-thank you for the hospitality!" Feng Mian responded nervously. I could see why; Song Qian Long, despite me knowing his real personality, was in fact the strongest mage in all of Shenzhen. At our level, talking to him was akin to talking to a god. Okay, maybe that''s an exaggeration...perhaps it was just because of him being my godfather, but I wasn''t nervous when talking to him at all.


    "Ahaha, no need to be so nervous," Song Qian Long chuckled lightly to ease the atmosphere. "Now then, I know I have already said this earlier, but first and foremost, congrattions once again for winning the tournament."


    "Thank you," the four girls said in unison. I was the only one that said, ''thanks''. The four girls then red at me as if I was some disrespectful punk. <em>Geez...is talking to that old man really that big of a deal? Why are you all acting so polite?!</em>


    "Well then, since the time is already quitete, I do not wish to waste any more of your precious time here talking," Song Qian Long continued, and finally got onto the main point of today''s meeting. "First off, student Yu An Xue."


    "...Y-Yes!" Yu An Xue yelped in surprise at being called on first.


    "Your have three elemental affinities - Ice, Water, and Space, correct?"


    "Um...yes..."


    Song Qian Long smiled. "Good. My information was right then."


    He then opened his desk drawer and took out a long, elegantly designed box.


    "Take this," he said, pushing the box to the edge of his desk and beckoning Yu An Xue over.


    "What...is this...?" Yu An Xue asked curiously.


    "Open it and you''ll find out."


    Yu An Xue looked dubious, butplied nheless. A <em>ck</em>could be heard, and the box opened with ease. Upon seeing what was inside, her eyes widened to the size of tomatoes.


    "T-This is...no way..." she murmured to herself. Since she was facing away from us and her body was blocking most of our view, the rest of us had no way to tell what it was. And so, seeing her shocked reaction, our interests were all piqued.


    "What is it, An Xue?" Yu An Yan asked.


    However, Yu An Xue ignored her question, and merely stared nkly at Song Qian Long. "P-Principal Song, is this...the r-real thing?"


    "Of course, youngdy," Song Qian Long replied with a warm smile.


    Hearing this, Yu An Xue seemed to have conflicted feelings. "T-There''s no way...I can ept such a reward...it''s far too precious!"


    "You earned it yourself," Song Qian Long said without a hint of deceit. "Trust me, you deserve this at the very least."


    By this point, the rest of us couldn''t contain our curiosity any longer. "Yu An Yan, what is it that got you so surprised? C''mon, tell us," I said.


    Yu An Xue finally seemed to notice we still existed, and turned around to face us. Within her arms was the long box, and lying inside was a beautiful sky blue sword with its de made of ice. It was emitting a cold aura, and I immediately could tell this wasn''t just any ordinary sword, and not just by appearances either. It was definitely a Magic Artifact of some kind - and an exceptionally powerful one at that.


    "Woah...it''s so pretty," Qing Yue mused. The three girls apart from Yu An Xue had their eyes glued to the mour of the sword, and were gazing at it in awe.


    "This is...an Ice Element Magic Artifact," Yu An Xue exined.


    So I was on the mark. "Huh...well, it appears to be a sword of some sorts, so I assume it''s an offense-oriented artifact?"


    "Yes...but it isn''t just any sword..." Yu An Xue murmured quietly. So I was on the mark once again.


    "I can feel a powerful aura emitting from this sword...but I''ve never heard of it before," Feng Mian pondered.


    "That is...not surprising," Yu An Xue replied with a sigh. "This is one of the Six Divine Weapons...namely, the sword with control over water and ice - Frozen Fear."


    ...Now this, I wasn''t on the mark. The Six Divine Weapons were ancient relics said to have been lost a long time ago, scattered around and sealed in various parts of the world due to their immense power. The story went like this...


    <em>Thousands of years ago, there was once a man named Zi Kang. He was an exceptional talent in everything he did - studies, sports, and of course, magic. It was said that he was born with 4 innate elements, and continued to awaken more from there. At the time of his death, he had a grand total of 16 Elements, as a Saint-Tier master.</em>


    <em>Throughout his life, Zi Kang aplished many great feats. One of them, and arguably the most famous, wouldter be known as the Collection of the Six Divine Weapons. It was said that Zi Kang was not only an expert in magic, but also in the forging of Magic Artifacts. And one day, using those polished skills and peerless talent of his, he created the most powerful artifact known to mankind at the time - one that contained the essence of six different elements, one that possessed the good qualities of six different types of weapons. This destructive artifact''s name, however, was forever forgotten in the annals of history.</em>


    <em>The reason for this was because of the numerous catastrophes this weapon brought about. It all started when Zi Kang first used this weapon in a fight. Although he had not wished to kill his enemy at the time, the weapon did it for him anyway. And from there on, slowly but surely, Zi Kang''s mind was corrupted bit by bit. He slowly strayed from the righteous path of a mage, and turned to evil. The source of this was none other than the weapon, of course.</em>


    <em>Eventually, all of the peak masters of the world at the time had to be gathered together to face Zi Kang and his acts of evil. Although he was brought down in the end, millions had already perished before this could be aplished. The strange thing was, though its owner had already died, the cursed artifact remained unscathed. The remaining six masters who survived the battle all agreed destroying it would be for the best.</em>


    <em>However, during the destruction process, they realized the artifact could not be fully destroyed, for whatever reason. Thus, they divided it into six parts instead, and each of the masters took one to guard with their life, all to prevent such a cmity from uring once again. Somewhere along the lines of history, all information regarding the whereabouts of these six weapons were lost.</em>


    ...Or so the story went. But if that was true...how was one of the Six Divine Weapons here right now? And ording to the story, shouldn''t it be cursed?


    "By the way, if you kids are wondering about the legend regarding this weapon, worry not," Song Qian Long spoke up, as if reading my mind. "While it is true, when this weapon here was first uncovered after thousands of years, it was emitting a powerful malicious energy. However, with the technology and magic we have today, dispelling it was not too difficult. The weapon you are holding in your hands right now is nothing more than cold steel."


    <em>Yeah...an extremely powerful ''cold steel''.</em>


    I nced at Song Qian Long suspiciously. "How did you get your hands on such an artifact in the first ce?"


    "...I''m afraid I cannot disclose the answer to that. However, rest easy. No problems wille your way regarding the weapon."


    <em>Hmph...acting all mysterious now? Well, whatever. As long as no troublees our way as a consequence of this...epting this weapon should only bring advantages.</em>


    I turned to look at Yu An Xue, who was still eyeing the sword in her hands with awe. "Well, Yu An Xue? That sword is prettypatible with you, considering your elemental affinities, right?"


    "Yes..." she replied, cing the sword back in the box. "But...can I really ept such a precious...thing?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t see a problem with it. Besides, the principal said it himself, didn''t he? No problems will being our way."


    "That I did," Song Qian Long confirmed with a nod.


    "Then....alright. I shall ept this weapon," Yu An Xue''s gaze turned determined, and she shut the box tight. "Thank you...Principal Song."

 Chapter 99 - Advancement (3)

    "Now then...next, Feng Mian," Song Qian Long said after Yu An Xue epted her reward.


    "Yes!" Feng Mian replied, walking up to his desk, fidgeting excitedly.


    "Hm...from the information I have here...you possess the Ice, Shadow, and Poison elements. An overall assassin-type, correct?"


    Feng Mian nodded several times, and Song Qian Long smiled as if he had just thought of something.


    "Well, I think I have something here that you may like, then..." he murmured mysteriously as he pulled opened his own Space Locket in the form of a ring and took out what looked like a purple cloak. "Here."


    Feng Mian appeared confused, but took the cloak in his outstretched arm regardless. "This is...?"


    After closing his Space Locket again, Song Qian Long began exining.


    "This is called the Cloak of Invisibility. Like its name implies, it provides its wearer with invisibility, making it a perfect piece of equipment for assassins like yourself. Go on, try it on."


    "C-Can I?" Feng Mian asked just for confirmation, eyes sparkling with excitement.


    "Go ahead," Song Qian Long replied with a warm smile, not unlike that of a doting grandfather.


    Hearing this, Feng Mian happily tossed the cloak over her head and wrapped it around herself. "D-Did I disappear?"


    "No, not just yet," Song Qian Long wagged his fingers a bit. "You have to imbue some mana into the cloak for it to work. It is a Magic Artifact, after all."


    "Oh, right!" Feng Mian pped her own forehead. "Ah...sorry, I got so excited I forgot..."


    Saying this, Feng Mian closed her eyes and began channeling her mana. Suddenly, a faint purple glow enveloped the cloak she was wearing, and she vanished from sight. I discretely ran a Detect Presence on the area, and was shocked to find even her presence waspletely erased. Undoubtedly, this was a very beneficial item, especially for those who moved in the shadows. This would make assassination or espionge missions so much easier...


    All of us were stunned at what just happened, with the exception of Song Qian Long. He wore an unfazed expression as if he had expected this all along.


    "Congrattions, student Feng Mian. You have sessfully activated the artifact."


    "Really?! You guys can''t see me anymore?!" Feng Mian eximed.


    From our perspective, it appeared as if a voice came out of nowhere. My heart skipped a beat, but soon came back to realization. "Holy shit...yeah, I''m going to have to get used to this..."


    "Feng Mian...you scared me just now..." Qing Yue murmured, clutching to my arm as if it was thest strand of hope in her life.


    "Oh, um, sorry..."


    Although I couldn''t see her, I could almost picture her head drooping apologetically. Personally, I thought the gesture was he cute and made me want to cuddle her, but that''s a secret I would take to the grave.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine," Yu An Yan hurriedly cheered her back up. "More importantly, we know it works, so you can deactivate it now."


    It seemed like a natural enough request, but what ensued was a prolonged period of ufortable, awkward silence.


    "..."


    "...?"


    "...H-How do I deactivate this thing...?" Feng Mian asked atst, stuttering from embarrassment.


    <em>Oh. So that''s why she remained silent just now...but it is a valid question. If the artifact was activated through injecting mana into it, then to deactivate it you should drain mana from it, no? But, see, the problem is, we don''t have any way of doing that. Adding and removing mana were twopletely different things, after all.</em>


    <em></em>Yu An Yan seemed to have the same thoughts. "Why don''t you just take back the mana you put in?"


    Feng Mian sighed. "That sounds easy, but how exactly do I do that?


    Hearing this, Yu An Yan fell into silence once more. However, then, a certain old geezer cleared his throat.


    "Ahem...I think you young ones are all overthinking it," he said exasperatedly.


    "Huh?" the five of us all turned to look at Song Qian Long (well, at least, I assumed Feng Mian did as well).


    <em>What does he mean, overthinking it...? Wasn''t it only natural to think doing the opposite would reverse the effect? I mean, I understand this rule didn''t really apply in real life most of the time, but it was the logical to think when it came down to magic. In this case, the only other ''doing the opposite'' I could think of was to remove the cloakpletely...oh, wait.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"All you have to do is take off the cloak to be visible again, no?" Song Qian Longughed heartily.


    <em>Yeah...as much as I would like to deny it, he''s right. We werepletely overthinking it.</em> I didn''t even need to use Psychic Magic to read what was going on in the minds of the girls right now. Undoubtedly, they all wanted to facepalm very badly. Hell, I wanted to as well, for not realizing sooner.


    After several awkward moments of silence once again, Feng Mian took the cloak off, and she was immediately visible again. After cing it down on the table though, we noticed something weird.


    "Huh, that''s interesting...it doesn''t render the part of the table it''s being ced on invisible," I noted. The cloak, upon being removed from Feng Mian''s body, was now mysteriously back to its original, purple form. Contrary to all expectations, it didn''t make anything ced underneath it invisible.


    "The artifact only functions when worn by a living being," Song Qian Long exined. "Otherwise, it would be very inconvenient, no?"


    That certainly was true. If the cloak worked on literally anything it was put on, biotic or abiotic, then it would really be troublesome if say, for example, you lost something and were looking for it. If it was just lying on your table, just beneath the cloak, you would never be able to find it until some day you decide to randomly touch that specific spot and realize what should''ve felt like wood (or whatever your table is made out of) felt like a smooth silk instead.


    "In any case, student Feng Mian, are you satisfied with this reward?" Song Qian Long asked after seeing us fall into silence.


    "H-Huh?! Yes, of course! In fact, this is a bit too much..." Feng Mian replied in a fluster, trailing off a bit at the end.


    The principal nodded. "I see...that''s good. Then, next up is you, student Yu An Yan." He pped his hands together as he said ''then'', and pointed at Yu An Yan. She tilted her head, as if asking ''me?'' in a cute way.


    Song Qian Long smiled as he understood the meaning behind Yu An Yan''s gesture. "Indeed. Just giving your sister a Divine Weapon would be unfair, no?"


    Yu An Yan''s eyes widened at this, and to be fair, so did the rest of ours. "You don''t mean..." she began.


    "I have a feeling you are on the mark," Song Qian Long replied with a smile. Saying this, he pulled out a long box from within his drawer, simr to the one he gave Yu An Xue. "Here."


    Yu An Yan took the box carefully, and opened it up. What was awaiting her...


    "No way...how do you have not one, but two of the Six Divine Weapons?!" Yu An Yan eximed in surprise. She took out the Magic Artifact within the box, and held it within her hands, examining it carefully.


    "That is...the Axe of Fire...ming Dance..." Yu An Xue murmured in surprise.


    Just as Yu An Xue said, within Yu An Yan''s hand was a battle axe nearly as big and tall as the person holding it. The rod was ck and looked rtively safe to touch, but the head of the weapon was extremely sharp, and more importantly, aze with deadly orange mes.


    I gulped. "Uh...Yu An Yan? I know you have affinity for the Fire Element, but is holding that massive weapon literally on fire not hot?"


    She shook her head. "No, not at all...in fact, quite the opposite. The handle feels cool andfortable to hold. The weapon itself is also quite light, despite howrge and heavy it seems from the outside."


    "Huh...I see..." I muttered in reply.


    <em>Was this the power of one of the Six Divine Weapons? Cool and hot at the same time, customizable weight, and literally a weapon of mass destruction? I wasn''t jealous. Nope, not one bit.</em>


    <em></em>"Well? Student Yu An Yan, do you ept this reward?" Song Qian Long asked with a grin that didn''t suit his age on his face.


    Unlike the two before her, this girl epted the artifact without a second thought. She looked brimming with confidence at being able to wield this weapon well and using it to its maximum potential. I knew her personality had undergo a change due to all the shit with Ghosteye and the Midnight Syndicate, but still, it was hard to imagine she used to be the same cold beauty Yu An Xue once was.


    <em>Well...Yu An Xue still is kind of a cold beauty, I guess? Ever since her sister came back, she''s softened up a lot more. Even the way she''s talking has be a lot less ruthless and became more shy and cute. Still, she refuses to talk to anyone she doesn''t know, so I guess she really hasn''t changed that much at all.</em>


    Either way, Song Qian Long seemed to be satisfied with this answer, and nodded happily. "I hope to see both of you Yu sisters grow even stronger with the help of these two weapons."


    "We definitely will!" Yu An Yan replied, while Yu An Xue gave a firm nod.


    He then smiled once again, and adjusted his gaze to Qing Yue, thest of the girls to receive her reward.


    "Now then...what should your reward be, I wonder?"

 Chapter 100 - Advancement (4)

    "Student Qing Yue..." Song Qian Long murmured, staring at the person in question while rubbing his chin. "Blessing, Psychic, and Light Elements, huh...I see. So you are a support-type mage."


    "Yes sir!" Qing Yue gave a cute little salute apanied by a wink.


    "Heh..." Song Qian Long chuckled, then nced at me discretely.


    <em>What? Why are you looking at me? Just because you are my godfather doesn''t mean you are Qing Yue''s as well, you hear me? Don''t even think aboutying a single finger on her. I know she''s cute, but you aren''t allowed to touch her.</em>


    The principal cleared his throat and feigned a cough as he saw my murderous re, and averted his gaze quickly. "Now then...I wonder, do I have any support-type artifacts...?"


    As he opened his Space Locket once more and began rummaging through it, I sighed. He was so unprofessional...in events like this, wasn''t the one to hand out the rewards supposed to have all of them already prepared beforehand? Well, to be fair, it was pretty clear he was being excessively nice to the five of us and giving us the best rewards possible, probably because I was present. If another team had won, I doubt he would''ve given them Divine Weapons or the Cloak of Invisibility.


    "Oh..." Song Qian Long murmured, his eyesnding on something in particr. He took out what looked like a silver ne, with a beautiful porcin amber hanging from it. All of our gazes were immediately grasped by the dazzling piece of jewelery. Song Qian Long handed it to Qing Yue, who took it without a word, eyes glued to the ne.


    "It''s so pretty..." she murmured in awe.


    "It certainly does look nice, but..." Feng Mian began.


    "Is it really just a normal ne?" Yu An Yan asked in curiosity.


    "Of course not," Song Qian Long dered with a chuckle. "That ne is nicknamed The Golden Fortress, and cost me quite a fortune."


    "The Golden Fortress?" I raised an eyebrow. "In other words, it''s a defense-type Magic Artifact?"


    "Precisely. It can deploy an invulnerable golden shield in arge radius around the user at will," the principal replied.


    <em>Huh...amber and gold are pretty simr in color, I guess. Was that how it got its name? Well, no matter...more importantly...</em>


    <em></em>"How do you activate it then?" I asked.


    Song Qian Long rubbed his beard. "Hm...that, I am not too sure myself. I have never used it before, after all."


    "Oh, I got it," Qing Yue interrupted.


    I turned around to look at her, and there she was, surrounded by a brilliant golden bell-shaped shield. Since it was translucent, we could all still see through it, and I assumed Qing Yue could see us as well. But still...


    "Woah...how did you do that?" Yu An Yan asked in surprise.


    "I don''t know, I just kind of, willed it?" Qing Yue answered, slightly confused herself. "It''s hard to put in words..."


    "Huh, it seems you and that artifact are indeed quitepatible," Song Qian Long murmured, pleased with his own work, it seemed.


    I sighed, and moved closer, nning to knock on the shield for good measure. "In any case, how sturdy is this- Woah!"


    Contrary to all expectations, the shield was almost like a mirage, and I passed straight through it. Not expecting theck of resistance, I identally used too much momentum and tumbled into the shield - and into Qing Yue. Fortunately, she didn''t fall over from my weight, and supported me as I regained bnce.


    "Goddamn...uh, is that how it''s supposed to function?" I asked skeptically, to no one in particr.


    <em>Yeah, right. A shield that serves as an illusion and nothing more. What, was it nning to make enemies slip and fall inside from the momentum or something? Gee, what a powerful artifact...</em>


    <em></em>"I assure you, it is functioning correctly," Song Qian Long responded to my question calmly. "You see, one of the redeeming features of this artifact is that it is able to discern between ally and foe, based on the user. Allies can pass freely through the fortress, while enemies cannot whatsoever."


    I nced at Qing Yue. She beamed at me as usual, and I sighed. "I guess I was just set to ''ally'' by default, huh...but hey, tell me something like that beforehand, principal."


    The old man shrugged. "What can I say, it just slipped my mind."


    <em>Slipped your mind my ass, you just wanted to see</em>me<em>slip, didn''t you?</em>


    "Hm...does that mean we can enter freely as well?" Feng Mian steered the conversation back onto something useful.


    "Uh, try it out, I guess?" I said from within the golden fortress, scratching my head. "Oh, but be careful not to-"


    ''Don''t worry, we won''t mess up like you did~" Yu An Yan cut me off with a brilliant smile.


    <em>Really? Yeah, you''re hrious. Congrattions, why don''t you go be aedian? Oh, but spare me the trouble of bing your paid actor, thanks.</em>


    In any case, the three other girls were able to enter the golden fortress with no problems. However...


    "Um...this is a bit of a weird position..." Feng Mian murmured, blushing deeply.


    "Mm...this is kind of...cramped..." Yu An Xue agreed, cheeks flushed a deep pink.


    "I-It''s really kind of getting hot in here..." Yu An Yan remarked ufortably.


    "I-Isn''t there any way to make this bigger?" I managed to muster out, trying my best not to focus on the softness being pressed onto my body from every angle. Indeed, the golden fortress was way to small to fit five people in it at once. I didn''t even know where to put my hand now, lest they use me of gropingter...so, I just had them shoved in my pockets, sweating profusely.


    "Oh, yeah, I can do that, I think," Qing Yue replied with a carefree tone.


    <em>Damn it, little sister, if you could''ve done that then do it earlier! Man, this is so</em><em>awkward...I know I said I don''t want to drag anyone into my life, but I''m still a 14 year old boy! I have urges too! They are</em> so<em>lucky I more or less have good self-control...</em>


    <em></em>Anyway, the golden fortress soon expanded, and I sighed in relief at being able to have my personal bubble to myself again. The girls did the same, and we all separated from each other. Hell..who was the idiot that proposed we should try getting in the fortress together again?


    <em>Oh, wait...that''s me. Er...well, now this is awkward.</em>


    Thankfully, none of the girls seemed to mind, and Feng Mian began asking some more useful questions again. "Whew..e to think of it, is there a maximum size to this thing?"


    "Yeah," Qing Yue replied. "This is about as big as it can go."


    Saying that, she expanded the golden fortress once more, until it could just barely fit inside the room, width-wise. Luckily, Qing Yue seemed to have registered the objectsying around the room as ''allies'' before doing so, or else we were going to be paying a shit ton of property damage reimbursement.


    Still, the maximum size of the golden fortress was quite a bit. It could probably fit 15 to 20 people with room to spare. But just that doesn''t say much about it''s actual defense capabilities, so I decided to bring up the matter.


    "Sure, its size is impressive, yeah, but what about its strength?"


    Actually, I''m pretty sure I brought up this question earlier, but was disrupted by a certain incident. Whatever though.


    "This is a Advanced grade artifact, so it should be able to block attacks ranging anywhere from Level One to Level Three," Song Qian Long replied.


    Like mages, artifacts had different tiers as well, and they were corresponding with the mage hierarchy system. For example, a Novice grade artifact would be able to stand against a Novice Mage, or rather, Level One spells. An Intermediate grade artifact would be able to stand against an Intermediate Mage (Level Two spells), and et cetera. The whole list, ranging from weakest (mostmon) to strongest (rarest), went like this: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Ancestral, Monarch, Emperor, Saint, Divine.


    "Just for reference, what grade are the Six Divine Weapons?" I asked.


    "Despite their name, I believe they are Saint-Tier at best," Song Qian Long answered. "However, with the level of strength you all have currently, you obviously cannot use the weapon to its full potential. So to answer your question...it would be around Monarch level right now."


    That made sense. If a Magic Artifact couldn''t be used to its full potential, it''s obvious it would be weaker and couldn''t be ssified as a higher tier artifact. In the hands of a more powerful mage, though, the weapon would be exponentially stronger.


    "Huh...I see," I murmured to myself.


    Song Qian Long then pped his hands together, and looked at Qing Yue. "Well, Ms. Qing Yue? Do you ept this reward?"


    Qing Yue tapped her new ne, and the golden fortress around her disappeared. "Yeah! Thank you, principal Song!"


    She pumped her fist into the air, and puffed out her chest confidently.<em>Hmm? Is it just me, or are they growing? Wait, what am I thinking about, shit...</em>


    Song Qian Long, seeing this sight, smiled warmly. However, his expression quickly grew stern as he turned towards me.


    "And now...atst, the final member of The Chaotic Tranquility, and the team leader - Xuan Kai. Hmm...what shall I give you?"

 Chapter 101 - Advancement (5)

    "From the data I have here, it says you possess the Fire, Light, and Blessing Elements. You also used Earth Magic during the fight against Ming Hao, but...I''ll put that aside for now," Song Qian Long said, looking over a piece of paper on his desk. He then nced at me, a skeptical look in his eyes. "Quite the versatile trio of elements you have, hm?"


    Fire for attack. Light for utility. Blessing for defense, or rather, support. Indeed, these three elements paired together made me more or less an all-rounder, someone able to y any role in a team. But I didn''t really understand his purpose in explicitly pointing that out.


    "Yeah...what''s your point though?"


    "Nothing of concern, really...I was just wondering what type of Magic Artifact should I give you," he replied, stroking his beard. "I already gave the Yu sisters both powerful attack-oriented weapons, and student Qing Yue here received a defense-oriented artifact. Student Feng Mian was rewarded a utility-oriented tool thatplimented her fighting style. In order to bnce out the attack to defense ratio, it makes sense for me to give you a defense-oriented artifact here, but with your three versatile elements, I cannot really settle on a final decision..."


    As he trailed off, I sighed and cut to the chase. "Principal...everyone present right now knows about my true strength, so there''s no need to pretend I only have three elements, is there? Don''t pretend to have a dilemma when you clearly don''t."


    Hearing this, Song Qian Long chuckled. "Well, fine. However, you having all 21 Elements just makes it even harder for me to settle on your reward, you know?"


    I shrugged. "I''m perfectly fine with not receiving anything. I hate to admit it, but you''ve already done enough for us. Don''t think I couldn''t tell - the artifacts you gave these girls were clearly far beyond what a normal tournament would offer."


    "No, no, that won''t do," the principal muttered, denying my proposal. "You are the team leader; it would reflect badly on the school if you were to not receive a reward."


    I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "Then have you thought of anything suitable to give me?"


    The principal stared at me for a couple of moments, before breaking into a smile, and nodding slowly as if he had found the answer. "Yes...yes, indeed I have."


    As my interest got piqued against my will, Song Qian Long opened his Space Locket once again and took out a tiny object that looked like a wedding ring. However, the silver luster of its frame paired with the bloody crimson colored stone embedded on top of it didn''t seem fitting as an engagement gift. It extruded an ominous aura that I couldn''t quite exin.


    I knew it was dangerous, but for some reason, I felt<em>drawn</em>towards it. Despite beingpletely sane, I could''ve sworn I heard a voice in my headpelling me to sieze the ring immediately. The creepiest part? The voice within my mind sounded like <em>myself,</em> even though I never consciously thought about taking the ring. The only exnation was I, somehow, <em>subconsciously </em>wanted to obtain that object, for reasons I didn''t even know myself.


    Putting that mysterious phenomenon aside for now, I fought back the urge to listen to the voice - my own voice, and regained myposure. I decided to ask about the mysterious object. "What is that?"


    Song Qian Long shot me a grin. "To be honest, I do not know myself."


    "You what?"


    "Hey now, why do you look so surprised?" he said with a chuckle. "I am not some all-knowing god; there are some things I do not understand either."


    "...Then why do you even have this thing?"


    "Well, at the auction I found this artifact in, no one else wanted to buy it, so I decided to do it myself."


    "Hold on, so what you''re saying is this artifact is worthless...?" Feng Mian cut in with a puzzled expression.


    "Oh, no. Far from it," Song Qian Long replied with a smile. "At the time of the auction, we were all sitting too far away to feel it, but once I actually brought this ring home and observed it closely, I could feel a faint magical energy from it."


    "Huh...now that you mention it, yeah...I can indeed feel some energye from the ring," Yu An Yan murmured.


    "However," Song Qian Long continued. "What is peculiar about that magical energy is not the amount. It is actually the nature, or rather, the element of it."


    "The nature...element?" Yu An Xue echoed in confusion.


    The principal nodded. "Correct. Normally, all artifacts are of a specific element - or of course, multiple elements - but this one...I was not able to identify what element it belonged to, no matter how hard I tried."


    "So, in other words, you pushed onto me a failed product, huh?" I said jokingly. "Whatever...I''ll take this."


    "Huh?!" the girls all shrieked in surprise.


    "H-Hold on, Xuan Kai...are you sure?" Feng Mian asked in concern. "From every aspect...this artifact seems to be unusual...and above all else, weak."


    "Yeah yeah, Big Brother Xuan Kai, shouldn''t you ask for something else...?" Qing Yue suggested.


    The Yu sisters harbored simr thoughts, and had expressions of worry clouding over their beautiful faces.


    I smirked in response to their cries of apprehension. "Kuku...that''s just because no one has been able to use it to its full potential yet."


    "Hm...full potential, you say?" Song Qian Long murmured quietly. "Hahaha! Very well, student Xuan Kai. I look forward to seeing what you can aplish with this ring."


    "Heh. Keep looking, then."


    Saying that, I began walking towards the door, since our business here was done. However, I stopped when I realized none of the girls were following. I spun around and faced them.


    "Uh...why aren''t you moving?"


    "Huh? Oh! Right..." Feng Mian snapped back to her senses and began heading towards me.


    "What were you staring at anyway...?" I muttered.


    "Sorry, it''s just you and the principal seemed so close for some reason..." Yu An Yan scratched her hair as Feng Mian nodded in agreement.


    Hearing this, however, I stiffened. "E-Er, really now?"


    "Yep!" Qing Yue joined in, skipping happily towards me. "Well, maybe the principal just likes Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    <em>Yeah, he likes me alright. He''s my damn godfather...not that I appreciated that fact. I''m definitely not telling any of you about it, though.</em>


    "A-Ahem...anyway," I rposed myself, and looked at Song Qian Long, still sitting calmly in his chair. "Thank you for the rewards."


    It didn''t matter how much I disliked him. He still gave us very valuable items, and deserved gratitude for it. The girls all bowed down slightly, and echoed my words.


    After that, the girls headed for the female dormitories, while I headed back to my own room in the male dorms. I nced down at the ring, which I had ced on the index finger of my right hand (I didn''t want people to think I was married and cause misunderstandings).


    "Heh...thanks, old geezer."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    After getting back to my room, I found Mei Gui sitting on the couch silently, not budging an inch.


    "Uh, hey?" I said cautiously, waving a bit.


    The red-haired girl stood up like an automated robot, looked at me, and bowed. "Wee home, master."


    I was taken aback at first, but sighed and rubbed her head. However, as I did so, Mei Gui flinched and looked up in surprise.


    "What...?" I asked.


    "Master...that ring, where did you get it from?" Mei Gui asked, grabbing my hand in a hurry and inspecting the ring closely.


    "It was my reward for winning the tournament...Song Qian Long gave it to me," I replied truthfully. "Do you recognize it?"


    "I do not believe ''recognize'' would be the right word, but I can feel a great amount of Chaos energying from it."


    "So you do too, huh..." I muttered. "From the moment Iid my eyes upon this ring, I felt<em>drawn </em>towards it for some reason. It was as if there was a voice in my head - my own voice - telling me to take it..."


    "Apologies, master. My memories are still notplete as of right now...I am unable to provide any useful information..."


    She looked really sad and ufortable at not being able to help me here, but that was guilt she didn''t deserve. I patted her head with my spare hand and smiled. "Don''t worry about it. If you don''t know something, we''ll just have to find out...together."


    "Mm...okay, master," she smiled, leaning into my chest.


    I looked out the windows, closed my eyes, and sighed. When I opened them again, they were full of newfound determination.


    <em>I guess...it''s about time, huh? I already killed Xuan Kun, and knowing that bastard''s personality, he definitely won''t just sit still. I''ve obtained magic now, and have already be an Intermediate Mage. I think...it''s about time to settle things, once and for all.</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui, as if reading my mind, looked up at me. "Master, I will help you."


    "Uh...you sure?"


    "Yes. No one the same age as you will be able to defeat you in a battle, but in this case, you will be going up against an entire family - and one of the strongest families in this city, no less."


    I smiled. She was right. "Well then...can I count on you to take care of the small fry?"


    "Yes, master. I understand this is something you must aplish alone. Thus, I will make sure no pests get in the way of that."


    I grinned, and looked out at the brilliant night sky once more.

 Chapter 102 - After The Exams

    <em>"Where do I go? To the left, where nothing''s right; or to the right, where there''s nothing left?"</em><strong><em></em></strong>


    <strong>*****1</strong>


    The sun was bright and the sky was clear. As the morning breeze swept into my room, Iy in my bed, slowly opening my eyes. I felt a familiar warmth embracing my right arm, so I looked down to investigate. When I saw the beautiful long red-hair of Mei Gui, I knew exactly what had happened, and quickly pulled my arm away. This sudden force startled her, and the otherworldly beauty rose from her sleep.


    "Mei Gui...didn''t I tell you not to climb into my bed when I am sleeping...?" I sighed, rubbing my eyes.


    The beautiful girl stared at me for a couple of moments before bowing her head slightly and replied, "Apologies, master...it was out of instinct."


    <em>You have an instinct for crawling into my bed at night? I don''t even want to think about how many misunderstandings that single sentence is going to cause if anyone else heard it.</em>


    Luckily, no one else was in my dorm, so my dignity was protected for the time being. With this walking time bomb around though, who knew when that woulde to an end?<em></em>


    "Well, whatever," I muttered in response. "At least you aren''tpletely naked this time..."


    Thest time she had done this, she wasn''t wearing a thing, meaning I very well could''ve subconsciously groped her bare skin. Just the thought made me shudder. There was so many things wrong with that, I couldn''t even begin to list them all. One of the major ones being how young she looked...close to Qing Yue''s appearance, to be honest. I didn''t know what her real exact age was, but she was a legal loli...probably. If not, well, my life ends the moment she identally spills the news.


    In any case, I got out of bed and got ready for the day. Brushed my teeth, took a shower, all that stuff. I checked the time using the clock on the wall, and panicked for a moment when it read 9:00, since sses started at 8:30. But then I remembered that today, along with the three days after today, were all ss-free. It was our rest period from participating in the Advancement Exams. I sighed in relief and opened the fridge out of habit...only to find nothing.


    "Uh, sorry, Mei Gui..." I hollered out to the crimson-haired girl, who was sitting on the couch, rxing. "There isn''t any food in the refrigerator, ahaha..."


    Laughing awkwardly, I shut the fridge door. However, Mei Gui didn''t seem to mind this at all, but instead shook her head calmly. "No need to apologize, master. We can simply eat outside, or skip breakfast in general."


    <em>Despite not beingpletely human, she seems quite familiar with human practices and terminology like ''breakfast'', huh...but wait, does she even need to eat? She does, right?</em>


    Just to confirm my hypothesis, I decided to ask for rifaction. "Hey, Mei Gui...incidentally, do you even need to eat food or drink water?"


    "No, I do not, master."


    "Ah, yeah, I knew you needed to as wel- Wait, what?!"


    Ipletely expected her to say ''yes'', so I didn''t even realize what she had responded with until I was already half-way through my sentence.


    Seeing my surprise, Mei Gui began exining. "Master, I do not to consume human food or water, since I get my energy and mana from another source."


    "And that source is...?"


    "It''s you, master."


    "...Hold on, what?"


    <em>Wait, was that why she climbs into my bed at night?! That can''t be, right?! If food and water are to energy and mana in her case, then...she needs to sleep with me to be able to live?! What kind of messed up biology is that?!</em>


    I decided to take a step back and regte my own thinking, since right now my mind waspletely jumbled, and no, it wasn''t because I just woke up. "W-Wait, so in other words, you have to climb into my bed every night in order to restore your own energy?"


    "That is correct, master," Mei Gui answered casually. "However, if you do not wish for me to do so, I will obey your orders."


    I nced at her skeptically. "But won''t you die then, without any energy?"


    "No, master. I can obtain energy from human food and human water as well, though it is just less efficient."


    "..."


    <em>Say that sooner, dammit! You had me all worried about your health for</em><em>nothing...</em>


    <em></em>I wanted to yell that out loud, but decided against it since I knew she would just begin apologizing again and feeling guilty, so I eventually just settled with sighing and letting bygones be bygones. She was just that kind of girl (?), after all.


    For better or worse, I was able to, in the end, find out the truth about her climbing into my bed for apparently no reason. I knew better now, though. But if she eats food and water in the daytime like humans, then she wouldn''t need to sleep with me at night for energy and mana. And so, the first thing on my to-do list in this four-day break from school is to procure some food.


    "Mei Gui, you just stay here, I''ll go get us some breakfast," I said, slipping on the usual hoodie I wore.


    "Understood, master."


    However, as I was putting on my hoodie...a faint yet pleasant aroma tickled my nose.


    <em>Wait a minute...this hoodie...did someone wash it? Mm...yeah, this is the smell ofundry detergent, alright. I''ve used the school-provided one before, and this has the exact same fragrance.</em>


    <em></em>"Hey, Mei Gui, did you wash this, by any chance?"


    She nodded. "Yes, master. Once you had fallen asleep, I used the interesting machine on the balcony to ''wash'' it. Was that what they call ''doing theundry''?"


    Hearing her innocent question, I chuckled. "Yeah, that''s called doing theundry. Thanks, by the way."


    "No need for gratitude, master. This is within my responsibilities."


    <em>Actually, you''ve done more than enough. I got my ass saved by you plenty of times already, you know? Oh well.</em><em>Least I can do to make it up to her is getting her some delicious food to eat...</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Thank you anyway," I replied. After putting on the hoodiepletely and slipping on my running shoes, I turned to face Mei Gui onest time. "Alright, I''m heading out."


    She stood up and bowed to me in a maid-like fashion.<em>Hmm...she''s been doing that a lottely. I wonder where or who she learned that</em><em>from...</em>


    <em></em>"Goodbye for now, master. I shall await your return here."


    I grinned, seeing her formal attitude apanied by apletely expressionless face. My smile spread even wider as I remembered how cute she could be when she did let just the tiniest bit of emotions show, as much as she''d tried to hide the fact that she did indeed have human feelings. I didn''t know why she wanted to pretend she was like a machine and nothing more, but I figured now wasn''t the right time to ask her that. It felt a bit personal, and I haven''t known her for all that long yet (despite living together).


    I strode out the door and headed towards the elevators, hearing the nking of a door shut behind me. "Now then...I said I would get her something tasty as a gift for all she''s done for me so far, but..."


    I took out my 99% empty wallet from my pocket, and unzipped the part designated to hold coins. Pouring out its contents onto my hand, I grimaced as I shook it violently, desperately trying to get one more coin toe out of it. But s, no matter how much you wanted to deny it, reality does not change. I zipped my wallet''s coinpartment back up and put the entire thing back into my pocket.


    Opening my palm, I nced down at the three sole pennies lying there.


    "Great...what am I going to do with this...?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    I soon reached the ground level of the boys'' dorms, and nned to head outside, still with no clear destination in mind. However, in the lobby of the building, I found four girls waiting for me. They were my allies during the Advancement Exams, one of them being my (not blood-rted) little sister.


    Spotting me, Qing Yue hurriedly ran over and leapt up to me. "Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    <em>Cheerful as always, I see.</em>


    "...What are you all doing here?" I asked, catching Qing Yue in my arms.


    "Oh, um...the four of us talked a bitst night, and decided it was time to get you some stuff," Feng Mian replied casually.


    "Some ''stuff''?"


    "Yeah," Yu An Yan nodded. "I mean...you don''t even have any food, right? So why don''t we go, um...shopping together?"


    As her cheeks began to turn pink nearing the end of her sentence, I dubiously looked down at Qing Yue. "Uh...you were the one to suggest this, weren''t you?"


    My cute little sister didn''t reply, but instead just beamed at me and snuggled deeper in my arms. I sighed, and patted her head.


    "Well? Do you want toe...?" Feng Mian asked, waiting anxiously for my answer.


    <em>Why are you so nervous? Stop fidgeting with your hair...I''m not going to reject you here.</em>


    <em></em>"Hm...I would be lying if I said I wasn''tpletely broke, so..." I muttered quietly.


    "Then it''s decided!" Yu An Yan dered, pping her hands together happily. All sign of nervousness was gone from all the girls. "We''ll go shopping with you today!"


    "Right..." I sighed dejectedly.


    <em>How pathetic am I? To be letting four girls buy things for me...well, I can''t really help it. I guess I could''ve asked for some money after winning the tournament...actually, isn''t there a Hunters'' Guild somewhere? From what I know, the Hunters'' Guild is an organization that handed out quests for exterminating Monsters and wild Magic Beasts. It was a good source of stable ie, as long as youpleted quests from time to time. Before, I hadn''t even considered joining this organization, since I didn''t have magic back then. I would be killed immediately, even if I was somehow epted into the organization by some miraculous happening. But now...I think I can support myself using this, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"Hey, guys..." I stopped walking and called out to the four girls in front of me.


    "What is it?" Feng Mian asked in curiosity.


    "Have you...ever heard about the Hunters'' Guild?"


    "...The Hunters'' Guild?" Yu An Yan echoed thoughtfully. "Yeah, they''re that organization that pays money to people whoplete specific tasks, right?"


    "Ah...wait, Big Brother Xuan Kai, are you nning on joining?" Qing Yue looked at me with a frown.


    "Precisely. I can''t always have four girls supporting me, y''know?" I replied in unease. Just saying that line out loud was extremely embarrassing.


    "Hm...okay, we''lle with you then!" Feng Mian dered suddenly.


    "Yeah, sounds fun!"


    "Indeed, we can all go together."


    "Mm...agreed."


    I blinked at the four girls in confusion.


    <strong>"...Hold up, what?"</strong> Before a certain someonees and names this as well, I''ll name this one myself (you know who I''m talking to, yes, you, I can see all thements you make c;). I deem this group of asterisks as Poggers. Yes, I''m not capping.

 Chapter 103 - The Coastal Metropolis

    <strong>- The Coastal Metropolis, Shenzhen -</strong>


    <strong></strong>The Coastal Metropolis - the biggest and most popr shopping centre of Shenzhen, and also where the girls and I were currently at.


    <strong></strong>In the end, after our short conversation on the way here, it was settled that the girls woulde together with me to register for the Hunters'' Guild the next day. For the record, I strictly told them not to, and they reluctantly agreed...on the surface. Even a baby could tell the girls had no intention of listening at all. Defeated, I had just sighed and continued walking.


    That''s a problem for tomorrow though. I woulde with a n to stop the girls from following me, somehow. But for now, we were just going to do some shopping, at the biggest mall in the city, no less. I felt many venomous res of jealousy being shot my way since I was walking together with the top four beauties of Shenzhen, but I ignored them. At this point, I was used to it, though I''m not sure what exactly that says about me.


    The mall was in an octagonal shape, though it isn''t a perfect polygon, as there are various shops and stores that extend out a little. Nevertheless, it was a beautifully designed structure overall. At the center of the mall was arge spherical object that resembled an icosahedron, with ssy faces that were translucent. It was huge, and rose up above everything else. In addition, it was slowly rotating, which was quite a sight to behold. In fact, it was so interesting that over time it had came to be known as the iconic look of the Coastal Metropolis.


    Overall, the structure was very geometric and abstract, and it would be a lie if I said I didn''t like it. I''m not a minimalist, but I can appreciate this simplistic design. Not only was it mainly ck - my favorite color, by the way - but it also gave off a very futuristic and high-tech feel.


    In any case, our first destination at this massive shopping mall was the groceries store...or so I thought.


    "Are you crazy?" Feng Mian rolled her eyes when I proposed we go buy food first.


    "What...?" I blinked in surprise.


    "Think about it," Yu An Yan said with a sigh. "If we get the food first and the other stuffter, by the time we''re done the frozen food would all be spoiled..."


    "Oh, you''re right..." I muttered in reply after thinking it through logically.


    <em>I''ve never done this before, okay? Don''t me me...</em>


    "But wait, Mei Gui is still waiting at home for breakfast..." I brought up, hoping to cover up my mistake.


    "Whhhaat?!" Qing Yue eximed in shock. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, that''s no way to treat a girl! You should''ve brought her along with us!"


    "Uh, how was I supposed to know?! I thought we were just going to get food and head back..."


    By this point, my retorts were slowly running out. Yu An Xue then handed me a phone, for reasons beyond myprehension.


    "Call...her," she said, giving me a little nudge.


    I sighed, andplied. She had already unlocked the phone and brought up the dial pad, so I just straight up put in the number to thendline within my dorm. I was honestly pretty surprised that I still remembered the number, but what shocked me even more was how quickly my call was answered.


    Mei Gui''s familiar voice spoke from the other side. "What is it, master?"


    "Huh...so you know how to use a telephone...?" I murmured in awe.


    "Yes. I saw another human picking up this boat-shaped object when a loud ringing sound rang out, and learnt from her," she replied.


    "Hm...well, anyway, can youe to the Coastal Metropolis right now?" I asked, deciding to talk more about where she learnt how to use a telepher.


    "The Coastal Metropolis...?" she echoed in confusion.


    "Ah, sorry...okay, from the school dorms, turn righ-"


    "Master, I know how to get to the location you speak of," Mei Gui cut me off just as I was about to give her directions. "What I do not understand is why you are telling me to do so?"


    "Breakfast," I replied. "We''re eating out."


    "...I am okay with anything, master, no need to trouble yourself to take me out to eat," Mei Gui said after a short pause.


    "Don''t worry about it, just hurry up ande."


    I hung up the phone, right after I heard her reply ''understood''. Handing the phone back to Yu An Xue, the five of us decided to go wait at the front doors, since even if Mei Gui knew how to get here somehow she wouldn''t know where exactly we were...right?


    At this point, she''s shown me so many surprises I don''t even know anymore. She''s not exactly human, but really, her learning capabilities for acting like one sure were impressive. Either way, just to be safe, the five of us still went to the main entrance of the building. There were four entrances in total, none of them being on any of the diagonal edges of the octagon. The first entrance you would see if you took the correct path from the school dorms to get here would be the main entrance, and the one we were at right now.


    About ten minutester, we spotted Mei Gui flying towards us. She wasn''t hard to miss, with her beautiful scarlet hair and her rather conspicuous method of travel. I figured that was why she was able to get here so quickly - bybining the Level One Sky Magic, Flight, along with some kind of speed boost spell such as Potentia Excitant: Celeritas, she would be able to cross vast distances far quicker than usual. In addition, being a Chaos Elemental, she also had the power of Chaos within her, amplifying the power of her spells by a great amount.


    Naturally, she attracted the gazes of many people as she descended from the sky. People flying in the air weren''t all that umon in this world of magic, but pair that with her almost divine looks, to be honest, it kind of felt like a goddess descending into the mortal realm.


    None of the people looking on in awe actually did anything though, so no trouble came our way. Together, the six of us headed back inside the mall, and went to the food court on the third floor of this massive ce.


    We decided to eat at a restaurant that served all-day breakfast, by the name of Sunrise. It served a Western-themed cuisine, two sunny-side-up eggs paired with bacon and toast. I''ve never eaten anything like this before, but it was undoubtedly delicious. I didn''t have a good impression of this food court, since thest time I was here I was fighting against Ghosteye in a secretir behind one of the restaurants here called The Midnight Lily.


    <em>Speaking of...the giant hole that old geezer made in the ceiling during his fight with Ghosteye already got repaired. Whoever was responsible for the job, they sure worked quick.</em>


    No matter, all of that is in the past now, and I really began to realize why this mall''s food court was quite renowned.


    The other girls seemed to have enjoyed it as well, and after around twenty minutes we were all finished with breakfast.


    "Well? Where do we go next?" I asked, letting someone else take the lead since I waspletely unfamiliar with shopping.


    "Hmm...well, we''re getting groceriesst, so let''s go to the electronics store first," Feng Mian replied thoughtfully.


    I tiled my head in confusion. "Electronics store? Why?"


    Yu An Yan sighed. "Isn''t it obvious? You don''t even have a phone, it''s such a pain to get in touch with you."


    <em>Hey...is it really that bad, not having a phone? I mean, it''s not exactly my fault, is it?</em>


    "Uh...okay, but isn''t something like a phone way too expensive?" I retorted.


    "Don''t worry about it, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue butt in excitedly. "I decided a long time ago to get you a phone, hehe~"


    "Er...fine then," I reluctantly agreed. "However, once I join the Hunters'' Guild and save up enough money, I''ll definitely pay you all back."


    "Psh...why are you so uptight about everything?" Feng Mian said with a cute giggle. "We''repanions; helping each other out is only natural."


    "No...it''s not about that, I just don''t like to owe anyone," I exined with a sigh. "Whether you like it or not, I''m going to pay you back."


    <em>Hm? Is it just me, or did that line there sound kind of evil...? By ''pay you back'', I mean with actual money. Not like the revenge kind. She understands...right?</em>


    <em></em>My hopes were quickly shattered as I noticed Feng Mian looking at me with a look of fear in her eyes. A cold sweat quickly broke out on my forehead and I hurried to correct myself.


    "A-Ah, no, that''s not what I meant...you see, what I was trying to say there was-"


    "Pfft! Hahaha! You fell for that?!" the girls, Feng Mian included, all suddenly broke intoughter.


    "Xuan Kai...is so...easily tricked."


    "Riiiight? This is pretty amusing," Yu An Yan agreed with her sister''s statement, apparently.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, you were really cute there, you know? Ehehe~"


    <em>That doesn''t sound like apliment at all...</em>


    <em></em>"It''s okay, master. Mei Gui will always be with you no matter how gullible you are."


    <em>E-Even you?! God, my heart...</em>


    "A-Ahem, anyway, can we get a move on?" I raised my voice slightly and said in irritation. I had been yed for a fool...by these five girls, no less. I knew they were cunning and clever, but I never expected them to use these qualities on theirs on<em>me.</em>


    I quickly escaped the scene, and began heading to the electronics store which I had spotted on the 2nd Floor on the way up here. The girls soon followed, but I could still hear their giggles andughter from behind.


    <em>Normally, I would think they looked cute, but right now, I really couldn''t bring myself to do that...ah, whatever. I really can''t let my guard down around anyone, even if it''s them, huh?</em>

 Chapter 104 - The Hunters Guild

    <em>Whew...atst, we''re done.</em>


    The six of us - Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Qing Yue, Mei Gui, and I - spent our entire morning shopping at the Coastal Metropolis, ate lunch at the food court on the 3rd floor, then...shopped some more. Yeah, tough (for me). The girls seemed to enjoyed it a lot though, Mei Gui included. She was genuinely happy; I could tell from our link.


    That being said, I was utterly bewildered at how girls were able to find shopping such a fun activity. In my eyes, spending any more time than necessary on shopping is just a waste. Literally, the whole point shopping exists is just to acquire necessary objects. That''s about the original gist of it, yet over time it has became a leisure activity, by reasons beyond myprehension. How did they find buying stuff interesting? Perhaps this was a question I would never get the answer to.


    In any case, we left the mall at around 3 PM. All in all, we bought two smartphones (one for me, one for Mei Gui), clothes (again, both for me and Mei Gui), and of course, groceries (ranging from sweets to junk food to fruits to vegetables and all that). Oh, and we also bought a ck facemask, since I wanted it. It would be useful for covert missions, when the time calls. The other girls had in fact wanted to buy more, but I stopped them. I still wanted to do something today, after all...


    This morning, I had told the girls I nned to register at the Hunters'' Guild tomorrow, but that was only half the truth. Yes, I would be registering to be a Hunter...just not<em>tomorrow.</em>I would be doing it today. And then, tomorrow, I would tell the girls I changed my mind, and didn''t want to be a Hunter anymore. Brilliant n, isn''t it?


    And so, after separating from the girls with theme excuse of ''I want to sleep'', I first dropped off all the stuff we bought today at home, then immediately began heading to the Hunters'' Guild branch in Shenzhen, using my newly obtained smartphone. The map app, as they called it, was certainly useful. All I had to was enter the name of a location, and it would give me the most efficient directions possible. I''ve used other peoples'' smartphones before, but only for calling someone else in the case of an emergency. Other than that, I had no idea how to operate a mobile device, so it truly was a surprise to me how convenient phones really were.


    Anyway, I followed the directions given to me by my phone, and decided to walk there as to avoid attracting too much attention. It wouldn''t be good if someone leaked my whereabouts to one of the girls, after all. Thinking this, I wrapped my hood over my head and began discretely heading to the Hunters'' Guild.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Hunters'' Guild, Shenzhen Branch -</strong>


    The Shenzhen Branch of the Hunters'' Guild was located at the center of the city, not that far off from the Coastal Metropolis. About a 10 minute walk without any kind of speed boosting magic. The building only had one floor, but was still quite big, length-wise. Since the ss panes were all transparent, I could see what was going on inside from the exterior. The entire building gave off a high-tech feel, with its main color being a bright, futuristic blue. I entered the guild to get a better look.


    Large screens were engraved within the walls on the left and right sides of the room, and multiple tables were scattered in a neat fashion all around. The tables weren''t just ordinary furniture, however - they each emitted a bright blue hologram on top of them, and I wondered what they were for. I didn''t pay much attention to them though, since my gaze was automatically drawn to the back of the room...


    Several young, beautiful girls lined the back wall of the lobby, each sitting at a table on the other side of a transparent pane of ss. I assumed they were receptionists, which exined why they would be gorgeous girls in their prime. After all, most members of the Hunters'' Guild were men, since most of the time, they had to deal with absolutely repulsive monsters and asionally even have to harvest the various body parts of a monster they defeated, as a token of their questpletion, and also for money. The process for doing so can involve dissection, and only the true veterans can withstand looking at the inner workings of a monster without puking.


    This may note as a surprise, but Magic Beasts and Monsters both have quite valuable body parts to them. They were mainly used for alchemic or medicinal purposes, but in some cases Magic Beasts can be eaten as a delicacy as well, after thorough preparation. Only the wealthiest people were able to afford such meals, though.


    Suddenly, I noticed a loudmotion at one of the receptionist stations, in particr the one furthest to the right. Several men were crowded around it, and appeared to be fighting over...who was first? Judging by the way they were acting, I figured this conflict didn''t just break out, but had been happening for a while now. I didn''t notice it earlier, since it only began to get rowdy just now. Curious, I patted the shoulder of a guy who happened to be standing near me.


    "Hey, dude, you got any idea what those guys over there are fighting about?" I asked.


    The man, who was wearing a cowboy hat and simrly fashioned attire, turned around andughed upon seeing me. "Howdy! New ''round here, ain''t ya?"


    <em>Huh...so he talks like a cowboy, too. Guess his whole getup wasn''t just for show.</em><em></em>


    "Uh, yeah, that''s right," I replied truthfully, still not removing my hood. Normally, this would be impolite, but considering where I was, I doubted anyone would care. Especially not this fake cowboy guy.


    "Hmm...no offense or anythin'', but ya look kinda weak, ya know?" he said, inspecting me up and down. "This business ain''t for no namby-pamby half-wits, just sayin''."


    "Er...I understand," I went along with what he said just to avoid starting an argument, and changed the topic back onto what I was originally asking him about. "But still, I''m curious...what is going on over there?"


    As the cowboy-esque dude followed his gaze to where I was pointing at, heughed heartily. "Oh, that? That''s amon happenin'' ''round here."


    <em>Great, but does that tell me what''s going on? Are all cowboys supposed to be like this? Man...answer the question, I don''t care how frequent this shit happens.</em>


    Voicing my thoughts in a slightly less hostile manner, I spoke. "Cool, but that''s not what I was asking. I''m wondering why they are fighting."


    The cowboy then nced at me skeptically. "Greenhorn, don''t tell me ya really don''t know about the top beauty of Shenzhen?"


    <em>Top beauty? I can name a few, right off the top of my head. But what''s interesting is that he didn''t use ''one of'', just straight up, conclusive - ''top beauty of Shenzhen''.</em>


    <em></em>"Er...I''m actually a foreigner around these parts," I lied tantly, just to make it seem more believable that I didn''t know about this so called top beauty. "Care to enlighten me?"


    "Ho, her beauty ain''t somethin'' just words can describe," the cowboy chuckled, then pointing his chin at the rowdy men, still fighting stubbornly. I followed his gaze, and was met with...the wild-looking men.


    <em>Are you stupid? How am I supposed to see her when she''s being blocked by these bunch of idiots?</em>


    "I can''t see her," I told the cowboy, but he merely snickered.


    "That''s the point, greenhorn."


    "Huh...?" I was genuinely confused.


    The cowboy, seeing my puzzled expression, began exining. "Ya see, that girl is always wearin'' a veil. We can only see her eyes, ears, and hair, but those be enough to convince us she''s damn gorgeous."


    <em>Wearing a veil...? Interesting.</em>


    Having my curiosity piqued, I decided to investigate. Since I needed to register at the here anyway, I decided to go to <em>that </em>receptionist in particr. Two birds with one stone, as they say. I slipped on my new ck facemask, which fortunately I hadn''t dropped off at home, and walked over to where the men were fighting, n in mind.


    "Excuse me, but could you please settle down a bit?" I asked courteously.


    All ten of the men who were bickering with each other just seconds earlier now all fixed their angry eyes on me.


    "Huh?! Who the hell are you, brat?" one of them asked with a demeaning tone. He had a huge moustache, and a beard to match. Overall, he was the very definition of''burly''. Just by appearances alone, it seemed he was the strongest of the bunch, with hisrge muscles and general appearance.


    "Never seen ''im ''round here," another man said in response to the first. This one had a pirate-themed costume, and looked quite the part if I do say so myself. That being said...what''s with these Hunters? Do they all have some kind of cosy fetish?


    I sighed and began speaking calmly. "Who I am isn''t very important, is it? The reason you all are crowded around here is pretty obvious. But do you think fighting in front of the receptionist is supposed to make her like you?"


    Then, suddenly, contrary to my expectations, all ten men began sping their cheeks and blushing.


    <em>Hold it right there...I don''t like where this is going.</em>


    "T-Then, what do we do?!" the bulky man who had spoken first earlier asked me in a panic. "We just want to get a glimpse of her face..."


    I blinked in shock.<em>Is this what they call a ''simp''?</em>


    Quickly regaining myposure, I cleared my throat and proceeded with my n. "A-Ahem...well, for starters, why don''t you start lining up in a neat and tidy fashion?"


    "Alright..." the men all murmured, and obediently shuffled into a straight line, behind me, leaving me at the front.


    <em>What the hell?! Why are you leaving me at the front? Oh, wait...don''t tell me you all got nervous just now...man, why do I feel like a kindergarten teacher right about now?</em><em>''Line up in a neat and tidy fashion''...god.</em>


    <em></em>Anyway...my n seeded in the end, so all was well. In fact, it went a little too smoothly. Either way, my purpose was fulfilled, and I came face-to-face with the receptionist they were all moring to get a glimpse of.


    Indeed, what that cowboy guy had told me was right on the mark. The girl before me was wearing a blue veil that hid everything on her face except her eyes and above. She had beautiful, long, sky blue colored hair, and gave off a very delicate air overall.


    I took a deep breath, and walked up to the receptionist.

 Chapter 105 - Registration

    "H-Hello there...w-wee to the Shenzhen Branch of the H-Hunters'' Guild..." the receptionist said meekly. There must''ve been some special technologies implemented so that people on the other side of the ss pane would still be able to hear the receptionists loud and clear. Sound Magic, perhaps?


    "Er...hey," I replied, equally nervous. Interacting with strangers wasn''t exactly my strong suit, especially when the other party was also introverted like me.


    Though that left me wondering...if she was introverted, why would she be a receptionist? That was a job that required constant interaction with others. I snuck a nce at one of the other receptionists on the other end of the room, and she seemed to be doing just fine.


    "W-What is your business at the Hunters'' Guild t-today?" the girl before me managed to ask quietly. Her voice was quite high-pitched, but I bet it was just because she was extremely nervous.


    "Oh, er, I would like to register," I replied, looking at her again.


    "...Register?"


    "What, do you not allow new registrations?"


    "A-Ah, n-no, it''s not that..." she quickly shook her head in a fluster. "Forgive me, i-it''s just that...you don''t seem too strong, judging from appearances."


    <em>Do I really look that weak on the outside? Well, I suppose that''s not exactly a bad thing, since being seen as weak is better than being seen as exceptionally strong and drawing unnecessary attention to myself. Yeah...it''s better this way.</em>


    I sighed, and narrowed my eyes. "Just be straight with me. Can I register or not?"


    "Y-Yes!" she yelped, slightly frightened by my sudden change in tone. "A-All you have to do is fill out this form!"


    My expression softened again, and I smiled, though she had no way of seeing that, since I was still wearing my facemask. I watched as she fumbled to print out a registration form for me. However, when the printing wasplete, for some reason, the girl used a pen to write something on the paper, but I couldn''t tell what it was.


    She then pulled a lever attached to the table on her right hand side, and the pane in front of me slid open. She handed me the registration form plus a pen, and I took them, curious to see what she wrote.


    <em>Hm...? Huh, that''s cute.</em>


    <em></em>On the top right corner of the paper, written in letters so small it was nearly illegible, were the following two words:


    <em>Thank you.</em>


    I nced at the girl, and saw her eyes darting all over the ce. Although I couldn''t see her face, which was covered by a veil, I could tell she was probably blushing. I doubted it was because she liked me, since I only met her just now. It was probably just her introverted nature at y here. Still, it was pretty cute, in my opinion.


    I chuckled and filled out the registration form she gave me, using the marble ledge cut in two parts by the ss pane as a writing surface. Of course, right now, the ss pane was slid upwards, so the ledge was just a single tform with no dividers.


    The form didn''t ask much, just basic information and fighting capabilities. I filled out everything truthfully, except for my name.


    <em>Hm...should I use an alias? If I just used my real name, it could cause problems. Knowing Xuan Yang, he''ll probably hire people to assassinate me while I''m on a mission...especially now that I killed his son. Yeah, I think going by a fake name would be the better choice here.</em>


    <em>...That said, what should I use as an alias, anyway?</em>


    <em></em>Since the form was just asking general questions, I couldn''t afford to just stand there and spend five minutes thinking up a good alias. It would seem suspicious if I took that long to fill out info I should know off the top of my head. And so, in the spur of the moment, I decided to just write ''Kai Xuan''.


    Other fields included questions like ''what elements do you specialize in'', or ''what is your fighting ss''. I decided to put different elements than what people think I have, just to differentiate this persona from my real self even further. On the surface, I possessed three elements - Fire, Light, and Blessing. And so, for this form, I put down Water, Shadow, and Curse. To match with these affinities, I put down Assassin as my fighting ss. Kai Xuan and Xuan Kai...pr opposites, perfect.


    After reviewing the form one more time, I added another short line of text right below where she wrote ''Thank you'':


    <em>No problem.</em>


    <em></em>I then handed the form along with the pen back to the girl. The first thing she did was look at my ''reply'', and when she did, she let out a cute little giggle. Then, setting down the paper on her desk, she activated the lever once more, and the ss pane slid down. I watched as she entered all the information I gave into a database, and soon enough she was done.


    <em>Holy shit, she types fast.</em>


    Strangely enough, I could tell she was running a printer or something behind that ss pane, but I couldn''t hear the machine''s sounds. Apparently, whatever technology was infused into this ss pane only allowed human voices to pass through. It was convenient, but to be honest, I didn''t know why these panes were implemented in the first ce. To protect the receptionists from perverted men? Hm...certainly a possibility.


    My thoughts were soon interrupted by the ss pane sliding open once more. "Um...h-here is your guild card."


    "Guild card?"


    "Y-Yes...um, it''s just a form of identification, and..." she began exining.


    Okay. So, basically, ording to what that girl told me, the guild card proved you were an official member of the Hunters'' Guild. It was an important item that you should never lose. If by some unforeseen circumstances, the guild card is lost or broken, then the owner of the card should apply for a new one immediately at any guild branch.


    The guild card had multiple pieces of information on it, including the owner''s name, rank, and elemental affinities. Each element was represented with its respective sigil, as to save space. My card in particr, had the following information:


    Name: Kai Xuan


    Rank: Iron Hunter


    Elemental Affinities: Water, Shadow, Curse


    Badges: (None)


    Of course, the actual element names weren''t written out, but instead just depicted by their respective sigils. Simrly, my rank was also indicated by a neat design that apparently represented that rank. Overall, the card wasn''t all that different from a credit card in terms of size, so such measures needed to be taken to save space.


    Speaking of ranks, like the mage ranking system developed by the IMF, the Hunters'' Guild also had one, based on how much bounty points the Hunter had. Bounty points were achieved through questpletion, so in other words, the more quests a Hunterpletes, the higher his rank will be. As an aside, more difficult quests naturally gave more bounty points, though it wasn''t like a Iron Hunter could just skyrocket to tinum Hunter through one extremely difficult quest, since quests with huge bounties required participants to be at least a certain rank.


    Overall, the ranking system was as follows:


    Iron Hunter - 0 bounty points.


    Bronze Hunter - 100 bounty points.


    Silver Hunter - 500 bounty points.


    Golden Hunter - 1,000 bounty points.


    tinum Hunter - 5,000 bounty points.


    Veteran Hunter - 10,000 bounty points.


    Master Hunter - 50,000 bounty points.


    Grandmaster Hunter - 100,000 bounty points.


    Heavenly Hunter - 1,000,000 bounty points.


    "Hm...? Isn''t this gap between Grandmaster Hunter and Heavenly Hunter a bit big?" I asked, after looking through the brochure the girl gave me.


    "Well...you see, no one has ever been able to reach the Heavenly Hunter rank," the girl replied meekly. "The guild master originally just created this rank for current Grandmaster Hunters to have something to work towards, that''s all."


    <em>Huh...so when she''s exining things, she doesn''t stutter as much. Interesting.</em>


    <em></em>"I see..." I muttered. "Anyway, thank you."


    "F-Fwah?! F-For what?!" she cried out in surprise.


    "Well, y''know, taking the time to exin all this to me," I replied.


    "N-No need to thank me! This is my j-job, after all..."


    I then turned around and prepared to leave, guild card in hand. "Well then...see you."


    "A-Ah, wait!" she suddenly stood up and called out. I nced back at her questioningly. "U-Um...when will you be back?"


    "Hm...I''lle pick up my first quest tomorrow. Is that fine?" I responded after some careful thought. But does that affect her in any way...?


    "O-Okay! I''ll see you t-tomorrow, then!"


    <em>Don''t tell me...she wants to see me again? Hell no. There''s no way. Definitely not. Love at first sight? Bullshit. There''s just no way...right?</em>


    <em></em>Harboring these uncertain thoughts in my head, I turned on my heel and walked away. Still...I managed to get myself registered at the Hunters'' Guild, something I never even dreamt would happen just two months ago. And I said this would just be to support myself financially, but...it would be a lie if I said I wasn''t excited.


    Hunting monsters...kuku. Sounds fun.

 Chapter 106 - Kai Xuan

    <strong>- The Next Day -</strong>


    After registering at the Hunters'' Guild yesterday, I had told that receptionist I would drop by again today to pick up my first quest. That''s what I said, but...first, I had to trick the girls.


    My four teammates on The Chaotic Tranquility were waiting in the lobby of the boys'' dorms. I took a deep breath, and went over my script once more in my head.


    <em>Okay...I got this.</em>


    <em></em>I turned the corner with confidence, and found the four girls...getting hit on? I quickly dashed back into the safety of the shadows. Then, carefully, I peeked over at what was going on in curiosity.


    "Hey there, girlies," a boy said, getting closer thanfort to Feng Mian. "You look stunning. Wanna hang out?"


    "Huh...if it isn''t the two daughters of the Yu family," another boy mused, sizing the two sisters up and down lustfully.


    The two boys (I''ll call them boy 1 and boy 2 respectively) were wearing the school uniform, and appeared to be two years above us. In other words, they were 4th Years who just finished their Advancement Exams yesterday. They both had disgusting looks on their faces, and were causing the girls to be very ufortable. If they had simply fallen in love and wanted to ask the girls out, then I wouldn''t care, but it was clear they were only hitting on the girls because of their looks and figure. As an aside, neither of two were ogling Qing Yue, since, well...she was a bit underdevelopedpared to the other three. Don''t tell her I said that though.


    I decided to wait a bit longer before going in, since I thought the girls could probably handle it themselves. I bet simr situations would happen in the future, so this was good practice for them.


    "Sorry, but we''re busy," Yu An Yan spoke up first, despite clearly being nervous. Being the older sister, she had to take the initiative and be brave.


    "Busy? Eh, that''s fine too. But why don''t you give me your number, babe, so we can hang out some other time?" asked boy 2 with a charming smile. <em>Gross...</em>


    <em></em>"No, we''re good," it was Feng Mian that replied this time. "And also, please kindly step away from us, you''re too close forfort."


    The four girls were all forced right up to the wall, and had nowhere else to go. The only option was to get the boys to move. However...that would prove to be a task harder than expected.


    "Aw, don''t be shy," said boy 1. "C''mon, if you want to be even closer, just say so." Saying that, he edged even closer.


    <em>Woah there...dangerous territory. Dangerous!</em>


    Finally, I decided it was time to step in, and prepared to round the corner, but-


    "Hyah!"


    "AHH! FUCK!" the boy cried out in pain.


    Before I could act, Qing Yue had let out a powerful kick towards the boy, right into <em>that </em>area, robbing boy 1 of his ability to have children, forever. The boy, having been struck right where it hurts most, was sent flying to the floor, sprawling and yelling in agony.


    As a fellow member of the male race, I instinctively clutched my lifeline. "Holy shit...okay, never piss off Qing Yue. Noted."


    Boy 2, after seeing his friend suffer from irreversible genital injury, hurriedly backed off. Using magic here would get him expelled, so he had no choice but to run away like a coward. After helping boy 1 get back on his feet, the two perverts scurried away in fear.


    Finding this sight amusing, I finally rounded the corner and came into view of the girls.


    "Hm? What happened?" I asked, feigning ignorance.


    "You saw everything, didn''t you, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue pouted unhappily.


    "Huh? I have no idea what you''re talking about," I replied, cold sweat forming on my back. Met with the stern and dubious gazes of the four girls, I was forced to hurriedly change the topic. "A-Anyway, I just came here to inform you that I changed my mind."


    Feng Mian nced at me skeptically. "Changed your mind...? On what?"


    "Registering at the Hunters'' Guild," I replied nonchntly. "I did some research, and uh...prying open monster guts just isn''t my cup of tea."


    "Ah...yeah, that''s pretty disgusting," Yu An Yan remarked. "But what are you going to do then for money?"


    "Eh...I''ll figure something out," I answered hesitantly.<em>My script doesn''t cover this part!</em> "You guys don''t have to worry about it."


    "Huh...well...we''re going to register anyway," Feng Mian said, shattering all my expectations along with my wless n.


    "Hold up, what?"


    "What? Just because you can''t do it doesn''t mean we can''t either," Yu An Yan said.


    "Uh, yeah...okay," I responded stiffly. "Good luck..."


    After receiving multiple puzzled gazes from the girls, I turned around and headed back upstairs to my room.


    Upon arriving, I was met with Mei Gui, who suddenly clutched my hands tightly as soon as I entered the room.


    "What the-"


    "Master, may I join the Hunters'' Guild as well?" she asked, ck eyes dazzling with excitement.


    "Huh? I mean, sure, but...why?" I asked, dazed by this sudden request.


    "It sounds cool," Mei Gui replied innocently.


    <em>Seriously? You want to join just because the name sounds cool? Oh well...</em>


    <em></em>"Well...whatever, the others probably already left, but if you hurry now you should be able to catch-"


    "Thank you!"


    Before I could even finish my sentence, I felt a wind rush against my cheeks me as Mei Gui dashed past, going the down the stairs instead of the elevators to be faster. I sighed and entered my room.


    "Well, shit...what do I do now?"


    I nced at the clock, and decided to head over to the guildter to pick up my first quest as promised. I didn''t want to ran into the girls, after all.<em>It''s 9 AM right now...guess I''ll head there at around 1 PM. That should be enough time, right? Perhaps even more than needed. Oh well, better safe than sorry.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- 1 PM -</strong>


    <strong></strong>I slipped on the new cloak I got yesterday, along with my facemask. They were both midnight ck (but the cloak had silver linings on it), and honestly, went pretty well together. My ck hair also matched quite nicely with the whole attire. I put on the ring I received from Song Qian Long as well. It was the first time I ever put it on, but as soon as I did, a strange warmth enveloped my entire body, and I felt so natural wearing it all of a sudden. It was as if the ring was made for me.


    I stepped into the bathroom to see how I looked from an outsider''s perspective. I wouldn''t want anyone at the guild finding out my true identity, after all. However...


    "What the hell...well, at least no one''s ever going to tell this is me," I muttered to myself.


    It wasn''t my clothes that surprised me the most. It was my eye color. Strangely enough, my originally ck eyes were now an ominous bright red.<em>Hmm...it doesn''t look bad at all, but what caused this</em><em>transformation...?</em> Thinking this, I first took off my cloak. Nope. My eyes remained crimson. I slipped the cloak back on and took off the ring...


    "Yeah...as expected..."


    As soon as I took the ring off, the red in my irises disappeared, and faded back to my usual ck. I looked at the piece of jewelery in wonder, and put it on my index finger once more. My eyes, as expected, turned back to the same as that of the gemstone embedded on the ring - a bright, bloody red.


    I guess when I wear the ring, I''ll be known as Kai Xuan. When I''m not, I''ll just be Xuan Kai. I then nced down at the ring on my hand once more.


    <em>I still don''t really know what exactly you are, but...I can tell, you''re going to be plenty helpful in the future. Should I give you a name? Actually, nah, forget it...I''m horrible at naming things.</em>


    After inspecting my getup onest time, I stepped out of my room, and began heading for the Hunters'' Guild, once more.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Hunters'' Guild, Shenzhen Branch -</strong>


    Around an hourter, I arrived at the Hunters'' Guild of Shenzhen. I could''ve gotten here far sooner if I used Sky Magic, but since neither of my personas had that element listed, it could cause trouble if I were spotted. Thus, I had to do this the long way.


    I entered the building, and despite having already been here once before, the elegance of it still never ceased to amaze me. I nced at the receptionist on the far right - the same one I had talked to yesterday. However, as expected, a huge line was formed in front of her, and all I could see were hairy men, bulky men, and...well, men.


    Luckily, they weren''t causing a ruckus like yesterday, so the lobby wasn''t as noisy. I was thankful. However, that being said, I had no intention of wasting half an hour or more time waiting in that giant line, so I decided to just go to another receptionist - the second one counting from right to left. In other words, she was right beside the veiled girl.


    There was still a line here, but it was nowhere as big as the one beside it. There were three people in front of me, and I patiently waited for my turn while observing my surroundings wordlessly.


    Atst, after around 10 minutes or so, the the three people in front of me were all finished with their business, and I stepped up.


    "Good afternoon, Hunter. How may I help you today?" the receptionist asked in a professional manner, nothing like the veiled girl from yesterday. However, before I could reply, the receptionist in front of me was dragged away by a hand to her left...so my right. Yep, it was the girl I had talked to yesterday...


    "What?" the more professional, mature receptionist whispered sharply.


    "C-Can you switch ces with me?! P-Please?" the introverted and stuttery girl from yesterday whispered back.


    "Uh...yes? But why?"


    "I-I know the boy in front of you! P-Please, let me handle his request!"


    The mature receptionist sighed and nced at me with curiosity. I made a slight shrugging gesture. Eventually, she gave in and switched ces. Soon enough, I was met with the same veiled girl I had talked to yesterday.


    She closed her eyes, took a couple deep breaths topose herself, and reopened them. "G-Good afternoon, Hunter. H-How may I help you today?"


    She repeated the exact words the other receptionist had said, but it felt quite...forced and unnatural. I decided not toment on that though, and merely told her exactly what I would''ve told any other receptionist.


    "As promised...I havee to pick up my first quest."

 Chapter 107 - The First Quest

    "Huh...which one should I pick?" I muttered to myself, staring at arge blue screen.


    I had just finished receiving a long exnation from the veiled receptionist regarding quests and how to do them. The long and short of it was this: Hunters usually came to the guild early morning every day to browse and take on quests at one of the Quest Terminals. These were the blue screens engraved into the walls on the left and right side of the lobby. There were about 20 in total (10 on each side), each about the size of a door. The Hunters'' Guild lobby was pretty big, so it could fit all of these machines just fine.


    However, even so,pared to the sheer number of Hunters there are within this region, 20 terminals was nowhere near enough and every morning, the guild would be crowded with Hunters waitng for their turn. Some form parties and tackle difficult quests together, while others prefer to remain solo and just stick to the ones they are capable of by themselves.


    The operation process of these machines was pretty simple. It was just like a smartphone (I knew about that, since I just got one recently) - touchscreen and easy to maneuver. Except....well, it wasn''t mobile, that was for sure. The ''home screen'' showed different categories of quests, ranging from Monster Extermination to Magic Beast Hunts, as well as some more mundane ones such as cleaning a bathroom (yes, that was a legitimate quest, with a legitimate, albeit low, reward).


    After choosing a specific category, you were met with a list of the currently avable quests of that particr section. Since you could only do one quest at a time, you would then pick out one quest to do, and swipe your guild card on the scanner implemented beside therge screen. After that, you are tethered to this quest, and you cannot ept a new quest before eitherpleting this one, or forfeiting. Forfeiting a quest came with its punishments, but none of them are too severe. Worst case, you lose some bounty points.


    Once you werepleted the quest, you would head over to a receptionist, and they will check that you really did finish the quest, before giving you your reward. Then, the Hunters will once again begin their hunt for a new quest at one of the terminals. It was a fairly straight-forward process, but for a newbie like me, I didn''t even know where to start.


    "Um...a-are you have trouble deciding on which quest to do?" a familiar girl''s voice called out to me from behind.


    "Hm? Ah, yeah..." I muttered in reply. "But more importantly, what are you doing here? Aren''t you working right now?"


    "Um...right now is actually my b-break time..."


    "Oh...I see."


    <em>If it''s your break time, shouldn''t you be taking a break instead ofing to help me out? I mean, I appreciate it; I do, but this makes me feel like I''m taking up your rest time, you know! It''s not a very nice feeling.</em>


    "S-So, anyway, what kind of quests do you prefer?" she asked, changing the topic.


    "Hmm...well, I don''t want to go clean bathrooms, that''s for sure," I replied, remembering that one quest I saw.


    The girl gave a light giggle, but quickly rposed herself and continued. "Then...what about monster extermination? They are the most dangerous, but also pay the best."


    I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Hm...for my first quest, I would like to do something lighter, if you get what I mean..."


    "A-Ah, yes! Of course! In that case, g-going on a simple resource excavation quest would be your b-best bet! Yes!"


    <em>Resource Excavation, huh...let''s see here.</em>I turned back to the screen and found the category the receptionist was talking about, and clicked into it. Arge list of quests showed up on the screen, far more than Monster Extermination or Magic Beast Hunts.


    "Hm? Why are there so many quests of this kind?" I asked.


    "W-Well, that''s because there isn''t really an abundancy of Monsters and Magic Beasts in the area, since we''re in a developed, rtively safe region and all..."


    <em>Oh, I see. That certainly was true. This wasn''t like The Wilderness, where you couldn''t go 100 meters without seeing at least one Monster or Magic Beast.</em>


    <em></em>"Alright then...I''ll take<em>this</em>one." I pointed at the quest I had in mind. The quest synopsis was as follows:


    <em><strong>Quest Name: </strong>Cave Exploration</em>


    <em><strong>Category: </strong>Resource Excavation</em>


    <em><strong>Excavation Target: </strong>Gold (other substances may also be found)</em>


    <em><strong>Difficulty: </strong>Easy</em>


    <em><strong>Rank Requirement: </strong>None</em>


    <em><strong>Reward: </strong>£¤500, 5 Bounty Points</em>


    <em></em>"Cave Exploration, huh...indeed, this is a good quest for beginners," the receptionist remarked, nodding to herself.


    Seeing her approval, I continued with the process, scanned my guild card on the scanner beside the screen, and ced the card back in my pocket.


    "Alright...let''s do this-"


    "Ah, wait!" Just as I was about to leave the building, I was called back by the same veiled receptionist.


    "What is it?"


    "Um...h-have you installed the Hunters'' Guild app on your phone?" she asked hesitantly.


    "Uh, no? Why?" I''ve never even heard of that before, so I had no idea what it was.


    The girl sighed and handed me a brochure of some kind. "Read this, it''s the Hunters'' Handbook. There''s lots of important tips and guidelines in there to follow, some of which were gotten directly from the best Hunters out there."


    <em>As expected, you didn''t stutter there when you were exining something. Actually, wait, wasn''t what she was doing earlier at the Quest Terminal technically exining stuff to me as well? If memory serves, she stuttered quite a bit back there...ah, well, whatever.</em>


    <em></em>"Hm, I''ll keep that in mind...but what about the app?"


    "J-Just follow the instructions in that manual!" she eximed. "B-But be sure to install the app<em>before</em>doing that quest, okay? Otherwise you won''t have any idea where to go!"


    <em>Oh shit, she''s right. The quest didn''t say anything about where exactly the cave I was supposed to go in was located. I''m assuming this app is going to tell me where to go, then. Why didn''t she give me this handbook or whatever sooner? Don''t tell me...she just forgot? No way. She''s not</em> that<em>big of a klutz, right? Right?! Goddamn...thankfully, I didn''t head out yet. I didn''t want toe running back here half an hourter realizing I was never told the location of the quest...that would be very embarrassing.</em>


    <em></em><em>Well then...Cave Exploration, here Ie.</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- An Hour Later, Avast Mountains, Shenzhen -</strong>


    <em>Hmm...this should be the ce.</em>


    <em></em>Right after I received the handbook from that veiled receptionist e to think of it, I still don''t know her name...I''ll ask the next time I meet her, she''s helped me out quite a bit), I had skimmed through it quickly, searching for the app or whatever it was. Soon enough, I had found it, and followed the instructions on the handbook to install it on my phone. All I had to do was scan something using the Camera app, and the download started immediately. Pretty convenient.


    After a minute or so, the download finished, and I fire up the application. It asked me for permission to ess my camera, and I clicked yes. Then, I was instructed to scan my guild card using that very same camera, and so I did. The link was finished immediately, and after a couple seconds of waiting, a map showed up on the screen, disying my current location as well as my destination for my current quest. I had followed that all the way here, to the foot of the Avast Mountains.


    I arrived fairly on time, since the phone said it would take about an hour, and I indeed arrived here in an hour. By the way, I didn''t fly either this time, since I was strictly following the map on my phone...but once I arrived, I discovered there was a ''flight mode'' for those that possessed Sky Magic. Tragic? Yeah. Especially since that could''ve saved me like 40 minutes of travel time. Whatever though.


    Anyway, the Avast Mountains, huh? From what I know, inter years at the Shenzhen Magic High School, we would have multiple expeditions to these wild mountains to practice hunting Monsters and Magic Beasts. I''ve never been here before, but I''ve heard plenty about it. Apparently, it was the ideal training grounds, since it had just the adequate amount of Monsters and Magic Beasts, and none of them were too strong. At the same time, they weren''t so weak that they couldn''t provide a challenge at all, either. For this reason, I guessed that many of the future quests I take at this branch of the Hunters'' Guild will all be located in these mountains.


    The foot of the mountain had a teleportation circle that brought people directly to the top, which was quite convenient. People could choose to walk or fly up themselves as well, but since my cave was coincidentally located at the very top of one of the mountains, I decided to just take the teleportation circle this time around.


    I stepped on top of the tform, and a brilliant cyan light enveloped my entire body...not.


    "Error: Please Enter Payment."


    <em>What the hell?! You need to</em> pay<em>to use this thing?! Are you kidding me...what?! It costs £¤250 just for an one-way trip?! That means if I go up ande back down using this thing...that''s equivalent to my reward for this entire quest!</em>


    <em></em>"What a rip-off..." I muttered to myself in frustration. Stepping off the tform with the weird mechanical female voice, I tilted my head upwards and looked at the distant mountaintops.


    "Haiz...no choice but to do this the hard way, I guess."

 Chapter 108 - Cave Exploration

    Under the cloudless blue sky, I flew up to the top of the Avast Mountains toplete my first quest. The process itself wasn''t very hard. In order to avoid attracting attention, I paired the Level One Sky Element spell ''Flight'' with the Level One Shadow Element spell, ''Invisibility''. While this level of Invisibility wasn''tpletely wless, it rendered the user unseeable with the naked eye. That didn''t mean I waspletely off the radar, though - through a simple Level One Psychic Element spell, Detect Presence, my little gimmick would be seen through.


    Luckily, I didn''t feel anyone use this spell on me on my way up, and arrived at my destination cave without any problems.


    "Looks like this is it..." I muttered to myself, ncing back and forth between the cave before me and the smartphone in my hand. No matter how you looked at it, this cave was the location of this resource excavation quest.


    <em>Alright...let''s head inside.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>It was dim within the cave and it only grew darker as I ventured further in, but that was to be expected. There were no artificial forms of lighting in here, so the only thing that can provide visibility was the sun. Due to the angle at which the sun is at currently rtive to the position of the cave''s entrance, I was soon shrouded inplete darkness.


    That wasn''t a problem for me, though. I simply cast the Level One Light Magic, Illumination, and continued forward. Of course, since no one else was in the area, I didn''t bother chanting.


    <em>Hm...this should be the right spot, but I haven''t seen a single trace of gold, or any other mineral, for that matter.</em><em>Was it still deeper in?</em>


    Suddenly, my senses picked up on a fairly powerful presence within the vicinity. My eyes narrowed and I stopped walking, listening intensely for any sign of an attack. After a full minute of nothing, I resumed walking, but far slower than before. As I headed deeper into the cave, the presence grew more stronger and stronger. This didn''t help ease my strained nerves. However, just then, I spotted a shiny object in the distance...actually, allow me to rephrase -<em>several</em>shiny objects.


    I headed closer cautiously, and discovered that they were, in fact, what I came here to look for - gold pieces. However, there was always a chance they would be fake. Luckily, I brought along a ceramic te for this situation. I had purchased it on the way here. I also bought a pickaxe, since I knew it was going toe in handy, right about now. As for the money...the Guild apparently had a little system so that new Hunters could receive a small sum of money on their first quest, to purchase equipment and stuff. It wasn''t a lot, but it was more than enough in my case.


    <em>Thank god this was set in ce, too...or else I don''t know what I would''ve done.</em>


    The gold chunks were engraved into the stone, so I had to use the pickaxe to break them out. I tried to do it as quietly as possible, but to no avail. I could only hope that powerful presence doesn''te for me. I was sweating profusely, and wanted to get out of here as quick as I could. After mining out all the gold pieces in this area, I looked around to make sure I had gathered all of them.


    ording to the Hunters'' Handbook I received from the veiled receptionist, for resource excavation quests, you had to collect at least ten separate pieces of that specific resource. For minerals, it was 10 hand-sized chunks, while for liquids, it was 10 250 mL bottles worth of it. Of course, for minerals, there was no way to be exact, but it was just a rough estimate. If the guild deemed the resources you collected not enough, you wouldn''t be paid.


    I counted the number of gold chunks I had mined out so far.<em>1..2...3..okay, 11 in total.</em>Each was about the size of my hand as well, so that means I hadpleted the quest. I even had one extra, just to be safe. I then tested each piece of gold on the ceramic te, and confirmed that the gold was genuine. After that, I ced everything into my Space Locket. Well, it was technically Yu Ao''s Space Locket, but...when I tried to return it after the whole Ghosteye incident, he refused and just let me have it. In the end, we settled on me keeping the Space Locket, but he kept all of its contents, since that stuff all belonged in the Yu family''s precious treasury.


    Space Lockets came in many different forms, but this one was just a nice and simple pouch. Song Qian Long''s was a ring, and there were also other forms out there, such as a ne (pendant) or even a whole backpack. I didn''t see the point in having such a<em>exteriorly</em> big one though, since Space Lockets all had endless space inside of them anyway, and it would shrink objects to fit within its ''mouth''. The shrinking process was a bit weird and hard to exin, but basically, the moment the object you''re holding touches the mouth of the - in this case - pouch, it gets shrinked to a size where it can be sucked in to the pouch with no problems. Anyway, in my opinion, the smaller the Space Locket was, the better.


    In any case, after packing everything back into the Space Locket, I prepared to leave-


    <strong>ROOOAAAAAR!</strong>


    <strong></strong>A beastly howl that shook the very earth erupted from deeper within the cave, and I fell to the ground on one knee from the pressure.


    "Hah...hah..." I panted, shaking uncontrobly from the pressure.


    A loud rumble began uring, and it felt as if a earthquake was present. But unlike an unpatterned natural disaster, this shaking was like the sound of someone''s - no, some<em>thing''s</em> footsteps, and had a solid rhythm. <strong>BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.</strong> Each step, was like an explosion to my ears.


    I knew I needed to get away. I knew, and yet...! I couldn''t move at all under this immense pressure.<em>Goddamn it...so that powerful presence I felt awoke after all...just my luck.</em> I said luck, but my luck was quickly running out. The footsteps drew nearer and nearer, as I remained frozen in ce, unable to budge an inch.


    As the mysterious creature finally came into view, an unspeakable terror overtook me. What I was looking at right now...it was a majestic being, one that forced anyone and anything gazing upon it to kneel in servitude. If I had to describe its physical appearance, it would be simr to my Twin Dragons, except it was just one dragon.


    Yes, I said <strong>dragon.</strong>


    Without a doubt, the beast staring at me right now was a genuine dragon. No other creature could emit such a powerful aura. Just earlier, I had already picked up on its presence, but I couldn''t feel it very clearly since it was quite faint. But even so, I knew it was powerful. Something powerful enough to destroy the entire city of Shenzhen. And now, I was met face to face with that very same ''something'' - a dragon, in the flesh.


    However, even for a dragon, this particr one was <em>different.</em> Magic Beast books I''ve read have depicted many different species of dragons, but not a single one was like this. The one before me right now had midnight ck scales, apanied by a pair of piercing red eyes. It was the very embodiment of my Twin Dragons spell (divided by 2, since it''s just one dragon). This mythical beast, capable of annihting the entire city, then spoke.


    <strong>"Human. How are you able to resist me?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>The dragon had a female voice, but by no means was it gentle or calming. Each word was loud enough to threaten to shatter my eardrums, and shook my very body. However, this wasn''t enough to make me give in. Even under this immense pressure, I was able to hold my own, more or less. I couldn''t move at all, but I remained one one knee instead of both like it had clearly expected.


    "Kuku...I don''t kneel to heaven...I don''t kneel to the ground...who are you to demand I kneel?!" I yelled, mustering enough strength to re at the dragon right in the eye.


    <strong>"...There is something abnormal about you, human. I sense a mysterious energy within you."</strong>


    <em>That must be the power of Chaos...so even dragons, creatures of legends, don''t know about it, huh?</em>


    "Hah...hah...Ngh!" suddenly, the pressure increased once more, and my spine felt like it was going to break. But even so...I cannot kneel. I remained on one knee, punching my fist into the ground to help support my body. After a while, the extreme pressure receded, and I found myself able to move again. I stood up carefully, and red at the dragon.


    "What do you want, dragon?"


    <strong>"...You were able to withstand 50% of my power. I have deemed you worthy to talk to me."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"I was already talking to you before..." I muttered quietly.


    <strong>"Human, what is that power within you?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>"...Why should I tell you?"


    <strong>"...I feel a connection between the two of us. It is hard to exin, but I feel we are of the samenature."</strong>


    <em>Same nature...don''t tell me, the red and ck colors aren''t a coincidence...?</em>


    <em></em>"Hm...Let me guess, you are...different from other dragons, aren''t you? A dragon shouldn''t be hanging around these parts. The only exnation is...you came here to hide. Hide, from...other dragons." I decided to be the one asking questions to position myself at an advantage.


    <strong>"...That is correct. Human, how do you know this?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Heh. You could say...I''m the same as you. Discriminated against by others of the same race, betrayed by his own fiancee, exiled out of his family...hah. The list goes on."


    <strong>"So I was correct, after all."</strong>


    "Well...I''m notpletely sure yet," I replied hesitantly. "Wait for me, dragon. I will be back in a couple of hours, with an aplice that may be able to provide the answers to your questions."


    The ''aplice'' I had in mind, was none other than Mei Gui, of course. By doing so, I would have to reveal my Hunter identity to her since I literally had no excuse to be on the Avast Mountains whatsoever, but...this was something far toorge to ignore. I would have to do it. Just as I spun on my heel and prepared to leave, however...


    <strong>"Wait. What is your name, human?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>"My name, huh...you can call me Kai Xuan."


    <strong>"Kai Xuan...very well. Since you have given me your name, I shall give you mine. You would do well to address me as...Obsidia."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Obsidia, huh...got it."


    After this final exchange, I left the cave. Ipleted my first quest at the Hunters'' Guild sessfully, but...I really didn''t expect to meet a real, genuine dragon here. I doubted if anyone else took the quest, the dragon would''ve came out, since it was clear she was just interested in the Chaos within me. And it seemed that she, too, had a wisp of Chaos somewhere within her.


    I had mixed feelings about this, really. To be honest, I was truly quite frightened during my exchange with the dragon, but at the same time, I felt a little excited as well. And regarding that ''connection'' she said she felt with me...I could feel it as well. It wasn''t something that could be described in words, but more just like an inner link...


    <em>Well, this ''first quest'' was certainly quite the experience. Never had I ever imagined I woulde face to face with a dragon...though frankly, I didn''t really wanted to meet one that much either. I had no desire to be crushed under a 5 million ton w or scorched to death by a 5 million degrees raw fire. Luckily, neither of those things happened to me today.</em>


    <em>Mei Gui...sorry, but I''m going to have to trouble you again...heh.</em>

 Chapter 109 - Obsidia

    After the conversation with Obsidia, I hurriedly headed back to the Hunters'' Guild Shenzhen branch to collect my rewards. Then, I nned to take Mei Gui and head up to the Avast Mountains once more to meet Obsidia again. I would just tell her my Hunter identity on the way there, I guess.


    I entered the guild building and went directly to the shortest line, not caring who the receptionist was. Under normal circumstances, on the way back, I would''ve gotten a gift for that veiled receptionist for all she''s done for me so far and went to her to collect my reward for this quest, but right now the situation was different, and I wanted to find out how Obsidia and I were connected as soon as possible.


    Around 5 minutester, the person in front of me finished their business at the guild and I walked up to the receptionist. By chance, it was the same mature woman from this morning, the one that the veiled receptionist had switched ces with.


    "Good evenin- oh, it''s you," she said, smiling once she realized who I was.


    "Uh, yeah...so I justpleted my first quest, how do I collect my rewards?" I asked, slightly nervous. I remember the handbook having some information regarding the reward collection procedure, but at the time I just skimmed past it since I didn''t judge it to be anything important. Thus, asking this was kind of embarrassing, considering all Hunters were supposed to have thoroughly read that handbook (though to be honest, I doubted 100% of the Hunter poption really did so).


    "Very well," she replied, not at all fazed by myck of knowledge. "First, present me with your guild card."


    Iplied, and handed her my guild card after she pulled on the lever on her desk, which made the ss panel in front of me slide upwards.


    "Hm...Kai Xuan, yes?" she asked for confirmation.


    I nodded. "Yeah."


    "Very well. Now then, do you have the materials you harvested on hand...no, it appears not." Apparently, she had originally wanted to ask me that question, but stopped once she saw I wasn''t carrying anything. Of course, that was just because all the materials I harvested was ced in my Space Locket, but...


    <em>Wait, this means I''m going to have to reveal I had a Space Locket in public...damn it. Now I''m definitely going to be attracting unwanted attention. Why didn''t I think of this sooner?!</em><em></em>


    "W-Well...about that, actually I do," I said hesitantly. Ignoring the receptionist''s puzzled look, I pulled out my pouch (Space Locket) from my ck cloak''s inner pocket, and took out severalrge pieces of gold. The receptionist widened her eyes at the sight, and quickly scrambled to slip on a pair of gloves and inspect the materials I harvested.


    "Goodness me...to think you had an artifact such as a Space Locket," she murmured quietly.


    I sighed. I knew this was going to happen...including the numerous gazes of shock and envy directed at me right now by other Hunters. Anyway, the receptionist soon hadpleted verifying all 11 chunks of gold, and had ced them in several baskets on a conveyor belt behind her (two to three per basket, 4 baskets in total). She then removed her gloves and threw them out in a garbage bin beneath her table...at least, that''s what I assumed it was. I couldn''t actually see what was underneath her table from where I was standing.


    "...As stated by the quest specifications, your reward forpletion is £¤500 and 5 bounty points. I have already added the points to your profile in the guild database, and as for the cash..." she took out a bundle of bills and ced them on the countertop. Since the ss pane was still raised, I took it without any problems.


    "Thank you," I said, shoving the bundle of money into my pocket.


    The receptionist nced at me as if she had just witnessed me doing something very abnormal.


    "What?" I asked.


    "...You''re not going to verify the amount of money I gave you?"


    <em>Oh, that. Well, normally I would, but I''m kinda in a hurry right now. It was already 5 PM, and by the time I get back from the cave again it will probably be around 7 or 8. Anyter and that''s past curfew. Even though we''re on break from school for these few days, the curfew still remains in ce.</em>


    <em></em>"Nah, I trust you," I said nonchntly. "Besides, the Hunters'' Guild is a massive organization, I don''t believe they''ll swindle their customers like this. Otherwise, they would''ve copsed a long time ago."


    "Fufu..yes, that much is true," the receptionist replied. "Still, it is rare for normal Hunters to not check their reward...are you a noble or something by chance?"


    From what I knew, there were some nobles that also were Hunters, and went on quests like any other. However, these were few, since most people treated this upation as just a means of making money. Nobles didn''t need to worry about financial crisis too much, so most refrained from participating in such...vulgar activities. Monsters were quite disgusting, after all.


    "No, I''m not," I answered exasperatedly. "And, uh...I can leave now, right?"


    The receptionistughed softly in amusement. "You don''t need to ask me for permission, Hunter. You are free toe and go as you please."


    "Er...right, then...farewell," I said awkwardly.


    After that, I quickly left the building, went to a rtively isted corner, and called Mei Gui (who had also gotten a smartphone recently - we bought two at the Coastal Metropolis). She picked up almost immediately, and I mentally made a note of how quick she learned how to do things.


    "Hey, Mei Gui, where are you right now?" I asked, keeping my voice low in case anyone was listening in. Because I was still wearing my facemask, my voice probably came out as a bit muffled, but luckily Mei Gui still understood over the phone.<em>Was this our telepathic connection at work? No way, right? She''s definitely far away from me...not.</em>


    <em></em>"I see you, master. I''ming," she replied curtly, and hang up.


    I stiffened as she walked over to me, phone in hand.<em>What are the odds of this?!</em>


    <em></em>"Greetings, master," she bowed down slightly.


    "Uh...hi," I responded awkwardly. "And don''t bow every time you see me...it''s embarrassing."


    "Understood, master," she said, bowing even deeper than before.<em>''Understood'' my ass! You clearly didn''t get it!</em>


    I sighed and nced around. "Where are the others? Didn''t you go register at the Hunters'' Guild together with them this morning?"


    "That is correct. However, after that, we all proceeded to do our own quests individually."


    "Ah, I see...still, you''re getting along better with them now, huh?" I mused.


    "That''s..." she looked away. Considering she originally wanted to just kill all of them, this was a pretty big step for her, as far as rtionships go. I was happy for her.


    In any case, it seemed the girls were all in the process of doing their first quest. Mei Gui just happened to be the first to finish - I wasn''t surprised; she was the strongest of the five.


    "Master, if you don''t mind me asking, what did you need me for?" she asked.


    "Right, I need you toe with me..." I said, remembering my original mission.


    She tilted her head in confusion. "Where...?"


    I smiled deviously. "Kuku...To the Avast Mountains."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 20 Minutes Later, A Certain Cave on the Avast Mountains -</strong>


    Mei Gui and I soon arrived at the cave I had been in just a few hours ago. Incidentally, this time, we flew our way there instead of walking like I did, which saved around 40 minutes of travel time. I still used the Hunters app for navigation, though.


    On the way there, I exined to Mei Gui what happened, along with my identity as a Hunter. I also told her not to snitch on me and tell the other girls, since they might get mad at me doing something without their knowledge again. Honestly, I was pretty tired of them getting pissed every time I do something on my own, but thinking about it logically, they had every right to be. If I considered them my allies, and more importantly, friends, then I shouldn''t be hiding this kind of stuff from them. But I was used to working alone. I felt better this way. I realized it was something I needed to change going forward, but I would worry about thatter.


    I headed inside the cave, Mei Gui tagging along behind me. She clutched my hand tightly in fear.<em>What, so you''re not that tough after all, huh? Well, I guess you''re still more or less a girl. Not being sexist here, but it''s perfectly normal to have a fear or two. Hell, even I have one, just not of darkness. I''m severely afraid of insects. Yes, those disgusting tiny critters! They terrify me to no end. Ugh...</em>


    "We''re back," I called out loudly, my voice echoing within the cave. I could feel Obsidia''s presence still, so hopefully she woulde out here instead of us going deeper in. I didn''t feel too good about going into a dragon''sir, friendly or not.


    Soon enough, a loud rumbling shook the cave, and Obsidian, d in her beautiful ck scales, slithered out to face us.


    <strong>"It appears you have returned, human."</strong>

 Chapter 110 - Origins

    "Yeah. I don''t go back on my word...most of the time, anyway," I said in reponse to Obsidia''s remark.


    Obsidia shifted her gaze to Mei Gui, still standing behind me and clutching my arm tightly. Mei Gui wasn''t too shocked at the sight of a dragon, since I already told her everything and she knew what to expect.


    <strong>"Is this thepanion you spoke of earlier?"</strong>


    "Indeed it is," I replied.


    <strong>"Hm...indeed, I can feel the same energy as youing from this girl,"</strong> Obsidia murmured quietly...if anything dragons did could be counted as ''quiet''.


    "Well, if we''re going to be specific, she technically isn''t a girl," I said slowly.


    Obsidia tilted her draconic head slightly to the side.<strong>"Exin, human."</strong>


    <strong></strong>I nced at Mei Gui, signaling her to talk to Obsidia herself. That would make things a lot easier.


    "Greetings, dragon by the name of Obsidia," Mei Gui said with a short curtsey.<em>Where did she learn that from?</em> "My name, bestowed upon me by my master, is Mei Gui. I am an Elemental - one born from the beginning of all things, the Primordial Chaos."


    <strong>"Mei Gui...the Primordial Chaos? Is that the energy I feel within the two of you - and myself?"</strong>


    Mei Gui nodded. "I can feel it as well."


    I sank into thought. "Hey, Obsidia...were you always like this?"


    <strong>"What do you mean, human?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>"I mean...were you born this way, or did you undergo a change somehow that turned you like this?"


    I was, of course, hinting at her abnormalitypared to other dragons. ck scales, red eyes. No other dragon species ever recorded by textbooks had such a physical appearance. The reason I asked her this question was to confirm her simrities with myself. I wasn''t born with the power of Chaos awakened. It remained dormant within me until I was 14, then activated in a near-death situation.


    Obsidia thought about the question for a few moments, then responded. <strong>"I...was a normal dragon until recently."</strong>


    <strong></strong>Seeing Mei Gui and I waiting in silence for more, she sighed and continued.<strong>"I used to be a member of the Azure Dragon tribe. Things remained peaceful for me, until that fateful day a few years back..."</strong>


    <strong></strong>The Azure Dragon tribe was a fairly umon poption. From what I read in textbooks, they tended to avoid interaction with other species, dragon or not. They were quite the introverted tribe, even among dragons. While all dragons possessed exceptional Fire Element affinities, Azure Dragons were famed for their Water Element affinities as well. Because these two elements are widely known to sh together, the existence of Azure Dragons was a very interesting topic for researchers.


    <strong></strong>"What happened, exactly?" I asked, impatient for more information.


    This seemed to be a touchy subject for her, but Obsidia merely took a deep breath and braced herself for the harsh memories.<strong>"It was a day like any. I was wondering around in the sky aimlessly like any dragon, until I stumbled across a certain cave. I could feel a dangerous and powerful aura being emitted from it, though it wasn''t one of a living being. I should have just left it be...but I let the curiosity of youth get the better of me. I entered the cave, and eventually arrived before a massive red jewel, engraved into the wall."</strong>


    "Massive red jewel, huh..." I muttered, absentmindedly looking down at my silver ring with none other than a dazzling red gemstone on top of it.


    Obsidia then continued. <strong>"From the moment I set my eyes on it, I found myself unable to turn away. I could feel it. It was <em>calling</em> for me. Then...a sudden sh of red light illuminated the entire cave, blinding my sights and causing me to faint, for reasons unknown. When I woke up...my blue scales had turned to ck, and my green eyes had be red. I tried returning to the tribe and exining - but no one would believe me. And even if they did, there was no turning back. I was not a member of them anymore. My mother and father desperately tried to protect me for months, but in the end, they were killed by our own tribe. And I...fled."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"...I see." that was the only thing I could say. Yes, it was a tragic story...but that''s not the reason why I couldn''t speak. The real reason is-


    "You and I...are quite simr, huh?" I muttered.


    <em>Indeed. Her story is so simr to my own, it''s almost creepy. Parents killed for trying to protect her...sudden awakening...this is definitely not a coincidence.</em>


    <strong>"Human...do you share a simr backstory?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Yeah, I do...which is why I don''t think this link between us is purely a coincidence," I replied.


    Then, Mei Gui spoke up. "Obsidia, do you still remember where that cave is?"


    <strong>"Yes, I do. It is very far away from here, though, in Dragon territory."</strong>


    Mei Gui nodded, satisfied. "Very well. From now on, you are one of us."


    <em>Huh? One of us? What the hell is she talking about?</em>


    <em></em>Obsidia was simrly confused.<strong>"I do not understand, Elemental."</strong>


    <strong></strong>Mei Gui sighed. "I mean, you are going to travel together with master and I from now on."


    "H-Huh?!" I eximed in surprise. "Hey, don''t just go deciding stuff like that on your own!"


    <strong>"...May I know why?"</strong>Obsidia asked,pletely ignoring myints.


    Mei Gui stared at the dragon right in the eyes. "We are going to track down that cave. But that won''t be happening anytime soon, especially if it is truly in Dragon territory. Master and I are nowhere near strong enough to take them on yet."


    Dragons are very territorial creatures. If a human or any other species trespassed on their grounds, they would eliminate the intruders without mercy. At the same time, dragons don''t usually overstep their boundaries either. It is a strictly ''good fences make good neighbors'' tradition.


    Therefore, if we wanted to enter that cave...we would have to be prepared to take on a hundred dragons at once, at the very least. Just Obsidia alone had rendered me unable to move from purely the pressure...as I am right now, I don''t stand a chance at all. I''m merely an ant in the eyes of dragons. But soon...that will change.


    <em>Soon...they will be ants in my eyes.</em>


    <strong>"...Very well, Elemental. I ept your proposal,"</strong> Obsidia said after some thought.<strong>"However, in return, you two must help me avenge my dead mother and father."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Agreed," Mei Gui said without a second thought.


    "Uh...I don''t get a say here?" I asked, slightly shocked by Obsidia''s sudden eptance and her outrageous request.


    Mei Gui turned towards me. "Master, this is for the best. Not only do we acquire a great fighting force, this way, we also gain a tourist guide for those mysterious Chaos-imbued caves at no cost."


    "...That kinda sounds like we''re using her as a tool..." I muttered.


    Mei Gui blinked. "We are."


    <em>Wtf?! She''s right in front of us, you know?!</em>


    <em></em>I slowly nced at Obsidia, who was eyeing us with a in look. Iughed awkwardly.


    "Uh...sorry, Mei Gui tends to...speak her thoughts."


    <strong>"Worry not. What she has said ispletely true. We are using each other - nothing more, nothing less."</strong>


    <strong></strong>Indeed, we were using each other. Obsidia needed us for information regarding Chaos, and also for helping her avenge her parents. We used Obsidia as a guide to those caves, and also ast resort insanely powerful ally should we ever need it. It was a formal give and take rtionship.


    "Well...I guess that''s true," I muttered. "But...how exactly are you going to e'' with us...?"


    There was no way we can just bring a massive ck dragon to the city. Definitely not. That would cause more problems than I could even list.


    Mei Gui didn''t seem concerned at all though. "Don''t worry, master. All dragons can turn into human form. Actually, they can turn into any other race, for that matter."


    <em>Huh? They can? W-Wait, this wasn''t written on any textbooks!</em>


    <em></em>Just as I was busy processing this new information, Obsidia slowly exited the cave, and we followed. Her full body was huge, as tall as the school dormitories. Her wings were thergest part of her body, which made sense since they needed to be strong enough to carry such a heavy body.


    Obsidia then suddenly used her wings to blow up some sand from the ground, shrouding herself in a sand screen I couldn''t see through. A couple secondster, the sand fell to the ground, and in its ce, was a strikingly beautiful girl, with ck hair and red eyes. She was wearing a simple ck dress that ented her slender arms and legs, as well as her sizeable bust. Overall, she looked just like a stunning human female idol. No sign of her being a dragon was shown anywhere on her body.


    "Wow..." I breathed in amazement, both at the transformation process and her beauty.


    She looked like the older sister of Mei Gui, except the color of her hair and eyes were inverted - instead of red hair and ck eyes like Mei Gui, Obsidia had ck hair and red eyes...yep, just like me (with my ring on). We could pass for siblings. She also had a very developed and proportionate body, in stark contrast with Mei Gui...


    "Master, were you thinking something lewd just now?" Mei Gui said, staring at me with eyes full of dead-inside-ness.


    <em>Shit! I forgot we have a telepathic link and she can pretty much read my thoughts! Oh wait, doesn''t that mean she''s reading this right now?! S-Sorry, Mei Gui! Really! I''m sorry!</em>


    <em></em>"A-Ahahaha...no, of course not," I stammered.


    Obsidia tilted her head and looked at us in confusion. The gesture was cute and I had to avert my gaze. I then cleared my throat. "A-Ahem...anyway, we should probably get back, huh?"


    The sun had already set, it was probably around 7 PM or so by now. However...one final problem remained.


    "By the way...Mei Gui, how are we supposed to introduce Obsidia to the others...?


    "Worry not, human," Obsidia said. Her voice wasn''t loud and booming anymore, like it was in dragon form. Instead, it was gentle and kind. "I will merely introduce myself as your girlfriend."


    I froze. "You...what?"


    "Is that not what you call a mate in human terms?"


    "N-No, it is, but, uh..." I turned to Mei Gui for help. She merely shrugged as if she had nothing to do with all this.<em>Damn you!</em>


    <em></em>"Then I see no problem," Obsidia cut me off. "As for my name...Obsidia should work just fine."


    "U-Uh...sure," I muttered dejectedly. I would sort this out with the girlster...I didn''t want a misunderstanding to happen. But in doing so, I have to reveal my Hunter identity to them as well...man, what a pain. I''m going to get lectured for the entire night again, I know it.


    "By the way, Obsidia," I began, looking off into the distance.


    "What is it, human?"


    "Can you like...stop calling me ''human''?" I asked awkwardly. "I told you my name, didn''t I?"


    "Ah, yes, you are correct," Obsidia agreed as if she had just remembered. "Very well, I shall address you as ''human Kai Xuan'' from now on."


    "Just call me Xuan Kai!" I eximed.


    "...Did you not say Kai Xuan a few hours ago?"


    <em>Oh, shit. In the spur of the moment, I identally let out my true name. Ah..well, she was going to find out soon enough. There''s no harm in letting her know, I guess.</em>


    <em></em>"O-Oh, that was just an alias, since I didn''t really know you too well yet, I didn''t feel like giving my real name," I exined, sweat forming on my forehead.


    "Hm...? I see. So you do not trust me, is that it?" Obsidia pouted angrily.


    "A-Ah, no, I trust you now," I quickly corrected myself. "I do, really!"


    "Hmph, I shall believe you this time then, Xuan Kai. It will be troublesome for partners to not trust each other."


    I sighed, then remembered something important. "Oh yeah, how are we going to get down from this mountain?"


    "Can we not just walk?" Obsidia asked innocently.


    "Nah, walking takes too long," I muttered. The truth was, I just didn''t feel like walking, but whatever. Why sweat the details?


    "Master, why don''t we fly then?" Mei Gui proposed.


    "But Obsidia isn''t in her dragon form, she can''t fly," I quickly shot down her suggestion.


    "You can carry her, master."


    I looked at Mei Gui in shock. "No way I''m doing that. Let''s just walk, I change my mind."


    "No." Obsidia refused, much to my dismay. "Xuan Kai, I would like to experience being ''carried'' while soaring through the air. Please, carry me."


    She looked at me with the big sad puppy dog eyes, and I couldn''t bring myself to refuse her.


    "Ah...damn it, where did you learn that seduction technique?!" I asked without expecting an answer. "Ugh...fine."


    I bent down, and picked Obsidia up in a princess carry.


    "F-Fwah?!" Surprised by the sudden action, Obsidia identally let out a high-pitched and cute yelp unbefitting of a dragon.


    Seeing her reaction, I grinned. "Kuku...you can still change your mind now, y''know?"


    Obsidia looked away to not meet my eyes, and clutched onto my clothes harder. "N-No...please go ahead. Let us fly."


    I chuckled. "Well then...here we go!"


    Saying that, I leapt off the side of the Avast Mountains, a (screaming) gorgeous dragon girl within my arms.

 Chapter 111 - A New Companion

    After Obsidia, Mei Gui, and I had gotten back from the Avast Mountains, I called each of the four other girls on their phones and told them to meet up in the lobby of the girls dormitories. I didn''t specify the reason of this meeting just yet, but despite being skeptical, the four of them all agreed.


    "Okay, they are en route," I said, hanging up my final call. "They should being downstairs right about now."


    Since we had spent quite a bit of time on the Avast Mountains, the girls had all alreadypleted their own quests and had went home to rest. I felt kind of bad calling them all down here thiste, but this was something necessary. As I looked at Obsidia, I realized something.


    "Hm? Wait, Obsidia, if you have a wisp of Chaos within you as well, shouldn''t you be able to use every single element just like me?" I asked, keeping a keen eye out for anyone listening in to our conversation. I kept my tone low, even though no one should be loitering around thiste (it was around 8:40, 20 minutes before curfew). Just to be safe, I also set up a Sound Barrier around us, using Sound Magic, of course.


    Instead of Obsidia answering like I expected, Mei Gui responded to my question. "Master, the Chaos within her is not nearly as strong as yours. She should be stronger than the average dragon, but she cannot surpass the naturalws of this universe like you can."


    <em>What the hell, so my abilities count as ''surpassing'' the naturalws of the universe? Hm...that aside, it made sense for Obsidia to not be as powerful as me in terms of Chaos energy, since she wasn''t born with it. I was, except it just remained in a dormant state until around two months ago. Most likely, she just came into contact with an artifact imbued with the essence of Chaos, and was transformed due to that.</em>


    <em></em>"I have never actually tried using spells other than those of the Water and Fire elements," Obsidia added. "Those are the two elements the Azure Dragon tribe specializes in. Incidentally...by human standards, I am around an Advanced Mage level."


    "So you can cast spells up to Level 3?" I asked for confirmation.


    "Yes. I have yet to seed in casting a Legendary-Tier spell."


    <em>Huh...so she wasn''t all that overpowered in terms of magic. But her physical strength still made her an absolute monster, though. Especially in dragon form.</em>


    <em></em>"Well, we''ll have you try casting spells of other elements sometime," I said casually. "It doesn''t hurt having a few more spells at your disposal."


    "That is certainly true," Obsidia agreed.


    It was at that moment that the four girls we had been waiting for piled out of the elevator. I noticed them immediately and gave a little wave. However, the first thing their eyesnded on (yes, all four of them) was Obsidia. They then slowly shifted their gazes onto me, and I felt a hint of killing intent behind their puzzled expressions.


    <em>It''s not what it looks like...</em>


    <em></em>"A-Ahem," I cleared my throat to get rid of any uneasiness swelling up within me. "The reason I called you all down here today is to have you meet a newpanion."


    I then eyed Obsidia. "This is Obsidia. She''s a dragon."


    "She''s a what?" Feng Mian asked, not sure if what she heard was right. The other girls all shared simrly shocked expressions.


    It was then that Obsidia stepped up, and introduced herself properly. "Hello, everyone. My name is Obsidia, and as you have already heard - I am a dragon. Due to certain circumstances, I will be joining you starting today as a newpanion. Nice to meet you all, and I hope we can get along."


    <em>When did you get so formal?!</em>


    <em></em>"N-Nice to meet you too..." Yu An Xue murmured quietly, still having trouble processing the fact that the ck-haired beauty before her was a genuine, bona fide dragon.


    "Y-Yeah...let''s get along," Yu An Yan stammered, simrly shocked.


    They believed her, since one, I had said it myself, and two, we had no reason to lie. Still, I couldn''t me them for being suspicious. They knew that a dragon could turn into human form, of course, but they never expected to see one outside of Dragon Territory. Since they were known as a secluded species, dragons were rarely spotted outside of their ownnd.


    "But how did you meet her anyway...?" Feng Mian asked, catching on to the main problem.


    Qing Yue stared at me in the eyes as her lips slowly curved upwards into a devious smile. "Hmm...there''s something you''ve been hiding from us again, isn''t there, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    <em>We don''t have a telepathic connection like Mei Gui and I do, and yet...well, I guess we''re really like real siblings, after all.</em>


    I sighed, and braced myself for what''s toe. "Well, you see...here''s what happened..."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Roughly 5 Minutes Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"...And that''s about the gist of it," I finished.


    I had told them everything, from beginning to end - my n to trick them into thinking I gave up on bing a Hunter, my fake name in the Hunters'' Guild, how I met Obsidia, what happened during our encounter, how I brought Mei Gui the second time - everything. Of course, I left out the tiny details such as the cowboy-esque dude and the veiled receptionist, but those weren''t important. <em>Wait..e to think of it, I still don''t know her name...I''ll ask her the next time I see her, I swear. Didn''t I say the same exact thing before sometime...? Ah, whatever.</em>


    The four girls all just stared at me with deadpan expressions, as if they didn''t know how to react.


    "I don''t even know what to say anymore..." Feng Mian sighed in exasperation.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...you''re supposed to use that cleverness of yours to outwit enemies, not your own family...sniff..." Qing Yue muttered, on the verge of tears.


    "I-I''m sorry!" I apologized immediately, since I couldn''t stand hurting Qing Yue. I quickly pulled her into an embrace, and patted her head softly. "I won''t do it again..."


    "Sniff...you promise?" Qing Yue asked softly from within my arms.


    "...I promise," I replied. <em>Great. Now, I really can''t hide anything from them anymore...not unless I want to trample all over my pride as a man, at least. Going back on my word would be shameless, unless for winning a fight - in that case, anything goes. But as things are, I made a promise, so I can''t break it.</em>


    <em></em>"Anyway...Xuan Kai, you said Obsidia has the same power you wield?" Yu An Yan asked. Good thing she wasn''t as caught up on the small things as the other were. Well, to me, they were ssified as ''small things'', but to them, it probably mattered a lot, since it made it seem like I didn''t trust them. Of course, that wasn''t true, it''s just that I''m used to being alone, and I work more efficiently independently.


    "Yeah," I answered confidently. "Though it isn''t as strong as mine, she definitely has the power of Chaos within her."


    Since I also told them the agreement Obsidia and I settled on, the girls knew what had caused Obsidia''s transformation and the mysterious cave as well. We were going to head there eventually to investigate, so it was better for us to keep that in mind now. It wasn''t going to be anytime soon since we were nowhere near strong enough, but it was something we would have to do down the road...though whether or not these girls will stay with me until then, is a different matter.


    To be honest, I hope not. Things were only going to get more catastrophic from here on out, so being by myself is probably for the best. That being said, knowing them, they definitely won''t abandon me in the face of danger.


    "Hm...okay, we''ll help out as well then," Yu An Yan said atst. Then, turning to our newestpanion, she continued with a smile. "Wee to the crew, Obsidia."


    "Wee..." Yu An Xue said gently.


    "Yep, yep! Let''s all have fun together!" Qing Yue eximed cheerfully.


    Feng Mian, sighed and smiled in resignation. "Mou~I can''t take my eyes off of you for a second, can I, Xuan Kai? Every time I do, you bring back a new girl...ah, whatever. Nice to meet you, Obsidia."


    Iughed awkwardly. "Alright...well, it''s almost curfew, so you guys should probably head back up. We''ll go back to ours as well."


    "Huh?" the girls all looked at me with looks of confusion.


    "...What?"


    "Um...you don''t mean to say...Obsidia''s living with you?" Feng Mian asked hesitantly.


    <em>Oh, shit. Ipletely forgot she was a girl. It''s not like I''m going to do anything to her, but well...school rules. Mei Gui was fine since she was a ''golem'', at least to everyone else. But how will I exin Obsidia...?</em>


    <em></em>"Er..." I struggled toe up with a good excuse.


    Yu An Yan sighed. "She cane live in my dorm. It''s pretty isted as far as location goes. The topmost one. The only other girls there are the ones here right now."


    "Hm...yeah, that will be the best choice," I agreed. "If anyone found out about her, it could pose a problem. Obsidia, you cool with living with Yu An Yan?"


    "I do not mind," she replied stoically.


    "Allright! Then it''s decided," Qing Yue said with a bright smile. "Good night, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    "Uh, yeah...good night."


    As I waved to the girls, who in turn waved back before heading towards the elevators. I discretely ran a Detect Presence on the area just to make sure no one had been listening in to our conversation. I had picked out such ate time precisely because of this, but there was still a chance someone overheard. However, my worries were quickly settled as my little test turned out empty. I let out a sigh of relief, and turned to Mei Gui.


    "C''mon. Let''s head back as well."


    "Yes, master."

 Chapter 112 - Plague

    After Mei Gui and I headed back to our dorms together, I told her to shower first and go to sleep, and that I had something to do still. She was curious and confused, but in the end obliged, since I was her master. I didn''t want to ''force'' her to do anything, but she probably sensed thanks to our telepathic connection that I didn''t want her to pry.


    Our link was kind of weird - we can see each other''s emotions, but can''t get a grasp on what exactly the other party is thinking. For example, earlier, Mei Gui could tell I was having some lewd thoughts, but couldn''t say for sure what that was (rating Obsidia''s body). Simrly, here, she can only tell I was reluctant to say anything, not what exactly I was going to do. This worked both ways, of course - I couldn''t tell what exactly she was thinking, either, but I can tell if she''s feeling happy or sad.


    I waved her good night and then...leapt out the window. This was faster, and it was also good practice for me, since I had a feeling I was going to be doing a lot of parkour in the future. I used Vanishing Shadows to sink into the wall, and glided down gracefully. I cancelled the effect about a meter away from the ground, then leapt off from the side of the wall, making a perfectnding. I then nced in the direction of the Administrative Campus.


    <em>You better not have left, old geezer...</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>The Dormitory Campus and the Administrative Campus were quite far away from each other. Since the dorms were in a separate block, technically, I had to exit school grounds to reach it everyday after school in the Main Campus, though it was only for a few minutes at worst. And besides, all those times the sun had still been up (or in the process of setting), so it was rtively safe from any assassins sent to kill me. I kept in mind what my mother had said about never leaving school grounds, after all.


    But right now, it was already nighttime. Darkness was everywhere, and an assassin could pop out any second. However, I was now an Intermediate Mage, and I believed I could take them on with the help of the Chaos within me. Worstes to worst, even if I couldn''t beat them by myself, I can at least manage to escape. Thus, I was taking the risk of going outside school grounds at night. There was recent talk regarding connecting the two blocks so that students wouldn''t have to go outside school grounds and cross the street to reach their dorms, but they never ended up implementing it.


    Either way, I continued to tread down the dark sidewalk, dimly illuminated by the few and scarce streetlights. I mentally cast Detect Presence on my surroundings over and over again just to be safe. Soon enough, the entrance to the Administrative Campus came into view...just a couple more meters-


    I froze. There was an ominous presence around me, somewhere. It was malevolent and full of killing intent, but it hadn''t made a move yet. To top it off...it was insanely powerful. It was at the level of Ghosteye with his Battle Soul, if not stronger.


    I clenched my fists, and concentrated every ounce of my senses into observing my surroundings.


    "Come out. I know you''re there," I said quietly.


    For a second, there was no response. However, I soon heard the deep and madughter of a man.


    "Hohoho...so you noticed? Hm...guess you are stronger than I took you to be. On that front, I must apologize."


    "Tch..don''t act all polite and shit in front of me," I muttered in annoyance. "I know you''re here to kill me, so stop hiding like a coward and show yourself."


    The man merely continued tough at my taunt, however. "Coward, is it? I have been called that by many others before."


    "What, are you a masochist? Do you take pleasure in being insulted?"


    "No, no..." the man said in a strangely gentle tone. "But...do you know what happened to all those people who called me that?"


    I felt a chill run up my spine as the voice suddenly grew closer, as if it was right behind me. I quickly turned around and dashed back a short distance, sweat forming on my forehead.


    "So easily scared, are we?" the man chuckled. "That won''t do. Here I was, hoping to have some fun..."


    I gritted my teeth. This was going to be a problem...it was clear my enemy here was someone specialized in hiding in the dark and assassinating from the shadows. Just now...I didn''t feel him creep up behind me at all, even though his voice sounded so<em>near.</em> If he had been serious, I probably would''ve been dead by now.


    "Just my luck, huh...." I murmured to myself. The moment I decide to take a walk outside at night, an assassin just happens to be there. I doubted he camped here every night, waiting for me toe...right?


    "I waited here every single night from the day I was given this task, you know..." the man said with a sigh. "But, it looks my efforts payed off in the end."


    <em>Holy shit...he really waited here every night, hoping I woulde out?! H-He has some serious dedication, I''ll give him that...but for now, I needed to escape. He wasn''t someone I could take on alone...not as I am right now.</em>


    "Who sent you?" I asked. In reality, I was just stalling for time, but I wanted him to think I was actually trying to fight him here. I needed to n out an escape route, somehow...


    "You already know the answer to that, don''t you?" he replied. I could picture him grinning, though I don''t even knew what he looked like.


    <em>Yeah, I do. No doubt, Xuan Yang sent him here to kill me.</em>


    <em></em>"Hmph..." I snorted in response.


    "Well then, enough ying around, I suppose. Let''s get to work..."


    I heard the nking of a metal bottle hitting the concrete ground behind me, and immediately spun around, to see a capsule emitting a noxious green gas from it.


    "Ngh! What is this?!" I instinctively covered my nose as the poison spread at dangerous speeds.


    "Oh, don''t worry, this won''t kill you. This is just the beginning...to set the stage, if you will," the man said. From my perspective, it seemed like his voice wasing from all directions...though that was impossible, so I immediately determined it to be an effect of this toxic gas. I tried to run, but the green gas soon caught up with me and enveloped me within it.


    <em>Damn it...I can''t see anything! Hell, I can barely open my eyes, and I''m slowly running out of breath...still, there''s no telling what''s going to happen if I inhale this shit. I had to escape, somehow...!</em>


    <em></em><em>...Wait, can''t see?</em>


    <em>...</em>


    <em>That''s it! I''ll use his own gas as a smokescreen for myself!</em>


    <em></em>Having a n formted in mind, I quickly used Vanishing Shadows to slice into the depths of the shadow realm. The night provided excellent coverage of shadows, leaving me plenty of space and different pathways to traverse through. Since I travelled a lot faster in Vanishing Shadows than normal people, I was able to get out of the green gas fairly quickly, and out of that mysterious man''s sight.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I hazily made out a figure 180cm tall, and quite slender. However...there were two distinctive features that stood out the most. One of them, was the ck gue doctor mask he was wearing. And the other...was the unmistakable dragon-like brand of the Midnight Syndicate engraved onto the sleeve of his arm.


    Continuing in the direction of the block where the Administrative Campus and Main Campus were located, I soon arrived at the main gate and activated the face recognition system. Panting heavily and coughing, I managed to lift my head and the system soon activated. The metal gates swung open, and I entered. This system was in ce so that only students and staff would be able to enter. The rest of the area was surrounded by massive walls over 10 meters tall, and a powerful magic barrier as well.


    As the gates nked shut behind me, I leaned my back against the cold metal and slid down to the ground, drenched in both cold and hot sweat alike. I managed to escape...but it was by a narrow margin. I had an unsettling feeling that told me had that man been serious, I wouldn''t have been able to leave at all. The reason I was still alive, was a mere whim of that man.


    It was then that I realized how weak I truly was still. I may have acquired magic and gotten far stronger than most people my age, but that wasn''t enough. It wasn''t even nearly enough if I wanted to take revenge for my parents and protect the ones I care about. I mmed my fists into the ground, stood up, vowed to get even stronger, and began walking towards the Administrative Campus to aplish what it is I came here for.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    "Hoho...so he managed to escape...how interesting," gue muttered to himself, clearly amused.


    <em>Hm...I will let him go for today, I suppose. There is definitely something peculiar about him and his magic. Perhaps...if I am able to capture him alive, I can discover that mysterious energy within him...eheheh. Yes, that is what I will do. Xuan Yang might be pissed if he finds out, but I can just cut off one of that boy''s arms and show it to him as proof. He does not need all four limbs for my experiments, after all...</em>

 Chapter 113 - Intermediate Mages

    "Hm? Oh, Kai Kai," Song Qian Long said while standing up, just as he was about to turn off themp on his desk. "What brings you here today, my godson?"


    I wordlessly shut the door behind me, and closed my eyes. "There''s something I need to inform you of. Well, actually, two things, now..."


    "Hm...this seems serious. I am listening," Song Qian Long replied, sitting back down in his chair.


    I took a seat opposite from him, and began exining. "Alright. First thing - I have a request to make of you."


    "A request? Hm...I cannot promise I will be able to fulfill it, but I will certainly try my best."


    "Don''t worry. If you can''t even aplish this, then you can''t do anything else either," I replied ruthlessly. As he made a melodramatic pained gesture, I sighed. "All I need you to do is register a girl as a student here at this school."


    Hearing this, he stopped his little act, and raised an eyebrow. "What is this? You found yourself another girlfriend? Goodness...Xuan Ying, Ruo Lan, I do not know if I should be feeling happy that my godson is such an attractive body, or angry that he''s a womanizer..."


    I desperately tried to hold back my anger as I clenched my fists. I was asking him to do something here, so I couldn''t lose my temper. He was<em>really</em>pushing it right now though.


    "In any case, I see no problem," Song Qian Long said atst after some thought. "Who exactly is this girl? I need her basic information in order to add her to the database."


    I sighed in relief. "Her name is Obsidia. ck hair, red eyes, slightly shorter than me. She''s a dragon, and her age...hm, her age...what?"


    As I was busy contemting how old Obsidia was, I noticed Song Qian Long staring at me with his jaw dropped open. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "H-Hold on, Kai Kai...did you just say ''dragon''?" my godfather said nervously.


    "Uh, yeah. She''s a dragon. Quite a rare species, too," I replied casually. I decided to just pass off her ck scales and red eyes as a ''rare species'', since Song Qian Long didn''t exactly know about the Chaos within me. He knew I could use all 21 Elements and had amplified magic power, but that was about the extent of it. In other words, he knew what I could do, but not<em>why.</em>


    <em></em>"I-I see...and you are certain this is true?" Song Qian Long furrowed his brows.


    "Yeah, I witnessed her dragon form myself," I answered truthfully.


    "Goodness...what am I going to do with you, Kai Kai...?" the old man before me sighed and murmured to himself.


    I rolled my eyes in impatience. "Get on with it - can you do it or not?"


    "If you mean enrolling her in the school, then yes, I can do that. However, you have to be very careful not to leak her identity as a dragon."


    "No need to tell me that, I know."


    After that, Song Qian Long quickly fired up hisputer and the process was soon finished. In the end, we settled on listing Obsidia as 14, the same age as me. She would also be ced in the same ss, just so I could look out for her and prevent any trouble from threatening to expose her identity. As an aside, we also determined her to be an Intermediate Mage...though her true power was far beyond that (then again, I was exceptionally strong for an Intermediate Mage as well).


    "Alright...and that, is that," Song Qian Long let out a deep breath as he shut down hisputer. "Now then...Kai Kai, you mentioned two things earlier. The first is now done, so what might the second be?"


    "The second...it''s far more severe."


    Song Qian Long narrowed his eyes. "What happened, Kai Kai?"


    "Just now - on the sidewalk right outside our school boundaries, I was attacked by a member of the Midnight Syndicate," I exined quietly.


    "Impossible...The Midnight Syndicate? Did we not wipe them outst time?"


    He was referring to the Ghosteye incident, of course. At the time, we had discovered a map which listed every Midnight Syndicateir in Shenzhen. We then proceeded to investigate and eradicate each one. In other words, all traces of the Midnight Syndicate here in Shenzhen should''ve been eliminated. However...reality says otherwise.


    "We should have, but..." I trailed off. "Anyway, I have a good idea of who sent him, and that man''s intentions."


    Song Qian Long looked at me in surprise. "You do? Who is it? Who dares to harm my godson?"


    Despite knowing full well no one else was in the vicinity and listening in, I still lowered my voice. "It''s the Xuan family. Or more precisely, the current patriarch - Xuan Yang."


    A vein bulged in the old man''s forehead, and he mmed his fist down on the table. "That bastard...colluding with the Midnight Syndicate, eh? He puts his ancestors to shame, he puts the honor of the Four Great Families to shame!"


    "Anyway...this is something I must solve myself," I said fiercely. "I just wanted to inform you of this, since you''re the principal of this school. Make an announcement not to wander around at night or something. I don''t want anyone else caught up in this."


    "...Very well," Song Qian Long replied after a long silence. "I understand...the feud between you and that man date back to a year ago. I will not interfere in this matter, as much as I would like to."


    I bowed my head slightly. "...Thank you."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>The next two days passed fairly peacefully. I stayed within school grounds at night, and told the girls what happened so they can do the same. Knowing the Midnight Syndicate, they wouldn''t even hesitate to use underhanded tactics such as kidnapping someone close to me, after all. Thus, I had to warn the girls. I didn''t tell them about the Xuan Yang part though, since that was family matters.


    Today, school would be starting again for us. I was currently on my way to the Main Campus, along with the four girls. Mei Gui stayed behind as usual, but thanks to our shopping spree a couple days ago, I didn''t need to worry about her starving to death. If she got bored, she also had her phone to y around with.


    In addition to Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and Yu An Yan, I also had one morepanion - Obsidia. In other words, I was walking not with four different beauties, but with five. Each had a different air and personality to them, but they were all goddesses in the eyes of others. As for me...I was just seen as even more of a womanizer (to the females) and a prick (to the males).


    The reason we had Obsidiae with us today was mainly because she was a new student. If we left her alone, everyone would probably be trying to talk to her, given her looks. I wasn''t against her socializing with others, but in the end, she was a dragon. If anyone else found out about that...it could spell massive trouble. And so, we collectively decided to have Obsidia stick with us. She didn''t mind, either.


    Anyway, we soon arrived at the school. Once we entered our ssroom, however, we were immediately instructed by Mr. Wang to go to the Assembly Hall on the 1st floor. Weplied, and began heading for the stairs.


    The Assembly Hall was one of the few facilities at Shenzhen Magic High School that was shared between all students, regardless of age and gender. It was a massive room located off to the side on the 1st floor. Just like its name implies, it was a ce where important assemblies were held. I had a good idea what today''s assembly was going to be about, given that it was right after the Advancement Exams were finished...


    Around 15 minutes after we entered the hall and found ourselves some seats, the assembly began. As an aside, I had insisted to sit in the corner, since I felt morefortable there. Don''t ask.


    Song Qian Long stepped up to the podium, adjust the mic''s level a bit, and spoke with a warm smile. "Good morning, students of Shenzhen Magic High School. I hope you are all having a wonderful day."


    All chatter immediately died down within the room, and everyone turned to face Song Qian Long, who seemed pleased at this. He continued.


    "I believe many of you already know what this assembly will be about, but for those of you who don''t, allow me to exin. As you all have witnessed, this year''s Advancement Exams finished very recently. It is tradition to host an assembly like this every year, after the Advancement Exams are over. Not only is it to formally congratte all those who participated and passed, but it is also an imperative process to update or present the participants'' Mage IDs."


    Obsidia, who was sitting beside me, patted my shoulder lightly. "Xuan Kai, what are Mage IDs?"


    <em>Being a dragon, I guess she has never heard of the term before in her life, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"A Mage ID is a card issued to someone to prove their identity. Novice Mages don''t get them since they are considered too young, but all Intermediate Mages are given one after they pass their Advancement Exams. This card will then go on to apany them for their entire life, updating every time they pass an Advancement Exam," I exined. "The information on the card include the mage''s name, age, gender, rank, and a picture of them."


    "Huh...I see," Obsidia murmured in response, then turned back to look at Song Qian Long still giving his speech.


    "We will first begin with the 6th Years, then move down from there," Song Qian Long announced. "All 6th Years who passed the exam, please stand up and form a line in front of me."


    The 6th Years did as told, and soon all shuffled from their seats into a line running straight down the middle of the room, which was originally a pathway leading to higher seats.<em>Now that I think about it, theyout of this room is pretty simr to a movie theater.</em>


    One by one, the students went up onto the stage and handed the principal their Mage IDs. He then in turn verified that the student in question did indeed pass by looking at a database in hisptop, perched atop the podium. After that, he slid the card through a special machine I couldn''t make out from where I was sitting, then returned it to the student.


    From what I knew, age automatically updated, but rank had to be manually changed with a special machine only certain individuals (usually principals of recognized schools) had ess to. I assumed it was just some sort of technology or magic at work here, and didn''t think too hard about it.


    Song Qian Long then repeated the same process with the 4th Years, and after a long while, it was finally our turn - the 2nd Years, soon-to-be 3rd Years. Like the other years, we all formed one massive straight line spanning from the podium all the way to the end of the room, in between sets of seats. Like I said, theyout was simr to a movie theatre. Everyone in the 2nd Year passed their Advancement Exams, so our line was considerably longer than even the other years. As you go up, the exams get harder, after all.


    Since we had been sitting near a corner (as I insisted), we ended up beingst in line. It would probably take a while to get to us, but I didn''t mind.


    "Alright, 2nd Years. Starting today, you are all formally recognized as Intermediate Mages. And thus, you will all be receiving a Mage ID of your own. When youe up to the podium, state your name. I will hand each of you your respective cards," Song Qian Long instructed.


    The first one to go up was Zhang Zhe Rui, Li Yi Fei''s exckey. Since his ''master'' had gotten expelled after trying to kill me in our team match, he now had no one to rely on as backing.


    <em></em>"Good morning, principal Song. My name is Zhang Zhe Rui, ss 2-A."


    <em>Oh, that''s right. We''re ss A now, huh?</em>That was one the rewards toe with winning the tournament.


    Song Qian Long then began searching for something on hisptop. "Zhang Zhe Rui...Z...ah, found it. Alright, can you look at the camera here?"


    There was apparently a camera installed on the back of hisptop, but I couldn''t see it since I was too far away still. I assumed it was there to take pictures of us since we were getting new Mage IDs, and we needed a fairly recent picture on it. Zhang Zhe Ruiplied, and the process was quickly over.


    "Alright, that''s done..." Song Qian Long muttered to himself.


    Suddenly, the machine beside him began producing a static sound, and a card was slowly printed out. Song Qian Long grabbed it, reviewed the information on it onest time to make sure everything was right, then handed it to Zhang Zhe Rui.


    "Here is your Mage ID, student Zhang Zhe Rui. Keep it safe."


    "I will, principal Song," Zhang Zhe Rui replied, bowing slightly as an act of courtesy.


    Losing your Mage ID was quite a problem, so the friendly reminder made sense. It was your very identity as a magician, after all. Some people even view their Mage ID as their true identification, instead of their normal ID Card issued when they were born. It was the only way you can prove your identity and rank in terms of magic, after all - hence why losing it was a huge problem. There were facilities around the world where you could apply for a recement, but the process was a hassle and could take very long. Therefore, treat your Mage ID like you would treat your wallet.


    Soon enough, all the other 2nd Years had finished receiving their own Mage IDs, and it was finally my little group''s turn. Feng Mian went up first, then Qing Yue, then the Yu sisters (the older one went first), then Obsidia. And finally, it was my turn.


    "Greetings, principal Song," I said in an exaggerated formal tone. "My name is Xuan Kai."


    On the surface, I was just any other student, so I still had to keep up the appearances. If we were in private, I would''ve just called him ''old geezer'' and be done with it.


    "Xuan Kai...X...alright, look into this camera here." Song Qian Long snapped his fingers as he finished taking my picture and the machine beside hisptop began running once more. Soon after, it slowly printed out my very own Mage ID. "Here you are, student Xuan Kai. Remember, keep it safe."


    The words he spoke were casual and just like something he would say to any other student, but I didn''t miss the little wink he gave me at the end of his sentence. I took my Mage ID and smirked.


    "Yeah, yeah..." I murmured quietly, rolling my eyes in the process. Since I was facing away from the other students, no one could tell, which was good. I then headed back up to the very corner of the room, and sat down in my seat with a sigh. ncing down at the new Mage ID in my hands and focusing on the rank listed, I couldn''t help but grin slightly.


    Song Qian Long then cleared his throat, and gazed around at his vast audience.


    "Well then - let me toast you once more, 2nd Years of Shenzhen Magic High School - Congrattions on formally bing Intermediate Mages!"

 Chapter 114 - Impending Doom

    <strong>- A Certain Room, Xuan Family Manor -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Have you killed him yet?" a male voice asked quietly.


    The man who spoke these words was Xuan Yang, current patriarch of the Xuan family. He was a vile man, able to abandon his moralitypletely in order to achieve what he wants.


    "No, not yet," a second voice responded with a carefree tone.


    This person was a powerful member of the Midnight Syndicate. His alias is gue, but his true name remains unknown. He specializes in using poison to assassinate people, rather than cold steel. After forming a deal with Xuan Yang, he epted the task to kill a certain 14-year-old boy.


    "...Why haven''t you? He''s just a kid. Shouldn''t be too hard for someone of your level, no?" Xuan Yang asked impatiently, evidently annoyed.


    "That may be so, but he is far stronger than normal ''kids''," gue replied. "I have encountered him once already, and he was able to escape. That is more than enough to prove his strength."


    Of course, the truth was, gue merely didn''t want to chase the boy further. However, if he said so, his true intentions would be spilled, and that could pose a problem.


    "Tch...you mean you can''t kill him? Don''t give me that crap," Xuan Yang muttered angrily.


    "No, I just need some time," gue responded casually. "I will be sure to bring you his head, worry not."


    "Hmph...you better hurry the hell up," Xuan Yang demanded, then turned on his heel. "Tomorrow night is thetest I will give you. Don''t let me down, gue."


    gue bowed his head slightly. "...As you wish."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Mei Gui, I need to talk to you," I said quietly.


    We had just finished school, and were currently resting in our dorm room. However, it wasn''t as rxing as I hoped it to be. A certain something kept nagging at my mind, and I decided it was time to settle it once and for all.


    "What is it, Master?" Mei Gui asked, walking over and sitting down next to me on the couch.


    "...You remember what I said about getting revenge, correct?"


    She nodded. "As clear as day, Master."


    I smiled devilishly. "Well then...you see, it keeps bugging me at the back of my head, and it''s quite an ufortable feeling. That''s why..."


    "...You want to end things with them as soon as possible," Mei Gui finished.


    "Precisely. I want to infiltrate the Xuan family manor this Saturday night. Since it''s the weekend, security will be rtively morex than usual."


    "I agree, Master," Mei Gui replied. "Very well, we shall spend the time from today up until Saturday for nning."


    I bowed my head. "Thank you...and sorry."


    "Master, I am doing this of my own free will," Mei Gui said in aforting tone. "There is no need for you to apologize or express gratitude."


    "Nah...if I don''t say something in this situation, it just won''t sit right with me," I chuckled.


    "..." Mei Gui fell silent, and I sighed.


    "Anyway...the first step, as always, is to gather information, yeah?"


    "Information?" Mei Gui tilted her head.


    I grinned. "What do you say we go on a reconnaissance mission?"


    "R-Right now?"


    <em>Oh, that''s the first, no, second time I''ve heard her stutter. She''s usually always so calm andposed...when was the first time again? Ah, right, that time she couldn''t get the shower to work by herself. Man...that was pretty funny.</em>


    <em></em>"Yeah, right now," I replied with a snicker. "C''mon, let''s go."


    I slipped on my cloak, put on my ring, and grabbed my mask toplete the set. I nced back at Mei Gui, who had already finished changing into her new outfit we bought at the Coastal Metropolis a few days ago. It was a ck cloak simr to mine, and for some reason she also put on a mask.


    "Heh. We look like some cult members," I said after pulling her into the bathroom and looking at our reflections in the mirror.


    Mei Gui averted her gaze quickly, and didn''t speak.


    "What, feeling embarrassed?"


    "N-No..."


    <em>Oh, third time of stuttering. If you''re going to be embarrassed about this, then don''t put it on in the first ce...</em>


    "Well, the first time I put this on, I was kind of embarrassed as well," Iforted her. "You''ll get used to it."


    Just as I turned around and prepared to head out, however, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Mei Gui?"


    "D-Do I look good, Master...?" she murmured quietly, looking up at me with big sad puppy dog eyes.


    "O-Oh, yeah, you look great," I replied, a little caught off guard by her sudden cute act. Usually, she was all stoic and expressionless, but sometimes, quite unexpectedly, she has these cute moments as well.


    <em>But still...that''s four stutters now. Wait, why am I keeping track?</em>


    "Okay...let''s go, Master," Mei Gui shook her head and return back to her normal, deadpan self.


    "Yeah...let''s go."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Around 20 Minutes Later, The Xuan Family Manor -</strong>


    The two of us soon arrived at the Xuan family manor. It was just as how I remembered it to be - grand and beautiful. But the people living within it...were not. After making sure no one was looking, I climbed up on a nearby tree to get a better view of the entire area, and then pulled Mei Gui up as well.


    Surprisingly enough, no magic barrier was in ce. This was very strange to me, since from what I remember, the manor was supposed to have a huge barrier surrounding it to protect it from outside invaders, thieves, etc. The protection didn''t extend to where my parents and I were living in though, unfortunately. Hence why the assassins were able to get in...but to be honest, I found something about that fishy. This is just a baseless assumption, but I think Xuan Yang disabled the barrier on purpose during that timeframe.


    Which is why...<em>could it be the same this time? Why is the barrier disabled? Don''t tell me...that bastard Xuan Yang is up to something again?</em>


    <em></em>I quickly ran a Detect Presence on the area, and frowned when it turned up empty. There should''ve been plenty of guards, and yet...my scan didn''t pick up on any of them. However, I definitely could sense a certain someone...


    "Master...something is off," Mei Gui said quietly.


    "Yeah...I can feel it," I replied. "The manor...it seems...almost <em>lifeless.</em>"


    "Be careful, Master. I sense a powerful mage within the vicinity."


    "So you detected it too, huh? He''s currently not hiding his aura, so we''re able to tell, but when he chooses to conceal himself, we won''t have any way to find him. What a fearsome opponent..." I muttered.


    "Master...is he the one who attacked you that night?" Mei Gui asked with concern.


    I nodded. "I managed to escape, but...I have a feeling he purposely <em>let</em> me get away."


    "Master, he''sing out," Mei Gui suddenly lowered her tone and said.


    I nced at where Mei Gui was looking. Indeed, a man d in ck robes had just emerged from the main door of the manor, and was heading towards these gates. He looked slightly different from when I saw him that night since it would be troublesome for him if his Midnight Syndicate branding was seen in public, but his ck gue mask was unmistakable. This was the same man who had attacked me a few days ago.


    He strolled along gracefully without a care in the world, casually stopping by some flower bushes to inspect them. However, he then suddenly snapped the rose he had picked up within his hands, and slowly, like a old creaky robot, tilted his head...to look straight at where Mei Gui and I were crouching, atop a tree branch.


    "Master, run!"


    "Tch...!" I grabbed Mei Gui''s hand and jumped down the tree, pulling her with me. I then quickly cast Flight on my self as Mei Gui did the same. Together, the two of us flew off hurriedly, too panicked to even look back to see if anyone was following us.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Back at the Dorms -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Hah...hah...you...okay?" I panted, leaning against the wall. We had just gotten back to the dorms, and entered my room.


    "I''m fine...Master..." Mei Gui replied, but she was simrly evidently exhausted from flying at maximum speed non-stop for god knows how long. We just kept flying and kept flying...even when we arrived at the dorms, we continued to run, up the stairs and towards my room. Who the hell would keep track of time in that situation?


    "Sorry...I panicked back there," I said guiltily after both of us had finally caught our breaths. We had taken off our cloaks and masks, and were currently resting on the couch.


    "No, Master. You made the right choice," Mei Gui replied. "If we had stayed there any longer, there was a good chance we wouldn''t have been able to escape at all."


    "Yeah...but what bothers me is how he was able to see us," I said, frustrated. "Both of us had cast Conceal Presence on ourselves, and yet..."


    "We did indeed conceal our presences, but unfortunately that meager spell is not effective against masters at all."


    "Even with the power of Chaos...?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "Even with the amplification affects of the Primordial Chaos, the spell would still be ineffective against masters Golden Monarch and above."


    "Golden Monarch...so I was right. He''s at least on Ghosteye''s level."


    "Ghosteye...the other Midnight Syndicate member Master defeated a while ago?" Mei Gui asked, resting her chin on her hand in a thinking gesture.


    "Yeah...wait, how do you know about that?"


    "I retain all of my memories from my stone form," Mei Gui exined. "Although they are a little bit hazy, I know everything you did before my true form was awoken by you, Master."


    <em>...Creepy. I know she doesn''t have any bad intentions, but...being told by someone they know everything you''ve done, is...quite ufortable, to say to the least.</em>


    <em></em>"Also...this is just mere spection, but I think what ured back at the manor wasn''t as simple as you panicking, Master..."


    I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean...?"


    Mei Gui sighed. "Again, this is just my guess, but...I believe that man may have used a fear-inducing technique on the two of us."


    "A fear-inducing technique..." I echoed pensively.


    "Correct. However, I do not know what spell exactly he used, since there are many methods to induce fear into one''s enemy," Mei Gui exined. "For example, directly ''injecting'' fear into someone would fall under Curse Magic, but inadvertently causing fear such as creating a terrifying illusion or something that triggers one''s phobia would fall under the Shadow Magic category."


    "...I see," I said after a long while. "Either way, one thing is certain - that man is dangerous - and what is even more so, is the fact that we probably will have to face him in the near future."


    Mei Gui nodded. "Master...I will always remain by your side."


    I smiled and patted her head. "Thank you, Mei Gui...I''ll need it."

 Chapter 115 - Nighttime Invasion

    <strong>- The Xuan Family Manor (Side Entrance), 10 PM -</strong>


    Four days have passed since our reconnaissance mission. We had also bought a katana for me, while twin daggers for Mei Gui, at a weapons store in the Coastal Metropolis. We chose the weapons we were mostfortable with for this assassination mission. My father was also a katana user, and he had taught me the basics years ago, before he passed away. My skills were nowhere near proficient with the weapon, but I would only be using this to take out the guards...I doubted cold steel would work against anyone I couldn''t use a surprise attack on. As for Mei Gui...I don''t know why, but she settled on twin daggers immediately.


    It was currently 10 PM, on a Saturday - past curfew ording to school rules, but I didn''t care, to be honest. A few days ago, Mei Gui and I had gone to scope out the Xuan family manor in preparation for our attack today, but we had ran into that powerful man, who belonged to the Midnight Syndicate. As a result, we were forced to leave...but even then, we managed to pick up on some useful information.


    For one, we discovered that the manor had another entrance, leading directly to the Xuan family training field. The training field extended directly into a forest behind the Xuan family residency - it was basically the hunting grounds for them. I knew about this forest from the stories my parents told me about the family, but of course, ever since I was born, all privileges my father had of attending these hunts were revoked. As for this side entrance...I had spotted it by chance when we were on the tree...and it was also where the two of us were currently at.


    "Mei Gui, everything look good?" I asked, scanning our surroundings carefully.


    "Yes, Master. The Magic Barrier is up, and guards are stationed at all entrances. There is only a 10% chance of that man being here," Mei Gui replied confidently.


    "10%...that''s higher than I would''ve liked, but there''s no turning back now," I muttered to myself. "Alright, Mei Gui, let''s move in."


    "Understood, Master."


    After this short exchange, the two of us both sank into the shadows. From here on out, we wouldmunicate using our telepathic connection. Since our link was far stronger than the normal Psychic Element spell, Telepathy, no one else would be able to listen in on our conversations.


    My theory was that the power, the concept of Chaos, was far beyond anything the species of this canprehend, much less overpower. Since the link between Mei Gui and I was born directly out of the Chaos energy within the two of us, interfering in it would be equivalent to going against the power of Chaos itself...and I don''t think anyone here possessed the power to do that.


    The two of us sliced through the Shadow realm, as silent as death itself. As the two of us got closer to the four guards stationed at this side entrance, Mei Gui sent me a telepathic message.


    [Master. Four guards, confirmed. All early Advanced Mage level.]


    [Copy,] I replied. [Going in.]


    Saying this, I elerated, and soon arrived directly behind the two Advanced Mages on the left hand side of the entrance. They noticed - but it was a tad toote.


    I drew my katana from its sheath, and cleanly severed both of their heads before they could even react. "Rest in chaos, bastards."


    "What the hell?! Who are you?!" the other two guards yelled and leapt away from me a safe distance.


    "Kuku...I have nothing to say to a dead man."


    "Huh?" the guards frowned in confusion...before having their necks sliced open simultaneously by Mei Gui''s twin daggers. She had crept up behind them while the two were busy focusing on me, and leapt in between the two of them, using her momentum to swing her daggers and cutting open both of the guards'' necks beforending wlessly, reverse grip daggers in hand and arms forming an X shape.


    Then, after nodding to each other, we wordlessly stole the keys out of one of the dead guard''s pocket, and unlocked the gate before us with ease. Then, sinking into the shadows once more, the two of us began heading for the main manor - Xuan Yang''s residency.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Within the Manor, Several Minutes Earlier -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Ho...it seems like they are here," gue murmured quietly.


    "Hmph...how did you know this was going to happen?" Xuan Yang asked, amused by the Midnight Syndicate member''s foresight.


    "Heheh....just intuition, I suppose," the man replied with a sinister chuckle.


    Xuan Yang snorted. "Intution my ass. As mysterious as ever, eh?"


    "Now now, why are youining? I set up this trap wlessly, so you should just sit back and appreciate it, no?"


    "Yeah, whatever. As long as you bring me that bastard''s head, I don''t care what you do."


    gue then nced at Xuan Yang with a newfound menacing gleam in his eyes. "...Just remember to hold up your end of the promise, yes?"


    Xuan Yang flinched at the sudden threatening atmosphere, but quickly regained hisposure and nodded. "You needn''t worry about that. I will have the old man drink your elixir for experimenting as soon as you kill Xuan Kai."


    The menacing aura of gue immediately receded, and he looked away. "Very well. It is almost time...patriarch, we should move."


    "Move? Why?" Xuan Yang asked in confusion.


    "I wish to test that boy''s skills. It is possible I do not even have to make an appearance at all...after all, your entire guard is assembled here...am I right?"


    "Heh. So you noticed," Xuan Yang muttered, slightly frustrated.


    gue let out a deep sigh. "Patriarch, I do not know what you n to do by stationing your guards around here, but just keep in mind..." he leaned in closer to the patriarch''s ear. <em><strong>"</strong></em><em><strong>Even if everyone here were to all take me on at once...you wouldn''t stand a chance."</strong></em>


    <em><strong></strong></em>Xuan Yang shuddered as his eyes bulged wide open, and gue backed away once more.


    "Patriarch,e. Let us go and observe this fight for a little longer. Let your minions fight with the boy first," gue said invitingly. Then, turning to the door, although his gue doctor mask remained unchanged, anyone could tell he was wearing a hideous smirk underneath. "Now then...I hope you do not fail to amuse me, Xuan Kai."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Present Time, Right Outside the Manor -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>[Master...I don''t like this feeling,] Mei Gui said via our telepathic link. Since we were both wearing our cloaks and masks, we refrained from any real talking, since not only would our voices be muffled, they could also possibly give away our location.


    [Yeah...I don''t detect any powerful presences nearby...under normal circumstances, I would be happy since gue isn''t here, but there''s always the chance he is merely hiding his presence,] I replied.


    [What is more concerning is that I do not sense Xuan Yang, either. Master, he should be a Golden Monarch level, correct?]


    I sighed. [Yeah...yet I can''t feel his aura either...but there is no reason for him to hide his presence. That Midnight Syndicate member, I understand, since if anyone else detected an exceptionally powerful master they''ve never seen before in the manor, they might freak out and cause a stir, but Xuan Yang is within his own residence...why would he bother hiding himself? Unless...]


    [...Unless he knows we are here,] Mei Gui finished. [That could spell trouble, Master. For one, only the two of us know of this n. No one else should have been able to know we are here tonight. And for two, if they really know that we are here...it would be safe to assume they have ced down many traps for us.]


    I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. [No use worrying about that now...we''ve already killed four people. There''s no turning back now.]


    [Yes, Master. Let''s head in.]


    Mei Gui and I walked closer to the door of the manor, footsteps as light as a feather. Once within range, I leaned my head close to the door and ced my ear against it.


    [Master, hear anything?]


    [No...it''spletely silent.]


    Then, carefully, I ran a Detect Presence on the area without chanting. And the results...100 Advanced Mages, waiting to ambush us inside.


    [Kuku...I can''t believe they really tried that.]


    [Fortunately, you scanned them first, Master...otherwise we really may have been caught in a dilemma.]


    [Yeah...I''ve always been a careful person...and I guess they didn''t ount for the factor that I can cast spells without chanting, huh?]


    [Yes...but where should we go now, Master?] Mei Gui asked. [We do not know where Xuan Yang is.]


    [Huh? What are you talking about? We aren''t going anywhere.]


    [...Come again?]


    [Oh, let me put that more bluntly,] I said after clearing my throat (falsetto). [What we''re going to do now...is ughter everyone in this room.]

 Chapter 116 - Bloodstained

    [Stand back, Mei Gui,] I said through our telepathic link. [I''m sting this shit open.]


    [Master...understood.] She seemed hesitant at first, but eventually sumbed to my will.


    <em>I know this probably is a bad idea, but right now, I don''t care. I don''t care about anything. I don''t care that some of them might be innocent. I don''t care that I''m going up against 100 Advanced Mages at once. I don''t care that this will stain my hands red with blood, forever.I don''t care...these bastards belong to the family that murdered my parents. And so, they must, and will, be killed.</em>


    Although I didn''t need to chant, right now, I did it anyway.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons."


    Immediately, two massive dragons conjured and took shape before me, and I sent them flying towards the door in front of me.


    <em><strong>BOOM!</strong></em>


    <em><strong></strong></em>A loud explosion echoed across the silent night, as the doors were sted into pieces. However, my pets didn''t stop there. They continued flying within the manor, attacking any mages within their range. By the time the Advanced Mages came to their senses, 10 of them had been greatly injured - some from the initial explosion, some from getting nearly eaten by my dragons.


    "Don''t panic, men! Subdue the fire dragons using Water Magic!" a coarse voice yelled out. I assumed he was the head honcho of the Advanced Mages...the guards of the Xuan family.


    "Y-Yes sir!" another voice called out in response, and several others followed.


    "Level Three Water Magic - Aquatic Binding!" Having regained theirposure, multiple Advanced Mages chanted out this spell simultaneously, and my two dragons were soon entangled within bright ropes of water, immobilized and helpless. Soon enough, their mes were put out, and the two of them vanished from existence.


    [Master, should weunch another Twin Dragons attack?] Mei Gui asked telepathically.


    [No...what''s the point of that? I''m killing them with my own two hands. I wouldn''t be satisfied if I just sat back and watched them get eliminated one by one...this, is where the real fun begins.]


    [Very well, Master. I shall remain on stand-by.]


    [Mhm.]


    As Mei Gui sank into the shadows (using Vanishing Shadows), the guards seemed to have noticed me, and were ring at me in disdain.


    "Are you...Xuan Kai?" asked the coarse voice from earlier as he stepped outside the manor, the rest of them trailing behind him.


    "So what if I am?" I responded with a smug tone.


    "Hmph...how imprudent," the man muttered. "I am the leader of the Xuan Family Sentries, Hon-"


    "Shut up," I interrupted coldly. "I couldn''t care less who you are or where you''re from. If you''ve got something to say, say it with your fists."


    As a dangerous gleam formed in the man''s eyes, I narrowed my own in return, and made a beckoning gesture with my right hand, taunting them.


    "Come at me, weaklings."


    Several of the guards began making a ruckus as soon as they heard my words, but their leader with the coarse voice stopped them. "Fine. I shall take you on, boy."


    I scoffed and shook my head. "Just you alone?"


    "Is that a problem?" the man asked as he drew his sword.


    "Heh. Yeah, it is," I replied slowly. "You''re...too weak."


    "What did you just say?!" the head honcho red at me with face flushed crimson from anger. All he was missing was the steaming out of his ears and nose. "I will show you your ce, trash! Fight me, now!"


    "Oh, sure," I said casually. However, I then drew on the hatred I kept dormant for so long, and shed a re filled with killing intent towards the man. "Just don''t me me...if you end up dying so badly even hell won''t ept you."


    "BASTARD!" he yelled, charging towards me with his greatsword.


    I nimbly dodged out of the way to the side.<em>So he''s a bruiser, huh...I see.</em>Bruisers were people who excelled in using amplification magic on themselves to get close to their opponents and turn the fight into a melee one, which is to their advantage.


    The man swung at me again, but I deftly dodged once more and appeared behind him. Of course, I had cast several Potentia spells on myself to make things easier, but honestly, I was pretty sure I could dodge his slow attacks even without the help of Blessing Magic.


    I let out a lowugh. "Is that all you got, oh great leader of the Xuan Family Sentries?"


    "Bastard..." he growled, and drove his greatsword into the ground, creating a crack on the pavement. "You forced me to do this, boy."


    Saying that, he began muttering some inaudible words, charging up energy as a ck whirlwind began forming around him, and my eyes widened at the realization of what he was going to do. I quickly moved in to stop him, but it was toote. A massive shockwave sent me flying backwards into a tree, as the man''s transformation wasplete.


    "Ngh..." I struggled to my feet once more, and nced down at my bloodied fists. They had scraped somewhere as I was falling, I assume. <em>Man, </em><em>I should get some gloves...</em>


    <em></em>"Boy, do you understand the difference between us now?" the man walked, no, <em>flew </em>closer to me, now in his demon form.


    "Heh...you''re a member of the Midnight Syndicate too, huh?" I asked, patting down my cloak to get dust off.


    The man smirked and showed me the unmistakable dragon emblem of the criminal organization on his right arm. "So what if I am?"


    "Birds of a feather flock together, as they say..." I murmured. "Idiots are going to band together too, naturally."


    "Bastard!" he heaved his greatsword and swung it down at me, but I vanished in an instant.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em>


    <em></em>I reappeared directly in front of him, and punched him directly in the face, sending him crashing into the ground.


    "Huh...shame I couldn''t unsheathe my weapon in time," I murmured with a sigh. "Otherwise, your head wouldn''t be still on your body right about now."


    "Impossible...how are you able to use Space Magic?!" the man cried out in shock. "I was told you could only use Fire, Light, and Blessing Magic...I let my guard down, tch."


    I merely smirked, and looked at him condescendingly as he stood back up. "I''ll consider telling you if you killed yourself right now."


    "Don''t look down on me, boy!" the man yelled with rage, charging towards me once again, greatsword in his hands.


    "Too slow." I jumped directly over him as he cleaved down with his weapon, andnded on his head. In Demon Form, he was a lot bigger, so I could stand atop his hair no problem. In the process of jumping, however, I had used the Level One Ice Element spell, Freeze, to immobilize his hands, keeping them glued to his greatsword. That way, he was unable to get me off using his arms.


    [Mei Gui, keep his hands in check for me.]


    [Copy, Master.]


    After telling Mei Gui telepathically to help out slightly, I noticed that the man was iling wildly around trying to get me off, but I used one hand to hold on to his hair so I wouldn''t get thrown off. And next, with the other, I aimed it directly at his head...


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux.</em>


    A long disintegration ray of ck magma shot out of my hand, and burned a hole straight into his head.


    "GRAHHH!" the man yelled in pain, anger, or perhaps both. However, I kept a firm grip on his hair and remained on his head while continuing to pour the 5000 degrees ray of death directly into his body.


    After around 30 seconds, I finally decided it was enough, and jumped off of his head. Mei Gui, seeing that I had gotten off safely, released the support she had been giving in keeping the man''s hands frozen. The ck ice shattered immediately, and the man fell to ground, clutching his head in a bloodcurdling howl of pain.


    "I''ll...kill...you...bastard..." he muttered, and fell to the ground with those as hisst words. Just like with another Midnight Syndicate member a while ago, his demon-transformed body evaporated directly into thin air, as his soldiers watched on in shock. The only thing that remained, was his greatsword, emitting an ominous red glow from the runic characters inscribed on the t side of the de.


    "N-No way...Commander Hong, defeated?!" one of the guards stammered, trembling from fear.


    "F-Fret not, everyone!" another said forcefully. "H-He may have defeated Commander Hong, but there is no way he can take on all 99 of us at the same time....t-there''s no way...y-yes, there''s just no way..."


    As that guard trailed off more and more trying to convince himself, I walked closer to the 99 Advanced Mages. "Wimps...are you going to sit here and be ughtered by me, ore and fight? Either way is fine by me...but just keep in mind - both options will inevitably result in your deaths."


    "E-Everyone! If we fight him, we still have a chance!" a voice shouted. "He''s just a damn Intermediate Mage! W-We can take him on together!"


    "R-Right! Better than just being killed off one by one!" another agreed.


    I looked down andughed darkly. "Well then..e at me, idiots."


    <em>Kukuku...my hands are already stained with the blood of many...what''s another few dozen more?</em>

 Chapter 117 - One To Ninety-Nine

    The 99 guards soon surrounded mepletely, but were all wary of getting closer. I smirked at their cowardice, and adjusted my cloak.


    "Immobilize him first!" a guard yelled out.


    "Level Three Water Magic - Aquatic Binding!" six others chanted at the same time.


    However, I was unfazed, and merely chuckled. "It''s useless."


    I raised my arm, and the ropes of water heading towards me all converged into one point. They were absorbed by my hand with ease. I licked my lips. "Delicious."


    "Wha...what the hell?!"


    "Did he just nullify our magic?!"


    "No...it was more like he absorbed it?!"


    Seeing the guards'' reactions, I sighed. "Is that all you''ve got?"


    "Grahh! I don''t believe it!" one of the guards shouted. "Level Three Earth Magic - Asteroid Torrent!"


    Calling upon the magic of the stars, the guard who chanted thisunched a barrage ofrge, destructive rocks to fall down on me. However, I once more raised my hand, and activated the suction force of Chaos. In a matter of seconds, the numerous rocks that had been on a direct course to decapitate me were now converted back to their original form as pure mana, which I then absorbed into my own Dantian.


    "I-Impossible...how is he able to absorb our attacks like that?!" the guard whounched Asteroid Torrent cried in despair, and sank onto his knees. "E-Even such a massive-scale one, too..."


    "How weak," I murmured quietly. "I really feel bad for whoever gave birth to cowards like you."


    My provocation seemed to have worked, as several of the Advanced Mages began yelling again, their fighting spirit renewed.


    "Bastard! You can insult me, but not my family! Let''s see you absorb poison! Level Three Poison Magic - Venom Corruption!"


    "Take this! Level Three Sky Magic - Lightning Retribution!"


    "You''re dying today, boy! Level Three Gravity Magic - Downfall!"


    Immediately, I was forced onto the ground. Because Gravity Magic like Downfall was an invisible force and not a visualization of mana, I couldn''t absorb it. Thus, I became immobilized. Facing a powerful toxic st of disintegration, a cluster of focused lightning strikes, and pinned down by the overwhelming pressure of Gravity Magic Downfall, they expected me to just give up, and face my fate. After all, I needed to be able to move to suck in their spells by pointing my hand towards the projectiles. My fate should''ve been sealed faced against this deadlybination of theirs...


    However...against all logic and defying all expectations, I <em>smirked.</em>


    <em>Come, Forbidden Magic - Chaos Mirror.</em>


    A long wall pulsing with ck energy slowly formed and expanded above me, blocking the poison and lightning attacks with ease. Or, more urately, it absorbed the attacks, and after a few seconds, spat them back out with their power amplified exponentially. More importantly, however...the mirrored spells were now sent hurling back towards the same mages who had cast them in the first ce.


    The guard who had used Poison Magic was struck with his own deadly venom, and his flesh was instantly corrupted and deformed by the now ck and crimson poison. He screamed and copsed to the ground, but none of hisrades around him would even get close to him, lest they get infected as well. Instead, they all backed away from the sprawling man, and averted their gazes in guilt as well as...fear.


    Simrly, the guard who had used that Lightning Retribution spell was hit squarely in the head by his own lightning, and was incinerated in the blink of an eye. By a freak gust of wind, some of the lightning branched off from the main spell and hit the mage who had cast the Gravity Magic on me as well. Neither had time to even react, much less scream in terror.


    "M-Monster..."


    "W-What do we do?! We can''t beat him!"


    "S-S-Stay calm!"


    I slowly got up from the ground and adjusted my cloak. "That''s three, erased forever...ny-six left."


    Mei Gui, who had been watching in the dark until now, widened her eyes at the sight. "No way...I never taught Master how to use that spell while being immobilized...don''t tell me, he learnt it himself...?! Truly...as expected, Master is the one chosen by the Primordial Chaos. He is the one meant for me, and this destiny..." She had been whispering, but I still heard her quite clearly with my boosted senses and stats thanks to Blessing Magic, the Potentia spell family.


    <em>Yeah, Mei Gui. I don''t know about the whole destiny part, but ever since that day you taught me how to use this spell, I experimented with it whenever I had time. Then, one day, I realized how useful this spell would be if I could cast it anywhere around my body, at a moment''s notice. And so, I endeavored to improve my cast time as well as various other tests. After countless trial and errors...I finally mastered this spell. It took a very long time, but it was worth it, as seen from what happened just now.</em>


    <em></em>I didn''t tell her my thoughts telepathically, but there was something I needed to say to her.


    [Hey, Mei Gui?]


    [What is it, Master?]


    [Thank you. For everything.]


    [No...thank<em>you,</em> Master. I never thought an Elemental like me could have any allies,panions, or more importantly -<em>friends,</em> but...you gave me all of those. Therefore...I am d I got to meet you, Master.]


    [Kuku...what''s with thati? You''re talking as if we''re never seeing each other again or something. We have a long road to travel, Mei Gui...but we''ll be there together, along with the rest of the girls, every step of the way.]


    [Yes, Master...apologies, I got a bit emotional.]


    [Heh. I never thought the day woulde where I would hear the word ''emotional''ing from you.]


    [That''s...nevermind.]


    I chuckled as her tone became deadpan once more, and made a mental note to forever treasure this memory. I then turned my attention back to the battle at hand. The remaining ny-six guards hadn''t done anything while I was casually talking to Mei Gui, after seeing the fate of theirrades. The only thing they could do was stand there rooted to the ground, trembling in fear. The ones with weapons clutched their spears tightly, and kept them pointed at me. But they wouldn''t do anything. Why? The reason is simple - their resolve, was weak.


    No matter how strong the weapon you hold is, if you are weak, you can never bring out that weapon''s maximum potential. It''s the same theory as a master using only a wooden stick to easily beat a student who has an expensive sword. I looked at these guards, and felt nothing but pity. But as pitiful as they may be, they belonged to the Xuan family. And thus, they must die.


    I narrowed my eyes. "Now then...if you''re done attacking, it''s my turn."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    As it gradually began raining, I silently drew my katana from its sheath and closed my eyes to calm my mind. After taking a few deep breaths, my eyes snapped open, and the ughter began.


    I vanished from my original spot in an instant and effortlessly dashed through the guards, cutting them down one by one before they could even react. <em>One cut, one kill. Ny-two left.</em> I continued my onught effortlessly, the dying guards'' tormented screams echoing through the dead of night.<em>Eighty-seven.</em>


    <em></em>One of the guards raised his spear and attempted to stab me, but his eyes were closed tight from fear, meaning he was just iling his spear around blindly, nearly hitting his own allies in the process. I dashed directly behind him and cut his body cleanly in half. <em>Eighty-six.</em>


    By this point, I waspletely drenched by the howling rainfall, but even then, I continued. <em>Eighty.</em>


    <em></em><em>Seventy-two left...</em>


    <em>...That''s sixty-six.</em>


    Within the rampaging storm, I cut down guard after guard, cold and merciless. The air was filled with the unmistakable stench of blood, and corpsesy littered everywhere.<em>Five...four...three....two...one...</em>


    Thest guard crawled away from me like a frenzied madman, driven to insanity by terror. Surrounded by the dead bodies of hisrades, I walked closer to him, katana in hand.


    "N-No! S-Stay away from me, m-monster!" he cried, fumbling his way out. Because his actions were annoying me, I threw my katana harshly at his leg, and it hit its mark.


    "AHHH! MY LEG!" the guard clutched at his wound in agony, and was rendered unable to move any further. "B-Blessing Magic! C-Cure! H-Heal! W-WHY ISN''T IT WORKING?! AHH! IT HURTS, IT HURTS!"


    He continued yelling and screaming in pain, until I atst arrived directly before him. "Utter fool. You don''t even have the Blessing Element."


    "S-Shut up! R-Restore! H-Help! SOMEONE HELP!"


    "No one''s going toe and help you, even if they heard your cries. In the eyes of the Xuan family, you are nothing more than a disposable pawn. Why do you think Xuan Yang sent you all toe face me first, instead of just fighting against me himself? Hmph...idiot."


    "N-No...S-Someone help! P-PATRIARCH!"


    I red downwards at the guard and the pitiful state he was in, and raised my katana. "If you want to me someone...me yourself for choosing to serve the Xuan family."


    <em><strong>SWISH.</strong></em>


    <em><strong>Thud.</strong></em>


    <em><strong></strong></em>The guard''s decapitated head came rolling towards my foot, before finally stopping for good. His body copsed onto the ground, along with his already deadrades.


    <em>And that''s...zero.</em>

 Chapter 118 - The Final Encounter

    Amidst the pouring rain, I walked through a fresh bundle of corpses, guards ughtered by me just moments before. Mei Gui emerged from the shadows and joined me by my side, and the two of us continued through the Xuan family residency, which was now flooded with blood.


    [Mei Gui, go search for Xuan Yang. Hopefully, he''s still in the area somewhere...]


    [Understood, Master. When I find him, I will send you a telepathic message.]


    [Copy.]


    As Mei Gui moved away, I sighed.


    <em>That bastard...still not showing himself?</em>


    <em></em>"Xuan Yang! I have already massacred all of your subordinates. Show yourself!" I yelled, my voice echoing within the soundless night.


    "Heheh...why so loud?" a voice suddenly said behind me.


    My eyes widened at how this mysterious man was able to get behind me without me noticing, and immediately dashed away. I spun around to see who it was...


    "Tch...so it''s you, Midnight Syndicate member," I muttered.


    "You may address me as gue," the man said with an elegant bow.


    "Nah...I think I''ll just call you ''scum''," I replied.


    "...What an insolent brat."


    "Oh, finally drop the gentleman facade? Great," I said with a snap of my fingers, and got into battle stance with my katana. "The reason I am here today is because of the Xuan family...but I have some feuds with you too, Midnight Syndicate. So let''s settle it here."


    gue thenughed boisterously, and took out several vials of liquids from his coat pockets, and held onto them between their fingers. "How amusing. But if that is what you want, very well!"


    He then threw the vials onto the ground, their cases shattered and a toxic gas immediately filled the air. "Let the battle begin, Xuan Kai!"


    And then...


    ...I ran. Yep, I ran.


    [Master, I have located Xuan Yang. He is hiding within an underground chamber beneath the Xuan family Training Field. You will be able to enter it through a secret tunnel within the main manor. I have burned the carpet away already, so the entrance to the tunnel should be in in sight.]


    I fled from the battle, and headed towards the main manor as instructed by Mei Gui.


    <em>Idiot...I''m here for Xuan Yang, I couldn''t care less about the Midnight Syndicate. Have fun ying hide and seek in that smoke with a non-existent opponent, scum.</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    Within the main manor, the first thing I noticed was the smell of ash. Something had definitely been burned here, and without a doubt, the perpetrator was Mei Gui. As for the target...it was the carpet on the floor. Not much remained of it and the lights were off, but I could still make out that it was originally a carpet. I immediately spotted a trapdoor in in sight just like Mei Gui said it would be. The entrance was flipped open, so I jumped down with ease.


    Inded on solid concrete, and headed down the only direction possible - forward. The corridor was quite in, and the only objects on the solid grey walls were the asional torches here and there to provide light. I continued down the empty hallway, and soon arrived at a door. Calcting the distance I travelled since the main manor, and the direction I went in, I assumed this was the ''underground chamber beneath the Training Field'' Mei Gui was talking about.


    [Mei Gui, I''m here. Where are you?]


    [Behind you, Master.]


    I spun around to see the familiar beautiful scarlet hair of Mei Gui emerge from the shadows of a corner where the torches'' light didn''t reach, and patted her head once her entire body was out of the shadow realm. [Good work.]


    [Mm...I am d to be of assistance to Master.]


    I then nced at the door, and noticed that it wasn''tpletely shut tight. [I''m guessing you saw Xuan Yang through this crack?]


    [Correct, Master. I found this corridor suspicious, so I headed down here to investigate. However, by chance, when I stumbled across this door, I just happened to get a glimpse of Xuan Yang walking past through this slight slit in the door.]


    [I see...well then, are you ready?]


    [Yes, Master. I am ready for anything, anytime.]


    I smirked, and raised my hand towards the door.


    <em>Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus.</em>


    <em><strong>BOOM!</strong></em>


    <em><strong></strong></em>The doors were sted open with ease, since they weren''t closed properly in the first ce.


    "EEK?! WHO-" Xuan Yang began, but I silenced him with a re filled with killing intent.


    "Hello there, uncle. What a fine evening this is," I said quietly.


    "X-Xuan Kai?! How...? D-Don''t tell me, you defeated gue..."


    <em>Hm...so they are colluding with each other after all. Well, why not scare him a bit then?</em>


    <em></em>"Indeed I did. And now, you''re next."


    "I-Impossible...how did he lose to a mere 14 year old<em>kid?!</em>"


    "Don''t look down on others so much, bastard," I muttered angrily. "You''re about to get<em>killed</em>by this ''14-year-old kid''."


    "H-Heheheh...me? Killed? Not in a million years, ahaha!" Xuan Yang yelled, close to insanity. "Xuan Kai, you murdered my son! I''ve been looking for a chance to kill you, but you came directly to me! The gods are truly on my side!"


    "Oh yeah? Then I''ll kill those so-called gods too."


    "Hah! Don''t make meugh, trash! You, killing gods?! Even if I die, I wouldn''t believe that!"


    "Enough talk. If you want to die so badly, I will dly help you out."


    "H-Hmph...big wordsing from a mere student," Xuan Yang scoffed.


    "We''ll see about that..."


    [Mei Gui, don''t interfere in this fight.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    I smirked, and vanished instantly.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em>


    <em></em>Arriving directly in front of Xuan Yang, I let out a sh with my katana aiming directly for his neck. However, unfortunately, he wasn''t harmed at all. I immediately leapt back to my original location, and red at Xuan Yang in frustration.


    "Hahaha! This ring here is a powerful Magic Artifact! It can defend me from any and all physical attacks without magic imbued!" he bragged haughtily.


    Iughed darkly. "Tip - don''t tell your opponents your weakness right when the fight begins."


    "Huh?! How is that a weakness-"


    <em>Level One Enchantment Magic - Ignis.</em>


    I dashed towards Xuan Yang, enchanted weapon in hand.


    He looked at me in contempt. "Heh...that won''t be able to hurt m- GRAHHHHH!"


    "Huh...I missed by a little," I murmured to myself quietly.


    Xuan Yang, who''s right arm had just been severed cleanly from its stump, copsed to the floor in pain. "I-Impossible...how did you get past my Magic Artifact...?!"


    I sighed. "Like I said, don''t tell your opponents your weakness in a fight."


    <em>That''s right...he said it himself - the artifact can block physical attacks without any magic imbued into them. In other words...any attacks that</em>do<em>have magic behind them are exempt from this protection. All I did there was enchant my katana with the essence of fire, using Enchantment Magic.</em>


    <em></em>Enchantment Magic is a fairly unique element. The reason for this is that it only has one purpose - to improve objects. There are no directly offensive or defensive spells of the Enchantment Element, but there are enchantments that can be ced upon objects that<em>help</em>with offense or defense. Moreover, you can imbue an object with the essence of any other element you possess using Enchantment Magic as well (as long as you possessed the Enchantment Element). Since I have affinities for every single element, it naturally meant I could enchant objects with any element I wished.


    It didn''t matter which element I used here to enchant my katana with, but I chose fire - ignis -because it was the first thing that came to mind. And sure enough, my attack worked. I had also missed his neck on purpose, since that would be too easy of a death for him. No...I wanted him to suffer. Suffer the same pain I went through when my parents were murdered in front of my eyes.


    I pointed my katana at Xuan Yang, who clutched at his disembodied arm in terror. "Xuan Yang...you murdered your own brother and his wife for your own personal gain. No punishment can help you atone for your sins...but perhaps a painful death can make you feel some guilt."


    "N-No...I won''t be killed today! Come, Battle Soul!"


    My eyes widened, and immediately leapt back as a deep purple snake projection appeared above Xuan Yang.


    "Tch...Battle Soul, huh?"


    "Heheheheh! Who''sughing now, boy?! This is the difference between us, do you understand?!" Xuan Yang dered arrogantly. "I am a Golden Monarch, and I possess a Battle Soul! What about you, a mere Intermediate Mage, huh?!"


    "Hmph...even if you have a Battle Soul, it isn''t a very good one," I scoffed. "It is but a mere animal."


    "You...HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY POWERFUL BATTLE SOUL!" Xuan Yang screamed in anger. "Go, Serpent! Tear that human to pieces!"


    <strong>"HISSSSSSSSS!"</strong> the snake let out a bloodcurdling hiss, and dove straight towards me. I immediately dodged backwards, but the snake then shot out a poisonous breath from its mouth.


    <em>Forbidden Magic - Chaos Mirror.</em>


    <em></em>I immediately cast Chaos Mirror to deflect the attack, but to my shock, the breath passed directly through the mirror and continued to flow towards me at rapid speeds. Unable to dodge away, I instinctively put up my right arm to block my face against the attack.


    "Ngh-!"


    As soon as the breath made contact, my skin began scorching, and my hand started to shake from the pain.


    "Hah...hah..." I panted. "Mei Gui...I think I''m going to need your help with this one..."

 Chapter 119 - Soul Shackle

    <em>Level Two Blessing Magic - Major Heal.</em>


    <em></em>I attempted to cast healing magic on my wound, but it wasn''t effective at all, even with the empowered affects of Chaos. "Damn it...if only Qing Yue was here..."


    I only knew a few Blessing Element spells, and it just so happened that I didn''t know one that cured poison. However, I had no doubt Qing Yue would, being a genius in Blessing Magic. I was uncertain on whether or not normal poison-treating magic would be effective on Battle Soul generated poison, but it probably would.


    "A snake Battle Soul, huh...how fitting," I muttered.


    "Silence, mongrel! Level Three Poison Magic - Venom Corruption!" Xuan Yang yelled, sending an empowered version of the same attack a guard had used against me earlier. Since Xuan Yang''s Battle Soul is a snake and has close ties with the Poison Element, his attacks of that element are increased in strength. He and his Battle Soul were one; so the attack came not from Xuan Yang''s hands, but from the snake''s mouth.


    I narrowly dodged the attack, but the situation was still plenty dangerous, since I was already injured - the consequence of attempting to use the power of Chaos to counter a Battle Soul''s attacks. I don''t know if my level is just still too low or what, but for now, I am unable to block attacks from Battle Souls. I learned that the hard way, and now my arm hurts like hell from the poison.


    I wouldn''t die from this injury, but my movement will definitely be impaired, leaving Xuan Yang far more opportunities to attack me. With this in mind, I decided to enhance my basic stats to make up for my carelessness.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Salire.</em>


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Celeritas.</em>


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Imperium.</em>


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Armis.</em>


    <em></em>After casting four Potentia spells on myself (jump power, speed, strength, and defense respectively), I began formting a n with Mei Gui through our telepathic connection. On the surface, I was merely dodging Xuan Yang''s attacks, but in reality I was busy trying to think of a way to defeat him.


    "Haha, what''s wrong, boy?! All you''re doing is dodging!" Xuan Yang said with a evil cackle. "What happened to all that talk about killing me and revenge, huh?!"


    [Mei Gui, any ideas? I''m kinda pinned down here...there''s nothing I can do against his Battle Soul.] I asked in my head,pletely ignoring Xuan Yang''s taunt.


    [Master...I cannot defeat him either. However...there is a Chaos Element spell that can counter Battle Souls...but I am not sure whether or not you will be able to learn it at this stage.]


    [...It''s the only option we have now.]


    [Understood. I will hold him off while teaching you the spell, then.]


    Saying this, Mei Gui emerged from the shadows in the corner, much to Xuan Yang''s surprise.


    "Who the hell are you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You''re quite the looker, I can tell even if you''re wearing a mask, but I have never seen you before. Are you with this bastard?"


    "Hmph. You do not deserve to know who I am," Mei Gui replied coldly, and moved in to distract Xuan Yang.


    [Master, the name of the spell I am going to teach you is called Soul Shackle. It is a spell designed particrly to counter Battle Souls, but can work on living beings as well.]


    [Soul Shackle...] I echoed. [Sounds powerful, but I don''t really understand it.]


    [All living beings areposed of three bodies - the physical, mental, and ethereal. The three are interconnected and inseparable - if even just one is destroyed, the living being will still die.] Mei Gui exined, doing a somersault over the air to dodge one of Xuan Yang''s attacks. [The biggestponent of the ethereal body is one''s soul. It is hard to exin in simple terms, but this spell, Soul Shackle, essentially tethers another soul to your own, thus letting you manipte them freely. Essentially, in this case, you will be taking over control of Xuan Yang''s Battle Soul, then killing it.]


    [...I see. Can''t you just use this spell though? Why bother teaching me?]


    [For one, this is a good opportunity for Master - if Master is able to learn this spell, it will greatly help in the future, and perhaps even help you break another seal. However...the main reason I am teaching you this is because I am in fact unable to use this spell. Elementals are creatures born directly from a certain element, thus their ethereal bodies do not have souls. Instead, we have ''cores'', but they are not physical objects within our bodies like you would expect. In other words, cores are the Elemental equivalent of souls.]


    [Huh...so because you don''t have a soul you can tether another soul to, you are unable to use this spell...I see.]


    [That is correct, Master. Now then, I shall begin teaching you-]


    "Ugh! I''m getting tired of you jumping around all over the ce!" Xuan Yang yelled. "Take this! Legendary Poison Magic - Acid Flood!"


    My eyes widened at my first ever real life witnessing of Legendary Magic, but that awe soon turned into despair as the underground chamber we were in began filling up with toxic acid.


    "Crazy bastard...using that spell in an enclosed space," I muttered. I then pointed my hand at the acid, and began calling upon the power of Chaos within me to suck it up and turn it into mana...but unfortunately, it failed.


    "Haha! Let''s see you run away from this one, Xuan Kai!" Xuan Yanughed haughtily.


    <em>Tch...the only entrance to this room is already blocked by the acid...hm, wait,</em>only<em>entrance? Kuku...if there isn''t an entrance, I''ll just have to make one.</em>


    <em></em><em>Level Two Water Magic - Geyser.</em>


    <em></em>Immediately after I chanted in my mind, a torrent of extremely high-pressure water shot up from the ground, and sted straight into the ceiling of the underground chamber we were in. s...whatever material the room was made of, it didn''t stand a chance. The geyser continued shooting upwards, obliterating everything in its path.


    [Mei Gui, let''s go!]


    [Yes, Master!]


    Together, the two of us rode the current upwards, and we were soon carried out of the underground chamber. Since it was magic I conjured, it obviously didn''t harm me. Since I was carrying Mei Gui in my arms tightly, the pressurized water didn''t hurt her either.


    As the geyser closed, the two of usnded on the Xuan family training field, soaked and panting. The pouring rain didn''t help. I took off my mask, and Mei Gui did the same. It was hard to breathe with it on by this point, so...


    "That maniac..." I muttered out loud. But unfortunately, said maniac wasn''t done just yet.


    "Master...he''sing."


    "Yeah...I know."


    Both of us narrowed our eyes at a certain location on thewn about ten meters away, as a huge torrent of green acid shot out from the ground, with Xuan Yang riding on top of it while cing a tiny nket of acid above his head to shield himself from the rain. Meanwhile, his huge purple snake Battle Soul looked down at us as if we were its prey.


    This was the power of Legendary Magic. Every spell was a lot ''bigger'', and could be used for many more purposes than just one. Level One to Three spells are all quite strict and straightforward with their uses, but Legendary Magic and above are far more creative and unique to the user. For example, here, Xuan Yang used his acid to mimic my Geyser in order to chase me, but that is far from the limits of this spell.


    Xuan Yang can control this acid like its part of his body, and even form ''golems'' or ''walls'' to assist him in battle, be it for offense or defense. This is why Legendary Magic was so powerful, and not many people are able to use it.


    "Hahaha! Who would''ve thought you actually managed to escape from that?" Xuan Yang said, clearly amused. "I have already had my suspicions earlier, but it seems you can really cast magic without chanting, huh?"


    I smirked. "How do you know I wasn''t just saying the incantation very quietly?"


    [Master...I see, so this is your strategy. Very well, keep stalling, I will begin telling you how to cast Soul Shackle.]


    [Copy. But try to be quick, I don''t know how long I can hold him off for...and I can''t exactly concentrate if I have to focus on fighting at the same time.]


    [Understood.]


    "Hah! That''s what I thought earlier, when you used Space Magic to suddenly close the gap between us," Xuan Yang scoffed,pletely unaware of the fact that his death is edging closer by the second. "However...just now, you werepletely surrounded by my acid. I would''ve been able to pick up on even the tiniest of sounds. And guess what? I didn''t hear anythinging from that disgusting mouth of yours, boy!"


    [The first step to casting Soul Shackle - get close enough to the target for physical contact. In this case, it means you have to get near the snake-type Battle Soul.]


    "Heh, and so what if I can cast magic without chanting?" I taunted while keenly listening to Mei Gui. "I''ll have you know, the artifact that lets me do that is quite rare."


    [The second step - channel your Chaos Energy, and let it flow out of your hands, directly onto your target.]


    "Artifact, you say?" Xuan Yang mused, scratching his chin as if considering something. "Hmm...how about this, then? I''m willing to let you go today if you hand over that artifact.]


    <em>Idiot, you actually fell for that?</em> Well, deep down, I was happy, since his stupidity meant ying directly into my hand, thus leading to more time for me to learn the new Chaos Element spell, Forbidden Magic - Soul Shackle.<em></em>


    [Andstly, the third step-]


    "Kuku...I deny your offer," I said with a devilish smile.


    Xuan Yang''s expression twisted up into a nasty sneer. "Then...two birds with one stone, I''ll just have to kill you to obtain that artifact, hahah!" Saying this, he sent his tsunami of acid directly towards me, rapidly eroding everything in its wake.


    <strong>[-Chant in your mind: Forbidden Magic - Soul Shackle.]</strong>

 Chapter 120 - Coup De Grace

    "Go forth, Acid Flood!" Xuan Yang yelled,manding the toxic liquid as if it were merely an extension of his own body.


    However, this time, I wasn''t fazed in the least. This time, I was prepared. Thanks to Mei Gui, I now had a way of defeating Xuan Yang and his Battle Soul. Instead of running the other direction like he expected me to, I instead jumped directly upwards. Since I had cast Potentia Excitant: Salire on myself earlier already, I was able to jump several times higher than normal, reappearing far above the tsunami of acid.


    "Wha-" Xuan Yang began, but it was toote.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em>


    Saying the incantation in my head, I channeled my mana and erased space itself, blinking me directly in front of Xuan Yang''s snake Battle Soul.<em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em> Keeping myself levitated, I began doing as Mei Gui instructed.


    <em>I only have one chance. I have never practiced before, and honestly, there''s a 90% chance I''ll fail. But in order to survive, I must do this. I must seed on my first attempt. Not just for myself...but for my parents as well.</em>


    <em>Step one - Get within direct contact range. Complete.</em>


    <em>Step two - Channel my Chaos energy, and let it flow out of my hands, onto my target. Complete.</em><em></em>


    <em>And finally, step 3 - chant these words:</em>


    <strong>"Forbidden Magic - Soul Shackle."</strong><strong></strong>


    And then...nothing. Silence ensued. The above events happened in the matter of a few seconds, and Xuan Yang didn''t even have time to react. However, it didn''t matter how fast I was. I...I faile-


    "W-What the hell is this?!" Xuan Yang shrieked as his face became contorted in agony.


    Suddenly, just when I thought all hope was lost, several ck chains swirling with furious red energy rose up from the ground, passed directly through the acidic liquid without being harmed in the least, and locked themselves around Xuan Yang''s Battle Soul. The snake let out a bloodcurdling scream as it was immobilized, the chains continuing to wrap themselves around the poor Battle Soul.


    I fell back to the ground, as Xuan Yang''s Acid Flood had disappeared already. He seemed to be choking, bound by invisible shackles. He was too busy desperately wing at his neck with his hands, and so the Acid Flood subdued. <em>Huh...so he''s affected by the chains on his Battle Soul as well?</em>


    I walked closer to Xuan Yang, who had copsed onto the ground, terrified and unable to move.


    "D-Don''te any closer, b-bastard!" he yelled, but his voice quivered from fear.


    I closed my eyes and ced my hand on the handle of my katana, a murderous gleam in my eyes. "Xuan Yang...it is time for your judgement."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Yang''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>What? What the hell?! Why can''t I move?! Ugh...it hurts, it hurts! I feel as if multiple hot iron chains are strapped around my body! O-Oh, I know! Come, Battle Soul! Come! Help me, Serpent! No good, it''s not working...what is this...I can''t control my own Battle Soul anymore?! G-Gah...what do I do...what do I do...</em>


    <em></em>I stared on in despair as the boy in front of me edged closer and closer. <em>I-Is the end...? Damn it...me, killed by the son of a mongrel?! Me, of all people?! They are all mongrels! Xuan Ying, even after death, you will continue to stand in my way?! Hah! There''s no damn way I''m dying at the hands of him, I will not be held back by a dead man!There''s no damn way I''m dying at the hands of him, I will not be held back by a dead man!</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>The boy ced his hand on the handle of his katana, closed his eyes, and took a graceful sword stance leaning on one knee. As I looked at him, trembling in fear, my vision was clouded by a white light, and I saw my younger self, ying together with my brother Xuan Ying without a care in the world.<em>Ah...childhood memories...? Come to think of it, there was a time when us two brothers were just kids, huh?</em>


    <em></em>Then, the scene changed, and my brother and I were now both young men. I saw myself eavesdropping on a room, where my father was discussing something with my brother about bing the next patriarch. It was around this time that I began envying him, and that jealousy...gave birth to hatred.


    The scene changed once more, and my brother''s wife had just given birth to a child. However, this child was disabled, a failure of a human. He had been born without the slightest trace of magic - in other words, his power was so miniscule it could just be rounded down to zero. It was around this time, that I began to concoct an evil n to fulfill my desires and achieve what it is I want.


    My surroundings changed once more, and I had just received the news of my brother''s and his wife''s death. I saw the reflection of myself grinning deviously with a satisfied expression. My father had just appointed me as the next patriarch of the Xuan family, and all my goals have been achieved.


    <em>I-Is this what they call...your life shing before your eyes?</em>


    Cut to the next scene, and my deceased brother hase to the Xuan family residency, seeking vengeance. <em>W-Wait, this isn''t a ''scene''...this is reality. The shbacks are over...? But how?! Xuan Ying - my brother - he should be long dead!</em>


    I stared at the figure in fear and disbelief. <em>Was this some kind of bad dream?</em> Either way, I wanted to escape. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run. Staring straight at me, stood my deceased brother, despite him being killed a long time ago.


    <em>N-No way...there''s just no damn way! H-How did I even end up in this situation?! I was fighting that boy, Xuan Kai, and then-</em>


    <em>Ah...I see. It isn''t my deceased brother I''m seeing. The person standing before me right now is the spitting image of him: his son - Xuan Kai.</em>


    I felt my eyesight get hazy as the two figures, father and son, ovepped in my vision. Thebination of the two of them gazed at me with cold, red eyes devoid of all emotion except hatred and malice. Then, the figure opened his mouth slightly; his voice no more than a whisper.


    "That wasn''t your life shing before your eyes-"


    In an instant, his katana was out of its sheath, and he dashed right next to me.


    <em>What?! N-No! I refuse to die here! I am Xuan Yang, patriarch of one of the Four Great Families of Shenzh-</em>


    And then, like the grim reaper himself, here to shatter my dreams, the boy whispered death straight into my ear.


    "-That, was me."


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>Xuan Yang''s decapitated head fell to the ground with a light thud, and his limp body copsed onto the blood-soaked grass. I nced at my katana, painted red with the color of blood. Then, dropping my weapon, I looked up at the starry night sky, and closed my eyes as the rain washed over me, along with my tragic past.


    "It''s over, huh...?" I muttered to myself, copsing onto the ground, tired but relieved at the same time. Mei Gui hurriedly ran over and crouched down beside me in worry.


    "Master, are you alright?"


    "Yeah...better than alright, actually," I said weakly. "I''m happy...I finally avenged the assassinations of my father and mother. I still have to kill off the rest of the Xuan family, but the main culprit has already been apprehended."


    "Yes...I am d Master is happy," Mei Gui said with a smile.


    I patted her head andughed. "What happened to your usual emotionless demeanor there?"


    Mei Gui immediately stiffened and looked away, cheeks slightly pink. I chuckled and stood up. "We''re not done just yet, Mei Gui. Xuan Yang would never be able to gather such a big force of assassins on his own, back then. The elders of the Xuan family and the previous patriarch must''ve approved of his decision and helped as well."


    The crimson-haired beauty stood up as well, and nodded her head after immediatelyprehending my intention. "Understood. I will track them down."


    "There is no need for that," a voice suddenly said out of nowhere.


    Mei Gui and I immediately spun around to find a tall man wearing a gue doctor mask leaning against a tree near the edge of the training field.


    I clenched my fists as I realized who it was. "...gue."


    "Indeed I am," he said, walking closer to us. Mei Gui and I both put up our guards, ready for anything.


    "That girl over there...she''s not a human, is she? Hm...whatever. I must say though, that little trick of yours back there was quite clever, Xuan Kai."


    I smirked. "Kuku...I hope you had fun ying hide-and-seek while I killed Xuan Yang."


    "Well, we merely had a temporary deal," gue replied casually. "I do not really care about whether he is alive or not."


    I narrowed my gaze. "Then...why are you here?"


    gueughed. "I said I formed a temporary deal with Xuan Yang...but it was still a deal nheless. And you killing him...well, let''s just say that hinders my n quite a bit."


    "Your...n?" Mei Gui and I said at the same time.


    "That''s right, my n!" gue raised his two arms in the air. "For the glory of the Midnight Syndicate, I shall eradicate this city!"

 Chapter 121 - Sinister Plot

    "Eradicate...the city?" I echoed, not believing what I just heard.


    "Indeed! The Midnight Syndicate...we shall destroy Shenzhen, and rebuild it from scratch!" gue dered confidently.


    I red at him. "What''s your purpose in doing so? Don''t tell me it''s some stupid cliche like world domination."


    gueughed. "World domination, eh? That is in fact our end goal, yes."


    "Are you kidding me..." I muttered quietly.


    "However," gue continued. "What the Midnight Syndicate truly seeks is to bring out the full potential of Dark Magic, going to ces no one has every gone before in the world of mages."


    "And you''re going to force everyone else on this to go along with the Midnight Syndicate''s whims?"


    "Precisely. Dark Magic is discriminated against everywhere, by humans and other races alike," gue exined. "But I believe - once everyone sees the true power of Dark Magic, a new practice will begin, a new world will be born - one under the reign of the Midnight Syndicate."


    "Heh..." I snickered. "What a farce."


    gue tilted his head at me. "Are you mocking our dream, boy?"


    "And so what if I am?" I said condescendingly. "You all talk about discrimination against Dark Magic, acting all righteous and shit. As if that could justify you killing thousands, destroying entire cities..."


    gue clenched his fists, and I sensed a distinct killing intenting from him. However, even so, I didn''t back down. "You do realize...the reason people hate Dark Magic, is precisely because of the Midnight Syndicate."


    "...What?"


    I sighed. "There''s nothing wrong with the three elements themselves, collectively known as Dark Magic. What is wrong, is the people who use them for evil purposes - people like you, like the Midnight Syndicate."


    "...Boy, I originally didn''t want to kill you," gue said in a low and dangerous tone. "Just a few moments ago, I had only wanted to run a few experiments on you."


    I snorted. "A few experiments at the hands of a Midnight Syndicate member? I would rather die, thanks."


    "But for insulting the Midnight Syndicate and its glorious virtues-"


    gue took out multiple vials of unknown liquid from his cloak.


    "-You must die here today."


    I wasn''t scared at all, however. I had a firm resolve in mind right now...one that sprouted from the desire for revenge. "Hey, gue..."


    "Oh? Last words? Very well, I shall hear them."


    I shook my head. "Nah, they aren''tst words...just a mere question."


    "What is it? I will answer you as a token of apology for killing you."


    <em>You serious? Token of apology for killing me? The Midnight Syndicate...everyone''s out of their minds.</em>


    <em></em>"One year ago...the assassins sent to kill my father and mother. They belonged to the Midnight Syndicate, didn''t they?"


    gue looked at me silently for a while, then broke out intoughter. "What, here I was thinking you were going to ask something that wasn''t as obvious as that. Indeed, it was us who murdered your parents. You only realized just now?"


    "...Nah, I just wanted to confirm," I replied, drawing my katana. "Because now, I have a good reason to kill you."


    "Oho...interesting. Shouldn''t saving this city be enough of a reason to kill me? Not that it would help - even if I died, the invasion will still happen."


    "Tch...I don''t care about this city," I scoffed. "I am not some hero of justice - if anything, I am just as bad as the Midnight Syndicate. I can''t im to be righteous after ughtering an entire family just now. However - there''s one thing I have that you do not. And that, is what separates me from the likes of you."


    "Oh? Enlighten me, boy."


    "That thing, is something called human morals. Despite how it may seem, I do not indiscriminately kill, unlike you," I replied. "I only do what I have to do - and right now, I have to erase you from this world."


    "Hmph...erase me from this world, you say?" gue echoed. "Big talk,ing from a mere 14 year old. Just because you killed Xuan Yang, don''t go thinking I will be as easy to defeat as him!"


    Saying this, he threw the vials in his hands onto the ground, where they shattered into pieces immediately as a deadly poisonous gas begin creeping up around me.


    As a devious smile crept up my face, I chuckled. "Try me."


    <em>My arm''s still notpletely healed from the fight with Xuan Yang...and now, more poison? ...How troublesome.</em>


    <em></em>The first thing I did was try flying out using the Level One Sky Magic, Flight. However, I ended up hitting an invisible barrier at the top, and inwardly cursed as I fell back to the ground gently, rubbing my head from the pain. I made a mental note to use my hand as a guide next time so I don''t ram into something with my head.


    <em>Mizu Shield. </em>


    Once I was back within gue''s gas, using the same spell my mother had once used to protect me, I surrounded myself in a sphere of water, protecting me from the poison all around. I chose this spell since it was very quick to cast, as it was one of the few spells out there that had different incantations than the norm. You didn''t need to specify the element and tier when casting this spell...though to me, this was all trivial matters as I could cast any spell in an instant, to be honest, as long as I knew the name and incantation.


    <em></em>[Master, can you hear me?]


    [Yeah, I can. Where are you?]


    [I''m not sure...but nevermind that for now, are you safe, Master?]


    <em></em>[Yeah...I cast a barrier around myself, so I should be fine from the poison for now...but I can''t see anything in this gas, and gue could being at me from anywhere.]


    Mei Gui remained silent for a moment, then began sending telepathic messages once more. [Master, let''s share our senses.]


    [Share...our senses?] I echoed, confused on what she was talking about.


    [Yes - this is something only Master and I can do after breaking the second seal, which you have. I did not see a need to teach you about this, so I held off on it until now...]


    [I see...so how does it work, exactly?] I said, constantly staying aware of my surroundings.


    [The name of this process is called Sense Linking. It allows for us to have the strength of two - in other words, Master will have my senses added on to your own, while I will have Master''s senses added on to mine, thus heightening both of our spatial awareness abilities.]


    <em>So it basically doubles the senses of two people...that certainly is useful in this situation.</em>


    [Hm...alright, how do we do it?]


    [Exert some Chaos energy - I will follow it ande find you, Master.]


    [Got it,] I replied, and did as told. I let some Chaos energy slip out of my hands, and soon enough, Mei Gui appeared in front of me, in a water barrier sphere simr to mine.


    <em>Ah...there she is. That was quick...almost a little too quick. Oh well, whatever. Still...it''s kind of strange how gue hasn''t made a move yet...it''s already been a full minute since I was enveloped in his gas...</em>


    Anyway, since talking wouldn''t work across our respective ''bubbles'', we just continued using telepathicmunication. Just as I was about to send a telepathic message, however, Mei Gui made a little beckoning gesture with her hand, as if telling me toe closer. Thinking this was just part of the linking process, Iplied, my guardpletely down towards this scarlet-haired girl.


    Once I was directly in front of her, she made a couple of gestures that hinted at me to get rid of my shield and enter hers instead. I frowned slightly in confusion, but didn''t think too much of it. Carefully, I entered her barrier, leaving my own behind.


    However, the moment I set one foot within her barrier, the Mei Gui before me began muttering something inaudible from this distance, and I stopped in my tracks. "Mei Gui...?" I murmured out loud.


    The girl in front of me then let out an unmistakably <em>male </emughter, and shot out a deep purple orb of raw energy that looked suspiciously like Void Magic.


    <em>Oh, shit.</em>


    [Master, careful!] a voice shouted inside my head, and I instinctively dodged backwards...straight into the poisonous gas, since I had already dispersed my Mizu Shield. Iter realized I could''ve just absorbed the Void Magic, but I didn''t have enough time to think things through, and merely dodged out of instinct.


    <em>M-Mizu Shield!</em>


    I hurriedly cast another barrier on myself, but unfortunately some of the toxic gas had already entered my lungs. I coughed up some blood, and just barely managed to stand up...only to copse again. What the hell...why is this poison so strong?! I only inhaled a little bit, and yet I can barely move now, not to mention the pain in my chest...


    I struggled to get up once more, as remaining lying down,pletely defenseless, would not be a wise move when within enemy territory. But s, I was too weak, and my knees gave out once more from under me. However...this time, I didn''t fall to the ground, but was supported by a certain red-haired girl who had entered my barrier.


    "Mei...Gui?" I mustered out. It seemed that since she too possessed the power of Chaos, she could pass through any barriers I put up, which were all imbued with Chaos energy thanks to the Chaos within me.


    "Master...are you alright?" she asked, not bothering to use telepathicmunication anymore.


    "W-Wait...if you''re here, then who''s that...?" I pointed at the ce where the other Mei Gui had been standing moments ago - and she still is. She hadn''t moved at all from her original spot, and was merely looking at us with deadpan eyes. They weren''t like the expressionless eyes of normal Mei Gui - instead, they seemed...lifeless.


    Mei Gui looked at where I was pointing, and grimaced. "That...is a fake."

 Chapter 122 - Poison Vs Poison

    "A fake...shit...I can''t believe I fell for that. I should''ve known from the moment you didn''t use our telepathic connection tomunicate with me," I muttered, frustrated with myself.


    "It''s alright, Master...this is my fault for not getting here sooner," Mei Gui replied with a concerned expression on her face. She then turned to face the imposter with eyes full of killing intent and hatred.


    "You...you hurt Master..." she said, voice cold and unwavering. She was trembling from rage, but since she had to support me, she couldn''t just go sh the imposter apart...though from the look in her eyes, it was clear she wanted to.


    Mei Gui...you really care about me, huh?


    Then, suddenly, the fake Mei Gui in front of us faded away into the green gas all around us, and was reced by a cloaked figure wearing a conspicuous gue doctor mask. He was pping, clearly amused with something. "Hm...so you survived that, impressive, I must say." For some reason, I could hear him, so I assumed he could hear me as well. He probably could use Sound Magic.


    I clenched my fists. "How despicable...using Mei Gui to trick me."


    "All''s fair in love and war, as they say," gue replied with a chuckle. "I expected you to get hit by my Void Magic there, but oh well, I guess this is fine too. It wouldn''t be any fun if I killed you too quickly, after all. But I wonder...you should''ve died by now from inhaling my poison. How are you still alive?"


    Yeah...that''s probably thanks to all the training I did to improve my physical body back before I obtained magic. My body is far stronger than the average person, so it makes sense I can survive after inhaling poison...for longer than most people, anyway. I didn''t know how long it would take before I finally sumb, but by the looks of it...it wouldn''t be long. My vision was getting hazy and I grew even weaker than before.


    "Hold still, Master," Mei Gui said, before moving behind me and cing her palms on my back.


    "Mei Gui...? What are you..."


    "Using the power of Chaos which consumes all, I can suck the poison out of your body," Mei Gui replied with a serious expression.


    My eyes widened. "But wait...wouldn''t that mean the poison would end up going into your body?! No, you can''t do thi-"


    "Worry not, Master. Do not forget, I am a Chaos Elemental - and Chaos gave birth to everything. Thus, I have the powers of every single type of Elemental...including Poison ones," Mei Gui exined.


    "...So you''re resistant to poison...I see," I said and let out a relived sigh as Mei Gui closed her eyes and began channeling her Chaos Energy into my body. What is this feeling...? It feels nice and warm...


    After a short while, Mei Gui snapped her eyes open. "Found it."


    I screamed in pain as the poison was taken out of my body and injected into Mei Gui''s. However, the pain soon subdued after Mei Gui moved her hands away. "Master, how are you feeling?"


    "Much better..." I murmured. "Thanks."


    Mei Gui smiled in return. "I live to serve Master."


    gue, who had been watching this entire scene y out,ughed amusedly.


    "To think you can dispel my poison, girl! Interesting!" he said with a p of his hands. "It seems your luck isn''t too bad, boy...well, it doesn''t matter, I suppose."


    gue then moved closer to us, and took an elegant bow. "This was quite amusing - and I thank you for the performance - but...I reckon it''s time to end things, don''t you think?"


    I stood up on my own, now that the poison within me was gone. "Yeah...but the ending is already set in stone. This fight will, inevitably, result in your death."


    "What an arrogant attitude! Though confidence is not necessarily a bad thing, you should know your limits, Xuan Kai," gue replied with a chuckle.


    "Whether it''s arrogance or confidence, you''ll find out soon enough," I muttered, then turned to Mei Gui.


    "Mei Gui, I have a n in mind."


    She tilted her head cutely. "What is it, Master?"


    I then leaned in to whisper in her ear since I didn''t want gue to realize we couldmunicate telepathically, and she nodded along to my n. After a while, I backed away. "Alright, you ready?"


    "Yes, Master."


    After hearing her confirmation, I smiled devilishly and turned back to gue. He smirked when he noticed this, and said, "Done strategizing? Oh well, no matter what clever ideas you maye up with, it won''t help against me."


    Ignoring his taunt, I calmly raised my hand and pointed it towards him. <em>Level Two Fire Magic - mania. </em>


    My attack sailed straight through my water barrier - that was another reason I chose Mizu Shield as my defense against the poisonous gas. It blocked all outside attacks, but allowed for interior attacks to go out, thanks to it being made of water - flexible and convenient.


    As for mania...this was the first time I was using this spell in an actual fight, but it was basically an empowered version of me Lotus, a Level One Fire Element spell. The only difference was that the projectile didn''t take on the form of a lotus, but instead just a normal fireball. The most distinct feature about it, however, was the long trail it had behind the actual ball of fire. It was like aet...aet of pure fire and destruction.


    Then, a bright light enveloped the entire area - Level One Light Magic, Illumination. This was Mei Gui''s work, and everything is going ording to my n so far. Taking advantage of this momentarily blindness for gue, I cast another spell - one that would lead to victory. As the white light died out, my ming projectile rushed towards gue at high speeds.


    "Ha! You think just by using a useless shbang, you''ll be able to surprise me with your attack? Nice try!" gue dered condescendingly, and easily dodged out of the way. A dull explosion echoed back after a while, meaning my attack probably hit something far away.


    However...although my attack didn''t hit, I wasn''t disappointed in the least. The first stage of my n, wasplete. And now, it was time for the second.


    I raised my hand and put up a frustrated facade to continue tricking gue.


    <em>Level Two Ice Magic - Frozen Terror.</em>


    <em></em>A phantom of ice slowly rose in front of me, and I instructed it to head towards gue. A non-living being wouldn''t be affected by his poison, so even after leaving my Mizu Shield, the phantom was still able to move and carry out my order just fine. This spell was originally not one made for offense, but instead for hindering anyone chasing you. But in this situation - and in my n - this was the perfect choice.


    gue, however, wasn''t fazed in the least. He merelyughed as the phantom slowly lumbered towards him, weak and unthreatening.


    "Oi oi, are you getting desperate? This is the best you can do? Hahaha!" gue jeered.


    I didn''t reply to his mocking, but merely bent down and acted as if I had no other ideas and was on the verge of giving up. I covered my face with my hands to imitate frustration, but behind my arms, I wore a devious grin. I then casually touched the ground with one of my hands, and cast a spell.


    <em>Level Two Earth Magic - Stgmite.</em>


    The earth began to rumble at my feet, and the stgmite I had concocted began rushing towards gue from underground at insane speeds. However, thanks to my huge ice phantom, gue had no idea. <em>Just a little more...</em>


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    <strong></strong>The stgmite sprouted from the ground with a deafening roar, catching gue off-guard. Unfortunately, he wasn''t hit squarely. He had - very narrowly - dodged my attack, so only his mask''s long beak was broken. However...that was enough.


    "Hah...that was close, I must admit," gue said, taking a few breathers to rpose himself. Once he was done, he exhaled deeply, and continued. "But s, no cigar."


    I looked at him, a triumphant look on my face. "Kuku...are you sure about that?"


    gue crossed his arms, and probably narrowed his eyes underneath that now-broken mask of his. "What are you implying?"


    "Your mask is broken...have you forgotten? We''re standing in poison right now," I said with a snicker.


    gue remained silent for a few seconds, then burst outughing. "Hahaha! Are you dumb, boy?! I only wear my mask to remain anonymous. Even without it, I''mpletely immune to my own poison!"


    Seeing himugh so arrogantly, I couldn''t help but shake my head. "No, gue...I wasn''t talking about <em>your </em>poison. I was talking about <em>mine.</em>"


    "Huh? What are you tal-Ngh!"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, the Midnight Syndicate member copsed to the ground, gasping and choking. "Grngh...w-what did you do...?!"


    I smirked and shrugged. "Like I said, you''re standing defenselessly in poison. Why are you so surprised that you would be infected?"


    "I-Impossible...I am immune to my own poison...I created it myself, so I know every single ingredient, and obviously how to counter it! I know I ate the antidote before entering this gas...why is this happening?!" gue screamed in agony.


    "Eh...every single ingredient, you say?" I echoed amusedly - the hunter and prey had reversed their roles. "Aren''t you a master of using poison? Then you should know every brand of concocted, furnished poison has their own unique mixture and configuration of herbs and such. Even one tiny difference in the mixture would change the poisonpletely, rendering all prepared antidotes useless."


    "N-No way...you mean you threw in your own poison into mine?!" gue yelled, wing at his own throat from agony. "That is ridiculous...I never saw you do anything of the sort, not to mention you don''t even have the Poison Element...ngh...!"


    "Kuku...remember that ''shbang'' from earlier? The one you called useless?" I said, smiling like the handsome devil himself. Indeed - earlier, when Mei Gui cast Illumination, I took advantage of gue''s momentary blindness and cast a small amount of my own poison into gue''s, using Venom Strike - Level One Poison Magic.


    Seeing his shockedplexion, I chuckled and continued. "Also...who told you I can''t use Poison Magic?"


    "X-Xuan Yang...wait, you''re shitting me..." gue seemed to have realized his mistake, and fell to the ground.


    <em>That''s right...your mistake was listening to that idiot. Both of you are morons who think everything you see on the surface is the truth. Golden Monarchs my ass, you have the mental age of a 5 year old. Still...it seems that even Golden Monarchs can''t do anything if poison gets in their body, huh? Well, to be fair, the poison I used was imbued with and amplified by Chaos energy, so no normal antidote would work, but still.</em>


    <em></em>"It''s over, bastard," I murmured, then walked closer to him condescendingly, despite still safely remaining in my Mizu Shield. "Oh, but don''t worry about being lonely...I''ll have the rest of the Midnight Syndicate join you in the burning depths of hell soon enough."


    And just like that, gue''s body trembled once more, before flopping back to the ground, never to move ever again.

 Chapter 123 - Origin Chaos

    Soon after gue died, the barrier he had set up (which Iter found out was actually Sky Magic) also faded away to nothingness. Mei Gui and I got out of the poisonous gas as soon as we could, since even though we had already defeated our opponent, staying inside toxic gas wasn''t veryfortable.


    To be honest...this fight was quite difficult. If it wasn''t for gue underestimating me and letting his guard down, I never would''ve won. Mei Gui yed a big factor in it too, and I am eternally grateful for that. All in all...gue made Xuan Yang seem like a toddler. While Xuan Yang was not talented at all and only possessed 5 elemental affinities, he could, and would, only use 1 - Poison. This made him extremely weak for a Golden Monarch, making my fight against him a whole lot easier. Xuan Yang has always been known for his devious scheming, not his magical prowess, since improving his magical strength would require hard training...something azy person like him would never do. He probably considered 1 element enough.


    On the other hand, gue has both a cunning intelligence and a whopping 8 different elements - Poison, Sound, Void, Shadow, Summoning, Demon, Sky, and Psychic. I found out this information from gue''s dead body, after dragging it out of the gas. Inside his cloak''s pocket was an ID card simr to my Guild Card, except it was branded with the unmistakable dragon-like logo of the Midnight Syndicate. Written on it were various information such as rank, elemental affinities, and alias.


    Of course, being a secret and dark organization, nothing ''real'' was written on the card - name, age, things like that. Even fellow syndicate members probably didn''t know one another''s real information, since most of the time Midnight Syndicate members function as normal members of society in the daytime, while they convert to bing dark and ruthless members of the syndicate at night. I assume this system was implemented for this reason - real faces aren''t shown and anyone can buy a cheap costume, so these cards work as identification between fellow syndicate members.


    ording to the card, gue was an ''Elite''...I had no way of telling how high this rank was, since I didn''t know about the Midnight Syndicate''s member ranking system in the least. However...just from the name alone, it was clear gue wasn''t just any normal member, but quite high on the hierarchy...this was good news to me as well, since if even a Golden Monarch is just a ''normal member'' in the Midnight Syndicate...well, let''s just say there is no hope for this world.


    As an aside, back when I fought Ghosteye, I didn''t find a card or anything, so I assume he must''ve demolished it right before he died. That must be standard procedure, to avoid leaking any clues about the Midnight Syndicate. The weaker syndicate members we found in the variousirs in Shenzhen also didn''t have cards on them...I didn''t check myself, but their bodies were all removed by the Yu family''s guardster, after we left. If they found anything suspicious, they would''ve reported back to their patriarch right away, who in turn would''ve told me. I received no such news, so it''s safe to assume those syndicate members had destroyed their cards before dying as well.


    Putting all that aside, the original reason why I pulled gue''s body out of the gas was because I wanted to see if I can find any clues regarding that ''n'' he was talking about during our fight - the one to eradicate the city of Shenzhen. I said I didn''t care about this city - which was true - but if I could prevent a disaster from happening, I would. I just won''t risk my life for it like some goody-two-shoes hero in a manga.


    However, in the end, I wasn''t able to find anything on his body (apart from the card). I leaned against a tree, sat down, and sighed as I waited for the rain to subdue.


    "Master...this rain doesn''t look like it''s going to end anytime soon," Mei Gui said from beside me. She was leaning on my shoulder instead of the tree, and I didn''t mind.


    "Yeah...well, it''s not like we''re actually trapped here by the rain," I replied with a shrug. "Worstes to worst, we''ll fly home in this storm."


    Mei Gui nodded in agreement, then pointed at the area on the training field where we had fought gue moments ago. "Master...look, the gas has dispersed."


    "Oh yeah, you''re right. The rain probably helped, but I guess the gas emitted from those vials of poison gue threw on the ground earlier doesn''tst forever, huh?"


    "Yes...it would be troublesome if the gas stayed there forever."


    I stared up at the starry sky, and exhaled deeply. "Come to think of it...I still haven''t killed the old bastards. Earlier, when I brought this up, gue had said ''there''s no need'', or something along those lines...I wonder what he meant by that."


    Mei Gui rested her chin on her hand. "Could it be...he killed them himself?"


    I narrowed my eyes in thought. "Hm...that''s certainly a possibility. The Midnight Syndicate isn''t the type to help someone out of kindness...so why was gue here to protect Xuan Yang...though his protection was quite useless, to say to the least."


    "Perhaps gue and Xuan Yang formed some kind of deal or even trade-off that involved the deaths of the previous patriarch and elders some how...?" Mei Gui suggested.


    "Deal...right. During the fight, gue said something about him forming a deal with Xuan Yang..."


    "So once we killed Xuan Yang..." Mei Gui began, hinting at something.


    "...No one would be there to hold up the other end of the agreement," I finished. "And so, gue took it upon himself to murder them, in order to fulfill his goal somehow."


    <em>Man...if they died at the hands of a Midnight Syndicate member, I don''t even want to think about how gruesome the scene was. Knowing gue, who very closely resembled some mad doctor...well, those old bastards dying by his hand is probably far worse than being killed by me. At least I won''t run crazy experiments on them before putting them out of their misery...god, just imagining it makes me sick. Oh well...the past is the past. This whole revenge matter...it''s over...or at least, this chapter of it, is.</em>


    <em>But the Midnight Syndicate...I''ll never forget - while it was the Xuan family''s motive, the people who actually carried out the act of assassinating my parents was you - the Midnight Syndicate. And that, is something I will never forgive. I will hunt you down to the depths of hell, until everyst one of you is erased, and gone for good. Not for justice or cleansing the world of evil or anything cliche like that, but merely for my own gain and revenge. Selfish? Yeah. But if you have a problem with that, then object with your fists.</em><em></em>


    <em>Prepare yourself, Midnight Syndicate. I''ming.</em>


    "..." Mei Gui fell silent.


    I looked at her in concern. "What is it, Mei Gui?"


    "No, it''s just...using your own father''s life in a deal in order to benefit yourself...how cruel."


    I chuckled. "Yeah, it''s cruel. But this is Xuan Yang we''re talking about here. The same guy who came up with an borate n to murder his own blood-rted brother, all so he could be the only male heir in the family, and thus the next patriarch."


    "...Despicable," Mei Gui muttered.


    "Agreed," I said with a sigh. "But Mei Gui...this world isn''t fair, I''m sure you''ve noticed by now. Good people don''t always get good repayment. Bad people don''t always get their just retribution, either. The we live in is a cruel and harsh ce, but for now, there''s nothing we can do about it. The best we can do...is live on, and just...survive."


    "Mm..." Mei Gui nodded, and snuggled closer to me. I patted her crimson hair gently, until suddenly a wave of pain rushed over my body, and I copsed onto the ground, clutching my chest in pain.


    "Master?!" Mei Gui quickly supported me, andid my head down in herp. "Are you okay, Master?!"


    "Ngh..." I groaned, my body shaking and my heart feeling as if it was about to burst.


    Unable to do anything, Mei Gui could only watch me in concern. "M-Master, is it gue''s poison?! I''m certain I already sucked it all out, but..."


    I shook my head weakly, signaling that it wasn''t the poison. Seeing my reaction, Mei Gui''s expression looked relieved for a second, but quickly tensed up once more. My whole body felt hot, and my Dantian area felt as if someone had lit a fire in it. I clutched at both my chest and my stomach, sprawling in agony.


    Then, suddenly, a sharp pain greater than any before pierced through my entire body, and I screamed in torment. However, as quickly as the pain came, it left just as fast. I copsed to the ground, worn out and breathing heavily.


    <em>Hm...? My body...doesn''t hurt anymore? Actually, it feels...I don''t know how to describe it, but I definitely feel ''stronger'' than before...</em>


    <em></em>I stood up and tried to move around, and realized that I wasn''t tired at all anymore, but instead fully awake and energetic despite it being midnight.


    "What the hell..." I muttered, then looked at Mei Gui. I noticed she was looking at me with awe in her eyes, and I tilted my head in confusion. "What is it, Mei Gui?"


    "Master...to think you are able to advance to this stage so quickly..." Mei Gui murmured to herself. Then, she took a deep breath, and began exining what happened to me.


    "Master, congrattions. You have broken the third seal ced on the power of Chaos within you, and have reached the Origin Chaos stage."

 Chapter 124 - The Next Stage

    "Origin...Chaos?" I echoed, slightly confused.


    Mei Gui nodded. "Again...the names are just something I came up with as there is no standard naming system or anything, but this essentially means you''ve gotten even stronger than before, Master."


    "Hm...I see...but is there anything specific that I unlocked after breaking this third seal or whatever?" I asked. "Likest time, after breaking the second seal, you popped out of nowhere."


    "...I-Is Master not satisfied with just me alone?" Mei Gui stammered nervously.


    I chuckled. "No no, that''s not what I meant. I''m saying...did I unlock a new ability or anything, rted to Chaos?"


    "Oh...that is what Master meant. I am relieved," Mei Gui said, taking a deep breath in relief. "As for unlocking new abilities...yes, you have. As Master gets stronger, more of my memoriese back, so naturally I know what powers are unlocked at the third stage of Chaos."


    "Hm...oh, the rain stopped," I pointed out. Then, after some thinking, I suggested, "Why don''t you exin things to me on the way back to the dorms? Saves time that way."


    "Understood, Master."


    The two of us took flight into the mystical night sky, and headed for the school dormitories.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- During the Flight -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"So, Mei Gui - what new powers did I unlock?" I asked as we soared through the sky easily, following the wind current.


    "Through this advancement, Master, there are three benefits," Mei Gui exined. "One, the Chaos within your body - and mine, since we are interconnected - has be more pure. By this, I don''t mean the quantity, since that is limitless, but rather the quality of the Chaos energy."


    I had no idea what she was talking about, and could only echo what she said quietly. "Quality...?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "Correct, Master. This means that our Chaos energy is one step closer to bing the almighty Primordial Chaos."


    "Hmm...this Primordial Chaos...the same one that created the universe? Or so it''s said, anyway..."


    "Yes. It is also thest stage of Chaos - in other words, once you break all of your seals, you will achieve full control of the Primordial Chaos, and thus full control of the entire world. "


    "Man...you make world domination sound so easy, Mei Gui," I chuckled.


    She tilted her head, but after hearing me say ''never mind'', she carried on with her exnation.


    "Speaking more practically, improving the quality of our Chaos energy basically makes our already-amplified normal spells even stronger. At the initial stage, our Chaos energy could only amplify our spells by 3 times. Once Master broke the second seal, our spells were amplified by 5 times. And now, after breaking the third seal, our magic are amplified by 8 times."


    "Hm...yeah, you''re right. We''re using Sky Magic right now to fly, and it certainly does seem much lighter and easier to control than before," I noted.


    Mei Gui, seemingly satisfied, moved on to the second part of her speech. "Now then - the second benefit of reaching the Origin Chaos stage, is my memories. I stated this earlier already, but whenever Master gets stronger, more of my memories start to return. I do not wish to sound arrogant, but my memories are very precious, as they contain the mysteries of the universe itself - after all, I was born from the same energy that gave birth to the universe."


    <em>Wait...doesn''t that make you the universe''s sister? Hold up...nah, it''s better not to think about it like that...my brain hurts...</em>


    Mei Gui seemed unconcerned about what she just said, and continued to talk nonchntly. "I am sure my knowledge will be of use to Master one day, so I listed this as a benefit as well."


    She seemed so confident while saying that, and I couldn''t help but smile. "Right, I''ll be counting on you when the timees."


    Mei Gui beamed at me happily in return. <em>What happened to your usual deadpan look?!</em>


    <em></em>"Alright, moving on...the third and most important benefit of advancing to the Origin Chaos stage, is something called multicasting." Mei Gui said calmly. Seeing my shocked expression, she continued. "Indeed - just like the name implies, this ability allows you to cast multiple spells at once. Not one after the other in rapid session, but literally at the same time."


    "You serious...? How would that work?" I asked in surprise. "Multitasking doesn''t actually exist, so how would I be able to think two incantations simultaneously?"


    Mei Gui then smirked like a little devil with her long red hair, and spoke. "Multitasking indeed does not exist...under normal circumstances, that is. The whole point here, is that multicasting <em>enables </em>you to multitask, and being able to multitask <em>enables </em>you to multicast."


    <em>Huh? What?</em>


    "H-Hold on, you lost me there..." I muttered as I tried my best to set my brain back on course.


    Mei Gui sighed deeply in response. "This is...quite difficult to exin in words...it would be best if you were to just actually try multicasting yourself, Master."


    Since Flight wasn''t an active spell but instead one that always remained passively on after the initial cast (until the caster manually turns it off), I couldn''t experiment with multicasting here. Instead, the two of us soonnded before the familiar front gates of the school dormitories.


    "Whew...we''re finally back," I murmured to myself, then walked up to the gates.


    I activated the face recognition system, and the gates soon swung open. I mentally thanked the heavens for the fact that this wasn''t some old metal gate that creaked loudly as it opened, but instead quite an advanced and high-tech one that made little to no sound at all. Otherwise, if any other student were to wake up and see me out here sote along with the extremely beautiful Mei Gui...the number of misunderstandings it could cause would be endless.


    Anyway, after the gates closed once more after the two of us were in, the first thing I did was test out multicasting, like Mei Gui had suggested.


    "Okay...here we go."


    <em>Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus - </em><em></em><em>Level One Ice Magic - Generate: Ice.</em>


    <em>...Holy shit, it worked. </em>I nced down at my hands - in one of them was a me in the shape of a lotus, while in the other was a chunk of ice I had generated using a Generate spell. I hadbined Fire and Ice magic, and cast them literally simultaneously. Like Mei Gui said, it was hard to describe in words, but this feeling of multicasting...it was great. There was so much potential I had now and endless new tactics I could use in battle, where even split milliseconds could make all the difference.


    For now, as I needed to use my hands to control where my projectile-based attacks went, I was limited to using two projectile-type offensive spells at once. However, at the same time, I could be casting passive spells or spells that didn''t require my hands to direct, such as the Potentia spell family of Blessing Magic, or Vanishing Shadows of Shadow Magic. <em>Hm...firing off a spell right as I am sinking into the shadow realm...could be useful, depending on the situation.</em>


    <em></em>"Looks like Master seeded," Mei Gui remarked.


    "Yeah...this definitely is one hell of a useful skill to have," I replied, ncing down at my hands in awe.


    Mei Gui smiled. "As Master breaks more seals, the abilities obtained will be even more powerful."


    I smirked in return. "I look forward to it."


    The two of us then headed into the boys dormitories, and I used multicasting to cast Conceal Presence on myself while using Detect Presence on my surroundings at the same time, just to be safe. <em>Man...this is really convenient. Sure, before, I could''ve just cast two spells in rapid session, but there is still a dy between spells. Now, I can cast them literally simultaneously.</em>


    After a short while, we arrived at my room, and the two of us piled in. I let Mei Gui shower first, and after she was done, I went in. As an aside, she finally figured out how to get the water running without my help.


    Once we were both done cleaning ourselves, I crashed onto my bed almost immediately,pletely exhausted. Mei Gui slid under my nket, and though I wanted to object, I was too tired to even say a thing. Instead, I merely patted her head, and whispered to myself.


    "...What an eventful night, huh?"


    After that, I let the drowsiness overtake me, and drifted off to sleep.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- The Next Morning -</strong>


    <strong></strong>I woke up to the familiar beeping of my rm. I slept at past one in the morningst night, meaning I only got around 6 hours of sleep. I sat up groggily and nced at the clock on my bedside table. <em>7:30 AM.</em>


    <em></em>I noticed there was someone clutching onto me tightly from under the nket, so I pulled her up gently and flicked her forehead. "Mei Gui...I gotta get ready for school...mind letting go?"


    "Mm..." she moaned, shook her head weakly, and held onto me even tighter. I sighed and did my best not to look at her stark naked body. "Guess I have no choice but to do this then...!"


    Suddenly, I began tickling Mei Gui, but kept my eyes closed while doing so.


    "N-Nya?!" Mei Gui shrieked cutely, then began twisting and turning uncontrobly under my...torture? "M-Master...stop...s-stop...no...!"


    Eventually, she let go of my arm atst, and I let out a sigh of relief. "Finally...well, I guess I found out something new about Mei Gui today. Who knew she''d be ticklish?"


    Leaving the now fully awake and pouting Mei Gui on my bed, I headed for the bathroom nonchntly and began brushing my teeth.


    <em>Now then...I wonder when people are going to find out the entire Xuan family was massacred in just one night? Kuku...well, it won''t be long, I suppose. I guess I''ll grab a newspaper on the way to school today.</em>

 Chapter 125 - A Deep Discussion

    On the way to school, I met up with the five girls - Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, Qing Yue, and Obsidia. I acted as if nothing was wrong, and engaged in idle chatter with them as usual. However, when we reached a newspaper stand, I stopped and took one. Fortunately, they were free of charge.


    "Oh? When did you start reading newspapers, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, trying to get a glimpse of what was written curiously.


    "Eh...I just kinda, uh, felt like reading one today," I replied nervously.


    I then flipped open the paper, and immediately noticed the huge headline.


    <em>Xuan Family Massacred by Unknown Organization Overnight.</em>


    <em></em>I couldn''t help but smirk.<em>They thought I was some</em>organization?<em>Hm...I guess it''s understandable, nobody would expect two people alone to be able to annihte one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"Hm...what''s this?" Feng Mian, who had simrly picked up a newspaper, murmured to herself. "Well...this is quite the incident...to think one of the Four Great Families was destroyed overnight, without any prior warning..."


    Then, as if on cue, the four girls all nced at me with skeptical looks, while Obsidia tilted her head in confusion.


    "What Great Family?" Obsidia asked in puzzlement.


    "Ah...okay, basically, there are Four Great Families in Shenzhen - they are the most powerful and dominant families in this city," I quickly exined.


    "And on the same exact day you suddenly decide to read a newspaper, one of those families was annihted the night before," Yu An Yan remarked with a sly grin.


    "Yeah...and it was the Xuan family, who we all know you have a feud with, no less," Feng Mian added.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai..." Qing Yue began, then looked around at our surroundings to make sure no one was close enough to listen. She then dropped her tone and muttered in my ear. "You''re responsible for this, aren''t you?"


    I flinched, and looked away nervously. "Uh...no? Just a coincidence, yeah...I mean, I''m certainly happy that my long time enemies are gone, but I would have liked to kill them myself...if possible. Yeah, if possible."


    "C''mon, Xuan Kai...we can all see through your cheap facade," Yu An Yan said with a sigh.


    I looked at the other girls, and they were all looking at me with omnipotent gazes that said ''we know everything''.


    I took a deep breath, and spoke. "Alright, fine. Yeah, it was me who did it, although I did bring Mei Gui along. And let me guess - now you''re going to give me a whole lecture on not telling you guys anything again?"


    The girls could do nothing but stare awkwardly at my sudden outburst. I ignored their reactions, and continued.


    "I understand...you are all my allies, and I should tell you when I want to do something dangerous. But in this case, if I told you, there''s no doubt you would all tag along - something I don''t want whatsoever," I said determinedly. "This is my own path of revenge, something no one else can interfere in, no matter who you are. I had Mei Gui tag along, but I told her not to help in the actual fight with Xuan Yang. She was only there to help get rid of the small fry. So - are you happy now? I gave you a full exnation of what happened - now go on, start your damned lecture."


    <em>I''m tired. Tired of them being on my case every time I go and do something alone. For God''s sake, I work better independently, and they should know that by now. I can understand if it''s something that involves all of us, but this time, the matter of the Xuan family concerns only me and me alone. What are they, my mothers? Yeah, to hell with that. I''m not going to sit here and listen to their lectur-</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"...We understand," Feng Mian said quietly, snapping me out of my trance.


    "...Huh?"


    "I said, we understand," she repeated. "I know...we''ve been nagging and overprotective...and honestly, I''m pretty sure you consider us annoying at this point. But...the reason we wanted you tell us before you go do something dangerous was because we were...concerned. For your safety."


    "Yeah...it''s understandable that you would think we would instantly tag along if you were to tell us of your n to destroy the Xuan family, given all that has happened until now," Yu An Yan added with a conflicted expression. "We don''t me you...if anything, we me ourselves. Sorry, Xuan Kai - we were too selfish. You are a person of your own, and you can do whatever you want."


    Qing Yue also had an unusually serious look on her face. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...we''re sorry. Really."


    Yu An Xue nodded in agreement, then suddenly all four of them bowed down in apology to me as Obsidia and I looked on, dumbfounded.


    I blinked to make sure what I was seeing was correct.<em>Wait no, this isn''t how it was supposed to go! Shit shit shit, there isn''t anyone around right? Okay, thank the heavens.</em>


    <em></em>"H-Hey, what are you doing? Don''t just suddenly bow like that...it''s nothing that serious," I quickly said, and helped them up.


    "You''re...not mad at us?" Feng Mian asked, traces of tears in her eyes.


    "Well...I admit, I was getting pretty irritated of you guys getting on my case every time I do something independently, but...since you all understand my point of view now, it''s no big deal," I replied. "I also have some me for not telling you anything in the past..."


    "Then...can we settle on an agreement?" Yu An Yan suggested, looking at me with pleading eyes.


    "Agreement...?"


    "Yeah...we are all our own person, but we are also allies," she continued. "Therefore, I think we shoulde up with a little...deal, I guess?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Exin."


    "Okay, basically...we all promise to each other that we will tell each other whenever we want to do something dangerous, but if the person in question doesn''t want anyone to interfere, then none of us can," Yu An Yan proposed. "Of course, we all have our own secrets, and that''s perfectly fine...it''s just that, next time, if something like this happens again, I hope you, Xuan Kai, can tell us beforehand, but just tell us explicitly that you don''t want us to help."


    I closed my eyes and considered her idea for a while.<em>Hm...sure, this could work. After all, the main reason I don''t tell them anything when I make a move is because I''m afraid they will just tag along, ruining my n which was originally designed for just one person. Before, there was the whole trust factor too, but now...I think I can trust them like I trust my own family. We''ve been through quite a lot together, and they already know all my secrets anyway. If they wanted to leak this information, I would''ve known a long time ago...and they didn''t - so I can safely say that they are trustworthy.</em>


    <em>That being said...I still can''t 100% trust anyone. Brainwashing and mind maniption are possible via Psychic Magic, so I have to be wary around everyone still. But for now...this agreement is something I can work with.</em>


    <em></em>"Sure," I replied after a long silence, then nced at the other girls. "I''m down...how about all of you?"


    "Wow...I didn''t expect you to agree to that, to be honest," Yu An Yan blinked in surprise.


    "What? It''s a valid proposition, and is beneficial to both parties as well. I have no reason to reject to it," I replied.


    "Then...I agree to it as well," Feng Mian said with a smile.


    "Yep, so do I," Qing Yue added.


    "Mm...me too," Yu An Xue agreed.


    Then, all of us collectively turned to Obsidia. "...Why are you all staring at me?" she inquired in confusion.


    "Do you ept my proposal as well, Obsidia?" Yu An Yan asked anxiously.


    "...I do not mind it, I suppose. However, keep in mind that I am merely staying here with you all until you get strong enough to challenge that cave in the territory of my race. I have no intention to mingle with humans as friends, much less family."


    I nodded. "Justifiable. Our rtionship is purely one of give and take."


    Obsidia gave a decisive snort. "d you understand."


    The girls looked slightly dejected, as they must''ve been looking forward to growing closer to Obsidia. But s, dragons are dragons, and humans are humans. Very rarely do the two races interact, much less share the intimacy of friendship. Although it is possible that Obsidia can remain with us, that possibility is incredibly slim. It''s best if things are made clear now, so the girls don''t end up feeling betrayed once Obsidia inevitably leaves.


    With that, the six of us continued heading casually for the school. Unbeknownst to us, however, as we walk and talk carefreely, a deadly catastrophe prepares its descent upon this peaceful city.

 Chapter 126 - Report

    The school day went by like usual. We didn''t learn much, as the year was about to end anyway, so it was mainly just a little review of what we have been taught in the past. The only other difference from normal was that I was quite tired, since I pretty much only got about 6 hours of sleepst night. I was nning to just get home and crash immediately, but unfortunately, right as I thought ss had ended...


    "Oh, and before I dismiss you..." Mr. Wang began, then looked at me sternly. "Student Xuan Kai, the principal wishes to see you after school. Head to the Administrative Campus after our dismissal."


    I looked at my teacher with deadpan eyes, but didn''t object. The only thing I could do was sigh in exasperation, and ignore all the curious gazesing towards me.


    <strong>*****</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong>- 15 Minutes Later, Principal''s Office, Administrative Campus -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"So? What did you call me here for, principal Song?" I asked, sitting down directly across from Song Qian Long.


    "Well, first of all, there is no need to be so formal, Kai Kai," the old man in front of me said with a light chuckle. "No one else is here, and this room ispletely soundproof."


    I rolled my eyes. "Please, I''m tired. What do you want?"


    "Alright, alright...there''s just something I want to ask you," Song Qian Long said quietly as his expression turned serious.


    I raised an eyebrow. "I can guess what this is about, but...go on, ask whatever you need to - though there is no guarantee that I will answer."


    He sighed. "Right now, the entire city of Shenzhen is in an uproar, regarding the sudden annihtion of the Xuan family. Apparently, some of the day shift guards had been greeted by a huge pile of dead bodies when they arrived at the Xuan family residency, and called the police immediately."


    "...Your point?"


    Song Qian Long rested his chin on his two hands, sped together, and gazed into my eyes intently. "Kai Kai...are you the perpetrator behind this incident?"


    "And so what if I am?" I shot back with a sliver of killing intent.


    The old man before me sighed once again, and replied. "Nothing - I just wanted to confirm with you."


    Hearing this, I raised an eyebrow. "Really? A murderer is sitting right in front of you right now, you know? As the number one mage in Shenzhen, should you really be just letting me off?"


    "I said before, didn''t I?" Song Qian Long said with a sly grin. "I won''t interfere in your matters of revenge concerning the Xuan family. That includes the aftermath, as well. Worry not, I won''t tell anyone. You are my godson, after all. And besides...I happen to have a personal grudge with Xuan Yang and the Xuan family as a whole, too."


    "Kuku...well, whatever. This makes things easier for me, so I thank you for that."


    "Hahaha!" heughed boisterously. "No need for gratitude, my boy. What is family for?"


    "Well, we may be so-called family, but that doesn''t mean I can just neglect basic courtesy and manners," I replied casually. "In fact...I''ll even throw in a little extra information as a token of my gratitude."


    "Oh? Do tell." this seemed to have piqued my godfather''s curiosity, as he now leaned closer to me with interest.


    "Last night...Xuan Yang and his guards weren''t the only ones I fought."


    Song Qian Long narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? Who was it?"


    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "...The Midnight Syndicate."


    "Them again?!"


    I nodded. "Indeed. The member of the Midnight Syndicate I foughtst night...he''s the same one who attacked me at night a while back."


    Song Qian Long clenched his fists. "If he was still alive, I would peel the skin from his bones for daring to harm my godson..."


    "Yeah, well...he''s dead. I killed him. But that aside...his name - or rather, alias - was gue, and he let slip some quite...disturbing information."


    "What kind?" Song Qian Long asked.


    "Something about an invasion on Shenzhen, and eradicating this citypletely," I replied. "Apparently, their final goal is to convert the entire world to epting Dark Magic or something along those lines..."


    "Insolent! First they hurt my godson, and now they are nning to raid my city?! Unforgivable!" Song Qian Long yelled, standing up and mming his palms on his desk. "What''s even more unforgivable is the Xuan family, for colluding with a criminal organization behind the scenes! Where do they ce their own honor?! Where do they ce the honor of this city?! Hmph...they deserve to be annihted, if you ask me."


    I covered my ears, and sighed. "They already are, so could you stop yelling now, old geezer? Nothing''s going toe from you doing that except some severe and unwanted damage to my hearing..."


    Seeing my pained expression, my godfather immediately settled down, sitting back down in his chair timidly and apologizing. "R-Right...sorry about that, Kai Kai...my anger overtook me there."


    "Yeah, uh, I can tell," I muttered in response. "Also, I believe Xuan Yang and the Midnight Syndicate - or gue, in particr - have been colluding in the dark since long ago."


    "Oh? What leads you to that conclusion, Kai Kai?"


    I gritted my teeth, as this wasn''t a memory I was very fond of. "The assassins who killed my parents a year ago...they were from the Midnight Syndicate as well."


    "That is..." Song Qian Long clenched his fists as a vein bulged in his forehead. "Despicable. Truly...despicable."


    The old man before me was so angry right now that he couldn''t even say anything else but just repeating one word. It was short, but his tone and expression carried all the hatred he held, and conveyed them well enough.


    "However, one thing still remains uncertain..." Song Qian Long continued after several deep breaths to calm down. "Just what made the Xuan family cooperate with the Midnight Syndicate? Benefits, perhaps? Hm...but the Xuan family is - no, was - already quite prosperous...I do not really understand."


    "Well, my guess is that they struck up a deal somehow," I replied.


    "A deal...?"


    "Yeah. Xuan Yang hired gue to assassinate me and be his guard in the meantime, while gue asked for test subjects in return...that''s the exnation that makes the most sense."


    "Test subjects? For what?" Song Qian Long asked in confusion.


    I sighed. "Remember what happened at the finals of the Main Tournament in the 2nd Year Advancement Exams?"


    "Yes...if I recall correctly, that boy - Xuan Kun, was it? He mutated into a monstrous being of some kind after consuming an unknown elixir on the battlefield...which, incidentally, ispletely against the rules, but that bastard Liu Jian prevented me from adjourning the match immediately."


    I cleared my throat to bring us back on topic. "A-Ahem...anyway, that elixir...it was probably made by gue. Xuan Yang most likely agreed to using his own son as ab rat. It''s a sickening thought, but knowing him, it''spletely possible."


    "Indeed...that man already abandoned his humanity long ago when he decided to kill his own brother for his own gain," Song Qian Long said with a sigh. Then, his expression tensed up once more as he continued. "Still...Xuan Kun was Xuan Yang''s son, be he was also my student. It seems I have one more debt to settle with the Midnight Syndicate, added to the list."


    <em>You have a list of grudges against the Midnight Syndicate? Damn...and I thought I was a vengeful person.</em>


    "Obviously, one test subject isn''t enough for a sample. gue was testing for his poison, after all...that maniac," I continued. "The otherb rats are already dead as well...and if I am not wrong, they consist of the elders and previous patriarch of the Xuan family."


    "To think that mongrel used his own father as a tool as well...does he have no base line, as a human being?!" Song Qian Long erupted with emotion once more, butposed himself again rtively quickly this time.


    I shrugged. "Well, you said it yourself. Xuan Yang abandoned his humanity a long time ago, back when he decided to kill my parents. And now, I had humanity abandon him, by sending him into the depths of hell."


    "I said several days ago that I wouldn''t interfere in your fight with Xuan Yang...but now I regret that decision," Song Qian Long muttered under his breath. "That bastard...I really wish I could''ve killed him with my own two fists."


    "Hey now, it would be a problem if anyone found out the top mage of Shenzhen murdered the patriarch of one of the Four Great Families of that same city," I said with a chuckle. Then, after a deep breath, I stood up, turned around, and began heading for the door.


    "I''ve already told you everything that needed to be told," I said without looking backwards. "The rest is up to you...the Dragon of Shenzhen."


    I strolled out the room, and the door nked shut behind me.


    <em>Now then...I''m really tired. I guess I can finally sleep now, huh? Well, technically, I still have to walk home...ugh. Alright! Wait for me, bed-sama - I''ming.</em>

 Chapter 127 - December 25th

    As our school year came to an end, the winter break soon rolled around. Today was December 25th, 2022 - a yearly holiday known as Christmas. Everyone on the celebrated it, regardless of race, age, or gender. The history of this event dates back quite a bit, but put simply, it was a festival in memory of the unknown god-like existence who created our world - an entity we hade to call ''Christ''.


    Thus, it makes sense that the festival in memory of this ''Christ'' would be called ''Christmas''...though the pronunciation is a bit different. Either way, this was a huge event all around the globe, and nearly everyone was given the day off from work, school, or whatever otherbor they have - I say nearly, because those working at recreational centers and shopping malls still had to attend their jobs, as a day off for the majority of the poption wouldn''t be fun without any entertainment. Said entertainment needs people to manage and control it, so unfortunately those working at certain ces wouldn''t be getting any down time.


    Of course, the people working in arcades, shopping malls, and other recreational facilities were the minoritypared to the rest of the poption, such as us, students of Shenzhen Magic High School. Since school was thest word thates to mind when thinking of ''entertainment'', today marked the beginning of our winter break, a two week hiatus from the constant stress of school before resuming it once again on January 8th the following year.


    Christmas was a happy event, and it was orthodox to hit up some friends, head out, have some fun or something. Me, on the other hand, ispletely devoid of friends, so naturally I didn''t ''head out'' or ''have some fun''. Instead, I stayed cooped up at home, practicing the new multicasting ability I had obtained after breaking through to the Origin Chaos stage.


    <em>Now that I think about it...I technically have two cultivation systems in my body right now, huh? One is the mage system; everyone has that. But the other is something unique only to myself, the Chaos system. Currently, I am Intermediate Mage in the mage system and Origin Chaos stage in the Chaos system. Hm...pretty neat.</em><em></em>


    "Alright...let''s try casting three spells at once this time," I murmured to myself as Mei Gui sat beside me, watching curiously.


    <em>Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus - Maledictum: Segnis - Potentia Excitant: Celeritas.</em>


    <em></em>I had to stick with Level One spells since I was indoors (within my room), and I did not feel like breaking anything. A ck me in the shape of a lotus with a hint of red formed in my left hand, while in my right appeared a Maledictum orb - Curse Magic. I had learned from Xuan Kun and practiced casting Maledictum spells in rapid session, but unfortunately I hadn''t been able to reach his skill with it quite yet. That made sense, considering this was his usual fighting style and ''signature move''. However...now that I can multicast spells, don''t even mention rapid session, I can literally cast multiple Maledictum spells at the same time.


    <em>Well, I said that, but honestly, I can only handle two at the same time so far, since I still need to control the orbs with my hands. If I continue breaking my seals like this and advancing to the next stages of Chaos, though...I''m certain one of these days I''m going to unlock the ability to direct my attacks without my hands. If Ibine that with multicasting, which I should be proficient at by then, I will be unstoppable, even when greatly outnumbered.</em>


    <em></em>I then stood up from my bed and dashed from one end of my bedroom to the other. I skidded to a stop right before I mmed face-first into the wall - the whole running process took about 0.5 seconds.


    <em>Okay...I''ve certainly gotten better at controlling my speed when using this spell. That''s good news. I guess this also means that my triple multicast (tricast?) was sessful.</em>


    <em></em>I quickly mentally undid the speed boost spell by casting<em>Potentia Excitant: Celeritas Inverto.</em>That was how you undid the effects of a Potentia spell - adding ''Inverto'' to the end of your incantation. Of course, the effects would wear off by themselves after a while depending on the person, but this was how you end it early.


    Then, sitting back on my bed, I sank into thought regarding new possibilities with the use of multicasting.


    <em></em>"Hm...I wonder, can I use Summoning Magic while casting an offensive spell at the same time?" I thought out loud. "That would be quite a nice ability to have in battle, as summoning takes time, and during the casting process you are left mostly defenseless...if I can cast a spell to keep my opponents busy, or just straight up defend myself without any help, that could very well help turn the tide of the battle in my favor..."


    "Yes, it should be possible," Mei Gui replied with a nod.


    Summoning Magic was a fairly unique element. It does not have different tiers and levels like any other element, but instead just has a single spell, by the name of <em>Evocatio Spatium</em>. Tranted to themon tongue, the incantation would mean ''summoning space'', or ''summoning dimension''. It''s a great-risk, great-reward type. While it takes very long to use Summoning Magic, if sessful, it would essentially provide you with an extra ally, usually granting you a number advantage over your opponents, if nothing else.


    How Summoning Magic worked was like this: the caster, upon finishing his incantation, would have his ethereal body brought to an alternate dimension, where beasts you could form a contract with resided. Over time, a ranking system has been established to categorize the different beasts within this ''summoning dimension''. The stronger the beast was, the harder it was to form a contract with it - which made sense. So far, the strongest beast ever found was a dragon...though I had a feeling more powerful beasts were out there, in the vast summoning dimension.


    Of course, the beasts in the summoning dimension are different from the Magic Beasts in the real world. For one, they couldn''t exist in the real dimension without a contract with a mage, and since these contracts were almost always temporary, they would return back to the summoning dimension after the contract expired.


    Most beasts within the summoning dimension decide whether or not they will ept a contract based on what the summoner has to offer - in most cases, something from the real world (food, toys, etc). However, the stronger beasts will test the summoner based on their aptitude, and if said mage passes their ''test'', they will agree to a contract. As an aside, stronger beasts tend to form longer contracts as well.


    However, for the sake of this experiment, I would just be forming a contract with a weak, low-ranked beast.


    <em>Evocatio Spatium - Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus.</em>


    Then, a bright white enveloped me, and my ethereal body - my soul - was pulled into the summoning dimension. However...possibly thanks to me casting a spell with my physical body at the same time as the summoning spell, I was still aware of what was going on in the real world. It was a weird feeling...I could still directly see what was going on all around me like normal, but right now, it was as if a movie was being projected into my head. I could ''operate'' my ethereal body in the summoning realm just fine, all while staying aware of the real world.


    This way, for one, my opponents wouldn''t be able to tell I was in fact in the process of forming a contract with a beast, giving me the element of surprise, but also even if they did find out, they wouldn''t be able to do anything to interrupt it, as I was still fully aware of reality and could defend against any iing attacks just fine.


    I operated my ethereal body carefully within the summoning dimension. It was a very different ce from the dimension we know - the sky was a dark green, and the terrain waspletely ck, with bright green lines forming a grid-like pattern. Overall, it seemed like something you would see in a video game that involves going inside aputer to beat enemies or something. Apart from that, though, the world was still rtively simr to reality as we know it. Weird ck and green trees could be seen, and I could make out a forest in the distance.


    Luckily, gravity still existed (or it''s just that the ethereal body wasn''t affected by Zero-G), so my ''body'' was able to walk through the dimension just fine. I spotted magic beasts here and there, but most of them were already being talked to by other mages.


    <em>I can see why Summoning Magic takes so long now...it takes forever to even find a vacant beast to form a contract with, and even if you do find one, there''s no guarantee the contract will seed. Luck ys a huge factor in this spell...I suppose it''s both a blessing and a curse, huh?</em>


    <em></em>I continued to wander through the mysterious ck and green world. Sometimes, I would hear two mages fighting over the same beast impatiently, one of them yelling about how they were in a teampetition and really needed this beast or something. I paid them no mind, and inconspicuously stayed out of trouble.


    And then, something hooked my gaze. It was a cute, tiny orange bird that looked like it had just hatched.


    <em>Hm...? What''s this? I have never seen this beast in any of the textbooks I read about Summoning Magic...</em>


    I decided to investigate, and slowly crept up to it. However, it noticed me immediately, and quickly ran away into the forest of ck and green trees.


    <em>Oh no you don''t...</em>


    <em></em>An unexinable motivation formed in my heart, and I followed the bird into the deep and unknown forest.

 Chapter 128 - The Summoning Dimension

    "Damn...I lost it. That thing, whatever it was, sure runs fast if nothing else," I muttered to myself.


    I had followed a mysterious bird-like creature into an unknown forest, only to get myself dragged deeper and deeper...now, I ended up lost (and I lost the bird too), uncertain of where to go to get out of this ce. I could just exit the summoning dimension manually, since only my ethereal body was in this ce, but I still wanted to explore this world a bit more - especially that unique bird I found. That being said...by ''exploring'', I don''t mean getting myself lost in uncharted territory.


    Eventually, after nearly an hour of wandering around, I finally came to a clearing, but to my chagrin, it seemed I wasn''t quite outside the dense forest of ck and green yet. The terrain all looked so simr in this dimension, and I found myself getting dizzy if I stared at the trees for too long. So, instead, I just sat down on a (opaque ck, with bright green lines on the edges) rectangr-prism-shaped rock, and closed my eyes, sighing deeply.


    <em>Where do I go from here...? Wait, does time pass differently in this dimension? I''ve been in here for around an hour and a half or so...but there''s no guarantee the ratio of time here to time in the real world is 1:1. Welp, maybe it''s just time to leave this dimension, ande back next time?</em>


    <em>...Hold on. If Ie back to the summoning dimension some other time, will I return to this same exact spot? While the surroundings make it seem simr to a code, game-like setting, it''s not</em>actually<em>a game, right? There aren''t ''spawnpoints'' or anything, right?!</em>


    <em>Man...if every time I came here, I would end up in the same exact spot where Ist exited, then this is going to be so troublesome. I may just give up on summoning magic altogether. Well, no use dwelling about that right now...guess I''ll ask Mei Gui about this after I get out.</em>


    The process to leave the summoning dimension was pretty simple - I read about in a textbook in the school library. Basically, all you had to do was reattach your ethereal body to your physical one. To do so, you were supposed to visualize your physical body and its surroundings (which wasn''t hard for me, since I, unlike other Summoning Magic users, could still perceive the real world while simultaneously being in the summoning dimension with my ethereal body, thanks to my unique and incredibly powerful ability to multicast). Then, you were to picture yourself snapping back into those physical surroundings.


    As you would expect, this required proficient spatial senses, and so most mages with the Summoning Element also excelled in the Geometry strand of mathematics. As for me, I aced every single academic subject at Shenzhen Magic High School, in order to make up for my barely passing mark on every magic-rted subject, so my imagination and spatial sense were no problem whatsoever.


    However...this method of returning to the real world didn''t exactly apply to me. As I stated earlier, I could still perceive my physical surroundings, so all I had to do was shut off the first-person ''game'' that was being projected into my head. Indeed - when I my ethereal body is in the summoning dimension, thanks to my ability to multicast, instead of having all of my senses sent into the dimension with my soul, a ''video game'' booted up in my head. I could move around my character (my ethereal body) freely, from a first-person perspective.


    Thus, in order to return, I merely closed off the thought of this ''game'', and my ethereal body would naturally return to my physical one.


    But just as I was about to do that-


    "Chirp!" a loud, high-pitched squeal rang out beside my ethereal body, and a hard beak began poking at my hand.


    "Ngh!" I quickly pulled my hand away from the pain. This was one of the few aspects of this dimension that tragically reminded me that this was not a mere video game, and I could still feel pain like it happened on my physical body.


    I then red down at the perpetrator - a cute and fluffy reddish-orangish bird about the size of my palm. "...Oh, so<em>now </em>you decide to show up."


    "Chirp! Chirp!" the bird sang...though it wasn''t a song whatsoever.


    "I have zero idea what you''re saying, so please stop chirping," I said, irritated. "You''re so noisy..."


    Then, suddenly, a hard and sharp beak digged deep into the back of my hand, and I was overtaken by a familiar pain...just amplified many times over. I cried out in pain and immediately moved my hand away once more.


    "What the hell was that for?!" Iined, slightly angry with this tiny bird.


    The bird merely crossed its short, stubby wings, and looked away.<em>Huh...? Is that...a pout I''m seeing? Crossing its wings across its chest...is that the bird version of ''folding your arms''? Yep, it''s definitely pouting. What the hell?!</em>


    "Uh...can you understand what I''m saying?" I asked, in a more gentle tone.


    The bird nced at me, then averted its gaze again and closed its eyes defiantly, as if saying ''hmph!''.


    <em>You damn little...I''m trying to be nice here.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"A-Are you mad at me for calling you noisy?" I tried again. "If so, I''m sorry."


    <em>...I can''t believe I''m sitting here on a rock, in another dimension, apologizing to a bird.</em>


    <em></em>The bird then opened one of its eyes, pointed at a nearby tree with some weird ck fruits on it (again, with a neon green outline), then at its own mouth.


    <em>Are you kidding me? You want me to get you something to eat? What am I, your ve now?</em>


    <em></em>Despite these thoughts, I really wanted to know more about it, so I obliged to its request and picked up one of fruits that had fallen on the ground. I then patted off some dust off of it, and brought it over to the bird. However...against all expectations, the bird nced at it, and immediately looked away, shaking its head.<em></em>It then pointed at one of the fruits hanging on the tree, then its mouth again.


    <em>What the hell...your standards are quite high, huh? ...Whatever.</em>


    <em></em>Getting more and more impatient and annoyed by the second, I went over to tree once more, and jumped in order to grab one of low-hanging fruits. I then brought it back over to the bird obediently.


    This time, the bird saw the fruit, and took it from my grasp immediately. But it was so small...the fruit was literally half the size of the bird, and I honestly wondered how it was able to hold it properly. However, what happened next was something I would never expect, even when told by someone else beforehand.


    The adorable orange bird suddenly grew in size exponentially, but also grew skinnier. Its wings, tail, head, and main body all grew bigger, butpared to its original cute and chubby appearance, it had grown considerably skinnier (but still bigger as a whole). mes erupted from its magnificent orange wings with a beautiful pattern inscribed on them, and its tail separated into nine different branches at the end.


    "What in the world..." I couldn''t help but mutter as my eyes widened at the sight.


    The majestic animal before me, d in its brilliant orange mes, stood out in stark contrast with the dull and dark ck and green environment. There was only one thing I couldpare this mythical creature to - an immortal beast spoken of only in legends - the bird of crimson mes, a Phoenix.


    The bird then plopped the fruit into its mouth and chewed on it with relish (I mean, with pleasure. There wasn''t any actual relish). After a while, the bird cawed, then...turned back into its tiny form.


    <em>...I''m not sure how I feel about this. This tiny bird in front of me just turned into a phoenix, and now he''s gone back to being a baby orange chick. I''d like to think what I saw just now was just a dream, but there was no point lying to myself like that.</em>


    Remembering my original goal ining to this dimension, I took a deep breath and approached the bird, now sitting atop the rock where I had been just a couple minutes ago.


    "Now then...you already ate the food I got you, so now you gotta listen to my request," I said with a sly grin.


    The bird raised one of its eyebrows and looked at me in skepticism. "What do you want?"


    <em>Wait. D-Did it just-</em>


    I quickly jumped back a good distance. "Y-You can talk?"


    "Hmph, indeed I can. I just didn''t even bother speaking with you earlier."


    I gritted my teeth in annoyance, but still put up a feigned smile. "Well then, uh...right. I have a request to make of you...but before that, just now, I was about to leave this dimension and return to the real world. Why did you stop me?"


    The bird, whose voice was like that of a childish young human girl, pped its wings a few times, thenid downpletely on the rock. "Because I was hungry, why else?"


    I stared at it with deadpan eyes, not bothering to keep up the friendly facade anymore. "...I saw that transformation just now...it''s clear you are insanely powerful. Acquiring food should be no problem."


    "Well, that may be true, but I was toozy to get it myself. Transforming takes a lot of energy out of me, you know?" the bird replied, rolling around on the rock as if it was its - or rather, her - bed.


    "...Okay, I won''t judge," I muttered quietly. Then, after a deep sigh, I continued. "Now, as for my request..."


    "Since you got me food, I''ll consider it," the bird replied with an arrogant attitude.


    I was getting increasingly annoyed by the second, but still managed to speak to her without losing my temper.


    "Alright...I would like you to form a contract with me."

 Chapter 129 - The Phoenix Contract

    "...You want to form a contract with me?" the bird echoed quietly.


    I nodded. "Yeah...what do I have to do in order to make you ept my offer?"


    The bird thenughed like a little human girl, and even covered her beak with one of her wings. "What makes you think you have any right to even propose forming a contract with me, a phoenix? I rule over all other beasts within this realm, you know. I can help you form a contract with someone else, but I myself have no intention of bing a mere human''s ve."


    "ve? That''s a quite...demeaning way of putting it," I replied awkwardly. "You see, this is the first time I''m forming a contract with a beast. I don''t really know how other Summoning Magic users do things, but I can guarantee I won''t force you to do anything you don''t want to."


    The bird raised an eyebrow. "It''s your first time? Seriously?"


    "Uh, yeah...something wrong?"


    She made a cute little thinking gesture (or at least, that''s what I thought it was. I assumed bird bodynguage was the same as humans). "No...it''s just that your aura seemed quite strong, so I automatically thought you were an experienced summoner."


    <em>For real? I''m only an Intermediate Mage...in what world does that ssify as ''strong?'' Wait...perhaps this has something to do with the power of Chaos within me...?</em>


    <em></em>"No, this is my first time in this dimension, actually," I said, to which she nodded.


    "Well then, it''s understandable you don''t understand how things work here," the phoenix said with a ''sigh''. "Listen closely, since I am only going to say this once."


    Once I nodded in confirmation, the phoenix continued. "Once a summoner forms a contract with a beast, the beast has to listen to allmands the summoner issues within the specified timeframe beforehand. There are no ''terms'' or ''conditions'' the summoner has to abide by. That is why all beasts will only agree to the contract <em>after</em> receiving their ''payment''."


    "In other words...some people have abused the fact that there is only one rule to this contract - that the beast has to listen to anything the summoner says, and eventually the beasts of this dimension began trusting summoners less and less..." I noted.


    "Yep. Do you understand now? Your ''guarantees'' or ''promises'' don''t mean anything to me."


    I sighed. "That may be so, but...I still wish to form a contract with you, nheless."


    "Why are you so insistent? Didn''t I already tell you? I can help you contract another beast within this dimension in return for you getting me food, but I am off-limits. Thest thing I want is for the same thing as my mother to happen to me..." she trailed off.


    However, I didn''t let this opportunity go. "Your mother...? Was she...perhaps, betrayed by her summoner?"


    She shook her fluffy head. "Forget it. Either way, I am denying your request. If you have nothing else to say, then this is where we part ways."


    Saying this, the bird turned on her heel and prepared to fly away, but I hurriedly stopped her. "Wait. I read about this in a textbook, but...apparently, strong magic beasts in this dimension sometimes fight a summoner who wants to contract them. If said summoner can win against them, then the magic beast will ept the contract."


    The phoenix paused, then turned around slowly. "You want to prove your strength by fighting me?"


    I nodded. "Precisely."


    She then burst outughing like a little kid, much to my annoyance. "HAHAHA! I said your aura was strong earlier, but you are still nowhere near my level! I can appreciate that confidence, but too much of it and it just turns into arrogance, summoner. Sorry, but I''m not epting this challenge. I don''t want to shatter your ego."


    <em>Shut it...you''re just a little girl, and you''re out here acting wise like some old man? Yeah, to hell with that. You say you won''t ept this challenge, but...all I have to do is taunt you a bit.</em>


    I smirked. "What, scared that you''ll lose?"


    "Huh?! You think I''m scared of<em>you?"</em>


    <em></em>"Isn''t that why you''re making excuses to not fight me?" I continued taunting.


    "Grr....fine! I''ll fight you until you beg me to stop!" the phoenix finally dered after a long while. "Just don''t go ming me for showing no mercy!"


    <em>n sessful. Now then, onto the next phase...</em>


    <em></em>"Okay - so how are we doing this? Like I said earlier, I''m new to this whole summoning thing," I replied nonchntly.


    "Hmph! However you want to do it is fine by me. You might not have been to this dimension before, but surely you''ve had duels with other people?"


    I nodded. "Well then....how about this. If I can get you to move from where you''re standing right now, you have to form an eternal contract with me."


    "W-Wha-! E-Eternal?!" she echoed in shock.


    I shrugged. "Yeah, you see, I''m a person that likes to bet big. So in return, if you defeat me, I''ll do whatever you want for the rest of my life - essentially bing your ve. Not a bad deal, right?"


    "H-Hm..." she sank into thought. After a while, she resumed. "Fine! I agree to your terms! But isn''t this fight a bit disadvantageous for me...? I have to keep attacking you until you beg for mercy, but all you have to do is get me to move from this spot..."


    I grinned devilishly. "Tell you what - if I can''t get you to move from that spot within 3 minutes, then you automatically win. Of course, you''re wee to attack me in the process."


    "HAHAHA! Aren''t you overestimating yourself?! Sure, my offense is definitely the stronger side of me, but my defense is nothing tough at, either. To make things easier for you, I won''tunch a single attack on you within those 3 minutes. Come at me with your full strength!" she yelled as she transformed back into her original form.


    <em>...Kuku...the stage is set. Now, it''s time for the final act.</em>


    "Okay, three minutes, starting now," I said just loudly enough for her to barely hear. Then, after she nodded in confirmation, I made a fake thinking posture, then pointed at the ground about two meters behind her. "Actually, can you go back there? We''re too close right now for a proper fight."


    "...So picky..." the phoenix muttered, but obliged anyway, and began moving towards the destination I had pointed out.


    But from the moment she made her first step...she had lost.


    "You lose," I said with an evil cackle.


    "H-Huh?! What-"


    "You moved after I said ''three minutes starting now'', no?" I replied with a sly grin.


    "Y-You tricked me!" she eximed in anger.


    I shrugged. "Hey now, I never said I was going to face you head-on. I''ve always been better at mind games and trickery."


    "Y-You..."


    "Well, that''s that. Now then...how do we form an eternal contract?" I asked, walking closer to her.


    "Hey! I never agreed to this! That was not fair at all!"


    I sighed. "Look, we both set up the terms beforehand, and agreed to them. There weren''t any rules specifing that tricks like this weren''t allowed. You lost, fair and square...though I admit my strategy was a bit underhanded. But even then...don''t tell me the great phoenix won''t honor her promise?"


    "W-What promise? I never said a-anything, hmph!" she responded shamelessly, feigning ignorance.


    I sighed once again and took out a certain object from my pocket (in the ethereal body). I unlocked it, and fire up a certain app. Then, pressing the y button, I turned up the volume to max, and let her hear what was being yed back.


    <strong>"Fine! I agree to your terms! But isn''t this fight a bit disadvantageous for me...? I have to keep attacking you until you beg for mercy, but all you have to do is get me to move from this spot..."</strong>


    <strong>"Tell you what - if I can''t get you to move from that spot within 3 minutes, then you automatically win. Of course, you''re wee to attack me in the process."</strong>


    <strong>"HAHAHA! Aren''t you overestimating yourself?! Sure, my offense is definitely the stronger side of me, but my defense is nothing tough at, either. To make things easier for you, I won''tunch a single attack on you within those 3 minutes. Come at me with your full strength!"</strong>


    Eventually, the phoenix couldn''t take it anymore, and transformed back into her small, cute form, clutching her head adorably. "Stop it!!! I get it! STOP!"


    I pressed the pause button, and turned off the device. Indeed, it was my smartphone. I had messed around with it a little and set it to automatically record everything when turned on...at the time, I thought it was a neat little feature, but I never expected it to actuallye in handy here. Good thing summoners could bring one object (apart from clothes and such) from the real world into the summoning dimension.


    Most people chose to bring food, or whatever would be ideal for forming a contract with a beast, but being inexperienced here, I didn''t bring anything along...or so I had thought, until I discovered the object in my back pocket. Turns out the ethereal body was aplete mirror image of my physical body, as I know my phone is, in reality, in my back pocket right now.


    Either way, that was a pretty clutch save, as I really didn''t know what to do if she just continued feigning ignorance.


    "So? Ready to form an eternal contract?"


    "Wuwuwu..." she sobbed softly as I watched on anxiously. Eventually, she stopped, wiped her tears, and came over to me. "Whatever...judging from your stupid, deceitful, and cowardly personality, you won''t live long anyway. After you die, don''t expect me to attend your funeral."


    I chuckled. "Yeah yeah..."


    Then, she looked at me and began exining how to form an eternal contract with a beast. "The process is pretty simr to a normal contract, but you have to say ''eternal'' in ce of the original timeframe. As for my own particr chant...


    After she told me the chant word by word, I replied, "Huh...I see. Then, here we go." the phoenix transformed back into her original form as I ced two fingers on her forehead.


    I took a deep breath, and began my chant. "O Harbringer of Fortune - Brilliant Yellow! A fire that will scorch all creation - Fire Red! An immortal soul that reigns over all - Dazzling White! Forever will you burn! I hereby form an eternal contract with you - Phoenix!"


    A brilliant light of yellow, red, and white appeared at the location where I was touching her, and enveloped the two of us within it. After a short while, the light dispersed, and I moved my hand away.


    "Is it...done?" I asked.


    "Yep..." the phoenix said dejectedly as she turned back into her energy-saving form.


    "Then, in order to test it..e with me into the real dimension," I suggested.


    "No. I don''t want to..."


    I snickered. "There''s really delicious food there, you know..."


    "F-Food? R-Really?" her ears perked up at that.


    I nodded. "Yeah, so hop on my shoulder."


    Sheplied, and once she was safely perched atop my right shoulder, I ''logged off'' the summoning dimension.

 Chapter 130 - The Dawn Of Winter

    "And...we''re back," I said triumphantly as I safely returned to the real world, along with a new pet. Technically, I was in the real world all along, I just ''shut off'' the video game being yed inside my head.


    Mei Gui was a bit startled at the sudden appearance of the phoenix, perched on top of my shoulder (in its small form), but quickly rposed herself. "Master, if I am not wrong, it seems you have sessfully formed a contract with a beast."


    I nodded, and sat down on my bed. "A quite powerful one too, at that."


    Mei Gui tilted her head. "Oh? I cannot say I feel an exceptionally strong aura being emitted by this tiny...bird."


    <em>Why did you hesitate before calling her a bird, Mei Gui? Were you about to address her using a derogatory term? I doubt that would end well, considering the easily-angered nature of the phoenix - who, in terms of mental age, was akin to that of a three-year-old baby.</em>


    <em></em>"Well, you may not believe it, but this bird right here is actually a phoenix," I replied, then widened my eyes in panic as said phoenix began transforming into her original form in order to prove it. "H-Hold on, don''t transform here!"


    "...Why? This person looks like she doesn''t believe that I''m a real phoenix, so I have to prove it to her!" the bird cried as she returned back to her small form.


    I sighed in relief, then exined. "Look, it''s understandable she is skeptical, but just because of that you can''t do whatever you want...if you had transformed here, this room, and possibly this entire dormitory, would''ve burned down. This ce isn''t nearly big enough to contain your true form...and I know better than letting phoenix firee in contact with easily mmable materials."


    "Hmph! Fine!" she snorted. "I''m hungry, get me something to eat."


    <em>...Technically, I''m your master now, yet you''re over here ordering me to do this and do that for you. Shouldn''t it be the other way around...? Well, then again, I do feel kind of bad for using such underhanded tactics to beat her, so I guess I''ll just go along with her whims...for now.</em>


    Sighing, I headed into the kitchen, which was plenty stocked now thanks to my shopping trip with the other girls almost two weeks ago. I opened up the cupboard and took out a bag of chips, since I figured she would be able to hold on to a chip by herself without transforming into her original form. I really didn''t want to feed her by hand, that would be a huge hassle.


    I tore open the bag and brought the chips back to my newly acquainted phoenix, who immediately began munching and swallowing happily.<em>Man...I''m so tired. I''ve been training the entire day...let''s see, it''s already 1 PM? Damn, I forgot to eat lunch. Ah, whatever. I just want to take a nap.</em>


    <em></em>Just as I was about to crash onto my bed, however, I felt a faint vibrationing from my back pocket. I pulled out my smartphone and saw that a certain someone was calling me. I picked up.


    "Yeah? What''s up, Feng Mian?" I asked as Mei Gui watched on curiously. As an aside, the phoenix was too engrossed in stuffing her mouth full of chips to notice anything else.


    "Hey!! I was just wondering if you wanted to...um, you know, meet up or something?" she replied, appearing to be a bit nervous.


    "Uh...why? Is there something you need to tell me, or...?"


    "No no, I just wanted to hang out, maybe grab something to eat, and um...watch a movie?"


    <em>Hold up. This is starting to sound a lot like a date proposal to me. Yeah, uh...I''m gonna have to pass on that one. Not that I mind particrly, but I knew the other girls wouldn''t be happy if I just went along with Feng Mian...they''ll think I favor her or something, which wouldn''t be good to our rtionships with each other as a whole.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Er...sorry, but I''m really tired at the moment. I was training since 8 o''clock in the morning, so I still haven''t had lunch yet..."


    "No problem! We can have lunch together right now!" she quickly responded, to which I grimaced. Luckily, this wasn''t a video call, or else I might''ve been in big trouble there.


    <em>Shit...good move, Feng Mian. Now I don''t have an excuse to reject your offer. Ah...I blundered.</em>


    "U-Uh, okay. But only for lunch, yeah? Since I feel pretty drowsy - hunger''s the only thing keeping me awake right now," I replied, covering up my mistake.


    "Aw...alright then. I''ll meet you in front of the boys'' dorms?" she sounded a bit dejected, but that was the only card I had left. If I can''t outright not go, at least I could minimalize the time I spent with her...though something in the back of my head was telling me this was a super dumb decision.


    Understandable, as any other guy would kill for a chance to eat lunch together with Feng Mian, as if on a date. Still, I really was tired, and I still had the other girls'' feelings to consider. I don''t know if they like me in<em>that</em>sense, but even if they only saw me as a friend (which would be ideal), I still shouldn''t do anything that would make it seem like I am favoring one of them.


    Anyway, after some mental debate, I decided to just get it over with. "Nah, I can''t have a girl waiting for me like that. I''ll go to the girls'' dorms."


    Hearing this, Feng Mian giggled. "Pfft...since when did you start caring about public image?"


    "I don''t. I don''t, but...if I can <em>prevent</em> having a bad reputation, then I''ll do it," I replied casually.


    "Okay, I''ll see you in a sec, then."


    "Yeah," I said, hanging up the call.


    I then turned to Mei Gui and the bird who was still eating nonchntly. "Mei Gui, I''m going to have to head out for a little...watch over her while I''m away, okay? Don''t let her eat everything in the kitchen."


    Mei Gui bowed. "Understood, Master."


    I then spun on my heel, and prepared to leave. But then a thought hit my mind, and I slowly turned around again. "Actually...do the two of you want toe with me?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 5 Minutes Later, Girls Dormitories -</strong>


    "...So? Why is she here too?" Feng Mian asked with a deadpan gaze that seemed to pierce straight through me. By the looks of it, she had dressed up for this asion, and quite frankly, she looked stunning, with her beautiful ck dress thatplimented her bright blonde hair.


    Sure, it was the middle of winter, but it wasn''t really cold at all due to some Fire Elemental excavation or something going on near Shenzhen. The hot air from over there got swept into the city by wind, and well, here we are, able to wear dresses in winter. I was wearing my ck cloak, along with my ring. That had kind of became my signature look nowadays, though one thing was missing - my mask. I figured it wouldn''t be good manners to wear a mask when eating with someone.<em>Actually, how do you even eat with a mask on...? Whatever.</em>


    I scratched my hair awkwardly, and averted my gaze. "Ah, well, you know, they asked toe along, ahaha..."


    Mei Gui, sensing my intentions, immediately backed me up. "Yes, that is correct. I totally asked Master toe along."


    <em>Why does that sound sarcastic?</em>


    <em></em>"I''m only here because he said there would be good food," the phoenix perched on top of my shoulder said.


    Feng Mian jumped back in surprise. "T-This bird can talk?"


    I nodded. "Yeah, she''s a phoenix."


    "P-Phoenixes look like...that?"


    "Well, ording to her, transforming into her original form takes a lot of energy, so most of the time she just stays in this form," I exined.


    "O-Oh, I see..." Feng Mian murmured quietly. "Where did you get her from anyway?"


    I looked around to make sure no one was in the area, then ced down a Sound Barrier (Level One Sound Magic) for good measure. Then, with a sigh, I answered Feng Mian''s question.


    "I told you earlier that I was training this morning, right?"


    "Yeah, what about it?"


    "Okay - for one, I should''ve told you and the others this earlier, but it really just slipped my mind," I said, then continued after a deep breath. "The truth is, I broke another one of my seals, meaning I advanced another stage in terms of the Chaos energy within me."


    "Does that mean you got even stronger?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Yeah...through this process, I gained the ability to multicast."


    "Multicast...?"


    I nodded. "That''s right...basically, I can cast multiple spells at the same time now. That''s why I was experimenting with Summoning Magic today, since as you know that element leaves the caster vulnerable, but leaves a high profit if sessful. If I am able to remain conscious of the real world and be able to protect myself while exploring the summoning dimension looking for a beast to contract, then..."


    "That would put you at a great advantage in a fight...since if you sessfully contract a beast, it will essentially turn the battle into a 2v1 - assuming the fight was even to begin with," Feng Mian analyzed.


    "Indeed. And well - I was sessful," I continued. "I tried contracting a beast, and ended up getting her."


    "Hey! What''s with that attitude like you don''t want me or something?! I''ll have you know you''re the one that was so insistent on getting me to-" the phoenix immediately interrupted, but I quickly cut her off.


    "Right right, your presence humbles me, I''m grateful o great phoenix, all that."


    Feng Mian sank into thought. "Well...for now, I think the first thing you have to do is tell the others about this, since this is pretty useful information that we should all know, going forward."


    "Yeah. That''s what I''m nning on doing..."


    "However," Feng Mian continued, then walked closer to me. "Before that, you areing to eat lunch with me, yeah?"


    <em>Ah...her perfume smells good. This isn''t half bad- wait, what the hell am I thinking?!</em>


    <em></em>"R-Right, let''s go," I replied nervously. "Where do you want to eat?"


    Feng Mian made a cute thinking gesture as she stared up at the ceiling. "Hm...I know a good ce. Just follow me~"

 Chapter 131 - Christmas Confession

    "And...here we are," Feng Mian announced.


    I was currently standing before a restaurant by the name of Hotpot Shenzhen. It was located rtively close to the Central Metropolis, but it didn''t look fancy like Grange Grill. That being said, it didn''t look shabby at all, and there was a nice bnce between the luxury andmonce, which I could appreciate. By the name, I assumed it served hot pots - different ingredients thrown into a delicious broth, a meal perfect for winter...or at least it would be, if our winter had actually winter-like temperatures.


    Coincidentally, I happened to enjoy hot pots, whether it''s winter or not. Thus, I didn''t mind going to this ce. Usually, hot pots were eaten for dinner, but like I said, I enjoyed them whether it''s winter or summer, dinner or lunch.


    The two of us, along with the phoenix and Mei Gui, headed inside nonchntly. Unlike the times I went to Grange Grill, I didn''t receive any condescending looks for not wearing formal or anything. The only gazes we received were those of envy and lust (the former directed at me, thetter directed at Feng Mian and Mei Gui, of course). They were both top-level beauties by anyone''s standards, so that made sense. But s, I was used to it by now. A waitress then quickly greeted us, and led us to a table in the corner of the room, which I was grateful for. Corners are the best.


    As the waitress ced down three sses of lemon water, one for the each of us, Feng Mian took a sip and sighed deeply.


    "Ah...this is quite refreshing," she said in pleasure.


    I copied her and also tried the water out - and indeed, it was delicious. Normally, restaurants would serve hot water in winter, but for one, this year''s winter was more like a spring, really, and for two, this diner in particr served hotpots. Cold lemon waterplimented it very well, so there''s no problem with it, even if the climate outside was freezing.


    "Yeah...you''re right," I murmured quietly.


    The waitress then brought over three menus, and ced one in front of each of us. Feng Mian immediately flipped hers open and began browsing through it. Then, upon seeing that I hadn''t even touched my menu, she raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "You aren''t going to order anything?"


    I shrugged. "You''re the experienced one here. Just choose whatever you want, I trust you." Mei Gui did the same.


    Feng Mian''s cheeks flushed red for a moment, then she hid her face behind the menu she was holding. "D-Don''t say things that can lead to misunderstandings like that...mou~"


    I pretended not to hear her, and took another sip of my lemon water. After a short while, Feng Mian called the waitress over and gave her our order. Then, after the waitress left to deliver our order to the chefs, Feng Mian stretched her arms and yawned cutely.


    "Oh? You''re sleepy too?" I asked.


    "Yeah...guess your drowsiness is contagious, huh?" Feng Mian replied with a gentle smile.


    Then, suddenly, my phone began ringing, since I turned off silent mode on the way here. I pulled it open to see who it was.


    "Who is it?" Feng Mian asked curiously.


    "Hm...it''s Yu An Yan," I replied, ncing at the caller shown on my phone.


    "Well, aren''t you going to pick up?"


    "Well, yeah, but can you keep quiet while I talk to her?"


    "Yeah yeah, you don''t want her to find out we''re together right now, don''t you? I don''t either."


    Sighing in relief at her understanding, I finally picked up the phone. "Heya, what''s up?"


    "Oh! Um, hi! I just wanted to ask, um...are you free right now?" she stammered nervously.


    "Uh...right now?" I echoed, then quickly ran an analysis on my options in this situation.


    1. Tell her the truth. This is a no-go, since that would defeat the purpose of me being against this idea in the first ce. It would be equivalent to telling your enemy the n your allies worked so hard to keep secret.


    2. Lie to her. <em>I''m not a good liar though...</em>


    <em></em>3. Hang up. Yeah, this isn''t very feasible. She would definitely be sad and quite pissed if I were to just hang up on her right now.


    Therefore, option 2 seems to be the most intelligent choice here. But what''s a good lie...oh, I know.


    "Hm...sorry, but I''m actually kind of in the middle of something right now," I replied, as casually as possible.


    "Oh! Um...if you don''t mind me asking, what exactly are you doing? Maybe I can help?" she continued, not backing off in the least.


    <em>Well, this is to be expected...well then, here we go. The most believable lie in the history of lies.</em>


    <em></em>"I''m uh, taking a shit."


    "PFFT! HAHA!" Feng Mian burst outughing across from me, and I quickly covered my phone''s microphone.


    "Hey! She''s going to hear!"


    "S-Sorry! That was too funny!" Feng Mian eximed, tears in her eyes fromughing too hard.


    After she finally calmed down, I slowly and cautiously brought the phone back up to my ear again. "Uh...sorry. I just ran into...a bit of a problem. What''s the word...ah, right, constipation, was it? Sorry - are you still there?"


    "Xuan Kai...I heard someoneughing in the background," Yu An Yan said, her voice now devoid of emotions. I gulped in fear. "And it was a girl, no less...just what in the world are you doing?"


    <em>Holy crap! If I continue with my lie now, I''ll be seen as some sort of weirdo who brings a girl into the bathroom alone...damn it, what do I do?</em>


    And then, to my surprise, Feng Mian reached over and grabbed the phone straight out of my hands. "Hey-" I began, but it was toote.


    She turned on speaker mode, ced the phone on the table, and continued the conversation in my ce (without asking for permission from me first). "Hey, An Yan!"


    "Oh, so the girl in the background was you, Feng Mian...I couldn''t hear clearly since Xuan Kai immediately covered the microphone, but...what are the two of you doing together?" Yu An Yan asked, sounding slightly sad and disappointed.


    "We''re having lunch together right now," Feng Mian answered, with a trace of triumph in her tone, for some reason.


    "O-Oh...I see..." Yu An Yan murmured dejectedly. Just hearing her like that over the phone made me feel bad. And so, in the spur of the moment, I cut in to their conversation and made what I wouldter consider to be an insanely bad move.


    "Hey, if you want, why don''t youe join us?" I asked like a brain-dead overheated toaster.


    "R-Really? You won''t mind?" Yu An Yan''s tone immediately brightened up as if my words had given her the greatest hope in the world.


    "Uh, yeah...we''re all friends, no? Eating together is only natural," I responded, attempting to justify my own decision.


    "Okay! Then I''ll call An Xue, Obsidia, and Qing Yue as well!"


    It took me a little while to process what she had just said. "Huh? Hey, wait, they aren-"


    But by the time I finished, it was toote. She had hung up the call, and I was left faced with the awkward beeping of the phone and a very annoyed Feng Mian.


    "Uh...hey, lighten up," I said, trying to cheer her up. Quite frankly, her current dead gaze was frightening as it bore straight into my eyes.


    "...You understand why I am mad, yes?" she finally said after a long silence.


    I nodded immediately. "Y-Yeah, but...she just seemed very dejected, so I kinda got the sudden urge to just invite her..."


    Feng Mian stared at me for a little longer, then sighed atst, easing the tense atmosphere. "Well, I don''t me you..." then, in a quieter tone, she continued. "It isn''t really fair for me to keep you here all to myself today, anyway..."


    "Hm?"


    "Master...I am going to go use the bathroom," Mei Gui suddenly spoke up, and without awaiting my response, hurried off, taking the phoenix with her, leaving Feng Mian and I alone.


    Then, Feng Mian took a deep breath as I watched on in puzzlement.


    "Xuan Kai, I have something I need to say to you right now, while we''re alone. Because if I don''t say it now, I don''t think I''ll ever be able to muster up the courage to say it again," she said determinedly.


    I tilted my head in confusion.<em>What is she talking about...? She has something she needs to tell me? And while we''re alone, at that? No no no...it can''t be. There''s no way she''s going to do</em>that<em>right now, is there? And not to mention...Mei Gui, you betrayed me! Damn it, I''m not ready for that yet...I didn''t think that far ahead! How am I supposed to respond to her if she really confesses to me?! Had I know this was her true intention in inviting me out here today, I wouldn''t have evene....I blundered once again, it seems.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"H-Hold on, Feng Mian...can this wait until after we''re done eating? Since you know, I don''t like to talk about serious matters before having food. I won''t be able to eat properly that way," I said in a panic, trying desperately to stop her from proposing.


    Feng Mian, however, shook her head. "No. I have to do it now, while the others are still not here yet. By the time the hot pot is ready, they''ll have already arrived."


    <em>Yes, that''s what I am aiming for! But you saw right through my intentions...damn it, normally I would be thankful for having such smart and perceptive allies, but sometimes being</em>too<em>clever can be a bad thing too!</em>


    Then, Feng Mian grabbed my hand, and I immediately stiffened, anxious about what''s toe.


    The beautiful girl with golden hair and starry purple irises gazed into my eyes longingly, and spoke.


    "Xuan Kai...I''m in love with you."

 Chapter 132 - Love & Confusion

    "Xuan Kai...I''m in love with you."


    <em>.</em>


    <em>What the hell?! She really went and said it! Ah, shit...what do I do, what do I do, what do I do-</em>


    <em></em>"Y-You don''t have to give me a response right now," Feng Mian hurriedly added. "I just wanted to be the first one to..."


    She trailed off at the end, but I had a pretty good idea what she was referring to. I wasn''t dense...and it was about time my pretending to be exactly that facade wore off. Anyone could tell that the other girls (except Obsidia) all have a crush on me, though it''s hard to say about Mei Gui...she''s certainly very attached to me, and we have (wholesomely) slept together, but I am unsure as to whether that is familial love or romantic love. I realize this sounds really egotistic, but it''s the truth. I''m in fact very ufortable in this situation, much less having the audacity to brag about it.


    Fortunately, Feng Mian said that I didn''t have to answer her feelings right now...but this was still quite unsettling. In fact, I probably won''t be able to sleep at all until I resolve this matter.


    Honestly, I knew this woulde someday. I just didn''t expect it to be so...soon, and out of the blue. I mean, I guess it makes sense that Feng Mian has fallen in love with me...I did save her life. One of those princess falls in love with the hero kind of story. And to be fair? Feng Mian is totally S+ tier girlfriend material. She''s got amazing looks, a gorgeous body, and a kind personality to top all of that off. If I were a normal boy, this was the kind of scenario I would dream of.


    Yeah...<em>if I were a normal boy.</em>


    I am someone hellbent on revenge. My path is one of blood and death, destined to be walked alone...for if I drag someone else along with me, there is no telling what may happen to them. I am ready to die for the sake of my revenge...but can I really let these innocent girls die too?


    Sure, technically, the girls and I are already close enough for my enemies to target them as an underhanded tactic, but if they choose, they can still cut all ties with me now, and stay safe. However...if we really enter a romantic rtionship, then severing our bonds will be exponentially harder, not to mention if we engage in...well, <em>that</em>kind of activities. If we''re looking at the extremely long run, then it is possible one or more of the girls will end up pregnant. Once that happens, there''s no way we can separate from one another anymore.


    Just as I was in the middle of these conflicted thoughts, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Obsidia, and Qing Yue entered the restaurant. As expected, they immediately attracted a lot of stares from the other guests in the room...one of them even dropped a fishball they were about to eat on himself, and I watched, slightly amused, as he quickly fumbled to his feet and cleaned his pants with a napkin.


    The neers spotted Feng Mian and I immediately, and they hurried over,pletely ignoring the waitress that had walked over to greet them. The gazes that followed the four beauties soon all converged on me, and I immediately found myself on the receiving side of 64 metric tons of pure jealousy.


    I did my best to ignore them as the girls waved to us and piled in to our seat. Since Feng Mian and I were sitting across from each other on couches, there was enough space to fit all of us...or so I thought, until Mei Gui came back as well from the bathroom, with the little phoenix. Well, I knew full well she had just left to watch us from somewhere inconspicuous, and hadn''t actually used the bathroom at all. <em>Actually, does she even need to use the bathroom? Hm...I should ask her sometime...wait, no, that would make me sound like a creep.</em><em></em>


    Either way, since right now there were three people on each of the two couches (Feng Mian and the Yu sisters on one, Qing Yue, Obsidia, and I on the other) there wasn''t any space for Mei Gui.


    "..." Mei Gui remained silent as she stared straight at me, and faced with her gaze, I couldn''t do anything but scratch my cheek awkwardly.


    Then, seeing an opportunity, Qing Yue cackled like a little devil and spoke. "Hmm? No space, no problem!"


    Saying this, she shifted herself onto myp, making space for another person on the couch. Sure, the problem was solved, but now there was another, more dangerous problem...


    "Hey...Qing Yue...don''t just suddenly jump on me without any prior warning," I said weakly. "Besides, how am I supposed to eat like this?"


    In order to eat, I would have to reach over her...just really troublesome in general, not to mention the looks of jealousy the other girls were shooting at Qing Yue.<em>Please, don''t be jealous over this...</em>


    "Eh, it''s fine, isn''t it?" Qing Yue casually brushed my words off. "We do this all the time."


    <em>No, it''s not fine! And every time we do this, you just force yourself on me! And I can''t bring myself to push you off, so...ugh, I guess this is partly my fault too for doting on you too much. But I can''t help it, you''re too damn adorable, Qing Yue. Curses.</em>


    I cleared my throat, and quickly changed the topic. "Anyway...you guys sure got here quick," I said, directing my words at the neers.


    "Ehehe...Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue rushed off at full speed upon hearing you were here together with Feng Mian, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said with a sly grin. "Obsidia and I were dragged along."


    "Q-Quiet, Qing Yue!" Yu An Yan eximed. "L-Like you weren''t curious to see what they were doing here together, on Christmas of all days..."


    "Yeah..." Yu An Xue nodded along meekly.


    Qing Yue shrugged. "Well, it''s not like I wasn''t curious, but I definitely wasn''t as panicked as you two~"


    Before the Yu sisters could protest any further, a waitress arrived by our table. She was kind of surprised to see 7 people in a seat meant to amodate 6, but didn''t say anything and ced down a portable electric stove and a pot with condiments and soup base already inside. She also put down several tes of several tes of rawmb, beef, fishballs, white carrots, tofu, and finally, dining utensils for all seven of us. She also grabbed four more sses of lemon water, while she was at it.


    "If you wish to add to your order, just call me or one of the other waitresses over," she said, before bowing and leaving.


    "So? How do you use this thing?" I asked, pointing at the stove.


    "Wait, you haven''t used a portable electric stove before?" Yu An Yan asked right back, eyes full of...pity?


    I averted my gaze, embarrassed. "Well, it''s not like I''ve ever been to a hot pot restaurant like this..."


    <em>And besides, I''m more used to mana stoves...they are far easier to use. Just pour in some mana and there you go.</em>


    <em></em>Feng Mian sighed and, being the veteran here, skillfully maneuvered the electric stove. Once the broth began boiling slightly, she put in the ingredients on the tes. Finally, she put the lid back on the pot and let it simmer.


    "Okay, it should be ready in about 10 minutes or so," she announced, wiping her forehead. "This definitely won''t be enough for 7 people, so just add on to the order as you guys see fit. My treat."


    "No no, I will pay," Yu An Yan said. "I feel bad just intruding on your...um...date, so at least allow me to make it up to you by paying."


    <em>...That apology is not believable whatsoever. If you feel bad about intruding, why did you intrude in the first ce...? Ah...girls. I will never understand how they think.</em>


    "That''s too..." Feng Mian began, but was quickly cut off.


    "I insist, Feng Mian. C''mon," Yu An Yan pleaded.


    <em>Well, this is the first time I''m seeing someone begging to pay money. What a rarity indeed.</em>


    "But...sigh...fine. Then, thank you for the treat," Feng Mian agreed atst.


    Yu An Yan smiled, satisfied, and began adding to the order with a carefree air. The other girls mored around her and each told her what they want added to the list, and soon enough, the first wave of the hot pot was ready. Together, the seven of us ate relentlessly.


    "Damn...this is pretty good," I remarked. As expected, eating with Qing Yue sitting on myp was pretty difficult, but nheless, it was undeniable that the food was tasty.


    "Yeah...I like how it isn''t spicy," Qing Yue agreed. She couldn''t handle spicy food, so it made sense.


    "This restaurant deserves more fame, honestly," Yu An Yan added.


    Even Obsidia joined in on the conversation. "Yes...indeed, this food is good, even by dragon standards."


    "Mm..." Yu An Xue, much like Mei Gui and a certain phoenix, didn''t participate in the chatter but instead just ate quietly. However, it was clear from her pleased expression that she too, thought that this meal was indeed delicious.


    Feng Mian seemed proud that everyone thought so highly of the restaurant she rmended, and smiled gently.


    Then, seeing how the mood was right and today was the day, I grabbed my ss of lemon water and raised it in the air. Seeing my actions, the girls all paused eating and held up their drinks as well. All seven of us, knowing exactly what was going to happen next, smiled at one another in understanding.


    And then, we all nked our sses together, and cheered:


    "Merry Christmas!"

 Chapter 133 - Presents

    "Whew...that was one heck of a meal," Yu An Yan whistled.


    "Sure was," I agreed, leaning back on the couch.


    The seven of us had just finished eating lunch at Hotpot Shenzhen. Needless to say, we were all very satisfied and full. Well...with the exception of the phoenix.


    "Hmph! I didn''t get to eat anything!" she dered, puffing out her cute little cheeks in a pout. Since she was in her tiny bird form, it was more adorable than anything else. However, the four girls who didn''t know about her yet, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Qing Yue, and Obsidia, were shocked by the sudden outburst.


    "T-This bird...it can talk?" Yu An Yan asked, gulping nervously. "I''ve been wondering for a while now regarding what it is...I just didn''t ask since I thought it was just a pet you bought Mei Gui..."


    I sighed. "I should''ve told you guys about her sooner. Basically, here''s what happened..."


    I repeated the same things I told Feng Mian, including my advancement to the Origin Chaos stage as well as my newfound multicasting ability. The four of them were evidently shocked at what I said, which was understandable considering how powerful this new skill was. Being clever individuals, they seemed to have also realized the endless new possibilities I could use in fights now that I had this ability.


    "Hm...so this tiny creature here is a phoenix?" Obsidia mused. "No wonder I felt a familiar energying from it..."


    "Hey! Dragon bastard! Who are you calling a ''tiny creature''?!" the tiny creature on my shoulder protested angrily.


    "Keep it down..." I muttered. I didn''t want anyone else to hear anything about Obsidia being a dragon, nor the fact that this bird can talk.


    "But this is truly interesting..." Obsidia continued,pletely ignoring the phoenix''s defiant objection. "The phoenix race, from what I know, died out many years ago..."


    I tilted my head. This was the first time I''ve heard about this, and it seemed it was simr for the girls. We all stared at Obsidia in confusion, but then the phoenix herself spoke up.


    "That is true, but not entirely urate. Indeed, our race vanished from this world around two thousand years ago...but we didn''t, like, ''die out'' or anything. At the time, we were being relentlessly hunted down by the despicable dragon race...and were forced into hiding within the summoning dimension," she exined.


    "Huh...this isn''t recorded in any books," Feng Mian noted.


    Obsidia shrugged. "But of course. The feud between dragons and phoenixes are something only members of those two races would know."


    "Then...isn''t telling us kind of taboo?" I asked cautiously.


    The phoenix was the one to answer this time. "Not really, it''s long in the past now, so no one really cares...at the time, we kept our secret war hidden since we didn''t want any third parties intervening and reaping the benefits. But now, the war is more or less over, though..." she turned to re at Obsidia with killing intent. "I still hate dragons."


    "I feel the same about you," Obsidia replied with a threatening look that matched the phoenix''s.


    "Grrr..."


    "Rawr..."


    "Okay, break it apart,dies," I quickly interrupted, since things could''ve gotten ugly there. "I don''t know about your war or whatever, and honestly, I really don''t care. All I know is that it happened two thousand years ago, as you say. So just let bygones be bygones...besides, I doubt neither of you actually participated in the war. You aren''t that old...right?"


    I was a little uncertain, actually. I knew for a fact that both dragons and phoenixes could live for very long times. In fact, phoenixes in legends were imed to have been immortal, and many dragons have lived for several millennia. However, both of them shook their head, which made me sigh in relief. I would have trauma if such a young and beautiful human form is actually a 2000 year old dragon.


    "Hm..e to think of it, I still haven''t given you a name yet, have I?" I asked, patting the phoenix perched on top of my shoulder.


    "Hmph! Human, I have a name already, and I refuse to be named again!" she said defiantly.


    <em>Uh, I''m your master for eternity. Shouldn''t I be able to name you, at the very least...?</em>


    <em></em>"E-Er, sure. What''s your name then? Oh, and you are to address me as Master from now on."


    "Grr...." the phoenix growled angrily, but understood that I was indeed her master, so she didn''t resist after that. "Anyway...ria."


    "ria?" I echoed.


    "That''s my name," she exined. "My mom gave me it."


    "Your mom...?" Feng Mian tilted her head. "Does that mean there are more phoenixes in the summoning dimension?"


    ria nodded. "Yes, but they are all extremely weak now...there are no mes to live on within the summoning dimension, so the old phoenixes are all powerless. I am the only phoenix considered young, and us new phoenixes have enough life force to not need a fire to live off of."


    "What about your mom? She shouldn''t be that old, right?" Yu An Yan asked.


    Immediately, the mood darkened, and ria buried her head into my shoulder. "My mom...she''s gone."


    Yu An Yan covered her mouth from the shock at this news. "I-I''m sorry for bringing that topic up...that was insensitive of me."


    <em>Aren''t phoenixes supposed to be immortal...? </em>I was a bit curious as to how her mother died, as she mentioned something about her back in the summoning dimension as well...but seeing the atmosphere, I decided against it. Even I was able to read the mood in this scenario.


    "Okay, anyway...where do you guys want to go next?" Feng Mian asked after a waitress came over and cleaned up everything. Yu An Yan swiped her debit card on a payment terminal, and the seven of us exited the restaurant.


    "Huh? W-Wait, Feng Mian, I never agreed to this," I hurriedly said, backing away frantically.


    Feng Mian shrugged. "Yeah yeah, you''re tired and all that? Sorry, but I don''t buy any of it. If you really want to go, you can, but can you really bear to leave all six of us frail, weak girls all alone?"


    Saying this, she made a cute gesture that really made me want to cuddle her right then and there. The only things that stopped me were my self-control as a man, and the fact that all the other girls were present. Mainly thetter.


    <em>You guys? Weak? What a farce...but why do I suddenly feel bad about just leaving them behind now? Damn it, Feng Mian...no, I can''t give in here. I need to escape, now, before I get dragged alo-</em><em></em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Now where do you think you''re going, hm, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue said,tching onto my arm and preventing my from getting the hell out of there.


    I tried to gently pull away, but it was useless. Qing Yue''s grip was far stronger than my expectations...and so, I ended up going along with the six girls.


    "Hey, how about we go watch a movie?" Yu An Yan suggested. "I heard there''s this new one that''s pretty good."


    Feng Mian pped her hands together. "Sure! I''m down, but what about the tickets...?"


    "Don''t worry, the movie theatre we''re going to is owned by my family. We can easily get tickets and such," Yu An Yan exined proudly.


    "Okay, then..." Feng Mian turned to look at everyone else. "Does anyone<em>not</em>want to go?"


    <em>Yes! I don''t! I just want to go home!</em>


    But knowing full well my opinion would just be ignored if I said anything, I kept silent. No one else raised their hand or spoke up either, so it was decided we would be going to a movie theatre owned by the Yu family.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 2 Hours Later, 5 PM -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Hey hey, what did you all think of the movie?" Qing Yue asked energetically.


    "It was fine, I suppose," Obsidia replied stoically.


    "Huh? C''mon, Obsidia! It was better than just fine, obviously!" Yu An Yan eximed, a starry look in her eyes. "Ah...what a sweet love story..."


    "For real! The actors were all really good, too..." Feng Mian mused.


    <em>Please, I want to cringe.</em>


    <em></em>The movie we had watched was basically the epitome of romance: cheesy, embarrassing, and something I did not understand. Thus, I sat through most of the movie sleeping. Yu An Xue, who had been sitting beside me, noticed this and pinched me awake at one point, but I soon fell asleep again after that, and she didn''t bother me anymore.


    I then checked the time. 5 PM.


    "Uh, guys? It''s 5 PM. Can I go now?" I asked eagerly.


    Feng Mian shook her head, and made eye contact with the other girls, one by one. "There''s just one thing more we have to do together, yeah?"


    Yu An Yan nodded. "Yep."


    "Hehe~look forward to it, Big Brother Xuan Kai~" Qing Yue added with a charming giggle.


    "Mm...you''ll like it...I think," Yu An Xue mumbled quietly.


    I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but the girls merely smiled at me mysteriously.


    "Well then...let''s head back to the dorms!" Feng Mian announced.


    "Wait, back to the dorms?" I asked. "Didn''t you just say you wanted to one more thing?"


    Feng Mian spun around, and gave me a cute wink. "Yeah, I did. And we will do that ''thing'' in your room."


    <em>H-Hold up, that sounds very, very, inappropriate. Don''t say things that can lead to misunderstandings like that! I doubt she meant</em> that<em>, since knowing her if she was really talking about that, she would be blushing right now, but</em><em>still, this is dangerous territory. Six girls and one guy in a room at night? Yeah, uh...I don''t think so.</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>But s, the seven of us ended up going to my dorm anyway, without counting my opinion as usual. However, before that, each of the girls went to their own dorms to ''do something'', as they put it. Obsidia went to Yu An Yan''s since she was staying there, and Mei Gui remained with me. Once everyone was finished, we went up the elevator together. Around 2 minutester, I unlocked the door to my dorm, and all of us piled in. I shut the door behind Obsidia, who was thest one to enter. I then turned around and crossed my arms.


    "So? What are we doing?"


    The girls, except Obsidia, were each holding a present box of some kind in their hands...I had a feeling where this was going, but I didn''t say it out loud since I would feel even more guilty then. <em>They prepared gifts for me on Christmas, but I forgot to buy anything for them...curses.</em>


    "We prepared some Christmas presents for you, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian said with a bright smile.


    <em>Yes, I can see that...but oh man, my heart hurts from the guilt.</em>


    <em></em>"Oh, if you''re worried about not getting us anything, don''t be," Yu An Yan added with aforting tone. "We know you''re not the type to celebrate things like this, and so we understand."


    <em>She saw right through me, huh?</em>


    I sighed. "That may be so, but...I still feel bad..."


    Qing Yue then leapt into my arms, and snuggled up to me tightly. "Mou~we already said, don''t worry about it. If you really want to make it up to us, then..." she looked up at me with cute puppy eyes. "...Kiss us."

 Chapter 134 - Deeper Bonds

    "Kiss us."


    "Denied," I quickly rejected the tempting offer.


    Qing Yue sighed. "Well, it was a valiant effort."


    "Never mind that, hurry up and open up the presents we got you, Feng Mian urged. "Aren''t you excited?"


    "Well, I mean, yeah, I''m pretty curious, but uh...why do I not like the sinister grins on your faces right now?" I shot back.


    <em>Yeah...there''s definitely something fishy going on here. They are all smiling gently, but I get the feeling these presents aren''t what they seem...and is it just me, or are these boxes kinda...light?</em>


    <em></em>I tore apart the wrapping on the first box. It was a slim, rectangr one that had purple wrapping and a green bow tie to top it off. The decorations were pretty borate, so I was kind of excited when I opened it, only to find....nothing.


    Literally, nothing.


    The box was empty. Seeing the girls hold back theirughter, I frowned and moved onto the next gift. This one was from Yu An Yan. It had blue wrapping with a red bow tie. And...it also contained nothing. Rinse, and repeat.


    In the end, all five boxes ended up being empty. So much for being excited...


    I sighed and tossed thest empty box on the ground. "What''s the meaning of this? Surely even you guys aren''t childish enough to do this as a mere prank."


    "Hehe~can you guess the meaning?" Qing Yue asked with a wink.


    I shook my head. "I don''t really feel like thinking right now, sorry."


    Feng Mian sighed. "Basically...this is something we all agreed on doing while watching the movie. You were asleep, so you didn''t know, since we stopped An Xue from waking you."


    I tilted my head. "So? I still don''t quite get it."


    "It was Qing Yue who proposed this idea first, but put simply..." Yu An Yan began, but shook her head. "Ah, never mind! I can''t say it after all...An Xue, you do it!"


    "H-Huh?! N-No...I can''t..." Yu An Xue, caught by surprise, stuttered nervously.


    Qing Yue sighed. "Honestly...you guys are so timid...fine, I''ll say it."


    And as all eyes converged on her, Qing Yue continued.


    "Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, me, and as you probably already know - Feng Mian - we all like you."


    "H-Hey! Qing Yue! That''s too-" Yu An Yan began.


    "Quiet," Qing Yue cut her off like a boss. "I''m saying it for you, so stopining."


    Faced with thatpletely logical rebuttal, Yu An Yan had no choice but to avert her gaze, embarrassed.


    I cleared my throat. "O-Okay, that was...extremely sudden, but how does that have anything to do with the empty presents?"


    "Eh? Are you dumb? You still don''t get it?" Feng Mian asked, genuinely surprised.


    I shook my head. "I''d like to think it''s not that I''m stupid, just your so-called ''hints'' were too far-stretched...but yes, I don''t understand."


    "Well...basically...it means that...our gift to you...is ourselves..." Yu An Xue exined timidly.


    <em>H-Hold up. That sounds like you''re selling your bodies to me. I really don''t like where this is going.</em>


    <em></em>"N-Not in that sense!" Yu An Yan quickly interrupted, seeing my anxious expression. "T-That cer down the line, once we...y''know...get closer and stuff."


    <em>Hell no! That''s definitely noting, now or ever!</em>


    "For now...we just wanted you to know. You don''t have to give us a response or anything, but Qing Yue probably figured it was around time to be open with our feelings," Feng Mian said with a smile, then looked away and continued. "I did as well...though I wasn''t able to put it into action. An Yan and An Xue are shy and embarrassed, but they also agreed and went along with Qing Yue''s proposal. That''s what brought us here today."


    Qing Yue nodded along. "Yep! And until you give us a proper answer...we''ll follow you, wherever you go. We''ll always be by your side, supporting you no matter the dangers that wille our way."


    <em>Everyone...I had a feeling this day woulde, but I had no idea it would be here so soon. I''m not ready to make this decision yet...can I just ept them, and be done with the whole matter? No. I can''t. The closer they get with me, the more I want to push them away...supporting me no matter the dangers thate our way? Hah...you might be okay with it, but I''m not. I''m not going to drag other people into my mess. My parents have already both died because of me. I absolutely refuse to let anyone else meet the same fate. But...all that being said, how will I reject them? Make up some tant lie like I already have a girl I love? Oh wait...I''m overthinking things. If they like me, then in order to reject them, all I have to do is...</em>


    <em></em>And so, I took a deep breath, and gave them my answer.


    <strong>"I refuse."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Huh?" the four girls who confessed were all taken aback by my sudden words.


    "I said, I refuse. I don''t like any of you in that sense. So I''m sorry, but please refrain from following me."


    I spun on my heel and looked away out the window, unable to meet the shocked gazes of the girls. "After this winter break is over...I''m going to leave on a journey. A trip to the Magic Capital, Shanghai, in order to get more powerful. I''ve actually been thinking about this for a while now...and since this opportunity came up where all of us are together, I might as well say it."


    Then, turning around and forcing myself to look at the girls directly once more, I concluded. "It''s about time I break off from you all. Let''s end our rtionship here."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, The Basement of a Certain Casino, Hong Kong -</strong>


    "Are all the preparations ready?" a female voice asked softly. Her voice was charming, gentle yet seductive.


    "Yes, mydy," a tall masked man, taking a knee on the ground before her, replied stoically, almost like...a lifeless puppet. He wore a dark ck cloak with a hood, and his arm bore the unmistakable insignia of the Midnight Syndicate. The female, wearing a beautiful red gown, also had the mark of the Midnight Syndicate, though it was smaller and far less conspicuous.


    The two of them were currently inside the hidden basement of a certain casino in the city of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a prosperous city extremely close to Shenzhen, and has a variety of inds within its vicinity. It wasn''t as big as Shenzhen, and thus the poption was lower...making it an easy target to establish a base at for the Midnight Syndicate. Unbeknownst to the weak and useless city guard, the Midnight Syndicate had slipped into the city and began slowly growing, while dragging in more members from the city''s already low poption.


    "Good, good..." thedy mused, before taking a bite out of an apple from the fruit tray on a table near her throne. "Now then...when should I attack, I wonder?"


    "Mydy, I believe it would be ideal to attack on January 1st - an exact week from now," the man before her said in the same emotionless voice.


    The woman tilted her head slightly, gently resting it on her arm. "Oh? And why is that so?"


    "Yes, mydy. All the citizens of the city will be busy celebrating the new year, therefore their security should be morex than usual. I believe we will be able to catch them off-guard, granting us the element of surprise in this invasion."


    "Hm...very well," the woman said, seemingly satisfied. "And do you have the n of our attack figured out?"


    "Yes, mydy," the man replied lifelessly, before opening up hisptop and connecting it to a projector. The projected screen showed an extremely detailed map of Shenzhen. "We will attack from this route connecting Hong Kong and Shenzhen."


    Saying this, the masked man traced his finger across what looked like a long highway connecting the two cities. The woman nodded her head in approval, and took another bite out of her apple.


    "How nice. They crafted a perfect bridge for us...literally," she said, amused.


    "Yes. We will make the most use of this road, and invade the city of Shenzhen from there. However..."


    "...Before that, we will need to clear out<em>this</em> city first, no?"


    "That is correct, mydy," the man replied stoically.


    "Well then, what are you waiting for, my dear servant?" the woman said with a charming giggle. "Go on...turn this city into a bloodbath."


    The man stood up and bowed,pletely unfazed by his superior''s evil words. "Yes, mydy."


    With this, the man left the secret basement, shutting the door behind him. The woman then licked her lips seductively. "Hehe~both of my subordinates died by the same person...and a mere 14-year-old boy, no less. Oh, how excited I am to meet you...Xuan Kai."


    Then, suddenly crushing the apple core in her hand with ease, the woman''s lips twisted upwards into a sinister sneer, and sheughed evilly.


    "Hehehehehe~Shenzhen, and everyone within it, will soon all be mine...just wait a little longer, my servants..."

 Chapter 135 - Strangers

    "E-Eh? E-End our rtionship?" Feng Mian echoed, unsure of what she just heard.


    I nodded. "Yeah. I''ve been acting all friendly with you guys up until now, but it''s about time to drop that facade."


    "H-Huh? W-What are you talking about, Big Brother Xuan Kai...?"


    Qing Yue''s usual cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and her expression was full of false hope. I couldn''t bear to look at her like that, but...for the sake of the girls - their own safety, I have to endure it. Even if it means making the little sister I have always protected sad.


    I sighed, and cleared my throat. "Let me make things simpler for you. Starting tomorrow, the four of you and I, are total strangers. Now then...can you please leave my room?"


    <em>I know I''m being heartless. I know I''m being ungrateful. I know...I know, and yet-</em>


    <em>...This is for their own sake. If I truly care about them...then I must be willing to go against what they want to do, in order to protect them. It hurts...just thinking about never talking with them again hurts. The only thing I can takefort in is the fact that leaving them, is saving them. That''s right...what I am doing is all to protect them...</em>


    <em></em>"X-Xuan Kai-" Yu An Yan began, but I cut her off immediately.


    "Leave."


    Crestfallen, the four girls obediently piled out of my room, Obsidia trailing after them, unfazed by this turn of events at all.<em>She probably doesn''t care at all...as long as I hold up my end of the deal between us two, she couldn''t care less what goes on between humans...in the end, we are two separate races, after all.</em> Unable to speak another word or move a muscle, I watched them leave, pained and frustrated - frustrated with myself for not being strong enough to protect them even if they did follow me.


    <em>When I am powerful enough to protect all of you...if a day like that everes...I''lle back for you all. I promise.</em>


    However, as I was deep in my thoughts, I noticed that Obsidia had stopped in front of me.


    "What do you want?" I asked in a fake irritated tone.


    "...Human, are you sure about this?" she asked,pletely unfazed by my poor attitude. "Even if you wish to keep them safe...I doubt this is the right way to do it."


    <em>Heh...saw right through me, huh? As expected of a dragon...her insights are far greater than that of the other girls. Put simply, she''s an extremely perceptive girl...which could be both a good thing or a bad thing to me. But still...I didn''t expect her toe talk to me about this. I thought she didn''t care for human affairs at all...but it seems I misjudged her character, just a little.</em>


    <em></em>"...I''ll hold up my end of our deal. The rest...I''ll handle on my own," I responded quietly.


    I purposely avoided the topic she brought up, since I didn''t know what to say. Obsidia stared at me for a while more, probably seeing right through me once again, before turning sideways and beginning to head for the door. However, right before shepletely exited the room, she paused once more and nced back at me.


    "Just remember this, human...it is precisely because your path is one of revenge and death, that you will needpanions to remain by your side, and guide you. For on this road, it is very easy to stray away from the right path and lose all morals of right and wrong, falling into eternal bloodthirst. I do not wish to see that happen to you."


    I didn''t turn my head to look at her, but instead remained frozen in ce. However, I still spoke. "...Why are you telling me this?"


    Obsidia scoffed. "Hmph. Do not misunderstand me, human. I am merely concerned that if you lose sight of your humanity, you will forget the deal we made. That would be extremely troublesome for me."


    <em>Asplicated as ever, huh? If I really lose my humanity or even die, all you have to do is find another person to do your bidding. Using this human form of yours, you can easily seduce any man to do whatever you wish.</em>


    <em>...It seems I was wrong about Obsidia. She isn''t a heartless dragon that doesn''t care about humans whatsoever. She tries staying distant with the girls and maintaining a strictly business rtionship with us, but deep down, whether she realizes or not, she has already be friends with the four girls, and Mei Gui as well.</em>


    <em></em>"Don''t worry. I''ve said this before, but I keep my promises...most of the time, anyway." I trailed off at the end, but she didn''t need to hear thatst part.


    The only times I didn''t keep my promises was probably when fighting an enemy or something. Trickery and deceit were perfectly fine tactics to use in real battle. Who gives a damn about pride in a life and death situation? In my opinion, those who hold their honor above their own life are nothing more than fools. What honor is there to uphold after you die?


    Hearing the door nk shut gently, I crashed onto my couch, mentally exhausted. <em>No...if I think about this anymore, I''ll end up regreting my decision. I can''t do that. Because if I do...I might give in to my own weakness. I can''t let that happen.</em>


    <em></em>"Master...was this really the right decision?" Mei Gui asked, concern lining her beautiful midnight ck eyes.


    As expected, she knew my true intention in rejecting them. I am a teenage boy as well...getting any one of those four girls as a girlfriend would be my dream, much less all four of them together. Thus, saying I didn''t like them was a huge lie. The part about leaving on a journey to the Magic Capital and all that? Yeah, that was a lie too. Just something I made up on the spot...though thinking back, I would indeed like to visit the Magic Capital someday.


    I closed my eyes. "I don''t know, Mei Gui...what even is right or wrong? In my opinion, it''s extremely subjective."


    I then sighed. "The things one person thinks are right, may be wrong in another''s eyes. Righteousness...it''s a vague concept that has too many variables surrounding it to be considered something objective." I turned to the crimson-haired girl sitting beside me. "So you tell me, Mei Gui...do you think what I did was right?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "In my eyes, whatever Master does will always be correct."


    I chuckled slightly, but it my emotions didn''t match theughter. "That''s not very helpful..."


    "One day, they will realize the reason you pushed them away today, Master," Mei Gui said quietly.


    I shook my head. "No...it''s better if they never realize. I want them to forget all about me, while I continue venturing down my path of revenge."


    "Master..."


    "Honestly...if weren''t linked to each other by the power of Chaos, I would''ve told you to leave too, Mei Gui," I muttered under my breath. However, she heard it, and immediately stood up.


    "I will never leave Master, even if that is his wish," she replied instantly, and I was a bit taken aback by her unwavering loyalty. I don''t remember doing anything much to earn it, but...remembering what Obsidia said...I guess having apanion indeed isn''t too bad, huh?


    "...I see. Thank you, Mei Gui."


    Mei Gui smiled slightly. "There is no need for gratitude, Master. I exist only to serve and guide you."


    I smiled in return, then checked up on ria, who was currently perched on top my shoulder.


    "Hey, ria. You alive?" I asked. Her eyes were closed, and at first, I just thought she was resting her eyes or something. However...


    "Master, she''s breathing, but unconscious, it seems," Mei Gui noted after taking ria from my shoulder and inspecting her a little.


    I sank into thought. "Hm...now that I think about it, she was unusually quiet during that whole ordeal too, huh?" Then, realizing something shocking, my eyes widened. "No way...could she be...sleeping?"


    "Sleeping while standing like a statue...this is something I have never witnessed before, in any animal," Mei Gui added with a hint of both surprise and curiosity in her eyes.


    "Well...whatever. Let''s not wake her," I said atst. "Mei Gui, you go shower first...I''ll wait."


    "...Understood, Master."


    Mei Gui bowed, and left for the bathroom. Normally, she would''ve protested and suggested I go first, but today...I had many things to think about. I needed a little break, some time to organize my thoughts, before doing anything else. Mei Gui must''ve sensed that using our telepathic connection, and obediently followed my order.


    <em>She''s a perceptive girl too, huh?</em>


    <em></em>I stood up, headed to the windows, flipped open the curtains, and was met with a billowing snowstorm.


    "It''s snowing...was the Fire Elemental excavation incident resolved?"


    I opened the windowspletely, and reached my hand out. Tiny crystalline snowkes fell on my palm, one by one. Unfazed by the coldness at all, I gazed at my hand in wonder as the snow continued to collect and umte.


    "It''s almost time for the new year," I mused, and looked up at the clouded over starry sky. Then, closing my eyes, I clenched my fist, the snow piling out of my hand from the sides and joining the rest, falling to the concrete ground below.


    "A year without you four...ising."

 Chapter 136 - Coincidences, Chance, & Other Delusions

    December 31st. Thest day of the year 2022. Nearly a week had passed since that day, when I suddenly cut off all ties with the girls. Since then, I haven''t seen any of the four girls - Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, and Qing Yue. Actually, let me rephrase. I was<em>purposely</em> avoiding them by staying cooped up in my dorm room, practicing multicasting and various other techniques that didn''t involve blowing stuff up and were weak enough to use within a confined space.


    I wasn''t ''scared'' of seeing them outside after that night, but rather the awkward atmosphere that would ensue. I''m already bad at dealing with people in the first ce; I definitely won''t be able to handle that incredibly awkward feeling as I pass by one or more of the girls outside. And so, for that reason, I haven''t stepped a single inch out of my dorm room for six days straight. But today, was different. I figured my body needed some exercise by now, so I decided to head to the Hunters'' Guild branch in Shenzhen today to pick up a quest. I''m also kind of running low on money, so this is solving two problems at once. Two birds with one stone, as they say.


    I set off for the Hunters'' Guild at 8 AM in the morning. Early departure, early return. I debated this decision in my mind a little bit, since the Hunters'' Guild was known to be extremely crowded in the morning. Just like how 6 PM was peak time for those returning from their day jobs, 8 AM was peak time for us Hunters to ept quests. Thus, I considered goingter in the day, but eventually just went ''screw it'', and ended up still going at 8 AM. The reason for this is that in case one or more of the four girls are also coincidentally at the Hunters'' Guild at the exact same time as me, at least the crowd will help me blend in and inconspicuously escape.


    That was what I thought, anyway. But what really ured, was something far different.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Hunters'' Guild, 8:15 AM -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Ooh, look who it is! Greenhorn, ya still remember me, eh?" a cowboy-esque cosyer dude called out to me. I turned to see who it was, and sighed. I was wearing my Kai Xuan getup, using my ring to transform my eye color and a ck mask as well, but it seems he somehow identified who I was immediately. He was currently sitting on a chair leisurely, not caring for all the traffic going on around him in the least.


    "How did you know it was me?" I asked.


    "Heh, I got a knack for tellin'' who people are!" the cowboy responded haughtily. "Just because you wearin'' some new clothes ain''t mean I won''t be able to tell who ya are. And ya know, ya left quite an impression on me with how you handled a bunch a Veteran Hunters like that."


    <em>Hmm..? Is he refering to how I got them to stop fighting over a girl? Ha. I really only did that to save some time for myself and be the first in line, but sure. If couldn''t hurt to have someone have a favorable impression of me. I''ll just let him keep believing what he''s currently believing and leave it at that.</em>


    "Er...okay," I said after a short silence. "Do you need something from me, or...?"


    The cowboy shook his head. "Nah, just wanted to say hi, ya know? We friends now, ye?"


    <em>Huh? So saying hi to someone means they''re automatically your friend...? First time I''ve ever heard about that theory.</em>


    <em></em>"Uh...sure," I muttered quietly, before heading over to the quest terminal on the left wall with the least people waiting in line. Last time I was here, a beautiful veiled receptionist had shown me how to use it. This time, I would be able to use it myself with no problems. After a while, it was my turn, and I skillfully scanned my Hunter ID card and used the touchscreen to find quests suitable for me.


    <em>Hm...what should I do today...? Last time, I did a simple resource excavation quest. Since my objective today is to obtain enough money to keep me going for a while, and some nice exercise while I''m at it, I suppose I should try something harder. Monster extermination, perhaps? Actually, on second thought, that''s kind of disgusting. I''m used to human blood and gore, but monster intestines? Yeah, I don''t think so. I guess I''ll do a Magic Beast extermination quest, then.</em>


    <em></em>With this in my mind, I clicked the Magic Beast Hunts category on therge screen before me, and after a short little animation as a transition, several quests popped up in front of me.


    <em>Let''s see...Twin-Tailed Tiger Hunt...Griffin Hunt...Quadrafalcon Hunt...hm, none of these are very hard. Understandable, since Shenzhen is a pretty safe ce. These Magic Beasts are probably all on the Avast Mountains, north of my school. Students in higher years go there to train and hunt often, so the area only has weak Magic Beasts and Monsters such as the ones listed on the quests here. Obsidia...was an exception. She didn''t seem to have any intention of harming the human race, so even if I hadn''t met her, there shouldn''t have been any problems.</em>


    <em></em><em>Hm...I could probably take any of these quests on my own. I''ll just give it a shot then...I don''t feel like hunting any flying Magic Beasts since that would be a hassle, so I guess Twin-Tailed Tiger it is.</em>


    <em></em>I clicked on the Twin-Tailed Tiger Hunt quest, and it led me to the familiar quest synopsis screen. The information was as follows:


    <em><strong>Quest Name:</strong> Twin-Tailed Tiger Hunt</em>


    <em><strong>Category:</strong> Magic Beast Hunt</em>


    <em><strong>Elimination Target:</strong> Twin-Tailed Tiger (5)</em>


    <em><strong>Difficulty:</strong> Moderate</em>


    <em>So I have to kill five of them. Shouldn''t be hard...yet the difficulty is rated as ''moderate''? Hm...maybe I''m underestimating these Magic Beasts? I''ve never fought one before. You only learn about them starting from your 3rd Year at the school, after all. </em>


    Putting that matter aside for now, I then scrolled down a bit to see the rest of the synopsis.


    <em><strong>Rank Requirement:</strong> Golden Hunter</em>


    <em><strong>Reward:</strong> £¤5000, 50 Bounty Points</em>


    <em>...</em>


    <em></em><em>Are you shitting me? There''s a damn rank requirement? Curses...I''m still only an Iron Hunter, not even a Bronze! Not to mention getting 1,000 Bounty Points for that Golden Hunter rank...man, this sucks. Guess I can only take another resource excavation qu-</em><em></em>


    My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a certain four people. They had just entered the building, and already attracted the gazes of literally all the male Hunters in the building with their beauty. And these said beauties, were heading towards right where I was, nning to join the line behind me.


    <em>...Wait. It''s them...it''s them! No way...what are the damn odds of this?! Shit...I gotta get out of here somehow, without letting them see me...oh, I know!</em>


    <em></em>I turned my head slightly, and whispered sharply to the dude wearing wild west clothes and arge fedora. "Hey, psst, cowboy!"


    Luckily, he was sitting near me, so I could get his attention easily without raising my voice.


    "Hm? Oh, what do ya need me for, greenhorn? Some guidance on what quests to take? I''ll tell ya, ya best be careful when choosing a quest, don''t just give it a lick n'' a promise, ya hear me-"


    "No, it''s not that!" I quickly cut him off before he could waste more of my time. The clock was ticking, and if I stayed at the quest terminal for too long, the people behind me will get impatient with me, causing amotion and attracting attention to me. So far, the four girls - Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and Qing Yue - didn''t seem to have noticed me yet, but them being in here was a walking time bomb in and of itself.


    The cowboy tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Then what do ya want, greenhorn?"


    "W-We''re friends, right? I need a favor."


    "Yeh, we''re friends, but what''s this all of a sudden?"


    I furrowed my brows. "Uh...don''t pry, please. I just need you to cause amotion, right now. Please."


    "Amotion...?"


    "Yeah, just do something that will attract the attention of everyone here right now. You can pull that off, right?" I asked, close to despair.


    "Well, yeh, but...eh, whatever. It''s a request from a friend, I''ll do it."


    "Many thanks," I said hurriedly, and quickly turned back around to the quest terminal as if nothing had happened. Then, taking a deep breath, I prepared for my grand escape.


    <strong>Thud. Thud.</strong>


    I slowly nced behind me discretely to see what the noise was, and saw that the cowboy had crawled on top of the table, and was now standing on top of it, above everyone else.<em>What the hell is he doing...?</em>


    <em></em>"Listen ''ere, everyone! I got an important announcement to make!" he said in an exceedingly loud voice that no human could produce without the help of a megaphone or speaker.<em>Did he use Sound Magic to amplify his own voice...? Damn, you''re one hell of a serious person, when ites to helping a friend out. I can appreciate that.</em>


    And as all eyes were drawn to this one cowboy, guards and receptionists alike trying to get him off the table, I, unseen by a single soul, discretely left the building, quickly vanishing from sight...though not before turning around for a moment and hearing what this ''announcement'' the cowboy had to make was.


    "I saw this really hot chick the other day, I''m telling y''all, she be fine as hell! A-Ay! Let me go, ya annoyin'' insect! I''m tryna tell a damn story ''ere- Ay!"


    Then, his eyes and mine met, and he tipped his fedora slightly, as if giving a thumbs-up.


    Seeing this gesture and hearing his loud and obnoxious voice, I couldn''t help but chuckle. <em>Man...what a weirdo you are. Still...I''ve got to thank you this time. I owe you one, cowboy.</em>


    <em></em>With this in my mind, I left the vicinity, and began heading back to the school dorms.<em></em>

 Chapter 137 - Lan Xiao Su

    I rang the doorbell to my own dorm room, which must''ve looked weird to anyone around. Luckily, no one was. I could''ve just unlocked the door on my own, but I was toozy to do so. Since Mei Gui was in the room, there was no point in wasting some of my limited amount of mana on this.


    <em>Come to think of it...I''m running kind of low on my mana reserves. During the fight with gue, I barely used the power of Chaos to absorb any of his magic at all. Since he mainly used the poisonous gas which wasn''t magic, I couldn''t absorb it...and even if I could, it would only be bringing toxins into my body.</em>


    <em></em>With this in mind, I decided to ask Mei Gui to cast some spells so I could increase my mana reserve once more.


    Soon enough, Mei Gui came to open the door, and bowed. "Wee home, Master."


    I sighed, and entered the room. "Didn''t I say you shouldn''t bow every time you see me?"


    "Apologies, Master. Habits," she replied bluntly before shutting the door, locking it, anding over to me. "That was a fairly quick excursion. Was Master able toplete a quest?"


    I shook my head. "Nah...while I was trying to get a quest, I ran into...well, nevermind that. Mei Gui, I need a favor."


    She tilted her head. "A favor?"


    "Yeah...I''m kinda running low on mana. How about you?"


    Mei Gui closed her eyes, then opened them again after a short while. "I still have approximately 39.47% of my mana reserve left."


    I sighed. "Well, it seems you''re pretty low as well. I was originally going to ask you to transfer some of your mana to me, but guess not. We''ll just stock up again in the Magic Training Room once school starts up again. We''ll sneak in there sometime."


    "Understood, Master," Mei Gui said with a bow. "However, if you truly wish it, I can give you all of my remaining mana right now-"


    "Nah, I''m not going to do that," I quickly cut her off. It was then that I realized something, and sniffed the air. "Hm...the air smells good for some reason...wait, Mei Gui, did you take a bath or something?"


    She nodded, then averted her gaze, somewhat embarrassed. "Y-Yes, Master..."


    <em>No wonder...ever since I taught her about baths, she''s been enjoying them quite a lot, taking one whenever she has a chance to. Well, not that I''mining.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"You really like bathing, huh?"


    "Yes...it is warm and rxing."


    I looked at her pleased expression, then thought of something. "Hey, Mei Gui."


    "What is it, Master?"


    "Do you want to go see some fireworks?"


    "...Fireworks?" Mei Gui echoed in confusion.


    <em>Huh...looks like she doesn''t know what fireworks are.</em>


    <em></em>"Yeah. They''re these huge, pretty explosions in the sky," I exined. "They are really beautiful at night, trust me."


    Mei Gui''s eyes began to sparkle as soon as I said that, and she quickly clutched my arm. "Master, where can I see these ''fire-works''?"


    I chuckled. "It''s not fire-works, Mei Gui. It''s one word - fireworks. And today is New Year''s Eve...so we can almost certainly see them tonight. Want to go?"


    "Yes, Master!" she let out an cry of excitement, which was extremely rare for her.


    Iughed, and patted her head. "Well then...let''s make some money and grab lunch first, yeah?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Hunters'' Guild, 11 AM -</strong>


    <strong></strong>Mei Gui and I had came back to the Hunters'' Guild 3 hours after I had ran into the four girls at this same exact spot. They would definitely be gone by now, so it would be safe for us to pick out an easy quest andplete it to get money for lunch before 12 PM.


    I was wearing my Kai Xuan getup, while Mei Gui was wearing a simr ck mask and cloak, though hers was a lot more feminine and cute. Still, anyone could tell the two of us werepanions, given how close we looked. It was almost as if we were twins, especially since our hair and eye colors were merely reversed.


    However, since there were many people with far more eye-catching costumes in here - <em>cough </em>cowboy <em>cough</em> - we didn''t attract too much attention, which I was grateful for. Mei Gui received some stares since her proportions were really nice, but unlike the veiled receptionist, her mask waspletely opaque, so it was hard for outsiders to discern that she was really a divine beauty.


    <em>Looks like wearing a mask was the correct choice, huh?</em>


    There were considerably less people in here than earlier, and we were able to find a vacant quest terminal in no time.


    "Mei Gui, I''m just going to do the same quest I didst time," I said, turning around slightly. "Just to save time."


    "Mm. I will as well," she replied calmly.


    "Oh? What quest did you do for your first one, anyway?" I asked, curious.


    "...A resource excavation quest. I had to collect some herbs in the Forest of Fae, west of the Avast Mountains," she answered casually.


    <em>Hm...so it was simr to mine.</em>


    <em></em>"I see..." Then, turning back to the quest terminal screen, I quickly brought up the Cave Exploration quest once more, and epted it, scanning my guild card on the scanner beside the main screen. Most resource excavation quests were repeating, so one could take them as many times as they wanted. There was never ''too much'' gold or useful herbs, after all.


    After I was done, I stuffed my guild card back in my wallet, and pocketed the entire thing. "Alright, I''m done. I''m going to head off first, let''s meet back here at 12 sharp. You have your phone, right?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "Yes, Master."


    <em>Heh...funny how we only got our phones recently, yet it''s already be an indispensable part of our lives.</em>


    "Then, peace for now," I said, waved her goodbye, and left the guild building.


    Mei Gui bowed, which attracted quite a few curious gazes. "Stay safe, Master."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Hunters'' Guild, 12 PM -</strong>


    <em>Whew...that was easy.</em>I had justpleted my quest - it was fairly simple, especially since it was just an exact repetition of something I had already aplished before, and I mean literally the exact same thing. The same cave, the same excavation target, everything...though this time, I didn''t end up running into a dragon, which was good. I looked at my phone. Exactly 12 PM. Scanning my surroundings, I noticed Mei Gui hadn''t returned yet. I decided to just im my reward first.


    Since I wasn''t in too much of a hurry, I decided to just be nice and pick one of the longer lines to wait in. I knew very well how annoying long lines were for someone in a rush, after all. And as usual, the longest line of all was the one on the far right of the room - the one belonging to the veiled receptionist.<em>Damn it...I still don''t know her name. I keep forgetting.</em>


    <em></em>After around twenty minutes or so, it was my turn. Upon seeing me, the veiled receptionist''s name immediately lit up, and she quickly fumbled to pull up a mirror in front of herself, checking if she looked okay. I sighed, seeing her unnecessary actions. <em>You don''t have to be so nervous, I''m not going to eat you...</em>


    "W-Wee to the Shenzhen Branch of the Hunters'' Guild! W-W-What can I help you with?!" she yelped, eyes darting all over the ce, flustered.


    "Er...I just came to collect my reward forpleting a quest," I said truthfully. "How are you doing?"


    "F-Fwah?! I-I, um, am doing fine! Yes!" her cheeks flushed red and she began fidgeting with her fingers nervously. In fact, she was causing so much of a ruckus that the mature receptionist sitting next to her looked over and covered her mouth inughter, as if saying ''ah...youth''. The veiled receptionist then finally came back to her senses and pulled a lever, raising the ss pane that had separated us moments earlier.


    "I see...well then," I continued, pulling out my Space Locket and taking the gold pieces I had excavated out of it. "Here are the gold pieces."


    "A-Ah, right!" the receptionist nervously took the 10 gold pieces over, and ced them in several different baskets, around two to three chunks in each one. She then positioned all the baskets on a conveyor belt behind her, where they would then be transferred into the guild storehouse (that''s what I assumed, anyway).


    After she was done, she turned back to me and pped her hands together. "O-Okay! Next, c-can I have your guild card? I-I know it''s you, but this is just procedure..."


    I nodded. "I understand. Here," I said, taking out my Hunters'' Guild card from my wallet. The veiled receptionist took it, muttered ''Kai Xuan'' under her breath, scanned it on some machine that was simr to the one by the quest terminals, and finally gave it back to me.


    She giggled cutely and made a peace sign gesture with her hands. "Hehe~all done! I-I''ve added the 5 bounty points reward to your profile in the database! And as for the £¤500 cash...here you go..."


    She took out a bundle of bills and ced them on the countertop. I took them gratefully and chuckled.


    "Thanks," I said.


    "N-No problem! This is my job as a receptionist!" she quickly replied.


    I smiled underneath my mask, and remembered to do a certain thing.


    "By the way, what''s your name?" I asked, as casually as possible.


    "E-Eh?! M-My name?! Y-You want to know my name?!"


    I nodded. "Sure...of course, if you don''t feelfortable telling me, then I apologize."


    The receptionist quickly shook her head vigorously. "N-No! Not at all! It''s just...would you mind keeping it a secret?"


    "Of course, if that is what you wish," I replied.


    Then, after a few deep breaths, her eyes began brimming with determination, and she looked directly at me, dropping her tone a little to prevent anyone else from hearing.


    "My name is Lan Xiao Su. You can just call me Xiao Su."


    <em>Lan Xiao Su...could she be rted to Lan Gui Ying, and the Lan family somehow...? Well, it wouldn''t be good to pry here. Maybe I''ll have a chance to ask sometime in the future.</em>


    "Xiao Su, huh..." I murmured quietly. "It''s a pretty name."


    "F-Fwah?! U-Um, t-thank you!" she clutched her cheeks, blushing furiously.


    I smiled - though she couldn''t see it through my mask - and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you, Xiao Su. You''ve helped me out quite a bit so far, and I''m grateful for that. Let me know if you need a favor or anything from me, I''d be d to return my debt."


    "N-No worries! I was just d-doing what a-any receptionist would do..." she trailed off.


    "That may be so, but that doesn''t change the fact that you''ve helped me a lot. I still owe you one, no matter what you say."


    "U-Um..." Lan Xiao Su appeared troubled.


    I sighed. "Well, just keep that in mind. You don''t have to use the favor, but if the time everes...you know what to do, yeah?"


    She considered my proposal for a moment, then nodded her head and beamed brightly. "Yes!"

 Chapter 138 - The New Year

    After my conversation with Lan Xiao Su, I found a vacant seat in the room and sat down as I waited for Mei Gui to finish her quest. A lot of the Hunters who were lined up behind me saw how happy Lan Xiao Su was after talking to me, and red at me in hatred. I ignored them though, and pulled out my phone. I opened up the ''Messages'' app and sent Mei Gui a text.


    [Mei Gui, are you finished yet?]


    I then pocketed my phone...not. The message I had sent appeared as ''read'' instantly, and Mei Gui was already typing back.


    [Yes, Master. I am on my way back to the guild. It should take approximately 5 minutes.]


    [Got it, I''m just sitting on a chair right now. Hard to miss me.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    And after that, I put my phone into sleep, and shoved it back in my pocket. As promised, Mei Gui arrived 5 minutester, and after waving to me she ended up going to the quickest line there was. She still had to wait around 5-10 minutes before it was finally her turn, though.


    Mei Gui soon walked over to me, and talked a little about her quest. Our rewards were more or less the same, since they were both resource excavation quests in the ''easy'' category. In other words, Mei Gui and I were currently equal in term of Bounty Points - we both had 10. 90 more to go in order to be Bronze Hunters.


    In addition, we both received £¤500 each, for a grand total of £¤1,000. The two of us could live off this for around a week or so, as long as we don''t do any excessive shopping or spend any money outside of basic necessities. But since we were on break to school, I had all the time in the world to do more quests, meaning I could secure a good amount of money during this time, up until school starts again...which also means that we could afford to spend a little.


    I turned to Mei Gui. "Let''s go, Mei Gui. It''s lunchtime."


    Mei Guitched onto my arm, clearly excited for the fireworks show I was going to take her to see in the evening. "Yes, Master!"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Hotpot Shenzhen, 12:30 PM -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"This ce..." I murmured.


    "Master, if you are ufortable here, we can go somewhere else," Mei Gui said with concern in her eyes. When I asked her where she wanted to go eat, she had responded with this ce immediately. It was the same ce Feng Mian had rmended to me on our...date? Can it even be called that, at this point?


    Anyway...I had mixed feelings about this ce, but if Mei Gui wanted to eat here, then so be it. I shook my head and smiled to her.


    "Don''t worry, Mei Gui. I''m fine," I said calmly. "The food here was deliciousst time, so I have high expectations," I addedically to ease the mood.


    A waitress hurried over, and by chance, it was the same one who had greeted usst time. She looked at me, then at Mei Gui, then back at me again.<em>What are you thinking right now, waitress-san...?</em>


    The two of us ended up ordering a spicy hotpot this time around, sincest time we were here we ate a non-spicy one, as Qing Yue can''t eat spicy foods. Of course, we also ordered far less ingredients thanst time, since it was just the two of us. The ratio of meat to vegetables was very unbnced though, and there was far more of the former. Sure, it wasn''t healthy and whatever, but honestly? I don''t really care. I''m the type to care more about taste than nutrients, and Mei Gui seemed to be the same (not to say the vegetables here were bad, of course).


    After we finished eating, the waitress brought over our bill. The total cost was around £¤100, which was less than I expected. Still, it was quite a bit, meaning with our puny £¤1,000 budget currently, there''s no way we could afford to eat out everyday. After paying, I looked at Mei Gui.


    "How was it? The food, I mean," I asked.


    Mei Gui wiped her mouth with a napkin, and spoke. "Mm, it was delicious, Master. Thank you."


    I grinned. "Why are you thanking me now? C''mon, the day isn''t over yet."


    I then stood up, and Mei Gui did the same. She tilted her head. "Where do we go now, Master?"


    I sank into thought, then licked my lips as I thought of a good idea.


    "Hm...Mei Gui, have you ever been to an amusement park before?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Happy Valley Shenzhen, 2:30 PM -</strong>


    <strong></strong>Happy Valley - a popr amusement park that has branches all across the world. Shenzhen''s is just one of them. It took Mei Gui and I around half an hour to get here from Hotpot Shenzhen. The tickets here weren''t too expensive, around £¤24 per person. So, Mei Gui and I added together totaled up to be around £¤48 plus tax. Not too bad of a deal, considering the ce was huge, and all the attractions and rides within it could be essed without any further fee. Of course, long waiting lines still existed. That was an inevitable part of any popr amusement park.


    "Where do you want to go first, Mei Gui?" I asked, looking down at the brochure in my hands. "It''s also my first time here, so I''ll leave the decisions up to you."


    "Hm...how about that ''roller coaster'' thing, Master?" Mei Gui instantly pointed towards thergest ride in this whole amusement park. Iughed awkwardly and scratched my cheeks at her daring choice, but since I had already said I would let her pick, I couldn''t back out now. That would made me seem like a wimp.


    <em>Well...it can''t be too bad, right?</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- On the Ride -</strong><strong></strong>


    "HOLLLLLYYYYYY SHIT!"


    I yelled in despair as the roller coaster dropped downwards once more at hypersonic speeds.


    "M-MEI GUI?! YOU OKAY?!"


    "...Yes, Master," she replied calmly, unfazed at all by the thrill of the ride. I, however, hadpletely lost all sense of reason and calmness, and was currently screaming and cursing at the top of my lungs.


    <em>How the hell are you so calm and un-AHHHHH!</em>


    <em></em>...


    In the end, I vowed to never go on a roller coaster again. If it was just the speed from purely the weight of the roller coaster and its riders, then that speed I would be fine with. But in this world of magic, with a little Time and Sky Magic, the speed of the roller coaster could easily surpass that of sound. Of course, all riders were given proper protection using magic barriers, but they were made in a way that while our lives were protected, we still felt every bit of the speed and thrill.


    I found a random bench on the side of the pathway, and hurried over to it. "Man...I''m surprised I don''t want to vomit right about now."


    That ride, put frankly, was extremely intense. However, thanks to there being an invisible Psychic Element barrier that you could walk through stationed at the exit of the ride, as soon as passengers pass through it, all nausea and urges to vomit are cured. Truly a well-designed feature in the amusement park industry, though Happy Valley wasn''t the only one who had it. It was hard to say who invented this in the beginning, but whoever he or she was, they were a genius.


    "Master, are you alright?" Mei Gui asked, sitting down next to me and rubbing my back.


    I gave a weak smile. "Yeah, I''m fine...I just never want to go on that ride again, haha..."


    Mei Gui gave a deep sigh. "Master, if you couldn''t handle it, you should have just told me beforehand. I would have chose something else."


    I shook my head. "Nah, that ride was...quite a thrill for me, but honestly? I''m kind of feeling the rush of adrenaline. It''s just not strong enough to make me actually take that step forward and go on that ride again. What was it called? The Leviathan?"


    "Yes, Master."


    "Huh...certainly lives up to its name," I muttered under my breath. Then, standing up, I continued. "Well then, Mei Gui. It''s still quite early. Where do you want to go next?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 10 PM, Happy Valley Restaurant -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Man...we really lost track of time, huh?" I said with an exasperated sigh.


    "Yes...good thing the amusement park is open all night today, because of the new year," Mei Gui said.


    The two of us were currently eating within the restaurant built directly inside the amusement park. It was just cheap fast food, but I wasn''tining. We already had a delicious lunch, and food wasn''t what amusement parks were famous for, anyway. We ordered some quick hamburgers with fries, and called it dinner.


    Around an hourter, we were finished. 11 PM. In other words, nearly midnight. The fireworks show, would soon be starting.


    "Mei Gui, the fireworks are going to start when the clock hits midnight. Let''s set off now, to find a good vantage point for the show." I suggested, wiping my mouth with a napkin as Mei Gui did the same.


    "Understood, Master. Where do you have in mind?"


    I sank into thought.<em>Hmm...the Avast Mountains? Usually, the higher the ce, the better, for this kind of thing...but nah, it''s too far away. What are some other ces high from sea level...the roof of a skyscraper? Yeah, like hell we''ll be able to get up there without being detected. Those ces always have barriers in ce to prevent the use of the spell Flight. Hm, this is tougher than I expected...we''re in an amusement park, so there isn''t many-</em>


    <em>Wait...amusement park, high ce.</em>


    <em>...That''s it!</em>


    "Kuku..." a grin crept up my face. "Mei Gui, does the Ferris Wheel sound good?"

 Chapter 139 - The Fall Of Shenzhen

    <strong>- The Ferris Wheel, Happy Valley Shenzhen -</strong>


    In order for this n of mine to work, it has to be nned and timed perfectly. Mei Gui and I were currently lined up at the back of the extremely long line...it seems many other people had the same idea as me, and as an aside, most of them were couples. I ran some mental calctions in my head to figure out the best time to enter. If necessary, I would let some other people go in front of us so that we can reach the highest possible spot on the Ferris Wheel right as the fireworks begin.


    <em>Let''s see...there are currently exactly 30 people in front of us. If eachpartment on the Ferris wheel can take 2 people at once, and there are 16partments in total, that means one spin can take 32 people. ording to my observations, one full spin takes exactly 20 minutes. That means it will take 10 minutes for someone entering right now to reach the highest possiblepartment slot. Hence, in order for this n to seed, Mei Gui and I must enter the Ferris Whell at exactly 11:50 PM. It is currently 11:29:50 PM, and starting from when I started timing (11:10), this rotation is about to end.</em>


    <em>The next rotation willst from 11:30 PM to 11:50. And right after that rotation ends, Mei Gui and I have to be the first to enter the vacantpartment, thus starting our ride at exactly 11:50. Since the Ferris Wheel is not continuously moving but instead in a move, pause, move pattern that allows old passengers to get off and new passengers to get on, I do not have to factor in movement and machinery time.</em>


    <em>However, at the rate we are currently going, we are going to end up going on earlier, since there are only 30 people before us. In order for this n to y out perfectly, there must be 32 people in front of us. Since there are still two more rotations before our turn, 16 times 2 = 32.</em>


    I nced behind us. There was a couple standing there - a handsome man and an average-lookingdy - deep in flirting, and they looked to be in university. I grinned.


    "Excuse me," I interrupted their conversation politely.


    The male of the two turned to me. "Hm? Do you need something?"


    I looked between them, and smiled. "Yeah...actually, I really need to use the washroom...could you save my spot for me? Don''t worry, I''ll give you something in return."


    The female tilted her head. "Sure, but what do you mean by giving us something in return...?"


    I chuckled, and pulled Mei Gui over. "I mean, I''m going to let you two go in front of us. Does that sound like a good deal?"


    The couple looked at each other, then back at me. The maleughed. "Sure, kid. Don''t worry, I''ll also keep an eye on your girlfriend there, to make sure no random pervert tries making a move on her. She''s quite the beauty, I can already tell."


    Mei Gui was currently wearing her mask, but it seemed that didn''t hide her beauty in the least. I, however, had my mask off since there was no need for me to wear one.


    I gave him a little wink. "Thank you, senior."


    Then, I sent a telepathic message to Mei Gui.


    [Mei Gui, move behind them.]


    [Why, Master?]


    [Just do it, you''ll know why soon.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    After making sure she had indeed let the couple go in front of her, I appeared to have left the crowd. In reality, however, I was merely hiding behind a tree, observing the situation. After around 15 minutes, I decided enough time had passed, and I walked my way back into the crowded line. Multiple people were displeased with my behaviour, which was to be expected.


    "Hey! What are you doing, butting in line like that!" a man yelled at me, and I made a little praying gesture.


    "Sorry, sorry! My spot is actually way up there...I just had to go use the washroom. You can ask that couple over there, I asked them to save my spot."


    "Oi, is it true?" the man hollered over to the young university couple from earlier.


    The couple both gave the man a nod. "Yeah, he''s telling the truth."


    The man nced at me once more, before making a little ''shoo'' gesture. I apologized with a bow once more, and headed back to my original spot in line...except we were now lined up perfectly for the highest spot possible, just as the fireworks begin. The young couple went on thepartment before Mei Gui and I, and I waved them goodbye.


    Soon enough, it was 11:50 PM. It was finally Mei Gui and I''s turn to enter the Ferris Wheel. The two of us calmly strode in, and thepartment doors nked shut soon after. Mei Gui removed her mask, and let out a deep breath.


    "Master, what was the meaning of letting that couple go first, earlier?"


    I grinned. "Just wait a bit longer, Mei Gui. You''ll see."


    Then, after a short while, the Ferris Wheel began moving. We moved up a slot, and remained in ce once more. This pattern repeated for the next 10 minutes.


    <em>11:50 - Slot 0 (or 16).</em>


    <em>11:51:15 - Slot 1.</em>


    <em>11:52:30 - Slot 2.</em>


    <em>11:53:45 - Slot 3.</em>


    <em>11:55 - Slot 4.</em>


    <em>11:56:15 - Slot 5.</em>


    <em>11:57:30 - Slot 6.</em>


    <em>11:58:45 - Slot 7.</em>


    By this time, Mei Gui and I were in the second top-most position, and we could see the entire city already from here. I noticed the skyscraper I had considered going to before, had a timer on a monitor built in to its walls. Indeed - it was counting down to 00:00 AM, January 1st, 2023.


    <em>11:59:50 - The Ferris Wheel resumed moving, from Slot 7.</em>


    At the same time, the timer on the skyscraper zoomed in, and turned into just pure numbers. I doubted I could really hear it from all the way here, but I could''ve sworn I heard the cheers of the crowd below, within that skyscraper''s za, counting down along with the timer on the massive monitor.


    I stopped looking outside the window, and nced at Mei Gui. "Get ready, Mei Gui. The fireworks, are about to start."


    "Mm!" Mei Gui''s eyes were sparkling with anticipation, and I chuckled, seeing her excitement.


    <strong>"10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4!"</strong>


    The Ferris Wheel began to slow down-


    <strong>"3! 2! 1!"</strong>


    nk. The Ferris Wheel came to a stop, right as the timer hit 0.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    Brilliant fireworks shot out from the roof of the skyscraper, and bloomed into beautiful flowers that painted the dark night sky rainbow as they reached a certain altitude.


    "Woah..." Mei Gui pressed her face even closer to the ss window, and gazed in wonder at the mystical fireworks of the new year.


    "..." There was a lot I wanted to say in this moment, but in the end, I chose to kept quiet and just let her enjoy the view. I too, gazed out the window. I had witnessed fireworks before...but I had to admit, never from such a high ce. The spectacr sight to behold were far beyond my expectations. Before I knew it, I was smiling gently, as a tear streaked down my cheek.


    "H-Huh...?" I shook my head and brought a hand to my right cheek, softly caressing the skin that had been wet by the tear.


    <em>Why am I...crying? It''s not like this is my first time seeing fireworks...if Mei Gui cried tears of joy, I could understand, but what about me...? This isn''t my first time, this isn''t my first time...</em>


    <em>...Ah, that''s right. This isn''t my first time. Thest time I saw fireworks...was also thest fond memory I had of my father, mother, and I being all together outside the residency of the Xuan family. After that day, we had been confined to our tiny little house, unable to ever see fireworks, or make beautiful memories again...</em>


    I looked down at my palm, as a single tear dropped from my eye onto it. My hand slowly enclosed itself into a fist, and I closed my eyes.


    <em>Mother...Father...I love you.</em>


    And although I knew I wasn''t ever going to get a response, I still spoke these words. Because I knew - I knew that while they were long gone from the real world, as long as I still remembered them, they will forever live on...within the lonely depths of my own heart.


    Before I knew it, the Ferris Wheel began moving again as a light rain started pouring outside, and I snapped back to my senses. I quickly wiped away any traces of tears, and put a smile on my face.


    "So? Mei Gui, how did you like the show?" I asked.


    Mei Gui finally turned around, and gave me a genuinely happy smile. "It was beautiful, Master...I loved it."


    I patted her head gently. "I see...that''s good. I have noints either..."


    Then, remembering something, I chuckled and continued. "Oh, the only thing though? The next time we''re here, Mei Gui, you''re going to have to go on that Leviathan ride by yourself, haha..."


    Her eyes immediately lit up even further. "There will be...a next time?"


    I smirked. "Of course. You had fun today, didn''t you?"


    She nodded. "Yes...I loved everything about today."


    "Then, we''ll have to work hard to get more money. Once we do that, we cane here whenever we want, yeah?"


    "Yes, Master!" she eximed, thentched onto my arm happily.


    <em>Hm...? Since when was she open with her emotions? Actually...it''s not just her. Since when was I so doting on someone, apart from Qing Yue...? I don''t know if this is thanks to our Chaos connection or whatever, but I feel inclined to protect Mei Gui, and I''m guessing she feels the same about me. We were like family, in a sense, despite having only met not even a month ago.</em>


    <em>...Guess she''s not the only one who changed, huh? Am I...opening up to people more? Am I...gradually understanding the word ''friends''? The word ''love''? I do not know...but there is one thing I can be certain of.</em>


    <em>Mei Gui...I will forever treasure you, and will do anything to protect you. I know that ever since you were awakened, you have been the one protecting me, but...I promise, I will get stronger very soon. And when I do...I will never let a single soul as much as touch a strand of your hair. Just wait for me, Mei Gui...</em>


    The mood was nice and rxing, as the fireworks continued to majestically explode in the sky. However, then, as if denying a single moment of peace for me, another loud explosion ensued. It came from the direction of the za, but there was just one thing off about it...


    <strong>...It was not the sound of fireworks.</strong>

 Chapter 140 - The Midnight Invasion

    "What was that?!" I immediately stood up and nced out the ss of the Ferris Wheelpartment. What I saw, was something far too horrifying to be perfectly captured by mere words alone. This, was the invasion gue had talked about.


    Massive ck humanoid creatures loomed across the skyscraper za, destroying everything in their way. The most terrifying thing about them, however, was that I had witnessed a simr lifeform to them before - in the battle with my former brother, Xuan Kun. During the fight, he had drank an unknown elixir, then turned into a monster that looked exactly like the creatures ravaging the city right now. In order to get a better idea of what is going on, I decided to enhance my eyesight temporarily.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Oculus.</em>


    Upon zooming in to the apocalyptic scene below, however, I grimaced. Not a single human could be seen. My guess was that they either were crushed under all the destruction caused...or had turned into these monsters themselves.


    <em>But that left one question - how was everyone morphed like so? From what I know, Xuan Kun had consumed an elixir before transforming...but I doubt the Midnight Syndicate started up a drinks shop or something and ended up selling these elixirs to oblivious people. That wasn''t how they did things...</em>


    "Master, look," Mei Gui said, pointing below us. The humans down there have been transformed as well, and they were trying to w their way up the Ferris Wheel.


    "This is bad...we have to get out of here before this thing copses," I muttered in frustration.


    <em>Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus.</em>


    <em></em> I aimed my spell at the window of the Ferris Wheelpartment we were currently in, which shattered uponing into contact with my magic. I turned to Mei Gui.


    "C''mon, this way."


    Then, I leapt off the Ferris Wheel through the hole I just created, and Mei Gui soon followed.


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    Luckily, both of us were wearing ck hoodies underneath our cloaks (since Mei Gui insisted a couple weeks ago that she wanted to match with me), so the two of us both pulled over our hoods to shield ourselves against the rain as soon as we jumped out. We also activated Flight, and were now soaring through the air, grimacing at the scene of chaos and destruction below.


    <strong>CRASH!</strong>


    Not even a minute after Mei Gui and I left the Ferris Wheel, the whole thing copsed from the weight of all the monsters that had crawled up on it. I didn''t know if there were any other survivors besides us, but...now wasn''t the time for that.


    "Let''snd on solid ground first, then discuss what to do from here..." I suggested, then nced into the distance, spotting one of the few still-safe areas of the city that didn''t seem to have been obliterated yet - the school campus.


    I then took off in the direction of the school, Mei Gui following closely behind.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Boys'' Dormitories, Shenzhen Magic High School -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Finally...we can take a breather," I said, sitting down on the floor. Mei Gui sat down beside me, and the two of us didn''t even bother removing our hoods, since we probably would have to head out again once the monsters reached here. It was only a matter of time, after all.


    I clenched my fists. "The Midnight Syndicate is the one behind this...no doubt about it...so this is what you meant, gue...how cunning. To think you used Xuan Kun as a test subject in preparation for this cmity."


    Mei Gui then removed her hood. "What should we do now, Master?"


    "By now, the city government should''ve began emergency procedures. Let me check my phone real quick."


    Saying this, I took out my phone from my pocket and unlocked it. I fired up the News app and saw the first headline:


    <strong>[EMERGENCY: Shenzhen Citizens]</strong>


    <strong></strong>I frowned and clicked into the article. It read:


    <strong>All Shenzhen citizens, please evacuate to the Coastal Metropolis. It is our designated safe zone from the ongoing catastrophe. We are currently uncertain as to who or what is behind this disaster, but we assure you, this problem will be resolved soon, under the efforts of the city guard and government officials. For now, please just evacuate to the Coastal Metropolis.</strong>


    <strong>Warning: This is not a drill.</strong>


    <strong>We repeat: This is NOT a drill.</strong>


    <strong>- Shenzhen Government</strong>


    I shut off my phone, then looked at Mei Gui. "For now, we''re going to the safe zone. And then..."


    I gritted my teeth, and trailed off.<em>Feng Mian...Qing Yue...Yu An Yan...Yu An Xue...where are you guys? I shouldn''t care about you anymore, and yet...damn it.</em>


    <em></em>I shook my head. "Whatever...Mei Gui, let''s go."


    However, when I started walking towards the front doors, Mei Gui didn''t follow. Instead, she was staring down at her palm in great focus.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Mei Gui finally looked up. "Master, this rain water...there''s something off about it."


    I tilted my head, and began moving to acquire a sample for myself from the leftover rainwater on my cloak, but Mei Gui quickly stopped me.


    "Don''t touch the water, Master. It is not as simple as it seems."


    I slowly moved my hand away, and furrowed my brows. "What do you mean?"


    "Don''t you find it odd, how everyone in the open was turned into monsters, but we, who were within an enclosed space - the Ferris Wheel - were not?"


    My eyes widened. "You mean...the culprit is this rain?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "Of course, this is just mere spection, but...it is highly likely that the Midnight Syndicate diluted gue''s elixir into the rain water somehow, thus causing this catastrophe."


    <em>Curses...if any of the girls were outside and hit by the rain-!</em>


    <em></em>"Now that I think about it...the rain did indeed start quite suddenly, during the fireworks show," I muttered. "Luckily, when we jumped out of the Ferris Wheel, we both pulled over our hoods..."


    Mei Gui nodded. "I am immune to this substance, since I believe this is meant to target humans only. However...if Master were to have touched the rain, there is no telling what would''ve happened."


    I sighed. "Most likely, I would''ve became one of those monsters too...and I doubt the Chaos energy within me would be able to stop the transformation."


    "Yes...as of right now, that is. If Master keeps evolving and improving at this pace, then should such a cmity befall once more, Master would have no problem dealing with it."


    I smiled in return. "Yeah...I''ll definitely keep getting stronger and stronger, until no one can oppose me anymore."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 20 Minutes Later, The Coastal Metropolis -</strong><strong></strong>


    Mei Gui and I flew to the Coastal Metropolis in a little under 20 minutes. On the way, we were spotted by numerous monsters, but luckily for us, they did not possess the ability to fly.


    <em>Well...even if they did, I can always just run faster than them. I mean, if all of these monsters have the same stats as Xuan Kun after consuming that elixir, then they shouldn''t be too fast. Instead, their power lies in their physical strength and invincible defense that normal spells have no effect on.</em><em></em>


    <em>Although...it would be better to assume the elixir had gone through some improvements since gue used Xuan Kun as ab rat. After all, that''s what experiments were for - testing and improving the target based on observations and results.</em>


    Inded gently right in front of the main entrance of the Coastal Metropolis...or rather, the barrier that had been evoked all around the massive shopping mall. Two people wearing the dark blue city guard uniform immediately ran over to me.


    "You two, are you alright?" the first asked. He wore a moustache, and gave off a ''loyal servant'' kind of feel.


    I nodded. "Yes, fortunately."


    I decided to cover up the fact that Mei Gui and I flew here, since the guards were undoubtedly going to ask for my identity. Once they find out who I am and see that I didn''t possess an affinity for Sky Magic - at least on the surface - many problems would arise.


    "Good to hear. What''s your name?" the second guard continued, pulling out a notepad from his breast pocket.


    "Xuan Kai," I replied truthfully.


    "Xuan Kai, huh...a student at Shenzhen Magic High School, correct?" he continued.


    "Yes sir."


    "Very well...and her?" the second guard pointed at Mei Gui with his chin.


    "Her name is Mei Gui," I responded. "Believe it or not, she''s actually my golem."


    The first guard raised an eyebrow. "A golem? But she looks so much like a real person..."


    Iughed awkardly. "Ah...she was pretty expensive, haha...."


    The two guards were evidently skeptical, but they didn''t pry, which I was thankful for.


    "Alright, you guys can head in," the first guard said after the second had finished jotting our names down.


    "Before that, is it alright if I ask you two a question?" I asked.


    "Heh, you just did, brat!" the second guard said with a chuckle.


    <em>Haha, very funny. I''m dying ofughter, haha.</em>


    <em></em><em>...No, I''m not.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Er...I''ll take that as a yes," I continued, unfazed by the second guard''s cringy joke. "Have you guys seen four girls? One of them has blonde hair, and the other three you should recognize - Qing Yue, daughter of the Qing family matriarch, and the Yu sisters."


    The guards looked one another, then back at me. "Sorry pal, but we haven''t seen them. They may have entered from another entrance though, so don''t be too down yet."


    They seemed to have figured out my intentions in asking this question (which wasn''t that hidden anyways), and were nowforting me like an adult treating a child.


    "Thank you anyway," I said with a bow, before entering the building along with Mei Gui.


    Before they werepletely out of earshot, I managed to pick up on a little bit of their exchange.


    "Hey, that kid...does he have some rtionship with the Qing and Yu family heiresses? Xuan Kai...from what I know, he was exiled out of the Xuan family from a young age for having no magic, then around a month ago suddenly acquired element affinities somehow. It caused quite an uproar here in Shenzhen."


    "I don''t know, man. But he''s a good kid, I can tell. At least, he doesn''t have any harmful intentions when asking about those girls...he was just concerned, that''s all. Who knows? Maybe he has a crush on them or something?"


    "Haha! All three of them? Man...he''s got quite the ego, I''ll give him that."


    "Well, he may actually have the skills to back that ego up. There''s that ''expensive'' golem of his, too. Every man has a secret, you know."


    "Yeah yeah...oh, herees another survivor."


    "What''s with this evacuation anyway? I haven''t even seen any of these so-called monsters."


    "Ha! I bet I could take down five of them all by myself."


    "Woah there, you were just talking about that kid''s ego, and now look at yourself. I don''t think you should be so confident when you haven''t even actually seen any of the monsters yet."


    "Hmph! Man...it''s the new year too. Can''t believe I got caught up in this."


    "Haiz...we just follow orders. It''s what we do."


    I looked behind me onest time, confirming the new survivor wasn''t any of the four girls, then entered the mall.


    <em>Now then...I hope you''re safe, everyone.</em>

 Chapter 141 - The Calamity Descends

    "Mei Gui, we''ll split up here...you know who to look for," I said once we were inside the building. "If you do find one of them...give me a call."


    "Understood, Master...but didn''t you cut all ties with them already?"


    I averted my gaze. "I did...t-this is an exception. Once this disaster is over, we''ll each go our separate ways."


    Mei Gui stared ufortably at me for a while more, then finally sighed and began walking away. "As you wish, Master."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 30 Minutes Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>No...none of them are here. I''ve searched an entire half of the mall, and Mei Gui searched the other half. Neither of us found any of the four girls.</em>


    <em>Damn it...why am I doing this? I''ve already severed all ties with them...so then why do I still care so much?! Was this...what they called ''affection''? No...impossible. I do not understand</em> what<em> love is...so I shouldn''t be capable of it, either. But if so...then what is this feeling of dread and worry within my heart that is growing by the second?</em>


    <em></em>Suddenly, my phone rang, bringing me back to reality. I immediately picked it up after seeing it was from Mei Gui, hope in my heart.


    "So? Mei Gui, did you find them?"


    "...Unfortunately not, Master."


    I gritted my teeth. "...I understand. Rendezvous with me at the main gates."


    "Understood, Master."


    I hung up the call, and headed for the main gates. Mei Gui came along soon after, and I told her my n.


    "Mei Gui, we''re leaving here."


    "Leaving...the safe zone, Master?"


    I nodded. "The girls aren''t here...there''s a good chance they are trapped outside, somewhere. Knowing those idiots, it wouldn''t be a surprise if they jumped in to help out someone else in danger..."


    Mei Gui sighed. "Aren''t you doing the exact same thing as them right now, Master?"


    I was caught off guard for a moment, but quickly rposed myself. "N-No, this is different. I''m just pulling some fools out of harm''s way."


    Mei Gui stared at me with a deadpan expression that said, ''isn''t that just the same thing''?


    I looked away. "A-Anyway...the guards at the front gates where we came in weren''t that strong. We should be able to get by easily with some Shadow Magic. The barrier shouldn''t have any effect on us either, as it was meant to keep things out, not prevent anyone already inside from leaving."


    <em>Who else apart from us would want to go out into that monster-infested sorry excuse of a city now, anyway?</em>


    "Understood, Master."


    "Hold up you two!" a sudden voice came out of nowhere.


    I looked around to see who it was, but found no one. "Hey, Mei Gui, is it just me, or did someone just yell out something to us?"


    Mei Gui tilted her head. "Yes, I thought I heard something as well...but I don''t see anyone..."


    "..." I nced left and right at my surroundings, but still couldn''t see anyone close enough to us to have such a loud voice.


    "I''m down here, you idiots!" the loud voice shrieked once more, and the two of us both looked down.


    A tiny fluffy orange bird stood there, arms on her waist and cheeks puffed out. I was very familiar with this adorable animal, and I also knew full well her true form wasn''t adorable in the least.


    "ria...?"


    "Yeah, that''s my name, you turd!"


    "Did I not tell you to call me Master?" I said, frowning.


    "Huh?! How am I supposed to call a shitbag who literally just abandoned me ''Master''?" she shot back.


    "What...? When did I ever do that...oh."


    <em>Right...I may or may not havepletely forgotten about her existence. I had left her in the house after taking off with Mei Gui at 11 AM today, and haven''t seen her since. W-Well, how was I supposed to know this disaster would happen today?</em>


    <em></em>"About that...sorry," I muttered. "But more importantly, how did you even get here on your own?"


    "Hmph! Of course I, as a great phoenix, was able to make it in here with ease." ria dered, puffing out her chest in triumph.


    "...Sure, but how exactly did you do it?" I asked, still skeptical.


    "T-That''s not important!"


    "That''s<em>very</em>important! You didn''t go showing your real form or any-"


    "Master...there''s people staring at us," Mei Gui cut in, and I quickly stopped talking. ncing at my surroundings, I picked up ria and the three of us headed for somewhere more isted.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>"...So in other words, you hitchhiked your way in here," I concluded, a less-than-impressed expression on my face."


    "W-What else was I supposed to do?! You forbid me from showing my real form, so I have no other way but to do this!" ria cried.


    Basically, what happened was ria hadtched onto a survivor''s backpack, and hidden herself within it without the owner (or any of the city guards at the entrances, for that matter) noticing. Then, after sessfully getting in the mall, she had leapt off the backpack and came looking for me.


    I facepalmed. "Honestly, it''s a miracle you didn''t get identally stepped on or something." I gave her a smile, which felt a bit forced. "But never mind that, I''m d you''re safe."


    "Hmph! I don''t care one bit about you!" ria pouted, then looked away. "But since I did lose that fight...as a proud phoenix, I will naturally honor my promise. That''s why I''m going to start calling you ''Master'' from now on. But that doesn''t mean I''ve forgiven you or anything, got it?!"


    I was a little taken aback by her sudden outburst, but that surprise soon turned to relief as I realized this was just her way of showing thanks for my concern. I then turned to Mei Gui.


    "Uh, Mei Gui?"


    "Yes, Master?"


    "D-Do you still have the girls saved on the contacts list of your phone?


    "Yes, I do...why?"


    "Er...could you give one of them a call or something? Ask them where they are, whether or not they are safe..." I trailed off.


    "...Master, is there some reason you cannot call them on your own?"


    "No, not really, but I mean...it would be awkward, you know? So let''s just have you do it instead."


    "...The moment they see my name on the caller ID, they will know it was Master that instructed me."


    "S-Still! Better than talking to them directly," I coughed, desperate for Mei Gui to ept my request.


    She stared at me for a while more, then finally gave in with a sigh. "Very well, Master."


    Then I remembered something, and turned to ria. "Oh, by the way, ria...did you touch the rainwater, by any chance?"


    "The rain? Yeah, I did. It''s all dried off by now though," she replied nonchntly.


    I looked at Mei Gui, who had her hand at her chin, deep in thought. "ria is a phoenix, making her automatically immune to the poison, which was originally meant to target humans only."


    Hearing this, I sighed in relief. "It''s true, I haven''t seen any animal or Magic Beast-shaped monsters..."


    "Huh? What poison?" ria asked.


    "The humans outside getting turned into monsters...it''s because of the rainwater," I exined. "The Midnight Syndicate mixed in some dangerous substance into the rain, thus causing any humans who came into contact with the rain to transform into these mindless zombies."


    Mei Gui nodded along. "Correct. And I believe that it takes a certain amount of time for the transformation to take ce, since I recall it had started raining far before the transformations actually began."


    "Wait...if that''s the case, then what if people who were hit with the rainwater but have yet to transform, enter this safe zone?!" ria cried in rm, and I narrowed my eyes.


    "That''s certainly a possibility, but-"


    ria shook her head. "No! It''s not just a possibility...the person I hitchhiked onto...she was definitely hit by some rain since she didn''t have a hoodie, hat, or umbre, but at the time of passing the guards, she was still human..."


    My eyes widened. "No way..."


    Mei Gui and I looked at one another, then turned back to ria. "Do you know where that person is now?" I asked urgently.


    "No...I leapt off right after we passed the guards...but I think she was heading to the bathroom or something, her behaviour was a bit off..."


    I gritted my teeth. "Damn it...she''s probably already transformed by now. Mei Gui, let''s go. ria, lead the way to that bathroom."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- A Certain Abandoned Building, Shenzhen -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Mydy, phase one of the n isplete," a robotic-like man said, kneeling on one knee.


    "Good, good..." the seductive woman sitting on a chair mused. She was, once again, eating an apple. "I can tell, my cute little servants are slowly but surely obliterating this city...ehehehe~oh, wait. What''s this? There''s still a portion of the city my servants haven''t destroyed yet...?"


    "...It seems the humans have set up a safe zone," the man continued, remaining in the kneeling position like a loyal ve.


    The woman chuckled. "Yes, indeed they have...how adorable. Puny little rats trying their best to dy the inevitable."


    "Mydy, shall we begin phase two?"


    The woman shook her head gently. "No, not yet. Let''s let these rats y around with the insects for a little longer, giving them a false sense of hope. Then, just when they are feeling victorious...we''ll send in the cats."


    "A cunning n, mydy. As expected."


    "Yes, indeed...hm?" the woman suddenly sat up straight in her chair, as if suddenly receiving some shocking news. "Oho...what''s this?"


    "What is it, mydy?"


    The woman gave a evil cackle. "Ohoho...it seems that the safe zone these adorable mice have so cutely set up, isn''t that safe anymore."

 Chapter 142 - Suspect Located

    <strong>- The Coastal Metropolis, Floor 1 Female Bathroom Entrance -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Is this the spot?" I asked, looking around for any suspicious people.


    ria nodded from atop my shoulder. "Yep, this should be where that person was heading to when I got off."


    "..."


    "What''s the matter, Master?" Mei Gui asked, seeing my reluctant attitude.


    "W-Well...I mean, this is still a female bathroom, even if it''s an emergency. If someone saw me going in there with you, they''ll automaticallybel me a pervert with no chance of parole," I exined. "That''s why..."


    "Understood, Master," Mei Gui said before I could finish my sentence. "I shall investigate first."


    "Many thanks..." I muttered, feeling slightly guilty for some reason.


    Mei Gui turned around, and headed inside.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- 5 Minutes Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"So? Did you find anything?" I asked immediately once Mei Gui came into view once more.


    She shook her head. "I wasn''t able to search stall by stall since some of them were being used, but at least on the surface, no one seemed suspicious."


    I sighed. "Then I guess they aren''t here, most likely. I''m more concerned about Feng Mian and the others..."


    I spun on my heel and prepared to leave, but I then noticed someone who had just came out of the female bathroom, walking towards us. She was a familiar face, yet not a pleasant one.


    "...Lan Gui Ying?"


    "Hmph, who gave you the right to call my name like that, trash?" Lan Gui Ying said condescendingly, crossing her arms.


    Since I wasn''t wearing my ring at the moment, my disguise of Kai Xuan wasn''t up and she was able to tell immediately who I was. However, I ignored her insult, and turned around. "Let''s go."


    "Hold it, Master!" ria suddenly whispered sharply into my ear.


    I raised an eyebrow, but since I was facing away from Lan Gui Ying, she couldn''t tell.


    "What, ria?"


    "...It''s her. She''s the one."


    "She''s the...no, you don''t mean-"


    "Yes! She''s the person I hitchhiked!"


    <em>Are you kidding me...what are the odds of this? She still seems to be human right now, but like Mei Gui said, the transformation process takes a while. But the city guards stationed at the entrances still don''t know that the culprit is the rainwater, so in reality there''s a good chance many soon-to-be monsters are already lurking around in this so-called safe zone.</em>


    <em></em>I slowly nced behind me. "...I have one question for you, harlot."


    "Huh?! The hell did you just call me?!" Lan Gui Ying eximed angrily, walking over closer.


    I ignored her fury, and continued. "...Has the rain outside ever touched your bare skin?"


    "What are you asking, you damn pervert?!" she yelled in confusion. "Hey! Everyone! Look, there''s a pervert here!"


    I narrowed my eyes at her insolent shouting. Walking closer, I immediately grabbed her by the throat with ease, and mmed her into the wall.


    "G-Guh...w-what are you-"


    "I''ll repeat the question onest time, you damn slut. Have you ever came into direct contact with the rain outside?"


    "I-I...d-don''t know...what you''re...talking about..." she croaked, running out of breath since I was choking her.


    <em>...Really? Like hell I''m going to believe that...</em>


    <em></em>"Master, people came," Mei Gui said quietly.


    "Tch..." I let go of Lan Gui Ying''s throat, and she copsed to the floor, gasping for air. I spun around to be met with Li Mu Shen and some other ex-ss A students at Shenzhen Magic High School. After my ss took first ce at the tournament, their ss had been pushed down to the ss B position. Undoubtedly, they held a grudge against us.


    <em>And now that I hurt his girlfriend...yeah, he''s definitely not going to just let us walk away from this.</em>


    <em></em>"M-Mu Shen!" Lan Gui Ying cried, getting to her feet and running over to Li Mu Shen. I didn''t interfere.


    "Ying''Er, are you okay?!" Li Mu Shen asked in worry.1


    Lan Gui Yingtched onto Li Mu Shen''s arm and hid behind it, making a fearful expression and pointing at me. "I-I''m fine, but...I was almost raped by him!"


    Hearing this, Li Mu Shen narrowed his eyes and red at me. Hisckeys did the same.


    "Oi oi, you piece of shit...how dare you try to rape my girlfriend?"


    "Hmph. Rape? Her?" I scoffed. "She''s not nearlydylike enough."


    "You-" Lan Gui Ying began, but Li Mu Shen silenced her with a stop gesture.


    "You might think you''re hot stuff, always hanging around the top four beauties of Shenzhen, but they are clearly just messing around with you! Who in their right mind would want to be together with a bastard like you?" he said with augh. "You may have gotten magic or whatever now, but trash will always be trash, haha!"


    <em>Messing around with me? Hah. I wonder what his reaction would be like if I told him all four of them confessed to me not long ago.</em>


    I ignored their pitiful insults and walked straight towards them. Mei Gui trailed behind me menacingly, and ria sat on top of my shoulder, watching every tiny movement.


    I stared straight into Li Mu Shen''s eyes, and spoke. "I won''t waste any more time. I''ll just ask one thing - can I leave?"


    Li Mu Shenughed boisterously. "Hahaha! You think we''re just going to let you get away unharmed after all the things you''ve done to me, and ss A as a whole?! Even if you knelt and licked my shoes, I wouldn''t even consider it!"


    "Yeah, though so..." I muttered.


    "What was that?"


    I shook my head. "Nothing. I just wanted to remind you that you''re not ss A anymore. I am. And honestly? It''s pretty unfortunate you guys didn''t get killed by one of those monsters out there. Oh, but I guess it''s fortunate at the same time, since now I can kill you with my own two hands. What I favor I am doing for the by cleansing the world of idiots like you."


    Since they were probably in the school dorms when the disaster happened, they were spared from being struck by the rain head-on. Moreover, when I went back to the dorms earlier, the ce hadn''t been destroyed yet, meaning it was still rtively safe. That is also the reason why Lan Gui Ying and now these other schoolmates of mine were able to make it here to the safe zone.


    <em>Truly...unfortunate. It would have saved me a lot of trouble if they just died outside.</em>


    "You bastard-!" Li Mu Shen gritted his teeth in anger. Then, turning to his aplices, he yelled, "Get him, together!"


    I smirked. "Come at me, morons."


    <strong>"THAT''S ENOUGH!"</strong>


    <strong></strong>A booming voice came out of nowhere, and the students who were so eager to throw offensive spells at me just moments ago were now shrinking back. Even Li Mu Shen backed off a fair bit, as the neer made his entrance.


    "P-Principal Song?" Li Mu Shen murmured quietly.


    "Yes I am!" Song Qian Long thundered, menacingly walking towards us. "What are you fools thinking, starting a fight in the middle of a safe zone?! Right during this ongoing catastrophe outside, no less. You have brought the entire school to shame!"


    "H-He started it!" Li Mu Shen cried, pointing at me with trembling fingers. Song Qian Long was just that scary, it seemed. I wasn''t affected by his oppressive aura though, possibly thanks to the power of Chaos.


    I sighed. "Please, you sound like a 5 year old whining about who started a fight."


    "Y-You-!"


    "Xuan Kai! Come with me," Song Qian Long interrupted, before turning on his heel. "As for Li Mu Shen and the rest of you...I will handle you once this disaster is over."


    Mei Gui and I nced at each other, then nodded. I raised my hand.


    "Uh, sorry, but I kind of have things to do. Can I<em>not</eme with you?"


    Song Qian Long turned around and stared at me right in the eye. "You have toe with me right now, whether you like it or not."


    Deep within his eyes, they were actually begging for me to go with him. I could choose to defy him here, but then that would leave his reputation ruined as the ferocious Dragon of Shenzhen, seeing as how he wouldn''t be able to raise his hand against me. And so, I decided to y along.


    "Fine...but you better make this quick," I muttered.


    If it had been back then before the Advancement Exams, I likely wouldn''t have even cared about his reputation or anything. But after knowing he was actually my godfather, and someone who had helped me out quite a bit so far...I can''t bring myself to do that anymore. And so, Mei Gui, ria, and I followed Song Qian Long out of the female bathroom entrance, as Li Mu Shen, Lan Gui Ying, and theirckeys watched on in fear.


    <em>Song Qian Long...what the hell do you need me for, this urgently? I doubt it''s to issue a punishment or anything for starting a brawl back there, but...I hope this is really important. Important enough to make me dy checking on the four girls.</em>


    <em>Come to think of it...Mei Gui still hasn''t made that call, since I interrupted with a sudden question for ria about the rainwater...damn it. They could be in danger at this exact moment, and I''m stuck in here following an old geezer.</em>


    <em></em>As these feelings of worry and frustration grew stronger by the second, little did we know, Lan Gui Ying''s mind and consciousness was getting hazier and hazier.


    Slowly, she was beginning to transform. Ying''Er is an affectionate way of calling Lan Gui Ying.

 Chapter 143 - Preparations

    "So? What did you need me for, old geezer?" I asked impatiently.


    We were currently in an isted hallway of the Coastal Metropolis mall. The only ones present were Song Qian Long, Mei Gui, ria, and I. However, Song Qian Long didn''t know ria''s true identity, so he just assumed she was a pet of mine and didn''t pay her much attention.


    "This sudden invasion...was the work of the Midnight Syndicate, wasn''t it?" Song Qian Long asked quietly.


    I nodded. "Yeah, this is most likely the operation gue was talking about. I already warned you of this beforehand though...shouldn''t we have been prepared for this?"


    Song Qian Long shook his head slowly. "I did report this to the higher-ups at the IMF branch here in Shenzhen, but the mayor did not take me seriously at all."


    <em>Hm...that would be understandable if it were anyone else telling the mayor the news, but with Song Qian Long''s reputation and social standing, can his words really be so easily brushed off like that? There was definitely something fishy going on here, and I didn''t like where it was going.</em>


    <em>Could the mayor...be a spy from the Midnight Syndicate? I''ve only ever seen his face on the news before, and he seemed like a decent person. But I knew too well that what people show on the surface, can be very different from who they are deep down.</em>


    I sighed. "Well, I can''t help you there. I already did more than enough by telling you the information I got."


    "I know, Kai Kai, and I am grateful," Song Qian Long replied. He looked slightly tired, and his aged face and wrinkles didn''t help.


    "So? I don''t believe that was all you called me here for."


    "You''re right...my real purpose in bringing you here is to tell you something," he said with a serious tone.


    I raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.


    "Kai Kai, that ''thing'' you had to do you mentioned earlier...what is it?"


    "Why do you need to know...?"


    Song Qian Long sighed. "...You are going to leave the safe zone and look for those four girls, yes?"


    I flinched, but quickly regained myposure. "Yeah. So you know they aren''t here in the safe zone, huh?"


    His expression immediately darkened. "I am sorry, Kai Kai, but I''m afraid I cannot let you go."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"


    "It''s too dangerous. Those monsters...we still do not know their maximum potential. You are still only an Intermediate Mage, so-"


    "So what? I''m just going to sit here and do nothing as my...allies, die out there?"


    I hesitated about regarding what to call them, but in the end just settled with ''allies''. I wasn''t too sure what else to refer to them as. I can''t exactly call them my ''friends'' after pushing them away like I did, after all.


    "We are currently in the middle of assembling a rescue squad, as well as a battle squad. They will look for survivors and engage inbat with the monsters respectively. If those girls out there are truly still alive...they will be brought back."


    "Then let me join this ''rescue squad''. I don''t care what you say, I''m going to look for them myself," I said defiantly.


    "Kai Kai! Stop being so stubborn! How will I face your deceased parents if I let you send yourself to your own death here?!"


    "I''m not being stubborn..." I muttered in anguish. "Those girls...I owe them...a lot. If I just stayed here and did nothing while they could very well be out there struggling to survive,<em>I</em>wouldn''t be able to face my parents, either."


    "...Normally, I would just let you do what you wanted," Song Qian Long said after a short silence. "But this time, I cannot back down. If you are really so insistent on going, you''ll have to do so over my dead body."


    "Don''t screw with me!" I yelled suddenly, grabbing his cor and pulling myself closer to him. "You really think I won''t kill you?! You could''ve saved my parents, but you didn''t, all those years ago! And then, out of nowhere, you im yourself to be my godfather?!"


    "I''m sorry, Kai Kai..." the old man murmured weakly. "But I will not falter. If you want to go, then you will have to kill me with your own two hands."


    I red straight into his eyes for a while more, then finally let go of his cor. Seeing my actions, Song Qian Long widened his eyes, as if surprised I actually backed down.


    "Kai Kai...! You understan-"


    However, before he could finish his sentence, I pulled out the Space Locket I had received from the Yu family patriarch, and took out the katana I had used to ughter the Xuan family a while ago from it. I then set it on top of my shoulder, and rested the de right next to my neck.


    "K-Kai Kai? What are you-"


    "If you don''t let me go, I''ll kill myself, right here and now."


    "W-Wha-!"


    "Hurry up and make your decision. I don''t have much time left to waste."


    <em>I''m can''t kill you, Song Qian Long, after all you''ve done for me. Whatever you did in the past, you''re still my godfather. But if I can''t kill you...I can at least threaten you with killing myself.</em>


    <em></em>"..." Song Qian Long fell silent, seeing my actions. Then, after a few seconds, he looked deep into my eyes. "Kai Kai...going out there is no better than killing yourself right here."


    "That may be so, but at least out there the percentage of me surviving is not zero," I replied immediately.


    "...Fine. I cannot exactly say no in this situation, after all..."


    I kept my katana by my neck, in case he tried anything funny like binding me or knocking me unconscious. "d you understand, old geezer."


    Song Qian Long sighed. "But before you go...here, take this."


    He opened up his ring, which was in reality a Space Locket, and pulled out what looked like arge...nket?


    "What''s that?" I asked.


    "It''s something simr to what I gave that girl back during the Advancement Exams...Feng Mian, was it?"


    Back then, he had given Feng Mian the Cloak of Invisibility as her reward. I sank into thought.


    "Hm...you mean this nket can make me invisible?"


    Song Qian Long nodded. "With this, you should be able to bypass the guards at the gates with ease, since even Ancestral Mages will have a hard time seeing through this disguise."


    I took the nket over, and shook it a few times so it could reach its maximum size.


    "Huh...this can fit around three people, more or less. So that''s more than enough," I remarked. Then, turning around to Mei Gui, I continued. "Alright...let''s go, Mei Gui."


    "Master, should we tell him about the truth behind..." Mei Gui began, but then trailed off to avoid spilling too much information.


    I shrugged, then turned back around to face Song Qian Long. "Right...old geezer, I have some more information for you."


    "More...information?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. These transformations from human to monster...the culprit is the rain."


    Song Qian Long''s eyes widened in shock. "W-What?! The rain?!"


    "Mhm. The Midnight Syndicate did something to contaminate the rainwater, so anyone who came into direct contact with the rain is in danger of transforming," I exined.


    "...Fortunately, I had an umbre..." my godfather muttered to himself.


    "I''m not sure how much rain exactly is needed for the human to begin transforming, but one drop or two shouldn''t cause anything..." I continued. "Well, anyway, that''s all I have to tell you. Whether you believe me or not...that''s up to you."


    "I believe you, Kai Kai. Thank you...but this could very well mean many monsters are lurking amongst our ranks within this safe zone...I must report this to the higher-ups immediately."


    I spun on my heel, and prepared to leave.


    "Oh and...onest thing? I don''t know about anyone else, but...there''s one person I know who for certain hase into contact with the rain."


    "Who...?"


    "My ex-fiancee. Lan Gui Ying."


    Song Qian Long furrowed his brows. "Don''t tell me...what you were doing back there..."


    I nodded. "Yeah, I was questioning her. But I really don''t care one way or another if everyone in this safe zone dies, so I''ll leave the rest to you. I have my own things to do now, and can''t spare any more time."


    "...I understand, Kai Kai. I will investigate this matter."


    I looked down at Mei Gui. "You ready?"


    "As always, Master."


    Then, I turned to ria, perched on top of my shoulder.


    "I''m ready too!" she whispered, since I didn''t want my godfather to find out I had a talking bird.


    "Then...let''s do this."


    I walked away, further and further from Song Qian Long. After a few steps, however, he called out to me.


    "K-Kai Kai!"


    I slowly nced backwards at him without turning my whole body.


    "What?"


    "...Come back alive, alright?"


    "..." I didn''t reply, but instead faced forwards once more and resumed walking.

 Chapter 144 - Security Bypass

    Mei Gui, ria, and I dashed through the halls of the Coastal Metropolis, heading for the least conspicuous entrance - the back one. Technically, ria was just riding on my shoulder and not doing any moving herself, but that''s not important.


    "Mei Gui, earlier I was interrupted, but try giving one of the girls a call now," I said, beginning to sweat slightly. It was times like these that I inwardly cursed at how big this ce was.


    "Understood, Master," Mei Gui replied, then pulled out her phone from her cloak pocket. Incidentally, she didn''t seem to be tired at all, despite having ran for so long already. It had already been 10 minutes since we parted from Song Qian Long, and we had been running all the way. Yet, we were still only halfway to the back entrance. That was how big this mall was, for better or worse.


    After pressing a few buttons, Mei Gui brought the phone to her right ear, and waited for a response. I was also hoping for an answer in anticipation, and watched intently as we kept running.


    Around half a minute had passed, and still, no one seemed to have picked up.


    <em>...Damn it, I hope they just have their phone on silent or something, and not the alternative...please be safe, everyone.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>However, just when I was ready to give up on the whole phone call idea, Mei Gui spoke.


    "Hello?" she said, into the phone.


    My eyes widened and I nced at her in surprise. "Did she pick up?" I mouthed silently.


    Mei Gui nodded, as we kept running. Then, turning back to the phone, she continued. "Where are you currently, Feng Mian? Are you alright?"


    <em>Huh...so she called Feng Mian. Out of the four girls, her name should be first in alphabetical order, so that''s probably why Mei Gui chose her. </em>


    I could just barely hear what Feng Mian was saying on the other side, but it was enough.


    "M-Mei Gui? Is that you? Where''s Xuan Kai?!" she asked, worry evident in her voice.


    <em>...So she still cares about me, huh? It would be a lie if I said I wasn''t happy, but at the same time...it hurts to know that, especially after I pushed her away.</em>


    <em></em>"Master is fine. Where are you right now? Are you safe?" Mei Gui asked right back.


    "I''m in a shop at the moment, with some other people as well...and since we''ve turned off the lights, so far, those monsters outside haven''t seen us yet, but...we only have a few Advanced Mages and one Ancestral Mage."


    <em>It''s only a matter of time before they are found, and massacred. There''s no time to waste.</em>


    <em></em>I sent Mei Gui a telepathic message.


    [Mei Gui, ask her how many monsters are nearby.]


    [Understood.]


    "Feng Mian, how many of those monsters are outside near you?"


    "Um...not a lot, around 10 at most. But since most of the people together with me right now are seniors that didn''t put much work into their magic studies..."


    <em>I see. So they don''t have quite enough manpower to take on 10 of those creatures...even if Mei Gui and I went, I couldn''t be 100% certain we would win. I could use ria''s true form as ast resort, but as Feng Mian said, she was with some strangers right now, and I would like to keep ria''s identity a secret, if possible.</em>


    <em></em>[Mei Gui, tell her to send you the address of the shop.]


    [Understood.]


    "What is the address of the shop you are currently in?"


    "T-The address...? N-No! Wait! You can''te here, it''s too dangerous!" Feng Mian cried once she realized our intentions.


    By this point, I was getting annoyed. [Let me have the phone, I''ll talk to her.]


    Mei Gui did as ordered, and I ced the phone beside my ear. "Listen, Feng Mian. I know full well it''s dangerous, but I really don''t care. I will do what I want, just like what I''ve always done. This isn''t for you, or for anyone else. I''m doing this for solely myself, got it? Now, give me the address."


    <em>...Hopefully, she believes that. Doing this for myself? Hell no. Why the hell would I do this, if it weren''t for you? But saying that directly to her would be far too embarrassing, and I would never manage it. So, I came up with this lie.</em>


    "X-Xuan Kai...?" she murmured softly.


    "..." I didn''t say anything in response.


    "You...I thought you didn''t care about us anym-"


    "That, can wait untilter," I quickly interrupted, since I didn''t like where this conversation was heading. That was my new weak spot. "Hurry up and send me the address, the clock is ticking and there''s no telling when the monsters will suddenly st a hole in your hideout."


    "T-Then promise me one thing!" Feng Mian dered suddenly, raising her voice a fair bit.


    "...What?"


    "If I send you the address...you have to also tell me your<em>true</em>feelings, after all of this is over. If even then you say you still don''t like us in any way...then I''ll just ept it. Butst time, your rejection was way too sudden and forced that I couldn''t believe it to be honest. As for the other girls...I''m sure they feel the same."


    I cleared my throat nervously, since this conversation was once again steering onto a direction I didn''t like. "A-Ahem...speaking of the other girls, where are they?"


    "I''m not sure...thest time I saw them was this morning. We went to the Hunters'' Guild together to pick up some quests," Feng Mian responded, voice tinged with worry.


    I sighed. "Those two sisters are probably together, so they should be fine...as for Qing Yue, she can worm her way out of anything. They''ll be alright, I''m sure..."


    On the surface, I wasforting Feng Mian, but in reality, I was merely convincing myself. I wasn''t a good-natured person like that, calming other people with fake words. But deceiving myself? That I can do. Pretty well, too. But a lie once in a while couldn''t hurt, especially in situations like this where it helped me calm down and think with a clearer head, which could make all the difference in a fight where even the tiniest fraction of a second of losing your focus could lead to your death.


    "H-Hopefully...." Feng Mian murmured back.


    By this time, Mei Gui, ria, and I were nearing the back entrance of the mall. Well, in our case, it was technically the ''exit'', but whatever. These doors worked both ways.


    "Alright, I''m going to hang up the call now. I''ll be there soon...just hang tight."


    "Mm...alright. Stay safe, okay, Xuan Kai?"


    "...I will."


    <strong><em>Beep.</em></strong>


    <em></em>I hung up the call, the handed the phone back to Mei Gui. We just had to turn one more corner, and we would be at the exits. I skidded to a stop right beforeing into view of the guards stationed here. I opened my Space Locket and pulled out the invisibility nket Song Qian Long gave me earlier, and draped it over Mei Gui and myselfpletely, after checking our surroundings to make sure no one was looking our way. Since ria in this form was tiny and she was perched on top of my shoulder, naturally she was rendered invisible as well...hopefully, anyway. I hope Song Qian Long verified the uses of this Magic Artifact before handing it over to me.


    [Okay, Mei Gui. You ready?] I asked telepathically.


    [As always, Master.]


    [Alright...here we go. Hold on to my shoulders.]


    The two - three, counting ria - of us rounded the corner silently, being very careful with our footsteps. I wondered how this nket worked, since it didn''t cover extend down to our feet yet our lower bodies were still renderedpletely invisible as well, but now wasn''t the time to debate such things.


    Nimbly, we arrived right in front of the back entrance. Two guards were stationed, and it seemed like security was indeed the mostx here, as both guards were currently on their phones.


    [Master...three people iing,] Mei Gui suddenly said telepathically.


    [What...three?] I looked in front of me and saw that there was indeed three survivors holding umbres, who just arrived at the safe zone. The guards fumbled to put their phones away, as the city guard reputation as a whole would drop considerably if they were caught ying on their phones while on duty.


    [Master, do we wait...?]


    Since the back entrance was fairly narrow, we would be stepping on dangerous territory if we were to attempt to brush past those three people here. While this nket rendered us invisible, we could certainly still be touched and felt. However...


    [...No. We can''t afford to spare any more time, even if it''s just a few minutes. We''re going in, now.]


    The three of us put our backs to the right wall and stepped past the person on the very right very carefully. Then, suddenly, he dropped his umbre to the right side, in an attempt to shrink it. I quickly dodged out of the way,nding with a moderately loud ''thud''.


    The man who had dropped his umbre furrowed his brows and looked around at his surroundings, as if wondering where that noise came from. I held my breath in nervousness, not daring to take another step.


    After a few seconds though, he gave up and just went along with the sound being a mere hallucination, and the three of us left through the entrance immediately. Once we were outside and away from the views of the guards, I pulled over my hood for protection against the rain and put away the nket in my Space Locket, making a mental reminder to return it to Song Qian Long after all this was over.


    Mei Gui also pulled over her hood even though she didn''t need to, and ria was as nonchnt as ever.


    "Master, the address," Mei Gui suddenly spoke up and took out her phone, showing the screen to me.


    Feng Mian had just sent us the address of the shop she was in...I was familiar with the area, since it was close to the Xuan Family residency. I turned to look in the direction of the shop, and clenched my fists.


    <em>...I''ming, Feng Mian. Don''t die on me now.</em><em></em>

 Chapter 145 - Rescue (1)

    <strong>- A Certain Shop in the Suburbs of Shenzhen -</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong>(Feng Mian''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>What do I do now...?</em>


    <em></em>I had just finished my call with Mei Gui...or rather, Xuan Kai. I turned around to look at all the elderly in here who were Intermediate Mages at best. <em>There''s no way these seniors will be able to defeat those monsters out there...in fact, I doubt they can even beat me - most of them, anyway. I think there was maybe one or two Advanced Mages, and one early-stage Ancestral Mage, but just this lineup wouldn''t be able to get us to the safe zone unharmed. </em><em>There''s my parents and the other girls, too...I wonder how they are all doing. Please be safe, everyone.</em>


    <em></em>I had originally came to this shop to pick up somete-night snacks, since it was close to my house. I just never expected the entire city to go under lockdown due to a sudden invasion of these monsters, which looked suspiciously like one I''ve fought before, during the final match of the Advancement Exams a while ago. I didn''t want to believe it, but this catastrophe was probably the work of the Midnight Syndicate, yet again.


    I felt a burning hatred swell up within my heart. First, they threaten me with my parents, and now, they destroy the city that I havee to call home. If given the opportunity...I will definitely not show any mercy towards this criminal organization...or at least, that''s what I''d like to say, but the me right now was still far too weak.


    Even Xuan Kai probably wouldn''t be able to take on one of the higher-ranked members in the Midnight Syndicate, let alone me. However, I knew for a fact that his cultivation speed was far beyond the norm, and I assumed that had something to do with the mysterious Chaos energy within him.


    <em>...Looks like I''m going to have to work even harder than before in order to keep up with him, huh?</em>


    <em></em>Just when I was deep in thought, an ear-piercing noise snapped me back to reality.


    "Waah! Waah!" it shrieked.


    <em>No...! It''s too loud! If this keeps going on, those monsters outside will find us...!</em>


    I hurriedly looked around to see where the sound wasing from, and spotted an old woman carrying a baby in her arms, trying desperately to calm her down.


    "What''s wrong?" I walked over and crouched down.


    "This baby, Fei''Er....she just suddenly woke up and won''t stop crying, no matter what I do..." the old woman exined. "She probably misses her mother..."


    "Where is her mom right now?" I asked.


    "I don''t know..." the old woman sobbed, on the verge of tears as well. "She should be at home, but with those abominations lurking around..."


    I nodded in understanding. "I see...she will be okay, granny."


    "I-I hope so..."


    I fell into thought as the baby continued crying, then made a decision.


    "Granny, could you let me hold the baby for a second?"


    The old woman blinked. "H-Huh? Ah...if I may ask, why?"


    I sighed. "Well...I''d like to try calming her down."


    The granny considered my proposal for a second, then gave in and handed the baby over to me carefully after seeing the sincerity in my eyes, devoid of any malice. I cradled the baby in my arms and slowly, began singing a quiet luby.


    <em>"Hush, little baby, don''t say a word. Mama''s gonna buy you a mocking bird.</em>


    <em>If that mocking bird don''t sing, Mama''s gonna buy you a diamond ring.</em>


    <em>And if that diamond ring is brass, Mama''s gonna buy you a looking ss.</em><em></em>


    <em>And if that looking ss gets broke, Mama''s gonna buy you a billy goat.</em>


    <em>And if that billy goat don''t pull, Mama''s gonna buy you a cart and bull.</em>


    <em>And if that cart and bull turn over, Mama''s gonna buy you a dog named Rover.</em>


    <em>And if that dog called Rover don''t bark, Mama''s gonna buy you a horse and cart.</em>


    <em>And if that horse and cart turn round, you''ll still be the sweetest baby in town."</em>


    <em></em>As I sang, I gently rocked the baby side to side within my arms, being careful to keep the pace gentle along with my voice. Then, slowly but surely, the baby stopped crying, calmed down, and eventually faded away into the blissful time of sleep once more. I sighed in relief, then carefully handed the baby back over to the old woman, whose eyes were now full of admiration and gratefulness.


    "Thank you..." she whispered.


    I smiled gently in return. "No problem. If she wakes up again, just let me know."


    "Alright...I will have to trouble you then, when the timees," she replied with a slightly forced expression.


    Then, suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over the windows of the shop, and everyone within, myself included, instinctively held our breath. The shadow sniffed its nose a few times, and pressed its ear directly against the wall, as if keenly listening for some sound.


    Everyone present stiffened, too afraid to make a single peep. After around a full minute of tension, the shadow disappeared, and we all let out a long-held breath of relief. The old woman with the baby mouthed the words ''thank you'' once again to me, and I looked at them as if saying ''no problem''.


    Leaving the two with a faint smile, I returned back to where I originally was, in the corner of the store. However, many gazes were now drawn my way after seeing what I did, and I had a feeling I became the leader of this group of people all of a sudden. But s, what can I do? I was too weak to lead us out of this predicament, but at least...someone I knew who just might be strong enough to save us, is on his way here now.


    <em>Xuan Kai...please hurry...</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    "Okay...this should be the ce," I muttered under my breath.


    I was currently hiding in a patch of bushes, a good distance away from the shop Feng Mian was in. ording to the address she sent, this should be the ce. I looked around, and spotted 8 monsters total. Though in reality, it would probably be best to assume there were 1 or 2 more I just couldn''t see from where I was right now.


    <em>So 10 in total, huh...just like what Feng Mian said.</em>


    We had flew here from the Coastal Metropolis as fast as possible, but in order to avoid being detected by any monsters on the ground, we had tond in a spot rtively close to our destination, but didn''t have any monsters in the area. Luckily, we found this patch of bushes, and it provided nice cover, especially in the dark of night. Then again, I didn''t know these monsters'' true abilities, apart from superhuman strength. For all I know, they could have insane night vision as well, in which case the cover of darkness didn''t do shit. I could only hope for the best.


    I sent Mei Gui a telepathic message, just to be safe, since the monsters could have extremely keen hearing too.


    [Well, Mei Gui? Do you think we can take them on?"]


    [...ording to my calctions, Master and Ibined can simultaneously take on five at once.]


    <em>Wait, for real? Five? I mean, I have defeated two Golden Monarchs already, which were technically already insanely strong in the world. There wasn''t a lot of them, after all. But both times, I had won through some sort of clever trick and manipting their underestimation of me to my advantage, not by facing them head on. I doubt I could trick these monsters, seeing as how they didn''t care about anything except destruction.</em>


    <em>...Hm, I''ll just chalk this up to I can take on one, while Mei Gui can take on four.</em>


    <em></em>After some careful thought, I made my decision. [Alright...hopefully, Feng Mian and the rest of the people in there can handle five on their own. Let''s move.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    I set ria down on the ground, and began whispering. "You just stay here until the fight is over. If I really do need your help, then I''ll just call out your name, alright?"


    "Hmph! Hopefully you die here, so I can go back to being free!" ria whispered back with a pout. Then, after seeing my conflicted expression, she closed one eye, and looked away with the other. "A-Ahem...I suppose serving you for a little longer wouldn''t cause any harm. So, um...just try not to die, okay?"


    I chuckled softly. "Sure."


    Then, turning to Mei Gui, I nodded, and she did the same in return. I pulled out my katana from my Space Locket, and then realized Mei Gui didn''t have a weapon.


    [Mei Gui...? Don''t tell me you''re going to fight with your bare hands...the daggers you usedst time when we attacked the Xuan residency are in my Space Locket right now, do you want to use those?]


    Mei Gui shook her head. [No, Master. I have a weapon.]


    Saying this, she extended her right arm to her side, and to my surprise, arge ming spear of ck and red suddenly materialized in her hand.


    My eyes widened. [Wait...is that the same spear you usedst time, during our fight with Xuan Kun?]


    Mei Gui nodded. [Yes, Master. I will exin this to you some other time, but for now...]


    I sighed, then turned to look at the monsters, lumbering around aimlessly, having alreadypletely destroyed the area and hunted down every single human alive...or so they thought. Feng Mian and the others in that shop were still off their radar currently, but who knows how long that canst. Which is why...


    [Yeah...let''s start the ughter.]

 Chapter 146 - Rescue (2)

    Mei Gui and I silently moved from the bushes, and immediately locked onto our first target, a monster resembling a human male. It was the one furthest away from the store and just happened to be alone, so we decided to assassinate it here without causing too much of a ruckus. From behind a tree, I tossed a stone directly behind the monster, making it turn around and look around, bloodthirst in its eyes.


    "Grr..." it growled deeply, carefully checking its surroundings. However, it wouldn''t be able to for much longer.


    Mei Gui leapt out of cover, as swift as a cougar, and impaled the poor monster''s neck with her ming spear before it could even react. She had aimed it perfectly so that the spear pierced through the monster''s vocal chords, meaning it couldn''t call for help from itspanions before falling to the ground, limp.


    This was a strategy we had devised beforehand. Since Mei Gui''s weapon was extremely powerful and could actually pierce through these monsters'' tough hide, we took advantage of the fact that these monsters originally were humans, so their internal organ structure and such should more or less be the same. I would serve as the distraction, while Mei Gui took them down in one hit, destroying the vocal chords so that they couldn''t make any noise apart from their bodies copsing to the ground.


    <em>Alright...one down.</em>


    <em></em>I looked around, and spotted another monster a little distance away. However, this was going to be troublesome, since it was with apanion - another humanoid monster, around the same height. I turned to Mei Gui.


    [How are we going to deal with those two?] I asked telepathically.


    [Hm...If Master lines them up perfectly, there is a chance of me taking them both out with one throw.] Mei Gui replied after some thought.


    I turned back to the two monsters, lumbering slowly without any goal in mind except to destroy and kill.<em>Line them up perfectly, huh...</em>


    <em></em>I smirked, as a n came to mind. I dashed out of cover and threw a stone at the head of one of the monsters. The creature instantly turned around to face me,pletely furious. However, I was ready.


    <em>First, before anything else...</em>


    <em>Level One Sound Magic - Audiobarrier.</em>


    <em></em>An invisible cage rose up around the creature, preventing any sounds from escaping. It howled, but no one would be able to hear it. The monster itself didn''t know that, however, and began charging towards me. Itspanion, being the only one close enough to notice it running, also followed suit, directly behind the first.


    I simrly set up Audiobarrier around the second monster, and now I had two massive humanoid creatures charging at me at full speed. I immediately turned tail and ran back towards the bushes were we came from...and also where Mei Gui was lying in cover, waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself.


    And then, right as I reached the 50 meter mark away from the bushes, Mei Gui sent a telepathic message to me - one that I had been waiting for all this time.


    [Now, Master!]


    A powerful ming javelin came soaring towards me, and I slid dangerously under it, just narrowly missing it. I was close enough to feel the heat from the ck mes on its tip, but I wasn''t injured in any way. The monsters behind me, however...weren''t so lucky.


    <em>One, two.</em>


    <em></em>The spear pierced directly through the first monster''s throat, and went on to do the same to the second. Both monsters immediately came to a stop, before crashing onto the ground on top of each other, the spear being pushed out of their bodies from the impact. It had cleanly impaled the two creatures'' vocal chords, and so, without a sound, two more enemies had been erased.


    [Good work, Master.] Mei Gui said telepathically once I had gotten up from the ground.


    [Yeah, you too.]


    I nced into the distance, and saw two more isted monsters, one of the left of the shop, one on the right. Since we were currently behind the shop, that meant the remaining monsters were probably in the front. I turned to Mei Gui.


    [Alright, Mei Gui...let''s take down those two, then head to the front.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    And so, using the same tactic we had used with the first monster we killed, Mei Gui and I took down the two isted creatures with ease. That meant we had taken down five already, leaving only five more.


    Mei Gui and I circled around to the front of the shop carefully, and I peeked over the edge of the wall to get a grasp on the situation.<em>One, two, three, four, five...yeah, when we were flying down here, I only saw eight, but the two I didn''t ount for were probably in my blind spot. There are ten monsters here in total, and Mei Gui and I already took down five. By her estimations, we should only be able to take down five, but...now I see what she meant wasn''t that we were too weak. We just couldn''t take them all ten of them on</em> together.


    [Mei Gui, I''m assuming we can''t use the same strategy as before here?]


    Mei Gui nodded. [Unfortunately not, Master. The monsters here are too close to each other. One movement from us and all of them will instantly be attracted.]


    I sighed. [And we can''t take on all five of them at once?]


    [I''m afraid that is not possible, Master. We would be utterly crushed after taking out one or two. Perhaps, if we had a few more helpers, but...]


    <em>Hm...? Helpers? Oho...</em>


    <em></em>I smirked. [But we do.]


    [...?]


    [Let me borrow your phone for a sec, Mei Gui.]


    Her eyes widened as she realized what I was going to do, and she quickly took out her phone and handed it to me. I opened the text message app, and sent Feng Mian a quick but urate text:


    <em><strong>[I''m here. Already took care of five, five left. Requesting assistance.]</strong></em>


    Five secondster, the text appeared as ''read'', and I received an immediate reply from Feng Mian:


    <em><strong>[Okay. We''reing out.]</strong></em>


    <em><strong></strong></em>I handed the phone back to Mei Gui, and gave her a thumbs-up. She blinked in return and materialized her spear once more. I cracked my knuckles.


    <em>Alright...let''s go in with a bang.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, Back At The Coastal Metropolis -</strong>


    <strong>(Lan Gui Ying''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Tch...Xuan Kai, how dare he...!" Li Mu Shen muttered angrily. He and hisckeys had just finished getting a lecture from Song Qian Long, who had returned to the scene of the conflict earlier. However, Xuan Kai was nowhere to be seen.


    I leaned in to Li Mu Shen''s chest and cradled his face. "Mu Shen, don''t be angry...it''s not worth harming your own health over that piece of trash."


    "I know that, but...he dared toy a hand on you!"


    I shook my head. "It''s okay, I''m not hurt or anything..."


    "Still! I''ll definitely get him back for this, I swear..."


    I smiled faintly, and leaned in even closer to him. But my heart wasn''t in it. I never actually liked Li Mu Shen in the first ce. I only act all lovey-dovey with him because he''s from one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen...


    <em>...But with this disaster tonight, what will even be of Shenzhen in the future? This entire city...even if it survives, it would take years to rebuild and get back to its original state. And if it doesn''t, well...then the Four Great Families will be no more, either. If that happens...then what am I still doing here, pretending to love someone I don''t even care about in the least?</em>


    <em>Of course, if he died, it would be troublesome for me, since then I would be like a parasite without a host. I am aware of that, but I''m not ashamed of my way of living at all. In fact, it''s the only natural thing to do, as a weak person.</em>


    <em>In this world, the strong prey on the weak. Those are the fundamentalws of reality for all of eternity, and nothing can change that now. And so, for the weak, the only way to survive, is to find yourself a strong host to attach to. That way, you will be protected and safe, even though you are weak. That is my logic, and that is my way of living. It''s how I have survived up until now.</em>


    <em>All those years ago, my parents and I immediately went back on our agreement with Xuan Kai''s parents, after hearing about what a failure he was. A boy without magic whatsoever in his veins? Oh, you gotta be kidding me. There''s no way I would be able to survive, attaching myself to a host like that! And so, I found somebody else - Li Mu Shen.</em>


    <em>But I do admit...abandoning Xuan Kai was a miscalction on my part. Who would''ve thought the same powerless waste of the past would actually gain magic and be even stronger than Li Mu Shen now? This arrogant son of the Li family acts all haughty and talks about getting back at Xuan Kai, but honestly? Even I don''t think he has the capability to put his words into action. He''s gotten weak, pale inparison to Xuan Kai...</em>


    <em>...Now that I think about this matter carefully, maybe it''s time for me to find a new host, huh?</em>


    <em></em>Then, suddenly, a sharp pain erupted on the back of my neck, and my eyes widened from the shock. Li Mu Shen, seeing me stiffen so abruptly, quickly held me upright and asked with concern in his eyes.


    "Ying''Er, are you okay?! What''s wrong?!"


    I shook my head weakly, as the pain subdued a bit. But now, I felt myself getting a headache, and my vision getting hazier and hazier.<em>What is this...?</em>


    <em></em>"S-Sorry, I''m going to go to the washroom for a bit..."


    "H-Huh? But didn''t you just go earlier, where we met that bastard Xuan Kai...?" Li Mu Shen wondered in confusion.


    But s, I was too nauseous to even respond, I struggled to my feet and headed for the female bathroom which, thankfully, wasn''t that far from the circr couch we had been sitting on. I entered one of the empty stalls after several attempts, and received many disdainful and curious gazes on the way. I merely ignored them though, since I really couldn''t even think straight anymore.


    I locked the door behind me and copsed to the floor, panting heavily. A sharp pain, simr to the one on my neck before, overtook me once again, but this time, it was within my own head.


    "NGH!" I screamed in agony, and clutched at my head.


    <strong>And then, everything went ck.</strong>

 Chapter 147 - Partners

    Mei Gui and I leapt into battle. The enemies were five monsters, grouped together. I drew my katana from my Space Locket, but in reality, that was just a distraction. This cheap metal wouldn''t be able to even put a dent on these creatures'' tough hides, but all I had to do was make them<em>think</em>it would. Then, after getting them confused and overwhelmed, the real sword will strike - Mei Gui''s spear.


    The more I watched her use that weapon, the more I got curious. Which is why, I wanted to finish this quickly so Mei Gui could tell me more about it. Undoubtedly, this was a weapon imbued with Chaos, given the color scheme and the powerful energy radiating from it like no other element. However, if Mei Gui could wield it, then I should be able to as well, no? It would be really cool, having a ming spear like that to use in battle.


    But all that can be put aside forter. For now, we would have to eliminate our targets here first. One of the monsters noticed us immediately, and the other four soon followed.


    <em>Yeah...as expected, taking them down one by one isn''t going to work here.</em>


    <em></em>The monster in front mmed the ground I was standing on, and I immediately leapt up into the air to avoid being struck by the shock wave. However, I wasn''t in the clear just yet, as another monster picked up arge piece of debris from the ground and threw it in my direction. I propelled my body sideways mid-air, and used the piece of debris as a stepping stone tounch myself off of. I did a backflip, andnded behind the first monster. Here, there was a perfect opening for me to stab the creature in the back, but I knew my weapon wasn''t strong enough. And so, I waited - but not for too long, as the other monsters were closing in on me from behind.


    I stalled for a fraction of a second of time - but that fraction of a second was all I needed. The creature turned around to face me, giving a certain red-haired goddess-like existence a perfectly exposed back. Being my partner, Mei Gui did not let this opportunity slide. She blinked right behind the target, and thrust the spear right into its heart, killing it instantly.


    There was no time for me to give praise to her, however, as the other four monsters were now closing in on me rapidly, and I had nowhere to run. Mei Gui was still busy getting the spear out of her target''s dead body, so I couldn''t count on her to help.


    <em>Damn it, where do I go...? Up wouldn''t work, since I these monsters were too tall to just jump over, even with the help of Potentia magic...they also have me surrounded on all 4 sides...</em>


    <em></em>Just when I was feeling panic, however, a poisonous cloud of gas suddenly came flying in, blinding one of the monsters immediately.<em>Huh...I don''t know who did that, but thanks!</em>


    <em></em>It was a temporary blind, but it was all I needed. I dashed between the blinded monster''s legs, and made it out of the predicament alive. These monsters have incredibly high magic resistance to the point where any spells Level Two and below were practically useless against them, but even then, they couldn''t escape the most basic of status ailments. In this case, for example, the monster didn''t take any damage from the poison, but he was still blinded by the dark green cloud of venom.


    I looked in the direction where the spell had came from, and spotted a beautiful girl with long, wavy blonde hair and light purple eyes leading a group of humans - Feng Mian.


    "Careful!" she called out, and I reacted just in time to narrowly avoid being plummeted to bits by the same monster who had been blinded earlier, now fully recovered.


    "Damn it, that was close..." I muttered under my breath.


    By this time, the rain had stopped, so I removed my hood to make it easier to fight and be more aware of my peripherals. However, I kept my mask on, and Mei Gui did the same. Feng Mian and the group of people behind her quickly ran out of the store, and now faced the four remaining monsters with trembling knees. Mei Gui and I stood at the front, and the four monsters roared in anger at having one of theirpanions killed.


    <em>Huh...mad that one of your friends died? Ha. What do you know? Maybe they have a trace of humanity left in them, after all. Though to me, that doesn''t mean shit. They are still going to die today.</em>


    The elderly on our side were clearly very scared. As Feng Mian said over the phone call, they weren''t old masters but instead just normal seniors who didn''t really bother with magic training after their school days were over. They probably didn''t do that well in school, either, if they weren''t even at the Advanced Mage stage. From what Feng Mian told me, there was one Ancestral Mage among all of these people...and I could faintly feel their aura, though it was nowhere as strong as the Golden Monarchs I''ve met before.


    [Mei Gui, keep them back for a bit, I need to tell these guys my n,] I instructed via a telepathic message.


    [Understood, Master,] she replied, before leaping into battle with her ming spear, sessfully getting the attention of all four still-alive monsters, giving us some precious time to discuss out battle n.


    I turned around, took a deep breath, and looked at Feng Mian and the rest of the people. However, I didn''t meet Feng Mian''s gaze, as that would make things awkward, and I really didn''t want to deal with that right now. So, instead, my eyes darted around all over the ce, focusing on different people.


    "Okay, everyone. I know this is sudden, and those monsters are terrifying. But in order to get through this, I''m going to need the help of all of you, weak or strong," I said, as calmly as possible.


    After confirming their attention was all on me, I continued. "Before anything else, I need to set a few things straight with you. First off, these monsters are pretty much immune to all magic Level Two and below. What that means is, anyone here who is an Intermediate Mage or below, stay out of the fight."


    Then, for the first time in this conversation, I made eye contact with Feng Mian, since she was an Intermediate Mage as well. I was trying to send her a message.


    <em>That includes you, Feng Mian.</em>


    <em></em>Seeing my intentions, however, she defiantly shook her head, then stared right back at me as if saying, "You are an Intermediate Mage too, aren''t you?"


    I gritted my teeth and wanted to argue, but there were more pressing matters at hand and Mei Gui probably couldn''t hold them off for much longer. I turned back to the people and continued.


    "Anyone who is an Advanced Mage or above, step forward."


    Three people stepped forward, two men and one woman, all elderly. Looked to be about in their sixties or so. That wasn''t too old since the stronger you get in magic, the longer you could live, but they were still up there.


    "Alright," I said after some thought. "What are your ranks, respectively?"


    "My wife here and I are both Advanced Mages," one of the elderly men said, and looked at the elderly woman beside him.<em>So they''re a couple, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"And I am an Ancestral Mage, albeit not a very powerful one..." the final man said, trailing off at the end.


    I pped my hands. "Okay. There are...let''s see, fifteen of you here total, not counting these three. Now then, five people follow each of them, and take on a monster together."


    Feng Mian raised her hand. "But that would only be three groups...?"


    I nodded, and answered her inquiry without meeting her eyes. "My partner and I will handle thest one."


    <em>Hopefully, that''s enough of a hint for Feng Mian that I don''t want my identity to be revealed in front of these people. I did sneak out of the safe zone, after all. If I was caught outside, it could cause unnecessary trouble, something I really do not want right now.</em>


    <em></em>"You...and your partner is that red-haired girl over there, I assume?" the Ancestral Mage asked for confirmation.


    "Yeah," I replied. "Don''t worry about us - in fact, you guys don''t even have to actually defeat the monsters. If you can just stall them until my partner and I take out ours, then we can all get out of this situation alive. I honestly doubt you will be able to kill them, given their incredibly high magic resistance and tough hide. My partner''s weapon there can pierce it no problem though, so we aren''t trapped. Does everyone understand?"


    "Hmph! Don''t underestimate us, kid! You focus on your target, and we''ll focus on ours!" a old man yelled out from amongst the crowd.


    "Yeah! We''ll definitely take one down!" another added.


    [Master...I can''t hold on for much longer...] Mei Gui said telepathically, and I nodded.


    [Alright. We''re just about ready. Back off for now.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    Then, turning around to face the four monsters as Mei Gui fell back, I yelled.


    "Form your groups, and let''s do this!"

 Chapter 148 - Misunderstanding

    Our little group immediately fell into formation, split into groups of six, with the exception of Mei Gui and I. Each group was led by an Advanced Mage or higher, and there were three groups in total (again, excluding Mei Gui and I). This was our lineup, and we would be facing four massive monsters that were practically immune to magic head on.


    I would''ve liked to get each and every single one of their names to make it easier tomunicate, but there was no time to run an attendance. And so, the groups were as follows:


    Two old men, two old women, one of which is holding a baby so she can''t do much - led by the Ancestral Mage.


    Three old men, Feng Mian, and one male teen around my age - led by the female Advanced Mage.


    Two old men, three old women - led by the male Advanced Mage.


    Andstly, the 4th group - Mei Gui and I.


    As seen, nearly everyone in our lineup was a senior, but not a very powerful one. They definitely couldn''tpete with the monsters in agility like people my age could, and they were also a lot more frail if they aren''t able to put up a magic defense in time...though even if I were to be hit with a clean strike from one of the monsters, I would probably end up severely injured, despite having trained my physical body to human limits. That was how powerful these monsters were. A healthy young man like me could be killed in one hit, much less these elderly...


    Focusing on the matter at hand, Mei Gui and I were the first to engage in battle.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Salire.</em>


    <em></em>I jumped up high with the help of my Blessing Magic, and prepared my initial attack.


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons.</em>


    <em></em>I could''ve just cast the two of those spells together, but in front of all these witnesses, I decided to refrain from showing my multicasting ability, just to be safe in the off chance that someone does end up finding my identity. Since I was wearing a mask, even if they found out who I was and didn''t hear me chanting any incantations when casting spells, I could just say something like ''I did chant, you just couldn''t see my mouth through my mask''. Lame, yes, but it''s a valid excuse.


    My two ck and red dragons soared towards my enemy, and wrapped themselves around it, binding the creature''s movements. Its allies quickly reacted and prepared to help pry my dragons off of him, but my own associated stopped them.


    "You''re opponent is us, you damn monster!" the male Advanced Mage shouted, then aimed his hands at the creature who was about to peel off my dragons from itspanion. "Level Three Void Magic - Null Sphere!"


    Undoubtedly, everyone present who witnessed the unique colors of my spell had many questions, but they all had enoughmon sense to know this wasn''t the time or ce to be asking them. The other teams also began engaging their respective targets, and slowly drew away from each other to make sure no friendly fire urs. This was all part of the n as well, and so far it was going without a hitch.


    Now that our target was left alone and still trapped by my Twin Dragons, which were enhanced in strength thanks to the power of Chaos, Mei Gui, not letting any time go to waste, immediately jumped up high into the air and threw her ming spear directly at the monster''s heart.


    "Master!" she yelled.


    "Yeah!"


    On cue, I snapped my fingers and dispersed my dragons right before Mei Gui''s spear collided with them, causing the ming metal to pierce directly through our target, the disgusting abomination''s heart. The creature, like its six precedents, fell to the ground with enough weight to cause a shock wave that rippled through the entire battlefield.


    <em>That''s one down...three left.</em>


    I turned to the other teams, who were still in the middle of taking down their opponents. Without a weapon as powerful as Mei Gui''s, piercing through these monsters'' tough hides would prove to be quite the challenge. In fact, most of these elderly''s attacks weren''t doing much at all to the monsters, barely leaving a scratch. However, that was enough.


    The n I had in mind was this: those weaker than Advanced Mage would just constantly keep up a flow of offensive magic, not giving the monster any time to rest. Of course, the spells wouldn''t do much damage, but it could definitely serve as a good distraction or cause a blindspot, which were very useful in battles like this one.


    Those who were Advanced Mage or above, would then take advantage of these blindspots and opportunities their allies created for them, and unleash a precise attack on the monsters. If one time isn''t enough to kill them, then just keep repeating the process. In order to wait for the perfect opportunity, however, the Advanced Mages and above would have to be constantly aware and observing, looking for any tiny little opening. It was a difficult task, much harder than just constantly firing low-power attacks like what the Intermediate Mages and below are doing. However, they had to do it. For in this fight, it was either kill or be killed.


    Since Mei Gui and I had already taken down our target, we headed towards the group nearest to us to lend a helping hand. Coincidentally, it was the same group Feng Mian was in. I couldn''t help but feel a bit awkward, despite the dangerous situation we were currently in.


    The three men in this group were currently circling around the monster on a constant rotation, who was trying to swat them away with its arm like they were flies. Feng Mian and the young man around my age were traversing in and out of the shadows, since they apparently both had a Shadow Magic affinity. Every time they popped back out into the real world, they would fire off an attack, before instantly falling back into the shadow realm once more. This was a clever tactic that made full use of the cover of night, since this time of day was when Shadow Magic, Vanishing Shadows in particr, was the most powerful and useful.


    By doing so, the monster was forced to look back and forth, and eventually grew frustrated, losing its calmness. The Advanced Mage leading the group, a senior woman, didn''t miss this opportunity, and sent a powerful attack aiming directly for the monster''s neck.


    "Level Three Curse Magic - Lethal Pain!"


    A barrage of crescents of de of dark curse energy shot out of the old woman''s palm, and headed straight for the creature''s exposed neck. The monster screamed in agony from pain, however, the barrage was not enough topletely decapitate it. I nodded to Mei Gui, and she immediately jumped up, finishing the job with her ming spear by piercing its heart. The creature fell to the ground with a crash, and didn''t move again.


    Mei Guinded back on the ground gently, and de-materialized her spear. Feng Mian and the teenage male also cancelled their Vanishing Shadow abilities. The other members of the team also stopped running around in circles, and all gathered around Mei Gui and I.


    "Who would''ve thought? You''re quite capable, huh, little girl?" one of the old men remarked.


    "Thank you," Mei Gui replied briskly, though no actual gratitude showed on her face.


    <em>Well, that''s just how she is.</em>


    I sighed and looked at everyone, purposely avoiding Feng Mian. "C''mon, we''re not done here yet. Let''s go help the other groups."


    As everyone nodded in agreement, I turned around and began heading for the next team, who were still engaged in quite an even battle with their target. It was led by the male Advanced Mage.


    Then, suddenly, a shriek resounded from behind me, and I immediately spun around to see what it was. My eyes widened.


    Feng Mian''s right leg was grabbed by the monster we had just killed...or at least, that''s what we thought we had done. It seemed that the despicable abomination wasn''t going down without taking someone else with him.


    "Mei Gui!" I quickly yelled.


    "Understood, Master!" she responded as she materialized her spear in mid-air and cleanly severed the creature''s arm from the rest of its body. The hand around Feng Mian''s leg became limp, and fell to the ground loosely. I prepared to rush over to see if she was fine.


    "Are you okay, Feng Mi-"


    I began, but stopped myself as I saw the male teen from earlier going to help Feng Mian up and lending her a shoulder to walk on. I withdrew my hand and turned around so that my back was to them, not wanting to watch this scene any longer.


    "Master..." Mei Gui whispered softly, a hint of sadness, almost pity on her face.


    I shook my head. "Let''s go."


    "...Understood."

 Chapter 149 - The Return

    "That''s three down," I muttered right as Mei Guinded back on the ground, ming spear in hand.


    After we helped take down the second monster, everyone who still had energy left went to help with the third. Together, we made quick work of it, with Mei Gui dealing the finishing blow as usual. She pulled off an incredibly difficult move this time around, yet she made it seem so easy. First, she leapt up directly into the air and lunged towards the monster''s heart, using the force of her entire body to push the cold steel through. Then, in an instant, she used the monster''s shoulder as a foothold, and propelled herself off of it so that she fell to the ground on the other side, in the process retrieving the half-lodged spear inside the monster''s body.


    All that happened in the blink of an eye. That was how fast she was.


    <em>Damn...Mei Gui''s really strong, huh?</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui probably detected something via our emotional link, and turned to me with a thumbs-up, and smiled faintly. It was a smile no one else but me could see, since on the surface she practically had no expression at all. But to me, who could broadly tell what she was feeling, I knew that she was encouraging me with that smile, saying something along the lines of ''you''ll get stronger than me soon, Master''.


    <em>Yeah...thanks, Mei Gui. I''ll definitely get stronger. But still, it just doesn''t feel too good, getting carried by a girl, you know?</em><em>Well, technically you aren''t a human girl, but you''re still female, aren''t you? Even Elementals have genders, from what I know.</em>


    <em></em>I didn''t get a response, but I really didn''t need one. I was certain she was a female, considering how her naked body felt when I wake up in the mornings...but there was no way I''m telling anyone that. That''s staying with me to the grave.


    Soon, the Ancestral Mage leading the 4th group came over to us, and gave a firm nod.


    "You guys done?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer, seeing as how they were casually walking over to us.


    "Yes. I managed to get a good hit in thanks to the efforts of my fellow allies, though I must say...these monsters are certainly tough. It took the strongest spell in my arsenal to kill it," the old man replied with a sigh. "Bu that aside, I must thank you foring to help us. If you do not mind, what is your name?"


    <em>My name...? Hm, guess I''ll use my Hunter alias here. I really can''t think of one on the spot, or else he''s obviously going to know I''m giving him a fake name, which mighte off as rude. Of course, I have no such intentions; I''m just a very careful person, and don''t want to expose any of my real information unless it''s absolutely necessary.</em>


    <em></em>After some quick thought, I spoke. "You can just call me Kai Xuan, senior."


    "Kai Xuan...I see. I am in your debt," he said with a bow.


    I quickly moved to help him up, and shook my head. "Don''t mention it. It''s just..."


    I looked up at the night sky, then continued. "...If I can help it...I don''t want to let anyone else innocent die again."


    The old man, seeing me reminiscing the past, closed his eyes. "...You are very strong, young one. Perhaps not in terms of physical or magical strength right now, but your will is definitely stronger than mine."


    I sighed and put on a smile, then realized I was still wearing my mask, so no one would be able to see my expression underneath.<em>Damn, I''m an idiot.</em>


    "Thank you, senior," I replied with genuine gratitude. Then, turning around to face everyone else, I continued. "Now then, let''s all hurry to the safe zone. We caused quite a ruckus over here defeating those monsters, and there''s no telling when more of them wille. We should...leave while we can."


    "Agreed," the senior Ancestral Mage said. "Everyone, form a straight line behind Kai Xuan here. Hispanion is the strongest out of all of us present, so she should take the lead. I will cover our rear."


    I didn''t see any problem with this n, so I just nodded along, then motioned for Mei Gui to stay close to me. Then, remembering something important, I cleared my throat.


    "Oh yeah, and one more thing? Are there any umbres in that store?" I asked, pointing at the shop everyone here had been hiding in before Mei Gui and I came along.


    "Huh? Umbres? Who the hell cares about rain when there are these monsters all around?" the male teen from before asked haughtily. Feng Mian was still using him as support, since her leg hadn''t full healed yet, and I didn''t have any mana left, not even enough to cast a simple healing spell. I waspletely out, and I assume Mei Gui didn''t have much left in her either, if materializing that spear costed mana.


    I red at the guy, and spoke quietly. "Haven''t you thought about why humans just like us have turned into monsters like the ones we just killed?"


    "Is that our problem?" he shot back. "And I really don''t see how this links to umbres."


    I sighed, and bit back the urge to call him a moron right then and there, since that would undoubtedly start a fight. "I''ll put it simply - the rain is the culprit."


    "The rain...?" everyone present looked at me in confusion.


    I nodded. "Luckily, the rain stopped before you guys came out of the shop, and didn''t start again. But the rainwater is what caused these monstrous transformations."


    "How can you be so sure, huh?" the male teen asked with furrowed brows. "Don''t tell me, you''re the one who started this whole disaster, all to impress some girls by saving them?"


    "...What?" I stared at him in genuine bewilderment. Bewildered, at how one could be<em>so damn idiotic</em>.


    He snorted. "Isn''t that your goal here? By unleashing a bunch of monsters on us, you can thene in pretending to be a hero on a white horse, getting girls like her right here to fall in love with you," he said, eyeing Feng Mian.


    She, however, upon hearing this, immediately pushed him away. "It''s not like that...!" she muttered weakly, struggling to even stand by herself.


    The teen blinked a few times in surprise, but quickly came back to his senses and moved closer to Feng Mian once more, attempting to support her. However, she swatted away his hands, and hopped over to a nearby tree, leaning on it.


    "Kai Xuan...isn''t that type of person," she said with full confidence, despite her injuries and weakened state. She looked at me with a pained smile, and I averted my gaze, unable to meet her eyes.


    "W-Wha...s-see what I mean?" the teen yelled, looking around among the rest of the people for anyone to side with him. "C''mon, this guy''s sessfully charmed her!"


    "...Shut it, kid." The Advanced Mage rank old man said quietly, yet menacingly.


    "H-Huh?! The hell you just say to me, old geezer?"


    "I said, shut it. If it wasn''t for Kai Xuan, we would all still be trapped in that building," the old man continued, pointing at the shop. "If you were even half as strong as him, you would''ve figured out a way to lead us out of this predicament, or at least tried. But instead, what did you do, kid? Stand around here, waiting for someone to save us just like the rest of us old people. And once that someone really came, you beginining about him identally picking up a girl you''ve gotten a crush on. Shameful."


    <em>Whew...way to go, old geezer. What a speech. Saves me the trouble.</em>


    <em></em>"W-Wha...." the teen clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, but didn''t do anything more. He probably realized he was weak, and wouldn''tst a minute out here in this monster-infested city without the rest of us. And so, he could only bite his lip and endure his anger.


    I sighed, then asked around, just for confirmation. "By the way, does anyone here have the Blessing Element?"


    Everyone was too engaged in their own fights to pay attention to me using Blessing Magic, so they all just automatically assumed I didn''t have it either, which was good for me.


    All the people present looked at one another, then back at me and shook their heads. I smiled weakly, defeated.


    "Yeah, thought so..." I muttered.


    "If any of us had a Blessing Element affinity, we would have immediately used it to heal that girl over there, but..." the Ancestral Mage said, eyeing Feng Mian, who was still leaning against the tree. She seemed to be feeling a bit better though, so I assumed her leg wasn''t broken or anything serious. Probably just a bruise, or worst case a light fracture.


    Feng Mian, noticing me looking at her, opened her mouth and was about to say something, but I quickly looked away before she had a chance to. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see her closing her mouth again, with a dejected and disappointed look on her face. Sure, I felt bad, but there was really no time right now for talking with her about...well, what else could she want to talk to me about, really? I didn''t even have to say the answer.


    After we finally headed back into the shop and each got an umbre, we all began heading in the direction of the Coastal Metropolis. GPS or maps on our phones didn''t function anymore, probably due to all the debris caused by the monsters'' destruction blocking off RF signals or something simr, since the top left corner of my phone read ''No Signal'', and the others had the same thing.


    But since we were all long-term citizens of Shenzhen with the exception of the male teen, whose name was Zhu Yong and had apparentlye to Shenzhen on a trip of some sort, we knew our way around this city like the back of our hand. I got all this information from the Ancestral Mage, who apparently had talked to Zhu Yong before, when they were still hiding in the shop. Of course, our little talk was shared in whispers, so Zhu Yong himself couldn''t hear, just for convenience''s sake. I didn''t want any more trouble on my hands.


    In any case, we soon arrived back at the Coastal Metropolis with no major events. We ran into some monsters all the way, but we were able to bypass them without a fight using our knowledge on all the tiny roads and shortcuts of the city. It didn''t rain or anything either, which was good news as well. However, when we finally arrived at the ''safe zone'', our eyes immediately widened in shock.


    <strong>The Coastal Metropolis...was on fire.</strong>

 Chapter 150 - A Turn For The Worse

    The Coastal Metropolis - the designated safe zone of this ongoing disaster. It was originally the perfect ce for this purpose - spacious (able to house around a thousand people at the same time),fortable, and most importantly, free from the monsters. Since the mall had closed at 9 PM, by the time the poisonous rain rolled around, no victims were even remotely close to the area, meaning the mall and a radius of about 500 meters around it, werepletely free from monsters. That was the reason the Shenzhen government - or rather, the IMF - decided to use this spot as a safe zone.


    However, now, all of that was ruined. I, Mei Gui, Feng Mian, and the rest of the people who were with us all watched on in terror as the entire left half of the mall was engulfed in mes.


    "What the hell..." I muttered.


    Originally, my n was to just bring them all back to the safe zone, and then immediately set off again to look for Qing Yue and the Yu sisters. Obsidia, being a dragon, could definitely handle herself fine, so I didn''t worry too much about her. But now, all my ns have been disrupted. Before doing anything else, I would have to investigate what''s going on right now.


    The right half of the Coastal Metropolis (rtive to where I was standing) still seemed to be perfectly fine, so the ce shouldn''t bepletely destroyed yet. I signaled for everyone to follow me, and we circled around to the more or less unharmed side of the ''safe'' zone. At least on the outside, there weren''t any monsters lurking around, so that was good news. I could faintly see some humans inside through the windows as well, so the people over on this side were still safe, I assumed.


    Luckily, this entrance was in fact the back entrance I had sneaked out of, so I could just stroll right on in without hiding my identity. If it had been the front entrance, the guards would''ve recognized me...though considering this back entrance was safe, that meant the front entrance was the one currently on fire. I honestly doubted the guards were still even alive. If they were, that was good for me.


    Yeah, I know that''s a heartless thing to say, but think about it. If those two guards were still alive, and by some chance they end up talking to the guards here at the back entrance about who came through which entrance, I would be horribly exposed if they both happen to find out that their descriptions matched perfectly when I came up in their discussion.


    Of course, the chance of this was low, but it was still there. And I would like to avoid being dragged into more unnecessary trouble if possible, because if this doesn''t count as unnecessary trouble, then what does?


    In any case, I decided to give the guards my Hunters alias, Kai Xuan, instead of my real name just to be safe. It couldn''t hurt to be more careful, after all. As for Mei Gui, I passed her off as my golem once more, since it wasn''t that rare for golems to share the same appearance, though human-types were extremely scarce.


    Feng Mian, Mei Gui, the rest of the people, and I all headed inside the entrance. I asked one of the guards what was going on on the other side of the Coastal Metropolis, but he said he didn''t know either.


    <em>Guess the higher-ups are keeping information from mere footsoldiers, huh...do they not want the people to lose faith in them or something? Hah. Like hell their n''s going to work. You can hide the cause, but you can''t hide the effect. No one would miss the biggest mall in the city getting set on fire, especially not when that was the only designated safe zone of this disaster.</em>


    Out of options, I decided to seek out the only person I could go to for this. I headed to a discrete, isted corner, pulled out my phone, and dialed a certain number.


    After a while, the other side picked up. "Is that you, Kai Kai?! Are you safe?!"


    I pulled the phone away from my ear to avoid getting my hearing impaired, and after he was done yelling, I brought it closer again. "Yes, I''m fine, old geezer. I''m actually back at the Coastal Metropolis already."


    "Ho...that is a relief. Still, that was quick. Did you manage to find the girls?"


    I nced over at Feng Mian, who was resting on a couch. "Yeah...one of them, at least. Qing Yue and the Yu sisters are still missing. But never mind that, what''s going on with this ce? The other end of the mall ispletely on fire; I could see it from miles away."


    "Ah...about that. It is hard to exin over the phone, can we meet in person?" Song Qian Long, the person I called, obviously, said, dropping his tone a bit. I wondered if there was anyone around him, trying to listen in to his conversation with me.


    After some hesitation, I responded, and took off my mask after making sure no one was looking in my direction.


    "Sure, where do you want to go?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Coastal Metropolis, Administrative Floor -</strong>


    <strong></strong>The Coastal Metropolis had five floors in total. The first was the most essible and popr, and contained various grocery and clothing stores. The second was the food court, and had many delicacies all around, from full-on restaurants to tiny food stalls. The third was for misceneous items, from cute little ornaments to regional specialties from all over the world, including the territory of other races like Ennd, where vampires resided, as well as North America, where the elves and fairies dwelled. The fourth was in fact, a basement parking lot, so it technically didn''t count as a ''fourth floor''.


    Andstly, the fifth - in reality the fourth floor - was an administrative zone that was not open to public. It was also where I was currently at.


    "...So this is what the administrative area of this massive mall looks like..." I murmured in wonder.


    Song Qian Long and I stood in an empty hallway. The lights were dim, like everywhere else on this floor, and...quite frankly, the ce was very boring, nothing like the beautiful and decorative floors that were seen by public. This made sense, considering all those fancy decorations cost money, and there was no point spending so much to polish up a ce that wouldn''t boost sales whatsoever. This ce was restricted very strictly, meaning only mall employees of the highest order were able to ess this floor. However, since this was a special scenario, Song Qian Long and probably some IMF government officials were also up here to monitor the situation.


    "Kai Kai, the situation as of now is veryplicated."


    I raised an eyebrow. "How so?"


    "I will begin with what can be seen on the surface," Song Qian Long said with a sigh. "As you know, the entire front half of the Coastal Metropolis is on fire. However, that''s not the whole story. What really happened, was this..."


    After a few minutes, he finished his exnation. Long story short, ording to a survivor, a monster like those outside had popped out of nowhere at a furniture store near the female bathroom on the first floor, just around half an hour ago. From there, things escted. The first one to notice the creature was apparently a student - Li Mu Shen.


    At the time, he was about to start smoking a cigarette, since no one older than him was around to supervise. After seeing the disgusting monster, he had dropped the lighter in his hand, and the fire from it caught all over the easily mmable carpet and wood furniture inside the store. It grew at an insane rate, instantly spreading over to nearby stores, and like dominos, one after the other, the various shops fell into deadly congration. By the time a protection squad was deployed and arrived on scene, the fire had already burnt nearly half of the entire mall.


    After that, the protection squad hurriedly deployed a magic barrier, stopping the fire in its tracks. That was the quickest resolution, as they didn''t have fire extinguishers on hand and there wasn''t enough mages on the team with an Water element affinity topletely put out the fire.


    ording to Song Qian Long, even as we speak, a government IMF official is making an announcement over the PA for all mages who have a Water Element affinity to head to the site of fire, where they would take down the barrier once there was enough people. After the fire waspletely extinguished, a rescue squad would be sent in to eliminate the so-called monster as well as seek out any remaining survivors...though the probability was low. The sole survivor was the one who gave all of this information to Song Qian Long and the other higher-ups, and he had turned tail and run immediately as the fire started. Everyone else was either too slow or reacted toote to the disaster.


    The protection squad at the time hesitated before putting up the barrier and considered waiting for any more people toe through by some miracle, but they eventually decided against it for the sake of the many more citizens on the other half of the mall. A sacrifice of a few for the sake of many, essentially. At around the same time, protection squads arrived at the other floors as well, at the same exact location on the vertical axis. Since the fire had spread to other floors as well, this was the only way to mitigate the damage as efficiently as possible.


    After I was done hearing this story, the only thing I could do is sigh. "Are you kidding me...if it was just one monster, that would be fine, but I can''t believe that moron used a lighter in a furniture store...what an idiot."


    Song Qian Long sighed. "...There is no use crying over spilled milk. With this incident, the rescue squads that were supposed to head out of the safe zone to search for any survivors outside have been dyed. But all of this is minor to the other problem at hand..."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Other problem?"


    Song Qian Long nodded. "We have just received a message - a challenge from the Midnight Syndicate. It read: Phase II of the invasion - are you ready, humanity?"

 Chapter 151 - Shocking Discovery

    I walked through the dim staircase of the Coastal Metropolis, from the administrative floor down to the third. I had just received multiple pieces of shocking news from Song Qian Long, and I wasn''t quite sure how to feel about it.


    <em>Phase II, huh...if these monsters that nearly destroyed the entire city are just the first wave, then I don''t even want to imagine what the second will be like.</em>


    <em></em><em>...Shenzhen...will it make it out of this alive?</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 10 Minutes Ago, An Isted Hallway of the Coastal Metropolis, Administrative Floor -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Phase II...?" I echoed, unsure if what I heard was correct.


    Song Qian Long nodded. "In other words...the current state we are in is only just the beginning."


    I clenched my fists. "The Midnight Syndicate...they really are ruthless, huh?"


    "That is only natural," the old man before me said quietly. "For if our positions were switched, the city of Shenzhen would show no mercy either."


    I sighed. "Is that it? No other clues on what this ''Phase II'' actually is going to be?"


    Song Qian Long shook his head. "Unfortunately not. However, the good news is that surrounding cities have been contacted, and reinforcements from our side are on the way. In addition, the central government in Beijing will also be sending troops, though that will take a lot longer, given the distance between the two cities. But...together, I believe we can ovee this trial."


    I scoffed. "Those other neighbouring cities are just worried that after Shenzhen is destroyed, next will be them. They almost certainly aren''t helping out of pure goodwill."


    "That may be so, but we are not in a position to grumble about what their intentions are. The reality is, we are in dire straits, and require immediate assistance. They are the ones providing that assistance, so we really have no right toin."


    "How many reinforcements are we getting, exactly?"


    "The two neighboring cities, Dongguan and Huizhou, are each respectively sending a battalion of around 1,000 mages," Song Qian Long replied. "The IMF officials here are currently in the middle of contacting the city of Guangzhou as well, right in that other room."


    As he pointed at a shut door across from us, I sank into thought. <em>The cities closest to Shenzhen were Dongguan, Huizhou, Guangzhou, and...Hong Kong.</em>


    "What about Hong Kong? They aren''t sending any troops?" I asked.


    Song Qian Long scratched his cheek. "Actually, about that...the highway connecting Shenzhen and Hong Kong hasn''t been used for the past two months. This is confidential, but...when we first received this news back in early November, we had contacted the Hong Kong government regarding this issue, but received no response. Since then, no vehicles have entered Shenzhen from Hong Kong."


    "We have held off on reporting this to the federal government over in Beijing, since if possible the Shenzhen IMF officials wished to solve it on our own, without bringing in a third-party," Song Qian Long continued. "At the time, we agreed to report to the federal government if we still receive no response from the Hong Kong government by January. However, then...well, this invasion happened. But because of this mysterious event, we have closed down the highway the instant we realized this news, from the Shenzhen side. In other words, no cars can go to Hong Kong from Shenzhen either...just for safety.."


    "What the hell...that''s way too suspicious," I muttered. "The highway connecting our two cities has always been one of the most used and jammed roads of this entire country. And now, all of a sudden, no one is using it anymore? Even the city government can''t be reached..."


    Then, suddenly, my eyes widened as I realized something very dreadful. It was just a possibility, but...I had to verify this, just in case.


    "Old geezer...if I remember correctly, the Shenzhen government should have cameras on that highway, right? Since the road is a shared property of both cities."


    He nodded. "Yes, why?"


    "...Have you tried essing those cameras at all?"


    "Of course. That is how we figured out there was not any vehiclesing to Shenzhen from Hong Kong."


    I shook my head. "No...what you''ve been seeing all this time, could be mere looped footage."


    "W-Wha-! Looped footage?! Impossible..."


    "...Show me the footage," I said quietly.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Control Room, Coastal Metropolis -</strong>


    <strong></strong>Song Qian Long brought me to the shut door from earlier, which was across from the isted hallway we had just been in. During this crisis, this room was the new, temporary government office. All surviving IMF officials are in here, along with the top members of society in this city, including Song Qian Long himself and the patriarchs of the remaining three Great Families of Shenzhen.


    He pushed open the door, and I looked around at all the high-tech equipment, from supeputer clusters to holoscreens. As I inspected my surroundings in wonder, the other people in the room inspected<em>me</em>closely.


    A tall man with sses approached us and nced at me briefly before turning his gaze on my godfather. "Who is this, Principal Song?"


    "He is...my student," Song Qian Long replied calmly with a short hesitation. "Worry not, he is trustworthy."


    "...How can you be so sure, he is just a kid!" another voice joined in. This one...was familiar. "Am I right, Xuan Kai...?"


    I red at the one who had called my name, and it turned out to be the Li family patriarch - Li Hai Tang. I''ve always disliked him, but as long as he doesn''t start anything here...I won''t make a move. Too many eyes. However...if an opportunity presents itself, I will not hesitate to cut him down, just like I did to Xuan Yang. Why? Because his sons were arrogant bastards, and he himself is one too. Ridding the world of them is doing a favor for the rest of the''s poption.


    Other people present included the Yu family patriarch Yu Ao and the Qing family matriarch Qing Xin, who were both quite surprised to see me. However, they didn''t say anything, unlike Li Hai Tang. I appreciated that.


    But all of that aside, right now, I had more pressing matters.


    "...Patriarch Li, I ask you to trust in me. Should any confidential information leak out because of this child...I will take full responsibility," Song Qian Long said, a serious expression on his face.


    Li Hai Tang stared at my godfather for a while more, before finally shrugging and easing the tense atmosphere. "Well...I believe in your judgement, Principal Song. Just do not forget the words you said here today."


    Song Qian Long didn''t reply to him, but instead turned back to the guy with sses. He seemed to be an IMF employee, working at the Shenzhen government. "Mr. Jia. Please bring up the camera feed for the Hong Kong-Shenzhen highway."


    Mr. Jia frowned. "...Why now? We have this invasion to deal with right now - the highway issue can wait until ater date."


    "...What if I told you...the two problems may be connected?" I interrupted, staring at Mr. Jia right in the eye. He was taken aback for a moment, before quicklyposing himself.


    "...I do not see what you mean," he said, before taking a deep breath. "However, I will still bring up the footage as requested. One moment."


    "Thank you," Song Qian Long replied.


    "Oh, and one more thing? Could you bring up the footage of each day starting from when this disturbance first began, and ce them on separate panels, in a grid-like pattern? Then have them start ying at the exact same time," I added.


    After around a minute or so, Mr. Jia was finished. The massive monitor on the wall before me split into many different panels, each showing a portion of the footage of the highway, the first panel dating back to early November. The final panel showed a live feed of the highway.


    I inspected each panel closely as everyone else watched on in interest. Then, after several minutes, I closed my eyes and backed away.


    Re-opening them, I spoke. "When all of this separate footage is ying at the exact same time...do any of you not find it odd? As if it is almost...<em>too</em>identical."


    Song Qian Long stroked his beard. "Indeed...I feel like there is no difference at all between the footage from different dates. Of course, they all have one thing inmon - no vehicles passed through from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, and vice versa. But other than that...it almost feels as if the exact same video is ying."


    I chuckled. "That''s because it is."


    "...Come again?" Mr. Ji said.


    I sighed. "Do you guys really not see it? Don''t let mon sense'' sway your senses. The various footage being yed in front of you right now, is the exact same thing. In other words...someone hacked the cameras."


    "Hmph!" Li Hai Tang snorted. "How can you be so sure? The differences could just be so minimal the human eye cannot perceive it."


    "I agree," one of the other IMF officials said.


    "Yes, Patriarch Li has a point."


    "Don''t go listening around to this mere child''s baseless conclusions, everyone. Principal Song, please have him leave," Li Hai Tang continued.


    "Hold up. Why are you in such a hurry to swat me away?" I interrupted. "Patriarch Li, have you ever heard about something called ''science'' before?"


    "Huh?! What are you talking about?"


    "If you knew the slightest bit of science, you would be able to see why I am so sure this footage is looped," I said with a sigh. "Listen, oh great patriarch. In winter, the sky turns dark earlier than usual. Surely everyone here has noticed this?"


    Everyone listened to me intently, and didn''t make a sound. It was a nice feeling, having these government officials and high-ranking members of society listen quietly to me speak like this.


    "There is one day in particr where this change is most evident," I continued. "And that, is the end of Daylight Saving Time - November 6th. The day when we all push our clocks back one hour."

 Chapter 152 - Determination

    "Daylight Saving Time..." Song Qian Long murmured. "Indeed, this practice was originally invented to adjust to theter sunsets of summer and earlier sunsets of winter. Meaning..."


    "...The day Daylight Saving Time ends, will also be the day where dusk time will be earlier than usual, in winter," I finished, then turned back to the screen. "And yet...ording to this footage...Mr. Jia, could you fast forward it a bit?"


    Mr. Jia nodded and did as told. The panels all went into timepse at once except for thest one, since it was live, then stopped shortly.


    "I have fast-forwarded the past footage to 5 PM - around the time the sun will be setting."


    The angle at which the camera was ced gave us a tiny view of the sky, but it was more than enough. Every single one of the screens showed the exact same tint in the sky, both before and after Daylight Saving Time ended, which was sometime near the middle of November. The answer was clear.


    I looked around at everyone present in the room, briefly locking eyes with Li Hai Tang. "Now then...I believe I don''t need to say anything further, yes?"


    "Tch..." the Li family patriarch seemed to be slightly irritated, but he couldn''t argue with me now without making a fool out of himself. In the face of logic, no feelings of annoyance can help one win an argument.


    "But...who would do this?" Qing Xin spoke up, and fell into thought. Her long white hair matched her beautiful white dress, and despite not being actual mother and daughter, she indeed looked like the older version of Qing Yue.


    "My guess? The Midnight Syndicate," I replied with full confidence.


    "What made you arrive at that conclusion?" another one of the government officials asked, standing up and walking over to me. "Ah, and I have not introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Zhou Qian. I am the mayor of this city. It is a pleasure to meet you, Xuan Kai."


    <em>The mayor...Zhou Qian, huh? I''ve definitely seen him before, just through a screen. He doesn''t seem like a bad person on the surface, but...who knows?</em>


    I smiled faintly in return. "Likewise, mayor Zhou. I have seen your face on TV several times before, so how could I not know of your name?"


    The mayor chuckled. "Ah, yes...but let me tell you, being a mayor is a tough and troublesome job. It might seem like we have it easy working in the government, but the truth is, we have a heavier responsibility than anyone else."


    I nodded. "Agreed. But back to the main topic...if it really was the Midnight Syndicate who hacked our cameras, then everything would fall into ce."


    "How so?" Zhou Qian asked, and many others officials shared the same question by the look of skepticism on their faces. I recognized a few who have also been on TV before, such as the deputy mayor Yuan Yi Ran and the secretary Hong Ting.


    A grim look befell my face. "If I am not wrong...the Midnight Syndicate is using this highway right now as we speak. I believe the ''Phase II'' they talked about...was this."


    "Using the highway, huh..." Yu Ao muttered, scratching his chin. "You mean they are sending an army over to join the invasion? Damn it...those bastards, just these monsters alone are enough on our hands."


    I nodded. "Mayor Zhou, I suggest you send a couple of men over to check. Because if my guess hits the mark...by the time they are in the city, it will be toote. Shenzhen will fall before the reinforcements from Dongguan and Huizhou even arrive."


    "...And I will not allow that to happen," Zhou Qian said determinedly. Then, turning to Mr. Jia, he continued. "Justin, pass down my orders. Deploy a reconnaissance squad over to the highway immediately."


    <em>Justin...? An English name? Huh, interesting...</em>


    <em></em>Song Qian Long leaned in to my ear. "His real name is Jia Si Ren, but the mayor just calls him Justin."


    <em>Ah...I see.</em>


    <em></em>Jia Si Ren ''Justin'' nodded firmly, before turning back to theputer and began making maneuvers. The mayor then turned back to me, and gave a slight bow, to my surprise.


    "Thank you, Mr. Xuan. We would have likely never unveiled the truth to this mystery had you not been here."


    I shook my head. "Don''t thank me just yet. I am 90% sure I am on point, but there is still a chance I may be wrong and these two disturbances have no connection to each other whatsoever."


    "Still - even if you are wrong, your help is still greatly appreciated," Zhou Qian argued. "If only more high school students were like you..."


    I sighed. "Whatever. Oh, and being called ''Mr. Xuan'' feels kind of weird. Don''t bother."


    The mayor blinked a few times in surprise, then rposed himself. "...Alright then. I will just address you as Xuan Kai, if that is fine?"


    I nodded. "Sure."


    Then, looking around the room, I continued. "Well, I don''t have much else to do here. I''ll be taking my leave. Don''t worry about me leaking any secrets, my lips are sealed."


    The mayor nodded. "I trust you, Xuan Kai."


    I then turned around and looked at Song Qian Long. He met my eyes, and seeing my intentions, quickly offered to walk me out.


    Before we exited the room, however, Yu Ao just had to call out:


    "Farewell, son-inw!"


    The mayor raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh? That boy is your son-inw?"


    Qing Xin chuckled. "Hm...it seems my daughter has somepetition."


    I ignored their words, and escaped the situation as quickly as possible, Song Qian Long trailing behind with augh.


    <em>Honestly...you two, shouldn''t you be more worried about your own daughters? Their whereabouts are still unknown, you know...</em>


    <em>...Or maybe it''s just that they are worried, but just don''t let it show on the surface.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    "Alright, they should not be able to hear us now," Song Qian Long said after we were back in the isted hallway we had been in before going into the control room. "What did you need from me, Kai Kai?"


    I grinned. "Kuku...it seems you understood the meaning of my look."


    My godfather smiled in return. "But of course. I am your godfather, after all."


    I shrugged. "Well, I''ll make things simple - I have a request to make of you."


    "A request?"


    "Yeah," I replied, then stared at him directly in the eyes. "I want to join a rescue squad."


    Song Qian Long''s eyes widened. "A rescue squad?! No, Kai Kai, you have juste back safely from out there, and now you want to dive straight back into danger again?!"


    "...Qing Yue and the Yu sisters....they are still missing," I responded darkly.


    "..." Song Qian Long clenched his fists. "Tell you what...I can arrange for you can join a protection squad or reconnaissance squad, like the one the mayor just sent to the highway, but you definitely cannot enter the rescue squad! They minimal requirement is a rank of Advanced Mage at the very least, so even if I approve here, you will not be able to get in!"


    I snickered. "With your power and reputation? Sneaking me in under a false identity would be easy."


    "Kai Kai..."


    "Even if you don''t let me join the protection squad, I''ll just head out by myself again," I continued with a shrug. "And yeah, I know I''m being immature and stubborn right now. But honestly? None of that matters. I<em>will</em>save them."


    Song Qian Long stared at me with a conflicted expression - from anger, to frustration, to finally resignation.


    "...Kai Kai, I know I''ve asked you this before, but...are you sure about this?"


    I nodded. "I''m not the type to charge in face-first without a n. If I were, I would''ve been dead a long time ago. I''ve really thought about this."


    "If that''s so, then...very well. I will allow you to join the rescue squad," Song Qian Long finally said with a deep sigh. "After all...at least your chances of surviving are better if you have allies you can rely on. I will contact you through your phone when I have finished all preparations and arrangements. It won''t be long."


    I smiled. "Thank you, old geezer."


    Then, turning around, I began to walk away, not looking back. For I knew if I did, I would see the sad look on my godfather''s face...and that wasn''t something I wanted to see. My determination would be wavered if I did. And so, I continued onwards, heading for the dim staircase heading down. I slipped back on my mask in the process in order to hide my identity, and took a deep breath.


    <em>Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, and Yu An Xue...damn you four. I said I don''t feel anything towards you, and yet...why the hell can''t I get you out of my head?! Even if I tried to just forget you and convince myself not to care about your safety, I can''t. We only met two months ago, but the time we shared together, the battles we fought together, all theughter and fun...they felt like so much more.</em>


    <em>I don''t know. I don''t know if what I feel towards them can be described as love. Hell, I don''t even know what love is, in the first ce. After all, the only ones who''ve shown me that have already left - killed. But despite all that...</em>


    <em>...One thing was clear. I cared about them, and I <strong>will not</strong> let anyone harm them.</em>

 Chapter 153 - Troublesome Encounter...s

    I walked through the packed Coastal Metropolis, pulling my hood over my face. I pulled out my phone and sent Mei Gui a message, since I wasn''t sure if telepathicmunication would work, depending on how far away from me she was.


    [Mei Gui, where are you right now?]


    A secondter, she was already typing in response. <em>Damn, you''re quick.</em>


    <em></em>[The first floor, Master. I am in a weapons store called Silverfang Smithery. ria is with me.]


    <em>Hm...ria? O-Oh wait...I forgot about her again...yeah...I have an earful waiting for me when I see her. Whatever. But still...a weapons store...? Huh, guess Mei Gui''s picking out some weapons for herself. Sure, she had an overpowered ming spear imbued with Chaos energy, but sometimes, a less...conspicious weapon woulde in handy. I still had those daggers she used when we raided the Xuan residency, but those were pretty worn down and weak, to say to the least.</em>


    <em></em>I quickly texted back a response. [Got it. I''lle to you.]


    [Understood, Master,] she then sent, and I put my phone into sleep mode after that.


    Looking around, I searched for the best method of transportation. <em>Hmm...the esctors are too full. Guess the staircase it is, then.</em>


    <em></em>I headed to the stairway leading down, following the signs. They were different from the one leading up to the Administrative Floor, as that one was restricted and locked. On the contrary, this staircase was one everyone could use...except no one did. In fact, no one was even remotely close to the staircase entrance. The reason for that...


    I opened the door and the first thing that I realized was a fist flying towards me. I ducked immediately, and thanks to my inhuman reaction speeds, I was uninjured. The door nked shut behind me.


    "Oh? You''re pretty fast, kid," the man who had thrown that punch at me shook his fist a bit and looked me up and down. Several others, his gang members I assume, also stopped what they had been doing and all nced at me in contempt.


    I stared at the first guy straight in the eye. "...What do you want?"


    He narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is that look, huh?! You wanna die?!"


    Saying this, he arched his arm back in preparation for another hook, but I instantly closed the distance between us, gripping his neck and mming his entire body into the wall.


    "Ngh-!"


    I spoke quietly, but menacingly. "That''s quite the weak threat...against someone who has actually killed before."


    The man''s gang members all drew pocket knives from their jeans, but I wasn''t fazed in the least. They were too afraid to use magic in this small space, as that would create far too much noise and they would be busted for sure if they were found out by the security staff of the mall or something. The only reason they attacked me was because I looked like a weak nobody, and just a mere 14-year-old at that. They thought they could just jump me for fun, rough me up a bit, then threaten me to keep my mouth shut about what happened, and I would do exactly what they told.


    ...But they were so, very wrong.


    Back when I didn''t have magic, I had already trained my physical body to human limits. And these punks think they can take me on? What a farce. In fact, I was overwhelming their boss so hard he couldn''t even use his hands to take out a weapon of some sort. The instant he stopped trying to pry my hand off, he would be choked to death.


    I tightened my grip around his neck. "Look. I have things to worry about, and don''t have time to deal with maggots like you. Understand? Now...you and yourckeys. Stay out of my way, and we won''t have any problems."


    "I-I got it! U-Ugh...c-can''t breathe..." he croaked, tapping my arm relentlessly to get me to stop choking him. I red at him for a while longer, then finally released my hold on him after making sure he wouldn''t fight back the instant I loosened my grip.


    I straightened my ck cloak, then shoved my hands in my pockets. Then, scanning the rest of the gangsters, I merely walked directly through them. After seeing how their boss waspletely dominated, none of them had the guts to actually make a move, despite their drawn weapons. After I was out of their sight, I heard one of the gangsters walk up to their boss.


    "Boss, do we just let him go like that...?"


    "...Don''t go after him. Not if you want to get killed...and I ain''t lying here. When he red at me with those bloody red eyes of his...I felt like I was staring death straight in the face."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After the incident with the gangsters, I continued my journey down the Coastal Metropolis. On the way, I didn''t encounter any more punks in the staircase. I assumed the various gangs strolling around in these stairways had an agreement or something not to trespass on each other''s territory. The mall security knew the gangs were here, of course, and knew full well they were up to no good, loitering around. But unfortunately, they had no evidence the gangs were actually doing anything illegal. Since there weren''t any strict rules about prohibiting loitering inside the staircases, the security staff couldn''t do anything about them.


    Besides, normally, the esctors and elevators are so much faster and more convenient than the staircase that there was literally no reason why you would use the stairs instead. However, today the mall waspletely full because of this disaster. By this, I don''t mean there wasn''t any space at all and everyone was suffocating, but the transportation methods like elevators and esctors are all jammed with people.


    I soon arrived at the first floor, and began heading in the direction of Silverfang Smithery, passing through the massive crowds of people. Soon, I arrived near another stairway entrance, where no one was around. I appreciated that, since I needed a breather. I wasn''t good with crowds, after all. After several minutes, I continued walking. On the way, I saw Feng Mian resting on a bench. Zhu Yong, the male teen from before, was with her. She seemed very ufortable with him beside her, but she couldn''t exactly shake him off when her leg was still injured.


    Self-consciously, I pulled my hood over my face even tighter and picked up my pace. I prayed in my heart she wouldn''t notice me.


    Then, suddenly, I was called out from not far behind.


    <em>Shit...she saw me after all.</em>


    "K-Kai Xuan!" she yelled. I froze for a moment, but quickly rposed myself.


    <em>...Sorry, Feng Mian. I''m not ready to face you yet...</em>


    I kept on walking, pretending to have not heard her.


    "H-Hey!" I heard her get up and began heading my way, limping a bit since her leg hadn''t fully healed yet. "Wai- ah!"


    Suddenly, she let out a yelp, and I immediately turned around to see her right behind me, about to fall. Before I could react, she toppled on top of me, and we crashed onto the ground together.


    "Ngh..." I muttered, opening my eyes. There was something heavy on my body, and I looked down to see Feng Mian lying directly on top of me, hugging me tightly.


    <em>What the hell...wait, what is this soft feeling in my hand...? Oh...shit. I''ve felt something like this before, back when I first awakened magic...please don''t tell me I identally grabbed her...things again.</em>


    <em></em>To verify, I squished my hand a bit, and heard a gentle moaning from Feng Mian.


    "Mnn~"


    "S-Sorry!" I quickly apologized out of instinct, and removed my hand...or at least I tried, except my entire body was pinned down under her and I wasn''t able to move at all. So instead, the more I moved, the more I was touching her generous bosom.


    "Ungh~Xuan Kai, s-stop..." Feng Mian whispered weakly, and quite frankly, it was turning me on a bit, especially since she had resorted to calling me by my real name.


    Despite this not being the time or ce, I felt my precious member beginning to...well, be <em>stimted</em>.


    <em>I-I can''t help it, okay?! I''m a healthy 14 year old boy...how can you expect me </em>not <em>to be like that when thrust into this situation?!</em>


    "F-Feng Mian, I kinda can''t move with you on top of me..."


    "H-Huh? A-Ah! Sorry!" she quickly got off of me after fully waking up from the shock of falling - though she couldn''t stand up since her leg was still injured - and I took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. I also instinctively covered my ''symbol of the male race'' because being seen with a boner in public was not exactly very good for my reputation. Once it had calmed down again, which thankfully didn''t take long, I got up from the ground and helped Feng Mian up as well, then let go the instant she was standing on her own again.


    I then noticed Zhu Yong staring at me with pure bloodlust, fists clenched. Since I really didn''t want to deal with this right now, I ignored him and prepared to leave.


    But before I could escape the situation, Feng Mian locked her arm around mine, preventing any escape.


    <em>...Damn it.</em>


    <em></em>She looked up at me, and whispered with a blush. "You promised back when we were texting...you would tell me your true feelings. I won''t allow you to escape before then."


    I stiffened. "...Can we talk about thister? There''s a guy that wants to kill me in front of me right now."


    Feng Mian nced at Zhu Yong, and sighed with a nod. "...Let me deal with him. I''ll show you that I''m not the weak girl you have to look after."


    My eyes widened. "Hold on...you''re injured. You can''t fight like thi-"


    She stared me right in the eyes, and spoke quietly with a knowing smile. "Xuan Kai...not every battle needs to be fought with violence."


    I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again. Seeing my reaction, Feng Mian smiled and slowly let go of my arm. She then began walking towards Zhu Yong, who quickly rushed towards her in worry.


    "Are you alright?!" he asked, and I was honestly kind of shocked at his genuine care for Feng Mian.


    "I''m fine," Feng Mian replied briskly, and swatted away his arm that was about to help support her. Despite still having an injured leg, she still faced Zhu Yong with full confidence. That was a strength I admired.


    Zhu Yong then turned to me, seething with anger. "You...what did you do to her?!"


    "What I do to her is none of your business," I replied calmly.


    "Wha-! Damn you..." Zhu Yong muttered in frustration, then began walking towards me.


    However, Feng Mian stepped in between us, blocking his way.


    "What...?" Zhu Yong blinked a few times in confusion.


    Feng Mian sighed. "Look...I''m not dense like a certain someone."


    <em>Why are you looking at me while saying that?</em>


    <em></em>Feng Mian then turned back to Zhu Yong, and continued. "I can tell that you have feelings for me, but...I cannot return them. As for the reason...there''s already someone I love."

 Chapter 154 - Zhu Yong

    "W-What...? Haha, what are you talking about?" Zhu Yong asked, his expression a bright smile despite the sweat forming on his forehead. "C''mon, there''s no way you''ve really fallen for that guy, right...?"


    "...I''ve already said it once, and I won''t say it again," Feng Mian replied stoically. "Now...please leave."


    "..." Zhu Yong looked down at his feet, and didn''t say a word. But his fists were clenched, and he was shaking in anger. Then, he slowly raised his head, and red at me with eyes full of bloodlust and hatred.


    "You...how dare you take her away from me?!" he growled, before lunging sidestepping Feng Mian in an instant and lunging at me.


    <em>Damn, this guy''s actually pretty</em><em>fast...but not fast enough to hit me.</em>


    <em></em>I leapt backwards, avoiding his attack, and scoffed. "Take her away from you? Nah...she was never yours in the first ce."


    I would''ve liked for some security staff to intervene here, since fighting him was just a waste of time for me. But s, we were in a pretty isted area of the Coastal Metropolis, since a gang-infested staircase were nearby. In fact, they were currently watching our fight with amusement.


    <em>Well...whatever. Let''s finish this quickly.</em>


    <em></em>Zhu Yong continued charging at me, his face contorted in rage. I stood still, and waited for him to attack - the perfect bait. Right when he threw a punch aimed directly for my face, I narrowly avoided it by shifting my head to the right, and I instead grabbed his arm and used his own momentum to flip him over my body and mmed him into the ground with ease.


    This noise finally attracted the attention of some far-away security staff, and they came rushing over to see me pinning down Zhu Yong like he was a criminal.


    "What is going on here?!" the first guard asked. He was fairly young, and looked pretty new to the job. But hey, he''s young and hotblooded, so he''s performing his duties perfectly fine.


    I shrugged, then eyed Zhu Yong, who was pointlessly struggling against my solid grip in anger. "This guy wanted to attack me, so I restrained him."


    "...Is there any evidence?" a second guard asked.


    "No, but there is a witness," I replied, looking at Feng Mian. She nodded and quickly came over.


    "I can confirm what Kai Xuan said is correct."


    I sighed. "Besides, do you see how bloodthirsty he is, still? That should be more than enough evidence."


    "Right..." the first guard murmured. "What made him assault you in the first ce?"


    I decided to cover up the truth. "Hell if I know."


    "I see...we will take this male away for inquisition," the second guard said atst. "Thank you for your cooperation, and apologies for the inconvenience."


    <em>Huh...how professional.</em>


    <em></em>"No, thank you for uh...dealing with him," I replied hesitantly.


    The two guards put a handcuff around Zhu Yong, and they led him away. Zhu Yong turned around with all his strength, and screamed onest line.


    "This isn''t the end of this, bastard!"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Feng Mian and I sat on a couch after Zhu Yong was taken away. I wanted to leave immediately and meet up with Mei Gui at Silverfang Smithery, but Feng Mian prevented me from doing so by linking her arm around mine. Besides...her leg was still injured, and now that Zhu Yong is gone, no one can tend to it.


    <em>Actually, wait...no one is around right now, so...</em>


    <em></em>"Feng Mian, can you let go of my arm for a bit?"


    "...But if I do, you''ll just run away..." she said quietly.


    I sighed. "I won''t run away...I''m just going to heal your leg."


    Her eyes brightened immediately, and she loosened her grip on my arm for a split second, but then tightened it again.


    I nced at her. "...What?"


    "...You promise you won''t run?"


    "Man, you''re such a worrywart...fine, I promise."


    "Mou~I''m just scared you''ll push me away again..." she murmured with a blush.


    After this short exchange, she finally let go of my arm. I bent down gently and pulled up her pant legs. There was a nasty purple bruise right above her ankle.


    "Huh...this looks pretty bad. How are you even still able to walk?" I murmured quietly, then ced my hand softly on her wound.


    Feng Mian flinched at my touch, but she quickly calmed down. "M-My bones aren''t hurt, so this isn''t that bad..."


    I sighed. "Still, it''s gotta hurt when you move, right? I''ll get this over with quickly..."


    Feng Mian nodded, then smiled happily. "Mm."


    <em>Level Two Blessing Magic - Major Heal.</em>


    <em></em>...


    <em>It didn''t work?!</em>


    <em></em>I furrowed my brows, then tried again, this time saying the chant out loud.


    "Level Two Blessing Magic - Major Heal."


    ...


    <em>It still didn''t work?!</em>


    <em></em>"What''s wrong, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, looking down at me in puzzlement.


    I averted my gaze. "I, uh...I''m kinda out of mana, so...er, can you give me some...?"


    "...Ehehe," Feng Mianughed softly.


    "What?"


    She shook her head. "Nothing, it''s just...this reminds me of the first time we did this."


    Saying this, she raised her hand and used the spell family Generate to create a block of ice, which I instantly absorbed through my palm using the power of Chaos. We repeated this process several times, and by the time we were done, I was back to around 80% of my maximum mana capacity.


    <em>Good enough. Feng Mian must be running low on mana herself right now, so she''s going to need some time to regenerate it. I don''t want topletely drain her of mana, just in case something...happens.</em>


    <em></em>"Okay, that should be good," I dered.


    "You sure? I can still keep going," Feng Mian said, pausing her incantation.


    I nodded. "Yeah. I''ll heal you now."


    Bending down once more, I ced my hand over her wound, and chanted my incantation within my head.


    <em>Level Two Blessing Magic - Major Heal.</em>


    <em></em>A soothing green light enveloped Feng Mian''s injury where my hand was, and after a while it dimmed away. After confirming the wound had indeed been healed, I rolled her pant legs back down and stood up.


    "Try moving around," I instructed.


    Feng Mian stood up as well and did as told. After a while, she turned around and gave me a wink.


    "It''spletely healed now, Xuan Kai. Thank you."


    I scratched my head anxiously and looked away. "No...thank you."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll give you mana any time you need it," Feng Mian replied with a smile.


    I shook my head. "Nah, not that..."


    "Then what is it?"


    "...Back at the store. If you hadn''t shouted out a warning, I probably would''ve gotten plummeted to death by that monster''s fist."


    Feng Mian blinked a few times, as if trying to remember what I was talking about. Then, sheughed.


    "Oh, that? Hehe, what kind of person would I be if I saw someone in danger and didn''t help them out?"


    "Nheless...you saved me there. So, uh...thanks."


    Feng Mian chuckled. "Hehe, if you really want to thank me, just remember the promise you made."


    I averted my gaze awkwardly. "Uh...about that, is it fine if I give you my answer after this whole disaster is done? If we''re both still alive by then, that is."


    Feng Mian sighed. "Sure. It wouldn''t be fair to the other girls if I alone heard your true feelings right now anyway. So, that''s why...you better bring them all back safely, yeah? And of course, you can''t die in the process. If you do, all of us would find a way to revive you, then kill you again!"


    I nodded, then chucked. "Yeah, yeah..."


    The ''them'' she was referring to was obviously Qing Yue and the Yu sisters. Obsidia too, though she definitely could handle herself fine. I wasn''t worried in the least about her, but Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, and Yu An Xue...it''s not that I thought they were weak, but let''s be honest - even I can''t do much against these monsters in a 1v1, much less fighting against a whole crowd of them. I believed in the girls'' strength, but these monsters were just too tough.


    Undoubtedly, the girls could defeat most people our own age, perhaps even a bit older. They were all quite the talents for humans, not to mention the rewards Song Qian Long gave us foring first in the Advancement Exams.


    <em>Actually...wait, could the weapons he gave to the Yu sisters actually work against these monsters? They were called Divine Weapons or something, if I recall correctly...</em><em></em>


    Then, suddenly, I received a phone call. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and read:


    <strong>Iing Caller: Old Geezer.</strong>


    <strong></strong>"...That sure was quick," I muttered quietly.


    "Who is it?" Feng Mian asked.


    "The principal. I''ll exin things to you once all of this is done, so please don''t ask too much right now."


    "Hm...I don''t know what you''re up to again, but I''ll let it slide this time."


    "Much appreciated," I chuckled, before answering the phone. "Yeah?"


    "It''s done. I will send you your cover identity through text in one second, so just review that before heading to the group location."


    "Group location?" I echoed in confusion.


    And then, as if on cue, a ssic ringtone resounded from the PA of the mall.


    <strong>"Attention. All Rescue Squad members, assemble at the back gates NOW. Protection, Reconnaissance, and Support Squads, remain on standby. I repeat, all Rescue Squad members, assemble at the back gates."</strong>


    "...Kai Kai, I believe you heard that?" Song Qian Long said over the phone.


    "Yeah, couldn''t miss it even if I wanted to. The back gates, right?"


    "Yes. Do not forget, you will be under a fake identity. Be careful not to be exposed."


    "Don''t worry...I have experience," I replied, thinking of my Kai Xuan persona.


    "...Alright. And one more thing..." Song Qian Long paused for a moment, before continuing. "Come back alive, Kai Kai. Along with those girls."


    I grinned, even though he couldn''t see it. "Copy that."


    Then, I hung up the phone, and turned to Feng Mian. "I''ve got something to do now. You should go meet up with Mei Gui at the Silverfang Smithery, right down the hall this way. She''ll answer any questions you have."


    Feng Mian tilted her head in confusion. "E-Eh? H-Hold on-"


    "There''s no time," I quickly cut her off. "Like I said, go rendezvous with Mei Gui. I''ll let her know to expect you."


    She still looked dubious, but finally gave in with a sigh after a while. "...Fine. But whatever you''re going to do...just don''t die, okay?"


    I turned around, then spoke. "Who do you think I am? It''s going to take a lot more than just the Midnight Syndicate to kill me."

 Chapter 155 - Rescue Squad

    <strong>- The Coastal Metropolis, Back Entrance -</strong>


    After leaving Feng Mian, I quickly pulled out my phone to check out my cover identity that Song Qian Long had created, and also sent Mei Gui a message letting her know to expect Feng Mian while I was at it. Apparently, my information was as follows:


    Name: Zhang San


    Age: 16


    Gender: Male


    Hair Color: ck


    Eye Color: Red


    <em>...These all look fine, but the name...Zhang San, really?!1</em>


    <em></em>In addition, since I could use all 21 elements, Song Qian Long had specified which elements I was to use under this identity...and in order to avoid attracting attention to myself, I was only allowed to use one, and the mostmon one at that - Fire.


    <em>Man...I understand why he wanted me to be inconspicuous as possible, and I agree, but seriously? I can only use Fire element spells? This is going to be a pain...well, at least Fire is one of my more proficient elements.</em>


    <em></em><em>Speaking of elements...I haven''t done the Awakening test for bing an Intermediate Mage yet. I still have to go to an IMF office for that, once all of this is over and if I am still alive...</em>


    After around 10 minutes, I arrived at the meeting location for the rescue squad - the back entrance of the mall, since the entire front side was burning and still notpletely extinguished yet. I had both my hood and mask on, and tried to remain in the background as much as possible. I stayed at the back of the crowd that had gathered, and refrained from any interaction with others. Luckily, no one else seemed to be trying to make conversation either, so I didn''te off as awkward or anti-social.


    <em>Everyone must be pretty nervous...especially if they''ve seen how strong the monsters are.</em>


    Once a good amount of people had gathered, and it didn''t seem like any more wereing, a man who looked like the leader with his formal city guard uniform and serious face walked up in front of us, and cleared his throat.


    "Alright, everyone! Normally, I would get all of you to line up properly, but people out there are dying by the second! There''s no time to waste!" he dered, and the assembled rescue squad cheered in response. Once the roaring had died down, the man continued. "But before that, in order to ensure everyone is here, I must take attendance. When I call out your name, just yell out ''yes, sir''! Understood?"


    "Yes, sir!" the crowd roared, and I quietly added a ''yes, sir'' of my own into the mix as well.


    "Good! Now then, let''s start!" the man yelled. "Zou Yu Han!"


    "Yes, sir!" a man with a mohawk shouted in return. He looked experienced in battle. Probably someone who retired from the armies, or used to be part of some gang.


    "Xiang Peng!"


    "Yes, sir!" a girl with twin ponytails responded loud and clear.


    She had freckles on her face, green hair, and blue eyes. She was shorter than me, but considering she was among this group, she was definitely Advanced Mage or above. Either her height just didn''t suit her age (like Qing Yue) or she was the same age as me or even younger, but was already an Advanced Mage. That required both an insane amount of talent and resources, since personal Advancement Exams cost quite a bit. Therefore, the first probability was more likely. After all, there were many people that were far shorter than their age''s average.


    The leader-like man continued, after ticking off a box on the paper he was holding. "Zhao Xin Ya!"


    "Yes, sir!" a tall man with sses replied with a short salute. If that Zou Yu Han guy from earlier looked like he was from the armies, this guy was even more so. In fact, he looked like he was still in the armies, but just serving as a city guard temporarily or something. He even got the proper form salute down.


    This process repeated for several more times:


    "Wan Jin!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Wen Tai!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Tan Shui Jing!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    After exactly forty-nine people being called before me, I began to wonder if Song Qian Long added me at all. But then, the fiftieth name came.


    "This is...er, Zhang San!"


    My eyes widened, and I immediately raised my hand and spoke up. "Yes, sir!"


    I heard murmurs going around, and they weren''t exactly friendly.


    "Zhang San...? Seriously? That''s this guy''s name?" Zou Yu Han murmured.


    "He doesn''t look strong either...and what''s with the mask...?" another added.


    "Quiet!" the leader suddenly yelled, and everyone immediately shut up. "Alright. Everyone is here. We have fifty people in total, and with me that makes fifty-one. Our premier goal this time is rescue any survivors out there! Exterminating the monsterse second! Understand?!"


    "Yes, sir!" everyone yelled energetically in response.


    "Good! Once we''re out there, you''re on your own. If you don''t listen to my orders and get yourself in a dangerous situation, no one wille to save you, understand?!"


    "Yes, sir!" everyone yelled once more.


    "Ster! Now then, if you think you are the strongest among all of us here, not counting me, stand up!"


    Nearly everyone stood up.<em>Oh man...this is one of those moments where I have to decide which option is less conspicuous. Obviously, bymon sense, remaining seated would be the least attention-attracting choice, but when 90% of the entire squad is standing up...eh, screw it, majority rules.</em>


    <em></em>I stood up as well, and the leader, seeing the sheer mass of people who thought they were the strongest here,ughed.


    "Good! I like that confidence of yours! But whether that is actually confidence, or juts pure arrogance...we will find out soon enough!"


    "How will we determine who''s the strongest?" Xiang Peng, the girl with ponytails from before asked.


    "Hmph. There is no time for actual fights, so we will determine this easily by your mage rank. All Advanced Mages, sit down. You aren''t strong enough."


    "N-No way..." a dejected man slumped back into his chair at this sudden rejection. Many others followed.


    They probably knew faking wouldn''t do anything here, either, as the leader undoubtedly had the profiles of each and every single one of us. Lying would aplish nothing but get yourselfbeled a shameless loser. Naturally, I sat down as well, thanking the heavens for this opportunity to blend in.


    The remaining number of people could be counted on one hand. They were Zou Yu Han, Xiang Peng, and Zhao Xin Ya, and Tan Shui Jing. Among them, Xiang Peng was the only one I was really surprised about. I didn''t feel an immensely powerful aura from her like I do from Song Qian Long, Ghosteye, or gue, but she''s above Advanced Mage rank?


    <em>Could it be...a strength-concealing artifact, or something of the sort?</em>


    <em></em>The leader nced down at his sheet of paper, before eyeing the remaining four still standing. "The four of you...are all Ancestral Mages, huh?"


    "Yes, sir!" the four of them replied simultaneously.


    The leader pped his hands together. "Alright! Each of you will lead a squad of nine members. I will lead the remaining nine. That means we will be split into groups of ten in total! We willmunicate using these walkie-talkies, and be sure to listen to your group leader! Now, hurry up and form your own groups, behind one of the leaders! We don''t have time to assign each of you properly, just ensure each group has ten people in total! Go!"


    After a lot of shuffling, the grouping was done. Many people had chosen to go to Xiang Peng''s group, since she was arguably pretty cute, but of course each group could only amodate ten people. The unlucky guys who weren''t too quick on their feet got the short end of the stick, and had to go to one of the remaining groups.


    A lot of the people chose to go to the leader''s group as well, since he was probably the strongest out of all of us here. Otherwise, why would he be chosen as leader?


    As for me, I was in Xiang Peng''s group. The reason for this was she seemed less...strict than the others, meaning I could probably trick her with ame excuse then go do my own thing, should the time evere. Since I...uh, have a habit for that.


    Once we all had settled down, the leader grinned. "Alright! Now then, let''s move out!"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    The Rescue Squad, assembled to fight against this disaster. There were fifty of us in total, and with the leader that made fifty-one. We were currently traversing through the monster-infested city, with no one to rely on but ourselves. What''s more, we had split into five groups, meaning it was really just ten of us against god knows how many monsters. Of course, we still hadmunication with the other groups through our handheld transceivers, but that could only do so much in a life-and-death emergency.


    <em>Now then...Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and Yu An Yan...where are you?</em><em></em> Zhang San is kind of like the ''John Smith'' of Chinese. It is used when referring to an unspecified person, so basically no one is actually called ''Zhang San''. If by some chance, there''s actually a guy in China or somewhere named ''Zhang San'', all I can say is their parents are really bad at naming things. Like, worse than me bad.

 Chapter 156 - Search Of Faith

    Before the five groups that had formed split off from each other, we were each given a map of the entire city that marked the different zones on it. There was, of course, five zones in total, ranging from A to E. The leader of the rescue squad, who Iter found out was named Lie Huo, led his group of ten and searched Zone A for survivors, which was the slums area of the city. Our group, led by Xiang Peng, was tasked with searching Zone B, which covered Shenzhen Magic High School and its surroundings. The other groups also each had their own respective zones to search.


    Together, the five groups covered the entire city of Shenzhen, not counting the safe zone. We would be looking for survivors from building to building, not letting a single life be missed, as long as they were still human. I, of course, didn''t care about any of these other survivors, but...Qing Yue and the Yu sisters could be out here. That was the reason why I joined in the first ce.


    Song Qian Long had let me join the rescue squad since it apparently lowered the risks of dying - but it was still pretty high. I agreed, but the truth was, I would rather have gone alone. Moving in an organized group like this restricted my movements and prevented me from doing whatever I wanted, which quite frankly, was troublesome.


    In addition to the maps, each of us was also given a handheld transceiver - but not just any electricity-powered one. These operated based on Sound Magic, and so even though our phones couldn''t be used anymore, these could still function just fine.


    <em>Come to think of it...back when I called Feng Mian, the phone lines were still working. And I could use my phone in the mall as well...but then again, the mall probably had a system on their own. I wouldn''t exactly be surprised, considering how grand and luxurious the Coastal Metropolis is.</em><em></em>


    Just as we were nearing the school gates with no sign of any monsters yet, I raised my hand. Xiang Peng, my group leader, noticed this and looked back at me.


    "Yes, Zhang San?" she whispered sharply.


    <em>Wait...she actually remembered my name? Actually, does she know the names of everyone here? No way, right? Her memory is that good? After only hearing it once at the attendance, she''s already got everything memorized...? Damn.</em>


    <em></em>"Leader, I uh...need to use the bathroom," I muttered, unable to think of a better excuse.


    She blinked at me a few times, before sighing. "Why didn''t you go sooner...? Now, you can''t go to a bathroom, not when these monsters are lurking around and could pop out any moment from anywhere. Just do it right here, and make it quick. It''s still dark, and no one''s looking."


    <em>...Damn it, I know you''re not doing this intentionally, but quit spoiling my ns! Ugh, fine...time to pull</em>that<em>card.</em>


    <em></em>I took a deep breath, then spoke in a fake embarrassed, slightly high-pitched tone. "S-Sorry, but...I can''t do it in front of all of you. You see...I''m actually...um...a girl..."


    This caused everyone to focus their gazes on me in bewilderment.


    "H-Huh?! You''re a girl?!" Xiang Peng whispered sharply. "T-Then why do you look like a boy?!"


    I averted my gaze and did my best to act like a girl, fiddling with my fingers. "U-Um...I was afraid the rescue squad would discriminate against females, s-so..."


    A man who looked to be in his forties patted my back. "Don''t worry about that here, girl. We ain''t like that. Hell, if anyone here tried that kind of stuff, I would punch him myself."


    "R-Right, thanks..." I murmured.


    "...I''m guessing Zhang San''s a fake name too, then?" Xiang Peng continued, and I immediately stiffened.


    "N-No, actually, Zhang San is my real name..." I lied tantly. Luckily, since I was already stuttering a bit before, it didn''t particrly seem like I was lying...though the fact that Zhang San is my actual name is not really that believable, either.


    Xiang Peng stared at me for a while longer, before finally giving in. "...Oh well, I understand. I''m a girl too, after all. Just go behind that tree over there."


    "T-Thanks!" I eximed, before quickly doing as told.


    Once I was safely behind the tree where no one else could see me, I secretly activated my telepathic channel with Mei Gui.


    <em>This is the first time I''m attempting this from such a long range, but...hopefully, it works.</em>


    <em></em>[Mei Gui, can you hear me?]


    [Master...?] The reply was instant, as if we were right next to each other.


    [Okay....sweet. Looks like our telepathic messaging ability still works from this distance. But never mind that, Mei Gui, are you still in the Coastal Metropolis?]


    [Yes, Master. I am currently browsing Silverfang Smithery with Feng Mian.]


    [Alright. Can you check if you can still use your phone to text or call someone?]


    [Understood, one moment...]


    Suddenly, I heard Xiang Peng''s voice hollering me. "Um...Zhang San? Are you finished yet?"


    I quickly cleared my throat to get back my falsetto high-pitched voice, then replied casually. "Y-Yes! Almost..."


    "Okay, I know it''s kind of hard, but try to hurry up!"


    "R-Right!"


    After a few seconds of anxious waiting, I finally received a reply from Mei Gui.


    [Master, it still works.]


    I sighed in relief, then quickly sent another telepathic message back. [Good. Give Qing Yue a call, see if she picks up...]


    [Understood, Master.]


    [Alright. Let me know when you''re done.]


    And with that, I cut off the connection, and returned back to my group.


    <em>Man...long-distance telepathic connection, as expected, takes quite a toll on my energy. I definitely can''t afford to be using it tomunicate with Mei Gui while I''m in front of these guys, otherwise I''ll definitely be caught off guard and exposed. I can only look for other opportunities like this one...though I can''t be using this bathroom excuse anytime soon.</em>


    <em></em>"Alright, I''m back...thank you, and sorry for the inconvenience, everyone..."


    The middle-aged man from earlier shook his head. "Don''t worry about it, girl. What kind of rescue squad would we be if we didn''t even let one of our own members do basic human needs?"


    "Haha, right..." I murmured with an awkwardugh.<em>Now I feel bad for deceiving them...great.</em>


    <em></em>Xiang Peng pped her hands together, and opened her map. "Awesome. Now that everyone is ready, let''s begin our search of this ce we''re at right now...Shenzhen Magic High School."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, In A Certain Abandoned Building In The Slums of Shenzhen -</strong>


    <strong>(Yu An Yan''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"An Xue, you ready?" I asked, brandishing my weapon to get a good feel onest time. The weapon I was talking about was, of course, one of the Six Divine Weapons, the Axe of Fire - ming Dance. It was a reward I had received from principal Song for cing first in the Advancement Exams, along with my sister Yu An Xue, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and...Xuan Kai.


    <em>Xuan Kai...I still can''t believe he said all those harsh things to us that night! I mean, I agree our group confession was kind of sudden, but...even if he was unprepared, did he really have to make up some lie in order to push us away?</em>


    <em>...Honestly, does he really expect us to believe him when he says he doesn''t care about us at all, and wants to willingly severe ties? Yeah, right. If he didn''t care, he could''ve just up and left a long time ago. I''m not stupid, and neither are the other girls. We all know as clear as day that is just a lie, an excuse Xuan Kai made up in order to push us away. And the reason for pushing us away? Well, that''s obvious. So we can stay out of harm''s way.</em>


    <em>But really? I don''t mind being in danger. If anything, I see dangerous situations as opportunities to get stronger. And besides...if it means I can stay by Xuan Kai''s side...then I believe we, together, can ovee any so-called dangers. Of course...I still have a long way to go in my magic studies, and I can''t be considered strong just yet. Yes, I can probably beat most people the same age as me, but that wasn''t enough...nowhere near enough, if I wanted to apany Xuan Kai on his path.</em>


    <em>That''s why...I will get stronger. Everyone has their own motivations for bing more powerful, and this, is mine. I believe the other girls feel the same way.</em>


    Then, An Xue''s words snapped me out of my trance. "Sis...I''m ready."


    In her hand, she held also one of the Six Divine Weapons - Sword of Water and Ice, Frozen Fear. Together, we were the wless duo. We might not be the strongest right now, but we were definitely the most in sync.


    I grinned. "Sweet...onest check, how many of them outside?"


    An Xue peeked out through the narrow openings of the blinds of the window, and after a few seconds, turned back to me once more. "Just...two."


    "Hm...''just'' two, huh? Honestly, I''m not sure we can even defeat them on our own...if these monsters are truly the same as that guy we fought in the final round of the Advancement Exams, then..."


    "Then is then...now is now," An Xue said confidently. "We have...two of the Six Divine Weapons...we can win. No...we <em>will</em> win."


    I smiled. "Yeah. After all, if we can''t beat them, we can''t get out of here. And if we can''t get out of here...we won''t have a chance to get back at Xuan Kai, y''know?"


    An Xue nodded and smiled faintly at the mention of Xuan Kai. "Mm."


    I turned to the single door in this entire abandoned building, and took a deep breath. "Alright...let''s do this, An Xue."


    An Xue walked closer to me, a look of determination in her eyes. "...Mm."

 Chapter 157 - Breaking Out

    <strong>(Yu An Xue''s Perspective)</strong>


    I crouched down near the door, pressing my ear against the cold metal. "Sis...one is right behind...this door..."


    My long-lost sister, Yu An Yan, nodded and arched her arm back, in preparation for a mighty swing of her axe. Our n here was to take down one of the two monsters outside by surprise, then pincer attack the other. In order for this to happen, the monster we were surprising had to be right in front of the door.


    I looked at my sister, and gave her a countdown using hand gestures.


    <em>3...2...1!</em>


    An Yan swung her axe with all of her strength and I ducked out of the way right before it struck the door.


    <strong>CRASH!</strong>


    The force of the axe tore the door from its hinges, and mmed into the monster lurking behind it. Not letting the other monster even react, I quickly followed-up and thrust my Sword of Water and Ice - Frozen Fear -directly through both the door and the monster''s tough hide, going into the monster''s heart. After grinding the sword for a little to make sure the monster was as dead as one could possibly be, I pulled my weapon back out and leapt off the dead monster''s body.


    "GRAHHH!" the other monster screamed in anger, having finally came to its senses.


    It tried to grab me with its giant hand, but I nimbly dodged out of the way andnded in front of it while my sister circled around behind, forming the perfect pincer attacked. So far, everything was going ording to n. The only unknown factor now, is whether or not the two of us would be able to defeat this monster...


    "An Xue! Aim for its heart! That''s its weak spot!" my sister yelled, before jumping up and cleaving the air in front of her with her Axe of Fire.


    The monster was startled, and quickly avoided being near-decapitated by blocking her attack with its hand. The fire plus the sheer sharpness and power of the weapon itself managed to leave a deep wound on the monster''s hand.


    However, we weren''t quite done yet. I also leapt up from the ground, and aimed directly for the creature''s heart with my sword. But unfortunately, the monster''s other hand was still free, and it backhanded me into the wall.


    "Ngh!" I groaned, falling to the floor.


    "An Xue! Are you okay?!" my sister asked,nding back on the ground.


    "Yes...I''m...fine," I replied, struggling to my feet.


    "Tch..." my sister grumbled. "I can injure it, but I can''t damage any of its vitals. Its hide is too thick. And wait...no way, its healing itself?!"


    I looked at where my sister was pointing, and indeed, the wound she had just inflicted on the monster was already bubbling and beginning to close.


    <em>This is troublesome...if there were more of us, we could constantly attack him to prevent him from healing up, but with just two...</em>


    <em></em>"Sis...we have to kill it...in one strike."


    "Yeah...I know. Your sword is better at precision, so you aim for the heart. I''ll find a way to somehow get both of its hands to concentrate on me..." my sister muttered.


    Then, suddenly, something came into my mind. "Sis...! Remember...what we discovered...? About these weapons..."


    "Hm...?" An Yan tilted her head in confusion.


    "We can...change its weight!"


    Back when we first received these two of the Six Divine Weapons from principal Song, we had experimented with them a little. One of the key features we discovered back then was that we could manipte the weight of the weapon to our liking. I assumed this was one of the special attributes only the Six Divine Weapons have, for ease of use. I doubted I would be even able to hold my Frozen Fear if it had been its original weight, much less An Yan''s axe.


    <em>If we apply that here...we can increase the power of our weapons using gravity!</em>


    "Oh! You''re righ- woah!" my sister eximed, before getting interrupted by the monster who had picked up the door we broke down just now and threw it at my sister. She jumped out of the way narrowly, and wiped her forehead in relief.


    "Grr..." the monster growled in frustration.


    "Okay, An Xue! I''ll empower my axe by increasing its weight! Be ready for an opening!"


    "...Mm!" I nodded, and brandished my sword.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Yu An Yan''s Perspective)</strong>


    "Level One Sky Magic - Flight!" I chanted, and soared upwards, levitating in mid-air.


    "RAHHH!" the monster roared, in an attempt to intimidate me.


    <em>But...you aren''t scary at allpared to when Xuan Kai when he pushed us away, heh.</em>


    I swung the axe in my hands, ming Dance, several times to get momentum. Then, I suddenly deactivated my flight magic, and fell towards the monster''s head at full speed.


    <em>No...not enough!</em>


    <em></em>I increased the weight of the axe, to the point where I couldn''t resist the gravity at all. But that, in this case, was good. The monster brought a hand again to defend against my attack, sparing the other one for my sister. But my attack this time around wasn''t the same as my earlier one.


    With the far increased weight of my axe, the creature couldn''t stop my attack with just one hand anymore. The ming metal burned through the monster''s hand, and it screamed in agony.


    "GRAHHH!"


    It quickly stumbled backwards to get away from my ming axe, but that caused it to go off-bnce. I tumbled to the ground with a roll as I lightened ming Dance once more, and yelled towards my sister.


    "An Xue, now!"


    "...Right!" she leapt up into the air, and since the monster was still struggling to regain its bnce with its back to her, it had no way of defending against this attack.


    An Xue''s sword hit its mark, and the creature''s entire body, to my surprise,pletely turned to ice. After a short dy, it shattered, bright blue crystals flying everywhere. I raised an arm in front of my face for protection, but surprisingly enough the small ice particles didn''t hurt at all. Instead, they melted away immediately upon contact with me.


    I slowly removed my arm so I could see again, and gazed in wonder at my sister standing in victory, eyes closed and an aura of ice around her.


    "Wow..." I gasped in amazement.


    An Xue took a deep breath, then dematerialized her weapon. That was another ability we discovered during experimentations. We didn''t have any Space Lockets or anything of the sort, but we found that we could call upon the weapon at will, and when we didn''t need it, we could easily dematerialize it. Where it went exactly, however, I didn''t know.


    I mimicked An Xue and also dematerialized my axe. Then, she turned around and smiled at me. I gave a grin and a thumbs-up back, and hurried over to her.


    "Amazing, An Xue! What was that?" I asked, eager for more info on that hell of a special attack.


    She shook her head. "I''m not sure, either...but maybe...it''s something that automatically triggers...on final blows?"


    "Ooh, do you think my ming Dance has something simr too?"


    "Most...likely," she replied. "This is...the first time we are using these...in actual battle."


    "That''s true...oh, I want to go kill another monster now!" I eximed giddily.


    An Xue smiled, then sighed. "Sis..."


    I shook my head. "Yeah, yeah...don''t worry, I won''t actually do it. Just this one gave both of us enough trouble. And we made quite the ruckus...so we should probably get out of here now before any more of those monsterse."


    An Xue nodded. "Mm."


    I sank into thought for a few moments, then spoke. "Alright, let''s go to the safe zone for now. Hopefully, the other girls...and Xuan Kai are there."


    "Xuan...Kai..." An Xue murmured sadly, and I added another thing to the list of reasons why I''m going to p him when I see him again.


    Having our destination decided, I took a few steps, but then stopped. "Um...I know I said that, but where do we go, exactly?"


    "...Sis, are you...lost?"


    "H-Hey! M-My sense of direction has always been bad, okay?!"


    An Xue sighed, then smiled faintly. "...Can''t you just use Flight?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...U-Um, I didn''t forget I could just do that! You saw nothing!" I eximed. "A-An Xue, I swear, if you tell anyone else about this, especially Xuan Kai..."


    My sister gave a softugh, which was rare. "No...promises."


    <em>AHHH, DAMN IT! That was a blunder...I should''ve thought things through...</em>


    <em></em>Faced with this embarrassment, I quickly muttered a chant and activated Flight. Taking An Xue in my arms, we flew directly upwards, and soared across the night sky.


    Then, suddenly, I spotted something in the distance, in the direction of the school. "Hm...? What''s that...? An Xue, do you see it? Those sparks of color over there."


    An Xue followed where I was pointing with her eyes, and narrowed her gaze. "I see it...there are also...explosions...if you listen closely..."


    I blinked. "No way...are they fighting monsters over there?!"


    An Xue gave a firm nod. "Let''s...check it out."

 Chapter 158 - Entering The School

    <strong>- Around 15 Minutes Earlier, Shenzhen Magic High School -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    Our team of ten, led by Xiang Peng, slowed down as the familiar school building came into sights. She gave us a hand signal to stop, then closed her eyes.


    "Level One Psychic Magic - Detect Presence - Tier III."


    My eyes widened, along with some of the other team members. Being proficient at Psychic Magic was one thing, but having a spell upgraded to the third tier wasn''t easy at all. The amount of money and resouces needed for that was insurmountable, considering how expensive Upgrade Runes were.


    <em>Damn...just who is this girl?</em>


    Nheless, this wasn''t the time to be thinking about such things. Xiang Peng opened her eyes again after a while, and she turned back to us. She held up her hand and whispered.


    "I sense at least ten monsters at the entrance. There may be more inside the campus. Everyone...prepare yourselves. We willmence action in five minutes."


    <em>...Ten monsters?!</em>


    However, I then looked at my fellow teammates, and realized that none of them had a look of shock or fear on their faces. I furrowed my brow, then tapped the shoulder of the kind middle-aged senior from before.


    "Hm? What is it, little girl?"


    <em>I would prefer it if you didn''t call me little, but...</em>


    I shook my head, then looked at the senior in the eyes. "Are you...not scared?"


    He chuckled lightly. "Hah. Scared? Of course I am. Those things...they''re terrifying. Hell, under normal circumstances, I would probably turn tail and run the moment I saw one."


    I tilted my head in confusion, since his casual expression didn''t match the fear he said he has.


    Seeing my puzzlement, the man continued. "But...you know, there''s something pushing me from behind, telling me ''you must do this''. Something far more powerful than fear."


    Then, turning to me, he smiled. "Little girl, do you know what this ''something'' is?''


    I shook my head. "No, senior...what is it?"


    Heughed. "...You''ll understand one day. When you find someone you can''t lose no matter what...you''ll understand."


    "..." I fell silent, and we ended the conversation there.


    <em>...Someone you can''t lose no matter what, huh? Hah...the funny thing is, I''ve already lost them.</em>


    <em></em>After a while, Xiang Peng nced at us, and gave a firm nod. "Everyone...we''re moving out. I have already figured out our way inside. Remember, searching for survivors is our top priority. If we don''t need to fight, don''t."


    "Yes, ma''am!" all of us whispered sharply.


    She nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, everyone. Follow me closely, and watch my hand signals."


    <em>Hand signals? So far, I''ve just been copying what everyone else is doing, but I suppose I should learn these military hand signals for the future, huh? Never know when you might need it, after all.</em>


    <em></em>The ten of us moved swiftly and quietly, and even the oldest of us, the middle-aged senior, made little to no sound at all with the agility of a cheetah. This honestly shocked me, but I suppose only the best of the best were chosen for the rescue squad, huh?


    <em>That said, I wonder how that old geezer managed to slip me in the squad even though I only had one elemental affinity on the surface...</em>


    Then, suddenly, Xiang Peng stopped, and gave us the hand gesture to stop as well. Weplied, and waited in anxiety. We had to just round one more corner, and we would arrive at the sidewalk directly across from the main campus entrance. I was really familiar with this area, so I could even visualize the entire street from where I was crouching, despite not being able to actually see it just yet.


    "Curses...there''s five of them near the only entrance," Xiang Peng muttered.


    "What do we do?" a teenager who looked to be a little bit older than me asked.


    Xiang Peng didn''t respond, and neither did the rest of us. Deciding it was time to contribute something, I spoke up.


    "I have an idea."


    As all eyes focused on me, I continued. "Does anyone here have a Sky element affinity?"


    Xiang Peng was the first to respond. "Yes. I do."


    After making sure no one else had a Sky Element affinity, I nodded. "Alright...this n may be a little crazy, but what if you were to use Flight and carry us inside the campus one by one?"


    "Hm....that could actually work," Xiang Peng murmured in reply. "Okay, let''s give it a try."


    I blinked in surprise. I didn''t expect her to agree so unhesitantly, especially since she would have to be carrying a bunch of guys. That would take a lot of strength, even if she isn''t doing it all at the same time.


    <em>Heh...everyone in this rescue squad is really something, huh?</em>


    <em></em>Before I could react, Xiang Peng was behind me and pulled me into a princess carry.


    "W-Whoa-" I nearly raised my voice in surprise, but quickly covered my mouth, remembering where we were.


    Without any warning, Xiang Peng took off into the air, and soared high above even the clouds, which provided cover for us in case any monsters below were looking upwards. This was safer, but at the same time...


    <em>Oh shit...it''s getting hard to breathe.</em>


    I looked at Xiang Peng, but she didn''t seem to be having any trouble at all.<em>What are you, a superhuman?!</em>


    <em></em>Hoping she doesn''t notice, I discretely cast a small-scale Sky Element ''Generate: Air'' spell near my nose, and I immediately felt better with this new supply of breathable oxygen. Luckily, Xiang Peng didn''t seem to realize what I did, and I sighed in relief.


    After a while, we began descending, andnded directly on the roof of the main campus. Xiang Peng didn''t waste any time, and departed again immediately after dropping me off.


    <em>Alright...I''m finally alone now. Now then...Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and Yu An Yan...where are you? Hopefully, you''re in your dorms, but...</em>


    <em>But wait...that''s weird. Shouldn''t there be a barrier around the school...? Did Xiang Peng bypass it somehow, or...?</em>


    <em></em>My eyes widened at the sudden realization.<em>N-No way, right...?</em>


    <em>...Did the barrier break?!</em>


    <em>T-Then that means...</em>


    I cast a Detect Presence on my surroundings, and furrowed my brows in frustration at the results.


    <em>...There are monsters inside too! Fortunately, they aren''t that close to the roof, but...they are roaming the lower floors right now...</em>


    <em>Damn...how did I not notice this earlier?!</em>I quickly peeked over the edge of the roof, to find some windows shattered and the front door sted open.<em>Shit...I was too far away earlier to notice this, but...if the main campus is like this, then the dorms...!</em>


    Without thinking any further, I cast Flight on myself and began flying in the direction of the female dorms.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Several Minutes Later -</strong>


    Inded on the roof of the female dorm building, and pulled out my walkie-talkie. After making sure no monsters were nearby, I opened the channel and began speaking.


    "Leader, can you hear me? Over."


    "This is...Zhang San?" Xiang Peng''s voice transmitted over. "Yes, I can hear you. What''s wrong? Over."


    "The main campus...there are monsters on the lower floors. I went to investigate, and managed to escape narrowly. The roof is still safe, though."


    <em>That was a half-lie, but better than aplete one. Sorry, Xiang Peng, but I can''t afford to reveal my secrets.</em>


    <em></em>"...I see. Are you in a safe location right now? Over."


    "Yes. Don''t worry about me, leader. You guys focus on the mission. I will find a way out and meet up with you soon. Over."


    "...Alright. Be careful. Xiang Peng out."


    After I heard the cackle sound of the walkie-talkie, I stuffed it in my cloak pocket once more and took a look down below from where I was on the roof.


    <em>One...two...three. Three monsters outside the dorms. Luckily, it doesn''t seem like the building itself is harmed...in fact, the main entrance and all the windows are perfectly intact, unlike the main campus.</em>


    <em>...That''s good and all, but now, how am I supposed to get inside to look for those girls? I definitely can''t take on those three monsters down there alone.</em>


    <em>Hm...? Hold on, I can reach the topmost window from here, but I can''t open it from the outside...oh, wait...I know!</em><em></em>


    <em></em>I ced my hand on the ss window, and smirked.


    <em>Generate: Fire.</em>


    <em></em>This ss was actually fireproof...that is, against normal fires. My magic is empowered with the power of Chaos, meaning my mes burn far hotter than the norm. Of course, I could just st the window open as well, but that would definitely attract the attention of the three monsters below. Thus, this was the best choice.


    From my knowledge, normal ss could withstand five minutes of normal fire before it began to melt. Then...fireproof ss versus empowered fire should also take around five minutes. I began counting in my mind.


    After exactly five minutes, the ss started melting. I kept my hand where it was, and around a minuteter, the ss hadpletely turned to liquid and was sliding down the outside wall of the building. I stopped my spell, and the ck fire in my hand disappeared.


    <em>Speaking of ck...I''m pretty thankful my fire is this color. If it was the bright orange like other people''s, even if I didn''t make any noise, the monsters below would notice me.</em>


    I was also wearing a ck cloak with a ck hoodie underneath, so that added to the camouge.


    With all preparationsplete, I turned around so that my back was towards the roof''s railing, and grabbed the railing with both hands so that I was almost in a bridge position. Then, I jumped upwards, swinging myself using the railing as an axis. I watched carefully, and let go of myself at the perfect time so that I swung perfectly inside the open window I had created.


    Inded gracefully, and looked around to make sure I hadn''t identally intruded on anyone. After that, I sighed in relief, then stood back up and patted down my pants and cloak to get the dust off.


    I walked towards the front door of this dorm room, preparing to exit. Just as I was about to leave, however, I heard a muffled sniffing sound. It sounded as if...someone was crying. And that someone, was almost certainly the owner of this room.


    I took my hand off the doorknob, and turned around.


    <em>Who could it be...?</em>

 Chapter 159 - Awkward Reunion

    "Sniff...sniff..." the girl snuffled.


    I followed the sound, and eventually arrived before a shut door.<em>Who could it be...?</em>


    <em></em>I debated in my head whether or not to help this girl out.<em>If I did, that will make searching for Qing Yue and the Yu sisters a lot more troublesome, having her tag along...but if I didn''t...ugh, screw it. Qing Yue and the Yu sisters are my top priority here. Sorry, whoever you are, but...</em>


    <em></em>I turned around and began walking away, keeping my footsteps as light as possible. However, then-


    "Sniff...Big Brother Xuan Kai...where are you...sniff..."


    I spun around immediately, and pressed my ear against the door.<em>There''s no way...am I mishearing things? The only one who calls me that, is...</em>


    <em></em>"Big Brother Xuan Kai...Qing Yue is scared..." the girl sobbed quietly.


    I clenched my fists, then ced my hand on the door handle. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door...to find Qing Yue, hugging herself tightly on her bed, hidden within her nket.


    "Qing Yue..." I murmured.


    She slowly looked up and met my gaze. "Big Brother...Xuan Kai?"


    Time seemed to stop.


    And then, in an instant, she leapt off the bed, and dived directly into my arms.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...! Wahh..." she cried, buring her face in my shoulder.


    I supported her short body gently with my arms, and ended up hugging her back. I was still kind of dazed, and unsure what to do. In the end, I settled on just patting her head softly as she continued to cry in my arms.


    "It''s okay...I''m here."


    After a few minutes, Qing Yue stopped crying, and she wiped any remaining tears from her face. I slowly let go of her, but she didn''t do the same to me.


    <em>Well...this is awkward.</em>


    <em></em>Unsure of where to put my hands, I just let them drop to my sides.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...Qing Yue is so d you''re here..." she murmured, embracing me even tighter.


    "R-Right...but I''m k-kind of having difficulty breathing here..."


    She was hugging me so tight I could barely breathe. After hearing me say this, however, Qing Yue finally let go, and wiped away any remaining tears on her face and in her eyes.


    "S-Sorry..." she murmured, averting her gaze.


    I sighed. "It''s fine...just go wash your face quickly, then we''re getting out of here."


    Qing Yue nodded, then proceeded to head inside the washroom. However, she then stopped, and turned around to look at me once more.


    "Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai...do you hate me...?"


    "Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Of course not."


    "B-But you don''t<em>love</em>me either, do you?" she continued, casting her eyes downwards with a dejected expression. "I mean...that''s what you said before, wasn''t it? If so, then why did youe looking for me?"


    I looked away. "...Can we talk about thister?"


    Qing Yue stared at me for a while longer, before finally giving in with a nod. Then, she entered the washroom, and began cleaning her face.


    <em>First Feng Mian, and now Qing Yue. As expected, after what I said to them,ing back to help them now would just make me look like a hypocrite. No doubt...the Yu sisters will have the same reaction. God, for now, I''m just pushing the inevitable untilter, but...when the timees, it''s going to be such a pain.</em>


    <em></em><em>I wonder, could I just run away? Yeah, not likely. I doubt the girls are going to let me do that, given how stubborn every single one of them are. They won''t rest until they''ve hunted me down, like a pack of wolves...very beautiful wolves.</em>


    Soon after, Qing Yue was finished.


    "All done?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.


    She nodded. "I''m ready, Big Brother Xuan Kai."


    "If there''s anything in here you treasure, take it with you now. I can store it in my Space Locket. Because chances are, by the time this disaster is over, this ce will be in ruins - and not just here, either. The entire city will be demolished."


    And I wasn''t lying either. If just Phase I of the Midnight Syndicate''s n is able to cause this much damage, then Phase II would be even worse. And following this pattern, it wouldn''t be a baseless judgement to say there could be a Phase III or even a Phase IV either. That is...if the city evensts until then.


    Even with the reinforcements from other cities, I doubt there will be any elites or exceptionally powerful people among them. After all, they want to keep their best to themselves. In case the Midnight Syndicate doesn''t stop after destroying Shenzhen, the other cities will need their most powerful mages to stop their invasion.


    That''s how it was in this world. In the end, you were alone, no matter what polite ''acts of kindness'' others may show you. Humans, and other races, are selfish creatures. Even the most selfless of people won''t kill themselves to save someone who has no rtion to them whatsoever.


    <em>And yet...my mother and father both died because of me. Now, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and Yu An Yan...they''ll all be caught up as well.</em>


    <em>But honestly? Screw being selfless. If these girls truly want to follow me and be with me, if that is what makes them happy, then I...really don''t care anymore. I''ll be selfish and keep them with me. So what? If that is the girls'' own decision, then who am I to judge?</em><em></em>


    <em>Yeah...if they still feel the same way after all this is over, then I''ll be selfish, just this once.</em>


    <em></em>Qing Yue shook her head, signaling that she doesn''t have anything in this dorm she wishes to keep.


    I frowned. "Really? Not a single thing?"


    She smiled faintly. "The most important thing to me in the world is already standing in front of me right now."


    I chuckled awkwardly, and feigned ignorance. Then, turning around so that my back was towards Qing Yue, I pulled out my walkie-talkie.


    "Leader, it''s Zhang San. Can you hear me? Over."


    After an unusually long silence, am came back from Xiang Peng. "Yes-<strong>BOOM!</strong>-I can hear you-"


    I narrowed my eyes at the intense background noise. "Uh, what''s with the...explosions?"


    "I can''t-<strong>ZAP!</strong>-exin right now-<strong>BOOM!</strong>-but we could really use some assistance!"


    "Got it. Where are you right now?"


    "Rendezvous at the-<strong>GRAAHH!</strong>-school''smain campus!"


    <em>That...sounded like one of those monster''s roar.</em>


    "Copy that. Heading over now. Over."


    Without waiting for a response, I shoved the handheld transceiver back in my cloak pocket, and turned to Qing Yue.


    "Let''s go. I''ll take you to the safe zone."


    "Eh? The safe zone? But...don''t the people you were talking to need your help right now?"


    It seems she had heard the conversation I had with Xiang Peng...though that wasn''t a big surprise, considering I didn''t know how to turn the volume down on the walkie-talkie.


    "I''ll take you to the safe zone first, thene back to help them," I replied stoically.


    She shook her head. "No, I don''t want to! Let''s go help them right now!"


    I clenched my fists. "Qing Yue...I''m not taking no for an answer. I''m taking you to the safe zone, the Coastal Metropolis. And that''s that."


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...is it because you think I''m weak, and is just going to be a burden to you?"


    I averted my gaze. "No, it''s not that..."


    "Then take me with you! I can help heal any injured people, and apply buffs them as well!" Qing Yue eximed.


    I closed my eyes. "Damn it...fine. But the instant I see you in danger, I''m picking you up and getting the hell out of there."


    "Hmph! I''ll prove to you that I am strong too, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"she replied, before I picked her up in a princess carry, and leapt off the edge of the window I had melted down to get in here.


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    <em></em>Feeling a rush of adrenaline in my body and lighter all of a sudden, I soared high up into the sky, and looked around. I immediately spotted some explosions and all kinds of different colors of magic being cast in a certain area. The noise was enormous, and Qing Yue covered her ears within my arms.


    <em>Goddamn...even if you didn''t tell me where you were, I would still be able to find you in an instant, Xiang Peng...what the hell happened?!</em>


    <em></em>I quickly descended,nding softly on the ground near the heated battle, and set Qing Yue down gently. Spotting Xiang Peng, I quickly ran over.


    "Leader! What''s going on?"


    "Ah! Zhang San!" Xiang Peng cried, and beganing closer to me.


    "What happened?" I asked once we were close enough.


    Xiang Peng averted her gaze. "...Our rescue mission went wrong. Very wrong."

 Chapter 160 - Xiang Pengs Strength

    "What do you mean?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.


    Xiang Peng''s expression darkened. "We were originally going to search the school discretely for any survivors, but...one of the survivors we saved suddenly transformed into a monster. The noise that ensued caused all the other creatures toe to us as well."


    "..." I fell silent, then turned to ongoing fight.


    The middle-age senior along with everyone else in my team were battling the monsters with everything they had. And yet, even with all of them being Advanced Mages, the monsters just had too much magic resistance with their incredibly tough hide.


    I gritted my teeth.<em>No survivor would be found within the school unless he or she''s a student or staff here...damn it. That means...there''s a probability that it could''ve been Yu An Xue or Yu An Yan.</em>


    <em></em>I turned back to Xiang Peng. "What did this...survivor look like?"


    "Huh? Why is that important...?" Xiang Peng asked right back, slightly annoyed because she was just about to join the fray.


    "It''s just...she could''ve been someone I knew."


    "..." Xiang Peng stopped, and stared at me. After a while, she gave in. "Fine...she was a girl. Purple hair. The rest I don''t remember."


    My eyes widened.<em>Purple...hair? No way, right? There''s no way...</em>


    <em></em>I quickly perished the thought. "She''s not that weak. I believe in her..." I muttered quietly to myself, and Xiang Peng sighed.


    "Let''s go. Show me your skills, Zhang San...whose voice is very deep for a girl."


    I stiffened.<em>Crap...I was too focused on the news and forgot to act like a girl...this is bad, she definitely knows. If she gives it away, I''m screwed...but so far, it doesn''t seem like she has any intention of doing that. Oh man...this is going to suck.</em>


    <em></em>I took a deep breath, and turned to Qing Yue. "Remember, just focus on supporting us. Prioritize yourself over any of us. If our support goes down, our entire squad will fall apart."


    Qing Yue nodded firmly, and gave a thumbs-up. "Don''t worry, Big Broth- a-ahem, Zhang San! I''ll definitely prove to you that I won''t be a burden!"


    <em>Watch it there, girl. You almost gave away my identity. Good thing you caught yourself.</em>


    After this short exchange, I surveyed the battlefield. Fires were everywhere, and explosions, monstrous roars, and human yells filled the air alike. In total, there were eleven monsters - but more were bound toe if we don''t finish this quickly, given all the noise that was going on.


    Meanwhile, on our side, we had ten people in total, counting me. That meant not only would each of us have to take on a monster alone, one of us would also have to fight two at once. I looked at Xiang Peng, in the middle of three monsters. Everyone else already had their hands full with their own targets, so that left Xiang Peng having to face off three on her own considering I hadn''t joined the fight yet. But that ends here.


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re.</em>


    <em></em>An ominous ck concentrated fire in my hands, I dashed in Xiang Peng''s direction. I leapt up into the air, andunched my attack directly at one of the monsters about to swipe Xiang Peng from behind. The monster wasn''t dealt any serious damage, but the sheer force and momentum of the blow was enough to stagger it a little, preventing it from attacking Xiang Peng.


    Inded right behind Xiang Peng, and with our backs against each other, she chuckled.


    "Heh, not bad, Zhang San."


    I sighed. "Learn to watch your back, leader."


    "Why do I have to watch it? You have it, don''t you?"


    "That''s just this time. I won''t always be around," I muttered. "Level Two Fire Magic - mania."


    <em>What a pain...I have to actually say my incantations out loud.</em>


    A massive flower of ck fire formed in my two hands, but since Xiang Peng had her back towards me and everyone else was too busy with their own monsters, no one noticed the abnormality of my magic. I didn''t let any time go to waste, and immediately released my attack. I wasn''t expecting it to do much, but it would at least buy me some time to figure out a n with Xiang Peng.


    "Leader," I whispered sharply.


    "What?" Xiang Peng asked,unching spells left and right. "Level Three Sky Magic - Prison of Lightning!"


    She mmed the ground with her palm, and a massive purple magic circle appeared above her. Slowly, it moved towards the monster in front of her, before finally stopping directly on top of the creature. Bright purple sparks began appearing, and immediately after, multiple thunderous strikes of lightning continuously zapped down around the monster, forming a cage around it. Then, another lightning bolt began forming directly in the center of the magic circle - one far bigger, and undoubtedly more powerful than the rest.


    The creature trapped in this deadly cage looked upwards, but it was a mistake. The enormous purple bolt of lightning surpassed the speed of light and struck the monster right in the head. Electricity moving through every particle of the creature''s body, after a brief spasm, it fell to the ground, paralyzed. Not dead, but it was good enough for the time being.


    Managing topletely immobilize one of these monsters all on her own was already quite a feat, but Xiang Peng wasn''t done yet. She immediately turned to the other monster on her side, and cast another spell.


    "Legendary Gravity Magic - Moonfall!"


    A dark crimson energy erupted from Xiang Peng''s body, converging to form a crescent moon symbol above her head. Then, it dissipated, the energy scattering to create a force field around Xiang Peng and I, along with the creatures. Xiang Peng closed her eyes, then made a downwards pushing action with her hands. The air below her hands was ttened, and at the same time, so were the monsters. The sheer force of the gravity mmed the two remaining monsters face-first into the ground, not even giving them a chance of moving, much less escaping.


    I blinked in surprise. "Well...guess you didn''t need my help after all, huh?"


    "H-Hah...that''s not true...I can''t keep this gravity field up for long, it drains my mana..." Xiang Peng muttered in frustration.


    <em>Makes sense...given how powerful this spell is, of course it''s going to take a ton of mana. But...I''ll finish this before your mana runs out, Xiang Peng.</em>


    I pulled out a certain weapon from my Space Locket. It wasn''t my katana - it was the<em>other</em>one. Back when I invaded the Xuan family residency along with Mei Gui, I had ran into themander of the Xuan Family Sentries or whatever. I don''t know the guy''s name, because I never bothered to pay attention to it. But he did have a nice weapon...and that''s the only thing I''ll ever remember him by...


    ...A massive ck greatsword, made of pure obsidian. It was meant to be for bruiser-types, which I''m not, but after salvaging it as a spoils of war, I made some slight customizations to it based on random knowledge I knew.


    I remember reading somewhere that the edge of a piece of obsidian is three times as sharp than even diamond. But perhaps that is not a good analogy...for a betterparison, visualize a surgeon''s steel de - the edge of a piece of obsidian is 500 to 1,000 times as sharp as that.


    Keeping this in mind, I spent hours of my free time sharpening the greatsword I had received. With tons of friction and devotion, my finished product wasplete within a week of when I first started on it. By then, it could hardly be called a ''greatsword'' anymore. Instead, it was now more simr to the katana I have, except infinitely times stronger and sharper. Of course, I also made adjustments to the handle to match this change, so in the end it pretty much looked like apletely new weapon.


    Its original colors still retained, however. The ck de looked nice, so I didn''t do anything to change that. Overall, it was really quite the treasure I found.


    And now, I am using this very same weapon in battle.<em>Normal weapons don''t work on these guys'' damned tough skin, but hopefully this can work. I''m counting on you, Mr. 500-to-1000-times-stronger-than-a-surgical-de. Back when we were rescuing Feng Mian, Mei Gui had been there, so I didn''t consider this possibility, but now...I have to give it a shot.</em>


    I walked over to the first monster that Xiang Peng had put down with her Prison of Lightning. It couldn''t move at all, but I knew this wouldn''tst long as Xiang Peng''s mana was getting drained by the second.


    <em>C''mon...this better work.</em>


    <em></em>Praying inside my head, I gripped my new obsidian katana tight, and drove it directly downwards into the creature''s heart. Surprisingly, the de went in quite smoothly, and I was able to pull it back out fairly easily as well. The monster showed no signs of life.


    <em>It...really worked!</em>


    <em></em>I hurried to the other monsters, and repeated the same process with them. Right as I finished thest one, Xiang Peng copsed onto the ground, panting heavily. I rushed over, and ced my hand on her shoulder.


    "Are you okay, leader?"


    "Y-Yeah...I''ll be fine in a bit. Just gotta recover my mana..."


    "...Don''t overexert yourself. It''s dangerous."


    "Right...thanks. They''re all dead, right?"


    I nodded. "At least...the three we handled are. As for the others..."


    We both turned to see the other monsters still engaged in battle with our teammates...and the situation looked grim. We were losing badly. Xiang Peng was still not fully recovered, and I was limited to only one element.


    <em>Damn it...escape isn''t an option here. What do we do...?</em>

 Chapter 161 - Reclaiming The School

    "Qing Yue! Tend to the injured!" I yelled, motioning for her toe over to Xiang Peng.


    "Right!" she was already on her way.


    "I''ll leave her to you," I said.


    Qing Yue nodded firmly, and began casting Blessing Magic on Xiang Peng.


    Then, suddenly I heard a groan of pain from behind me. I turned around, and widened my eyes as I saw the senior I had spoken with before lying on the ground, grasping his stomach in agony.


    "Senior!" I quickly rushed over to his side, and red at the monster that had flung him away, causing this injury.


    "Ngh...I''m fine, girl..." he croaked with a forced smile, but then suddenly coughed out a pool of blood. "Ugh..."


    "Senior...damn it, stay here, don''t move," I instructed, then nced at Qing Yue who was still in the middle of healing Xiang Peng. "Qing Yue! Over here!"


    "E-Eh? Right!" she quickly spun around and ran over. Crouching down, she immediately began her work.


    <em>Sorry, Qing Yue...this is tough work, but it can''t be helped.</em><em>If I could heal him, I would''ve done it myself, but...I have something more important to do right now.</em>


    <em></em>I turned and looked at the monster who had been the senior''s opponent moments ago.


    Raising my hand, I began chanting. "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux."


    A deadly disintegration beam of pure ck fire shot out of my palm, hitting the creature squarely in the chest.


    "Tch...I missed the heart by an inch," I muttered, and prepared to unleash another attack.


    However, the monster was ready this time, having already been hit by magic once and suffered some pain from it. While my attack wasn''t able to kill him, it did somehow damage its hide.<em>I feel like...my magic has gotten even more powerful than normal? Is it because I''m driven by this killing intent I''m feeling right now? That old senior...we only met an hour ago, but he has been very kind to me. That''s why...I feel this killing intent right now, after seeing him gravely injured by this abomination of a monster.</em>


    <em></em>I made a mental note to ask Mei Gui about thister, but for now, I needed to focus on the task at hand. "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux."


    Another death ray of zing mes shot out of my hand, and this time, I made sure not to miss the heart. However, the creature, anticipating this attack, brought up its arms and blocked it, though not before growling in anger.


    I lowered my hand. "...How troublesome. So these things are capable of learning too...but that''s the extent of your intelligence, I see."


    I leapt up into the air and shot out another Pyroflux, aiming at the creature''s head this time. But that wasn''t my objective. My goal here was to make the monster use its arms as a shield once more...which it did. However, by doing so, it had also inadvertently blinded itself momentarily, giving me a chance to discretely unsheathe my sharp obsidian sword.


    Since Pyroflux was a spell that could technicallyst infinitely long, but drained more mana the longer itsted, I was able to continue firing, preventing the monster from moving its arms away. And because it was blinded, it didn''t even realize I was getting closer to killing him by the second.


    "Die."


    As soon as I was within range, I drove the cold obsidian into the creature''s heart. It pierced cleanly through, and after several seconds, the deed was done. I removed my sword, leapt off the monster''s body using its chest as a foothold, andnded safely on the ground once more as the monster copsed onto the floor.


    "Wow, kid..." the senior mused in awe. "Never knew you were...this strong. But...heh. You aren''t really a girl, are you?"


    I stiffened, and didn''t turn around to look at him. Raising my voice into a high-pitched girly one, I spoke. "W-Whatever could you mean, senior?"


    "Bah. Drop the act. I know a lie when I see one. Don''t worry...I won''t expose you, or ask why. Everyone has their own secrets."


    I was surprised by his amodating attitude, but eventually I just sighed in relief. "Thank you."


    Then, suddenly, I felt a pat on the shoulder. I immediately spun around to see Xiang Peng, now fully recovered.


    "Uh...are youpletely healed already?"


    She nodded. "That girl...was Qing Yue her name? Yeah. She''s very talented at Blessing Magic."


    "I agree...and I''ll just overlook the fact that you answered your own question."


    "But still...you really are stronger than I expected. Be honest, who really are you? I''ve only seen you use one element, and yet you managed to defeat one of those monsters all by yourself."


    I averted my gaze. "I have no obligation to answer you."


    Xiang Peng blinked. "Well, that''s true, I guess...I do owe you one, after all."


    "Huh? Owe?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    She shrugged. "Yeah. You really saved my ass back there."


    I shook my head. "I was just doing what I needed to, for my own safety. If I didn''t take care of those monsters while they were immobilized, once they got back up, I would be in danger. There''s nothing more to it. Besides, Qing Yue was the one who healed you, not me."


    "That may be so, but you still - whether you did it intentionally or not - helped me out. I''m a pretty prideful girl, so I definitely won''t forget my debts. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."


    Saying this, she shoved a business card in my hand.


    "H-Hey-" I began, but she had already turned around and was heading to help our other teammates fend off the remaining monsters.


    I looked down at the card in my hand, and furrowed my brows.


    "What is this...? Xiang Peng, Shanghai Defense Corps Colonel?"


    <em>Holy shit...she''s part of the Magic Capital''s Defense Corps?! And a decent rank, at that! No wonder she''s so strong...but why is she here in Shenzhen? Guess </em><em></em><em>I''ll have to ask her that questionter.</em>


    Soon after, the battle was finished. Though most of us were injured, we suffered no casualties. All of the monsters had been exterminated, and Qing Yue was currently tending to the wounded one by one.


    I walked over to her as she wiped some sweat off her brow. "...Are you holding up fine? Take a break if you need to."


    She nced at me, then gave a decisive ''hmph''. "I''m not tired! I''ll show you I''m useful too!"


    I sighed. "You''re certainly useful - the support is the backbone of a team...but supports can''t do their job if they''re passed out. So instead of pushing yourself like you are now, it''s better to just take a short break. You''ve already healed everyone who needed immediate treatment, right? Your mana should be running low. Take some time to recharge it."


    "I told you...I''m fine!" Qing Yue eximed, before rushing over to another injured mage.


    I sighed, and walked over to Qing Yue. I was about to lift her up and force her to take a break, but then, suddenly-


    <strong>"ROOAR!"</strong>arge portion of what remained of the school building''s walls was torn down as a deafening roar resounded across the dead of night.


    I immediately spun around, and everyone else focused their gazes on the iing abomination as well.


    "W-What the hell is that...?" a male who looked to be slightly older than me stuttered, pointing at the new creature that had emerged from the gaping hole in the wall.


    It was a massive monster. One farrger than any of the other ones we had fought so far - which were already big enough. But no...this one was evenrger, and undoubtedly, countless times stronger. It was a true abomination, with its six arms and single eye. At this point, it could barely be called ''humanoid'' anymore. This was more like a spider, if anything.


    Then, this ''spider''-like lifeform suddenly roared once again, and fired out a focused purple beam of light at me.


    I immediately jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding it. However, the monster merely followed me with itsser, using it like a damned trace rifle. I cursed and this time slid underneath it, missing it by a slight margin once again. As the monster tried following me with itsser once more, someone else intercepted.


    "Level One Sky Magic - Wind Wall - Tier III!"


    A screen of flowing wind appeared in front of me, cutting off theser. Surprisingly, it was strong enough to defend against it, but I suppose part of that also came from the fact that the monster was still quite some distance away form us right now, so its power was significantly reduced.


    The one who had cast this magic for me, of course, was Xiang Peng.


    "Thanks," I muttered.


    "No problem. That''s my job as the leader here," she replied confidently. "However..."


    She turned to face the spider-like creature, slowly lumbering in our direction. "This is troublesome. I don''t think we can defeat that monster...even with all of us together."

 Chapter 162 - The True Abomination

    "Seriously...?" I asked. "Even with all of us together...?"


    Xiang Peng shook her head. "I know a strong foe when I see one. Perhaps if we were all in our peak state, we would stand a chance, but..."


    She nced at the resting rescue squad members, and gritted her teeth. "There''s only so much Blessing Magic can do, after all."


    "Well...if we can''t fight, we can always run," I suggested. "Everyone should be feeling well enough to walk, at least."


    She nodded. "You''re right. Let''s go...not."


    Just as she turned around and prepared to get everyone to run away, a huge abomination, simr to the one who had just shot aser beam at me, emerged from behind the corner.


    "Oh...shit," I muttered under my breath.


    The resting rescue squad members struggled to their feet and backed away immediately. We formed a circle with the ten of us, Qing Yue in the middle.


    Xiang Pengughed awkwardly. "Haha...guess we''ll have to fight after all, huh...?"


    "Yeah. There''s no time for you to fly us away one by one," I replied, before unsheathing my obsidian sword once again. "What should we do now, leader?"


    Xiang Peng cast her eyes downwards, before biting her lips and making a firm decision. "I will distract them. You guys run away."


    Another rescue squad member, a man who looked to be in his thirties, immediately spoke up. "Hold on, leader, we can''t just leave you-"


    "That''s an order," Xiang Peng cut him off.


    Hearing this, the man fell silent, and so did the rest of us. We can''t disobey orders given to us by higher-ups...even if it means going against our own morals. Whether we liked it or not, we would have to abandon her here, if she wishes so herself.


    "I''ll distract this one closer to us. You guys take advantage of that opening and get away from here," Xiang Peng exined. "There will only be one chance, since the other one is closing in on us by the second. Understand?!"


    "...Yes, leader," were our replies. None of us sounded enthusiastic about this, but we had no choice.


    Xiang Peng nodded in satisfaction, before turning around and facing the monster closer to us. Just as she was about to take off, however, I grabbed her wrist.


    "Wait."


    She raised an eyebrow. "What?!"


    "We still have a chance of fighting them. Call the other teams."


    "The other teams...but...they have their own problems to worry about, most likely. I don''t want to dy them rescuing any survivors..." Xiang Peng murmured quietly.


    I scoffed. "Are you stupid? Why do you think you were givenms to contact one another? Obviously it''s so that you can request for help when you need it, from the other teams."


    "But..."


    "Jesus...you''re so damn indecisive," I muttered impatiently. "Look...the others and I will buy you some time. Hurry up and contact the other groups."


    Xiang Peng''s eyes widened. "H-Huh?! Wai-"


    "Everyone," I interrupted her, and sessfully gained the attention of the other team members. "We''re not going to run here, like cowards! Instead, we''ll buy our leader some time to contact the other teams and request assistance! How does that sound?"


    "Yeah!" someone yelled, raising their arm in a cheer.


    "Better than running away!" another joined in.


    "Heh...not bad, kid," the old senior clenched his fists and looked in the direction of the monster. "You really got my blood pumping."


    Soon enough, everyone had agreed to my n, despite the protests of Xiang Peng.


    I snickered, then continued. "Good! Five of you, take on the monster closer to us! The rest, along with myself, will stop the other one!"


    With this, we immediately sprung into action. As I passed Xiang Peng, I whispered into her ear. "Better get started with calling for help, yeah? I don''t know how long we canst for."


    "D-Damn it! I''m the leader here! A-Ah...fine! Whatever!" she quickly pulled out her walkie talkie from her pocket, and began pressing some buttons.


    I snickered, and headed into battle.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Our team originally consisted of ten people. Right now, five were taking on one monster, while four, myself included, were fighting the other. Thest member, our leader Xiang Peng herself, was busy contacting the other teams. Qing Yue also came with me.


    The old senior, whose name I found out was Gu Yuan, was on my team as well. The remaining two members were two males older than me, one wearing sses and the other not, by the names of Ke Tian and Ye Xiao Xing respectively. Together, we confronted this monster together.


    "Level Three Light Magic - Holy Ray!" Ke Tian yelled, shooting a brilliant white beam of light from his hand. The attack hit the monster directly in the heart area, and after a while, the beam faded.


    "Did it work...?" Ke Tian murmured in anticipation.


    <strong>"RAGHHH!" </strong>a deafening yell that shook the earth itself broke out, and we all covered our ears.


    But that wasn''t the most surprising thing. The most shocking thing of all was the fact that the monster didn''t seem to be injured at all. The ce where Ke Tian''s attack hit lookedpletely undamaged.


    In other words...his Level Three magic attack did nothing to this abomination.


    "N-No way...no affect at all?!" Ke Tian gasped in shock.


    "...Our attacks were at least able to harm the original monsters, even if it''s little. But now..." the old senior, Gu Yuan, muttered.


    <strong>"GRAHHH!" </strong>the monster yelled, before unleashing a purple beam of destruction of its own on us. We all dodged out of the way, and I cursed inwardly.


    "Cover me," I said, grasping my obsidian sword in my hand.


    The others all nodded in confirmation, when Qing Yue suddenly called out to me.


    "Wait, Big Broth- ah, Zhang San!" she cried, and I turned around.


    "What...?"


    "I''ll cast some enhancement spells on you first..." she exined, then ced her hand on my shoulder. "Potentia Excitant: Celeritas, Salire! Okay, it''s all done!"


    I nodded in thanks, and immediately dashed towards the monster. Leaping up into the air, I prepared to drive my sword directly into the monster''s eye, but it raised an arm up in defense-


    "No you don''t!" Ye Xiao Xing yelled. "Level Three Psychic Magic - Shockwave!"


    An invisible force swiped the monster''s arm away, and I was able tond in a clean hit...not.


    "Wha-"


    <em>What the hell is this...?! It''s not going in?!</em>


    The monster closed its eye right before I stabbed it, so I ended up hitting its eyelid instead. However, even then, this obsidian de sharper than diamond should''ve cut through its skin with ease. But no...instead, it was as if metal struck metal - a nking sound could be heard, and my sword bounced back harmlessly.


    Usually, I would''ve merely jumped off the monster and effortlesslynded back on the ground, but this time I was caught off guard by the sudden bounce-back of the sword. The monster took advantage of this, and pped my entire body to the side with tremendous force.


    "Ngh!"


    I crashed into a solid brick wall, but luckily, it gave in. Otherwise, I might''ve died there from my head hitting the wall as well. Since the wall broke down, only my back was hurt...well, very hurt. It was probably broken.


    Qing Yue was already on her way over. "H-Hey! Big Brother Xuan Kai! Are you okay?!"


    I tried to stand up, but my back wouldn''t allow it. I remained lying in the remains of the brick wall, unable to move. I tried healing my back with Blessing Magic, but couldn''t even move my hand enough to do so.


    "Ngh...I''m fine...idiot...don''t call me by my real name..." I croaked weakly, groaning in pain.


    Qing Yue broke into tears. "D-Don''t worry! They can''t hear...I-I''ll heal you immediately! Level Two Blessing Magic - Major Heal!"


    A gentle lime-colored light enveloped my body, and I gave in to the rxation. After a while, it was done, and my back didn''t hurt anymore. I tried getting back up, but Qing Yue immediately jumped on me, embracing me tightly.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai...sniff..."


    I sighed, and patted her head. "Why are you crying? I''m fine now...so I need to get back and help the others..."


    She shook her head, then buried her face in my chest. "No! I don''t want Big Brother Xuan Kai to get hurt again...it''s too dangerous! You''re strong, but in the end still only an Intermediate Mage!"


    I used all my strength to stand back up with her still attached to me, and then gently raised her head.


    "That may be so, but...right now, I''m not Xuan Kai. I''m Zhang San, a member of the rescue squad. And so, until I have aplished what I came here to do, I will fulfill my responsibilities under this identity."


    <em>I still haven''t found the Yu sisters...I can''t just run away now. If it''s really hopeless, and everyone else has died already, then I''ll just escape with Qing Yue, but right now...the rescue squad...they''re all out there, still fighting for the sake of the city and its remaining people. They are the people''s hope.</em>


    <em>Once, when my parents died, I felt hopeless. The dark feeling of that...it''s something I never want to experience again, and I don''t want anyone else to go through it either. That''s why...even if it''s purely for my own sake, I''ll continue fighting, until all else seems lost. The citizens of this city...hope is all they have left. I can''t let them lose that, too...just like what happened to me.</em>


    <em></em>"..." Qing Yue fell silent. It was clear she still wanted to say more, but she just bit her lip and stayed quiet.


    With this in mind, I headed back into the battlefield, Qing Yue tagging along behind me.

 Chapter 163 - Fighting Together

    "You''re alive, kid!" Gu Yan said when he spotted me.


    I averted my gaze. "Yeah...just barely. Qing Yue saved me."


    "The other two are keeping the monster busy for now, but their mana is running low..." Gu Yuan said. "My own mana ispletely out as well..."


    I gritted my teeth. "I''ll hold the monster off. How long do you need to recharge your mana, senior?"


    Gu Yuan looked away in embarrassment. "My mana recharge speed has never been good...it''ll take a full day."


    A full day...?! That''s...way too much, isn''t it? But he doesn''t seem to be lying, either...oh, wait! Isn''t there a Blessing Element spell that restores things to a person...?


    "...I see. Qing Yue, use Restituo magic on him."


    The senior''s eyes widened. "Restituo...I see! That spell family in the Blessing Element!"


    Qing Yue nodded, and ced her hands on the senior''s back. "Restituo: Mana."


    A faint green light appeared from behind the senior, and after several seconds, Qing Yue removed her hands and the senior gazed down at his palms in wonder.


    "This is...my mana is fully restored!" he eximed in surprise.


    "I''m...d..." Qing Yue murmured, and it was then that I noticed the sweat forming on her forehead.


    But it was toote. Qing Yue''s consciousness faded away, and she began to fall. I immediately appeared behind her and caught her before she hit the ground.


    "Qing Yue! Hey! Wake up!"


    She was breathing heavily, sweating harder by the second.


    "Big Brother...Xuan Kai..." she whispered quietly.


    I pulled her into a tight embrace, and cursed. "Damn it....you idiot...I told you to take a damn break!"


    "So...rry..." she murmured, and opened her eyes. "I...wanted to be...useful to you..."


    With these words, she faded back into unconsciousness once more.


    This was something known as Mana Exhaustion Syndrome - MES. When someonepletely runs out of mana, this syndrome urs. Symptoms are very simr to that of a high fever - sweaty forehead, headache, high body temperature, flushed skin - all of which Qing Yue has right now. Normally, this sickness won''t activate unless youpletely drained all of your mana, but since most people havemon sense and know when to stop, this syndrome doesn''t actually ur all that often.


    ...But when it does, it''s very dangerous.


    ording to what they taught about this during school, MES has the ability to kill someone. Because they arepletely out of mana, their Dantians are empty. If one''s Dantian is leftpletely empty for too long, they will be dry, and eventually break. Once the Dantian is shattered, it''s only a matter of time before the person dies.


    There are only two solutions to MES - one, is by luck, something I''m not a huge fan of. We would have to wait and see if Qing Yue is able to fix this problem herself. The second option is by injecting mana inside of her from the outside - using something like a Restituo spell.


    I turned to Gu Yuan. "Senior, hold the monster off a bit. I''ll try to cure Qing Yue."


    "Cure...? How? You don''t have a Blessing Magic affinity, do you?" he questioned.


    I averted my gaze. "I can at least give it a shot. Please...don''t pry anymore."


    Gu Yuan stared at me for a while longer, before finally giving in with a sigh. "I don''t know what you''re up to, kid, but...I owe that girl a favor. Don''t let her die, yeah?"


    I nodded. "I won''t."


    After hearing my firm words of confirmation, Gu Yuan headed off into battle, joining Ke Tian and Ye Xiao Xing. I immediately turned back to Qing Yue, and ced my hand on her chest.


    <em>Restituo: Mana.</em>


    <em></em>Since no one was within earshot, I could safely cast a spell without saying the incantation out loud. A faint red light appeared from beneath my palm, and I continued pouring mana into the spell.


    <em>I''ve never used this spell before, but...Qing Yue''s taught me it. Please work...</em>


    <em></em>Then, after a good ten whole seconds, Qing Yue suddenly started coughing, and I stopped my spell.


    "Qing Yue! Are you okay?!" I grasped her shoulders tightly and asked in worry.


    "Huh...? Big Brother Xuan Kai...?" she murmured.


    "Yeah. I''m here. How are you feeling?"


    "My headache...it''s gone!" Qing Yue eximed, before diving into my arms happily. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...thank you...you actually learned the spell I taught you only once..."


    I sighed. "It was just a stroke of luck that it worked. And you, my cute little idiot, should never do something like overexert yourself to this extent ever again."


    I karate chopped her head lightly, and she made a fake pained expression with her tongue out. "Ehehe, I got it, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    I then stood back up and turned to the monster, as well as my teammates desperately battling it. "Now then...how are we going to deal with this thing? It would be great if we had some more assistance, but..."


    "Did someone call for assistance?" a familiar voice cut in from nowhere.


    I spun around immediately, to see Yu An Yan carrying her sister while levitating in mid-air. She gentlynded on the ground and let Yu An Xue down.


    "An Yan! An Xue!" Qing Yue yelled happily.


    "Qing Yue!" the two sisters quickly ran closer and the three of them embraced one another in one giant hug.


    "You two...you''re safe?" I murmured in surprise.


    "Well, yeah. We aren''t going to just let you get away after those harsh things you send to us," Yu An Yan replied.


    "Mm...agreed," Yu An Xue added.


    I averted my gaze. "Er...a-ahem, that aside, how did you even find me?"


    "Are you really surprised? With all the noise you guys made over here?" Yu An Yan said with a shrug. "Even if I wanted to ignore it, I just couldn''t."


    Iughed awkwardly. "Yeah...about that. You two have<em>those</em>weapons, don''t you? I bet those can do actual damage to this monster."


    The girls looked at where I was pointing, and sank into thought. "Huh...I''ve never seen a monster like that. Is it some sort of mutation...?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t know. But for now, we need to take it out. And quick."


    "Kid!" Gu Yuan called out in the midst of battle. "We can''t hold out much longer here!"


    I looked at the two Yu sisters. "I''m under a cover identity here, so I can only use one element. Besides, magic doesn''t do anything to it anyways. And my actual weapon...it''s unable to hurt it at all."


    I nced down at the obsidian sword in my hand, as the Yu sisters exchanged looks and sighed together.


    "...Why do you keep getting yourself caught in these situations?" Yu An Yan muttered.


    "Er..." I wanted to say ''I joined to look for you'', but that would be to embarrassing so I didn''t end up saying anything.


    "Ah, whatever. An Xue, let''s do this, yeah?"


    Yu An Xue nodded in response to her sister''s words. "Mm. We''ll...show you...we aren''t weak."


    With this, the two of them materialized their weapons - one a ming axe, the other a frozen sword. They rushed towards the monster in perfect sync - the way they moved in time with the other without any words was quite the sight to behold. I felt like I was witnessing the greatest teamwork in the world right now. Gu Yuan, Ke Tian, and Ye Xiao Xing were surprised by the sudden help, but they immediately moved to make way for the two sisters.


    Once the two of them were within range of the monster, Yu An Yan wordlessly held her axe in front of her as Yu An Xue jumped on it. Yu An Yan thenunched her sister off the axe, and Yu An Xue, making use of this momentum, went straight for the monster''s eye. Blinding it first was the best course of action here, and as expected of one of the Six Divine Weapons, Frozen Fear, Yu An Xue''s weapon cleanly cut the monster''s single, massive eye, and did a backflip by using the monster''s shoulder as a foothold.


    As soon she evennded back on the ground, Yu An Yan was already on the move. Taking advantage of the blinded monster, she spun her ming axe around for momentum, and then dashed in between the monster''s legs. Then, like a sharp and deadly spinning top, her axe severed the monster''s two feet with ease, and she got out of there immediately right before the monster copsed onto the ground.


    However, it still wasn''t dead. The two sisters met up, leapt into the air, and pointed their weapons directly at the creature''s heart.


    "Hyahh!" they yelled together, and soared towards their target.


    Their attack hit its mark, and after one final bloodcurdling scream of agony, the monster fell limp, never to move again. The Yu sisters pulled their weapons out of the monster''s chest, and casually dematerialized them.


    Triumphantly, they returned to me as Gu Yuan, Ke Tian, and Ye Xiao Xing watched on in wonder. Two mere high school girls had just defeated a monstrous opponent even the three of them together couldn''t leave a scratch on. I was also shocked by how strong they have gotten.


    The strength they showed just now - it wasn''t just the powerful weapons they had. Yes, the Divine Weapons yed a role, but their seamless teamwork was something no object could rece.


    "Monster, dead. How do you like that?" Yu An Yan said with a victorious grin.


    I chuckled. "Not bad, I suppose. But...you still won''t be able to defeat me."


    Yu An Xue was the one to reply this time. "That...may be so, but...we will continue getting...stronger. One day...we will defeat you."


    I cackled evilly. "Kuku...then I''ll wait for that day."


    <em>The speed at which they became this strong...it''s truly terrifying. Was this the power...of sisters? </em><em>Kukuku...I really am looking forward to see just how strong they can be in the future. </em>


    <em>...But of course, I will always be one step ahead of them.</em>

 Chapter 164 - Back To The Coastal Metropolis

    "Everyone!" Xiang Peng suddenly called out, rushing over to us. "I''ve contacted the other squads, they are on their way here now...huh? Where''s the monster...?"


    "These two youngdies here killed it," Gu Yuan replied with a chuckle. "They are quite fearsome."


    Ke Tian and Ye Xiao Xing nodded in agreement as Xiang Peng blinked a few times in confusion.


    "You two...how old are you?" she asked.


    "14," the two sisters said at the same time. "We''re twins."


    "Only 14?!" Xiang Peng eximed. "A-Ahem, if I may ask...how exactly did you manage to take down that monster...?"


    The two of them nced at me as if asking whether they should tell Xiang Peng the truth or not, and I gave a shrug.


    <em>This is your decision...don''t look at me.</em>


    <em></em>They then exchanged looks, and materialized their Divine Weapons after a few seconds. Xiang Peng''s eyes widened, and gasped in shock.


    "This is...the Sword of Ice and Water and the Axe of Fire?! Frozen Fear and ming Dance!"


    I raised an eyebrow. "You''ve seen them before?"


    "Yes!" she eximed. "My family has one of the Six Divine Weapons as well, the Bow of Forest, Nature''s Call!"


    <em>Bow of Forest, Nature''s Call, huh...but still...what kind of family is she from?! Having possession of one of the Six Divine Weapons isn''t something just any random family can have....</em>


    Meanwhile, everyone else present - namely Gu Yuan, Ke Tian, and Ye Xiao Xing - were all listening with their mouths hanging agape.


    "S-Six Divine Weapons...? No wonder they were able to cut down that abomination so easily..." Ke Tian murmured in awe.


    "Never mind that, the other squad is still fighting their monster!" Ye Xiao Xing interrupted. "We should take care of it quickly."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>With Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue''s Divine Weapons, we made short work of the remaining monster. Just as we dealt the final blow, we heard some footstepsing towards us, and Xiang Pengmanded us to hide. I crouched behind the stone wall surrounding the school, the Yu sisters and Qing Yue with me. Xiang Peng and the rest of the team members hid on the other side, across from us.


    "Don''t tell me...there''s more monsters?" Yu An Yan murmured from beside me.


    I shook my head. "No...these footsteps...they sound...human?"


    Just as I said this, a tall man rounded the corner with a trail of people behind him, and immediately leapt back as soon as he noticed Xiang Peng. He prepared tounch an attack immediately.


    "Level Three Voi-"


    "Wait! It''s me!" Xiang Peng leapt out of the darkness so that the neers could see her clearly.


    The man sighed and let his arm drop. "Jesus...I almost killed you there, Xiang Peng."


    "Right...sorry, I thought it was another group of monsters," Xiang Peng expained.


    The man shrugged. "It''s fine. Never mind that...are you alright?"


    Xiang Peng nodded, as the rest of us began emerging from our hiding spots as well. "Yes...the two mutated monster types have been dealt with."


    "Oh? By who?" the man questioned, ncing around.


    Xiang Peng looked at the Yu sisters. "It''s them two. The twins."


    The man followed her gaze and inspected the Yu sisters up and down. "Ho...the two of you don''t seem old at all. Around...14, I presume?"


    The sisters were kind of shocked to see how urate the man''s guess was, but I guess that could just be chalked up to experience. They nodded slowly, and the maughed.


    "Good! I don''t remember seeing your faces back at the mall, though...you aren''t rescue squad members, are you?"


    They shook their head, and Yu An Yan spoke up. "No, sir. We are just survivors of this disaster who happened to stumble across this fight, and decided to join in."


    "Unable to just let others die, eh? I like that spirit," the man said. "If you would like, I can get you two in the rescue squad with no problems. I''m the leader, after all."


    Indeed - he was the leader of the rescue squad, the same one who had done the attendance and all that back at the mall. Of course Xiang Peng''s first go-to for help would be him, as he is undoubtedly the strongest out of all of us, being the boss.


    However, the Yu sisters turned down his offer, which I was grateful for. I didn''t know the reason they did so, but I didn''t really care either, as long as they could be safe.


    "Sorry, but we don''t really want to join. There''s something more...important we have to do, after all," Yu An Yan said, before turning to nce at me at the end.


    <em>Oh, shit...are they really not joining simply because they want to have a nice long talk with me?! Shit, shit, shit...I was nning to quit the rescue squad after this since Qing Yue and the Yu sisters are both safe, but if I do that now, then I won''t have any excuse to not talk with them anymore....damn it!</em><em></em>


    The leader nced between Yu An Yan and I, clearly noticing something was off. But he probably didn''t want to pry into our personal matters, so he just shrugged.


    "That''s a shame. But if you ever change your mind...juste find me. You can call me Jiang Tong."


    <em>Find you? Where? You''ll be off doing missions...but whatever.</em>


    Yu An Yan nodded, and her sister did the same. "Got it. Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it," Jiang Tong brushed the gratitude off lightly. "Now then...let''s meet up with the other groups, and head back to the safe zone together. The entire city has been searched, and we have found what survivors remain. We''ve done the most we can."


    With this, we headed back to the safe zone together, in one piece.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    We rendezvoused with the other groups at the Coastal Metropolis'' back entrance, the same one where we had left from. After clearing out any monsters in the area, we entered the mall. The mall''s security staff and guards all gave us salutes when they spotted our return, probably from respect. After all, rescue squad was a dangerous task, and tedious as well. The responsibility on your shoulders as a rescue squad member, especially when you have located a survivor already, is a burden only the strongest can bear.


    In total, we rescued 67 survivors. It wasn''t much considering the size of Shenzhen, but...it was the best we could do. We gave it our all on this 5-hour expedition, and it was already 8 in the morning by the time we returned. I had gotten no sleep at all tonight, much like many others. It wasn''t a surprise that I was feeling exhausted.


    After the rescue squad disbanded - for now - I headed to a cafe to get some coffee and just rest, maybe take a short nap. However...


    "So? Why are all of you here?"


    Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Qing Yue, Mei Gui, and ria were all here, each seated at a chair around my table - with the exception of ria who was currently sitting on my shoulder and pecking my shoulder painfully.


    "Stop, ria, it hurts...!" I groaned, trying to swat her away. But she merely jumped up a little andnded again the moment my hand was out of the way, and continued pecking at my shoulder like a little pest.


    "Hmph! This is what you get for abandoning me again! Stupid Master!" she whispered sharply. At least she had themon sense of not outright yelling in here. Still, this was getting pretty damn annoying. But...this was nothingpared to what was about toe for me.


    "So...Xuan Kai, now that everything is over, why don''t you tell us your true feelings like you promised me?" Feng Mian said, staring deeply into my eyes.


    I sighed, and removed my mask. "A-Ahem...things aren''t over yet. We still don''t know where Obsidia is, and Lan Xiao Su-"


    "Hm? Lan Xiao Su? Who''s that?" Qing Yue cut in, immediately picking up on my blunder.


    <em>Oh...shit. I think I may have just fucked myself over twice removed. I forgot...I forgot they didn''t know about Lan Xiao Su!</em>


    <em></em>"E-Er, she''s no one..." I murmured faintly, even though I knew they weren''t going to buy that.


    "Master...have you acquired another girlfriend I do not know about?" Mei Gui tilted her head and asked, a hint of dejection in her voice.


    "No! And stop referring to them like objects!" I eximed, raising my voice a little.


    "Then, who is she?" Yu An Yan asked with a prating gaze.


    I looked away, unable toe up with a good lie. "Uh...just some person I met in the rescue squad..."


    "The rescue squad?" Feng Mian questioned. "What''s that?"


    "Oh, Big Brother Xuan Kai didn''t tell you?" Qing Yue raised an eyebrow. "He joined the rescue squad, and went out there to search for survivors. That''s where he''s been for the past five hours, and also how he found me, An Yan, and An Xue."


    "..." Feng Mian looked at me with a dead expression, and Iughed awkwardly.


    "I-I was going to exin to you over text as soon as I got back, but I just got too tired...and it kinda slipped my mind..." I trailed off.


    Feng Mian sighed. "You brought back An Yan, An Xue, and Qing Yue safely, so I''ll let it go this time. But next time, if you don''t do something you promised you would again, or let it just ''slip your mind'', then...you''re in for some not-so-friendly treatment."


    "Right..." I mumbled.


    "Also, what he said about Lan Xiao Su being in the rescue squad is a lie. I was there myself, and I never saw him interacting with a person named Lan Xiao Su once," Yu An Yan added, sessfully guaranteeing my death.


    All of their gazes concentrated on me at once, and they spoke at the same time, each with a different expression on their faces.


    "So...what else are you not telling us, Xuan Kai?"

 Chapter 165 - The Beginning Of The End

    After I told the girls the truth about Lan Xiao Su and who she was, they all collectively sighed.


    "And? Don''t tell me you''re worried about her just because she helped you out a little," Feng Mian said. "You aren''t that nice of a person."


    "Uh...ouch?" I murmured. "But...you''re right. That''s not the only reason."


    "Then what is?" Yu An Yan asked, taking a sip of her coffee.


    "Herst name...Lan. I''m curious about what her rtionship with Lan Gui Ying is. Of course, Lan Gui Ying is already dead, but..."


    "Lan Gui Ying? Who''s that?" Feng Mian raised an eyebrow. "Another girl we don''t know about? Really, Xuan Kai?"


    I quickly shook my head. "No, no...just ask Qing Yue, she knows."


    Qing Yue nodded. "Mhm! Basically, Lan Gui Ying is Big Brother Xuan Kai''s ex-fiancee...oh, but rest assured, the two of them don''t like each other in any way. In fact, quite the opposite. Lan Gui Ying hates Xuan Kai."


    "The feeling is mutual," I added.


    "Right, and...well, that''s all I know. I never heard anything about her dying," Qing Yue finished.


    Mei Gui then spoke up. "Allow me to exin. Long story short, Lan Gui Ying had been hit by the rainwater outside, and ended up transforming inside the mall. One thing led to another, and eventually the entire front half of this ce burned up."


    "So, in other words...this Lan Gui Ying person was the one who caused the fire?" Feng Mian deduced.


    I shrugged. "Inadvertently, but yeah."


    "And you think that Lan Xiao Su is somehow rted to Lan Gui Ying, so you''re determined to get to the end of this?" Yu An Yan followed up.


    I nodded. "Well, it''s not something I<em>must</em>do, but I feel like I should at least tell her Lan Gui Ying died, whatever their rtionship is."


    Qing Yue sighed. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, you do realize just because they have the samest name, it doesn''t necessarily mean they are 100% rted? There are many people out there with the same surname."


    "I know that, but...two of them in the same city? I can''t help but feel that''s a bit weird. I don''t know much about the Lan family except for the fact that they are a subsidiary family to the now-gone Xuan family, but I just have this gut feeling that Lan Xiao Su is somehow rted to them."


    "Gut...feeling..." Yu An Xue murmured, a hint of skepticism in her voice.


    <em>Oh, wait...this is an opportunity! A chance to get away and avoid having to tell them how I truly feel! Yes!</em>


    "Alright, look. I''ll ask around, see if anyone''s seen her in the mall...and if she isn''t here, then...well, I''m not going out there again to look for her," I finally said. "This is just something I''m curious about, not like with you guys, where I..."


    I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. The girls stared at me in confusion, but I shook their gazes off, and stood up.


    "A-Anyway, I''m going to go look around now. If you need me for anything, just give me a call or something. Peace."


    Without waiting for a response, I left the dubious looks of the girls behind, and exited the cafe sessfully without have<em>that</em>''discussion'' with them.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Just as I was about to begin looking around, I felt a vibrationing from my pocket, where my phone was located.


    <em>You serious? I just got out, and you''re already calling me back...? Looks like they realized my true intentions of escaping that situation-</em>


    <em>Hm? Wait. The caller...Song Qian Long?</em><em></em>


    After moving somewhere with less people around, I pressed the ''answer'' button, and ced the phone over my ear. "Yes?"


    "Kai Kai! Oh, thank the heavens...I finally got through to you," Song Qian Long''s hoarse voice came through over the call. "Since you are able to receive phone calls...I assume you are safe back in the Coastal Metropolis?"


    "Yeah," I replied. "I found Qing Yue and the Yu sisters as well."


    "I see...good. You must be tired. I''ll let you rest, then. Goodby-"


    "Hold on, old geezer," I interrupted before he could hang up. "You definitely didn''t call me just to check in on me, I can tell. There''s something you need to tell me, isn''t there?"


    "..." he fell silent, but didn''t outright end the call, either. It seems my guess was on the mark.


    "So?" I continued. "What happened?"


    After a long silence, Song Qian Long let out a deep sigh. "This...it''s better to meet in person. Wait by the staircase leading up to the administrative floor."


    <em>If he wants to rendezvous there, then it must be something important, something no one else can hear...</em>


    <em></em>"Got it. Heading over now," I replied briskly, before promptly hanging up and proceeding to the specified location.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Administrative Floor, The Coastal Metropolis -</strong>


    I leaned on the wall beside the door leading to the staircase heading upwards to the administrative floor of this mall. After around 5 minutes, Song Qian Long pushed open the locked door from the other side, and signaled for me to enter. Iplied, after making sure no one was looking our way.


    Once we were safely on the administrative floor, Song Qian Long spoke. "Kai Kai, you remember the reconnaissance squad we sent out to the highway connecting Hong Kong and Shenzhen, correct?"


    I nodded. "They were pretty strong, too, if I recall."


    "Indeed. Led by an early Golden Monarch stage, this mission was of utmost importance."


    "And? What about them?"


    Song Qian Long cast his gazed downwards, and clenched his fists. "...We lost contact them two hours ago."


    I narrowed my gaze. "Lost contact? As in..."


    He nodded. "Yes. They exited the city, and at approximately the ten kilometer mark on the highway, ourmunication was suddenly terminated. Thest thing we heard...was a human scream, and a rush of static quickly following up. I''m afraid the people we sent...they have all been eliminated."


    I fell into thought. "In other words...my guess about the Midnight Syndicate was correct. They are indeed using the highway to initiate Phase II of their n."


    Song Qian Long nodded. "And this urred two hours ago. Assuming whatever it is the Midnight Syndicate is sending has the speed of an average walking human...they should be entering city borders right about now. It won''t be long before they arrive at this safe zone."


    "...And we don''t stand a chance against whatever ising?" I asked.


    He closed his eyes. "Kai Kai...they say the unseen enemy is always the most fearsome. But in this case, it is not just that we do not see them - we do not even know the first thing about them. The other city''s reinforcements have just entered the city as well and are making their way over here as we speak, but even with them...the point is, we have no idea how powerful the enemy is."


    I sighed. "Why are you telling me this? I''ve already saved Qing Yue and the Yu sisters. I''m not going out there to fight again."


    Song Qian Long nodded. "Yes, I and I do not wish for you to fight, either. I am merely informing you of this because you were the one who first came up with this guess in the first ce. The reconnaissance squad we sent...they died, but it was for a good reason. We can now confirm that the Midnight Syndicate is indeed on the move, and can anticipate where they will being from. If we do manage to fight them off by some miracle...a lot of the credit will go to you."


    "Huh? I don''t care about credit, though," I muttered. "And besides, I didn''t really do all that much? Just the random guess of a 14-year-old. You can just chalk it up to luck.


    My godfather chuckled. "If you were just any 14 year old and not my very own godson, I would''ve believed you there. But Kai Kai, I can confidently say you are not the type of kid to randomly spout whateveres to his mind. Everything you say is thought about carefully before ites out of your mouth...for better or worse."


    <em>''Thought about carefully'', huh...I can''t count the number of times I''ve blundered in front of the girls, but...there''s no point arguing with this old geezer here, anyway.</em>


    <em></em>I sighed. "Whatever. Also...the Midnight Syndicate murdered my parents, and I will never forgive them for that, but I would like to avoid trouble until I''m stronger. Once that happens, I can hunt down every single one of them. That''s why, for this battle - and this is just a suggestion - I think we should evacuate."


    Song Qian Long frowned. "Evacuate? You mean...leaving this city behind, and collectively moving somewhere else?"


    I nodded. "If we can''t beat them in a fight, we can at least run."


    However, the mage known as the Dragon of Shenzhen immediately stopped my words with a hand gesture.


    "That proposal is not happening," he said defiantly. "This city...Shenzhen...it''s where I grew up and where I call home. I cannot just abandon it in dark times, and I am sure many others feel the same. We could evacuate all the citizens who truly wish to leave, but...I, along with the majority of others, will remain here to fight to the death with the ursed Midnight Syndicate."


    I blinked a few times, then sighed deeply. "Whatever. So be it. Like I said, it was just a suggestion."


    With this, I turned around and left the administrative floor through the same staircase.


    <em>Old geezer...you really are a fool. A brave yet stupid...fool. The line between courage and idiocy is very thin, and...I''m honestly not too sure which side of that line you''re on. But one thing is clear - you are definitely someone I''vee to respect, and although I don''t want to admit it, I''m warming up to you as well, as your godson. At this point, you''re practically family to me.</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em>Which is why...when the timees, you better not die, godfather. </em>


    <em>...I don''t want to lose any more family.</em>

 Chapter 166 - Hidden Identity

    As I made my way back from my meeting with Song Qian Long, I suddenly spotted a veiled girl with beautiful long sky blue hair. She was currently about to get on the esctor going down.


    <em>No way...is that...?</em>


    After slipping on my mask, I decided to follow, and also got on the esctor. Since there were quite a few people in between us, I doubted she noticed me. Still, I chose to keep a safe distance, just in case. After arriving at the floor below, she turned right and began walking in that direction. I didn''t know what was down that way, but followed regardless, constantly maintaining a safe distance.


    At the time, I didn''t notice it, but looking back on it now, I realize how creepy I must''ve looked to outsiders, following a girl from behind like that. Luckily, no one cared enough to stop me or tell the girl there was a creepy guy following her. I assumed this was because everyone had a lot on their minds, with this whole disaster and all.


    In any case, the girl continued walking, until she suddenly turned right into another hallway. For a moment, I lost track of where she went, but after confirming she didn''t continue straight forward, the only other option was this short corridor you could ess by turning right. Therefore, I followed...which was a bad idea.


    I looked up, and saw a sign.


    <strong>Bathrooms.</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>...Did I really just follow her all the way here to the bathroom? Wow, putting it that way, even I think I''m a pervert now. Though in my defense, I had no way of knowing where exactly she was nning to go...yeah, I doubt that''s going to help me in court if I get sued for this.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>I cleared my throat and slowly walked back out of the corridor, acting as if nothing had happened. I then leaned against the wall, waiting for the girl toe out.


    After around two minutes or so passed, a girl walked out of the female bathroom, but...


    <em>Hang on...this isn''t the girl I followed...wait, what? That bathroom can only amodate one person, and the girl I followed definitely went inside. But this girl, walking out right now, doesn''t have light blue hair. Instead, she has a mixture of pink and blue. I''ve definitely seen that hair somewhere before on the news or something, just can''t remember exactly. She''s also wearing sunsses and a ck fedora, too...indoors? And her veil has been reced with a pure ck mask, much like my own...</em>


    <em>...What the hell is this?!</em>


    <em></em>Despite all these questions in my head, I still grabbed the girl''s arm right as she passed by me, causing her to almost yelp in surprise.


    "W-What do you want?!" she asked fearfully. Then, after looking at me for a while, she calmed down a little. "W-Wait..you are..."


    I chuckled. "So you know who I am?"


    She stiffened up. "N-No, I don''t! I have no idea who you are, so please let m-"


    However, I didn''t do as she said. Instead, I tightened my grip on her forearm.


    "H-Hey!"


    "No matter how much you act, you''re already exposed. I know who you are," I said quietly. "I don''t care about what you did there or why, but I just have something I want to confirm with you. Of course, you''re free to leave if you want, but...I think you''ll want to hear this news I have. It''s about Lan Gui Ying."


    She perked up at the mention of that name, and looked at me with her eyes wide open. "You...you know Lan Gui Ying?"


    I sighed. "Yes. And as I thought...you have some sort of rtionship with her too, don''t you?"


    She averted her gaze. "I...I did."


    <em>Past tense...? Oh...things are getting more interesting.</em>


    After ncing both directions, I spoke. "Hm...let''s talk about this somewhere more private."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- 5 Minutes Later -</strong>


    Lan Xiao Su and I sat in a fairly less crowded cafepared to the one I had been in with the other girls earlier. I was honestly pretty surprised she actually decided toe with me and not just run away. I had many questions I wanted to ask her about her new appearance and everything, but since I said earlier I didn''t care about why she would do that, I couldn''t really ask her now.


    "First off, I want to know how you got to the safe zone," I said, initiating the conversation.


    "R-Right! The entire Hunters'' Guild, staff and all present Hunters, evacuated as one as soon as we heard the news, and we were able to fend off the monsters that came our way with all of us together!"


    <em>I see...since the Hunters'' Guild operates 24/7, there were some Hunters in the guild even at midnight.</em>


    <em></em>I nodded. "And you didn''t get hit by the rain, correct?"


    "U-Um...no? One of the Hunters specialized in water magic, so she put up a transparent dome-shaped barrier around all of us to act as a shield against the rain, but...why?"


    I shook my head. "Nothing. As long as you didn''t get hit by the rain, you''re fine."


    She tilted her head in confusion, but I didn''t see a reason to tell her anything further, so I stopped there.


    Then, I got onto the main topic of our meeting. "So, anyway...what''s your rtionship with Lan Gui Ying?" I asked, not taking my mask off even though there was a cup of coffee in front of me.


    "W-Wait...first, you tell me about that news you mentioned earlier," Lan Xiao Su replied, simrly not taking off her mask.


    I scoffed. "I''m not stupid. If I tell you now, you''re just going to run away immediately after, no? To avoid having to answer my question, that is."


    "..." she fell silent, which usually meant I was on the mark.


    I raised an eyebrow. "So? Are you going to talk?"


    "...O-Okay! Fine!" she eximed, then looked around to see if anyone was listening in. There wasn''t, so she continued.


    "Lan Gui Ying...she''s my sister," Lan Xiao Su murmured quietly. "But don''t get me wrong! I don''t like her at all...in fact, I could probably say that I hate her. Or more urately, her mother...in other words, my aunt."


    I narrowed my gaze. "Oh? You, the usually all cheerful and nervous receptionist, actually has someone she hates?"


    "Yes...oh, but that doesn''t mean I''m secretly dark and evil or anything! I genuinely enjoy my job at the Hunters'' Guild," she quickly added. "I''m able to meet new people like you, and the other staff there all treat me very well too. I''m just...still slightly nervous when talking to others at close-range, haha..."


    "Exactly my point. You''re a nice girl, so why would you hate your aunt? What did she do?"


    She looked away. "That''s...I don''t really want to talk about that."


    I blinked a few times, then sighed. "Whatever then. Everyone has their own dark parts of their history...and I understand that. As for the news I have for you..."


    I lowered my voice, and continued. "Your sister...Lan Gui Ying. She''s dead."


    "H-Huh?" Lan Xiao Su tilted her head, unsure if what she heard was correct.


    I repeated what I said once more. "Lan Gui Ying turned into one of those monsters. In other words, she''s dead."


    "H-Hold on, what?! How do you even know this?" she asked, flustered.


    "I have no reason to lie to you, but it''s your choice whether you want to believe me or not," I replied calmly.


    "..." after several moments of hesitation, she gave in. "O-Okay, I believe you..."


    "One more thing," I continued. "You say Lan Gui Ying is your sister, but...does that mean you have the same parents?"


    Lan Xiao Su shook her head. "Same father, different mothers. I was born under one of my father''s concubines..."


    I sighed. "I can guess how the story went from there. Your father favored your mother, and Lan Gui Ying''s mother got jealous, so she harmed your mother somehow. Correct?"


    "W-Wha..." she seemed shocked at how urately I had deduced this.


    "And after that...you probably didn''t want to stay in that kind of environment anymore, so you left the family, huh?"


    She was left speechless for a moment, then slowly nodded.


    "Haha...I didn''t want to talk about this originally, but you figured it out all on your own...Kai Xuan, you''re pretty smart, huh?"


    <em>Smart? Nah. Anyone withmon sense and a little logic would be able to deduce what happened, but...yeah, I''m not going to say that.</em>


    I shrugged. "I guess. Oh, and there''s one more thing I want to ask. You have no reason to stay here anymore though, so you don''t have to answer this one if you don''t want to."


    Sheughed a little. "You already know nearly everything about me, there''s no point running away now!"


    "Okay, then...why did you change your appearance in the bathroom earlier?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "You''vepletely changed..."


    "Ah...that, I was afraid of getting recognized by my sister or aunt, since everyone still alive is gathered in this mall, so..." she murmured quietly.


    I fell into thought. "Then why wear a hat and a mask? Wouldn''t that just make you stand out more indoors?"


    "E-Eh? Ah..." she averted her gaze, and I knew something was up. I narrowed my gaze and waited for a proper response.


    <em>Lan Xiao Su...what are you hiding?</em>

 Chapter 167 - Secret Popstar

    "Like I said, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to," I said casually. "But I''ll offer you a deal. If you tell me your true identity, I''ll also tell you mine."


    "Your true...identity?" she echoed, eyes widening. "You mean...Kai Xuan isn''t your real name?"


    I shrugged. "Who knows?"


    She pouted a little at how mysterious I was acting, and after some careful thought she gave in.


    "F-Fine! B-But you can''t tell anyone else...okay?!"


    "Sure. Of course, that''s only if you do the same for me," I replied calmly.


    Then, after ncing both way carefully, she removed her mask gently. My eyes widened.


    "Wait a minute...you are...the famous popstar, Su Ning?!"


    She immediately began blushing and covered her face again. "D-Don''t say so loudly! Someone will hear!"


    I cleared my throat. "A-Ahem...right, sorry. I was just...very surprised. I never expected you to be...uh, a celebrity."


    <em>I knew I saw that pink and blue hair of hers somewhere before, on TV...Su Ning, the famous popstar who suddenly entered the pop scene around a year ago. Her angelic looks yed a major part in her skyrocketing poprity, but her skills in singing and dancing were the real thing too. </em>


    <em>But still...now that Ipare Lan Xiao Su and Su Ning''s looks in my mind, they really do look simr. The only difference is their hair...but now that I really look at it, she''s probably just wearing a wig below her real sky blue hair.</em>


    <em></em>"A-And? What about you?" Lan Xiao Su asked, fidgeting nervously and covering her face with her hands.


    "Hold on..." I muttered. "Which one is the real you? The energetic and outgoing popstar Su Ning...or the nervous and slightly clumsy Hunters'' Guild receptionist, Lan Xiao Su?"


    "As I said earlier...my job at the Hunters'' Guild is something I genuinely enjoy. There, I can be my real self. And though interacting with people at such a close distance can be scary sometimes...it''s pretty fun, too."


    She had a genuine look of appreciation in her eyes when she said that, and with this, my answer was confirmed. Lan Xiao Su, the receptionist, was this girl''s real self. But that still left many questions...


    "If that''s the case, then why did you be a popstar at all?"


    "T-The reason for that is kind of embarrassing..." she murmured quietly, averting her gaze. Then, after a deep breath, she continued. "T-The truth is...I need money."


    I narrowed my gaze. "Money? Does the Hunters'' Guild not pay you enough?"


    She shook her head. "It''s enough if it was just for me, but...my mother was poisoned by Lan Gui Ying''s mother almost a year ago...more urately, it was a curse known as the ''1 Year Curse''. If she is not given an antidote before one year is over...she''ll die. That''s why I left the family, too. I needed to make money, and fast. For that, I quit school as well..."


    <em>School...? Is she the same age as her sister then? 14?</em>


    <em></em>"And where is your mother right now?" I asked, folding my arms.


    "Luckily, my father brought her to the safe zone sessfully. I visited her earlier, in my normal appearance."


    I sighed. "That''s good. But...if you work as a receptionist during the day, that only leaves night for you to work as a popstar..."


    She nodded. "That''s why I can''t do any live performances, ahaha..."


    "...Is it not tiring?"


    She looked out the window of the cafe we were in. "It would be a lie if I said it wasn''t, but...in order to save my mother, I have to do this."


    I blinked at her for a while, then chuckled. "Lan Xiao Su...you''re strong, y''know that?"


    She blushed at thepliment, and quickly buried her face in her hands once more. "W-What do you mean?"


    "I mean...not a lot of people can do what you''re doing right now. Working two jobs tirelessly, all to save your mother. Most will just give up, but...from the determination I see in your eyes, I doubt that''s going to happen. Despite how clumsy and nervous you are on the surface, deep down, you''re a strong person."


    She turned even redder than before, and I swear I saw steame out of her ears.


    "T-T-Thank you!" she yelped.


    I sighed. "You''re working so hard to get this money, so I assume you have already found someone who has the antidote?"


    Lan Xiao Su calmed down a little. "Yes...but he asks for a lot of money, and I honestly don''t know if I can gather enough in time..."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Who is this man?"


    "I don''t know his name or anything, I just have his phone number..."


    <em>Sounds kind of fishy to me. She''s probably being scammed here...should I help her, or just ignore this? Honestly, I don''t want to be caught up in any more shit, but...Lan Xiao Su did help me out quite a bit. And who knows? Maybe it''lle in handy to have a celebrity in my debt, kuku...eh, whatever. I''ll help her out, I guess...there''s still some time before the Midnight Syndicate gets here.</em>


    <em></em>"Hm. Chances are, you''re getting tricked right now."


    "H-Huh?"


    "I mean, you don''t know how this man looks or anything either, right? How do you even know he''s telling the truth when he says he''s got the antidote? You have no way to verify that. It''s better to be safe. Cut all contact with him, right now."


    "W-Wait, then how am I going to save my mother?!" Lan Xiao Su eximed, slightly agitated.


    I sighed. "Calm down. I know someone who can save her."


    "R-Really?" she asked, eyes widening in joy.


    "Yeah. Free of charge, too," I said.


    <em>Well, that''s a lie. It''s notpletely free...it''s just that money isn''t the type of payment here. Debt is.</em>


    <em></em>"Who is it?"


    "Hm...I''ll keep that a secret for now. How long does your mother have left before the curse activates?"


    Lan Xiao Su looked down. "Less than three months."


    I nodded. "I see...that should be enough time, considering<em>her</em> talent in Blessing Magic..." I murmured.


    "Her?" Lan Xiao Su tilted her head.


    "Nothing," I replied. "By the way, shouldn''t Lan Gui Ying''s mother have the antidote? She was the one who inflicted this curse in the first ce."


    Lan Xiao Su sighed in dejection. "She might, but...even if she did, she won''t just give it to me. And my father...he doesn''t even know anything about this. My mother insisted she was fine, and refused to tell father even when I told her to."


    <em>Goddamn...this is slowly turning into one of those Ancient China dramas with an emperor and his harem fighting over him...so much trickery, deceit, andplicated situations.</em>


    <em></em>"I see. Well, the first thing we have to do now, is...meet the person who''s going to save your mother," I said atst, standing up.


    "W-Wait, Kai Xuan! You never told me your true identity!" Lan Xiao Su eximed in a fluster, also standing up.


    I snickered. "You''ll find out soon enough. C''mon."


    "W-What''s that supposed to mean?!"


    As I began to walk away, Lan Xiao Su pouted and followed me. I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to a certain someone, then chuckled as soon as I received a reply. I began heading towards the ce written in the message I had gotten back, Lan Xiao Su trailing behind me. But before that, I told her to go change back into her original appearance again, just to avoid trouble. Undoubtedly, those girls would recognize her as Su Ning, even with the mask and hat. Qing Yue especially was a hardcore fangirl.


    On the way, I made idle chit-chat with Lan Xiao Su.


    "Just curious, once your mother is saved, are you going to continue working as a popstar?" I asked, hands shoved in my pocket.


    Lan Xiao Su fell into thought for a moment, then responded. "I''m not too sure, honestly...but it''s not as if I dislike singing or dancing. In fact, I like it a lot. But...being a popstar has its negative sides, too..."


    "Like all things, I''m afraid," I added. "Being a celebrity is harder than it looks, huh? And not everything is just riches and fame like what it seems on the surface."


    She nodded. "Yes...I have to deal with haters and crazed fans alike...and honestly, it''s pretty scary sometimes. But I really do like singing. You see...my mother used to sing in a church choir. That''s how my father met her in the first ce."


    "Huh. So I''m guessing your mother must''ve taught you a lot of things about singing then?"


    "Yes...when I was young, she used to constantly sing beautiful lubies for me, and when I got older she began teaching me techniques and such. It''s pretty nostalgic, ehehe..."


    I blinked, then turned away from her, facing back to the front. She must''ve thought our conversation ended there, and looked slightly disappointed. But then, I spoke again.


    "You know...now I''m kind of curious about your singing. I''d love to listen to a live concert of Su Ning sometime. A personal one...just for me."


    Lan Xiao Su blinked a few times in surprise, and then realized what I had said.


    "A-Ah! Yes! Of course!" she eximed as she began blushing deeply.


    I chuckled. "I''ll be waiting, then. After we save your mother."


    Lan Xiao Su smiled brightly. "R-Right!"

 Chapter 168 - Silverfang Smithery

    "Wee!" a hefty man walked up to us as soon as Lan Xiao Su and I entered the shop. He appeared to be one and only worker in this entire store. "My name is Ma Mu, and I am the owner of this store, Silverfang Smithery! Wee, what can I do for you today?"


    <em>Huh...so not only the one and only worker, but also the founder...nice.</em>


    <em></em>"Er...we have some friends in here already, we just came to meet up with them."


    "Ah, I see, I see!" he chuckled loudly. "Then, I''ll leave you two to it. Come find me or any of the other staff if you have any questions, haha!"


    Iughed awkwardly.<em>There are no other staff...</em>


    Then, suddenly, someone called out to me.


    "Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    I looked to my left and spotted Qing Yue, running towards me with her arms open. She crashed into my body gently, and I caught her in my arms. I patted her head, and she snuggled against me happily. After a while, the other girls soon appeared as well, and Qing Yue looked up at me.


    "X-Xuan Kai?" I heard Lan Xiao Su murmur quietly from behind me.


    "So? Big Brother Xuan Kai, what did you need me for?"


    Then, like an owl spotting its prey, she immediately noticed Lan Xiao Su, who hadtched onto my shoulder and was cowering behind me fearfully.


    "And...who is this?" Qing Yue asked, narrowing her gaze. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, did you go get another beautiful girl behind our back?"


    Despite the fact that Lan Xiao Su was wearing a veil to hide her true appearance - since just hair color wouldn''t be enough to cover her Su Ning persona, as any dedicated fan would be able to tell the resemnces between the two''s faces - Qing Yue was still able to tell Lan Xiao Su was beautiful.


    <em>Huh...what a keen eye.</em>


    <em></em>"This is Lan Xiao Su," I exined. "You know, the one I was talking about earlier."


    "U-Um, hi! My name is Lan Xiao Su, and...u-um, i-it''s nice to meet you!" she stuttered nervously.


    I sighed. "There''s no need to be so nervous. They aren''t going to eat you..."


    But then, after seeing the re in Qing Yue''s and the other girls'' eyes...


    "...Probably."


    This only made Lan Xiao Su cower even more, and she hid behind me like a cute little kitten.


    "Stop with the ring," I said, annoyed. "Why are you being so hostile to someone you just met?"


    After a while, the girls finally stopped looking at Lan Xiao Su with malice, and I let out a deep breath of relief.


    "So? What did you bring her here for?" Feng Mian asked, setting down the twin daggers she had been looking at before I arrived.


    After ncing around and making sure no one else was close by, I answered her question. "Put simply, I''m going to help Lan Xiao Su a bit."


    Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow. "Help? What do you mean?"


    "Her mother...only has three months left to live," I exined, lowering my tone. "A curse was ced on her...something known as the ''1 Year Curse''. Any of you ever heard of it?"


    Everyone shook their heads...with the exception of Qing Yue, who instead seemed to be deep in thought.


    "1 Year Curse, hm..." she murmured quietly.


    "Y-You know of it?" Lan Xiao Su asked nervously.


    Qing Yue nodded slowly after a short pause. "...I''ve heard of it before, but that''s about it. I remember reading about it somewhere in a textbook in the school library..."


    "Do you think you can cure this curse with your Blessing Magic, Qing Yue?" I asked.


    She fell into thought once more. "Hm...no, there aren''t any Blessing Element spells that can just automatically cure any curse, especially one of the more powerful ones like the 1 Year Curse. But..."


    "But?" I echoed, prompting her to continue.


    "...From that book I read, there is an antidote for this curse, some kind of elixir. But the problem is...I remember the ingredients were all extremely hard to get."


    I furrowed my brows. "Do you still remember all of the ingredients? Like their names, quantity, and things like that?"


    Qing Yue nodded. "I only transferred to Shenzhen Magic High School fairly recently, so I read that book not long ago as well. I still remember which ingredients are needed for this particr antidote."


    I was shocked. I honestly didn''t expect her to still remember. Out of all the books she must''ve read from the library, she was able to remember this one recipe?


    "Damn, Qing Yue...your memory is pretty good, huh?"


    "Ehehe," she giggled happily at my praise. "Maybe so. But this antidote left a pretty big impression on me since it was<em>so</em> hard to concoct. That''s why I remember. We need Hydra Fangs, Basilisk Dust-"


    "H-Hang on," I interrupted. "<em>Hydra Fangs, and Basilisk Dust, you say?</em>"


    She nodded. "Yep! I did say that the ingredients were all very rare, didn''t I?"


    Iughed awkwardly. "Y-You did, but...I didn''t expect them to be<em>this</em>extreme."


    Hydras and Basilisks were two of the most powerful Magic Beasts in the world. It would take several Ancestral Mages along with a Golden Monarch leading them at the very least to take down just one of these things. The idea of having to kill both a Hydra and a Basilisk...and very possibly something more, is a scary one indeed.


    "Well, this is the only way to cure this curse," Qing Yue said with a shrug.


    "U-Um...if it''s too hard...you don''t have to do this for me..." Lan Xiao Su murmured quietly from behind my back. Her voice was clearly dejected, and despite what she said, deep down she undoubtedly still wanted me to help.


    I sighed. "I already said I would help you, so I''m not going to go back on my word now."


    Hearing this, her expression immediately turned hopeful again. "R-Really?"


    "Yeah. Besides...this is a good opportunity for me to get stronger as well. We''ll definitely gather all the materials and make the antidote before your mother''s time runs out."


    "T-Thank you!" Lan Xiao Su eximed, bowing down repeatedly over and over again.


    I quickly stopped her. "What are you doing?"


    "E-Eh? Ah...sorry, I just wanted to show my gratitude..."


    I facepalmed. "Even so, don''t just randomly start bowing out of nowhere."


    "S-Sorry..." she murmured in apology.


    Then, turning to Qing Yue, I continued. "Qing Yue, make a list of all the ingredients needed. What they are, how much we need, and if possible, where to obtain it. Send it to me when you''re done."


    "Kay~" she replied casually, before pulling out her phone and began maneuvering it skillfully.


    I sighed, then sat down on a nearby chair. "So? What were you guys all doing in a weapons shop anyway?"


    "Looking for...weapons, obviously," Feng Mian said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Why? Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, you two both already have weapons, and Qing Yue doesn''t really need one. Only Feng Mian actually needs a new weapon, so...why are you all here?"


    Yu An Yan sighed. "Sure, we have weapons already, but sometimes, when we need to blend in, it''ll be a better idea to not reveal the fact that we have two of the Six Divine Weapons."


    <em>Huh, that''s true. I didn''t think that far...</em>


    "Mm...Qing Yue just...tagged along..." Yu An Xue added.


    I nodded. "I see. So? Did you guys pick out any good ones?"


    Feng Mian picked up the twin daggers she had been looking at. "Yeah, these ones are pretty good, the weight and shape all feel right to me."


    Yu An Yan looked over at the axe aisle. "Since my Divine Weapon is an axe, I might as well buy another axe."


    Yu An Xue nodded in agreement. "I''ll...pick out a sword."


    With this, the two headed off into their own respective aisles, leaving Feng Mian, Mei Gui, Lan Xiao Su, Qing Yue, and I. ria, after shooting me a silent re full of anger, followed Yu An Yan. Then, remembering something, I spoke up.


    "Oh, right, Mei Gui...I need to talk to you about something," I said, and Mei Gui tilted her head.


    "Yes, Master?"


    "It''s about the spear..."


    She blinked. "I see."


    With that brisk reply, she materialized a beautiful yet terrifying silver spear, d in ck mes with a spherical red jewel embedded in the head of the spear. The sudden appearance of this weapon caused Feng Mian to leap away in surprise, and Lan Xiao Su did the same by hiding behind me once more. Qing Yue was too engrossed in her research on her phone to even notice.


    "Master, here it is. I am able to materialize it since Feng Mian provided me with some mana," Mei Gui said.


    "Wow..." I mused in awe. "So, what exactly is this thing?"


    "It is a weapon forged with the power of Chaos, Master," she exined. "I am not sure why it exists or how it came to be exactly, since my memories are still fragmented."

 Chapter 169 - Weapon Of Chaos

    "Do I have one as well?" I asked, eager to hear Mei Gui''s answer.


    She nodded. "Yes, Master should have one as well. However, I am uncertain what type of weapon it will be."


    "Okay...how do I uh...summon it or whatever?"


    "All you have to do is visualize your weapon of choice, Master," Mei Gui replied. "Then, draw on the power of Chaos within your body..."


    I did as told, and closed my eyes. <em>Weapon of choice, huh...well, there''s really only one weapon I can somewhat use...</em>


    <em></em>As I began picturing my weapon of choice within my mind, I called upon the swirling energy within my Dantian. I haven''t done this in a while since I did that little ''ritual'' which helped me cast spells without having to activate my mana first, but I still remember how to do it very well.


    "Keep the visualization of the weapon strong, Master," Mei Gui instructed, and I did as told once more.


    Furrowing my brows, I concentrated even harder on my weapon of choice, and then, suddenly-


    "Woah..." Feng Mian mused.


    I opened my eyes, and looked up. Levitating in mid air above my head were two long, slim katanas, one crossed over the other in an X-shape. Their handles were ck with red lines, and the des were a shiny silver. Much like Mei Gui''s spear, there was an eerie bright red jewel embedded on the twin weapons. However, mine were slightly different.


    Instead of having a whole circr shaped jewel, the two katanas each had one half of the whole. Right above the hilt of the katanas, each of them had a semicircle-shaped red jewel. They both glowed ominously, and emitted a bright scarlet light.


    I reached my hands out and slowly grabbed the katanas, one in each hand. The moment I did, the jewels dimmed down slightly, and I waved my two new weapons around eagerly.


    "Master, it seems you have seeded," Mei Gui said with a bow.


    I frowned. "Yeah, it seems I did, but...in my mind, I only visualized one katana, not two..."


    <em>I''m certain I only thought of one single katana, since that was the weapon I used during my attack on the Xuan family...but then why were there two now?</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui fell into thought, resting her chin on her hand. "...I am not sure of why this happened, either. Perhaps when I get more of my memories back, I will be able to know."


    "Hm...and the power of these katanas shouldn''t be any less than your spear, right?" I asked, inspecting my two new weapons closely.


    Mei Gui nodded. "Master and I are interconnected. Naturally, our weapons'' strengths are the same."


    I cleared my throat. "A-Ahem...the way you worded that could be better, but...anyway, how do I dematerialize this thing?"


    Mei Gui opened her mouth to tell me how, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a man in his sixties.


    "WAAAIT!" he cried, skidding to a stop before me, and panting heavily. "Good lord, I finally found the aisle you were in..."


    I furrowed my brows. "Mr. Ma...? The owner of this store?"


    "Yes! That''s me alright!" he eximed, standing back up straight, having recovered from his sprint already.


    "U-Uh...okay...do you need something from me?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Yes, I do! That light from earlier brought me here, but...oh for the love of metal, what a masterpiece I have witnessed..."


    <em>F-For the love of metal...? Okay...that''s a first.</em>


    <em></em>"S-Sorry, what are you talking about?" I asked, not sure what else to say.


    Mr. Ma then suddenly sank onto his knees, to my surprise.


    "Hey, what are you-" I began, attempting to get him to rise up. But he cut me off.


    "These two katanas you wield...I have never seen anything like it before. The detail, quality, everything about it! It''s all so...perfect."


    As he sat there on his knees, gazing at my katanas from every angle, I couldn''t help but cringe a little.


    <em>This is...a bit awkward...and more importantly, disgusting. I really don''t like the look in his eyes. Looks like a virgin just saw a model in bikinis or something...hold up, is he getting a nosebleed?!</em><em></em>


    Indeed, he was. Red liquid drooped out of his nose and onto the floor below, causing me to take a step back out of instinct.


    "U-Uh, are you alright?" I asked slowly.


    The man quickly snapped out of his trance and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "A-Ah, yes, sorry, I got-"


    But before he could even finish his sentence, his nose began gushing out blood again, and he quickly covered it up with his sleeve before running off to - I assume - get some paper towels. After a few seconds, he came back, with a new robe and two napkins stuffed in his nostrils.


    "A-Ahem, apologies for that shameful disy earlier. I was merely too engrossed in the weapons you wield," he said calmly.


    <em>Goddamn...luckily, Mei Gui already dematerialized her spear before this guy arrived, or else things would be bordering sexual assault.</em>


    "No problem," I said after a short pause.


    "Now then...would you be willing to sell those two katanas to me?" Ma Mu asked. "I won''t ask how you got them or anything, and you can name any price you want. Even if I sell everything I have, I will pay you."


    I shook my head. "Sorry, but...they aren''t for sale."


    <em>Like hell I''m going to sell you these Chaos-imbued weapons that I just got! Yeah, dream on! No price is worth these!</em><em></em>


    Ma Mu looked dejected for a moment, then sighed. "That is to be expected...after all, who would sell such a exquisite masterpiece? Those two katanas...they are priceless treasures. In all my years working as a weaponsmith, I have never seen a single weapon worthy of even beingpared with those two."


    "Huh...are they really that good?" I wondered out loud.


    "Yes! I have great confidence in my eyes as a weaponsmith with over 50 years of experience. And when I see a good weapon, I know it."


    <em>Well...better to try these out myself than taking this guy''s word for it. But still...50 years of experience? Goddamn, how old is he? Or rather, how old was he when he first became a weaponsmith?</em>


    "Well, either way, like I said, I''m not selling them," I said boldly.


    Ma Mu sighed. "What a shame...well, if you ever change your mind, just let me know. I remember your face, boy. Come find me here anytime."


    <em>Geez, that sounds creepy. Whatever though.</em>


    <em></em>"R-Right," I muttered in reply, and Ma Mu left us without any more trouble.


    After seeing his figure disappear from sight, I let out a deep sigh. "I wasn''t careful enough, it seems...I didn''t expect it to generate such a powerful and attention-attracting light. Luckily, that guy didn''t ask where I got it from, or else that could''ve been pretty dangerous."


    Mei Gui nodded. "Yes, Master. Apologies, I did not know it would cause such a thing either."


    I shook my head. "It''s fine, Mei Gui. More importantly, how do I dematerialize this thing?"


    And so, for the second time, Mei Gui opened her mouth, about to exin, but was once more cut off...this time, by a different person.


    "W-Wait!" Feng Mian interrupted suddenly.


    I turned to look at her. "What...?"


    "C-Can I try using those katanas for a second?" she asked nervously.


    I tilted my head. "Uh...I mean, sure, but...why?"


    "I just want to see if other people can use it as well, or is it just limited to you," she exined. "That would be some useful knowledge to have."


    I thought about it for a moment, then arrived at my answer. "Yeah, you''re right."


    I handed her both katanas. Her hands wrapped around mine, and I made eye contact with her.


    "You ready?"


    "Yeah," she said with a firm nod.


    After confirmation, I let go of the weapons and took a few steps back. However...the instant I did, both katanas instantly dematerialized. Both Feng MIan and my eyes widened at this, and we immediately turned to Mei Gui, searching for answers.


    Mei Gui, noticing our stares, gave a short sigh. "The weapons, created with Chaos, can naturally only be used by those with the power of Chaos within them. In other words, I can use Master''s katanas as well, and Master can simrly use my spear. However, I am more familiar with this weapon type, and the same applies to Master."


    "I see," I murmured. "Could Obsidia use them too?"


    Mei Gui frowned. "I am not too certain about that. She was ''touched'' by a wisp of Chaos...not the naturally chosen one like you are, Master."


    "Hm...so as soon as you let go of the weapons, they will disappear?" Feng Mian summarized.


    Mei Gui shook her head. "No. Only when someone elsees into contact with them, will they demateralize. For example-"


    She materialized her spear, then dropped to the floor with a loud ng. The spear remained on the floor, not going anywhere.


    "-And now, if Feng Mian or anyone else apart from Master and I were to touch the spear, it would demateralize."


    Feng Mian, testing this out, moved closer and ced her hand gently on the spear. Instantly, the spear disappeared in a sh of light.


    "From here, I can summon it again whenever I want, given that I have enough mana," Mei Gui finished. Then, turning to me, she continued. "Master, all you have to do in order to materialize or dematerialize your weapons is to will it."


    <em>Will it, huh? It''s that easy...?</em>


    <em>Kuku...looks like I just got myself one more thing that will reallye in handy for the future - the day when I exterminate the Midnight Syndicate.</em>

 Chapter 170 - Rest Time

    "And...I''m done!" Qing Yue suddenly eximed, nearly giving me a heart attack.


    I let out a deep breath. "Oh...god, you almost gave me a heart attack, Qing Yue..."


    "Hm? What did you say? I can''t hear you!!" she continued, unfazed.


    I shook my head. "Never mind. You''re done listing all the ingredients?"


    She nodded happily. "Yep! I''ve just sent the file over to you, Big Brother Xuan Kai. Check your messages."


    I pulled open my phone and indeed saw a PDF file she had emailed over to me. I wonder how she managed to make this so quickly on a phone, but hey, all the better. I nodded in satisfaction and closed up my phone again.


    "I''ll take a look at the full listter," I said. "For now...what do you say we get some rest? All of us. Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan as well."


    Qing Yue shrugged. "I''m still as awake as ever, but if Big Brother Xuan Kai wants to sleep for a little, I''ll dly apany you~"


    <em>D-Don''t! Don''t say things that can lead to misunderstandings like that...!</em>


    <em></em>Feng Mian sighed. "What time is it?"


    Mei Gui spoke up. "9 AM, Master."


    I chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, man...my biological clock is going to bepletely reversed after this."


    "If we start counting from midnight, when all of this first started...that''s 9 hours we''ve stayed up for already," Feng Mian mused.


    "Yeah...I didn''t feel it when I was outside the safe zone thanks to the adrenaline rush, but now that I''m back in here, the exhaustion is really starting to kick in," I added.


    "Where will we even sleep, though?" Qing Yue asked. "It''s not like there''s a hotel in this mall. There''s one close by, Starry City, but that''s outside the designated the safe zone."


    Lan Xiao Su, who had been watching all this quietly, raised her hand timidly. "U-Um...we could try going to a mattress store or something?"


    <em>Oh, Ipletely forgot she was here. She''s kinda like ria in that sense...n-not that it''s their fault. I''m fully aware it''s mine, but...they really just kind of blend in with the background and don''t have much of a presence at all. In ria''s case, it''s probably because this energy-conserving form of hers is small, but Lan Xiao Su...I''ll just chalk it up to her introverted and nervous nature.</em>


    <em>Wait, doesn''t that mean she saw my weapons too, and heard everything about Chaos and stuff? Uh...crap. Now I have to silence her, hopefully in a peaceful way.</em>


    <em>About the sleep thing though...she does have a point.</em>


    "Okay, let''s try our luck at a mattress store for now. Chances are, other people are looking for a ce to rest as well, so hopefully we can actuallynd ourselves a spot," I said atst.


    "What are you guys talking about?" another voice joined in.


    I turned to see Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue, along with ria, walking towards us.


    "Finished already?" I asked.


    Yu An Yan nodded. "The stuff here is all good quality. I was able to find a weapon that suited me pretty quickly."


    "Mm...me too," Yu An Xue murmured.


    Meanwhile, ria still wasn''t talking to me. I sighed.


    "Oh yeah, what was that light earlier? We saw iting from over here," Yu An Yan continued.


    "Put simply, Xuan Kai got a weapon of his own," Feng Mian replied, giving me a slightly jealous re. "One much better than whatever this store can offer. The owner here said it himself."


    Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I want to see it now. Can it beat An Xue''s and my Divine Weapons?"


    Mei Gui was the one to respond. "As of right now, Master''s weapon should be on equal footing with your Divine Weapons. However, as time goes on and Master''s understanding of Chaos bes even deeper, his weapon will naturally surpass yours in no time."


    "It''s <em>that </em>strong...and can level up too?" Yu An Yan gasped in disbelief. Then, turning to me, she continued. "Hm...now I want to have a spar with you sometime, heh. No magic allowed, only cold steel."


    <em>''Cold'' steel my ass! Your weapon is literally a massive ming axe!</em>


    "A-Ahem," I cleared my throat. "Moving on from this topic...we should probably head to a mattress store now. Anyone know one nearby?"


    Qing Yue fell into thought. "Hm...well, I suppose the closest one would be Sleepless Starlight, right above us."


    I sighed. "Okay...An Yan, An Xue, after you two checkout, we can go upstairs."


    However, the two sisters remained frozen in ce, blinking at me in shock.


    "What?" I asked in puzzlement.


    "Y-You...did you just call us by our given names...?" Yu An Yan asked in return hesitantly.


    "Uh...yeah? Is there a problem? It''s shorter and easier," I replied stoically, not sure what she''s so surprised about.


    "E-Eh, no...we don''t particrly mind, but...it''s just...only people close to us have ever called us by those names..." Yu An Yan exined, averting her gaze with a blush on her face. Yu An Xue did the same.


    I blinked. "I literally just called you by those names because it''s shorter and easier. Nothing more."


    "R-Right...as stoic as ever..." Yu An Xue murmured.


    "Hurry up and go checkout already," I instructed finally, getting a bit impatient.


    The Yu sisters sighed collectively and began heading for the single cash register in this entire store (which made sense considering there was only one employee).


    Just as I thought things were finally about to be over, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned around to see Lan Xiao Su with her head tilted, an anxious look on her face.


    "What is it...?"


    "U-Um...c-can I talk to you...? Privately," she said after briefly ncing at the other girls present.


    I followed her gaze, then looked back at her. "Sure. Let''s go."


    The two of us headed for the corner of the store after I exined to the other girls what I was doing.


    "So? What do you need to talk to me about?" I asked, initiating the conversation.


    "Um...it''s about this ''Chaos'' thing...what is it?" she asked.


    <em>Oh...shit. Hm, okay, how am I going to do this? Silence her the forceful way, or talk nicely to her about it? If I just kill her right here, that would probably get me killed as well. Okay, option 2 it is.</em>


    I took a deep breath, then spoke. "First, you have to promise me you won''t tell anyone else what I''m going to say to you right now, no matter what."


    She nodded immediately. "Don''t worry! My lips are sealed."


    "Well, you see...this Chaos thing is actually...just my fantasies."


    "H-Huh?"


    "Yep. Like I said, it''s nothing more than the fantasies of a 14 year old high school boy."


    <em>Please believe me please believe me please believe me please believ-</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"U-Um...then where did those two swordse from?" she asked.


    I cleared my throat, and did my best to speak as seriously as possible. "Look, first of all, those aren''t swords. They are katanas, and really, all I did back there was pull a little magic trick to try and uh...impress the shop owner. Which I seeded in, fortunately!


    "What about the girls...? They seem to know about this Chaos thing as well..."


    "Oh, them? They''re just ying along to my fantasies," I exined - a tant lie. "I imagine myself a hero here to save the world, and they just pity me too much to correct me."


    "O-Oh, I see.."


    "Yeah. So uh...please don''t tell anyone about this," I said in conclusion.


    "Mhm...don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone. I support you in your dream to be a hero!" she suddenly eximed at the end, pumping her fist into the air. This action nearly made my heart jump out of my chest.


    <em>O-Okay then...she may have believed that a little bit </em>too <em>much. B-But hey, this is for the better, right? I don''t trust her enough to tell her the truth yet...and honestly? If it were anyone else, I sincerely doubt they would''ve have believed my bullshit. But being innocent like her, she''ll just trust what anyone tells her, for better or worse. This worked in my advantage in this case, but this also means she''s going to be very vulnerable to strangers, especially with her beauty...</em>


    <em>Well, that''s not my problem though.</em>


    The two of us walked back to the other girls, where the Yu sisters had finished checking out already.


    "You guys all ready?" I asked one final time.


    The girls all nodded in return, and I sighed.


    "Okay, let''s go then."


    The seven of us - eight counting ria - got on the esctor, and headed upstairs. Soon enough, we arrived at the mattress store, Sleepless Starlight.


    <em>Funny name...you want your customers to be able to sleep when they buy your products, but name yourself ''sleepless''? Nice logic there. But whatever, who am I to judge?</em>


    There was a crowd of people inside the store - looks like my guess hit the mark. We couldn''t have been the only tired people, after all.


    <em>Hm...what should I do, if this ce is full?</em>

 Chapter 171 - Old Acquaintances

    "Geez, this ce is really stacked..." Feng Mian muttered as we nudged our way in the store.


    "Yeah...everyone''s here to secure a good ce to rest. No doubt about it. From the looks of it, this ce is probably full already," I noted. "Should we try another?"


    Qing Yue shook her head. "If it was already full, there wouldn''t be this many people still waiting here. Let''s try our luck first. I remember this store being really big, and since each bed model has its own room, this is the perfect ce for resting."


    "For real? Every model has its own individual room for showcasing?" I asked in surprise.


    Yu An Yan nodded. "Yeah, Qing Yue''s right. I''ve been here before with An Xue, and I remember our amazement at seeing how real the showcasing was in this store."


    I sighed. "So...in other words, they have it like this to depict an actual bedroom, and make customers feel as if they have already purchased the bed? Damn...what a cunning strategy. The amount of resources and money needed for this definitely wasn''t small."


    "That''s true, but this store is very popr. It probably already made back its money a long time ago," Feng Mian said.


    "Okay! Everyone get in line please! We cannot do anything if everyone is all over the ce! Thank you for your cooperation!" a bright female voice rang out over a megaphone. I turned to see a tall girl with her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. She continued to shout out instructions, and eventually the entire crowd that was in the front lobby of the store had gathered into one neat line. The girls and I, fortunately, managed to secure a pretty early spot.


    The girl put away the megaphone after all of us had lined up, and began receiving the first customer...


    <em>Wait. That long ck hair...it can''t be, right?</em>


    <em></em>I quickly patted Feng Mian, who was standing beside me, on the shoulder.


    She turned to look at me. "Yeah?"


    I pointed at the ck haired girl who was currently talking to the auburn-haired one. "Look at her. Do you recognize her...?"


    We couldn''t see how she looked like since she was facing the front and we were behind her, but she still bore a striking resemnce to a certain someone we knew, just from the hair alone.


    "Wait..." Feng Mian murmured, narrowing her eyes. "Is that...Obsidia?"


    "Huh? Obsidia? Where?" Qing Yue asked, looking around.


    "There," I replied, pointing in the ck haired girl''s direction again.


    Qing Yue followed my finger with her eyes, eventuallynding on Obsidia''s figure.


    Her eyes widened. "Oh! That''s definitely Obsidia! Hey, Obsid-"


    Just as Qing Yue was about to run over to her, I pulled on the back cor of her clothes.


    "Woah-!" she let out in surprise.


    "What are you doing?" I muttered in annoyance.


    "E-Eh? But that''s definitely Obsidia over there, shouldn''t we call her?"


    I fought back the urge to facepalm, and sighed. "Okay, first off, there''s no guarantee she''s actually Obsidia, and second, even if she was, there''s a better time to talk to her. Not when we''re in the middle of a giant crowd of strangers."


    "Oh, yeah..." Qing Yue murmured, as if this had just ured to her.


    <em>Qing Yue...you''re still too naive. Gotta think things through before making any action, be it big or small. The butterfly effect exists, after all. Just one small thing can eventually lead to a huge catastrophe.</em>


    Soon after, the girl who looked like Obsidia finished speaking with the auburn-haired girl, and she headed deeper inside the store, most likely towards one of the rooms. A few more customers followed, then it was our turn.


    "Hello there, I assume you are also here to rent out a room for resting?" the auburn haired girl asked.


    I nodded. "Yeah. I think everyone else is here for the same thing."


    She sighed. "Normally, we wouldn''t do this kind of service, but the manager said this was a good way to make money, so..."


    <em>Taking advantage of this disaster and charging people for it? Isn''t that, like, against thew, or am I tripping?</em>


    "What are the costs here?" I asked.


    "£¤50 per hour, sir," she replied, and I nearly choked upon hearing these words.


    "F-Fifty? For only an hour?"


    "Y-Yes, I''m afraid so...these prices were set by the manager...I cannot change them, even though I feel like it''s too high."


    <em>This ''manager'' character...I''m going to give him a good beating if I ever get the chance to.</em>


    <em></em>I looked at the other girls behind me. "Well? You heard her. Are we still doing this? £¤50 an hour means £¤400 for a whole 8 hours of rest, and that''s just for one person."


    Yu An Yan fell into thought. "This sum isn''t a lot to the Yu family. I''ll pay."


    Yu An Xue nodded in agreement, and Qing Yue gave a thumbs-up.


    Feng Mian just shrugged, as if she didn''t mind whether we went along with this or not. Lan Xiao Su was too nervous with this crowd to say anything, and Mei Gui just stood there, as expressionless as ever.


    Seeing as how majority rules, I sighed and made my decision.


    "Alright, we''ll pay."


    "S-Sorry, sir, did you say<em>we</em>?" she asked, a look of shock on her face.


    I nodded. "Yeah...? Is there a problem?"


    She cleared her throat. "A-Ahem, correct me if I''m wrong, but are you acquainted with those girls behind you by any chance?"


    "Uh...yeah?"


    "And...are you paying as a group...?"


    I nodded. "Mhm."


    <em>Too much of a hassle to pay individually, let''s just pay for the seven of us all at once. ria doesn''t count as a person.</em>


    She blinked for a few seconds, a blush rising to her cheeks for some reason, then hid her face behind the cash register and began inputting some keys. Yu An Yan handed me her card, and I swiped it on a machine when I was prompted.


    "A-Alright, seven people, correct?" the receptionist confirmed.


    "Yeah," I replied briskly.


    <em>Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Mei Gui, Lan Xiao Su, and I. Seven people total.</em>


    "G-Got it..." she murmured, before pulling her desk drawer open and taking out a single key, cing it in my hand.


    I blinked.


    She blinked back.


    "Uh...only one key?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Y-Yes?"


    "...But...there''s seven of us."


    "And...you said you were paying as a whole."


    <em>Oh. OH. She misunderstood! Shepletely misunderstood!</em>


    <em></em>"No no no, that''s not what I meant when I said that...!" I quickly corrected her. "What I mean by paying as a whole was just because the seven of us are acquaintances, and paying individually would just be a waste of time. I was still expecting each of us to get our own rooms."


    "Oh...I apologize!" the receptionist eximed, bowing her head in shame.


    I shook my head. "Nah, that''s my bad too for not exining clearly..."


    "But...there''s just one problem," she said finally.


    I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    "...There''s only one room left."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- A Certain Isted Area within the Coastal Metropolis -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Young master, are you really not willing to leave?" an old butler-looking man asked, concern lining the aged wrinkles on his face.


    The young boy who was this butler''s master sighed. "Like I said...I''m not abandoning this city."


    "But your father and mother - Mr. Ming and Mrs. Ming - they are very worried about you back at home," the butler said, almost in a begging tone. "Please, young master...reconsider. This city has done nothing for you, and is far far below the Magic Capital''s level in terms of technology and power. There is no reason to stay here and protect it. Just let it go ande home with me, young master...I beg of you."


    "...I understand that...I do...but I cannot just do as you say and abandon this ce," the young master said, a conflicted expression on his face.


    "Why? Is there perhaps a person you cannot leave? If so, I can take them along with us as well, and leave this ce for good."


    The young master sighed. "There is indeed a person who I find really interesting, but...he definitely won''t just leave with us."


    "Who is this person?"


    "His name is Xuan Kai. He''s the same age as me, and also goes to Shenzhen Magic High School."


    "Xuan Kai...is he perhaps the exiled son of the now ruined Xuan family?"


    The young master nodded, and the butler frowned upon seeing this response.


    "What is so interesting about a boy who was cast out of his own family? I heard he didn''t even have magic, no?"


    "That''s exactly the point," the young master replied. "Everyone knew that Xuan Kai didn''t have magic, but one day, all of a sudden, he used three elements all in one duel. And not only that, but he''s really powerful too...I was beaten by him myself during the Advancement Exams."


    After a short silence, the old butler spoke. "...Are you certain you will not return with me right now, young master?"


    "...Yes. I have to see this through to the end."


    "...As you wish."

 Chapter 172 - Chance Meeting

    "W-What do you mean there''s only one room left?" I asked, cold sweat forming on my forehead.


    "I-I just checked, and there is only one vacant room..." the auburn-haired receptionist girl stammered nervously.


    I cleared my throat anxiously. "Okay...and how big is this room?"


    "T-There is a double-king-sized bed in it, sir."


    <em>One double-king-sized bed...if one king-sized bed is enough to barely fit three people, then a double should fit six. Still not enough for all seven of us...and I doubt the girls would befortable sleeping in the same room with a boy anyway.</em>


    I turned to the girls. "Okay, so...apparently, there is only one room left, but it''s big enough to fit the six of you. In other words...I''ll have to go somewhere else."


    Lan Xiao Su was the first to respond. "E-Eh? N-No! I''ll leave! If there''s only space for six, if I leave then...um, Xuan Kai, you can rest, right?"


    I shook my head. "There''s no point to doing that...like I said, there''s only one bed."


    "Ehehe, Big Brother Xuan Kai, are you getting shy?" Qing Yue said with a wink. "I don''t particrly mind sleeping with you, y''know..."


    "But I do!" I quickly eximed, cutting her off before she could say any more...indecent things. "And I''m sure the other girls will mind as well, right...?"


    As I turned to look at the other four girls, I noticed Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, and Yu An Xue blushing deeply and averting their gazes. They didn''t say anything in protest to sleeping with me, which was, quite frankly, a bit concerning. Meanwhile, Mei Gui remained as expressionless as ever.


    Noticing my stare, Mei Gui spoke and gave her opinion. "I do not mind, Master, as I have already slep-"


    I quickly moved in and covered her mouth before she could say anything more, and sighed in relief.


    "A-Ahem, well, even if you guys don''t mind, I do," I said defiantly. "So, uh...I''m going to get out of here now. Peace."


    I escaped quicker than they could react, and by the time they noticed what I just pulled there, I was already past the crowd and out of the store. I ran a good distance before finally stopping and catching my breath.


    "Whoo...good thing I got out there. Otherwise Qing Yue probably would''ve forced me to sleep with them..." I muttered to myself, when suddenly I heard someone call my name.


    "Huh...wait, Xuan Kai...is that you?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Meanwhile, Back At Sleepless Starlight -</strong>


    <strong>(Lan Xiao Su''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Um...s-so what do we do now?" I asked timidly.


    Kai Xuan...er, no...Xuan Kai just ran off before I could even react, and it seems like the other girls are simrly a bit surprised at how quickly he fled the scene.


    <em>I still don''t know anything about him other than his real name...I feel like I''ve heard the name Xuan Kai somewhere before, but...I never really paid attention to these kind of things. I get the feeling that he is somehow connected to my family, since I may or may not have heard my mother mention his name once or twice back before she became cursed, but...</em>


    <em>These girls too...I recognize Qing Yue and the Yu sisters since they are from big families, but Feng Mian and Mei Gui, also that Obsidia girl they were talking about earlier...I don''t know any of them.</em>


    <em></em>"Hm...well, even if we go look for him now, knowing Big Brother Xuan Kai, we''ll never find him," Qing Yue mused. "Might as well just do as he says and get a nice long sleep!"


    I blinked. "E-Eh? Aren''t you guys...um, worried about him or something?"


    "Huh? Worried? Him?" Feng Mianughed. "Nah, he''ll be fine. Nothing he can''t walk away from. Even if he gets in a sticky situation, one way or another, he''ll get out."


    The way she spoke so confidently about him was something I admired, but I didn''t let that show on the surface. Then, Yu An Yan walked over the receptionist and began talking with her.


    "Er...what happened to that gentleman?" the auburn-haired receptionist asked. The gentleman she was referring to was, I assume, Xuan Kai.


    "He had to go do something," Yu An Yan lied, brushing the receptionist''s question off with ease.


    "Ah...so, are you still booking the room?"


    Yu An Yan nodded. "Yeah. Double-king-sized, right?"


    "Yes...how many hours are you looking to rent?"


    Yu An Yan turned around to look at us. "How much rest do you guys need? Be honest, no need to hold back."


    "Hm...8 hours is the standard, I guess. I''m pretty tired, but 8 hours should be enough," Feng Mian said after some thought.


    "Mhm! Same for me," Qing Yue added.


    "I''m...fine...with anything..." Yu An Xue murmured.


    "I do not need sleep, as it is useless to me without Master here," Mei Gui said stoically.


    <em>Um...I have many questions as to what that statement means, but I will leave them aside for now.</em>


    <em></em>Then, suddenly, the five girls all directed their looks at me, and I realized I was thest person.


    "A-Ah! Um, I''m fine with anything!" I quickly stammered, caught by surprise.


    Yu An Yan smiled then turned back to the receptionist. "8 hours it is."


    "8 hours...alright, the total cost is £¤400. I''m only charging you the fee for one person since all of you are using the same room. The manager didn''t have any time to set up different prices for every room size, but..." the receptionist trailed off.


    Yu An Yan pulled out her card from her wallet and tapped it on the payment terminal. After a short beep, the transaction wasplete, and the receptionist handed us our key.


    "Thank you," Yu An Yan said, and the receptionist nodded in return.


    "No problem. Just keep walking down this hallway to the left. The room is the one at the very end. Enjoy your stay."


    As the six of us headed towards our room, the receptionist picked up her megaphone again and began yelling something about there being no more rooms.


    Once we were in the room, I gasped at how big the bed was. I''ve never ever seen a size this big before. The other girls didn''t seem to surprised though. But then, Feng Mian suddenly stopped.


    "Hm? What''s up, Feng Mian?" Yu An Yan asked.


    Feng Mian nced around. "Um...I just realized this, but how are we going to clean ourselves? There''s no shower or anything..."


    "Oh, you''re right...sleeping without showering is kinda disgusting," Qing Yue agreed.


    "Well...this is a shopping mall, I doubt there''s any showers in this ce," Yu An Yan said with a sigh.


    I blinked, and then realized this was something I could help out with.


    Raising my hand timidly, I spoke. "U-Um...I don''t know of any showers in the area, but I do have a Water Element affinity. Would that help?"


    The five other girls all stared at me in wonder. "You do?!" Feng Mian eximed happily.


    I nodded nervously, surprised by her sudden excitement.


    "Woah! This is great! We have a portable shower now!" Qing Yue yelled cheerfully.


    "Uh...I don''t think calling her a ''portable shower'' is very nice, but...in any case, this is good news," Yu An Yan said. "I don''t know much about Water Magic, but there''s definitely a spell that can simte a shower, yeah?"


    I nodded. "It''s a Level One spell, fairly easy. It''s called Drizzling Rain. I can set it up in a bathroom."


    "Great! Let''s go then!" Qing Yue eximed, grabbing my arm and running our the door. Since there were no bathrooms in the Sleeping Starlight, we had to go to an actual bathroom in the mall.


    On the way out, Yu An Yan told the receptionist that we would be back in a little.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, In Another Location Within the Coastal Metropolis -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Xuan Kai...is that you?"


    I spun around to see a boy whom I recognized - a student at my school, and someone I have faced before in a fight.


    "...Ming Hao?"


    "Oh, you''re safe...d to know," Ming Hao said with a sigh.


    I scoffed. "Why do you sound so dejected when saying that?"


    "H-Huh? No, I''m being honest here, I''m really d you''re still aliv-"


    I waved his response off. "Yeah yeah, whatever. What do you want?"


    He blinked. "Er...I know you probably won''t agree to this, but...are you willing to leave with me to the Magic Capital?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"


    "I mean...this city is going to fall sooner orter, and everyone here will die. It''s better to just leave now."


    I scoffed. "And just abandon this ce?"


    Ming Hao averted his gaze. "Yes....I knew it. You wouldn''t agree to th-"


    "Sure," I suddenly said, which made Ming Hao stop his words in surprise.


    "W-Wha-?"


    "Sure...or at least, that''s what I''d like to say. I suggested this to the principal as well. Have the citizens all evacuate to another city, stuff like that. But he didn''t agree, saying something about this ce being where he was born and he must protect it, all that. I don''t care about any of those things, but...here''s a question for you. Can you take more people than just me?"


    "That''s...I''m afraid not. If we take any more people, we''re at risk of getting caught by the monsters."


    I nodded. "Thought so. I don''t care about this city, but I''m not leaving behind the people I care about. I''m not going to let the people I worked so hard to get back just die now."


    Ming Hao sighed. "...I see. Well then...guess I''m not leaving either."

 Chapter 173 - The Second Phase

    "Huh? Just because I''m not going, you aren''t either?" I raised an eyebrow. "...That''s kind of creepy, not gonna lie."


    "Hm...no, I just find you pretty interesting," Ming Hao replied. "It would be a shame if you died here, so. But why are you wearing a mask? I almost didn''t recognize you, geez."


    <em>Interesting...? Huh...now that I think of it, he was the one who solved that dilemma back in the Magic Training Room, huh? Does that mean...he caught on to the abnormality of my magic? And if he did...was he the one who leaked the information to Liu Jian?</em>


    <em>Hm...wait, Liu Jian is the principal of the magic academy at Shanghai, the Magic Capital. Ming Hao just mentioned he could bring me to the Magic Capital with no problem...and he had used ''we'' when referring to himself. That means he must have someone with him here who will safely bring us to Shanghai.</em>


    <em>...With a little bit of reasoning, anyone can tell Ming Hao has some sort of connection to the city, and possibly with Liu Jian as well.</em><em> I''m notpletely sure yet, but if he was indeed the one who leaked my secret...</em><em></em>


    <em>...I may have to silence him.</em>


    <em></em>I looked around, and then back at him.


    "Come with me."


    "What? Wh-"


    Before he could protest, I grabbed him by his cor and dragged him along with me.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Once we were in a isted area of the mall, I red at him.


    "What was that for...?" Ming Hao muttered.


    "I have something I need to ask you," I said darkly.


    He looked up at me, confusion in his eyes.


    "...Do you know Liu Jian?" I asked, not giving away too much. If I asked him ''do you know my secret'' right here, then even if he originally didn''t, he would now know I had some sort of secret. That would be an extremely dumb move of me.


    "Liu Jian...? Yeah, that''s the principal of Shanghai Magic Academy, right? Wasn''t he one of the judges at the Advancement Exams?"


    <em>Huh, so he knows who he is. This still isn''t enough to confirm my suspicions, though. Time to dig a bit deeper.</em>


    <em></em>"Have you ever talked to him before?" I asked, slowly getting closer and closer to the point.


    "Personally? No. Why?" Ming Hao responded without the slightest bit of hesitation.


    It didn''t seem like he was lying, but...if it wasn''t him who leaked the information, then who did? And besides, even if he didn''t tell Liu Jian directly, he could''ve told a third party, and the third party then told Liu Jian. If that is the case...then things are a lot moreplicated, and bad for me. I would have to kill every single one of the people in the chain to sessfully safeguard my secret, and I really didn''t want to do that.


    I sighed. "Nothing...but what did you mean earlier when you said you found me ''interesting''?"


    Ming Hao blinked. "I mean, of course you''re interesting. No one in this city hasn''t heard of you, the boy born without any magic. But all of a sudden, you are able to defeat me, the student council vice president, and take the throne in the Advancement Exams? That would make anyone curious."


    I narrowed my gaze. "Is that really all?"


    "Yeah. I mean, I''m also curious about how exactly you managed to destroy an Awakening Orb a while back, but I wasn''t able to figure out anything by analyzing your mana."


    "Analyzing my mana?"


    Ming Hao flinched. "Oh! Whoops...I wasn''t supposed to say that...damn it!"


    "..." I had no words. Was this clumsy kid really the person who leaked my secrets? Because if he is, he''s a damn good actor. I won''t rid him of my suspicion for now, but I also won''t keep investigating for the time being...as I have noticed someone listening in to our conversation for a while now.


    "Whatever. See you," I said, then began walking away.


    "Hey, wait up!" he called out, and I turned around.


    "What?"


    "Uh...mind leaving a phone number or something? Today it was all just you asking me questions. I still got plenty of questions for you," he replied.


    <em>Hm...I guess if we establish a method of contact here, it''ll make it easier for me to get to him if I ever find evidence it was him who leaked my secrets. Might as well.</em>


    "..." I wordlessly pulled out my phone and opened up my contacts. Clicking on my own profile, I turned the phone screen towards him, and he quickly typed in my phone number on his own phone.


    Soon after, I received a ring on my phone, and I declined the call as Ming Hao sighed in relief.


    "Okay, it works. Thanks."


    I stuffed my phone back in my pocket after saving his contact, and left the area.


    "See ya!" Ming Hao hollered from behind me, which I gave no reply to.


    As for the person who had been listening in to our conversation...she began walking away as soon as she saw me walking in her direction, still thinking I hadn''t recognized her yet. But with her beautiful long ck hair and otherworldly features, along with her perfect figure, it would be harder for me<em>not</em>to recognize her.


    <em>Kuku...good try, Obsidia, but it seem that though you may be extremely powerful in physical strength being a dragon and all, you still have a lot of room for improvement in the eavesdropping sector.</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    After a good while of following Obsidia, she finally paused walking, and I sighed.


    "So? Done trying to shake me off?" I asked, folding my arms.


    "...You noticed me back there, human?" she turned around and eyed me.


    I nodded. "You have some serious work to do on your spying skills if you want to try doing this again the future."


    "..." she fell silent, unsure how to respond to my teasing.


    "So. How did you get to the safe zone? Did you run into any of those monsters on the way?" I continued.


    "...I did, but they were not much trouble."


    I sighed. "Of course they weren''t...to you, anyway. You''re a dragon, after all. I assume you also noticed something off with the rain?"


    She nodded. "I cannot quite ce my finger on it, but there is definitely something abnormal with the rainwater. Normal humans cannot detect this, but since I am a dragon, I am not only unaffected by whatever chemicals that have been mixed into the water, but also can tell its abnormality."


    "I see. Looks like that rain is indeed what''s turning humans into monsters. It stopped a while ago, but it could start up again anytime," I muttered.


    "...Human," Obsidia suddenly said.


    I looked at her in confusion. "What?"


    "It seems...you have made up with the other humans."


    "You mean the girls?"


    "Who else could I be referring to? I noticed you all behind me back at that mattress store."


    "Ah, so you did..." I murmured.


    <em>Qing Yue gave us away after all...I didn''t stop her quick enough in time, it seems.</em>


    <em></em>I cleared my throat. "A-Anyway, it''s not like we ''made up'' or anything...we just uh...happened to run into each other, yes."


    Obsidia raised an eyebrow slightly. "Really...it seems to me you have only grown closer than before. If I were to take a guess...you saved them from some sort of predicament, correct, human?"


    <em>Curses! Are all dragons this insightful, or is it just her?!</em>


    <em></em>"A-Ahem...I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    She spun around, turning away from me. "You can keep lying to yourself if you wish, human, but anyone can tell from an outsider''s perspective that you care about the girls far more than you admit to."


    With these as her final words, she began to walk away, but I stopped her.


    "Hey, wait-"


    "What?"


    "Uh...are you going to say hi to them? The girls. I''m sure they would love to talk to you."


    "...I will," she responded briskly, then began to walk away. But after a few steps, she stopped again.


    "Human...before you fulfill your deal with me, I forbid you to die. Don''t forget that."


    I chuckled. "Loud and clear, ma''am."


    "Hmph...I''m not old enough to be called ma''am yet, human."


    <em>Well...from the way you talk andpose yourself, you certainly do seem old enough. Not that that''s a bad thing, but...well, either way, I''m not saying this out loud.</em>


    "Right...see you," I said.


    "...Farewell for now."


    As she disappeared from sight, I began pondering my next steps.


    "Now then...what do I do now?" I wondered out loud, before suddenly, I felt a vibrationing from my phone.


    I pulled it out to see what it was, and narrowed my gaze when I saw the message Song Qian Long had sent me.


    <strong>[Kai Kai...it''s begun. The second phase of the invasion is here.]</strong>

 Chapter 174 - Reinforcements Inbound

    I quickly texted back a message to Song Qian Long.


    [Where are they? How much longer before they get to the safe zone?]


    After a short silence, I finally received a reply.


    [Kai Kai...you should get away from the city. Now.]


    [What? What do you mean?]


    [...The second phase of the invasion is far stronger than the first. The reinforcements from the other cities have already arrived and we are discussing a strategy right now, but...it''s only a matter of time before this city falls.]


    <em>Damn it...he''s not telling me anything useful like what exactly the Midnight Syndicate has sent, or the scale of the invasion...nothing. All he''s telling me to do is run away? Where would I even run to?</em>


    <em>Heh...maybe I should''ve taken Ming Hao up on his offer, but...toote for regrets.</em>


    <em></em>[Where are you right now?]


    [Why?]


    [I want to talk to you in person.]


    [...Fine. The same staircase as before. I will meet you there and take you up to the Administrative Floor.]


    <strong>*****</strong>


    By the time I got to the staircase, Song Qian Long was already there, waiting for me. A lot of people who saw him waved at him as they passed by, since he was a respectable figure in the city. Noticing me, he opened the door of the staircase and let me in, himself soon following behind. People who saw this were clearly pretty confused and curious, but since I had my hood and mask on, I doubt anyone could recognize who I was. Ming Hao from earlier was an exception.


    In any case, by now, I was familiar with the route we took up to the Administrative Floor of this mall. Once we were sessfully on the topmost floor, I spoke.


    "Here should be good," I said, and Song Qian Long stopped walking, turning around to face me.


    "What did you want to talk to me about, Kai Kai?"


    "There are many questions I want to ask, but I''m going to start with the most important one first - what exactly is the second phase?" I asked. "You''ve told me nothing but to ''just run away''. I''m not about to just leave without even knowing what we''re up against."


    "...It''s more monsters," Song Qian Long said after a long pause. "Thousands of them."


    I frowned. "Thousands? Goddamn...where did the Midnight Syndicate even get enough people to turn into these mons- oh, wait...that''s right...Hong Kong, huh?"


    "And that is just what our second reconnaissance squad has seen," Song Qian Long continued. "They went in, and got out the moment they saw what wasing our way. In other words...there could - and probably are - a lot more than just a few thousand."


    I sank into thought. <em>Well...this is troublesome. Obsidia alone could probably barely take out a few thousand in her dragon form, especially with the power of Chaos within her helping, but if there''s any more than that, then...</em>


    "Well, if it''s just monsters, there are many ways we can counter that. For example, engage in guerri warfare against them, lead them away from the safe zo-"


    "No, Kai Kai..." Song Qian Long cut me off. "These monsters...they appear to be controlled by something...no, someone. In fact...the reconnaissance squad we sent reported that they saw some <em>humans </em>riding on top of the monsters."


    I narrowed my gaze. "Humans...the Midnight Syndicate, huh..."


    Song Qian Long nodded, a grim look on his face. "The monsters may not be intelligent, but humans are. And with their boss controlling these monsters, they will pretty much have a huge organized army far stronger than any of ours."


    "Speaking of our armies...where are the reinforcements?" I asked, changing the topic for now.


    "We received a squad of 1000 people each from Dongguan and Huizhou. Another 1000 from Guangdong is on their way here, but...they probably won''t make it in time, at the rate things are going. As for the central government at Beijing...if we have their reinforcements here right now, we have a chance of surviving, but Beijing is extremely far away from Shenzhen. " Song Qian Long replied.


    "And how many people do we have?" I asked further.


    "Adding the protection, rescue, and reconnaissance squads together...we total around 1050 mages. The majority of this is the protection squad, while rescue squad has the least amount of members. We could attempt to recruit more people to join the defense force, but...I doubt anyone would be willing to risk their lives."


    I scoffed. "They''re going to die either way, so might as well go down fighting."


    Song Qian Long shook his head sadly. "No, Kai Kai...that''s not how humans think. If I were to make an announcement right now recruiting people to join the defense force, I guarantee you everyone will think in their minds, ''someone else will do it, so I don''t have to''."


    <em>...And then because everyone thinks someone else is going to do it, no one ends up doing it. Ha...humans are truly wed creatures.</em>


    <em></em>"In any case...that makes around 3000 people in total. And we''re against an army that possibly has over 10,000 units in it. Gueri warfare hardly works when the enemy knows you have a location you cannot lose, no matter what...ugh, this is so troublesome."


    Song Qian Long sighed. "Like I said, Kai Kai...you should leave. Take the girls with you, and get away from this city. I will arrange for a couple of high level mages with Sky Magic aptitude to fly you guys out. Then, I''ll begin evacuating other citizens as well."


    I raised an eyebrow. "And...let me guess, you''re going to stay behind, huh?"


    He clenched his fists. "Of course...I will defend this city until the end, even if I end up dying as a cost. But even if I go down, I will drag the Midnight Syndicate along with me."


    "Oh...? How can you be so certain you''ll be able to take down anyone with you?" I asked.


    "Hmph...all Golden Monarchs have a final, final trump card. It is the truest resort, for you can never go back if you do this. But for the sake of this city, I will use it."


    I sighed. "If you have a trump card that powerful, then why bother telling me to leave at all?"


    He averted his gaze. "That''s because...if I use this, the entire city will be destroyed as a result. Everyone else will be caught up in it."


    I blinked. "...Just what kind of final trump card is this...?"


    <em>And all Golden Monarchs have it? If just one use can destroy an entire city, then wouldn''t terrorists have wiped every single city off the face of this a long time ago?</em>


    <em></em>"...You do not need to know that. The only thing you need to do now, is to go talk to the girls about this, and then let me know when you''re ready to leav-"


    "You...do you really think the girls are just going to abandon this city?" I scoffed. "I don''t care about this city nor do I have any ties with it, but the girls...their families, friends, are all here. None of them are as heartless as me, and without a doubt, will never agree to just abandoning this city while leaving their loved ones behind."


    "That''s..." he trailed off, but after a while, made up his mind and spoke again. "Even if that is the case...Kai Kai, you must get away from this city. If you were to die here...I would never be able to face your parents in heaven."


    I scoffed. "You talk about my parents, but...if they were still alive, what do you think they would want me to do in this situation? Run away like a coward, or...fight to the death like a man?"


    "..." he fell silent once more.


    "And besides," I continued. "I have a n in mind. I said earlier that gueri warfare wouldn''t work in this situation, but...it just might. We just have to take care of someone before that."


    "Oh...?" Song Qian Long perked up, hearing this. "What do you mean?"


    "Kuku...take me to see the other higher-ups. I will tell my n to them, and see what they think of it."


    "...It''s not that I don''t want to, but...the representatives from the other cities...I doubt they are willing to listen to a 14 year old kid."


    "Didn''t I help you solve the mystery behind the suddenck of contact from Hong Kong? Just tell them that. It should help prove my skills, no?"


    Song Qian Long stroked his beard. "Hm...I suppose so, but even then..."


    I sighed. "Look, just take me to them. I know for a fact that the mayor and the patriarchs will at least hear me out. The representatives from the other cities...they can decide whether or not my n is good once they''ve heard it."


    "...Alright. But let me just get one thing straight with you...even if this n of yours gets approved, and we do end up using it...the moment things go south, promise me you will run away. There is no shame in running to fight another day."


    I waved off his words with ease. "Yeah yeah, sure."

 Chapter 175 - The Plan

    Song Qian Long brought me to the control room once more, and many gazes fell on me as soon as we entered.


    "Oh, it''s you again. Wee, my boy," the mayor, Zhou Qian, said with a warm smile unfit for the situation we were currently in.


    I recognized everyone present from my previous excursion here...with the exception of two people. They were both eyeing me haughtily, a look of contempt on their faces.


    "Huh? Who is this kid?" one of them asked. He had a bbyplexion, to put it nicely...to put it not-so-nicely, he really needed some working out to do if he came here as a soldier, ready to fight.


    Zhou Qian stood up. "Allow me to introduce this boy. His name is Xuan Kai. He was the one who allowed us to have this time in advance to prepare for the iing second phase of the Midnight Syndicate''s invasion."


    "Oh? You mean this frail child actually managed to help out in our serious matters?" the other new face asked. "Sorry, but I find that hard to believe. He looks just like a high schooler kid...hey, Xuan Kai, was it? Why are you wearing a mask?"


    "My face is scarred," I replied stoically. This was a lie, obviously, but what else would I say in response? ''I''m trying to hide how I look,''? Yeah, right.


    "Hmph...that''s a lie," a third voice suddenly said. It was Li Hai Tang. "I have seen this boy''s face before, and he is not scarred at all. In fact, he is quite the good looker."


    I clenched my fists.<em>Li Hai Tang...you bastard. You really had to go and expose me like that, huh...what an immature way of getting revenge on me for shaming you thest time I was here. You''re really a new breed of despicable...this is the first time I''ve been so annoyed by someone plimenting'' me.</em>


    "The scar happened fairly recently, Patriarch Li," I replied, hoping to cover it up.


    "Oh, is that so..." he muttered, clearly not believing me one bit. However, after receiving res from the two other patriarchs present, Qing Xin and Yu Ao, Li Hai Tang didn''t say anything further, which I was thankful for.


    "A-Ahem, anyway...Xuan Kai says he has a n tobat the Midnight Syndicate''s second phase," Song Qian Long interrupted, bringing the converation back on topic.


    "Hm...I have no idea how we will face their massive army of monsters with our meager numbers, but let''s hear it, shall we?" the mayor said.


    I nodded. "Thank you for hearing me ou-"


    "Now just hold on a minute," the bby guy from before interrupted rudely. "Are we really going to just listen to this kid? Come on now, even if he somehow guessed that the Midnight Syndicate was going to invade from Hong Kong, that was just luck. A mere kid like him who has no knowledge of killing or war cannot possibly help out in this situation. All he is doing right now is wasting our time."


    "I agree. Mayor Zhou...first of all, I sincerely doubt this child helped you out with locating the Midnight Syndicate, and second, even if he did, we cannot expect him to know war strategies and tactics."


    Li Hai Tang, sensing that the flow of the conversation was going to his advantage, continued to pressure me. "Yes...this is a strategy meeting for officials. Brats have no ce here."


    "That''s enough!" Song Qian Long suddenly yelled. He had been clenching his fists the entire time hearing the three of them bullying me over and over. "He will stay here, and we will listen to his n. Do you three not feel ashamed, ganging up on a child?"


    All three of them were caught off guard by this sudden outburst, and took a good few seconds before they finally realized what had happened.


    "Uh...Mr. Song, please calm down a bit," Mayor Zhou said. "And Patriarch Li, Mr. Tan, and Mr. Gao, we might as well do as Mr. Song says. Xuan Kai''s n...I believe it may be worth listening to."


    "Mayor Zhou...v-very well," the bby man named Mr. Gao finally agreed. "Go on, kid...show us what you have in mind."


    Mr. Tan nodded as well, still slightly intimidated by Song Qian Long. As for Li Hai Tang...he merely gave a barely audible ''tch'' and turned away without a word.


    "Okay," I said, then after a deep breath, I continued. "Put simply, the only way we can survive this invasion is through gueri warfare. I trust that everyone hear knows what it is, so I won''t exin much."


    "Gueri warfare...hm, how exactly will we aplish that?" Mayor Zhou asked. "From our reports, we discovered that the monsters seemed to be controlled by some unknown entity, as multiple monsters were seen with humans riding on them. If that is the case, then...as long as that entity has the slightest bit of intelligence, it will know to attack the safe zone - where we are right now."


    Many others agreed with the mayor, especially Mr. Tan, Mr. Gao, and Li Hai Tang.


    I nodded to his words. "That brings me to our first step - taking out their leader. This ''entity'' controlling them...knowing the Midnight Syndicate with its organized ranking system, it is almost certainly a human. In other words...all we have to do is find the head honcho, take them out, and then engage on the monsters using gueri warfare tactics. Since they do not have a leader, the monsters will go back to being their wild selves. As for the remaining Midnight Syndicate members...well, we can clean them up easily."


    "To catch bandits, first catch the ringleader, huh..." Yu Ao murmured. "Not a bad n, but..."


    "This is far easier said than done," Li Hai Tang finished for him. "This leader, whoever he is, obviously isn''t stupid. He isn''t going to just let us kill him."


    "That''s right...this n seems good on paper and all, but it is impossible to put into actual practice," Mr. Gao said. "As expected, mere children cannot even begin to understand theplexity and toughness of war."


    "A waste of time after all..." Mr. Tan muttered.


    "Hold on, you impatient...people," I cut in before they could dismiss me. I almost said ''bastards'' there, but I figured that wouldn''t do much to improve their impression of me, so I just said ''people'' instead. "I never said I was done yet. I have a n to lure out their leader."


    "Oh? Let''s hear it, then," Mayor Zhou said with his arms folded.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Around Half An Hour Later, Somewhere Near the Borders of Shenzhen -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Mydy, our forces have entered the city," a burly man said on one knee.


    "Oh~have they, now..." a seductive woman murmured quietly, eyes staring lovingly at a bloody red apple she held within her hand.


    "Yes, mydy. What are our next steps?"


    "Hm...have them invade the safe zone, of course. There is no point waiting around any longer...I''ve had my fun already~"


    "Yes, mydy," the man said, before getting up, turning around, and walking away. However, the woman''s eyes suddenly widened, as if she just noticed something very interesting.


    "Oh, wait a second, my dear servant..." she murmured quietly, and the man stopped in his tracks, spinning around to face her once more.


    "What is it, mydy?"


    In response, the woman waved her hand across in front of her, and arge holo screen appeared.


    "Hoho...to think that boy would just show himself before me like that...hehe, this is too good! I must make him my v- ahem...I mean, add him to my cute little collection," the woman said with a sadistic giggle as she gazed at the scene shown on the screen.


    Within the holo screen stood Xuan Kai, who had purposely came face to face with the woman''s army, meeting at the Shenzhen border. He came alone, at least on the surface. The Midnight Syndicate humans who were greeted by this sight were too shocked to make a move. However, after a few seconds, they finally made up their mind and dived towards Xuan Kai.


    But then, the woman closed her eyes and signaled for her minions to stop...and the monsters obeyed, leaving their riders crashing onto the floor by the sudden brakes.


    "Sorry, my cute little servants, but...this one is mine, ehehe~!"


    Then, closing her eyes again, she silently ordered her servants to not let Xuan Kai escape while not killing him either.


    Lastly, turning to the burly man, she continued. "Come, my servant, I have changed my ns. Take me to where that boy is."


    The man bowed deeply, and offered his hand. "Yes, mydy."


    "Oh, Xuan Kai...the boy who defeated both my right hand man and my left hand man...I can''t wait to meet you in person, and have a nice long talk with you..."

 Chapter 176 - Operation: Nightmare

    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>I stood on the highway connecting Shenzhen and Hong Kong, faced with an army of thousands of monsters and evil humans alike. They were truly abominations; ones that would show up in a nightmare. But unfortunately, as much as I wish it wasn''t, this was reality, not just a dream.


    However.


    For some reason, the monsters weren''t attacking me. Instead, they just stood there and watched me, like a tiger eyeing its prey.


    I snickered. The n was going perfectly.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Now, let''s turn back time a little and see what exactly my n was.


    <strong>- Half an Hour ago, Control Room, The Coastal Metropolis -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"I have a n to lure out their ringleader," I said confidently, and was met by the dubious gazes of everyone present.


    "Please exin," the mayor replied.


    I nodded. "First off, I have reason to believe their leader is somehow connected with the other Midnight Syndicate member we took out a while ago - Ghosteye."


    <em>Well...technically there was gue too, but that would lead to many unnecessary questions for me, so I''ll just leave that part out for now.</em>


    Song Qian Long nodded. "Indeed, that is true. It is highly likely the two share a cooperative rtionship, being in the same organization."


    "And as all of you know," I continued. "Mr. Song was the one who took out Ghosteye in reality, but I was the true person who initiated the fight and caused his death. I find it hard to believe that whoever is leading this invasion does not know who I am."


    "That is fine and all, but what is the actual n? So far you''ve just been talking about your past," Li Hai Tang scoffed.


    My eyebrow twitched in annoyance.<em>You''re really testing me here, Li Hai Tang...</em>


    <em></em>"Fine. Basically, I''ll be bait," I said.


    Song Qian Long''s eyes widened. "What?! No, you canno-"


    "That''s the only way we can lure the leader out," I cut him off. "No one else here would work...the leader is after me."


    "...I have one concern," Mr. Tan said. "How can you be sure the leader will indeede for you? If we were to use you as bait, we have to take you to where the monster army is. And if the leader doesn''t show up to stop them...you''ll just be torn to pieces by the monsters."


    I clenched my fists. "I''m not. This is just a hunch...but there is a 80% possibility the leader will indeed show up."


    "Only 80%..." Mr. Jia, the person who controlled the cameras thest time I was here, murmured.


    "I know there are no ''maybes'' or ''perhaps'' in war, but...this is the only chance we have," I said defiantly.


    "But if the leader does not show up, you will die..." Song Qian Long muttered.


    I gritted my teeth. "...I trust my instincts. The leader wille."


    The reason I was this certain was because there was another reason the Midnight Syndicate wants me. I remember the first time I met Feng Mian, she was trying to steal my stone pendant for the Midnight Syndicate in order to save her parents. Since then, many things happened, and the stone pendant returned to its original form - the Chaos Elemental, Mei Gui. However...the Midnight Syndicate doesn''t know that, and so they still think I have the stone pendant, and are eyeing to snatch it away from me.


    I don''t know why exactly they want the pendant, but I assume it was because of the power of Chaos. They must''ve found some sort of lead about the mystery of Chaos, and have tracked it down to that stone pendant somehow...but either way, I''m certain this leader won''t just let this opportunity go.


    After a long, awkward silence, the mayor spoke.


    "...Well?" Mayor Zhou looked around at everyone present. "Let us take a vote. Those in agreement of this n, raise your hand."


    Ironically, the first ones to raise their hands were Li Hai Tang, Mr. Tan, and Mr. Gao. They probably really wanted me gone. Conversely...Song Qian Long, Qing Xin (the Qing family matriarch), Yu Ao (the Yu family patriarch), and the mayor himself were reluctant.


    However, after a while, Song Qian Long made up his mind, and raised his hand.


    "If it were just myself, I would definitely be against using one of my students as bait, but...like you said, this is the only chance we have, seeing as how none of us cane up with a better n. I...I am sure your parents would be proud of you."


    Emotion leaked into his words, especially thest part. We couldn''t expose our godfather-godson rtionship in front of these people...so bringing up the topic of my parents...it was almost like an inside joke. Except it wasn''t a joke.


    I smiled beneath my mask. "Yeah...I think they would be as well."


    Yu Ao, seeing Song Qian Long raise his hand, also did the same, albeit hesitantly. "Kid...you''re pretty brave, you know that? And that''s not a bad thing at all for a man, but...just make sure youe back safely, yeah? I don''t want my daughters to be widows..."


    ''<em>Widows''</em><em>my ass! We aren''t even married yet!</em>


    <em></em>"Yes...I know all too well just how much Qing Yue has grown attached to you. If you were to disappear all of a sudden one day...she won''t be able to take it," Qing Xin said, before raising her hand slowly. "But I have the city''s people to care about as well, as the matriarch of one of the Four Great Families. Just...stay alive, Xuan Kai."


    I nodded to both of them. "...I will."


    And then, one after another, everyone present began raising their hands, and eventually, everyone''s hands were raised. The mayor sighed.


    "Looks like we have our answer," he said calmly. "Alright...let''s begin discussing the specifics, then."


    "Okay...we''re going to pull a very simple and ssic trap," I exined. "Take me to where the Midnight Syndicate''s army is right now, and then hide yourselves. I will appear to be alone on the surface, to lure out their leader. And when they show up...we will eliminate them."


    "...Will such a simple trick really work?" the mayor murmured to himself.


    "Rest assured," I replied. "Even if the leader knows it''s a trap, they will still walk right into it...knowing the Midnight Syndicate and their ego, anyway. There''s just one problem..."


    "What is it?" the mayor asked.


    "Is everyone here certain they can take down the leader?"


    "Of course," Song Qian Long immediately replied. "All of us sitting here right now are at least of the Golden Monarch level. Together, we can even take down a Holy Emperor."


    I nodded in satisfaction. "Okay...then, let''s move out. No time to waste."


    The mayor raised his arm and pointed it directly in front of him. He opened his palm, and chanted. "Level Three Space Magic - Warp Gate."


    After a good 15 seconds of channeling, a rapidly spinning blue vortex appeared, just big enough to fit a person inside.


    "Here. I created a portal leading directly to an abandoned building near the border, where the Midnight Syndicate''s army is currently at," the mayor exined. "Xuan Kai, you go first, we will follow after you."


    I nodded. "Thank you."


    With these words, I entered the wormhole, and everyone else soon followed.


    On the other side, we arrived within an abandoned building, just like the mayor described.


    Just as I was about to move out, however, Qing Xin grabbed my arm and pulled me back.


    "Ms. Qing...?" I murmured in surprise.


    "Just wait," she replied briskly, before closing her eyes. "Level One Psychic Magic - Detect Presence - Tier III."


    Everyone elsey in wait as Qing Xin activated her detection magic, and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes again.


    "They are to about 1 kilometer to our right, on the highway. Thousands of them, as expected."


    "...Thousands..." Li Hai Tang murmured, voice shaking slightly.


    Yu Ao raised an eyebrow. "What, getting cold feet?"


    "Hmph...what are you talking about? I''m ready to crush some Midnight Syndicate skulls," Li Hai Tang responded, immediately getting rid of any sign of hesitance in his voice.


    "Alright, everyone is here," the mayor,st toe out of the wormhole, said as the portal closed behind him. "I left Justin and some others behind, to monitor the situation from the control room. They aren''t too good at fighting, anyway. Our lineup here should be enough. Before I left, I also gave orders for our own troops to head towards our location right now. That way, they can keep the minions off of us when we are fighting the leader."


    I nodded. "Good move."


    In total, we had eight people - Song Qian Long, Mayor Zhou, Qing Xin, Yu Ao, Li Hai Tang, Mr. Gao, Mr. Tan, and I. I kind of wished Mei Gui was here with me as well, but things was urgent, and there wasn''t any time to spare for me to pick her up. But well...seven Golden Monarchs should be enough to take care of the leader of this Midnight Syndicate monster army...right?


    With our n set, we formally began our n:


    <strong>Operation: Nightmare.</strong>

 Chapter 177 - Mei Mo

    I stood facing the monster army, neither parties budging an inch.


    <em>I knew it...you aren''t going to just let this opportunity slip by, huh, leader-san?</em>


    The Golden Monarchs were lying in wait, of course, hidden from sight. They were on either sides of the highway, within the bushes. As soon as I gave the signal by removing my hood, they would appear at once, and hopefully take down the leader in one surprise attack. However...as much as I hate to admit it, the chances of that seeding were slim. Most likely, we would have to fight the leader head on.


    After several minutes of awkwardness, both sides staring at one another, unable to do anything, a female figure descended, apanied by a man. The woman was beautiful, with her scarlet hair paired with ck highlights. The man, on the other hand, was wearing a knight-like mask that covered most of his face, and a suit of armor to go along with it as well. It looked almost like a princess apanied by her knight.


    But of course, I knew better. Undoubtedly...this woman was the leader of this Midnight Syndicate operation.


    "So...you''re finally here," I said. Since I had my mask and hood on, she couldn''t see my face very clearly, but it was more than enough for her to tell it was me - her target. However...this new knight person was a surprise. For this reason, I didn''t want the Golden Monarchs to show themselves just yet.


    "My, my...indeed I am," she replied, curving her lips seductively. "Ehehe...are you grateful to me? For not letting my cute little servants carve you up into many, many different pieces..."


    I chuckled. "Why, thank you. But I''m sure you didn''t do that for me."


    "Oh, but that''s where you''re wrong...I need you alive, you see..." she murmured. "Quite unfortunately, I don''t have an affinity for Necromancy Magic, so I can only turn people who are still alive into my servants..."


    <em>...That''s sickening. But well, what can I say? As expected of a Midnight Syndicate member.</em>


    "So...in other words, you''re trying to turn me into one of your servants, huh?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.


    "Yes! I would be delighted to have you join my ranks, ehehe...after all, you''ve already proven your strength by killing both of my closest subordinates..."


    <em>Ghosteye and gue, huh...looks like I was right.</em>


    <em></em>I raised an eyebrow. "Closest subordinates? Then...who''s that, over there?"


    I pointed at the knight-like character, hoping to bait out some information from this woman. However, she merely giggled sadistically.


    "Ehehe, nice try, my sweet servant~but...if you''re trying to get information out of me, that''s not going to happen~"


    <em>Tch...she knew.</em>


    <em></em>I shook my head. "Nah, I was just curious - if your closest subordinates were that weak, then...surely you aren''t too much better, yeah?"


    I was taunting her, which would''ve worked on a hothead like Ghosteye, but...this woman was apletely different personality. Sheughed and ced her hand over her mouth.


    "Oh, how cute. Sorry, but taunts won''t be working on me~" she whispered. "Tell me, my dear Xuan Kai, are you willing to be my servant?"


    Deciding to y with her a little, I pretended to genuinely consider her offer. "Hm...what do I get in return?"


    "Ehehe~the right to serve me, of course!" she immediately eximed shamelessly. "Since you''re not bad looking either, I''ll even make you my personal servant, one that can apany me in the bedroom..."


    <em>Hm...honestly? If she wasn''t an evil and sadistic bitch, her offer would be a lot more tempting. Ah, but that doesn''t mean I would''ve epted it either way. Not interested...and besides, the girls already at my side are a whole lot better than this woman, even if we''re onlyparing looks.</em><em></em>


    "Sorry, but my answer is no," I replied defiantly.


    "Oh, that''s a shame...but no matter, you''ll be my servant today...either way!"


    A dark purple magic circle suddenly appeared above me, and my eyes widened as I leapt back immediately. A purple beam of light shot down at the location where I had just been moments before, and disappeared after a while.


    "Goddamn, that was close..." I muttered under my breath, then looked up to re at the woman.


    "Aw, I missed..." she tilted her head, cing a finger on her chin. But after a few seconds, all sign of disappointment immediately disappeared from her face, and she giggled. "Well, no matter, I''ll definitely catch you next time~"


    <em>Not yet...the Golden Monarchs can''te out yet...</em>


    Our reinforcement army wasn''t here yet, so if we were to engage in direct conflict with her right now, we would almost certainly fall before we even got to her. For now...I just had to buy time. I can take advantage of the fact that she doesn''t want to kill me...at least, for now. But I don''t know how long it will take before she gets tired of me and decides to just eliminate me altogether. If that happens...I''ll be dead. I can sense an extremely powerful aura from both this woman and the knight behind her. The only other person I''ve met who can match this aura...is Liu Jian.


    Indeed - even Song Qian Long feltcking inparison to this woman. My guess? If she wasn''t already a Holy Emperor...she''s at least on the verge of breaking through to it. Back at the Coastal Metropolis, the mayor said something about them being able to take on even a Holy Emperor if they worked together, but...there was also the knight to worry about, not to mention the rest of their army.


    Put simply, the outlook of this battle was looking grim. Chances of survival, much less victory: close to none.


    <em>But...I''m already here. Even if I wanted to run away now, it''s not like this woman is just going to let me.</em>


    <em></em>"Why don''t we talk a little?" I suddenly suggested, which made the woman blink a few times in surprise.


    "Hm...? You want to talk?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I''m actually considering bing your servant, after seeing how strong you are, but I can''t really make a decision without knowing anything about you."


    "Oh! This is delightful! You changed your mind?" she quickly asked.


    I scratched my head, putting on the most believable act possible. "Hm, well, like I said, I haven''t<empletely</em>changed my mind yet...I''ll have to know a little more about my master first, no?"


    "Yes yes! Ask away~" she said, falling perfectly in my trap. From here on, all I had to do was stall for time. At first, I thought she was an actually smart viin, not falling for my attempt to get information out of her, but...now she''s practically handing information over to me on a silver tter.


    <em>Well, I''m notining. Let''s start with the basics of the basics.</em>


    <em></em>"Okay...then, first off, what is your name?" I asked, then, after seeing her dubious expression, I hurriedly continued. "I know, I''ll be referring to you as ''mydy'' or ''master'' if I actually be your servant, but I just feel like knowing your name makes us seem closer."


    I was obviously spouting bullshit, but it seemed to have worked, and she smiled seductively.


    "My, my...so eager to know more about me, huh?" she giggled. "Very well, my name is Mei Mo."


    "Mei Mo...as in subus?" I continued asking.1


    "Why yes, indeed! I am a subus, ehehe~oh, but don''t worry, when you be my servant and we do some naughty things, I won''t suck you dry...I''ll leave just enough for you to not die."


    "U-Uh...thank you, I guess..." I muttered. "Er...how old are you?"


    I really couldn''t think of any better questions - if I asked her about the knight guy again, that would make me seem too suspicious. I had to just stick to the...normal questions.


    However, Mei Mo frowned. "Xuan Kai, do you not know it''s bad manners to ask ady for her age?"


    I blinked. "A-Ah, yes, sorry. Then...if you''re a subus, why did youe to human territory? Subus territory, France, is a far ways off from here."


    She tilted her head. "Eh? Because humans are the tastiest, obviously. Ehehe, countless subi are disguised among human society, don''t you know? We were all born from our queen in France, sure, but most of us move to a different part of the world to live after we get old enough to sustain ourselves."


    <em>Well then...that is...shocking news. Now I''ll never look at human women the same way again.</em>


    And then, suddenly, the knight moved closer to Mei Mo, and whispered into her ear. I couldn''t hear what he was saying, but from the way Mei Mo''s expression changed into one of disappointment, I could tell it wasn''t anything good. After a while, the man backed away, and Mei Mo nced at me with cold eyes.


    "Uh...hi?" I waved my hand awkwardly.


    "You...you deceived me..." Mei Mo murmured, then suddenly raising her voice, she yelled. "Come out! All of you! I know you''re there!" Mei Mo is basically the Chinese trantion of subus. Very creative and original name, I know.

 Chapter 178 - Battle For A New Tomorrow (1)

    <em>No way...that knight guy really detected the Golden Monarchs? Well, shit...no more fun and games, it looks like. But...just to make sure...</em>


    "Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked, still trying to pretend nothing was wrong.


    However, this only served to piss Mei Mo off even more, and she sent me a death re. "Xuan Kai...I originally wanted to make you my servant, but now...I just want you to die."


    <em>Oh...shit. Yep, looks like that guy really was up to no good. How exactly did he find the Golden Monarchs anyway...? Psychic Magic, perhaps...or just really keen senses?</em>


    <em></em>I doubted it was thetter, considering even if he had really keen senses, he woudn''t be able to be 100% sure there was really people hiding, waiting for the perfectly opportunity for an ambush. So my conclusion was...this knight guy most likely could use Psychic Magic - and taking the powerful aura I was feeling from him into ount...he was probably quite the expert at it too.


    I sighed deeply. "Well...no point hiding anymore, I guess."


    <em>And also...</em>they<em>should be here right about now.</em>


    <em></em>I slowly removed my hood, and on cue, all of the hiding Golden Monarchs leapt out at once, immediately firing their spells at Mei Mo.


    "Tch...!" she leapt backwards, and her knight moved in front of her, putting up a shield to block most of the attacks.


    "What a loyal dog," Li Hai Tang muttered.


    "Well...looks like this is going to be even harder than we thought," Song Qian Long said. "I didn''t expect us to get revealed, even with Lady Qing using a concealment technique on all of us..."


    Qing Xin stepped forward and nodded. "I had used the Level Three Psychic Element spell, Invisibility, on all of us, but...it seems whoever detected us has even stronger Psychic Magic than me."


    I pointed at the knight who had just blocked most of the Golden Monarch''s attacks with a single shield, Level Three Water Magic - Hydroscreen. This was the most powerful Water Element defense spell, as for most elements, Legendary Tier and beyond have very few defensive spells, meaning the only way to counter an attack at that level was to send back an attack of your own of equal power or more.


    The Golden Monarch''s were not going all out yet, but...a single person managed to withstand 7 Golden Monarchs'' attacks with just one spell...that is indeed quite fearsome. And now that our attack was over...


    "Now, it''s our turn," Mei Mo sneered, then pointed at us. "Go, my servants! Eliminate them all! Oh, but save the boy for me...I will take care of him myself."


    In response, the Midnight Syndicate''s monster army roared and began charging at us. Some of them even had humans riding on top of them.


    "Hmph! Don''t think we aren''t prepared for this!" Mayor Zhou suddenly yelled, before mming his palm into the ground ferociously. "Level Three Space Magic - Warp Gate!"


    A massive blue wormhole appeared right behind him, from where thousands of our own troops poured through. The monster army was a bit fazed by the sudden appearance of more opponents, and honestly, I was too. I had expected our reinforcements to get here by foot, not through one of Mayor Zhou''s portals...


    <em>Oh, but wait...if they came here by foot, then that knight guy would''ve been able to detect them as well. Good thinking, Mayor Zhou. As expected of the mayor.</em>


    <em></em>However, this mass-scale portal clearly came with a huge cost, as Mayor Zhou bent down on one knee, nearly copsing. He was panting pretty hard, suggesting that this spell must''ve used up quite a bit of mana. This meant he most likely wouldn''t be able to do much in the actual fight, but...this was worth it. If he didn''t create that wormhole to allow our troops through by surprise, then we likely would''ve been destroyed by the Midnight Syndicate''s monster army.


    The Golden Monarchs and I retreated for now, letting our reinforcements take up the front and sh with the monster army. I hurried over to Mayor Zhou and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    "Mayor...are you alright?"


    "Yes...I''m fine. That spell cost more mana than I expected, but...I''ll be okay with a little bit of rest. However..." he trailed off, looking in Mei Mo''s direction.


    I nodded. "It''s fine. We''ll handle the battle. Just move somewhere safe, and rest until you''re able to fight again."


    Mayor Zhou, after some slight hesitation, nodded firmly, and moved away from the battlefield in the opposite direction. I spun around and faced the remaining six Golden Monarchs.


    "We can''t let this battle drag on," I said. "They win in numbers and strength with those monsters of theirs. Eventually, they will overpower our reinforcements, and we will be left without an escape route. That''s why...we have to finish this, now."


    "But...how will we do so?" Qing Xin asked. "Mei Mo is hiding in the back, behind her own troops. We have no way to get to her."


    I was a bit surprised Qing Xin knew her name was Mei Mo, but I guess the Golden Monarchs heard everything while they were lying in wait in the bushes.


    "Don''t worry, I have a n," I replied confidently. "If we can''t reach her from the front...all we have to do is discretely circle around to the back."


    "That''s a valid proposal, but slightly unrealistic. If we try this, they are going to notice we are gone, and be on high alert for any surprise attacks," Mr. Tan, the representative from Huizhou, said.


    Mr. Gao, the representative from Dongguan, nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed...if we want this n to go well, we''ll need a distraction of some sort."


    <em>Huh...good to see these two are actually somewhat rational people, despite their haughty personalities from earlier.</em>


    <em></em>"I have thought of that as well," I replied. "Who has a Shadow Element affinity here?"


    "Shadow Element...boy, are you really thinking of using illusions to distract them?" Yu Ao asked dubiously.


    I nodded. "Is there a problem?"


    He sighed. "This tactic would work against someone your level, but definitely not against Golden Monarchs. We have seen too much to be fooled by illusions. Do you really think out of their entire army, no one has a Light Element affinity to easily dispel our n?"


    I shook my head. "No...that''s not what I''m saying. Yes, among all the Midnight Syndicate members present now, many probably have Light Magic. However...take a good look at them."


    Pointing at our own troops battling the Midnight Syndicate''s monster cavalry, I continued. "Do you see now? They are too upied with our reinforcements to bother using Light Magic to counter our illusions. And besides...logically speaking, the only time when you would use something to counter another thing is when you<em>actually know</em>that ''thing'' exists. In other words...if they don''t think we are using an illusion in the first ce, naturally they won''t bother using Light Magic to check."


    My rationale left all six Golden Monarchs speechless.


    "...Fair point," Song Qian Long finally said.


    "Yes...that was a wless speech," Qing Xin agreed.


    The rest of them all nodded in agreement, even Mr. Gao and Mr. Tan. Li Hai Tang also couldn''t say anything in response to my words, even though he undoubtedly wanted to. However, in cases like this...my argument was too strong to be vetoed by anyone.


    "So...we''re going with my n, yeah?" I asked onest time for confirmation.


    Everyone nodded, so I sighed in relief. "Alright, who has a Shadow Element affinity here?"


    Li Hai Tang, the person I least wanted to depend on, raised his hand. "That would be me."


    I blinked. "Okay...can you create illusions of all seven of us?"


    He shrugged. "Sure. What will these illusions be doing though?"


    "Uh...just have them be hovering in mid air, watching the fight," I said.


    "...Wouldn''t that be a bit obvious?" Qing Xin noted.


    I scratched my head. "Uh...sorry...I''m not good withing up with fine details like this."


    Yu Ao shook his head. "No, I think what Xuan Kai suggested is just fine. Just create illusions of us hovering in mid air, and pretending to give orders to the soldiers."


    Li Hai Tang sighed and went to work. Since controlling these illusions would require quite a bit of his attention span, we couldn''t rely on him to do much in the our actual assault. So...we essentially had 5 Golden Monarchs plus me, against Mei Mo and her mysterious knight servant. On the surface, we should have the advantage here, if just in pure numbers, but...we still needed to fight with every ounce of our strength if we wanted to win this.


    As Li Hai Tang created our illusions, the rest of us discretely slipped off the battlefield into the thick bushes on the side of the highway again, and slowly moved towards Mei Mo. We probably looked pretty stupid to any bystanders, but this was the only n we had.


    <em>Now then...let''s do this.</em>

 Chapter 179 - Battle For A New Tomorrow (2)

    Song Qian Long, Qing Xin, Yu Ao, Mr. Tan, Mr. Gao, Li Hai Tang, and I moved swiftly through the bushes, being careful not to peek our head out or get spotted. I was a bit surprised an old geezer like Song Qian Long could keep up with my running pace, but then again, he is a Golden Monarch, and I wasn''t exactly going full speed, either.


    Either way, it took quite a while for us to reach the end of the monster army. Mei Mo and her knight had retreated all the way to the back, so we had to simrly run all that distance.


    <em>But damn...this army of theirs is really big. We''ve been running for a good 10 minutes now, but we still can''t even see the end of this massive line of monsters.</em>


    After several minutes of sprinting, we finally arrived at the end of their monster army, where Mei Mo and the knight stood, watching on. For now, it didn''t seem like they had noticed us yet, which was good. They also didn''t seem to be on high alert, possibly thanks to the illusions Li Hai Tang put up. The further away he was from the illusions, the harder it would be for him to control them, but he seemed to be holding up fine. As much as I hated him, he was still a powerful family patriarch, after all. It only made sense he would be able to do at least this much.


    All of us exchanged nces with one another, and nodded firmly.


    Song Qian Long was the first one to leap out of cover, immediatelyunching his attack. "Legendary Sky Magic - Fang of Zeus!"


    Hurling the massive purple thunderbolt directly towards Mei Mo, he roared and the rest of us soon leapt out of our cover as well.


    "Legendary Fire Magic - Sr Nova!" Yu Ao yelled, sending a huge ball of pure fire towards Mei Mo and her knight.


    Mei Mo, caught by surprise, quickly moved to dodge, but the rest of us were here too, not just idling around doing nothing.


    "I won''t let you-!" Qing Xin dered. "cier Form: Wall!"


    A massive ice wall rose right where Mei Mo was nning to go, preventing her escape.


    "Tch...!" she gritted her teeth, and braced herself for the uing attack. "Servant! Block this for me!"


    The knight obeyed, and ced himself in front of Mei Mo. Quietly, he chanted. "Legendary Metal Magic - Unbreakable Dome."


    Right as Song Qian Long''s and Yu Ao''s attacks were about to hit their targets, Mei Mo and the knight were suddenly covered by a metal dome that had risen from the ground, and the attacks hit the shield. It cracked slightly, but that was all.


    Unfazed, the Golden Monarchs keptunching attacks at the dome, however...


    Now that we were out in the open, the monster army near the back of the army had noticed us, and were targeting us now.


    "What do we do?!" Mr. Gao asked.


    I clenched my fists and came up with a n on the spot. "This will reduce our firepower, but...there''s nothing else that can be done."


    Pointing at the monsters, I continued. "Mr. Gao, Mr. Tan, keep those bastards off of us!"


    "Alright!" they yelled simultaneously, and quickly moved to stop the monsters. Meanwhile, the remaining Golden Monarchs were still pummeling the metal dome with all they had.


    "Legendary Ice Magic - Wrath of the Snow Wyvern!" Qing Xin chanted, summoning a wyvern made of ice, which in turn beganunching a barrage of ice spikes towards the metal dome. The ice shards, upon contact with the metal, shattered - but that was perfectly fine. The catch here was this - Qing Xin is constantly aiming for the same few spots on the dome, meaning eventually, these points will be weak and breakable.


    "Legendary Light Magic - Eye of the Traveller!" Li Hai Tang yelled. A massive blinding golden eye appeared above him, and shot out a beam of disintegration from the center, aiming directly for the cracks on the dome as a result of the other Golden Monarchs'' attacks.


    <em>Light Magic...? So Li Hai Tang has both an affinity for Shadow and Light. That''s interesting, considering the two elements are supposed to conflict with one another.</em>


    <em></em>After several seconds of this disintegration beam, the metal dome finally fell under the pressure, but even then, Li Hai Tang didn''t stop his attack, and continued to shoot inside the dome.


    However...after a while, I realized something was off. "Wait, Patriarch Li!"


    "What?" he asked, slightly annoyed but still pausing his attack.


    I hurried over to check inside the dome, and found...nothing. No one was there. "They''re not here...?"


    The other Golden Monarchs quickly gathered around me.


    "What the hell...where did they go?" Li Hai Tang murmured in anguish.


    Qing Xin closed her eyes. "Level Three Psychic Magic - Mana Trace."


    After a while, she opened them again, and frowned. "There are mana remains of Space Magic here."


    "You mean...they teleported away?" Yu Ao asked. "Then how do we find them?!"


    I shook my head. "No need to worry...they won''t just escape like that. In fact..."


    I looked up at the sky, and found myself staring at Mei Mo floating in mid-air using Sky Magic, with her knight apanying her.


    "Hehehe~" she giggled. "Didn''t expect me to have Space Magic, did you?"


    "This is bad..." Song Qian Long muttered. "If that is the case, even if we do manage to harm her, she can just teleport away..."


    "I will lock her down!" a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind us.


    "Mayor Zhou?!" my eyes widened in surprise at his appearance even though I told him to go rest.


    He had a burning determination in his eyes, and he began chanting. "Legendary Space Magic - Dimension Lockdown!"


    He was the only among us who had Space Magic, and of course, the most efficient way of countering Space Magic, was Space Magic.


    Suddenly, the Golden Monarchs and Mei Mo began rising high into the air. Her knight and I, however, were left on the ground.


    "What is this...?!" Mei Mo cried, mming her fist against some kind of invisible wall. I was also confused, but the Golden Monarchs currently rising were unfazed.


    "Dimension Lockdown, huh...I didn''t think he had enough mana to use this, but this will certainly help us quite a bit," Song Qian Long murmured.


    "Essentially, this spell traps people within a cubical cage," Mayor Zhou exined, walking to my side after seeing my confusion. "It prevents people from teleporting out of it as well, basically locking everyone caught inside. This is the perfect situation for us, as we have a number advantage, and now there is minimal space for that ursed Mei Mo to dodge our spells."


    "D-Damn it! Why is teleportation not working...?!" Mei Mo cried in despair, mming her palm against the invisible walls of the cube.


    <em></em>"Mydy, this spell prevents any form of escape from this cube we are trapped in," the knight exined, yelling upwards so that Mei Mo could hear him. "The only way to get out...is by killing the caster."


    Mei Mo gritted her teeth, then closed her eyes, most likely giving some kind of instructions to her monsters.


    I quickly nced behind me, and winced as I saw the monsters were now turning on Mayor Zhou. Mr. Tan and Mr. Gao were still desperately trying their best to keep the monsters away, but...it was only a matter of time before they run out of mana, or just be overwhelmed by the monsters'' sheer numbers.


    I then faced my front again, and clenched my fists as the knight drew his sword from its sheathe.


    <em>Looks like...it''s not just the monsters I have to worry about, huh?</em>


    "In order to save mydy, I have to eliminate that man," the knight said, pointing at Mayor Zhou behind me. His voice was deep and manly.


    I sneered. "Yeah? Well...I''m not going to let you do that."


    "I apud your bravery, child," he replied calmly. "However...you stand no chance against me."


    "How do you know until you try?" I taunted, snickering in amusement.


    "..." the knight fell silent and tilted his head downwards a bit, but after a while, he lifted his head again and continued. "Very well. You have the qualities of a knight, so I will allow you a fair duel. I will not use any magic - a sword is all I need."


    "Kuku...don''t regret this decision."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, Within the Cube... -</strong>


    <strong></strong>After a while, the cube finally stopped rising, and it was just Mei Mo against Song Qian Long, Li Hai Tang, Yu Ao, and Qing Xin.


    "We have no time to lose," Song Qian Long said. "If they take out Mayor Zhou, this spell will be broken, and we will lose the only advantage we have."


    "Yes...this is a race against time," Qing Xin murmured in agreement.


    "Well then...what are we waiting for? I''ve gotten tired of this bitch a long time ago!" Li Hai Tang eximed, pointing at Mei Mo.


    The Golden Monarchs all nodded firmly, and each began casting their own spells.


    "Legendary Sky Magic - Fang of Zeus!"


    "Legendary Fire Magic - Sr Nova!"


    "Legendary Void Magic - Putrefaction Beam!"


    "Legendary Ice Magic - Wrath of the Snow Wyvern!"


    Mei Moughed evilly, not making any move to dodge the Golden Monarchs'' attacks. "Hahaha! You think I can''t take you on, just because I don''t have my servants with me?! Think again! Legendary Psychic Magic - Mind Control!"

 Chapter 180 - Battle For A New Tomorrow (3)

    <strong>- In the Dimension Lockdown -</strong>


    <strong>(Song Qian Long''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Legendary Psychic Magic - Mind Control!" Mei Mo yelled, sending invisible lines of hypnosis towards us as our own attacks flew towards her.


    "Everyone, stay focused!" I yelled, mentally bracing myself for her mind control attack.


    However, at this rate, our attacks would reach her first, and she will have nowhere to run-


    "Ehehehe~" she giggled like a devil. And then, right as our attacks were about to converge on her, she suddenly transformed into a swarm of bats, and evaded our attacks with ease. The bats then flew elsewhere, converging together once again to go back into Mei Mo''s human form.


    "...What..." I muttered in shock. The other Golden Monarchs simrly were staring in surprise.


    <em>Damn it...to think she could transform into a swarm of bats like vampires can. Wasn''t she a subus...? How does she have vampiric abilities?</em>


    But even so - Mind Control was a Legendary Psychic Element spell that did exactly what its name says it would do - control the mind of someone. In this case, Mei Mo was aiming to control at least one of us, making us turn on one another. However, against Golden Monarchs of our level, we all have wills strong enough to be unaffected by this spel-


    "Ngh..." Li Hai Tang suddenly copsed onto the floor, clutching at his head in agony.


    "Patriarch Li!" I turned and called out in surprise.


    "What''s wrong?!" Qing Xin asked, putting up a mental defense for herself with her own Psychic Magic.


    "I don''t know, but this isn''t looking good..." Yu Ao muttered, seemingly unaffected by the Mind Control spell.


    "Ugh..." Li Hai Tang muttered.


    "Ehehehe~" Mei Mo giggled loudly from the other side of the cube. "You seem to have overestimated the mental strength of some people, Mr. Dragon of Shenzhen..."


    I cursed and turned to see Yu Ao running over to Li Hai Tang, trying to get him back up.


    In the position Li Hai Tang was currently in, I couldn''t see his face, but the moment Yu Ao got close to him, he suddenly turned his head upwards, and I flinched in shock as his pupils were now blood-red.


    My eyes widened. "Look out!"


    Li Hai Tang roared and threw a hook with his right fist at Yu Ao, who just barely managed to dodged it in time thanks to my warning. He quickly backed away from Li Hai Tang.


    "What the hell..."


    I narrowed my gaze, then turned to re at Mei Mo. "I''m afraid...Patriarch Li has fallen to her Mind Control."


    "Ehehe~" Mei Mo continued to giggle sadistically. "Let''s see now...do you really have what it takes to kill your own ally?"


    As she said this, Li Hai Tang moved in front of her, ready to block any iing attacks. I cursed.


    "...With Patriarch Li there, we can''t make any sudden moves..." I muttered.


    However, Qing Xin shook her head slowly. "No...we will continue attacking Mei Mo with full force."


    My eyes widened at her words. "What?! But Patriarch Li..."


    Yu Ao ced a hand on my shoulder. "Principal Song...we cannot afford to waste any more time. We both know full well once someone has fallen to Mind Control, there is no way back unless we eliminate the caster...and I doubt she is going to give us an opening to do that."


    "That..." I trailed off. Then, after closing my eyes for a little, I opened them again, and made my decision. "Apologies, Patriarch Li, but...here wee!"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, On the Battlefield Below... -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>BOOM! ZAP!</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Goddamn...they''re making quite the ruckus up there. Song Qian Long, and the patriarchs...I wonder if they''re okay. Luckily, the Dimension Lockdown Mayor Zhou cast also traps spells inside, meaning nothing out of the cube can be destroyed as mere coteral damage of their Legendary Magic fight. People like me can''t interfere with their battle at all...at least, as I am right now.</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em>However - that being said...I do have my own fight to worry about.</em>


    The knight in front of me, d in silver armor, slowly drew his sword, a glistening silver saber. I put my hood back on, and materialized my own weapon. I had no intention to fight fairly against this guy, but going against him without some kind of physical weapon of my own would be a bad idea, considering he clearly was a skilled sword user. If he ends up getting within shing range of me, I''ll need something to block his strikes - something that isn''t my bare flesh, that is.


    I visualized my katanas in my head, and all of a sudden, I was shrouded in a ck and red energy, spinning like a tornado around me. The knight raised his sword in a defense position, ready to block any iing attacks.


    However, the energy then converged into two objects - my twin katanas, one in each hand. The silver des shone brightly under the light of dawn, but the most eye-attracting feature of them were the red jewels embedded on the crossguard. They were semicircle shaped, and shone an ominous crimson.


    The knight tilted his head slightly to the side in curiosity. "Oh...? Interesting weapons you have there, boy. I have never seen that kind of energy before, but...it''s clear the weapons are powerful...more than enough to pierce through my titanium armor."


    I haven''t ever done dual-wielding before, so I wasn''t familiar with the techniques and such. But that was fine, since I wasn''t going to be attacking with these anyways. Instead, I would be only using this for defense, and two katanas are better than one when ites to that.


    And the moment this knight makes a mistake, that''s when I''ll strike.


    "Are you ready, boy?"


    I snickered. "Come at me."


    The knight obliged - he dashed towards me in an instant, and before I knew it, he was directly in front of me, about to bring down his saber on me. I just barely managed to bring my two katanas up in front of me in an X-shape, narrowly blocking his attack.


    I leapt backwards a short distance, and he did the same. "Hm...it seems I have underestimated you. I did not expect you to be able to react to that."


    "Kuku...if that''s all you got, then it''s going to be a while before you can get past me."


    He didn''t respond, but instead merely charged at me once more, this time even faster than before - in fact, he was so quick that I nearly thought he had used a spell like ''Space - Eliminate''. But of course, that wasn''t the case, as I did see him physically move...just really quickly.


    Once again, I just barely managed to parry his attack, but this time, instead of backing away, he immediately disappeared and appeared again behind me. I spun around, but not before he grazed my right arm. I nearly dropped my weapon from the pain, but I kept holding on.


    However, the knight wasn''t done quite yet. He kept moving at insane speeds around me, too fast for me to follow with my eye. Eventually, I just gave up on trying to follow him with my vision, and instead stoodpletely still, relying on my hearing to spot where he was.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Audientia.</em>


    <em></em>After discretely boosting my own hearing powers without chanting out loud, I focused even harder. Every once in a while, the knight would attempt tond a hit on me from my blindspot, but after that first sh, the pain helped me stay even more alert. So, in a sense, that graze actually helped me out, especially since I was still severely sleep-deprived.


    <em>Okay...I''m starting to see his pattern here. Every time he strikes me, the next time will be from directly behind me - which makes sense, considering that would be my blind spot, as I am not turning around or even trying to keep up with his movements. Following this pattern...his next strike will be from-</em>


    <em></em>I spun around, but this time, I anticipated his attack, and instead of blocking his strike with an X-shape formed by my two katanas like I usually do, I instead parried his saber to one side using one of my katanas, and then thrusted the other towards his chest.


    The knight, not expecting my side parry, couldn''t stop his own momentum, so the only way for him to avoid my strike was to lean his body to the side.


    <em>Kuku...but what you don''t realize, is that this what I was waiting for.</em>


    As soon as he began leaning, I suddenly ducked down and slid my foot behind his, causing him to trip.


    "Wha-" he began, but it was toote. He crashed onto the floor, dropping his saber in the process. I immediately got back up, and pointed one of my katanas at him.


    He tried reaching for his saber, but I kicked that away with ease. His open hand turned into a fist, and I stepped on his chest te, never moving my katana away from his neck.


    "Looks like you lost," I said condescendingly.


    The knight, against all odds, chuckled. "...Heh. Indeed. It appears...I have been defeated by a 14 year old boy. I, who has never lost a sword fight before in all my forty years of life, am defeated at your hands today."


    <em>You say that, but...why do I feel like your voice has no sign of defeat in it whatsoever?</em>


    "..." I fell silent, then raised my katana, preparing to slice his head cleanly off.


    "Normally, I would have epted this loss, and die at your hands," he continued. "However..."


    I narrowed my gaze, and swung my katana.

 Chapter 181 - Battle For A New Tomorrow (4)

    Just as I sliced my katana down, the knight suddenly twisted his body the other side with an abnormal amount of strength, and since his chestte was nted, this caused my foot to slip off the side of it, making me lose bnce a bit. The knight, taking advantage of my momentary disbnce, continued rolling away from me and eventually got back up to his feet, picking up his fallen saber in the process.


    I finally regained my footing, and red at him. "That sudden turn...was too strong to be your muscles alone."


    He nodded. "Indeed, I admit...I used Blessing Magic to empower myself there so I could break free. I have lost to you in a fair fight, and like I said, under normal circumstances, I would have just let you kill me. However...currently, mydy''s life is on the line. I have no choice but to put down my honor and fight with all I have."


    "Tch..." I snorted. "So much for a noble knight."


    These words seem to hit him pretty deeply, as he looked downwards, and although I couldn''t see his expression beneath his helm, I was certain he had a conflicted look on his face.


    I then raised one of my katanas and pointed it at him. "Very well. I never expected you to fight fairly in the first ce."


    He looked up at me hesitantly. "Boy...you are no match for me if I use magic. To show my respect for you, I will not kill you if you get out of my way, now."


    I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "If I would just get away from here now, we wouldn''t be having this fight in the first ce. Sorry, but if you want to save yourdy or whatever, you''re going to have to fight me - again."


    The knight took a deep breath, and sighed. "...Boy, there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity."


    I turned around to briefly nce behind me, where Mayor Zhou waspleted depleted of mana, and Mr. Gao and Mr. Tan were busy trying to hold off the monsters. Our own army was all the way on the other side of these monsters, trying to get to us, but to no avail.


    <em>Looks like...I''m really on my own here, huh?</em>


    <em></em>I smirked, and made a little e at me'' gesture with my hand. "There is also a fine line between stupidity and confidence."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- A Few Minutes Earlier, Within the Dimension Lockdown -</strong>


    <strong>(Song Qian Long''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Legendary Shadow Magic..." Li Hai Tang muttered too beastly for a human. "Inescapable Nightmare!"


    A shroud of pulsing shadow energy came flying towards us, and immediately, surrounded the three of us within it. We were now enclosed within a dome of Shadow energy, unable to escape. This spell injected nightmares within the heads of all those trapped inside this dome.


    "To think he would strike first," Qing Xin murmured, trying to keep out the nightmares. "Despicable."


    "Well...this isn''t exactly Li Hai Tang''s own will," Yu Ao said in his defense, simrly frowning to keep out the nightmares.


    Qing Xin clenched her fists. "Even then...to fall for a simple Mind Control spell..."


    "Enough about that. I will get us out of here." I muttered under my breath.


    <em>The ultimate counter to Shadow Magic...is Light, of course.</em>


    "Legendary Light Magic - Divine Purification!"


    A bright orb of light appeared above my head, growing bigger and brighter by the second. Eventually, light met darkness, and the two forces shed in vigor. When shadow and light fought directly, the power that woulde out on top would be the one with more strength behind the spell.


    <em>And, after all...I am not the number 1 mage in Shenzhen for nothing.</em>


    <em></em>Just as I thought this, the light began overwhelming the shadows, slowly eating away at the dark energy. After a few more seconds, the shadow dome waspletely gone, and what was left was my radiating, purifying light, illuminating the sky.


    The three of us rxed as we were no longer under the threat of nightmares, and not giving our enemies a chance to react, we took on the offensive side.


    "Legendary Sky Magic - Fang of Zeus!" I chanted, preparing to bring down a massive purple thunderbolt.


    "Legendary Fire Magic - Sr Nova!" Yu Ao yelled, fusing his fire bomb with my lightning bolt to create a mixture of Fire and Sky Magic - more precisely, a massive sphere of fire, with lightning sparks emitting from it.


    And then came Qing Xin - the finalponent in our attack.


    "Legendary Ice Magic - Wrath of the Snow Wyvern!"


    Once more calling upon the snow wyvern, the creature roared and pped its wings once, sending an extremely powerful wind in Mei Mo and Li Hai Tang''s direction. The ball of fire and lightning was caught up in this force, and also flew towards them, apanied by hundreds of ice spikes, forming a deadly hail.


    "D-Damn it!" Mei Mo cursed. "I can''t evade all the ice spikes even if I turn into bat form...ugh, Li Hai Tang! Block the attack!"


    "Ngh..." Li Hai Tang muttered in anguish. "Legendary Water Magic...Tsunami!"


    Summoning a massive wave of tidal water, Li Hai Tang raised his attack as high as he possibly could, forming a curtain to block against our iing attacks.


    <strong>BOOM!</strong>


    <strong></strong>The fire evaporated instantly uponing into contact with the water, and the now heated water evaporated Qing Xin''s ice spikes with ease. In other words, this spell was the perfect counter to ourbination of elements...not.


    <em>Even magic cannot escape the basicws of physics. Water Magic may be themonly known counter of Fire Magic, but...at the same time, it is also a direct conductor of electricity - in other words, it would not only bepletely useless against Sky Magic - Raijin spell family - but it would also end up help powering the attack up further.</em>


    My electricity created from my Fang of Zeus spread through the water with ease, eventually converging together into one massive thunderbolt once more. Sadly, due to the size of the tsunami, some electricity was lost on the way, but the power it currently held was still enough to gravely injure a Golden Monarch, though not kill them.


    The thunderbolt smote Li Hai Tang directly in the chest, sending him flying backwards, crashing into the walls of the invisible cube we were in. Mei Mo only barely managed to dodge out of the way of Li Hai Tang. After groaning in agony, he copsed to the floor, seemingly unconscious.


    Mei Mo nced behind her, frowning at the sight of her newly acquired ve, defeated. She realized she had no chance of taking the three of us head on now that she lost her only ally.


    "D-Damn it...! Damn it all!" she cursed, hands shaking out of fear.


    Since Li Hai Tang had fallen, his conjured tsunami naturally did as well. The water simply evaporated into thin air, and now, all that was left in the dimension lockdown were Yu Ao, Qing Xin, and I, facing Mei Mo and a seemingly unconscious Li Hai Tang.


    "Give up," I said quietly, walking closer to her. "Recall all of your monsters, ande into our custody quietly. If you cooperate...we may consider not killing you."


    "H-Hah!" sheughed hysterically. "Killing?! Me?! Hahahahahah-"


    I raised my arm and pointed it towards her, ready to send more offensive magic her way at a moment''s notice. This silenced her frenziedughter, and she fell to the ground, defeated.


    The three of us walked closer to her, but then I quickly made a hand gesture to stop moving, and Yu Ao and Qing Xin obliged.


    What made me stop was what Mei Mo was doing. Instead of weeping in defeat like I thought she would be, she wasughing - giggling, to be precise.


    I narrowed my gaze. "You...why are youughing?"


    She continued tough, this time even harder. "Hehehehehe~if I''m dying anyways....I might as well take all of you - this entire city - with me!"


    My eyes widened as her body began to glow a bright gold.


    "No! You can''t!" I yelled, desperate to stop her.


    "HAHAHAHA! It''s toote! No one can stop me now!" she screamed, continuing tough like a maniac.


    "Principal Song! Don''t tell me, she''s going to do <em>that?!</em>" Yu Ao asked hastily.


    I nodded, a grim expression on my face. "Damn it...I should have anticipated this. I never expected her to have the guts to do this..."


    Qing Xin closed her eyes. "Principal Song, it is not your fault...however...if she is really using <em>that </em>technique..."


    I nodded. "Yes...I understand. There is only one way to counter it."


    Yu Ao had a conflicted expression on his face, and he looked away. "But...who will do it?"


    I clenched my fists. "I will."


    "Principal Song..." Qing Xin murmured in worry.


    I closed my eyes. "As the top mage of this city...this is my responsibility."


    Slowly, I opened my eyes once more, and walked towards Mei Mo, whose body was slowly turning golder and golder by the second.


    <em>Kai Kai...I''m sorry. It seems...I am unable to stay with you any longer.</em>

 Chapter 182 - Battle For A New Tomorrow (5)

    <strong>- Outside the Dimension Lockdown -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>The knight readied his saber, and began chanting. "Potentia Excitant: Celeritas - Tier III!"


    <em>A speed boost spell, huh...but what concerns me the most is the fact that he''s using a Tier III version of it...how the hell did he get the resources and money needed, as a member of a crime organization, to upgrade a spell three times?!</em>


    The knight then charged at me with full force, and I braced myself for impact. But then-


    He stopped. He froze mid-dash, and looked up at the sky for some reason.


    "...She''s doing<em>that</em>...? he murmured, and I narrowed my gaze.


    After a while, the knight sighed, and put his saber back in its sheath. I frowned in confusion.


    "...What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly.


    The knight spun around, facing away from me. "I have no choice but to retreat here for today. That crazy woman really went and used<em>that</em>technique..."


    "Crazy woman...you mean Mei Mo? Isn''t she your master? How can you just abandon her here like this?"


    The knight snorted. "If only I was really under her control. Putting up an act all this time has been...exhausting, to say to the least. I originally wished to see her potential - that was why I let her think she had fully controlled me. But with her meager power...truly turning me into her ve is nothing but a distant dream. And besides...she has already been abandoned once before. She is already used to it."


    With these words, the knight began walking away.<em>H-Huh? So...he was pretending to be under her control all this time?</em>


    <em>...Why do I suddenly pity Mei Mo?</em>


    <em>And...he mentioned something about her being abandoned once before already...what''s up with that?</em>


    "Wait!" I called out to the knight. "Even if you aren''t controlled by her, she''s still your ally, right? Just leaving her here to die...where''s the knightly chivalry in that?"


    The knight stopped walking, and sighed deeply. "Boy...even if I remained here, there is no saving her. Once she activates that technique, everyone in this entire city will die, including herself."


    I froze. "...What?"


    The knight didn''t exin any further, but instead gave me a little wave. "We will meet again, Xuan Kai. You best hope that by then, you would have gotten strong enough to face me at my best."


    With that, he used Flight, Sky Magic, and took off without a single nce backwards. I was the only one who could chase him down since everyone else was preupied, but I decided against it.


    <em>For now...I need to find out what that technique he mentioned is.</em>


    <em></em>I looked back at Mr. Tan and Mr. Gao, still fighting the monsters, then hurried over to Mayor Zhou, still resting on the ground. "Mayor Zhou!"


    He frowned, then looked upwards. "This familiar energy..ing from...above?"


    I continued. "You felt it too, huh? That knight mentioned something about a technique that can destroy this entire city and everyone living in it. After that, he ran away, but...what exactly is this technique?"


    Mayor Zhou had a grim expression on his face. "I do not wish to believe it, but...it seems Mei Mo is attempting to use Core Shatter to take down all of us with her."


    "Core Shatter...?" I echoed in puzzlement.


    "Yes. Core Shatter is a suicidal technique that only Golden Monarchs and above can use," the mayor exined. "When one reaches the Golden Monarch stage, their Dantian turns into a hardened core - more specifically, a golden core."


    "...Hence the name, Golden Monarch," I said.<em>This is stuff I''ve never been taught in school...</em>


    "Precisely," the mayor continued. "The technique known as Core Shatter...is forcefully exploding your golden core. The resulting shockwave is enough to destroy an entire city."


    I tilted my head. "But...wouldn''t that cause the user to die as well?"


    Mayor Zhou nodded. "That is why this is thest, final trump card of a Golden Monarch mage or above. It is the ultimate suicidal technique. Because your soul is also contained within your Dantian - your core, if you forcefully explode it...even Necromancy Magic cannot bring you back."


    I sighed. "...I see. But...couldn''t your Dimension Lockdown spell prevent the damage from leaking out, or at least minimize it?"


    "Think of it like this, Xuan Kai," the mayor went on. "The Dantian - in other words, the core - is where all the power of a magees from. Now, imagine the total collective power of a Golden Monarch, condensed into one, tiny, sphere. That is the core. Thus...the explosion power of it is not to be underestimated - my Dimension Lockdown will be be broken in a sh. Everyone here now, and everyone else in the city, will almost certainly die if Mei Mo is not stopped."


    <em>That...certainly makes sense.</em>


    <em></em>"How do you stop it?" I hurried asked.


    The mayor had a conflicted look on his face, then nced up at the sky, where the Golden Monarchs were still fighting Mei Mo.


    "The only way to stop this technique...is for another Golden Monarch to shatter their own core."


    "What...? How would that work?" I asked. "Wouldn''t that just double the damage?"


    He shook his head. "No. Think of Mei Mo''s core shatter on one side of an equation, and another Golden Monarch''s on the other. What I mean by this...is that they cancel each other out."


    "...Sorry, I''m still a bit confused," I admitted.


    "That''s alright. The theory behind this is tooplex for an Intermediate Mage to understand."


    <em>Uh...guess Song Qian Long told him I was an Intermediate Mage or something.</em>


    <em></em>"So then...who''s going to do this?" I asked. "They will have to sacrifice their own life for this, no? I doubt anyone would want to do that."


    "About that..." Mayor Zhou frowned. "It seems...somebody is already doing it."


    "Huh? Who is it?"


    "...The number one mage in Shenzhen, Song Qian Long."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Within the Dimension Lockdown -</strong>


    <strong>(Song Qian Long''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>I slowly walked towards Mei Mo, and calmly sat down in front of her. Then, I began violently channeling my own energy, beginning the Core Shatter process. My body began to glow a faint gold, and Mei Mo raised an eyebrow in curiosity.


    "Oh...you''re actually trying to stop my Core Shatter with your own?" Mei Mo murmured, simrly glowing golden.


    I kept a stern expression, and responded. "For the sake of this city and the people living in it, I must do this."


    Mei Mo giggled. "Oh, what a hero~you know, you could just kill me with your magic right now before I get a chance to fully shatter it. Oh, but you should hurry if you''re going to do that...I''m close to my limits."


    "Hmph," I snorted. "I am not stupid enough to fall for that trick. If I were to kill you now, that would only elerate the Core Shatter process."


    "Ehehehe~so you''re quite knowledgeable, I see."


    I didn''t respond, but merely closed my eyes and continued to channel my energy. Suddenly, the cube we were in began descending. I opened my eyes, and saw Mayor Zhou below us, controlling the cube. And beside him...Kai Kai. We soonnded on t ground again, but by this time, both Mei Mo and I were nearing our limits. Around one more minute...and we would both leave this world, forever.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    The cube dissipated, and I stared at Song Qian Long''s figure, my fists clenched. He sat on the ground, glowing gold. Mei Mo was the same.


    "Kai Kai..." he murmured, voice strained with emotion.


    "Old geezer...are you really doing this?" I asked, voice emotionless in contrast. "Mayor Zhou exined everything to me."


    "Oh, what a heartbreaking scene~!" Mei Mo remarked, giggling hysterically on the side. Everyone ignored her.


    "...I have to," he said calmly after a long pause. "As the number one mage in Shenzhen...I have to."


    My body began trembling from anger, and I red at him with pure hatred.


    "You are the number one mage in Shenzhen..." I muttered quietly in anguish.


    <em>...But you are my godfather too...!</em>


    <em></em>I wanted to scream that out loud at him, but gritted my teeth and held myself back.


    "...Do as you will," I said, then turned away from him, pulling my hood further down so that it covered my eyes...as a single tear leaked out.


    I couldn''t see it since I was turned away from him, but I could feel Song Qian Long''s sad smile on my back. This only made more emotions swell up within me.


    <em>Anger...hatred...and sadness. Why? Why am I feeling sad? Because I''m about to lose him? This old geezer, who I never cared about? What a joke. He''s nothing but an old man iming to be my godfath-</em><em></em>


    <em>...But...even if he isn''t really my godfather...he''s certainly done enough to convince me. I didn''t even realize it, but slowly, I hade to acknowledge this old man as my godfather - my family. Myst...remaining...family. And now...</em><em></em>


    <em>...Just how much - how many people - do I have to lose before I can finally find salvation?</em>


    My entire body shook as I contemted these thoughts, and against my will, more tears slowly streaked down my face.


    And then, suddenly, a bright golden light appeared behind me, and I immediately turned around. Mei Mo and Song Qian Long - both were shroudedpletely in the golden light, and I couldn''t even make out their figures at this point. The light expanded, and I blocked my eyes with my arm. Everyone else did the same - even the monsters and Midnight Syndicate members.


    The light continued to spread, and eventually, the entire city was illuminated in the brilliant radiance. After a good minute, the light finally began to dim, and when it did, I opened my eyes, and saw that all the monsters were gone. Only the Midnight Syndicate members remained.


    I then looked around, and spotted Song Qian Long on the ground - weak, but still breathing. Mei Mo, however...was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 183 - A Tomorrow Without You

    "You''re...still here?" I couldn''t help but murmur as I stared at Song Qian Long''s weak body, lying on the ground. Mei Mo was nowhere to be seen, but...he was still here.


    By this time, everyone else had alsoe back to their senses. The Midnight Syndicate members, having lost their main force - the monsters - attempted to retreat, and our own army confronted them. The other Golden Monarchs all stared at the scene in shock, clearly surprised by the fact that Song Qian Long''s body was still somehow here...with the exception of Li Hai Tang, who appeared to be unconscious.


    "This shouldn''t be...possible..." Mayor Zhou murmured to himself. "When your core shatters, your body is the first to disappear..."


    Then, suddenly, I heard a few faint words from none other than the man himself, lying on the ground weakly.


    "I...conserved...a little bit...of my core...so that...I wouldn''t...die...instantly..." he exined quietly.


    "...But by the looks of it..." Yu Ao said, walking over with a pained expression on his face.


    "Yes...I''m afraid...he does not have long," Mayor Zhou finished.


    Hearing this, an unexinable emotion wed at my heart. I crouched down next to Song Qian Long, fists clenched.


    "Can I...see your...face?" he asked softly.


    <em>I want to. I want to show you my face...but I''m afraid...I''m afraid if I do, my tears would begin flowing out uncontrobly.</em>


    <em>...But...this is...this is thest time I will get to see him.</em>


    <em></em>Slowly and hesitantly, I took off my mask. At the same time, however, I kept my hood on, so that only Song Qian Long could view my face. Seeing my actions, he smiled peaceably despite the state he was in, and with what little strength he had left, he raised his arm, gently caressing my cheeks.


    "Kai Kai...I''m...sorry..." he muttered, tears flowing out of his eyes. My own threatened to do the same.


    "...What the hell are you apologizing for...?!" I yelled, unable to hold back my emotions any longer.


    "It seems...I won''t be able to...apany you...on your journey...any longer..."


    I gritted my teeth, and clenched my fists even harder, digging my nails into my palms to the point where they almost bleed.


    "Kai Kai...your parents...and I...we''re all very proud of you..." he continued, tone gentle and meek. "Stay strong, my dear boy...and as I have seen...you have found yourself...many, many goodpanions by your side. Don''t try to shoulder everything alone...you are allies for a reason..."


    I nodded firmly, unable to do anything else.


    He smiled upon seeing my response, and tapped my cheek with his hand.


    "Now then...before I go...can I...hear you call me ''godfather''...?" he asked sincerely, tears all over his face. "...Just once...?"


    By this time, I really could not contain my emotions any longer. I began crying, mming my fist into the ground, frustrated at the feeling of not being able to do anything to save<em>him</em>- the only family I had left, apart from Qing Yue.


    <em>I''m so powerless. I know it isn''t my fault that Song Qian Long ended up in this state, but...why am I so weak?! I''m sure...I''m sure if I was strong enough...there could definitely be a way to amend his broken core...</em>


    <em>...But. There is only one thing I can do for him, as I am right now. His final wish...will be granted by me.</em>


    <em></em>I brought my hand up slowly so that it ovepped his on my cheek, and I murmured a single word.


    "...Godfather."


    Upon hearing my single word, Song Qian Long''s smile became the widest I''ve ever seen him ever make in all the time I''ve met him - but at the same time, his tears also became the heaviest.


    A brilliant golden light illuminated Song Qian Long, and...


    ...The moment the light disappeared, so did he. My hand, which had been on top of his, now felt nothing beneath it.


    And amidst the silence of the stunned crowd and the morning breeze, I swear I heard the faintest whisper.


    <em>"Farewell, Kai Kai. And...I''m sorry."</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    On that day - January 1st, 2023, the city of Shenzhen survived a mass-scale attack from the Midnight Syndicate. This event wouldter go down in history known as the ''Nightmare War''. But what the future textbooks filled with heroic tales of the soldiers and Golden Monarchs didn''t speak of, was the cost of this seemingly impossible victory.


    On this day, the city lost. It lost buildings, citizens, resources, money, everything. But beyond all of that, most importantly...


    The city, and I, both lost the man known as Song Qian Long.


    For the city, he was the number 1 mage - the Dragon of Shenzhen. He was their protector, their leader, their hero. Someone who would eventually be reced as a stronger person came along.


    But to me, he was so much more. My guider. My helper. And most importantly of all...my godfather. He was irreceable to me. No matter how many more peoplee wanting to be my godfather, I will only ever have one. Even if he is already gone in the real world...he will forever live within my memories.


    After Song Qian Long disappeared, our soldiers hunted down all the Midnight Syndicate members, who had been trying to run away. The knight was nowhere to be seen, but I had a dark feeling I would meet him again in the near future...and not as friends.


    After Mei Mo disappeared, all the monsters did as well, apparently. That meant the city was safe once more...but what''s done is done. The destruction done to the city of Shenzhen in this invasion will take a few years to fix, and perhaps even a few more to get the city back into its original state.


    But...the city will never be able to go back to what it was before, without the Dragon of Shenzhen.


    In any case, we returned to the Coastal Metropolis to bring the good news of our victory, but I wasn''t in the mood. None of the Golden Monarchs were, either...with the exception of Li Hai Tang, who didn''t seem to care much about Song Qian Long''s death. The representatives from the other cities, Mr. Tan and Mr. Gao, decided they would stay here and help out with the reconstruction of this city for a bit longer before going back to their homnds.


    When it was announced on the PA of the mall that the city was now safe again, everyone rejoiced. But these people who weren''t present at the actual fight have no idea just what was sacrificed for them to still be able to cry out in happiness right now.


    Instead of returning to the mall, I decided to head back to the school dorms. My own dorm room, in particr. I needed some time by myself, and reflect on what happened today. I know the girls are probably worried about me, but I really didn''t want to deal with anyone right now. Sometimes...being alone is for the best.


    Luckily, the dorm buildings weren''t harmed. Only the school''s main building was. So, I still had an intact room to go back to, which was good.


    As I sat down on my bed, I began contemting things.


    <em>Humans...or perhaps any other intelligent race...are truly wed creatures, huh? We don''t even realize something - or someone - is important to us...until we lose them. More often than not, we regret doing things, but then realize we can''t turn back time to fix it.</em>


    <em>Well...actually, it''s possible to turn back time...I read about a Divine Tier spell that could do that somewhere, but since no one has actually achieved the Divine God level, no one is able to cast that spell.</em><em></em>


    <em></em><em>Oh well...what do I do now? I can''t really stay in Shenzhen, since I wouldn''t have anything to do. The school is destroyed, and the principal of said school is...well, gone.</em><em></em>


    I sighed. I would think about this moreter. For now...I needed some rest. I headed into the bathroom, took a long shower, then came back out. It was then that I realized the new notifications on my phone.


    I looked at the screen.


    <strong>5 missed calls. From: Qing Yue.</strong>


    <strong></strong>I sighed and dialed her number, calling her back. Almost immediately, she answered.


    "What do you need, Qing Yu-"


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai? Where are you right now? Did you hear the announcement they just made? The city is safe now!"


    "Yeah...I heard," I replied stoically.


    "Hm...? Why do you not sound happy at all...?" Qing Yue murmured in confusion.


    "...It''s nothing. I''m really...d that the city is safe now. Really."


    Hiding my pain, I forced these words out my mouth.


    "Huh...well...okay then. Let''s meet up! Where are you right now?" Qing Yue asked excitedly.


    <em>If I said I needed to sleep right now, they would know I went to do something else when I should''ve been sleeping while they slept at the Sleepless Starlight.</em>


    "Right...uh, how about you tell me where you are? I''lle to you," I responded.


    "Hm...okay, the others and I just woke up to this announcement, so we''re still at the Sleepless Starlight."


    "I see...I''ming," I said briskly, then hung up.


    <em>I know that Song Qian Long sacrificing himself is for the best, but...I still can''t help but feel it should''ve been someone else to be the sacrifice. I know that''s a pretty damn evil, selfish thought, but who''s to me me? Anyone, if put in my position, would also wish the same.</em>


    <em></em>I sighed for the third time in this short duration and nced out the window.


    On this day, January 1st, 2023, the Dragon of Shenzhen fell.

 Chapter 184 - Broken City

    After the call, I headed for the Coastal Metropolis. I wasn''t in too much of a hurry to meet the girls, or rather, anyone, really. My mind still wasn''tpletely calm, and my head was still filled with thoughts of Song Qian Long''s final moments.


    After a long walk, I finally arrived at the mall. The front side of it was stillpletely burnt, so I circled around to the back. The guards were no longer there, as expected. People were also beginning to pile out of the mall, eager to get back to their homes...that is, if they hadn''t been destroyed.


    I was the only person to attempt to enter the mall at this time - everyone else was trying to leave. I squeezed myself past the crowd, and began heading for the Sleepless Starlight.


    As soon as I arrived, I spotted the girls waiting at the entrance. Qing Yue was the first to notice me, and quickly leapt off the bench she had been sitting on, running over to me.


    Rushing into my arms, she eximed, "Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    I patted her head awkwardly, but my heart wasn''t in it.


    Qing Yue noticed this, and looked up at me in puzzlement. "What''s wrong, Big Brother Xuan Kai...?"


    I shook my head. "Nothing..."


    "It''s clearly not nothing," Feng Mian cut in. "You sounded pretty off on the phone call earlier, too. Now that we''ve seen you in person, we''re sure. What happened?"


    I chuckled lightly, but it wasn''t one out of humor. "Guess I need to work on covering my emotions, huh?"


    "...Not really," Yu An Yan said. "Holding your emotions in isn''t exactly healthy."


    "Mm..." Yu An Xue agreed with a nod.


    "Y-You can talk to us! Y-Yes!" Lan Xiao Su yelped nervously.


    Mei Gui remained silent, but I could tell from her eyes that she already had a good grasp on what happened. She could tell my emotions due to our telepathic connection, after all. However, she still didn''t say a thing...she probably wanted me to tell them myself, and if I chose not to, she would naturally not say anything either.


    <em>Ever the loyal girl, huh?</em>


    "It''s fine if you don''t want to tell us, but...we''re just...um...worried," Feng Mian continued, blushing slightly.


    "Uh...whatever. You''ll find out soon either way, even if I don''t tell you," I said with a sigh, giving in. "But before that...where''s Obsidia? Did she talk to you guys?"


    "Eh?? How did you know, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, eyes widening in surprise.


    "I talked to her earlier...and told her toe say hi to you guys," I exined. "Looks like she actually listened. Interesting."


    "Is that a human talking about me behind my back I hear?" a female voice suddenly interrupted from behind me.


    I spun around to see Obsidia, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. She wore a slick ck jacket and jeans, almost like a gangster. All she was missing was a cigarette. Honestly, the getup was so different from the Obsidia I knew that I almost didn''t recognize her, but her unmistakable beauty with her ck hair and ck eyes was what made me certain on her identity. That, and the fact that she called me ''human''.


    "...Hi," I said awkwardly.


    She pushed herself off the wall, then narrowed her gaze at me. "You...just came back from a fight?"


    I flinched. "...Uh...no?"


    Obsidia suddenly leaned in close to me, grabbed my cloak, and began sniffing it with her nose.


    "Hey, what are yo-" I began, but it was toote.


    She let go of my cloak, and backed away. "This...there''s a faint stench of blood on your clothes. It was fairly recent, too. Human...what did you do?"


    <em>Damn it...the blood must be from the cut I got from that knight guy...I forgot that dragons had an excellent sense of smell...</em>


    "What?!" they all eximed in unison, eyes widening in shock. "Xuan Kai, are you okay? Does it hurt? Where is the injury?"


    I quickly backed away from the girls suddenly reaching for me, and I nodded. "Yeah, yeah...I''m fine...I just cut myself."


    I lied out of instinct...but if I told them about Song Qian Long''s death, they''ll obviously question how I knew. So, I would be exposed sooner orter, but-


    "That is a lie, human," Obsidia interrupted, eyes sharp as a hawk. "The smell of blood on you is too potent to be a mere idental cut."


    <em>Damn you and your sharp nose, Obsidia...</em>


    I sighed. "Fine...I''ll tell you guys what happened...but before that, where''s ria?"


    <em>I forgot about her twice in one day...luckily I remembered to ask about her right now. But...she doesn''t seem to be here?</em><em></em>


    Yu An Yan sighed. "She began pouting when we said we were going to meet up with you, saying something like ''I don''t want to see that bastard of a master''...right now, she''s still in our room inside."


    She pointed inside the Sleepless Starlight, and I let out a deep breath. "Man...it''s going to be a while before she forgives me. I''m assuming since she''s still in the room, you guys haven''t checked out yet?"


    Feng Mian nodded. "It hasn''t been 8 hours yet, anyway."


    "I see...let''s talk in the room, then," I suggested.


    No one objected, so we all headed back inside the Sleepless Starlight, in our own private room.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Inside the Room -</strong>


    "Huh?! Why is he here?! Why did you guys bring him here?!"


    "C-Calm down, ria..." Feng Mian murmured, trying to get the tiny phoenix to chill.


    The moment I stepped through the door, ria began yelling and pouting, and eventually, Mei Gui had to take ria out the room.


    "So? What happened while we were asleep...?" Feng Mian asked, folding her arms, once everything was quiet again.


    I sighed. "Well...basically, we fought back against the Midnight Syndicate''s forces, and somehow managed to win."


    "...Wait, what?" Yu An Yan blinked.


    "Yeah, I know...it''s pretty hard to believe. Basically, I was informed by Song Qian Long that the Midnight Syndicate was initiating Phase Two of their n, with Phase One alreadyplete."


    "So the monsters are all just Phase One..." Qing Yue murmured thoughtfully.


    "Yes. But in any case...I originally just nned toe up with a strategy for them, but then push came to shove and I ended up going along to the actual fight," I exined. "On our side, we had our own army, reinforcements from other cities, numerous Golden Monarchs including the father of An Xue and An Yan, Yu Ao, Qing Yue''s mother, Qing Xin, and Li Hai Tang. And...we also had Song Qian Long. But on the other side...we were facing an army of thousands of monsters."


    I hesitated a bit before saying<em>his</em>name, since I wasn''t fully over his death yet.


    "I see...and you managed to win?" Obsidia asked, slightly impressed.


    I nodded. "But...it wasn''t without a cost."


    "...There were casualties, I''m guessing...?" Lan Xiao Su asked quietly.


    I looked away, a grim expression on my face. "...Yeah."


    "So that is why you''ve been feeling off, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." Qing Yue said with a sigh, a worried expression on her face. "...Who was it?"


    I closed my eyes. "You''ll...find out soon enough."


    As if on cue, the mall''s PA system suddenly cackled to life, and Mayor Zhou''s voice came through.


    "Greetings, citizens of Shenzhen. I am the mayor of this city, Zhou Qian. I understand that you all are eager to get back to thefort of your own homes after this terrifying and disastrous event, but please, just pause for a moment. I would like to make an important announcement to all those who are still here, within the mall."


    We all perked our ears up...well, everyone except me. I knew what wasing, after all.


    "Together, with all of our strength, we managed to ovee this nightmare. It was truly a fierce battle, but in the end, we were the ones toe out on top. However...our victory was not without a cost," Mayor Zhou continued, his voice turning darker.


    "Throughout this battle, many brave souls have fallen. Our own soldiers, and the reinforcements from our neighboring cities - to which I am ever grateful for. I will never forget the sacrifices you made for us today...nor will the rest of this city. But above all that - beyond the footsoldiers who died fighting for their homnd...there is one irreceable figure who we lost today."


    A short silence, before finally continuing.


    "He was our hero, our leader, our symbol of hope. Someone we could look up to and trust in. Someone...who we could always rely on when in danger. And indeed - he protected all of us from danger once again today...that is, at the cost of his own life."


    The entire mall fell silent at these words, as if it wasn''t already quiet enough before when the announcement first began.


    "His name, is Song Qian Long. The Dragon of Shenzhen. As we move forward into the future from here, we will never forget - without him and his sincerely honorable sacrifice, we would have no future. For him...I humbly ask everyone here to stand and initiate one minute of silence."

 Chapter 185 - Next Steps

    The silence continued, even after the minute was over. Mayor Zhou thanked everyone for their time and closed off the PA. However...with the announcement of this news, I doubted anyone could just go back to what they were doing without a care in the world. The girls before me were a prime example of exactly that.


    They stood still, too stunned to say anything.


    I sighed. "Well...now you know why I''ve been pretty offtely."


    "...Right..." Feng Mian murmured. "Principal Song..."


    "I was never really close to him, but...he was still our principal..." Yu An Yan added. "I never thought he would just..."


    Seeing her trail off, I averted my gaze. "Yeah...from this, I learnt that...we should treasure what we have. Because...you never know when they might just disappear one day, out of the blue."


    "Yeah..." Qing Yue agreed. "Principal Song was a nice person."


    "Well..I''ve never had any interaction with this Song Qian Long person, but from the way you guys are describing him, I can tell he''s a kind man," Lan Xiao Su said. "May he rest in peace in heaven."


    "Mm..." Yu An Xue agreed with a nod.


    "Humans," Obsidia suddenly interrupted, and we all turned to look at her.


    "...Have you ever thought about what you all will do from here on?" she asked.


    "What do you mean?" Feng Mian asked in return.


    "You may have fought off the Midnight Syndicate this time, but this city is already nearly destroyed. It will be years before this ce is restored to its original state. Obviously...you cannot stay here anymore, unless you wish to stop getting stronger."


    <em>That was what I was thinking as well...she made a good point. Most educational facilities of the city have been wrecked to some extent, meaning it would be a while before schools became operational again. If we wanted to continue getting stronger...we can''t afford to waste several years'' time waiting for this city to be fixed.</em>


    <em></em>"...That''s true," Yu An Yan said with a sigh. "Even if this ce is my home and I have a duty to protect it...I really don''t want to spend the next 5 years doing absolutely nothing."


    Feng Mian turned to me. "Xuan Kai, what are you nning on doing?"


    I shrugged. "Me? Well...I''m definitely not staying in this city, that''s for sure. As for where exactly I''ll go...I haven''t really decided on that yet."


    "Master...remember what you said a while back?" Mei Gui suddenly spoke up, tugging at my sleeve.


    "What...?" I tilted my head in confusion.


    "At around Christmas...you said to the girls you were nning on going on a trip to the Magic Capital."


    <em>Oh, yeah. That was just an excuse I thought up randomly to reject their feelings, though...</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Oh, I remember that!" Qing Yue eximed.


    "Hm...did he? I don''t really remember," Feng Mian said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand.


    "Uh...yeah," I replied. "I said that back then..."


    <em>I can''t tell them it was just a random excuse...but to think I might actually be going along with this n.</em>


    <em></em>"But...the Magic Capital, huh?" I murmured to myself. "Shanghai...sounds pretty interesting. It''s definitely the best ce for magic studies, since it is the Magic Capital, but other than that I heard it''s very different from any other city in the world as well."


    "What does that mean?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "I can answer that question," a female voice suddenly said from outside the door. It was a familiar one too, actually.


    I frowned and pulled open the door.


    "As I thought...Xiang Peng. Why are you here?"


    "Hm, I was part of the army who fought back against the monsters just a little while ago too, y''know?" she said calmly. "After we got back, I was just chilling at a cafe...until I spotted you, that is. Then I just followed you because I was curious. But this is how you look without your mask, huh?"


    <em>Oh, shit-</em><em></em>


    <em>...I forgot I wasn''t wearing my mask...ah...</em>


    <em></em>I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, trying to block it, but it was futile. She had already seen my face...but she didn''t seem to recognize my name, so...


    "Oh, and yeah, I overheard. Your name is Xuan Kai, huh? I knew Zhang San wasn''t your real name."


    <em>...Shit.</em>


    I cleared my throat awkwardly. "A-Anyway...you said you could tell us about the Magic Capital?"


    "Yes, I can - that''s where I was born, after al-"


    "Hold on. Who is she?" Mei Gui asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously.


    I sighed. "Rx, Mei Gui. She''s not an enemy."


    "She was part of the rescue squad with Big Brother Xuan Kai who rescued me," Qing Yue exined.


    "I can confirm," Yu an Yan said with a thumbs-up. Yu An Xue also nodded.


    "..." Mei Gui fell silent, but her gaze was still locked on Xiang Peng.


    "Um...okay then! Let me tell you all about the Magic Capital," Xiang Peng finally said. "First off, like you mentioned earlier, it is indeed an one-of-a-kind city in this entire world. In fact...it seems so surreal, that the best way to describe it would probably be a ''video game''."


    "A video game...?" I echoed.


    She nodded. "Indeed! The entire city of Shanghai is a lot like a FPS shooter game. People are allowed to own guns, and these guns are used just as much as actual magic."


    "Guns...like the ones in video games? Wouldn''t those be easily overpowered by magic?" I asked.


    She shook her head. "Actually, no. The Magic Capital''s guns are mana-powered weapons that can output just as much damage as magic, and can also have many other perks. For example, snipers have a huge range advantage over most spells. But you guys will find out a lot more once you actually enter the city...it''s really fascinating, hard to exin in words."


    I turned to look at the other girls. "Well? What do you guys think?"


    "Sounds fine to me," Feng Mian said with a shrug. "It''s the Magic Capital, right? Can''t be bad."


    "Yep! And guns sound exciting!" Qing Yue yelled, an innocent smile on her face.


    <em>Oh, man...I''m never letting her touch a gun. Never.</em>


    "I''m fine with it," Yu An Yan said.


    "Me too," Yu An Xue added.


    "Y-Yep! Same!" Lan Xiao Su yelped. "My mother is still in danger...I have toe with you to help collect the materials for the antidote!"


    "Obsidia?" I asked.


    She closed her eyes. "I do not have an opinion."


    "And...Mei Gui."


    "I will follow Master wherever he goes," she replied immediately with a bow.


    I sighed. "Looks like...it''s decided then."


    "Oh, sweet!" Xiang Peng eximed. "I''ll see you guys in the Magic Capital then! Come say hi~Xuan Kai knows where to find me."


    With these words, she left the room. I spun around to face the girls after locking the door again, and spoke.


    "Have you all really decided?''''


    "What do you mean?" Feng Mian asked. The other girls clearly shared the same question, by the look in their eyes.


    "I mean...for Qing Yue and the Yu sisters, you''ll have to say goodbye to your families. They can''t leave this city, after all."


    "That''s true...but it''s okay," Qing Yue quickly said. "My mom will be fine! Of course, I''ll miss her and stuff, but I think she would rather me go somewhere else than waste 5 years of my life in this destroyed city."


    "Yeah, same with us," Yu An Yan said. "Father and mother would want An Xue and I to get stronger as mages, instead of remaining in this city without an ounce of improvement."


    "My parents would probably want to stay in this city as well, to be honest," Feng Mian added. "They''ve been here all their life...it would be difficult for them to move now."


    "Are your parents alright?" I asked.


    "Yes, I found them in the mall earlier. We had a nice long talk," she replied.


    "I see...and Lan Xiao Su...?"


    Lan Xiao Su flinched, not expecting me to call her name. "A-Ah! I, u-um, I''lle with you guys as well! That is...if you don''t mind me being there..."


    "What about your job? I-I mean, as a receptionist," I said, careful not to leak her popstar identity.


    "Well...the Hunters'' Guild branch is probably destroyed by now, and if not...I still want toe along with you guys! The Magic Capital sounds pretty interesting...s-so..."


    "Then...we''re going to Shanghai, I guess," I concluded. "Go find your parents, friends, anyone you want to say goodbye to...once you guys are all done, we''ll discuss how we''ll actually get to our destination."


    "Hold on, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian interrupted.


    "What?"


    "Um...about your true feelings..." she murmured.


    "Oh, that..." I fell into thought. "Well, let''s just say...for now, I''m still not ready to ept your feelings or anything. That goes for all of you. But...I do admit I care about you guys. Somewhat, at least...if I didn''t, I wouldn''t have bothered trying to save you. So...if you guys areing along with me to the Magic Capital, I''m not just going to let you die or anything."


    <em>Aha...who am I kidding? I care about them more than just ''somewhat''. But there''s no way I''m admitting that, so.</em>


    <em></em>"I see...good enough, for now, at least?" Feng Mian said, turning to the other girls. They exchanged nces with one another and then collectively sighed.


    "Well, I guess this is fine for now," Qing Yue said with a shrug. "I''m expecting a proper proposal in the future though,Big Brother Xuan Kai! Ehehe~"


    I averted my gaze, which caused the other girls to giggle. Well...most of the other girls, anyway. Obsidia remained silent, and Mei Gui was as expressionless as ever. Lan Xiao Su was just ncing back and forth between me and the girls, confused at what''s happening.


    <em>This marks the end of an era. But at the same time, it also is the beginning of a new one. With no longer a ce to truly call home, we will be constantly on the move, travelling from one ce to another. Is this the right decision? I don''t know. But one thing is for certain - I will never stop moving forward, no matter the harsh obstacles that maye in my way.</em>


    <em>And as for the Midnight Syndicate...don''t think I''m just going to let you get away with killing my godfather. I''ll destroy you, no matter what it takes.</em>

 Chapter 186 - Side : Mei Mos Past (1)

    My name is Mei Mo. But that...wasn''t my real name. This is the story of how - and why - I became a notorious viin of the Midnight Syndicate. This is the story of my past.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>I was born in France, territory of the Subi race. But before I go any further, I need to exin how subi are born.


    We are a race that relies on males of other races to reproduce ourselves, since there aren''t any males in our race. After we sleep with a man of another race and drain all of their life force, we sometimes end up conceived with their child. This child, however, will grow within the subus''s body...and they will eventually be born a subus as well. Of course, this means the baby is guaranteed to be female.


    In my case, my father was a human, ording to my mother. But apparently, when they were in the middle of intercourse, my father realized my mother was actually a subus - but it was toote. My mother drained his life force...but unknowingly to her, my father, with his dying breaths, used some Curse Magic on her.


    Right after giving birth to me, my mother died to this curse. I was left all alone, without anyone to rely on. But there''s more.


    My mother had been the mortal enemy of another subus - they had been eyeing the same prey, my father. This subus, however, just coincidentally happened to be the current Subus Queen - the most powerful, charming subus of all, chosen every 4 years.


    After my mother died, this queen drove me out of France. At the time, I was still only 4. Just barely old enough to walk on my own, I ventured aimlessly around the world.


    One day, a human came across me on the outskirts of the country of France. By this time, I was near dead from starvation and thirst. Since I was still only 4, my subus nature hadn''t shown yet, and I lookedpletely just like a normal human child.


    "Oh my...what''s wrong, little girl?" she bent down and asked me in concern. "Where are your parents? And why are you in such...battered clothes?"


    I didn''t know how to talk since no one taught me, so I just looked down at my attire. A grey, sleeveless shirt, worn down and dirty from my days of travel.


    The human woman furrowed her brows and lifted me up in her arms. "Poor girl...did your parents...abandon you here? Near dangerous subus and vampire territory?"


    <em>Oh, so she really thinks I''m a human. But what is this woman doing here in foreign territory?</em>


    <em></em>"...Come with me, I will raise you instead..." she murmured, before cing me down, then turning around and bending down once more. "Hop on my back."


    "..."


    Without really thinking about it, I just did as told...or rather, I didn''t understand her words, but I could see what she was trying to get me to do based on her posture. And so, Iplied.


    After that, she took me to China - human territory.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>For the next 6 years, I was taught by this woman. Raised like a human, treated like a human. Everything was fine. I slowly grew closer to this woman, far closer than I had been with my own deceased mother. She even gave me a name - Mo Mei.


    ...But s, these peaceful days eventually came to an end.


    By the time I turned 10, my subus features were starting to show. Having been raised by a human, I was not taught how to conceal my subus properties. And so...one day, the woman found out.


    "What...what are you...?!" she had cried in fear.


    "Where...where is my Mo Mei?! Where did you take her, you damn monster?!" she had yelled in anguish.


    I knew the human tongue by now, so I had simply responded. "I am Mo Mei."


    "N-No...No...that can''t be...no..."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After that, she threw me away. Abandoned me, just like how the subi race did. Since she couldn''t bring herself to kill the same child she had spent six years raising, she decided to just dump me in one of the dark alleyways of Hong Kong, the city I had been living in.


    <em>What difference is there between doing that and just outright killing me on the spot?</em>


    So for the next few months, I survived by digging around the trash, eating whatever leftovers I could find like a dirty roon. I didn''t know why, but I had this instinct to survive. A burning passion deep down within my heart...to take revenge on all those who have wronged me. The entire subi race...and that human woman.


    In order to aplish this, I had to keep living, by any means possible. I continued scraping by like this for nearly half a year...and that''s also around the time when I finally perfected the technique of hiding my subus traits - my tail with a heart at the end and my horned ears. I had taught myself this technique throughout the past six months, now finally mastering it. I could now finally blend into human society. On that day, I made a vow to never ce trust in anyone ever again - lest I am betrayed once more.


    But before I could sessfullypletely restart life anew under cover as a human, there was just one witness I had to eliminate - the woman who had once saved me. She was the only one who knew my true identity as a subus, so if I were to run into her on the streets or somewhere, my life would be thrown into utter chaos once more. Therefore, for the sake of my survival and revenge, I must stop her from telling anyone my identity.


    And the easiest way to silence someone...is to kill them.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Since I had been living in the woman''s house before she abandoned me, I knew exactly where she lived, her daily routine, and the ces where she would pass by on her way to work and back. In particr, she walked through a dark alleyway everyday as a shortcut to get to the subway station. Under normal circumstances, she would have to walk all the way around two blocks and then circle back to reach the subway station, but with this dark alleyway, it can save a good ten minutes of travel time.


    I knew she would be taking this route, so all I had to do was hide myself there, and lie in wait. And indeed, on a gloomy, foggy morning, right around 7 AM, she showed up. I hid myself behind one of the trash cans in the alleyway. Since I was still only 10, I had a small frame and could remain unseen. I held a kitchen knife in my hands, one that had been thrown away by some random person. I had found it while rummaging through the trash. Since my weak magic of a ten-year-old wouldn''t work on this fully grown adult woman who was an Advanced Mage, I had no choice but to resort to cold steel.


    The woman walked directly past me, not even sparing a single nce. I counted.


    <em>1...2...3.</em>


    Leaping out of my hiding spot, I dashed towards the woman''s exposed back, and drove the knife directly into her heart. The whole action happened so quick the woman didn''t even have a chance to react. She slowly turned her head around in fear, eyes widening even further as she saw my dirty face.


    "Y-You..." she murmured, before finally copsing on the ground, dead.


    I dragged her body and stuffed her into one of the trash cans. This took a while, since the body of an adult was pretty heavy for a 10 year old, but eventually I managed to do it. I threw away my blood-stained knife into the can as well, and then walked out of the alleyway, never turning back.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After that incident, I headed for a school in Hong Kong. I couldn''t afford to continue living like this any longer, so I had to apply for a school. In Hong Kong and the rest of China, human territory, any schools below university are free. In other words, I had 8 years from now to secure a method of sustaining myself financially and continuing to blend in as a human, while asionally preying on males to satisfy my subus needs.


    I made up a lie at the school I chose, saying that my parents both died in a car crash, and now I had nowhere to go. The school, thinking 10 year olds are unable to lie, epted me with ease. Since the school had dormitories and a cafeteria, I was good on survival for now...my subus nature was a problem, but I could sustain myself through the sweat of males during gym ss.


    For the next three years, I studied magic at this school - and found myself extremely talented at one element in particr - Curse Magic. This was undoubtedly thanks to my subus heritage, and so I made good use of it. I continued to perfect my subus techniques, and by the time these three years were over, it was time for high school. A whole new journey would begin for me...but not in the way I would expect.


    <em>To be continued...</em>

 Chapter 187 - Side : Mei Mos Past (2)

    The high school I applied to was called Hong Kong Magic Academia. It wasn''t the best high school in the city, but it wasn''t a bad one, either. Since this was a public school, anyone could attend as long as they were within the age range and were living in Hong Kong, free of costs. I had a citizenship here - the woman who took me in got me one. Therefore, my registration process went through with no problems. They even provided me with special treatment because of my little pitiful act - I received one of the best dorm rooms apparently, right on the second floor for ease of travel.


    And so, just like that, I slipped my way into a school within human territory.


    <em>Humans...are really foolish and gullible creatures, huh?</em>


    But unfortunately...once they found out about your true nature, they immediately be the cruellest race on this.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>It happened on a rainy day. Around 5 months had passed since I first entered the school. I made some friends, learnt a lot of things, and managed to pass by without exposing my subus nature. But on this day, all that changed.


    It was gym ss. It had already been 3 days since thest gym ss, which was when I got to feed off the sweat of the human males. In other words, my inner subus was starving, craving for some nutrients. And so, just like usual, I made an excuse to the teacher to leave for a moment, then slipped inside the boys locker room while no one was looking.


    Inside the locker room, the sweaty shirts of high school boysy around, and I couldn''t help myself. I was too thirsty. Sweat is the least tasty form of human fluids that we subi need, but it was the safest option. I picked up one of the sweaty t-shirts, and squeezed it so that the sweat drops dripped out into my mouth. I repeated this process with around 5 more shirts...before someone suddenly pushed open the room''s door and froze in shock at the sight of me.


    "Mo...Mei...? What are you doing inside the boys locker room...? And...what are those...things on you?"


    I looked down at my body.


    <em>Oh...no.</em>


    <em></em>I was so focused on drinking sweat that my subus features began to show. My tail, my horned ears - everything. I turned back to the boy who had stumbled in on me - his name was unimportant, but I assumed he probably forgot something in the locker room and now came back to retrieve it. I cursed, then after a short mental debate, lunged myself at him.


    <em>Like I said...the easiest way to silence someone...is to kill them.</em>


    But the boy was far stronger than I thought. He pushed me away with ease, since he beat me in physical strength.


    <em>Fine...no choice, then.</em>


    <em></em>"Level Two Curse Magic - Hypnosis."


    I pointed my hand towards the boy, who found himself staring back into my palm. For a second, I thought my hypnosis had seeded - but then, the boy suddenly pped himself on his face, and snapped back to his senses.


    "Damn it...you actually dare to use magic here?!"


    With these words, he immediately left the locker room, leaving me frustrated, nervous, and torn.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Things after that incident, were abysmal for me. The boy who found out about my secret told it to everyone in the school. The teachers and staff couldn''t find any evidence to expel me or anything, but the students didn''t need any to iste me.


    My friends left me, and my teachers neglected me. This was the harsh reality of this world. Discrimination is everywhere, albeit for different reasons - from anything as grand as race to something as trivial as hobbies. Discrimination is everywhere. And now, I was on the receiving end of it.


    So, just like before, I ended up all alone. Receiving looks of disgust as my fellow schoolmates passed by me in the halls, excluded from any fun activities they do together, and treated as if I was a contagious virus. For the next two years, this was how I lived. All from one tiny incident.


    But then,<em>he</em>came. A transfer student, he was a good-looking guy with ck hair and ck eyes. He ended up being allocated to my ss - sitting right beside me, in particr. Immediately, he became the topic of conversation all around the school. Many girls were vying to be the first to ask him out, but whenever someone did, he just turned them down.


    On the other hand, he tried talking to me many times, since I was the person sitting right beside him...despite all the rumors about me. I ignored him at first, since nothing good woulde out of me talking to him other than getting the girls to hate me even more than they already do, but after a while, I couldn''t just keep pretending he wasn''t there.


    For the first time, we made conversation. And I found myself drawn into his deep ck eyes, warmughter, and outgoing personality. Eventually, without even realizing it myself, I had fallen in love with him. This boy...despite all the rumors about me and my abysmal reputation, actually tried interacting with me. And so, one day, I made up my mind, when we were eating together in the cafeteria.


    "Will you...go out wi-"


    "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, suddenly cutting me off.


    "...Huh?" I blinked in surprise, too shocked to say anything.


    "Uh...it''s fine if you don''t want to, I just thought I''d at least give it a shot..."


    "No no...sure. I am willing," I replied. "I was just a bit...caught off guard, that was all."


    "Really?! That''s great!" he eximed, bursting into a sunny smile.


    I smiled awkwardly in return, then he awkwardly reached for my hand. I flinched a little when he touched me, but I gave in and let him hold my hand. And so, we spent the rest of lunch like that, our hands held.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>News of our rtionship quickly spread throughout the school, and my already bad reputation turned even worse.<em>He</em>, however, didn''t seem to mind. Our rtionship continued to progress steadily, and we gradually began spending more and more time together in our free time.


    One day, after school, he suddenly offered to go to his house.


    "Huh? Go to your...house?"


    "Yeah, it''s not far from the school," he replied carefreely.


    "But...why? Don''t we already have dorms?"


    "Well..." he blushed and turned away. "There are some things that you can''t really do in school dorms, y''know..."


    I didn''t know what he was talking about, but I decided to just go along with him.


    "Sure."


    "Really?! Alright, let''s leave immediately then!"


    He grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him as I struggled to keep up.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Around half an hourter, we were at his house. It was just an average house, not too big and not too small. He unlocked the door and the two of us entered. It was dark inside with no lights on or curtains open, and no one else appeared to be home.


    "You live all by yourself...?" I wondered out loud as I took off my shoes.


    But he didn''t respond, which was unlike him. Usually he would immediately answer any questions I had. But this time, instead, he calmly closed the door behind us, then locked it. He then took off his own shoes wordlessly, then turned around to face me. But since it was dark, I couldn''t make out his face.


    "Um...is there something wrong?" I asked, slightly frightened by his unusual actions.


    But once again, he didn''t respond. Instead, he suddenly grabbed my shoulders with his hands, and leaned in.


    "Hey-!"


    But it was toote. He bit down on my neck, and my eyes widened as I felt two sharp teeth - fangs - prate my skin.


    "W-Wha...."


    The moment he sank his fangs into my neck, I was paralyzed, unable to move or do a thing. But I could still think - and I knew immediately that this boy, who had yed all nice, was in fact a monster, just like me.


    ...He was a vampire.


    Contrary tomon beliefs, vampires weren''t actually afraid of the sun. Instead, they just prefer to be in darkness. Sunlight wouldn''t actually harm them - the power of it was far too low. They were, however, terrified of powerful Light Magic. But unfortunately...I didn''t have an aptitude for that, since I, as a subus, was also afraid of Light Magic. And so, I stood there helplessly as my blood was drained by this vampire.


    After a good minute, he finally let go of me roughly, and I copsed onto the floor. He then licked his lips, and smiled evilly.


    "Thanks for the meal...I will clean up this messter, since for now...I have some more prey to catch."


    Thinking I was dead, he left through the front door. He would probablye backter to get rid of my body - erasing the evidence. But I wasn''t dead just yet.


    If I were a normal human, having all that blood drained from me would have instantly killed me. But I was a subus - and my life force was stronger than that of humans. But even then...I was still very weak. The paralysis poison from the vampire''s fangs was still in my body, but it was slowly wearing off. I could move a little bit now, and I forced myself to my feet. With great difficulty, I unlocked the door, and limped outside. After making sure the vampire wasn''t anywhere around, I headed for a dark alleyway to heal back up. If I went to the school, I would probably run into him. And if I took any main roads, there was a good chance I could be spotted as well, and be asked about why I was in such pain.


    Therefore, I crawled into a dark alleyway, then copsed onto the floor once more, hand covering my neck in agony. It also started raining, and that didn''t help.


    <em>Again...betrayed...again. Why did I even...trust someone else...? After what happened with that human woman...why did I believe in someone again?!</em>


    <em>...They''re all fake. They''re all fake they''re all fake they''re all fake they''re all fake they''re all fake they''re all fake they''re all fake they''re all fak-</em>


    <em></em>"...You there," a man said suddenly, snapping my out of my thoughts. "Let me guess...you were betrayed by someone you really trusted in?"


    I looked up at the man. He was d in silver armor, and looked pretty much like a knight.


    "...Go away," I said quietly. I didn''t want to interact with anyone else. I would just stay alone. That way, I couldn''t risk being betrayed again.


    "Just staying alone won''t stop you from getting betrayed," the knight said, as if reading my thoughts. "The only way to aplish your goal...is to get strong. So strong, that no one dares to betray you."


    "Strong..." I muttered.


    "Join us. I will help you be strong - stronger than anyone here. And once you do, that is when you can take your revenge on everyone who has wronged you."


    <em>Revenge? Now that sounds tempting.</em>


    <em></em>"...Fine. How do I...join?"


    "You already have," the knight said, then raised out his hand.


    I stared into his visor, and took his hand. He pulled me up from the ground, then let go of my hand.


    "Wee...to the Midnight Syndicate."

 Chapter 188 - Farewells

    <em>"Surrender to what is. Let go of what once was. And...have faith in what will be."</em>


    <strong>*****1</strong>


    After the girls left to say goodbye to their respective families, I did some research as to how we would actually get to the city. The fastest method was by ne, but Shenzhen''s only airport was destroyed in the invasion. The next method would be by high-speed rail...but once again, the stations in Shenzhen were allpletely obliterated and dysfunctional as of right now.


    Mayor Zhou hadn''t recovered enough to just straight up teleport us out of the city yet, and even if he did, that Warp Gate spell wouldn''t be able to cover the 1435.4 kilometers between Shenzhen and Shanghai, unfortunately.


    That left us with only one solution - getting there through a mixture of different types of transportation. It was a hassle, but the only n we could use.


    First, we would get out of Shenzhen - this was the hardest part, since we would have to do it by foot. Not all of us had Sky Magic, after all. We would head towards the nearest city to Shenzhen - in this case, Huizhou - also one of the ces who sent some reinforcements to us. From there, we could then take a flight to Shanghai. Money wouldn''t be a problem with the Yu sisters with us. Hell, they probably had a private jet...not that I was going to ask them about that, though.


    Today was January 1st - if we left early tomorrow morning, we would reach Huizhou at around nighttime - but that''s only if we ran some parts of the way.


    "I can carry all of you on my back if needed," Obsidia suddenly said. Since she didn''t have any rtives or anything here, she stayed behind here while the other girls went off to say their goodbyes.


    "...Wouldn''t people see you?" I asked. "Your dragon form is pretty...hard to miss."


    "Oh, so my dragon form isn''t pretty to you, human?"


    "N-No, that''s not what I meant. Your dragon form is pretty, but it''s also pretty damn conspicuous precisely because of that," I quickly replied.


    "...I can make it work," she said. "I can fly at very high altitudes...as long as you humans can handle it."


    I fell into thought. "I mean...how high exactly are we talking here?"


    "The mesosphere."


    <em>The mesosphere...wait, that''s above even airnes! Good thing there''s still oxygen and stuff up there...</em>


    <em></em>"I can block the wind and stuff with a simple air barrier, but how can you be sure we won''t like...identally fall off or something?"


    "Hold on tight, human."


    "...That''s not really reassuring," I replied with a short chuckle.


    "Worry not. I will not let you die before you aplish what you promised me," Obsidia said in return stoically.


    "Yeah, but what about the other girls?"


    "...Have them hold on to you as hard as they can. Easy solution."


    <em>...You''re really not factoring in how I feel about all this, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"Whatever...fine. We''ll ride on your back. I don''t got insurance, though."


    "Very well," she replied, before sitting down on the bed with her eyes closed, hands in herp.


    "By the way..." I began.


    She opened one eye. "What, human?"


    "Have you been trying to hone the Chaos within youtely?"


    "...How did you know?"


    I shrugged. "Eh...it''s hard to exin in words. Basically, I just felt the tether between us grow more ''pure'', somehow. It''s still not nearly on the level of Mei Gui''s, though."


    "...I used those monsters as target practice, and found that my magic was even stronger than when I first met you. In other words, the Chaos within me has grown more dominant."


    "I mean...that''s not exactly a bad thing, is it?"


    "I know. I am notining...this power is helping me get stronger, and the stronger I get, the more of a chance I have at defeating those bastards back in dragon territory..."


    "...This is just a guess, but what if...staying with me for this period of time somehow helped ''purify'' the Chaos inside you?" I said thoughtfully. "I mean, your Chaos has never suddenly improved by this much before, right?"


    "That is correct...but we still do not have any conclusive evidence."


    "Yeah, you''re right. Like I said, it was just a guess," I responded with ease. "But if that is indeed the case..."


    "...Then this whole Chaos power just got a lot more interesting," Obsidia finished.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Later That Day -</strong>


    <strong></strong>It was around nighttime on January 1st by the time the girls all came to the meeting ce we designated beforehand - the food court in The Coastal Metropolis...which, thankfully, hadn''t been destroyed during the invasion. Otherwise, we would have had nothing to eat.


    In any case, we were all reunited again, so we picked out a table after ordering our respective foods and we sat down. It was a rounded table in the corner of the food court, much to my liking.


    <em>As for the money...right. We don''t talk about how Yu An Yan ended up paying for my dinner.</em>


    <em>...I''m out of money, okay?! Rx. I spent all the money I got from that Hunters'' Guild quest on my little ''date'' with Mei Gui. The ''date'' was 100% wholesome and tonic though, just for the record.</em>


    <em></em><em>I-I''ll do a bunch of quests once we get to Shanghai, I promise. There''s definitely a Hunters'' Guild there.</em>


    "So...you all done with your farewells?" I asked, eating a scoop of my curry rice.


    "Yeah," Feng Mian replied with a sigh. "I''m going to miss them...but I know that staying here wouldn''t do anything. And they refuse toe with us as well, so..."


    <em>Well, I suppose that''s a good thing. If Feng Mian''s parents were toe with us, we wouldn''t be able to ride on Obsidia.</em>


    <em></em>"Same here," Yu An Yan said.


    "Xuan Kai...father...wants to see you," Yu An Xue added, which caused Yu An Yan to turn to her in surprise.


    "What?! I never heard about that!"


    "Father...only told...me. Hmph," Yu An Xue said smugly, a triumphant look on her face.


    "Uh...Yu Ao? Oh man, I can already tell what he wants to ''see'' me for."


    <em>I guarantee it''s something like this:</em>


    <em>"Take good care of my daughters! Come back to Shenzhen for your wedding! The city will be rebuilt by then! Give me a bunch of grandkids!"</em>


    It''s going to be a pain, but...I guess I should probably go see him since he asked me to, especially considering it was unknown when the next time we meet would be.


    "Did he say when he wanted me to go see him?" I asked.


    "No...not specifically..." Yu An Xue murmured in reply.


    "I see..." I muttered. "I''ll go after we finish eating, then. Qing Yue, what about you? Is Aunt Qing okay?"


    I referred to Qing Xin as ''aunt'' since she really was my aunt, but earlier, in front of the other Golden Monarchs, I couldn''t call her that since I didn''t want to reveal too much about myself. But here, I didn''t have to worry about that.


    "Mom is fine! In fact, she wanted me to go with you, and had a smile on her face," Qing Yue replied. "Oh, and also, she said she wanted to see you as well."


    "Alright..." I replied.


    <em>A smile on her face, huh? Yeah...no. What kind of mother would want their own child to leave them for god knows how long? I don''t know if Qing Yue really doesn''t know about her mother''s true emotions, or she''s just hiding her pain behind the ignorant facade, but...I''ll definitely go talk to her after this dinner as well.</em>


    <em></em>"Oh yeah, by the way, where''s ria?" I asked.


    "She''s still...angry, apparently," Feng Mian said with an exasperated sigh. "She says...oh, she doesn''t want to see you."


    I narrowed my eyes. "...Why are you looking down?"


    "H-Huh? Uh, I don''t know! Why am I, hm?"


    "ria...you''re sitting on herp, aren''t you?"


    "Damn it! This is all your fault, Feng Mian!" I heard ria''s familiar voice whisper sharply.


    "W-What do you mean?! You''re the one who couldn''t hold yourself back froming with us to the food court!" Feng Mian whispered back.


    "T-That''s...!"


    "...I can hear you both perfectly fine, just saying," I interrupted stoically.


    Both individuals froze, and fell silent.


    I sighed. "ria...I understand why you''re mad at me, but we''re setting off for Shanghai tomorrow. Before then...I want to resolve our conflict. If you are stillpletely unwilling to talk, then fine. But just know...this is yourst chance. Otherwise, I''ll just ignore you for the rest of my life - until our contract ends. Oh, but I''ll still summon you as a shield whenever I need to. And since I''m your master, you can''t disobey by the force of the contract."


    I dropped in a tiny threat at the end there, just to make her pissed. She still had the mental age of a 7 year old, so she was rtively easy to taunt. She didn''t say anything in return for now, but I knew she heard my words.


    We finished dinner shortly after, and I made a promise to Yu An Yan to pay her back the price of the dinner when I got the money...which was going to be very soon. For sure.


    "Oh yeah, by the way, where are Yu Ao and Aunt Qing?" I asked.


    "Father was at the Yu family manor a while ago," Yu An Yan replied.


    "Mom was at the Qing family manor," Qing Yue added.


    I nodded in acknowledgment, and after that, I headed for the two respective locations.


    <em>Now then...what do you want to speak to me about?</em><em></em> I''m naming this one - Zed.

 Chapter 189 - Final Words

    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Yu Family Manor -</strong>


    After we finished dinner, the girls set off to the Sleepless Starlight once more to secure us two rooms to spend the night in. One room for the girls, and another, smaller one for me. Luckily, the store still offered this temporary ''hotel-like'' service, and I assumed they would continue doing so until a lot of the destroyed residential areas arepletely rebuilt. They were making a lot off of this, after all, and many other bedroom stores were starting to copy them.


    In any case, I was currently at the destroyed Yu family manor, where I was told I could find Yu Ao. And indeed, the moment I arrived at the site, I spotted the Yu family patriarch standing in front of the half-demolished gates of the garden. I couldn''t see his face, but I could tell he was pretty downcast at the site of his beloved, now-ruined home.


    I slowly walked up behind him, and tried to keep my footsteps as light as possible as to not disturb him suddenly, but he seemed to have heard them anyway.


    "So you''vee, my son-inw."


    "I''ve said this numerous times already, but...I''m not your son-inw," I muttered. Then, in a quieter tone, "Not yet, anyway..."


    He chuckled lightly. "You''re willing to say ''not yet'' now? It seems you are finally falling for my two adorable daughters'' charms."


    I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. What did you call me here for?"


    I asked, despite already knowing. But hey, formalities were formalities, and I might as well y along.


    "...I''ll keep this short, since I know you have a long journey ahead of you tomorrow," Yu Ao said after a short silence. "Please...keep my daughters safe."


    I sighed. "As expected...don''t worry, patriarch. I wouldn''t take them with me if I wasn''t nning on protecting them...I promise."


    The patriarch finally turned around to face me, and smiled. "You really have fallen in love with my daughters, hm?"


    I averted my gaze. "Don''t know what you mean. They''re just mypanions for now, nothing more."


    "For now, hm..." Yu Ao leaned in closer, and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.


    I backed away in disgust, and heughed.


    "My dear son-inw, remember your promise here today," he said. "If my daughters end up being hurt, either physically<em>or</em> emotionally, you''re the person I''m going to question."


    "Wait, emotionally? I never promis-"


    "Too bad," he cut me off. "My daughters are in love with you, so unless you can figure out some way to reject them without hurting their feelings, you''re stuck with them for the rest of your life."


    "W-What?"


    Yu Ao sighed, and then gently rubbed his be. "Jesus...you''re the first boy I''ve met who doesn''t jump at the chance of being able to marry one of my daughters, with their social standing and looks...well, I suppose that''s part of the reason why they fell in love with you in the first ce. Boys like you...are rare nowadays. It''s really hard to find someone who genuinely does not care about reputation, social standing, money, stuff like that."


    I shrugged. "I just see no point in choosing your lifelong partner over things that can be both earned and lost in the blink of an eye."


    "...Heh. I like that philosophy," Yu Ao said with a grin. "Alright, dear boy, you should probably head to your next destination. I believe...matriarch Qing would also like to speak with you, yes?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. I was just nning to head over there."


    "You will find her in the Qing family residency," Yu Ao replied. "But before that...why don''t you call me ''father-inw'' once, haha!"


    "In your dreams," I immediately rejected.


    "Haha..." heughed it off, as if it was a joke.


    But in reality, he was actually hoping I would do it. The slight disappointment in his eyes is enough to prove that.


    And so, after I turned away from him and was about to leave, I said onest thing.


    "In the future...when we alle back to Shenzhen sometime...if you are still here, then I''ll call you father-inw or whatever you want."


    Hearing this, his spirits immediately lifted, and he smiled as I gave a little wave, and disappeared from sight.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Qing Family Manor -</strong>


    Unlike Yu Ao, Qing Xin was sitting on a bench near the Qing family residency when I found her. She appeared to be very calm, but upon closer inspection, she didn''t seem to be her usual self.


    She spotted me, then patted down on the bench, signaling for me toe sit beside her. I obliged.


    And then, to my surprise, she suddenly leaned in on me, and rested her head on my shoulder. I nearly jumped out of the seat, but then she would''ve just crashed onto the bench, so I remained still. It was only then that I realized her cheeks were flushed red, and I spotted an empty bottle of wine near one of the legs of the bench.


    <em>She...was drinking?</em>


    <em></em>"U-Uh...aunt Qing?"


    "...Xuan Kai..." she murmured, using my shoulder as support. Luckily, no one else was around, or else her image as the cold matriarch of the Qing family would crumble to pieces. A tear emerged from her right eye, and I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed them again.


    Sometimes, in cases like this, it was better to just stay silent than to try tofort them. For one, I wasn''t good atforting people, especially not girls, and for two, I doubted anything I said right now would get through to her, seeing as how she was drunk.


    "Xuan Kai...I...I don''t want Yue''Er to leave, you know? I don''t...despite what I say on the surface..." she murmured, sobbing.


    "...Yeah," I said quietly. "I know."


    "But...I know...she''ll be happier with you and the rest of the girls, so..." Qing Xin continued, sniffing softly, then looked up at me. "...Take care of her, okay? I leave my precious daughter...in your hands."


    I nodded firmly. "Don''t worry, auntie. I definitely won''t let any harme to her."


    Qing Xin smiled at my words. "Thank you, Xuan Kai...I am so grateful for a nephew like you. And...I''m happy that Yue''Er has found such a nice person willing to take care of her for life."


    <em>F-For life? Uh...aren''t we moving the conversation a bit fast here?</em>


    I didn''t say anything though, since I didn''t want to dim her mood again. Instead, she continued.


    "Yue''Er...she''s not my real daughter, but I treat her otherwise," she said, a distant look in her eyes. "Did you know? She''s actually the daughter of one of my maids who passed away right after giving birth to her. When I told Yue''Er this truth, you know what she said?"


    I shook my head. "What?"


    "She merely pulled me into a hug and said ''Mom, you''re the best mom I could ever ask for!''"


    This was part of the story that I didn''t know. It wasmonly known that Qing Yue wasn''t Qing Xin''s real daughter but instead her maid''s, but what people failed to recognize was just how hard Qing Xin tried to be the best mother she could for a daughter who wasn''t even her own.


    "Ever since then...I treated her even better than before. I thought of her as my true own daughter, and didn''t bother marrying anyone or having any kids of my own. Because...she was all I needed. And seeing a smile on her face...is my only wish in life."


    "...I see," I said in response, unsure of what else to say.


    Qing Xin wiped away the tears on her face, and got off of my shoulder.


    "Ah...apologies, Xuan Kai. I was drunk," she said, a mncholy smile on her face.


    "Yeah...you were drunk. Don''t worry...this conversation never happened," I replied, understanding the meaning of her words.


    She nodded, and turned around. "Goodbye, Xuan Kai...if you ever doe back to Shenzhen in the future...I will be waiting."


    I grinned. "Of course we will, aunt Qing. This city is Qing Yue''s - and my - home. No matter where we go, how far we go...we will never forget our roots. In the end...after all is said and done...we will return here - for it is where we were born."


    I turned around as well, and the two of us, with our backs to each other, said our final goodbyes.


    "Farewell, aunt Qing."


    "Farewell, Xuan Kai. And...say goodbye to Qing Yue for me as well."


    I nodded, and walked away.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Later That Night, The Sleepless Starlight -</strong>


    <strong></strong>By the time I returned, the girls had already slept. Obsidia also slept with them, and even Mei Gui...though I had no doubt she was forced to by all the other girls. Knowing her, she would''ve waited until I came back, no matter how long it took. Hell, she''s probably still awake even now.


    I sighed and entered my own room, which was beside theirs. They had told me where the key was hidden through a text message.


    <em>Level One Light Magic - Dispel.</em>


    <em></em>Getting rid of the dispel spell on the floor, I bent down and picked up the key, which had been hidden underneath a carpet illusion. I opened the door and entered it, locking it behind me.

 Chapter 190 - Flarias Confession

    After turning on the lights, I began taking off my clothes to start a makeshift shower, with some Water Magic.


    <em>Level One Water Magic - Drizzling Rain.</em>


    <em>Well, this is going to get the carpet wet, but...not my problem.</em>


    <em></em>I quickly washed myself off, then got rid of the spell. The Sleepless Starlight actually- thankfully - provided undergarments and pajamas which were hung on the wall, so I just took those and slipped them on. Crashing onto my bed, I sighed.


    "ria...she didn''te after all, huh?"


    I pulled the nket over me, and sank into drean-


    "Psst! Psst! Damn it, you bastard of a master!"


    I blinked.<em>Uh...am I hearing things?</em>


    <em></em>"G-Get off of me, damn you! Ugh, I''m suffocating..."


    I jumped out of my bed. Quite literally. Only thing I forgot to do was summon my two katanas.


    "Who''s there?" I asked carefully after turning on the lights that I had legit just closed. Hate when I have to do that.


    After a while, a tiny orange bird peeked out from under my pillow. She appeared to be short of breath...but somehow still had the energy to re at me in anger.


    "Er...ria?"


    "Yes, it''s me, you dummy!" she pouted. "Ugh, I almost got crushed there...first you tell me toe here, and then you end up sleeping on me?!"


    I scratched my head. "Uh...sorry about that. I didn''t expect you to hide under my pillow..."


    "Well, can you me me?! You started stripping out of nowhere!"


    <em>Oh, y-yeah...she kinda had no choice but to hide under the pillow to protect her modesty, huh? Despite being a phoenix, she''s still female...does it work like that? I don''t know...</em>


    "A-Ahem, that was my bad," I said, before walking over and sitting down on the bed once more (no, I didn''t sit on top of her). "So...you made up your mind to talk?"


    She nodded her tiny head. "I realized I couldn''t just keep pouting and staying mad at you forever. Tomorrow we''re setting off for a new ce - a new chapter. We might as well flip the page in our rtionship as well."


    I blinked. "That''s...unexpectedly deep,ing from a bird."


    "I''m not a bird! I''m a phoenix!" she eximed, quickly going back to her old self.


    I chuckled. "There''s the ria I know. So...you forgive me? I know it''s my bad, forgetting about you and all that."


    "Yeah...I was a bit selfish too, overreacting and stuff," she replied, averting her gaze.


    I smiled. "Alright. Starting tomorrow, we''re chill again. As for tonight...I would rather not disturb the girls, so you can just stay with me, if you don''t mind."


    "Hmph! I won''t mind as long as you don''t sleep on top of me!" she cried.


    "Yeah yeah..." I rolled my eyes and closed the lights once more. This time, for good.


    Crawling back into bed - and paying very close attention not to identally sit on top of ria - I pulled the nkets over me for the second time that night. ria snuggled close to me, and I patted her fluffy head before closing my eyes.


    "Good night, ria."


    "Good night...Master."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Next Morning -</strong>


    Under the bright sunlight that the curtains failed topletely block, I slowly blinked my eyes open. I was awake, sure, but I still didn''t want to get out of the bed.


    <em>Ugh...I forgot to set an rmst night...uh...what time is it...wait.</em>


    <em></em><em>...This...why do I feel like there''s someone in my bed? It feels simr to Mei Gui...no, slightly smaller frame? Uh...and she doesn''t seem to be naked...</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>I flipped open my nkets, and saw a tiny girl, around the age of 11 or so. She had fairly short hair, cut off at her shoulders, and the hair was a mixture of orange and ck. She wore what looked to be a vest made out of orange fur, and was currently sleeping peacefully.


    "..." I was too stunned to say anything. At the same time, for some reason, I didn''t feel like disturbing her sleep, so I just gently got out of the bed and pulled the covers back over her.


    I sat down on the nightstand nearby, and rubbed my eyes.


    <em>I don''t want to believe it, but...that girl''s ria. No doubt about that. I can feel our contract - our connection - and no other entity has the same thing with me. Mei Gui and Obsidia''s were different, since they had Chaos power imbued. But the rtionship between ria and I was simply summoned beast and master, making it easy to differentiate from Mei Gui and Obsidia.</em>


    <em></em><em>But...that said, I never knew she had a human form as well. I mean, I should''ve guessed it, considering phoenixes were creatures on par with dragons, but...interesting, she took on the figure of her mental age, it seems. Actually, no. Her mental age plus her real age is a cumtive total of about 5, so I''m actually overestimating her still.</em><em></em>


    <em>Man, if she knew what I was thinking right now, I would be dead many times over. I''m kidding ria, I know you''re not 5. Rx.</em>


    And then, the girl suddenly began stirring, and slowly blinked her eyes open.


    "Finally awake?" I asked.


    "Yea...wait, why am I in my human form?!" ria eximed, looking down at her body. Then, noticing me staring, she quickly covered herself up with the nkets once more.


    "I was actually going to ask you about that...why didn''t you tell me you had a human form?"


    "Uh..." she blinked, at a loss for words. After a short silence, she continued. "I-It''splicated."


    "Oh? We have time. Tell me the story," I said, raising an eyebrow.


    "O-Okay, fine!" she finally gave in. "Basically...barely anyone has ever sessfully formed a contract with a phoenix before. You''re one of the few people who have managed to do so, all throughout history. But...what people don''t know is that when a phoenix truly epts someone as their master...they actually unlock the ability to morph into the race of their master."


    "Huh...so in other words, because you finally epted me as your master, you automatically turned into a human?"


    "Y-Yes, pretty much."


    "...Meaning you never really epted me before, huh?"


    "..."


    I sighed. "Well, whatever. The girls are going to have a heart attack though."


    "U-Um...y-you didn''t do anything weird to me while I was sleeping, did you?!" ria suddenly yelled, blushing furiously.


    I facepalmed. "No, rx. Why would I do something like that?"


    "A-Are you saying my body isn''t attractive enough?!"


    I merely shook my head in resignation and slipped on my usual clothes. As an aside, when I took off the pajamas, ria buried her head in the nkets to protect her modesty.


    "Now then...I''m going to see if there girls are up already, then go buy a toothbrush and toothpaste. Oh, and a cloth too," I muttered to myself.


    Leaving ria alone in the room, I exited and gently knocked on the girls'' room, directly across from mine. After several seconds, I heard some shufflinging from the other side of the door, and soon after the door opened, and a still sleepy, one-eye-open-one-eye-closed Feng Mian appeared from the other side...well, that was an overstatement. In reality, she just peeked out her head, hiding the rest of her body behind the door.


    "Er...are you guys all awake...yeah, no. Clearly not," I muttered, changing my mind mid-sentence. "Anyway...get dressed, we''ll be leaving this city in a bit."


    Feng Mian rubbed her eyes. "Mm...okay."


    With this, she closed the door once more, and I set off to buy myself a toothbrush and toothpaste...not.


    <em>Damn it...I forgot, I''mpletely broke. Ah...</em>


    <em></em>"Problem?" a voice suddenly asked as I felt a light shoulder tap from behind me.


    I immediately spun around, and saw Xiang Peng, leaning against the wall with a wink. Yep, Xiang Peng - the same girl who had led my squad during the rescue mission...damn, she''s so different when not in battle. And her casual clothes...hm, how do I say this, they don''t fit my image of her at all.


    Of course, there''s no way I''m telling her that directly, lest I get my head cut off. She was an Ancestral Mage at this young age, after all.


    "...You really need to stop sneaking up on me like that," I said exhaustedly.


    "Aiya, don''t be so stern. What''s the matter in having a little fun?" she shot back with a grin. "If I am correct...you''re low on money right now, aren''t you, ''Zhang San''?"


    She did that quotation thing with her hands when she said my alias, making it very clear she was mocking me.


    "...None of your business."


    "C''mon now, let big sis take care of you~"


    As she tried to ce her arm around me, I dodged out of the way nimbly, and began walking away.


    "Hey, wait-"


    But despite her protests, I continued walking, ignoring her requests for me to stop.

 Chapter 191 - Setting Off

    <strong>- A Certain Convenience Store -</strong>


    "...You really followed me all the way here?" I asked in disdain, staring at the panting Xiang Peng behind me.


    "Well, I told you to pause, but you didn''t! So yeah, I ended up following you all the way here," she replied matter-of-factly.


    "..." I had no words for the logic of this girl.


    "Anyway...you''re leaving for Shanghai today, right?" she asked, having finally caught her breath.


    I nodded. "Yeah. What of it?"


    "Hm...I was just wondering if I could tag along with you guys," Xiang Peng responded thoughtfully. "I was nning to return to Shanghai anyway, and you guys need a guide, no?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "Sure, we do, but...how does this benefit you in any way? However you got here to Shenzhen in the first ce, you can just take the same method back to Shanghai. Whye with us? I fail to see a reason."


    "Eh, I would much rather spend some time travelling with people my own age than a bunch of adults."


    "...How old are you anyway?"


    Xiang Peng took a couple of steps back, covering her mouth in an over-exaggerated shocked gesture. "Huh?! Did your parents not teach you asking a girl for her age is impolite?"


    I rolled my eyes. "I was just curious. You''re an Ancestral Mage, right? You''ve gotta be really talented then, if you''re even remotely close to my age."


    "Hm...yeah, I guess I''m pretty talented? But honestly, it''s less born genius and more practice makes perfect," she replied proudly. "You have no idea, the amount of training and practice I had to go through to get to where I am today. Oh, and of course, all the amazing and high-quality resources my family provided me helped a lot too."


    "Right...your family. Are they some big-shots in Shanghai?" I asked.


    "Yeah, you''ll see once you get there," Xiang Peng said with a wink. "Don''t worry, with big sis here, no one will be able to harm you in the city~"


    As she tried putting her arm around me yet again, I deftly moved out of her reach once more, and she nearly fell onto the ground.


    "...Damn, you''re clumsy," I muttered.


    "H-Hey! Not my fault! It''s yours for moving out of the way!"


    I blinked. "So...you''re saying if a killer were to miss me with his knife because I dodged out of the way, it''s my fault they eventually get arrested?"


    "U-Uh..." she faltered.


    I shook my head in disappointment and began browsing the aisles for what I came here to buy - a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cloth.


    Xiang Peng followed me all the way, until I finally arrived at the checkout. I turned to look at her, and she smirked smugly then took out her wallet. I rolled my eyes at her weird flex as she took out a twenty dor bill and handed it to the cashier. After receiving the change, she put her wallet back in her pocket and I picked up the stuff we had just bought, preparing to leave the store.


    And...once again, she ended up following me all the way back to the Sleepless Starlight. She even tried following me into the bathroom, but a re from me stopped her. After brushing my teeth, feeling refreshed, I came back out, and soon enough, Xiang Peng was still waiting. I sighed in resignation and began heading for the Sleepless Starlight, Xiang Peng following close behind.


    I took a deep breath as we arrived at the entrance of the bed store, now temporary hotel. "Do you not get bored, following around someone like this?"


    "Hm? No, not really. You''re a pretty amusing person," she replied thoughtfully.


    "...I don''t see how, but...whatever, I suppose," I muttered.


    Inside the store, I found the girls already dressed. Apparently, they already had toothbrushes and toothpaste, and had already brushed their teeth and whatnot in the bathroom while I was shopping.


    "Oh, Big Brother Xuan Kai! Xiang Peng too!" Qing Yue eximed, running over to us.


    "Hi hi! You guys all doing fine?" Xiang Peng asked, looking around at the other girls and not just Qing Yue.


    "Yeah, we''re just about to leave for Shanghai," Yu An Yan exined. "Why are you together with Xuan Kai though?"


    "We ran into each other, and she ended up following me," I answered in her stead. "Oh, and she''ll also be tagging along with us to Shanghai. That''s her homnd, you see."


    "Ah...I see," the girls said collectively with a slightly disappointed sigh. As to why that was, I had no idea.


    "Oh, by the way, where''s ria?" I asked.<em>Hm...I feel like I''m asking that question a lottely.</em>


    "ria? Wasn''t she with youst night?" Feng Mian asked, blinking in puzzlement.


    I scratched my hair. "I mean, yeah, but...wait, you guys haven''t seen her?"


    "No...? We assumed she had went along with you to go shopping," Qing Yue replied.


    "..." I fell silent, then looked over at the door to my room.


    <em>No way...is she scared- no, embarrassed - to see the girls in her human form?</em>


    I walked over and gently pushed the door open. "Uh...ria?"


    "W-What?!" a high-pitched voice shouted back. It sounded muffled - she was probably hiding underneath the covers again.


    "Er...it''s about time to get out of bed," I exined. "C''mon."


    "F-Fine! Just gimme a minute! Ah...how do I go back to my bird form..."


    "..."


    <em>So my guess was correct.</em>


    I sighed. "ria, juste out. No one here''s immature enough tough at you or call you names."


    After a short silence, ria, in her human form, walked out slowly, and all the girls dropped their jaws. Even Mei Gui and Obsidia, who were usually quiet and unamused by most things, widened their eyes slightly.


    "F-ria? Is that you?!" Qing Yue eximed in shock.


    "No way...no way this is the same tiny bird from yesterday!" Feng Mian added.


    "W-Wait...doesn''t this technically mean...she slept together with Xuan Kai, in human form...?" Yu An Yan said, furrowing her brows.


    I raised two hands in the air in a surrender pose. "I did nothing to her, I swear."


    ria, meanwhile, was just covering her face with her two hands, and I honestly thought it wouldn''t be a surprise if she just turned tail and dove back into the bed, shutting the door in our faces in the process. But she didn''t do that, thankfully.


    Then, to my surprise, Obsidia let out a little giggle. "Oh...how pitiful. A great phoenix...embarrassed to this state. It''s just a human form...why so nervous, cute little bird?"


    <em>Oh, I forgot...dragons and phoenixes have a long hatred between them.</em>


    <em></em>"Obsidia, don''t bully her..." I muttered exasperatedly.


    "My apologies...this sight was just far too amusing."


    "D-Damn it! I''ll get you back for this, you damn lizard!" ria shot back, cheeks as red as a tomato.


    "Yeah, you can worry about your revengeter," I said with a sigh. "For now...we gotta get you some clothes first."


    <em>Yeah, that orange fur pelt you''re wearing right now isn''t going to work.</em>


    "N-No you don''t! I can figure out how to turn back to my tiny bird form...I swear..."


    I shook my head. "Even if you figure it out, you should stay in your human form."


    "H-Huh? But why?"


    "If you stayed in bird form and someone overheard you talking, what would we do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ria opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it again since she didn''t have any valid arguments.


    Feng Mian sighed. "We''ll go get ria some normal clothes."


    I nodded. "In the meantime, I''ll just map out our route. We''ll be going to Huizhou first by foot, then getting to Shanghai via high-speed rail."


    "Sounds good," Xiang Peng said, casually inserting herself in this conversation.


    "No one asked you," I replied immediately.


    She covered her mouth. "Woah, rude!"


    However, I merely ignored her, and pulled out my phone. After connecting to the WiFi in the mall, I quickly searched for the quickest route to Huizhou by foot, since most of the roads in the city were demolished during the invasion. Besides, we were far too underage to drive, so going by car was out of the question.


    As the girls left to get ria some attire, ria herself stayed behind, since she couldn''t go out in public with that outfit. It was far too exposing. Obsidia also stayed behind, since she couldn''t care less about buying clothes for her eternal nemesis. Xiang Peng decided to go along with the rest of the girls, since she hadn''t really gotten a chance to get to know them yet and this was a good opportunity to do so. We were going to be travellingpanions, after all. It made sense for us to interact a little beforehand, or else the atmosphere would be pretty damn awkward.


    <em>Hm...okay, let''s see. What''s the fastest route to Huizhou...?</em>


    <em>...Wait, what''s this...? I don''t see any paths or roads in that direction...huh...oh, I see.</em>


    <em>But...is this really the right way to go? I mean...it could be pretty dangerous.</em>


    <em>Actually, on second thought, we have a whole ass dragon with us. What could go wrong?</em>


    <em></em>In any case, the shortest route that showed up on my phone, was passing directly through the Avast Mountains.

 Chapter 192 - The Avast Mountains

    The Avast Mountains. Therge mountain range in the north of this city - it connected Huizhou and Shenzhen perfectly, and served as a nice border as well. No one dared to venture through this ce, since not only was the road tiresome - but shortpared to other routes - it was also infested with danger. Monsters, Magic Beasts, you name it - they all resided within the Avast Mountains and its surroundings.


    The parts of the mountain range close to the cities were rtively safe, since both cities had people like Hunters - or in Shenzhen''s case, students (teachers would lead the older kids at our school into the Avast Mountains to train) - patrolling it and killing off some monsters or beasts from time to time.


    But...that still left nearly a hundred kilometers worth of dangerous territory.


    <em>But this was the shortest route...</em>


    For a moment, I reconsidered. Maybe it would be smarter to just take a little more time, but be more safe on the way there.


    <em>Then again...we''ll be riding on Obsidia anyway, and the mountains provide good cover for her in the air. I''ve been up the mountains once myself - that''s how I met Obsidia in the first ce. But that aside...I remember the sky was pretty foggy up there, despite it beingpletely clear back down in the city. That will definitely help us out.</em>


    <em></em>I sighed and settled with just flying over the Avast Mountains on Obsidia''s back. Of course, Xiang Peng and Lan Xiao Su had to be informed beforehand of Obsidia''s true identity, but I figured the other girls already told them anyway. Both of them were trustworthy. Xiang Peng was pretty annoying, but she was a nice person. As for Lan Xiao Su...well, we were her only chance at saving her mother, so I doubt she would do anything to work against us. The two of them would probably be incredibly surprised, but whatever.


    Around half an hourter, after the girls came back from their shopping for ria, we set off.


    On January 2nd, 2022, the ten of us - Obsidia, Mei Gui, ria, Lan Xiao Su, Xiang Peng, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, and I - left the city of Shenzhen.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Atop Obsidia''s Back, Somewhere Above the Avast Mountains -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Holy shit...!" I muttered, gritting my teeth as I held on for dear life to Obsidia''s neck. She was in her dragon form, of course, and we were riding atop her ck scales, on her back. Meanwhile, the rest of the girls were holding onto<em>my</em>back, choo-choo-train style.


    "Goddamn it...I knew this wasn''t a good ide-woah!"


    Obsidia suddenly elerated, and I honestly would''ve fell off if it wasn''t for my fast reaction times.


    In contrast, Xiang Peng seemed to be enjoying the ride.


    "Woohoo! So this is what riding on a real dragon feels like!" she eximed, sitting near the middle.


    "Eek!" Lan Xiao Su yelped and closed her eyes tightly as Obsidia elerated once more. "I-I thought you were joking when you said we would be riding a dragon-! Ahh! Obsidia, s-slow down please!"


    "That was a close one..." Feng Mian murmured after we had stabilized again, clutching onto Qing Yue''s shoulders tightly.


    Qing Yue, who was in turn clutching on my shoulders, tightened her grip even further, and rested her head against my back.


    "Obsidia, what was that for?" I demanded.


    "Hmph. You''re too loud, human. I can''t fly properly like this," she responded briskly. Her voice was booming in this dragon form, but we were far too high up for anyone to hear.


    I sighed. "I am never, ever, riding you again."


    Xiang Peng decided that was a good time to suddenly lean over the other girls in front of her and whisper in my ear.


    "Mm...riding her, eh?" she murmured, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.


    I sent her a quick sideways re, and she backed off.


    In any case, despite the trip experience being quite...suboptimal, it was short and efficient. We arrived on the other side of the Avast Mountains in around 2 hours, which was a lot quicker than if we went by foot and used the actual roads. Once we were on the other side of the mountain, Obsidia descended into a forest below, slowing down.


    Once we were on the ground, she changed back into her human form after we all got off of her, and just like that, we were in Huizhou.


    "That was...one hell of a ride," Xiang Peng mused, before looking around. "Hm...I know Huizhou pretty well. Been here a couple of times before. Follow me, I know where we are and where to go from here."


    The rest of us exchanged nces, before agreeing to follow her.


    ording to Xiang Peng, the forest we hadnded in was called the Infinite Forest. Apparently, it was pretty much the Huizhou equivalent of Shenzhen''s portion of the Avast Mountains - the high school here in Huizhou also sent their older students into this forest for training. What that meant for us was two things - one, the bad news, we would probably run into some Monsters or Magic Beasts on our way out of the forest, and two, the good news, most of these encounters will be pretty easy, considering this ce was being used for training purposes for students. The Magic Beasts here should be around Rank 3 or 4 at best.


    Magic Beasts also had a ranking system, simr to mages. However, it was far lessplex. Instead of having a name for every single rank, there were simply 8 tiers - Rank 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. A Rank 1 Magic Beast would be about the equivalent of a Novice Mage in terms of strength, and a Rank 2 Magic Beast would be around the level of an Intermediate Mage. The system continues - meaning a Rank 8 Magic Beast would have the power of a Divine God.


    Contrary to this legendary title that no one has ever achieved, Rank 8 Magic Beasts do exist. However, as expected, they were extremely rare, and all of them had human level intelligence, if not more. Fortunately, they wished to just live peacefully, which fell just in line with the IMF''s intentions. They worked out a deal, and the Rank 8 Magic Beasts get to have their peace while we don''t have to live in fear of them. A win-win situation.


    Incidentally, Monsters shared the same ranking system as Magic Beasts.


    In any case, the Monsters and Magic Beasts in this forests were all probably Rank 3 or 4 at best, meaning they were on par with an Advanced Mage or perhaps an Ancestral Mage. If they came at us in hordes, that could be a problem, but then again...we had Xiang Peng - an Ancestral Mage - and a whole ass dragon with us too. I doubt we would have any trouble making it out of this forest.


    That being said...there was just one thing I was concerned about - running into anyone.


    School should''ve already started literally just yesterday for them, assuming they followed the same calendar as Shenzhen. I find it unlikely the teachers would send their students for field training this early in the school year right after school began, but there was still a possibility. Besides, Huizhou definitely also had a Hunters'' Guild, meaning we could end up running into some Hunters as well, following the same pattern as Shenzhen''s Avast Mountains.


    If we didn''t run into anyone, we can just st our way out of this forest with ease. My absorption ability thanks to the Chaos inside my body will render all magic attacks from any enemies useless, and none of the girls were weak, either. But if we did run into anyone...


    "Guys - if we run into anyone, just pretend we''re weak, got it?" I suddenly said, causing everyone to look at me.


    "Uh...why?" Xiang Peng asked, blinking in confusion.


    Feng Mian sighed. "You haven''t known him long enough, Xiang Peng. He''s just overly cautious of everything, and wants to keep everything about himself a secret."


    "I...see..." Xiang Peng replied hesitantly. "Well, I guess that''s not a bad thing. I mean, it''s certainly better than<em>not</em>being cautious of anything at all."


    "Look, this is for the best, okay?" I inserted myself into the conversation. "Just in case, I don''t want to leak any unnecessary information about any of us to strangers. As they say...information is the most powerful weapon. You never know when they could use it against us."


    "Um, I think it''s ''knowledge is the most powerful weapon'', but okay," Lan Xiao Su murmured hesitantly.


    I pretended to have not heard her, and merely cleared my throat and continued. "A-Ahem, anyway...let''s move. Don''t fight any Magic Beasts or Monsters unless it''s absolutely necessary. If we can run, we run. Let''s try to stay discrete."


    We didn''t prepare any food or water or anything, so we couldn''t afford to get caught up in this forest. The girls didn''t bring all that much stuff, and the things they did bring were all safely stored in my Space Locket that I had gotten from Yu Ao a while back.


    "Got it," the girls replied in unison.


    And then, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Master."


    I looked down at Mei Gui. "What is it?"


    "I can detect for any enemies that areing our way, and we can reroute to avoid them," she exined. "If we travel this way, we will be out of this forest in no time."


    I nodded. "Sounds good. Let''s do it your way."


    Mei Gui closed her eyes and probably chanted a spell of some sort. She, like me, didn''t need to chant out loud to cast a spell with precision and uracy.


    "Alright, the spell is activated. We can move now," she said.

 Chapter 193 - The Infinite Forest

    "Woah, did she just cast a spell without chanting?!" Xiang Peng eximed, immediately closing the distance between her and Mei Gui.


    "Nah, she just chanted really quietly," I quickly said, trying to cover it up.


    "Oh, I see," Xiang Peng murmured in reply.


    <em>Wait, she actually believed that?!</em>


    <em>...Okay, works for me.</em>


    I tilted my head. "Anyway, Mei Gui, what spell did you cast? Detect Presence? Ah, but wait...that''s just a one-time scan, not a continuous radar..."


    Mei Gui shook her head. "I used...nevermind."


    Seeing her expression, I knew she didn''t want to say it in front of Xiang Peng, who was still oblivious to all of our secrets...and I nned to keep it that way. Lan Xiao Su already knows, but in the end, the less people that know, the better.


    [Master, I used Forbidden Magic just now.] Mei Gui sent me a telepathic message.


    [Ah, I see. Teach it to meter then?]


    [dly, Master. I can also teach you some more that I have remembered thanks to Master powering up.]


    [Wait, I powered up? When?]


    [If I am not wrong, Master, you should be able to cast Level Three spells now.]


    [Wha...how? I''ve just be an Intermediate Mage...]


    [I will exin more once we are alone,] Mei Gui replied, and we ended the conversation there.


    The ten of us continued travelling following behind Mei Gui, sticking close together and trying to remain as quiet as possible. We agreed that we wouldn''t talk unless it was absolutely necessary. In addition, we kept our footsteps light, and treaded very carefully.


    Around fifteen minutester, Mei Gui suddenly stopped, and gave a hand signal for the rest of us to do the same. Weplied, and remained deadly silent.


    After a while, Mei Gui finally let out a deep breath. "It''s alright now."


    "What was that?" I asked.


    "By the amount of mana I sensed from them...probably some students, near Advanced Mage level," Mei Gui replied.


    "They really sent out students this early in the year to do training?" Xiang Peng mused. "That''s interesting."


    "I thought you''ve been here many times before..." I muttered in disdain.


    Xiang Peng shrugged. "Well, yeah, but most of those times were just passing through. I never really explored this city."


    I shook my head and turned back to Mei Gui. "Alright, so...where are they right now?"


    Mei Gui pointed in the direction behind us. "They headed deeper into the forest, Master. We''re safe."


    I nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, good. Let''s quickly move then. There will probably be more student groupsing our way. The faster we get out of here, the better."


    "U-Um, I have a question!" Lan Xiao Su suddenly said, raising her hand timidly.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"


    "I wonder...why are we avoiding these students? If they ask about us and why we are here, we could just say we''re Hunters. You all have guild cards, no?"


    <em>Hm...that''s true. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and Mei Gui all have Hunter guild cards, and of course I do as well. Lan Xiao Su herself probably had a card as well, being an employee there. But the rest of us...</em>


    I sighed. "Man, all of you don''t have any self-awareness, I swear."


    "What do you mean?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Look at yourselves. Are you just average girls? No," I said, answering my own question. "Any single boy would be head over heels over you guys at first sight. Hell, even if they already had a girlfriend, it wouldn''t be a surprise if they dumped them for you."


    But, to my surprise, instead of getting a reply like I expected, I saw all the girls blushing, faces as red as tomatoes. Of course, Obsidia and Mei Gui were still oblivious as usual, and Xiang Peng''s expression was less of a blush and more of a sinister smirk.


    "..." I had no words.


    "Oho...did you just indirectly call us pretty, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, crossing her arms with a smug grin on her face.


    I sighed. "I mean, no one can call any of you ugly, that''s for sure."


    "A-Anyway," Feng Mian said, trying desperately to hide the happiness on her face from my identalpliment. "Let''s get going..."


    "R-Right," Yu An Yan murmured.


    "F-Fwah! Y-Yes, let''s go!" Lan Xiao Su agreed.


    In the end, we managed to make it out of the forest without any trouble. We had to exit through a fairly remote part of the forest though, since the school''s teachers were probably waiting at the most used entrance to supervise. Honestly, I wasn''t evenpletely sure we weren''t detected. They could''ve used a Detect Presence spell or something simr without us even knowing. But it didn''t matter, because we weren''t nning to stay in this city for long, anyway. We would spend the night here, then hop on a high-speed rail tomorrow, heading straight for Shanghai, the Magic Capital.


    It took a good hour for us to reach the urban part of the city, since we were walking by foot. Unfortunately, Xiang Peng didn''t have a Space Element affinity, or else she could''ve simply teleported us. On the way to the urban part of Huizhou, I realized that this city was far behind Shenzhen in terms of technology, and Shenzhen was far more advanced as well. Of course, this was speaking from before the Midnight Syndicate''s invasion happened. Now, any city could beat Shenzhen...at least, until it gets rebuilt and restored to its former glory.


    The central, urban part of Huizhou was pretty popted and active. It was a bit weird, since we barely saw anyone on our way here, but all of a sudden there are tons of people packed in this ce. The poption distribution, I could tell, was severely imbnced - very few people lived out in the countryside, and most people chose to live in the city. But at the same time, the urban city was smallpared to the area of the countryside in Huizhou...


    I guessed the government was already making ns to expand the urban part of this city, because if they didn''t, then this overpoption would continue, which wouldn''t be good for anyone - the denizens, the environment, and the city in general.


    "This ce is...crowded," Yu An Yan remarked.


    "Yeah, stick together," I said as we squeezed our way past the crowd, heading for a hotel.


    "Wouldn''t it be easier to stay together if we all held hands?" Xiang Peng suggested. "C''mon, I don''t min-"


    "Denied," I cut her off, declining her offer to hold hands. Sure, she was cute and had a well-developed body, but I don''t really care. We were receiving enough stares thanks to the beauty of the girls, and I didn''t want to attract any hate to myself, even if I would only be staying here for one night.


    Luckily, we managed to make it to a hotel with all of us together. We walked up to the medium-sized line that had formed behind one of the receptionists. The other lines were longer than this one, so we just chose the shortest.


    A good ten minutester, it was our turn. I walked up to the receptionist - who, unsurprisingly, was a young woman. I found it pretty sexist howpanies usually only chose young, good-looking women to be their receptionists, but there wasn''t much I could do about that.


    "Good morning, sir," she said with a bright, cheerful smile. "What can I do for you today?"


    "Hm...can we get two rooms?" I asked.


    "Oh, are you and those beautiful youngdies behind you all together?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. They''ll sleep in one room, while I sleep in the other. So, if possible, make one the rooms bigger."


    "Of course," she replied easily. "And how many nights will you be staying?"


    "Just one," I answered.


    She nodded. "Okay, one moment please..."


    After around a minute, she finally looked up at me from herputer. "Alright, the total cost for one night is £¤800.1


    "£¤800...okay, An Yan," I said, turning around and motioning for her toe over. She obliged, and pulled out her card, swiping it on the card machine.


    The receptionist blinked, surprised by my actions. She probably didn''t expect me, the boy of the group, to leave the paying to a girl. But she just bit her lip and didn''t say anything, since undoubtedly, it would''ve been disrespectful for a employee to question a customer''s actions.


    "All done," Yu An Yan said, before walking back to her original spot. I nodded in satisfaction.


    "O-Okay, here are your room cards - the room numbers are 69 and 68 respectively. Room 69 is therger one. They are on the sixth floor."


    "Got it, thanks," I replied, before taking the two room cards, and turning around to face the girls. "C''mon, let''s go."


    The girlsplied, and together, we headed up the elevators to the sixth floor of this hotel, by the name of Huizhou Central Hotel. For reference, RMB (£¤) to CAD ($) is around 5:1. So this would be around $160 CAD/night for two rooms, which is pretty cheap ($80/room).

 Chapter 194 - Unwanted Trouble

    After we checked in at the hotel, we pretty much didn''t have anything else to do. It was around noon already, so the girls and I decided to go grab some lunch somewhere. The restaurant we eventually arrived at was called Ramen World. And as you would expect from the name...the restaurant specialized in...well, ramen.


    The ce itself was pretty nice. It was decorated like a traditional Chinese restaurant, and the lights were all enclosed withinnterns, giving it a bit of an ancient Eastern feel. A waitress soon came to us and led us to arge round table that had exactly ten seats - just enough for all of us. As always, I took the one in the corner, and the Qing Yue insisted she sat down next to me. Immediately, Mei Gui took the one on the other side of me, and the rest of the girls pouted slightly.


    I sighed as the waitress handed us menus, and she left our table.


    "So? What are we ordering?" I asked, flipping through the menu.


    "We''re not in a rush or anything, so we can take our time ordering," Feng Mian said. "This ce has some nice food, I want to browse through the catalogue carefully before making my selection."


    "Yep, she''s right," Xiang Peng agreed. "All of this is looking real delicious!"


    <em>Hm...I never realized it before, but is Xiang Peng actually a huge foody? H-Hey, you''re drooling all over the menu, you damn woman!</em>


    I sighed. "Whatever, take your time. I''m just going to go with...uh, let''s see...y''know what?"


    I handed the menu over to Qing Yue. "I''ll just have whatever you have, Qing Yue. Toozy to pick."


    "Mm, okay~" she said in reply, before promptly opening the menu and flipping through it, eyes dazzling in excitement.


    I then turned to Obsidia, who was sitting beside Mei Gui. She was directly across ria - the greatest distance possible. While ria seemed to be extremely ufortable sitting at a table together with a dragon, Obsidia didn''t seem to even care. Instead, she calmly flipped through the menu like any human would.


    "Obsidia, does human food even satisfy you?" I asked. Even if someone overheard us, there are an infinite number of possibilities for this statement, which was why I wasn''t afraid to say it out loud.


    "Yes. My body''s needs adapt to whichever form I am in," Obsidia replied calmly, not letting any critical information slip out identally.


    I nodded. "I see."


    <em>If that''s the case...then I guess ria is the same.</em>


    After a long while, the girls finally all settled on what they were going to eat, and Yu An Yan beckoned the waitress over.


    "All done choosing?" she asked, a smile on her face.


    "Yeah," Yu An Yan replied. "Can we get numbers 1, 3, 9, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 25, and two 28s?"


    "Of course. Anything else?"


    Yu An Yan flipped through the menu some more, then continued. "Oh, and 33 please. Three servings."


    "Alright, so that is 30mb skewers in total..." the waitress murmured as she jotted down everything on a notepad. "Is that all?"


    Yu An Yan looked around. "Sounds good, everyone?"


    Everyone nodded, including myself. Qing Yue had ordered a number 28 ramen, so naturally I did as well.


    "Alright, then that''s it," Yu An Yan said, turning back to the waitress.


    "Awesome. Any drinks?" the waitress continued.


    "Yeah, just a ss of water for everyone," Yu An Yan replied.


    "Will do," the waitress finished. "Your food will be ready very soon."


    With this, she turned around and left our table once more. Around twenty minutester, she came back with a tray, our entire order on it.


    "Damn, that was quick," I mused. The girls seemed to be pretty surprised as well at this speed.


    "We pride ourselves on quick service," the waitress replied, puffing out her chest proudly. "You see, the trick is to use multiple stoves and cook multiple dishes simultaneously. Of course, this requires a lot of hand-eye coordination as well as the ability to wlessly multi-task. It is by no means easy."


    "I see..." I murmured, as she took out our steaming bowls of ramen, one by one.


    Atst, she finished with themb skewers, then our sses of ice water. After that, she bowed-


    "Enjoy the meal."


    -and left us to our lunch.


    "Let''s see..." Feng Mian murmured. "This is...28, I think. Stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs ramen. Here, Xuan Kai."


    She pushed the bowl over to me, and I received it gratefully. "Thanks."


    "No problem. This one is...oh, this one''s mine, 17."


    "Ooh, is that the fish ball one I saw?" Qing Yue asked.


    "Yes, do you want to try one?" Feng Mian asked, picking up a fishball from within her bowl using her chopsticks.


    "Really, I can?" Qing Yue asked onest time for confirmation.


    "Yep," Feng Mian replied, before cing the fish ball in Qing Yue''s bowl.


    "Aww, thank you, Feng Mian~"


    "Hehe, no problem."


    <em>Wow, this scene is so wholesome. Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan are also sharing their food as well...ah...what a nice sight. So peaceful...</em>


    <em>...Not. ria and Obsidia, would you two stop ring at each other? Thanks. You''re ruining the mood.</em>


    But s, even if I really told them that, it wasn''t like they would automatically be friends all of a sudden. Still, I didn''t want my travelpanions to hate each other. That would lead to many problems, including the possibility of backstab and traps. Of course, I doubted Obsidia would do so, since we had a deal, but then again...she didn''t exactly need ria for our deal. I''m not going to think about that though. On the other hand, ria backstabbing us is way out of the question, as she''spletely under my control thanks to our contract.


    But that aside, everything was going well...we were in the middle of eating, when suddenly...


    "This ce look good, boss?" a short, freckled student asked loudly.


    He had barged into the restaurant with some of his buddies like a bunch of gangsters. But since they were wearing school-like uniforms, I assumed they were just a bunch of delinquent students. By the looks of it, they were the same age as the girls and I.


    "Yeah. We''ve been here a couple of times before, no?" another boy said. This one was a lot taller, and seemed to be the leader of the gang. He carried a baseball bat, and was currently swinging it around dangerously, as if daring anyone toe close to him.


    "Yeah, haha! Last time we were here, the damn waitress actually dared to ask us to pay! Like hell we''re gonna do that, can''t believe they don''t even know who our boss is," anotherckey added. This one wore sses, and had bunny-like teeth. By that, I mean he literally looked like a rabbit. Not the adorable kind. More like...the fat and ugly kind.


    "Heh, yeah. Our boss is the son of the mayor. This entire city is essentially his yground, haha!" a chubby dude agreed.


    There were 4 of them in total, and they all seemed to be arrogant trouble-makers.


    <em>Man...guess there''s people like Li Yi Fei everywhere, huh? But at least Li Yi Fei was more or less discrete. These guys are just full-on doing whatever the hell they want, thinking they are above thew.</em>


    I noticed the waitress that had served us quickly retreating into the back kitchen. I assumed she was the one who had attempted to deal with these guys thest time they were here, and probably got shamed to no end. I sighed. This looked like trouble...and I don''t like it. The other customers in the restaurant also appeared to be very nervous, and were murmuring to each other.


    "Ah...it''s Dong Zhu and his gang..."


    "So unlucky..."


    "Let''s finish eating quickly before things turn ugly..."


    The leader, whose name was apparently Dong Zhu, looked around, then frowned. "What, no waitressing to serve us this time?"


    After a short silence, the ugly rabbit dude stepped forward and crossed his arms. "Oi, you guys dare ignore boss?"


    Dong Zhu smirked, then slowly walked towards the counter of restaurant, where the cashier, a young woman, stood, frightened.


    "Oh...you''re new here," Dong Zhu murmured, reaching to caress her cheek. She moved away immediately, which caused Dong Zhu to chuckle.


    "Hm, pretty feisty, eh?" he said, licking his lips like a creep. "I like that."


    The cashier appeared to be very ufortable, and honestly, for a second, I considered helping out a little, but in the end, decided against it. Not my problem. I just wanted to eat my lunch in peace, spend the night at the hotel, then set off to Shanghai the next day. No problems, no troubl-


    "Hey, boss, look over there," the short, freckledckey said suddenly, pointing in our direction.

 Chapter 195 - The Sin Of Lust

    "Wow...what a gathering of beauties..." Dong Zhu murmured, immediately turning his attention away from the poor cashier and towards us. More specifically, the girls with me.


    It took all I had not to jump out the window right then and there. Only two things stopped me: one, my sanity, and two, the fact that there wasn''t a window there for me to jump out of.


    "Are you kidding me..." I muttered under my breath as Dong Zhu and his gang began walking towards us.


    "W-What do we do?!" Lan Xiao Su whispered sharply, avoiding eye contact with Dong Zhu.


    "Stay calm," I instructed. "If he tries anything, just push him away."


    "O-Okay," Lan Xiao Su breathed. The other girls did the same as they mentally prepared themselves.


    But surprisingly enough, the first person Dong Zhu went up to was not any of the the nine girls, but instead, me.


    "Hm...kid. Where you from? Never seen ya face ''round here."


    I remained silent, which caused the rabbit-like dude to speak up. "Oi, our boss is talking to you!"


    I took a deep breath, looked up at Dong Zhu, and spoke. "I''m just a travelling merchant, and these girls are mypanions. We''re just stopping by Huizhou for today to spend the night, then leaving tomorrow."


    I purposely left out where our destination was, since giving this guy any more information than necessary could prove to be troublesome.


    Dong Zhu snorted. "Bud, from what I can tell, you''re around the same age as me. Who you trying to fool, saying you''re a travelling merchant?"


    "I''m older than I look," I replied. "I''m turning 20 this year, in fact."


    A lie, of course. And...yeah, he didn''t seem to buy it.


    "Don''t lie to me, little bastard," Dong Zhu sneered, his face slowly creeping up into a grin. "Well, I don''t care where you''re from, honestly. Just let me have fun with your panions'' for a bit, and you''re free to leave the city. But if you don''t..."


    He looked at the girls lecherously, which caused them to all avert their gazes in disgust.


    I sighed. "Sorry, but...I''m not the boss of them. I can''t order them to do anything...and well, by the looks of it, it seems they aren''t too willing to have ''fun'' with you."


    Dong Zhu narrowed his gaze dangerously. "Are you sure about this, kid? This is my city you''re in right now."


    I shrugged. "Like I said, we''ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. What is there to fear?"


    Dong Zhu snickered. "Heh. I''ll make sure you''ll never be able to leave Huizhou alive. Oh, but don''t worry. I won''t kill yourpanions. They''re too beautiful for that. I want to enjoy them thoroughly before I get rid of them, haha..."


    <em>Goddamn...guess this guy is really at the peak of arrogance, huh? Even if he''s the mayor''s son, saying such obscene words in a public restaurant? I don''t think that''s a good idea. Even the mayor himself probably wouldn''t do this. I wonder...is this guy''s father an actually good man who just can''t control his own son, or does the arrogance and idiocy run in the family?</em>


    "Hmph, I''m feeling hungry, so I don''t really want to bother with you right now," Dong Zhu muttered, before turning away. "But if you know what''s best for you...you''ll hand those girls over to me."


    I didn''t respond, which caused him to grit his teeth in anger at being ignored. He suddenly mmed his palms down on the table, and swiped my bowl full of ramen down, causing it to topple and nearly spill everything on me. But s, my reaction speeds were far too quick for that.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em>


    <em></em>In an instant, I was gone from the chair I had been sitting in, and was now standing directly behind Dong Zhu menacingly. I patted him on the shoulder, which caused him to spin around rapidly, eyes widened in surprise. Hisckeys, who still haven''t even realized what happened, just stared on, ck-jawed. My actions clearly surprised the girls as well, since they were now all looking at me in amazement, simr to the other customers in the restaurant. This was the first time someone dared to stand up to Dong Zhu, after all.


    "Y-You...how?" Dong Zhu muttered in shock. A hint of fear was also in his voice. "N-No way...I didn''t even hear you chant..."


    My originally passive and nonchnt demeanor was now nowhere to be seen, and had been reced by killing intent. My red eyes shone ominously as I stared straight into his eyes - his <em>soul.</em>


    "There are many things you don''t know in the world..." I whispered. "There are also many people you can''t afford to mess with. If you think you can go around doing anything you want just because you''re the mayor''s son, then let me tell you...I can also go around killing whoever I want, merely because I have the strength to. And you...aren''t an exception."


    Dong Zhu stiffened up in fear, before attempting tounch some magic at me.


    "L-Level Two Void Magic - Nova Bomb!" he chanted hesitantly.


    Nova Bomb - the more powerful version of the Level One Void Element spell, Void Bomb.


    For a moment, my eyes widened slightly. I didn''t expect him to actually use magic in public like this. Any usage of offensive-type magic outside certain facilities (e.g. a school) or for specific situations (e.g. fighting a monster) was banned. And yet...


    <em>Haiz...he really thinks he''s above thew, huh? Well, no matter. Magic of this level won''t do anything to me.</em>


    <em></em>I discretely opened my palm, and his conjured Nova Bomb merely got sucked into my hand, turning into mana for myself.


    <em>How ironic. Void Magic...getting sucked into the void. Well, the inside of my body isn''t really the void, but you get the idea.</em>


    Since I was standing so close to Dong Zhu, no one else could see what I did. On the surface, it just seemed like Dong Zhu''s spell didn''t work.


    "B-Boss!" by this time, hisckeys finally came to their senses, and were now trying to pry me off of their beloved leader.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>Easily blinking behind them, the threeckeys copsed onto their own leader, one after the other. They piled up on top of each other like a bunch of idiots, and they all copsed onto the table. The girls all raised their bowls of ramen so nothing would get spilled on them, and the onlooking audience - the other customers in the restaurant - all beganughing discretely in awe.


    Dong Zhu gritted his teeth and pushed hisckeys off in anger. "Idiots! Don''t you know he has Space Magic?! Why are all of you charging at him at once?!"


    "S-Sorry, boss!" the shortckey yelped in fear.


    "Sorry, boss...we can''t use our magic here like you can..." the guy with the rabbit teeth murmured.


    "Our bad, boss..." the finalckey with the sses said apologetically.


    Dong Zhu turned around and red at me. "Tch...I won''t forget this."


    I smiled deviously. "You''re wee to try again. But if you do...I can''t promise I''ll just let you leave alive, like I did this time."


    Dong Zhu flinched slightly at the coldness in my voice, and he could tell I really meant it. He could tell that the gaze in my eyes was one that belonged to a true murderer - someone who has killed real humans before, with their own two hands. When I say I would kill someone, I would really do it.


    <em>Just another name on the list, after all...</em>


    With this, he and hisckeys left the restaurant.


    I sighed, and proceeded to go back to my seat, but then, all of a sudden, cheers erupted from all around me.


    "That was so cool!" a girl yelled. She seemed to be a student here in Huizhou, probably the same school as Dong Zhu.


    "Yeah, that''s the first time I''ve ever seen someone make Dong Zhu actually retreat!" a boy sitting across from her added.


    The waitress from earlier then came out of the back kitchen, and walked over to me and gave a bow.


    "H-Huh? Wait, what are you doin-"


    "Please ept my gratitude, sir. If you hadn''t driven him away...he probably would''ve found me, and done god knows what...that man, Dong Zhu, is a perverted bastard whoys his hands on every young woman he sees, even if they already have a boyfriend."


    I sighed, and quickly pulled her back up straight. "Look, I honestly don''t really care about all that. I''m not some hero, so don''t treat me like one. And besides, I''ll be leaving this city tomorrow anyway, so I can''t just stay here and protect you guys from him."


    "Even then, you''ve done a lot," a man suddenly joined the conversation as he walked out of the back kitchen. He seemed to be the head chef and owner here. "With what happened today, the news will certainly spread. More and more people will be inspired to stand up to Dong Zhu. If the entire city revolts, even the mayor can''t do anything and will eventually be toppled. But...I must ask, if you didn''t care about us, why bother driving him away at all?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Isn''t that obvious?"


    Everyone in the room focused their gazes on me, including my ownpanions, the nine girls.


    I took a deep breath, and spoke. "...It''s because he ruined a perfectly nice bowl of ramen, of course! That was my lunch, y''know?! It cost me a good ten bucks!"

 Chapter 196 - Magic Beast Hunt

    After the incident with Dong Zhu, we finished up our lunch fairly quickly. I got another bowl of ramen for free, since my original one had been ruined. I was pretty surprised when the owner told me I coulde here anytime and eat free of charge, but hey, I''m not about to reject that offer. If I evere back to Huizhou in the future, I''ll know where to go for food.


    We finished lunch at around 1 PM, so that meant we had an entire afternoon to kill before night struck. I was a bit concerned about what Dong Zhu would try tonight, since he was almost certainly going to attempt killing me for revenge. But then again, as long as they didn''t call for reinforcements, we would be able to handle them easily. I doubted the four of them could even capture Qing Yue, the weakest one out of all of us.


    But knowing these arrogant, spoiled young masters too well, I knew for certain Dong Zhu was going to ask his father to help him out. If that happens, things could get messy. His father may send a couple of Ancestral Mages or even Golden Monarchs to help him out. Overkill for just a bunch of brats like us? Maybe...that is, if they didn''t know about our true strength. Obsidia alone can handle a couple of Ancestral Mages, but she probably can''t defeat a Golden Monarch unless she resorted to her dragon form, which I would like to avoid by all means possible.


    In any case, I would worry about thatter. For now, I would just focus on exploring the city with the girls.


    "Hey hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai, look! What''s that?" Qing Yue asked, pointing at a crowd that had gathered around a building. Some guy was standing at the entrance, holding a megaphone.


    "Good afternoon, everyone!" the man announced, attracting the eyes of many. "We are the Hunters'' Guild of Huizhou, as you all know."


    <em>Huh...so this is the Huizhou branch of the Hunters'' Guild.</em>


    <em></em>I looked over at Lan Xiao Su. She noticed my gaze, and nodded, confirming that this was indeed the Hunters'' Guild. The branches obviously hadmunication between them, so it made sense for Lan Xiao Su to know what the Huizhou branch looked like and where it was.


    Overall, the ce was less futuristic than Shenzhen''s branch, but at the same time, it wasn''t worn down or anything. It still looked like a proper 21st Century urban building. It was only one floor by the looks of it, but was extremely wide - just like Shenzhen''s.


    "I came here to inform the citizens of the city that we have just located a Hydra in the Infinite Forest," the announcer man continued. "We n to head out tonight to hunt it down, but at the moment, we do not have enough forces. Therefore, we are requesting assistance from anyone Intermediate Mage or above. Everyone who participates will be rewarded handsomely. However, do take note - do not think you can just contribute nothing and expect to get paid. You will only get what you put into this mission."


    <em>A hydra...? Wait...didn''t Qing Yue mention the Hydra Fang as an ingredient for the antidote to the 1 Year Curse?</em><em></em>


    "Guys, we''re doing this," I said.


    The girls immediately spun around and looked at me, wide-eyed.


    I frowned. "What?"


    "N-No, it''s just...I never expected you to join in on stuff like this," Feng Mian murmured awkwardly.


    "Yeah...you don''t seem like the type to care about rewards and stuff..." Xiang Peng added.


    I sighed. "You''re right. I don''t care about the reward, but that''s a Hydra. And ording to Qing Yue...Hydra Fang is an essential ingredient to the 1 Year Curse''s antidote, no?"


    I turned to look at Qing Yue, who immediately nodded. "Oh, I see! So that''s what Big Brother Xuan Kai''s n is. Ehehe, Lan Xiao Su, you''re pretty lucky, to have Big Brother Xuan Kai care about you so much."


    Lan Xiao Su covered her face nervously and I could''ve sworn I saw steame out of her ears.


    I rolled my eyes. "I made a deal with her, nothing more. Rx."


    "I mean, I''m down to do this," Yu An Yan said with a shrug. "It''s just...will we be able to help at all? And besides, a Hydra has nine heads, right? If there''s two fangs on each head, then that''s 18 fangs in total. What are the chances of us getting one among all of these people? I mean, just look at them, they''re already lining up to register."


    I shook my head. "ording to one of the textbooks I came across in the school library back in Shenzhen, Hydras have a special perk. When you cut off one of its heads, two more will take its ce. The only way to kill a Hydra is to find the one true head - the one that won''t spawn two more when it gets severed."


    "Huh..." Yu An Yan muttered.


    "Oh yeah, now that you mention it..." ria suddenly spoke up. "I have a Hydra friend in the Summoning Dimension. He said the reason Hydras are feared is not because they are insanely strong like Basilisks, or have incredibly tough scales like Dragons. Hydras are feared because they are extremely hard to kill - and the more you try to kill it, the more powerful it bes."


    "Huh...wait, then if we kill this Hydra, would that upset your friend?" I asked.


    ria shook her head. "Nah. Hydras are by nature independent creatures. They don''t really care about one another, one way or the other."


    "I...see," I replied.


    <em>Well, you learn something new everyday.</em>


    "Anyway, let''s get in line before they run out of spots," I concluded.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Oh yeah, by the way, ria, what elements can you use?" I asked, as we were waiting in line. "They said we had to at least be an Intermediate Mage. Most of us have Mage IDs, but..."


    "Don''t worry! I have one," Lan Xiao Su interjected. "The Hunters'' Guild administers Advancement Exams as well, being a big organization. I''m a certified Intermediate Mage."


    I nodded. "I see. Good...but what about ria and Obsidia?"


    Xiang Peng frowned. "Aw, you didn''t ask about me? This big sister is sad now..."


    I ignored her. She obviously had a Mage ID - and was an Ancestral Mage, at that.


    "I do not possess a Mage ID," Obsidia replied.


    "Yeah, me neither," ria added.


    I sighed. "Well, guess you two will just have to sit this one out then."


    "What about Mei Gui?" Feng Mian asked.


    "She can pass as a golem," I replied. "But Obsidia''s human form is too tall for that. No human-type golems are that tall, considering the manufacturing cost. And as for ria...well, she''s not expressionless enough."


    "H-Hey! I can be expressionless if I want to!" ria protested, but I just gave her a demeaning look.


    "If you explode at the slightest provocation like that, then you''ll never be able to pass as a golem."


    "W-Wha-" she opened her mouth again to argue, but realizing that would aplish nothing except prove my point, she closed it again.


    "Obsidia, take her back to the hotel. You two just chill there," I instructed, to which Obsidia nodded and grabbed ria up by her cor with ease and began dragging her away.


    "Hey, wai-" but Obsidia covered her mouth easily, and honestly, it looked like a really poorly nned kidnapping, if there wasn''t any context. Luckily, no one around cared enough to bother stopping Obsidia, since they were all too focused on signing up for the Hydra hunt.


    Finally, it was our turn. "Hi, are there any spots left?"


    The man who had held the megaphone earlier nodded, and was now sitting in front of me. "Are you and thosedies behind you all together?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. 8 people in total."


    <em>Originally we had ten, but excluding Obsidia and ria, that makes eight.</em>


    <em></em>"...Huh, what a coincidence. There are exactly 8 spots left. Any more and the party would be too big, scaring the Hydra off."


    "How many people are there in total?" I asked.


    "Thirty," he replied. "ording to our research, Hydras tend to run away if they are facing over 30 foes, regardless of individual strength. As for the reason for that, I do not know, nor is it important. Now then, can you please fill out this registration form and show me your Mage ID?"


    I did as told, and the man repeated the same process with the girls. After we were all done, we were led inside the Hunters'' Guild room as the man picked up his megaphone again and announced that there were no spots left. The people who had been waiting behind us groaned in disappointment and dispersed.


    Once they were gone, the man came back inside the building, and spoke.


    "Alright. There are thirty of us here - this will be the team to y the Hydra in the Infinite Forest," the man said. "As I already exined earlier, yes, you will be rewarded handsomely, but only if you put in effort and contribute to the operation. The best prize, undoubtedly, will be a Hydra Fang. We, as the Hunters'' Guild, like to keep things fair. Therefore, the Hydra Fangs are up for grabs for whoever manages to obtain it. If you want it, you fight for it."


    This caused a stir in the crowd, and the man continued.


    "However. You are not allowed to hurt your own teammates. If you do, you will be charged, and of course, never receive the prize. In addition, it is not allowed to purposely make the Hydra spawn more heads just so you have a better chance at getting a Fang. If you do this, you will face the same punishment as if you had injured your own teammates, since this is practically doing exactly the same thing, just indirectly."


    After everyone had settled down again, the man drew his sword, and pointed it high in the air.


    "That''s all. We will set off at 7 PM tonight. From now until then, train, and prepare for the uing excursion. Good luck, everyone!"

 Chapter 197 - The Infinite Hunt

    <strong>- Later that Day, 7 PM, The Hunters'' Guild (Huizhou) -</strong>


    After the announcer man concluded his speech, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, and I had left to explore the city a bit more until 7 PM struck. The rest of the people in the excursion probably went to train and stuff, but since this was our first - and very possiblyst - time in Huizhou, I figured the girls would probably want to check out the city before we left.


    So, we ended up going shopping for a bit first, then watching a movie all together, and finally, eating dinner at the same ramen store. Of course, I suggested going there because I could eat free, but the downside was how awkward it was saying hi to the waitresses and owner again. It''s like ''hi! I''m back...yep, again, on the same day...''


    But that aside, the food was delicious, as expected. We all tried out different dishes, just to experience as many different tastes as possible while we''re still here in this city. Soon enough, it was 7 PM, and we headed for the Hunters'' Guild.


    Inside, most of the people that were here earlier this afternoon were already present. I also saw the announcer man, who would apparently be leading this operation. Once everyone was here, the announcer man spoke.


    "Good evening, everyone," he said through his megaphone. "Everyone seems to be here now, so we will be setting off shortly. My name is Bing Yuan, and I will be the one leading this operation. I won''t waste any time talking about rules and such, since I already went over everything this afternoon."


    "For now, I will take attendance," the man continued. "Sorry, this is protocol. When I call your name, just reply with ''here''."


    The attendance continued for a while, since there were thirty people in total. As an aside, I registered with my real name, since they requested to see my Mage ID, so I couldn''t exactly lie even if I wanted to. The girls did the same.


    The party of thirty set out soon after. We headed straight for the Infinite Forest, using the same path the girls and I had used to get to the urban parts of the city in the first ce.


    <em>This smells fishy though...I know the Infinite Forest is a pretty big ce, but when we passed through it, none of us noticed a Hydra. Maybe us humans wouldn''t be able to detect them, but Mei Gui had been using some sort of radar spell to help us avoid any people, if I recall correctly. Besides, Dragons and Phoenixes are both Mythical Magic Beasts with extremely keen senses. They should be able to detect a being of their own level nearby - for example, a Hydra. And yet...they didn''t?</em><em></em>


    <em></em><em>What that meant was that either the Hydra suddenly moved into the forest during the short time we were in the city, or...someone purposely ced it here. Both possibilities were pretty unlikely, but it was definitely one of the two. And personally, I was leaning towards the second option. But...I can''t imagine anyone able to capture a Hydra.</em>


    <em>ria mentioned she had a Hydra friend in the Summoning Dimension, but forming a contract with them was just about as hard as doing so with a Dragon. In other words, pretty much impossible. So then...how did someone manage to lead this Hydra into this forest? A bait, perhaps? If that''s the case...then why would they bother doing this?</em> <em>What is their motive?</em><em></em>


    <em></em>With these questions left unanswered in my head, our party had already arrived at the forest. Bing Yuan, the leader, headed inside first, and the rest of us trailed behind him.


    "Stay close, everyone," he ordered.


    Suddenly, I heard a voiceing from behind me.


    "Heheheh...look who it is," he said. The tone was haughty and condescending, clearly not one of good will.


    I spun around, and the girls with me did the same.


    "...Dong Zhu," I muttered. Unfortunately, I didn''t have my mask on, since I was using my real identity anyway, so I didn''t see a point in putting on my mask. But I just never expected to run into this guy here...


    "Hmph, you think boss''s name is something you can just call so casually?!" theckey with the rabbit teeth yelled.


    "Silence!" Bing Yuan suddenly interrupted, and red at us. "What do you think you''re doing? What will you do if they Hydra hears your senseless bickering and we lose the element of surprise?!"


    "S-Sorry..." theckey murmured, immediately turning frail.


    I didn''t respond, but instead kept an eye on Dong Zhu, who had a crooked grin on his face. Bing Yuan turned back around and continued treading forward carefully, keeping a keen eye on his surroundings. After a while, he finally spoke.


    "Alright...ording to the information we have, the Hydra is just up ahead. And indeed...this Motion-Tracking Sensor is detecting a veryrge lifeform up ahead. Far too big to be any other creature in this forest...except a Hydra."


    All of us crouched down, and waited.


    I suddenly felt a pat on my back. I immediately turned around. "What do you want?"


    Dong Zhu, who had been the person to do this, of course, replied quietly. "Heh...what are you here for?"


    I snorted. "I could ask you the same question."


    "Well, I''m obviously here to get a Hydra Fang," he whispered back sinisterly.


    "...Why do you need one? You''re already the mayor''s son."


    "Why not? It would make for a nice addition to my collection of treasures," he responded with augh. "But...I''m willing to make a deal with you."


    I frowned. "What?"


    "Heh. If you hand over the girls, I''ll not only let you get out of this city scot-free, but I''ll also give you a Hydra Fang. No ''merchant'' would let a treasure such as this slip by, no?"


    <em>Ah. I forgot the excuse I gave him was that I was a travelling merchant. And now he''s using it against me, even though he clearly doesn''t believe it, huh?</em>


    "I think I''ve already said this before, but I don''t have control over them. What they want to do is their own choice, I can''t force them to do anything," I replied stoically.


    "...Hmph. So that''s your answer then. Fine, then don''t me me for what happens to you."


    Leaving that threat, Dong Zhu ended the conversation. I figured he might try something during our fight against the Hydra. After all, even if he is caught, the most that will happen to him is a mere disqualification from this mission. Had it been anyone else, they would be charged and possibly even arrested, but he was the mayor''s son. And, well...I''m not stupid enough to believe this mayor is so upright that he would even sacrifice his own son''s freedom. After all, if he was, Dong Zhu wouldn''t be the way he is today.


    "Alright, here''s the n," Bing Yuan turned around to face us and said. "Currently, we are 300 meters away from the Hydra. It appears to be resting at the moment. I want to finish this as quickly and efficiently as possible, so let''s try to take it down in one go. In order to avoid any possibility of error, we have to strike all nine of its heads at the exact same time. If we can do this, one of the nine heads must be the central one. Before we go in, I will assign eight people to target the heads with me."


    Many of the people immediately raised their hands, myself included. The girls did as well. If we went for the heads, we would have the best chance at getting our hands on a Hydra Fang, after all.


    In the end, Bing Yuan chose me, Dong Zhu, and six other people. Counting himself, that made nine of us in total. I narrowed my eyes as I saw Dong Zhu whisper something into one of hisckeys'' ears, as they sent me a sinister smirk.


    <em>Yeah...they''re definitely nning something. Gotta be ready.</em>


    We all nodded, confirming we understood the instructions. Bing Yuan nodded back, before slowly turning around and walking forward. Once we were only around 100 meters away from the Hydra, he stopped, and raised his hand. Using hand gestures, he counted.


    <em>Three...Two..One!</em>


    <em></em>We leapt into battle. The people chosen to take out the heads jumped out first, all at the same time, while the rest came out of the bushes shortly after. The Hydra roared in surprise as it was suddenly bombarded with spells from all directions, and I summoned my twin Chaos katanas, preparing to cleave the head I was assigned to straight off.


    However, suddenly, I was hit on the side of my body by something. At first, I thought it was one of the Hydra''s heads. But then, I realized all of the heads were being kept busy by their respective yers, and the one I was assigned to was staring straight at me. It was only then that I realized I wasn''t hit by the Hydra. I was hit by one of my own teammates - a human.

 Chapter 198 - Wrath Of The Hydra

    "Ngh!" I groaned as I was pushed to the side. I immediately got back up and red at the perpetrator - one of Dong Zhu''sckeys, the one with sses.


    At the same time, all of the other people who had been selected to cut off a Hydra head, had alreadypleted their task. But of course...


    <em>Ah...damn it. The central one just had to be mine, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"Fall back!" Bing Yuan yelled as the Hydra''s head stumps began bubbling, and in the blink of an eye, two more heads had emerged from every single one of the stumps.


    "Who didn''t cut one of the Hydra''s head off?!" Bing Yuan yelled in frustration as he dodged out of the way of one of the Hydra''s attacks, venom spit.


    "It was Xuan Kai, sir!" Dong Zhu immediately spoke up.


    <em>...Framing me, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"Xuan Kai? Damn it, why didn''t you follow instructions?!"


    "Sir, I can expl-"


    "We don''t have time to hear you exin!" Bing Yuan interrupted. "Damn it, now that it''se to this, don''t cut off any heads unless you''re absolutely certain it''s the central one! Remember, the central head was the one who didn''t split into two!"


    <em>Looks like he''s counting on one of us to have remembered the head''s location. But amidst this swarm of heads...</em>


    <em>Damn it, what the hell is that Dong Zhu thinking? Does he not realize that doing this would possibly get him killed too? By the Hydra, I mean. After all, the more heads this thing has, the more powerful it bes. We might not even be able to make it out alive at some point, if people keep cutting off the wrong heads.</em>


    <em>Ah, there goes one.</em>


    <em></em>As one of the party members cut off the head they ''thought'' was the central one, two more immediately came in to take its ce.


    <em>Yeah, this isn''t going to work. Now then...</em>


    <em></em>I noticed Dong Zhu and hisckeys over on one side snickering at me, but I ignored them, and instead backed away from the battlefield and called Mei Gui over.


    Mei Gui, noticing me beckoning through a telepathic message, hurried over. "Yes, Master?"


    "Mei Gui, do you happen to remember which Hydra head was the one I was assigned to?"


    She nodded. "Yes. I also saw Dong Zhu''sckey, the piss pit of a bastard toxic jerk push Master so Master could not aplish Master''s task sessfully."


    <em>...H-Hold on, where did you learn such vocabry? A-Ahem, I would have to talk to her about thister, but now is not the time.</em>


    "Okay, tell me which one is the right head," I instructed, and Mei Gui pointed at the head hiding within the very center of all the other ones.


    <em>Well, of course. It wants to be protected, huh?</em>


    <em></em>I nodded. "Got it. I''ll get that head."


    "But Master, won''t the other heads get in your way?"


    I grinned. "That''s where youe in, Mei Gui."


    Hearing my reply, she immediately brightened up and smiled slightly. "Yes, Master!"


    <em>I don''t know if she''s happy to be helping me out, or she just loves battles, but if she enjoys doing this, then that''s fine by me.</em>


    <em></em>She immediately leapt into battle, with me following soon after. Her movements attracted the gazes of everyone present. No one expected a girl of her tiny frame to be able to move so agilely and urately. She carefully cut any heads that came to block her way, but did not cut thempletely off so that the Hydra couldn''t spawn new ones. Instead, she injured them just enough for them to back away from the pain.


    Soon enough, a clean path was cleared, and that was the moment I was waiting for.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Salire.</em>


    I jumped up into the air after casting my jump boosting spell, and directed my katana at the Hydra''s central head, now defenseless. It attempted to shoot venom at my face with a shriek, but I easily dodged out of the way.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em>


    Teleporting at the exact moment the venom was about to hit me, I blinked behind the projectile and swung my twin katanas in an x-pattern. Inded on the ground behind the Hydra, right as the central head fell cleanly off. All was silent as this moment ured.


    The entire Hydra then suddenly spasmed, shrieking loudly before atst, copsing onto the ground. Its body began disintegrating into ashes.


    "Quick, grab the Hydra Fangs!" someone yelled, the first toe to their senses.


    I turned around, and saw Mei Gui, who had already retrieved two Hydra Fangs from the central head that I had in. She walked over to me, and gave me the two fangs as the rest of the people all struggled to get their hands on one from the other heads.


    "Good job, Mei Gui," I said, patting her head gently.


    "Mm..." she nodded happily, enjoying the head pat.


    I sensed killing intent from behind me, so I slowly turned my head around and saw Dong Zhu with hisckeys, ring at me in detest.


    I smirked, then slowly raised the middle finger towards them.


    Seeing this gesture, Dong Zhu nearly couldn''t contain his anger anymore, and was about to charge straight at me. But luckily for him, hisckeys had more of a brain than he did, and held him back.


    <em>You already got your ass handed to you by me once already. Now you want to try again? Man...some people just never learn, do they?</em>


    "B-Boss! Calm down! We''ll make sure he''s dead before he leaves this city!" the chubbyckey said desperately.


    "Yeah, yeah! No need to get him right now!" the short, freckled dude said.


    "Don''t worry, boss! He won''t live to see another sunrise!" thestckey with the bunny teeth and sses added.


    Dong Zhu gritted his teeth. "Damn it...I''ll let you live for a bit longer, Xuan Kai."


    I ignored his taunt, and merely went back to patting Mei Gui. The other girls ran over to us.


    "Sorry, I wasn''t able to get a Hydra Fang...oh, wait, you already got two!" Feng Mian eximed.


    "Yeah, Mei Gui managed to secure them," I exined.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, that was so cool!" Qing Yue yelled, before diving into my arms. Mei Gui was slightly unhappy that I stopped patting her head since I had to catch Qing Yue, but she didn''t show too much emotion on her face, as usual.


    "That was...pretty shy for someone who usually likes to blend in," Yu An Yan noted.


    "Yeah, well...if we just let the battle drag on, god knows how many heads there would''ve been by the end of it. I figured it would be better to just end it now," I replied. "The thing with Hydras is that the more heads there are, the more powerful it gets. Putting it in video game terms...it scales infinitely."


    "Haha, funny pun! Get it, because Hydras have scales?" Xiang Peng interjected, pointing finger guns at me with a wink.


    "Shut up," I muttered, which caused her to pout.


    Then, someone else walked over to me. It was Bing Yuan. "Good job, kid. That battle was all you."


    I shook my head. "Nah, I didn''t do much. My golem is just too powerful."


    I pointed at Mei Gui, to which Bing Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that''s a golem? Her movements seemed very...human to me."


    "Yeah, it''s a pretty high-quality model," I exined, bluffing my way past. "Nearly cost my parents their entire life savings."


    Bing Yuan chuckled. "Ho...I see. But about that incident earlier...why did you not follow my instructions and cut off the Hydra head?"


    I sighed. "Would you believe me if I told you someone purposely prevented me from doing so?"


    "...I would, but there''s no evidence, so I wouldn''t be able to do anything about it," Bing Yuan said reluctantly.


    "As I thought. There''s no point exining, then," I finished. "When are we heading back?"


    "Right now," Bing Yuan replied. "Sorry...I''m not able to help you out regarding the framing."


    I shook my head. "Don''t worry about it. I''m leaving this city tomorrow anyway."


    "Oh, where to?" he asked.


    "Why do you ask?" I shot right back.


    "...Ha, I see. Well, it''s understandable you don''t want to reveal any information," Bing Yuan said with a sigh. "You''re an interesting kid. Just now, I wasn''t sure if I even heard you chant an incantation before using magic. And those weapons of yours, too...I''ve never seen anything like them before, but I can feel that they are incredibly powerful."


    "I chanted really quietly," I replied, my usual excuse. I didn''t say anything about the weapons, since I didn''t have a good excuse for them.


    "I...see. Very well. You will be rewarded handsomely, as promised, for scoring the kill on the Hydra and being the main contributor of this fight," he said. "For now, let''s head back to the guild."

 Chapter 199 - Level Three Spells?

    Later that night, after we had in the Hydra, the girls and I returned to the hotel we had checked in at earlier today. The girls headed into theirrger room, while I went in my own, smaller one. Mei Gui had insisted on sleeping with me, and though the other girls had jealous expressions on their faces (with the exception of Obsidia, who didn''t care, and Xiang Peng, who was just being a clown), no one could stop her. I was against it at first, but then remembered something that had happened earlier today, so eventually I gave in. The girls said good night to me, and we headed into our respective rooms, which were right next to each other.


    "Mei Gui, go shower first. After you''re done, I have something I want to ask you," I said.


    Mei Gui nodded, and began taking off her clothes without any sense of shame.


    I averted my gaze. "Take your clothes off <em>in the bathroom.</em>"


    She blinked, and went inside the washroom in my - no, our - room. I sighed.


    <em>She gets flustered at the weirdest things. I mean, she isn''t embarrassed to strip naked in front of a guy, but she blushes in embarrassment when she doesn''t know how to use a shower handle? Man...well, I guess I can''t use human standards to evaluate her. She was an Elemental, after all. But still, she was certainly one of a kind.</em>


    <em></em>After she was done showering, she came out with a towel wrapped around her body, and...nothing else.


    "Mei Gui, didn''t the girls buy you some clothes a while ago?" I asked, trying my best not to look at her.


    "Yes," Mei Gui replied. "But is there a point wearing clothes right now? Clothes are only worn in public, no? Xiang Peng said when you are only with the someone most important to you, clothes are unnecessary. Since Master is that someone to me, clothes are not needed here."


    "That damn Xiang Peng..." I muttered in frustration. "L-Look, don''t listen to what that girl says, okay? Now, put on some clothes."


    "...Understood, Master."


    After she finally put on some damn clothes - a ck nightgown, made from her Chaos power - that was pretty exposing (but still better than just a towel), I sighed and asked her my question.


    "So, Mei Gui, I recall you mentioned earlier today that I could use Level Three spells now? Where did thate from?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "The Chaos within Master''s body does more than just enhance your spells. It also gives you insane cultivation speed - far beyond anything elixirs could provide. Even forbidden cultivation techniques that boost your speed in return for a huge cost cannot match up to Master''s Chaos."


    "And...you can tell when I can cast stronger spells?"


    "That is correct," Mei Gui replied, sitting down on the bed. "I can...track the Chaos energy in Master''s body, of sorts. Since the energy''s quality and pureness directly affects Master''s cultivation speed, I can easily tell when Master should be able to cast the next tier of spells."


    "I see..." I murmured. "But I can''t really try it out, since I don''t know any Level Three spells."


    "Worry not. Just ask Xiang Peng tomorrow," Mei Gui suggested.


    "Speaking of her, she knows everything about me already yeah?"


    "Correct. The girls already informed her. Was that a mistake?"


    I shook my head. "No, not really. She''s trustworthy, despite how she seems. I''ve seen her serious side, and trust me, it''s <em>very </em>different from the Xiang Peng you know."


    "..." Mei Gui didn''t respond to this, possibly because she didn''t know how to.


    "Well, whatever. There was one more thing you said you would do tonight," I continued.


    "Does Master mean the new Forbidden Magic I used?"


    "Yeah, the radar one. It sounds pretty useful."


    "It is," Mei Gui replied. "And Master should be able to cast it no problem, just like Chaos Mirror."


    "Okay...so then, what''s the spell name?"


    "The spell is called The Third Eye," Mei Gui exined. "Essentially, it provides you with an all-seeing continuous radar for a long duration. The range of the spell is approximately one kilometer, and no concealment techniques can escape The Third Eye."


    "No concealment techniques...? Even if someone used Mythic or Saint-Tier Magic?" I asked.


    Mei Gui nodded. "Forbidden Magic is the most powerful magic there is. Even if someone used a Divine Tier concealment technique - which I am not sure if one exists - it would not be able to escape the watchful gaze of The Third Eye."


    "I see...in other words, as long as I have this spell active, no sneak attacks are going to work on me, huh?"


    Mei Gui nodded once more. "Yes. However, this spell does drain mana fairly quickly. It is impossible to keep it active at all times in the background. With the amount of mana Master currrently has, it should be able tost the entire night, but after that, Master will bepletely out of mana."


    I sank into thought. "Hm...enough tost the whole night, huh? Good enough."


    "Master...?" Mei Gui tilted her head in confusion.


    "This is the perfect opportunity to test this spell out, y''know," I said. "Does the spell remain active even when you''re sleeping or unconscious?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "The Third Eye will alert you if someone hostile is within range."


    I smirked. "Perfect. I am 110% certain Dong Zhu will being tonight. Let''s give him a nice wee."


    "110%?" Mei Gui frowned, not understanding this expression.


    I sighed. "It''s an exaggeration, Mei Gui. I just mean I know for sure he was going toe tonight."


    "Oh, understood, Master."


    I went to shower, and after I was done, I got inside the bed. Since when we left Shenzhen, I prepared some changes of clothes in my Space Locket, I just slipped one of the sets on and got inside the bed. Mei Gui soon crawled in after me, and immediately wrapped her body around mine.


    Realizing I wasn''t going to be able to escape this, I just gave in and did my best to fall asleep. Eventually, I did.


    But not for long.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, The Room Next Door... -</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong></strong>"Y-You hear anything?" Feng Mian asked anxiously.


    Qing Yue, who had her face pressed against the wall, frowned. "No, I don''t hear anything..."


    Xiang Peng puffed her generous chest out and shook her head defiantly. "Impossible! Mei Gui is a goddess level beauty, there''s no way Xuan Kai can hold himself back from letting his male instincts take over!"


    "U-Um...I don''t think doing this is very nice..." Lan Xiao Su murmured quietly.


    "You say that, but you want to know too, don''t you?" Yu An Yan asked. "I mean, c''mon, any of us with eyes can tell you have a crush on Xuan Kai. Do you not want to know what type of girl he likes?"


    "W-W-Wha-?!" Lan Xiao Su yelped in surprise. "I-I don''t know what you''re talking about!"


    "Hm...sis...can talk about...other girls...liking Xuan Kai...but when she is called out..." Yu An Xue murmured. "Sis...you like Xuan Kai too...so why talk?"


    "S-Shut up, An Xue!" Yu An Yan yelled, blushing.


    "All of you shush!" Qing Yue eximed. "I can''t hear anything!"


    <strong>Meanwhile, in the other corner of the room...</strong>


    "Hmph, look at how pitiful you are in your human form, phoenix," Obsidia snorted. "Oh, but even if you were in your normal form, you would still never match up to the might of a dragon."


    "Shut up, big boobs! I didn''t turn like this because I wanted to!" ria shouted in return.


    "Oh, ''big boobs''? Are you perhaps self-conscious about these?" Obsidia asked, a smug grin on her face as she caressed her own breast, as if showing them off to ria.


    "Y-Y-You damn witch!"


    "Hmph. What an immature insult."


    "You damn dragon...!"


    "You ursed phoenix..."


    "Dragon!"


    "Phoenix!"


    "Drag-"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Back in Xuan Kai''s Room -</strong>


    <strong></strong>As I slept peacefully with The Third Eye activated, Dong Zhu and hisckeys were on their way to attack me. Of course, they weren''t stupid enough toe on their own. My Third Eye was detecting a group of ten - Dong Zhu and his threeckeys, plus six more people. These six people were all of the Advanced Mage level.


    <em>Hm...six Advanced Mages. I can take care of them easily. After all...I''ve killed ny-nine of them in a row before.</em>


    My eyes snapped open, and I smirked.


    <em>Since you chose to do this...don''t me me for what happens to you and your buddies. C''mon, Dong Zhu...let''s see what you got. </em>


    <em></em>I got out of the bed after prying Mei Gui''s body off me with great difficulty, and slipped on my ck hoodie, cloak, and mask. I wrapped my hood over my head, and sat in wait. Mei Gui, noticing this, also got up. She was naked, since when she falls asleep, her clothes automatically disappear, since they are generated by her Chaos power. I should probably get her to wear normal clothes next time, not the clothes she makes herself.


    "Master, are they here?"


    I nodded. "Right outside the hotel. Looks like they''re going to get my room number by threatening the receptionist."


    "But how did they find out which hotel we were staying at in the first ce?" Mei Gui asked, confused.


    "That''s easy. Our group isn''t exactly hard to miss, with you eye-attracting girls. They could''ve easily asked anyone who saw us, or sent a spy to follow us. But none of that matters," I said. "Since they want to do this...they have to be prepared to pay the price."

 Chapter 200 - Operation: Nighthawk

    Mei Gui and I sat in our rooms patiently, after I prepared the perfect bait - the calm before the storm. We waited, and waited. Until atst, I heard a beeping noiseing from the door. Someone, had unlocked it from the outside. Currently, it was about midnight. Anyone who enters your room without permission at midnight is undoubtedly an unfriendly visitor. But instead of cowering in fear like they expected, I smirked.


    I had been waiting for this, after all. I''m not the type to purposely hurt others, but if you started it, then...well, I won''t hold back. Revenge can feel pretty damn good sometimes. And this, was one of those times.


    The door slowly creaked open, and ten people stepped inside - just as my Third Eye had told me. Dong Zhu, his threeckeys, along with six Advanced Mage level helpers. They stepped lightly, careful not to wake me up...well, they thought I was still sleeping peacefully inside the bed. But what they didn''t know, was that the figure they saw lying beneath the covers was in fact just a pillow. The darkness helped me here, since they indeed fell for the trick As for Mei Gui and I...we merely silentlyughed at their foolishness while sitting in safety from the shadows.


    Vanishing Shadows was an extremely powerful spell in enclosed spaces like this at night. After all, shadows were everywhere, and the more shaded areas there were, the more powerful and versatile the spell became. Hence why I chose to use this spell to hide ourselves in for this particr operation.


    <em>Hm...I didn''te up with a name for this operation, now that I think of it. It doesn''t really matter, per se, but hey, why not? Eh...since this is happening at night, and we''re watching them like hawks stalking their prey...hm, let''s call this Operation: Nighthawk.</em>


    It had a pretty nice ring to it, so I just settled with that. As the ten people slowly got closer to the bed, however, I realized it was time to move. After all, as soon as they flipped open the nket, they would know they had been tricked. Which was why...better to remain on the initiative.


    I slowly rose out of the shadow realm and mmed the door shut all of a sudden. This caused the ten of them to jump up in surprise, and spin around to look at me.


    "Hey there...you need something from me?" I asked, in a fake polite tone. Of course, I knew what they were here for. But I still needed to y dumb, in order to buy some time for Mei Gui...


    "Hmph...so you knew we wereing," Dong Zhu muttered.


    I shrugged. "Well, of course. You made sure to emphasize that to me numerous times throughout today, after all."


    "Well, no matter...so what if you knew we were going toe? You''re still going to be dying here today, anyway," the shortckey said.


    I grinned. "Hey, a little tip?"


    The ten of them frowned in confusion, and I continued.


    "When someone anticipates youing...chances are, they''ve set up traps beforehand."


    Right as I said this, Mei Gui leapt out from the shadows behind the ten of them, and impaled two Advanced Mages with her ming Chaos-borne spear before they could even react. Well, I said impale, but really all she did was hit the two of them''s Stomach 9 pressure point1 with the blunt side of her spear, causing them to both faint instantly. Since I didn''t want to cause too big of a deal, I decided against killing anyone here, as long as it could be avoided. I didn''t really mind outright killing them, but that would ruin this hotel''s reputation, and I didn''t want to bring any negative impacts to innocent people. Therefore, I settled with just knocking them out.


    By this time, the remaining eight invaders had finallye to their senses. They immediately split into two teams - Dong Zhu and hisckeys against me, the Advanced Mages against Mei Gui - since they were closer to her. However, Dong Zhu, quickly realizing this wasn''t right, grabbed the shoulder of one of the Advanced Mages.


    "Idiot! I can''t fight that guy!" he yelled, before switching ces with the poor Advanced Mage. Theckeys did the same with the other Advanced Mages, leaving me to face the Advanced Mages while Mei Gui faced Dong Zhu and hisckeys.


    I sighed. "Just saying, that was a pretty bad decision. Mei Gui...let''s just say you shouldn''t underestimate her."


    <em>In fact...she''s even stronger than me. But hey, why tell them that? I''m going to just kick back and enjoy the show.</em>


    "Hmph, boy, you better worry about yourself first...you got us good there with that surprise attack, but now it''s all over for you," one of the Advanced Mages said. He looked to be about 50 years old.


    I snorted. "Imagine still being an Advanced Mage at your age...senior, when was thest time you broke through?"


    "Y-You-!" the man began, clenching his fists in fury.


    I smirked. "What''s the matter? Not convinced? Then show me what you got."


    The four Advanced Mages activated their mana at the same time, and eachunched a different spell at me.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Ember Barrage!"


    "Level Two Sky Magic - Lightning Blitz!"


    "Level Two Shadow Magic - Umbra des!"


    "Level Two Ice Magic - Withering Shuriken."


    Faced with a barrage of ming projectiles, a concentrated electricity st, six deadly shadow-borne des, and a boomerang-like ice shuriken, I merely sighed and shrugged.


    "Now now...using Level Two Magic in such a small room, and against a mere Intermediate Mage, no less?" I taunted. "How weak...and foolish."


    I raised my hand, and activated my Chaos energy. With ease, all of the iing projectiles were sucked into my body, granting me a bunch of newfound mana. I rotated my neck a little, then cracked my knuckles.


    "I was just in need of mana, too," I said. "So I guess I gotta say thanks, huh?"


    "Wha..." the Advanced Mages were taken aback. They had never seen something like this before, after all. They were stunned speechless after witnessing their own attacks being sucked into my body harmlessly, as if my very existence was a ck hole.


    One of them shook their heads. "No...I don''t believe this! There must be a trick somewhere...there''s no way this kid just neutralized all of our spells at once! Level Two Poison Magic - Intoxication Cloud!"


    "Fool," I muttered, before sucking the cloud of poison into my body with ease. The Chaos energy within me converted the poison into my own mana, and I grinned.


    "Is that all you have? Keep the attacksing...I''m not full yet."


    They obliged - sending attack after attack at me. But none of them hit their target. Instead, they were all sucked into my body, one after another.


    While this was going on, on the other side of the room, Mei Gui was also ying with Dong Zhu and hisckeys with ease. She kept jumping around, and the four of them couldn''tnd a single attack on her.


    I hollered over. "Mei Gui, enough fun, it''s time to end this."


    Shended on the ground gracefully. "Understood, Master."


    Then, dashing at inhuman speeds, she instantly appeared behind two of Dong Zhu''sckeys, and knocked them out using the same Stomach 9 pressure point as before. Then, before Dong Zhu and thest remainingckey could even react to her insane speed, they were also lying on the floor, unconscious. Mei Gui dusted off her hands, and dematerialized her spear.


    "Good stuff, Mei Gui," I said, before promptly blinking behind the Advanced Mages, and knocking one out with a palm strike on the Stomach 9 pressure point. "I''m just finishing up here as well."


    The remaining Advanced Mages spun around, surprised to see me there when I hadn''t even chanted. But by the time they were looking at me, I was behind them again. I had so much mana now thanks to them spoon feeding me, so I could use Space - Eliminate many times in a row without rest. Taking them down one by one by the same method, I didn''t even give them a chance toe up with a n before they were all knocked out on the floor, unconscious.


    "Tie up everyone, then wake up Dong Zhu and hisckeys," I instructed to Mei Gui.


    "Understood, Master."


    She used some rope I gave her from my Space Locket, and tied the ten people in two groups - one, Dong Zhu and hisckeys, and two, all six Advanced Mages. Then, Mei Gui went into the bathroom, filled up a bucket full of ice cold water, then came back out and emptied the entire thing onto Dong Zhu''s group.


    <em>Yeesh...I said wake them up, but this is quite the method. Not that I pity them or anything, but today I found out Mei Gui is unexpectedly cruel.</em>


    <em></em>"B-Bwah?!" Dong Zhu shook his head, getting the water off his face. Hisckeys also blinked a few times, confused.


    "Finally awake?" I asked, sitting on a chair in front of them, who were tied up together in the corner, leaning against the door. Search this up if you don''t know what it is!

 Chapter 201 - Journey To Shanghai

    "D-D-Don''t kill us! We were just following Dong Zhu''s orders!" one of theckeys immediately said. This was the short one - and probably the most clever one.


    "What?! You''re the one who suggested this!" Dong Zhu retaliated angrily.


    "Oh...how amusing. A bunch of maggots, fighting amongst themselves," I remarked. "Isn''t that interesting? The moment things go south, you all turn selfish all of a sudden."


    "..."


    They didn''t talk back, which made sense considering the position they were in. I smirked. "All quiet and obedient now, huh? Man...all this would''ve been avoided if you didn''t try touching mypanions, y''know?"


    "Y-Yes! I-I''m sorry!" Dong Zhu yelped, his tough demeanor nowpletely gone.


    "Now...I don''t want to kill you if I don''t have to, so I''m just going to get one of mypanions to erase your memory of everything that happened tonight. But if you ever cross me or any of my women again...I can''t promise I will do the same. Understand?"


    "Y-Y-Yes sir!" Dong Zhu and hisckeys said in unison.


    I smiled innocently. "Good."


    Then, standing up, I looked over at Mei Gui, my fake smile nowhere to be seen. "Knock them out again."


    "W-W-Wha-? Didn''t you just say you would let us g-"


    "Yeah, but I still have to erase your memory, remember?" I replied, and motioned for Mei Gui to make the move. She hit the four of them''s Stomach 9 pressure point precisely, and they were knocked unconscious once more.


    "You can be a little more rough with them if you want," I said. "Like, m their heads against the wall to knock them out or something."


    "...Understood, Mast-"


    "No, no, no," I quickly stopped her. "They''re already knocked out. No point doing anything more now. They should stay like this until morning. I''ll get Qing Yue to erase their memory then."


    But suddenly, I heard a fumbling outside my door. I immediately raised my guard, but my Third Eye, which was still active, wasn''t picking up on any hostile enemies. I frowned in confusion, and went up closer, and pressed my ear against the door.


    "D-Did you record that?!" a female voice asked hastily.


    "Yes, yes I did!" another girl replied.


    <em>By the sound of the two voices...huh. Feng Mian and Qing Yue?</em>


    <em></em>I ced my hand on the handle of the door, then suddenly gave it a twist, opening it. The girls on the other side, not expecting this, all crashed into the room, one after another.


    "So? What are you guys doing?" I asked, unamused, as they got up to their feet once more.


    "E-Eh? Ah..." Feng Mian was at a loss for words, and looked towards Qing Yue to help. But Qing Yue didn''t have an answer either.


    Xiang Peng was the first to speak up. "Well, you were <em>so </em>loud that we couldn''t sleep! So we decided to check out what was going on next door."


    "...And eavesdropping on a conversation is your idea of ''checking out what''s going on next door''?"


    "A-Ahem, that''s not my fault," Xiang Peng replied, immediately pushing the me onto someone else. "The other girls wanted to listen in, so I just came along."


    "What?! You''re the one who suggested doing this in the first ce!" Feng Mian eximed.


    "N-Nope, don''t know what you''re talking about," Xiang Peng said, whistling ignorantly.


    "I don''t care who did it..." I muttered. "I only care about the recording you mentioned. What did you guys record?"


    "N-Nothing!" Qing Yue immediately replied, hiding something behind her back.


    I narrowed my gaze. "What are you holding? Hand it over."


    I reached for it, but Qing Yue nimbly dodged out of the way.


    I sighed. "Hand. It. Over."


    Qing Yue, frightened by my serious tone, slowly, hesitantly handed me her phone.


    "...Unlock it," I ordered, and sheplied.


    I found the clip she just recorded, and pressed y.


    <strong>"...But if you ever cross me or any of my women again...I can''t promise I will do the same. Understand?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>I pressed pause, then red at the girls, who were blushing and giggling at the same time.


    <em>God damn it...why did I say that? Ugh...the mood just seemed right, and it just came out of my mouth without thinking...</em>


    "I''m deleting this..." I muttered.


    "No! Don''t delete it! Please no!" Yu An Yan begged.


    "Yeah, don''t delete it!!" Feng Mian added.


    "Too bad," I said, before promptly clicking the delete button on the video.


    I then handed the phone back to Qing Yue. "Don''t try eavesdropping on me again, Qing Yue. It won''t work."


    "Wuwu..." she murmured, making a fake crying gesture.


    "Now...since you''re already here, erase these four guys'' memories for me," I said, pointing at Dong Zhu and hisckeys sitting on the floor, unconscious. "You know a spell for that, right?"


    "Yep! I learnt it a while ago," Qing Yue replied, instantly not depressed anymore. She walked over to the four guys, and raised her arms, pointing her palms towards their heads. "Level Two Psychic Magic - Amnesia."


    Amnesia - a Level Two Psychic Element spell that made those affected by it forget what happened in the past day, 24 hours. Their memory will turn hazy, and will wake up confused, but with nosting impacts. A faint pink light enveloped their heads, and after a good minute, she was done. Then, after repeating the same process with the six Advanced Mages, she let out a deep breath, and turned to me and gave a wink as well as a thumbs up.


    "All done, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    I nodded in satisfaction. "Good...now, you guys go back to sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, so you all should get some rest. Meanwhile...I''ll deal with these four."


    The girls agreed after some reluctance at letting me do everything by myself, but after a while, they returned to their own room, and I called the front desk. The receptionist picked up, and I spoke.


    "Hey, can youe up to room 68 real quick? I need your help."


    "Um...room 68? B-But wait...isn''t that..."


    I sighed. "Yes, I know Dong Zhu and his group threatened you to give them my room number. I''ve already dealt with them. Juste up here please."


    "D-Dealt with them? U-Um, okay! I''ll be there in a sec."


    She sounded pretty surprised at my words, but she agreed nheless. I hung up, and waited patiently.


    After a couple of minutes, the receptionist arrived at my room. She rang the doorbell, and I opened it. The first thing noticed was Dong Zhu and his threeckeys, tied up in the corner of the room.


    "W-Wha-!"


    I quickly covered her mouth. "Idiot. If you scream too loudly, they''ll wake up. Listen to me closely. I''m not going to hurt you."


    The poor girl nodded fearfully, and I let go of her. "Alright. Here''s what''s going to happen. You''re going to find me two vacant rooms, one for Dong Zhu and his threeckeys here, and the other for those six Advanced Mages tied up in the corner over there."


    I pointed at the group of unconscious Advanced Mages in the other corner of my room, and the girl nodded.


    "Don''t worry, they aren''t dead, just unconscious. I''ve already erased all of their memories of what happened here today, so you don''t have to worry about them taking revenge on the hotel or trying anything like this again. After all, they have already forgotten what made them do this to me in the first ce."


    The girl stood speechless, shocked at how easily I had dealt with the four of these guys my age, who all appeared to be more buff than me (except the shortckey) on top of six Advanced Mages. Of course, even if it was really just a pure fistfight, no magic or weapons allowed, I would still beat them easily, since I had trained my body to human limits - my muscles just didn''t show under my thick cloak, so this girl couldn''t tell.


    "Now, when they wake up tomorrow morning, they''re going to be very confused at why they are here," I exined. "But don''t worry. All you have to do is tell them they were drunkst night, and-"


    "Wait, drunk? But...Dong Zhu and his threeckeys are underage!" the girl eximed, clearly far too innocent for this world.


    I sighed. "Knowing Dong Zhu? Do you really believe they haven''t touched alcohol before? They''re under the false impression they are above thew. But in this case, that works in our favor. Understand? Just do as I say, and there won''t be any problems. Of course, that''s only if you do it naturally. Don''t give it away that you''re lying."


    "O-Okay, I got it," the girl replied, and I nodded in satisfaction.


    "Alright. Lead the way to an empty room."


    She did, and I dragged Dong Zhu and hisckeys to the empty room first. Luckily, it was midnight, so no one else was loitering in the halls. I repeated the same process with the six Advanced Mages. Once they were all in their rooms, I got rid of the ropes tying them and carefullyid them down on the beds. I didn''t take their clothes off and change for them though, because that''s disgusting.


    After everything was done, I returned to my own room. The receptionist girl thanked me, and I waved her off. Mei Gui was waiting for me in the room, and I sighed. Changing into my clean clothes once again, I crashed onto the bed, exhausted, Mei Gui, as usual, crawled in nonchntly after me.


    <em>That was a tiring night. Now then...let''s hope tomorrow''s journey to Shanghai is rtively peaceful.</em><em></em>

 Chapter 202 - The Huizhou-Shanghai Maglev

    The next morning, we set off early at around 6 AM. The reason for this was that we didn''t want to run into Dong Zhu and hisckeys again, which would lead to a repeat of the events we had just experienced, and I didn''t really feel like dealing with that again. Sure, it was pretty easy for me to subdue them, but it was still work, and work was irritating.


    We first dropped by a convenience store to pick up some quick breakfast for ourselves, then immediately headed for the high-speed rail station in Huizhou, via taxi. The drive took about half an hour, and once we were inside the station, I began searching for a maglev to Shanghai, The Magic Capital - our destination.


    "Hm...okay, so there are two lines heading for Shanghai today..." I murmured as I stared at therge screen in front of me that showed all the maglevs that were going to be passing through this station today.


    "Which one are we taking?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Let''s take the oneing at 12 PM," I said. "The other one ising at 8 AM, and that could work, but I want to eat lunch before heading on the maglev, so might as well leave for Shanghai a bitter."


    "Okay, I''ll buy us the tickets, then," Yu An Yan said, before heading over to a self-service terminal where you purchased tickets. She was our bank, pretty much.


    <em>Wait...that''s a pretty mean way of putting it...it sounds like we''re only using her for her money, but that''s not the case. It''s just...well, every expenditure we''ve made on this trip so far, she''s paid for. I feel pretty bad, but the truth is, I''mpletely broke at the moment. Once we get to Shanghai, I''ll do a bunch of quests at the Hunters'' Guild there, then pay her back everything.</em>


    After a while, Yu An Yan came back to us with ten printed tickets.


    "How much was it?" I asked, curious.


    "Well, it was £¤300 for one person, so that''s £¤3,000 for all ten of us," Yu An Yan replied nonchntly with a shrug.


    "T-Three thousand..." I muttered in awe. "Man, if ria was still in her bird form, we could''ve saved £¤300..."


    Feng Mian giggled. "It''s not even your money, why are you so concerned?"


    "W-Well, I''m nning on paying all of this back to Yu An Yan once I get the money, so..."


    "No need," Yu An Yan immediately replied. "Do you really think the Yu family is in need of money?"


    "Mm...we are one of the Four Great Families...of Shenzhen," Yu An Xue added. "Money...is not a problem."


    "That may be so, but I think Big Brother Xuan Kai just can''t get over it in his heart," Qing Yue exined. "I''m the person who knows him best in the whole wide world. He won''t be able to rest easy until he pays back all his debts."


    "W-Woah there, rest easy? That makes it sound like I''m about to die," I murmured.


    "Oop, my bad," Qing Yue said with augh.


    After that, we wandered around the station for a while, since we had plenty of time to kill. We decided to grab lunch early, since the high-speed rail didn''t offer food, and we would be on the maglev for a good eight hours. I didn''t want to pass that time hungry, so even though it was only 10 AM after we finished browsing through the cute little shops in the high-speed rail station, we decided to head to a restaurant that looked pretty good.


    "Hm...dumplings, huh?" I murmured, looking at the sign of the diner.


    Heaven Dumplings was this ce''s name. A pretty nice sounding name, sure, and there were plenty of customers eating at it currently as well. I figured it would be even more full when 12 PM came around, since that was the usual lunchtime. But since our maglev to Shanghai was taking off at 12, we couldn''t wait until then - not that I wanted to, anyway. I hate crowded ces.


    I assumed most of the people here now were also going to board the maglev at 12, which is why they were eating here now instead of the proper lunchtime. That was fine by me.


    The moment the girls and I stepped into the restaurant, we drew the gazes of all the customers, especially the male ones. Those with girlfriends or wives were immediately pped by said women, and those without merely stared on. One guy even had drool spilling out from his mouth, and no, it wasn''t because of the food.


    The girls instinctively hid behind me, and the guys immediately turned their murderous gazes onto me.


    <em>Having a harem...sucks.</em>


    <em></em>I ignored their looks, something I was used to by now. Luckily, I had my mask on, so that meant I was under the persona of Kai Xuan right now, not my real self. If they came looking for trouble, I can just send them back where they belong without any fear of repercussion in the future.


    Luckily, all the guys here had more self-control than the likes of Dong Zhu. Well, either that, or they just actually fear thew, because throughout the entire lunch, the only things that I received were death res, nothing more. Meanwhile, the guys with girlfriends or wives kept getting hit by their partners for trying to sneak nces at mypanions.


    <em>Sigh...this isn''t even the men''s fault. If you want to me someone, me these girls for being too gorgeous.</em>


    <em></em>Hell, even Xiang Peng, who was the least good-looking out of the nine of them, had this mature body and overall air to her that made her attractive.


    Overall, we ordered ten sets of dumplings, one for each of us. Of course, we ordered different vors, and we shared between each other, since we wanted to try every vor. The food was pretty delicious, and service was quick. So, we decided to leave a tip.


    By the time we finished eating, it was 11 AM - just an hour before the maglev for Shanghai arrived at this station. So, we just waited patiently until the station''s PA announced for us to begin heading for the tform. That would usually ur 10-15 minutes before the estimated time or arrival of the maglev, so we had nearly another hour to kill. There wasn''t much left for us to do, so we just waited in some chairs. I was in the dead center of the nine girls...and Qing Yue, as if we weren''t attracting enough attention, chose to sit on myp. That left four girls on either side of me.


    Many people passing by stole nces at the beauties with me, but like the guys back at the restaurant, refrained from making any actual actions. The girls didn''t seem to notice since they were all on their phones, but damn, I did...mainly because I couldn''t use my phone with Qing Yue sitting on top of myp. I tried telling her to get off, but she just refused and pouted, saying ''this was her reserved seat''.


    Since I was really getting ufortable with this atmosphere, I decided to make some conversation to take my own mind off the res of surrounding passengers.


    "So, Xiang Peng, while we''re waiting, why don''t you tell us a bit more about Shanghai?" I asked.


    She put her phone away, and looked at me. "Tell you more...? Hm, what exactly do you want to know? Like, the exact area size or poption? ''Cause there''s no way I know that off the back of my head."


    "The exact area size of Shanghai is 6,340.58762-" Mei Gui began, but I quickly cut her off.


    "She was trying to make a joke there, Mei Gui...don''t take what she says literally," I said. "I know, the joke was horrible, so it''s not your fault."


    "What?! How dare you say my jokes are horrible?!" Xiang Peng eximed, puffing out her cheeks in a pout.


    I rolled my eyes, then with the most deadpan expression ever known to mankind, "Yeah yeah, your jokes are <em>amazing</em>, I''mughing <em>so</em> hard right now. Anyway, tell me about Shanghai."


    "Hm, well, for starters, Shanghai is a city like no other," Xiang Peng began.


    "Well no shit, it''s the Magic Capital," I said. "If any other city was like it, then where would its honor go?"


    "True, but everything in Shanghai is just so...different from the rest of China - no, the entire world. That''s honestly the best word I can use to describe it - you''ll have to see the specifics yourself."


    "Goddamn, you''re useless," I muttered.


    "Hey now, don''t be like that, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said from on top of myp. "It''s more exciting if we find out for ourselves, right?"


    <em>Y-Yes, Qing Yue, but that''s not the point here. The point here, is that I''m trying to make conversation, so that I can take my mind off certain things.</em>


    "Whatever..." I murmured, and resigned to just sit in silence for the rest of the duration until the maglev came to this station.

 Chapter 203 - The Magic Capital

    <strong>"Attention. Passengers boarding the T-69420 high-speed rail, please prepare to check in and board the maglev."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Oh, that''s us," Yu An Yan said, putting her phone away after hearing the loud announcement via the PA system of the high-speed rail station we were currently in.


    "What time is it?" I asked.


    Feng Mian stood up and checked her phone. "11:30. Half an hour before the ETA of the maglev."


    I nodded. "I see. Makes sense, then. Looks like the maglev''s going to be here on time. Let''s get going, check-in is that way."


    I pointed to our left. ording to what the signs hanging from the ceiling were showing, my sense of direction was correct. The ten of us began heading for check-in. Many people were already there, so we just picked the shortest line and waited patiently. Once it was finally our turn, I stepped up first.


    "Good mor- er, perhaps I should say afternoon now, haha," thedy handling this line said with a chuckle. "You are boarding the T-69420 line heading for Shanghai, correct?"


    I nodded. "Yes."


    "Very well, may I see your ticket?"


    "Sure. Is it possible to do all ten of us together?"


    "All ten...oh, you mean those fine youngdies behind you are together with you?" thedy asked, slightly surprised.


    "Yeah. So if it''s possible...just to save time, y''know?"


    "Of course! Can I get all ten of your tickets, then? I just need to verify if they are valid. And can I get your Mage IDs as well? Just to verify your identities and make sure they match with the tickets."


    We each took out our IDs and tickets that Yu An Yan had purchased earlier, and the girls all handed theirs to me. I, in turn, handed them all to the receptionistdy, who then scanned each of the tickets on a special machine. As an aside, Obsidia and ria didn''t have Mage IDs, so they just said they didn''t have any yet - you only received a Mage ID at the Intermediate Mage level, after all. Hiding their strength wasn''t too difficult of a task, since this receptionist knew nothing about them.


    After eight beeping noises, the job was done, and she handed us back our tickets along with our Mage IDs.


    "All good. The tickets have been verified, thank you. Just to confirm, could you please remove your mask for a second, sir?"


    "Sure," I replied, before promptly taking off my facemask for a second. The receptionist nodded, signaling that I could put it back on now. Iplied, and after that, gave the girls back their Mage IDs respectively.


    "Alright, now, as for your luggage...oh, it doesn''t seem like you have any...?"


    "Don''t worry about that, I have everything stored," I replied cryptically, purposely not giving too much info.


    "I...see..." thedy said, slightly confused. But luckily, she didn''t pry any further, and let us pass through the gates.


    "Line T-69420 will be arriving at tform 9 very soon. After you pass this gate, just follow the signs," she said.


    "Alright, thank you," I replied, before passing through the gates with ease. The girls followed after me, and we descended down the stairs.


    Signs hung from the ceiling, telling us how to reach each tform. In our case, tform 9 was the furthest one, so we had to walk to longest distance.


    "By the way, Xuan Kai, what was the reward the Hunters'' Guild in Huizhou gave you for dealing the final blow on the Hydra?" Yu An Yan asked as we walked. "They requested for you to go alone, so we don''t know."


    "Oh, that," I muttered. "It was just another Hydra Fang. The guild said it was going to be some ''huge'' reward, but eh...I mean, we already got the one fang we needed for the antidote to the 1 Year Curse, so it isn''t too big of a reward to us, honestly. I would''ve rather had some Basilisk Dust."


    "Any other man would kill to get his hands on a Hydra Fang, y''know," Xiang Peng mused.


    "Yeah, well, it''s useless to me, so I really don''t care," I replied.


    "You can always sell it for money. It''s worth quite a lot," Qing Yue suggested.


    "Yeah, sure...I''ll do that once we get to the capital. What''s the time right now?" I asked, speeding up my pace slightly. The girls also adjusted their speed to keep up.


    Feng Mian, once again, pulled out her phone and checked the time really quickly. "11:50."


    "So 10 more minutes," I muttered. I looked up at the next sign. We were supposed to turn left here.


    <em>Alright, take a left...and here we are.</em>


    <em></em>The ceiling above us disappeared, and once we ascended the stairs, we were out in the open, looking at the clear blue sky. I looked over at the pir nearby, and saw the text:


    <strong>tform 9.</strong>


    <em>Well, looks like we''re in the right ce.</em>


    Plenty of other people were waiting with us, and more continued to pile onto the tform. After a good ten minutes, the maglev we had been waiting for finally arrived. Everyone boarded the train one after another, in a pretty organized fashion, more or less. No one tried to be the first or anything - it''s not like everyone here was a 1st grader.


    Once we were on the maglev, we looked at our tickets and found our seats. Yu An Yan tried her best to get us seats right next to each other, but obviously, with all ten of us, the chance of that actually happening was pretty slim. In the end, we were split up into three groups - Mei Gui and I in one group, the Yu sisters, Feng Mian, Lan Xiao Su, and Qing Yue in another, and the final group, Obsidia, Xiang Peng, and ria.


    The dragon and phoenix sitting right beside each other was pretty questionable, but like I said, Yu An Yan did the best she could. The only thing I was worried about was the second group. Obsidia and Xiang Peng were both strong enough to protect themselves from perverts, but the Yu sisters, Feng Mian, Lan Xiao Su, and Qing Yue weren''t really used to being hit on by random strangers, and wouldn''t know how to deal with the situation. If anyone tried something on this maglev...


    The seating arrangement of the maglev was pretty simple - six seats on each side of an open aisle down the middle for walking and such. It was a fairly wide maglev, so it could fit plenty of people. The only problem with this? Well...group 2, which consisted of five girls, ended up being split up further by an empty seat - where some random guy sat down. They were right across the aisle from where Mei Gui and I were, so we had a good view of what was going on....and, well, let''s just say I don''t like the look on the guy''s face.


    The five girls seemed to notice it too, and swallowed nervously. Since this was a good opportunity, I decided to try out a spell for the first time.


    <em>Level Two Psychic Magic - Telepathy.</em>


    Normally, I only used mindmunication with Mei Gui, but that didn''t require this spell, and was different. I decided to try using this with one of the other girls this time around. I chose the Level Two variant of the spell, since it was more powerful and could act as a better training than the Level One version.


    After a while, the telepathy finally got through. I was testing my limits by simultaneously contacting all 5 of them at the same time, using my ability to multi-cast. Of course, this meant I could only send the exact same messages to all 5 of them, but in this case, that didn''t really matter - it rather instead saved me the trouble of having to repeat the same message to all five of them, so that''s a good thing.


    <em>Can you hear me?</em>


    <em></em>Feng Mian was the first to respond. <em>[X-Xuan Kai? Is that you?]</em>


    <em></em>The other girls soon followed, and I replied to all of them at once - <em>Yes. Don''t look in my direction. Stay natural.</em>


    <em></em>The girls obliged, and I continued.


    <em>I am talking to all five of you at once, so I won''t be able to respond to each of you individually. So just listen carefully. Without a doubt, that guy in between you guys is going to try something on this trip. I''m sure you''ve all noticed it as well, but he definitely doesn''t look like a gentleman.</em>


    <em>...If he tries touching you or anything, just scream.</em>


    <em>[W-What?] the girls replied at once.</em>


    <em>...I''m not kidding. Just scream. If you do that, the guy will be forced to stop, and you''ll gather the attention of everyone nearby. That way, I have a good excuse to step in and stop him. If you don''t scream, he can just deny everything I use him of.</em>


    <em>[Er...okay,] the girls replied.</em>


    <em>This is only if he tries anything, of course. Obviously, it''s best if he doesn''t do anything, but I''m 99% sure he will. You can tell these kind of things just based on someone''s appearance alone. I know, don''t judge a book by its cover, but...the cover is the reason most people choose to take a look at the book in the first ce.</em>


    <em>Alright, that''s all. Remember what I told you, and stay safe.</em>


    <em>[Mkay, got it.] the girls replied at once.</em>


    <em></em>I cut off the telepathy, and sighed. I would usually be pretty ufortable to be sitting on the outer edge of the seats, right beside the open aisle where people brush past you, but in this case, I didn''t mind since that meant I was closer to the girls, making it easier for me to reach them if the guy did anything.


    I sighed, as the gentle voice of the maglev''s announcer spoke.


    <strong>"Good afternoon, all passengers of the T-69420 high-speed maglev. This maglev will run from Huizhou to Shanghai, and we will be leaving in approximately five minutes. The estimated time of arrival at final destination is 11:41 PM."</strong>


    <em>11:41...that''s 11 hours and 41 minutes of travel time. Honestly, we could probably get there quicker if we just rode Obsidia, but she needed rest too, and I didn''t want to risk getting caught.</em>


    <em></em>"You ready, Mei Gui?" I asked quietly.


    She nodded from beside me, and leaned in, resting her head on my shoulder. "Yes, Master."

 Chapter 204 - Prince Charming?

    Throughout the entire time on the maglev, I kept an eye on the weird guy sitting in between the five girls on the other side of the open aisle down the middle. So far, he hasn''t made any moves except for sneaking a nce at the girls with a lecherous grin on his face from time to time, but the trip had only just begun. And my guess? Based on that eager look on his face...he probably won''t be able to hold himself back for too much longer. So far, two hours had passed, meaning there was approximately 9 more hours to go on this maglev.


    Then, suddenly, I noticed the guy trying something atst. He slid his hand over to Feng Mian, who happened to be sitting beside him. I prepared to move in to stop him the moment Feng Mian gave the signal, but-


    "Hey. What do you think you''re doing?" a boy around the same age as me asked, narrowing his gaze and stopping in front of the pervert guy. This caused many people all around us to turn their heads curiously. He had blonde hair, and wore a white tux plus dress pants. Needless to say, he looked like royalty, and stood out from the rest of us moners'' who were wearing normal clothes. I didn''t know if he was really a prince of some sort or just a really damn invested cosyer, but at the same time, I didn''t really care, either.


    <em>Hm...still, this is an interesting turn of events. Let''s see what happens.</em>


    <em></em>"H-Huh? What are you talking about?" the pervert guy asked right back, feigning ignorance as he guiltily slid his hand back.


    "You know very well what I''m talking about," the new guy said, then pointed at Feng Mian. "Why are you trying to touch her?"


    "W-What? I''m not," the pervert continued to deny.


    "Fine, I''ll ask her myself, then," the prince-like dude said, turning to Feng Mian. "Ms...did this pervert attempt to touch you just now?"


    "E-Eh? Uh..." Feng Mian looked in my direction, confused on what to do. I averted my gaze, mainly because I didn''t want to be dragged into this now that someone else had stepped in already. I was content to just be watching on the sidelines. If things went wrong, I would jump in.


    "Um...yeah, he did," Feng Mian said atst, deciding to just tell the truth.


    <em>The right decision, I suppose.</em>


    "And there you have it," the prince concluded, turning back to the pervert, who was now sweating bullets. "She has no reason to lie in order to frame you. There is nothing more to be said."


    Then, he turned towards a nearby train attendant who happened to be passing by, and continued.


    "Ma''am, I request you kick this man off the train, for the safety of these beautiful young girls here."


    "Uh...alright. I''ll report this to the driver. This man will be forced to get off this maglev at the next stop," the attendant replied after a slight hesitation.


    The prince nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to Feng Mian and the other girls.


    "Alright, you five should be safe now. If he tries anything else before the next stop...just scream. My seat is right up ahead, so I''lle to your rescue immediately."


    With great difficulty, I suppressed the urge to cringe at his words.


    <em>Yikes, man...that was the cheesiest line I''ve ever heard. I mean, I get you''re trying to y the hero here and maybe win the hearts of the girls, but...dude, you really need some better pick-up lines.</em>


    The girls were probably also secretly cringing as well, but on the surface they didn''t show it, since that would be impolite to the person who just - more or less - ''saved'' them.


    "R-Right, thanks, I guess?" Feng Mian said hesitantly.


    "Yeah...thank you?" Yu An Yan added in the same awkward tone.


    "Um, thanks for the help!" Lan Xiao Su eximed. Her receptionist nature was kicking in here, all polite and stuff.


    Yu An Xue and Qing Yue didn''t speak. Yu An Xue because she was an introvert who only spoke when necessary or when she was with people she knew closely, and Qing Yue because she was trying desperately not to burst outughing. I noticed her covering her mouth with her hand, looking the other way.


    <em>Well...guess I can''t me her. That was so cheesy, I want to die.</em>


    <em></em>"Here is my phone number, if you want to keep in touch," the prince then continued, handing Feng Mian a name card, fancily designed.


    <em></em>The prince-like dude left after leaving those words (and his phone number) behind, and all of a sudden, the onlooking audience exploded into apuse and cheers,mending the boy''s actions. Meanwhile, the pervert was looked down upon, and people stared at him in disgust.


    We arrived at the next stop in about 15 minutes, and the pervert dude, as expected, was forced to get off the train. That left an empty seat, and ria immediately took it. The reason? Well, to stay as far as possible from Obsidia, of course. Obsidia herself seemed to be happy with this as well.


    <em>Man...those two really need to start getting along. I''ll see what I can do about it.</em>


    After that incident, not much else happened for the rest of the trip. I ended up sleeping for a little, since I didn''t get much sleepst night thanks to Dong Zhu and hisckeys. Mei Gui kept watch while I did, since her clothes would disappear if she were to also sleep here, and that wasn''t good. She was still wearing the clothes she generated herself instead of the stuff the other girls bought her, after all. Apparently, ording to her, it was because it felt more natural and just morefortable in general.


    By the time I woke up, the trip was just about ending. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.


    <em>Ah...11:30 PM. Around 15 more minutes until we arrive at Shanghai, then. I am</em> so <em>sleeping in tomorrow morning.</em>


    Atst, we arrived at Shanghai. We got off the maglev, and the first thing we saw was the same prince-guy from before, seemingly waiting for someone. Then, upon spotting us - or more urately, the girls - he immediately broke into a smile and approached us.


    "How was the rest of the maglev ride?" he asked, a charming smile on his face. "Did anyone else try anything? Let me know if they did, I''ll take care of th-"


    <em>I love how he justpletely ignores my presence and goes straight for the girls. Not that I mind or anything, since I would much rather just observe this from far away anyway. This was pretty amusing, especially his cheesy pick-up lines.</em><em></em>


    "N-No no, don''t worry yourself like that. The rest of the ride waspletely fine," Feng Mian quickly replied, cutting him off.


    "Oh, I see," the prince said hesitantly, unsure how to feel about suddenly getting interrupted. "That''s good, then...are you guys new to Shanghai?"


    <em>Changing the topic. Swift. Outstanding move.</em>


    <em></em>"Uh, yes," Yu An Yan responded. "This is our first time here."


    "Alright, then why don''t you alle with me? My family owns a 5-star hotel in this city - I''ll let you stay there for free. I don''t feel safe letting you guys stay at some random ce where I can''t protect you."


    <em>''Protect you''...oh man, I''m doing my best to notugh out loud here, but this is pushing the limits...!</em>


    "E-Er...we appreciate the thought, but we''ll be fine on our own..." Lan Xiao Su murmured.


    "No no, I insist. I would never be able to forgive myself if I let any harme to you," the prince continued, his bright smile never once leaving his face.


    "Pfft...!" Xiang Peng nearly broke intoughter from behind me. "This is pretty amusing, huh?"


    Luckily, she was whispering, so the prince dude couldn''t hear her.


    "Yeah...this guy doesn''t know how to take hints," I said.


    Xiang Peng chuckled. "You''re one to talk."


    I red at her, then continued. "It''s not just that, either. For some reason, I''m feeling a bit suspicious of what happened on the maglev earlier...like it was all too much of a coincidence, y''know?"


    "Hm...? What do you mean?"


    "I mean, this guy just <em>happened </em>to be passing through at the exact moment the pervert decided to try something. Feng Mian didn''t even scream or anything - there''s no way anyone would be able to tell the pervert was trying something at that exact moment unless they were constantly watching, like I was. I don''t know, the whole situation just seems kinda fishy to me."


    "You mean...Prince-Not-So-Charming over there orchestrated the whole thing just to look like a hero in front of Feng Mian and the others?" Xiang Peng conjectured.


    I shrugged. "I mean, on the surface, he doesn''t seem to be a bad guy. But then again - the people who have the cleanest masks on, often are the ones with the ugliest face underneath."


    "Oho...did you just invent that quote out of nowhere?"


    "Hm? I guess," I replied, then returned to watching the situation unfold.


    "Um, no, really...we''ll have to turn down your offer," Feng Mian said, in a slightly more serious tone now. "We appreciate the thought, but...you see, there''s already someone we''re staying with."


    <em>Hm...? Why do I not like where this is going? Oh lord, please don''t drag me into your conversat-</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Yep! We''ll be staying with Big Brother Xuan Kai - he''ll protect us just fine!" Qing Yue eximed, running over to me. "Hey hey, you''ll protect us like you''ve always done, right?"

 Chapter 205 - Shanghai, World Of Guns

    I blinked, as all eyes centered on me - the girls, Mr. Prince-Not-So-Charming, everyone.


    "...Uh..." I muttered hesitantly. "Hi?"


    "...And who are you?" the prince asked, as if only noticing me now.


    "I''m, I am...uh..." I said, struggling to remember how to speak - or rather, how to respond to this question.


    "He''s our boyfriend," Qing Yue continued, happily clutching to my arm.


    "Huh?!" the girls, prince, and I eximed simultaneously.


    "W-Wait, since when was I-" I began, but was immediately cut off.


    "Now then...Big Brother Xuan Kai, lead us to a ce to spend the night at, ''kay?"


    "Oho...yeah, that''s right...we can''t just sleep on the streets, after all..." Xiang Peng whispered seductively, joining in on the fun.


    <em>O-Okay. Stop, stop, stop. This isn''t right. This was not how it was supposed to go.</em>


    Xiang Peng then turned to the prince guy and spoke. "C''mon man, ask the girls yourself. Would they rather go with you, or with their boyfriend? Like, we get that you''re trying to win their hearts, but the thing is, their hearts have already been captured."


    This caused the prince dude to fall silent. He seemed to detest me, but also detested the girls - after all, they just wasted his time, when he could''ve used that time to ''seduce'' other girls. But despite his dark emotions, he still managed to put a calm smile on his face.


    "I see. Very well, then. Apologies...I have stepped my foot in where I should not have."


    "N-No problem!" Lan Xiao Su eximed. "We''re still grateful for what you did on the maglev, really!"


    "I understand," the prince said. "Feel free to contact me anytime, I''m sure we''ll meet again."


    <em>Trantion: If you ever break up with this dude,e find me and I''ll be happy to be your new boyfriend. Ahaha, slick.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>With these words, he left, a bunch of bodyguard-like dudes waiting for him a short distance away.


    <em>Hm...wait, that bodyguard in particr...looks kind of like the pervert on the maglev? No way, right? But if he''s actually this guy''s subordinate...does that mean my guess was on point? This prince dude...really orchestrated the whole situation just so he could y the hero and win the hearts of my women?</em><em></em>


    <em>Damn, that''sme as hell. But whatever...I''m not one to judge.</em>


    After that, we found ourselves a taxi. ording to Xiang Peng, we were currently on the very outskirts, hence why the ce doesn''t look all that different from other cities like Shenzhen or Huizhou. But this taxi, would take us directly into the heart of the city - a huge floating structure known as The Fortress. It covered 90% of the entire area size of Shanghai, and everyone lived on this massive levitating architecture instead of on solid ground. The remaining 10% was some residential areas on the ground instead of on The Fortress, for those who didn''t like being up there for whatever reason. In addition, there were roads and maglev stations like the one we had gotten off at leading towards The Fortress within that 10%.


    All this seemed pretty surreal to me, but Xiang Peng had just responded with ''just wait until you see it with your own two eyes''. And so, here I was, eager for us to reach our destination.


    The drive took about 20 minutes, give or take. Not too long, considering we were in a taxi. For the record, we actually took two taxis, since one wouldn''t fit all ten of us.


    I nearly fell asleep in the cab, but before I could, the driver spoke.


    "We''re here."


    I slowly opened my eyes, and they widened further at the glorious sight before me. A massive, bright structure levitated in mid air, with six chains binding it to the ground on all sides. I could only see 3 from my perspective, but I assumed there were 3 more on the other end of this structure, just to keep it symmetrical.


    "So this is...The Fortress," I muttered under my breath.


    "Indeed it is," Xiang Peng said from beside me. "Man...no matter how many times I see this sight, it''ll never get old."


    I gulped. "I can see why..."


    The Fortress wasn''t just a single building. It was a city of its own, levitating above thend of Shanghai. In the dead of night, the bright neon colors and lights of The Fortress shone radiantly, as if the day had just begun.


    "Wow..." Qing Yue breathed from my other side. "If Shenzhen was considered futuristic, then I don''t even know what to call this..."


    "The Fortress was designed based on a cyberpunk-theme," Xiang Peng exined. "Of course it''s going to be futuristic."


    "Well, that exins the neon lights..." I murmured, then got out of the taxi to fully admire the view. The girls in the taxi behind us also did the same. Yu An Yan paid both of the drivers, and they headed back. I assumed they were part of the poption who didn''t like living in The Fortress, but instead solid ground.


    "So, how do we actually get up there? I don''t see any...stairs or roads or anything leading upwards," I asked.


    "Pfft. Stairs? Who uses those?" Xiang Peng scoffed. "The entrance to the Fortress...is right before our very eyes."


    Saying this, she stepped forward onto a circr tform, at which point the road we had been driving on abruptly ended. She beckoned us to all join her, and weplied.


    "Alright, now channel your mana, everyone!" Xiang Peng instructed.


    We did as told - well, I had my mana constantly active thanks to the little experiment Mei Gui and I did a while ago, but the rest of the girls didn''t have that power, so had to manually activate their mana. And then, the moment we all sessfully did so-


    <strong>"Entry Authorized. Wee to The Fortress. Teleporting Now."</strong>


    <strong></strong>A mechanical AI-voice said these words, and we were immediately shrouded in a white light. We all closed our eyes to avoid being blinded, and when we finally opened them again, we weren''t on the ground anymore. We were now standing atop a simrly designed white transporter circle as the one we had been on just now, but the surroundings...were vastly different. I looked up, and saw Xiang Peng, standing in front of arge gate, facing us. The words on the sign above the gate read ''Wee''.


    Xiang Peng, seeing the rest of us'' confused expressions, smirked.


    "Wee, everyone, to my home - The Fortress, Shanghai."


    "Wait, this is it? The Fortress?" I asked, looking around at my unfamiliar surroundings. Everything was dark, and the only sources of light were some half-brokenmpposts, and the neon signs all around.


    "Mhm," Xiang Peng confirmed with a nod. "Well, we''re in the slums of it right now. This ce is pretty dangerous, but with our strength, we''ll get by just fine...as long as we don''t run into any of the big gangs."


    "Wait, gangs? And why the hell does the teleporter bring us into such a dangerous ce?!" Yu An Yan eximed, slightly fazed.


    "Because this is a test, of sorts," Xiang Peng exined. "If you can reach the central part of The Fortress, called Fragment, then you will have earned that privilege. If you can''t reach it...well, train yourself in these slums before trying again."


    "And who, exactly, is testing us?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Why, the IMF, of course! You see, Shanghai is the Magic Capital because the headquarters of the IMF is located here. And of course, that being the case, it shouldn''t be a spot where just anyone can pass in and out. The IMF has designated The Fortress - or more specifically, Fragment - to be only for the best of the best, the elite mages from all around the world. All the famous mages you''ve heard of in textbooks, news, all that stuff - currently live within Fragment, or at least at some point in their lives had."


    "I...see...so, in other words...if we aren''t able to get into this ''Fragment'' ce in one piece, the IMF doesn''t care if we die within these slums?" I asked for confirmation.


    "Hm...essentially, yes. Like I said, The Fortress is supposed to be the most pinnacle of locations. Only the best mages can enter, hence the test the IMF has implemented. In these slums...it''s kill or be killed. A massive death arena, created by the IMF themselves."


    "Isn''t that...kinda bad and evil and stuff?" Qing Yue asked innocently.


    Xiang Peng shook her head. "It''s not like they forced you to try and get in or anything. You chose this for yourself, so you gotta be ready to face the trials and consequences thate your way. If you can ovee them, congrattions! You''ll live in honor and glory in Fragment for the rest of your life, enjoying the best resources and all the Magic Capital has to offer. But if you fail...well, the worst case scenario in that case, is...death."


    I sighed. "I guess that''s fair. High-risk, high-reward, huh?"


    "Indeed," Xiang Peng agreed with a smile.


    "But wait, say we pass the test here, leave for another city or something, thene back a couple monthster. Would we have to redo everything?" Lan Xiao Su asked.


    "Nope! The AI controlling The Fortress uses your mana as a ''DNA'' of sorts. If you reach Fragment, the AI will register you as someone who has already passed the test once before, and directly teleport you inside Fragment the next time youe back to The Fortress, unless you choose otherwise."


    "...So, you chose otherwise?" Obsidia asked. "Why would you do so, human? You could have just directly teleported to Fragment, then bring the rest of us there as well. I find it difficult to believe there is no way to bring in outsiders who have not passed the test before - for example, family members of visiting loved ones."


    "Well, <em>sure</em>, I <em>could''ve </em>done so but hey, where''s the fun in that?" Xiang Peng asked right back, a devious grin on her face. "I''ve actually never done this test before, since I was born directly inside Fragment, as my parents lived there. So I''m kinda excited to try!"


    "Oh man, so you dragged us into this all for your own fun," I muttered, slightly irritated.


    "Now now, don''t be like that. This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime, thrilling experience!" Xiang Peng argued back. Then, leaning on the gate, and facing towards us, she spread her arms.


    "Now then, my dearpanions. Are you ready to face this test of courage, skill, and strategy? Because I sure the hell am."

 Chapter 206 - The Test Of The Fortress

    The ten of us pushed open the gate, and for the first time, stepped into what was known as the Magic Capital. Of course, right now, this ce didn''t look all that fancy. Instead, it looked like a cyberpunk-themed urban city from some video game. I assumed The Fragment, which was where we were trying to get to, would be different.


    <em>Come to think of it...Xiang Peng did mention this ce was like a video game when she first described Shanghai to us.</em>


    "So? Where do we go first?" I asked Xiang Peng.


    "Hey, it''s my first time doing this too! Why are you asking me?" she replied, walking casually. "But for starters, we should probably avoid running into any gangs. Actually, just avoid everyone, for that matter. Hm...what else...oh, right! You all need weapons."


    "Weapons? Don''t we already have our magic?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Oh no no no," Xiang Peng wiggled her finger in disapproval. "That won''t do. You can''t say you''ve been to the Magic Capital without touching a gun first."


    "A gun...hehe~" Qing Yue giggled dangerously. I was a bit creeped out and concerned by her eagerness to obtain a deadly firearm, but I didn''t say anything out loud.


    "So, how do we get these...guns?" Yu An Yan asked, getting to the main point.


    "Hm...well, we look for a gunsmith shop, of course!"


    "And...where is the gunsmith shop?" Yu An Yan continued, raising an eyebrow.


    "I don''t know!" Xiang Peng eximed in a carefree manner.


    "..." the rest of us collectively sighed and facepalmed.


    "Yeah...should''ve known...can''t rely on this girl," I muttered to myself.


    "H-Hey! It''s not my fault! I''ve never been here before either!" Xiang Peng retorted.


    "Master," Mei Gui suddenly interrupted. "Detecting activity up ahead."


    "Oh...?" I raised an eyebrow. "The Third Eye, perhaps?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "I thought it would be a wise choice to turn it on here."


    "And wise it was," I agreed.


    The other girls just looked at us, confused.


    "W-Wait, is this Third Eye thing the radar spell Mei Gui used back in the Infinite Forest in Huizhou?" Feng Mian asked for confirmation.


    I nodded. "It''s another Forbidden Magic spell."


    "Oh...I see," Feng Mian murmured thoughtfully.


    "Ooh, Forbidden Magic...hehe, this big sister wants to learn some Forbidden Magic as well!" Xiang Peng said, putting her hands on her hips proudly.


    "Denied," Mei Gui and I immediately said in unison.


    "Aw..." Xiang Peng''s shoulders dropped, dejected.


    "Anyway. Mei Gui, what''s the situation up ahead?" I asked.


    "People...seem to be fighting. It is a 3 on 1."


    <em>A 3 on 1...isn''t that just bullying, now? Heh. I kinda want to check this out.</em>


    "Alright...let''s go take a look," I decided.


    <strong>*****</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, Around a Kilometer Ahead of Where Xuan Kai and the Girls were... -</strong>


    <strong>(?''s Perspective)</strong>


    <em>One...two...three. Hm...they rrrrrrrreally</em><em>only</em> <em>sent three people afpurr meow? Nyaa, that''s just looking down on meow. They rrrrrreally need to try harder than that to catch mya, meow.</em><em></em>


    "Hmph. We''ve got you now, you damn cat..." a man stepped out of the shadows behind me, pointing a gun in my direction.


    I looked around. There were three paths for me - one, charge directly through this man, back in the direction where I had came from; two, turn to the left; and three, turn to the right at this intersection. But options two and three were both quickly crossed out as the man''s twopanions appeared as well, one on either side of me. I was cornered...


    <em>...Or am I? Nya~</em>


    Just as they pointed their weapons at me and shot, I leapt <em>upwards.</em> I used my gloves - a pair of sharp ws - to scale up the building''s stone walls, andbined with my intrinsic catgirl agility, I was able to climb up with ease. Seeing this, my three pursuers cursed in fury. I stuck out my tongue at them for a taunt, but then, to my surprise, they pressed some button on their belt, and two hooks shot out from each of their girdles, attaching to the roof of the building I was on. Immediately after, the hooks retracted, quickly pulling them upwards towards the roof.


    "N-Nya~!"


    Sensing danger, I immediately turned tail and ran, jumping from roof to roof with my agility and speed. My pursuers did the same, but using their hookshots from their belt. I felt a bulleting my way, so I dashed slightly to the right just as the bullet flew past me.


    "W-Woah! Nyat was close..."


    "Damn it...she''s so fast," the man who had shot the bulletined, gritting his teeth.


    <em>Nyahaha, they can''t catch meow-woah!</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>I skidded to a stop, nearly falling off this 200 meter tall building. I had insanely fast reflexes and agility, but I couldn''t fly! The next building was around 50 meters away...I couldn''t make that jump! I spun around, sensing that my pursuers had caught up.


    "Hah...hah...finally...caught you..." one of the three men panted, clearly exhausted. "Damn you...and your demihuman agility..."


    "Nya..." I looked around for an escape route, but there was none. In front of me was 3 trained Advanced Mages out for my blood, and behind me was a 200 meter fall I had no chance of surviving.


    The man in the middle of the three, sensing my helplessness, smirked, and raised his gun, a shining silver revolver. "This is the end for you, damn cat. Anyst words?"


    <em>Nya...am I...rrrrrrreally going to die here? Purrhaps...there is some way nyout? Hm? Paws. I sense...another few people nearby?</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>"So...do we save her or not?" I asked, trying to get the other girls'' opinions.


    We had tracked these four people all the way over here, on the rooftop of an abandoned building. And as it turned out, Mei Gui''s information was correct - it was indeed a 3 on 1. But what I didn''t expect...was for that ''1'' to be a demihuman - a catgirl, in particr.


    "Hm...let''s save her," Xiang Peng decided. "Within Fragment, no race is discriminated against, but outside it, Demihumans especially are looked down upon by others. The catgirl here most likely hasn''t even done anything wrong, but instead is just being hunted down simply because of her background."


    I shook my head. "No, I don''t care about all that. I''m asking what benefits would I gain from saving her here?"


    "Uh...an extra ally?" Yu An Yan suggested.


    "Not needed," I replied. "We already are big enough of a group."


    "Er...who knows? Maybe if we win her, we can gain the favor of the Demihumans? That mighte in helpful in the future," Feng Mian proposed.


    I fell into thought. "That is possible, but...is it worth the trouble? We might make ourselves the enemies of whatever gang those three men belong to."


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai, save her," Qing Yue suddenly said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "But...why?"


    "Instinct," Qing Yue replied simply. "My intuition is that saving her now is a good idea."


    "...Okay, that''s not very convincing, but sure, why not?" I said in reply after some slight hesitation, then turned back to look at the situation. The man in the middle is pointing his gun at the catgirl, ready to fire.


    <em>Hm...let''s try this.</em>


    <em>Level Two Psychic Magic - Telekinesis.</em>


    <em></em>I focused my mind on the gun within the man''s hands, and concentrated. The gun slowly began wobbling in his palm, and then flew directly out, heading towards my direction. I caught in my hand with ease, and the man looked around, dazed.


    "What the hell?! Where did my gun go?" the man eximed angrily.


    "Back there!" another yelled, spotting where the girls and I were hiding, perched on top of a roof. He pointed his rifle in our direction, but I knew he wasn''t going to shoot. Even if he did, we could just duck down. Since our building was higher than the one they were on, if we were to duck down, they would lose sight of us.


    "Hm...a revolver, huh?" I mused, spinning around the gun in my hands.


    "Who the hell are you?!" the man who I had stolen the gun from demanded.


    But I merely ignored his question, and pointed the gun towards him, and called out. "Hey, I''ve never used a gun before...mind if I use you for target practice?"


    "W-Wha-"


    I pulled the trigger, and let the bullet fly.


    "NGH!" the man screamed, and fell backwards onto the floor of the roof.


    I looked between him and the gun in my hands. "Huh. That actually hit?"


    "Looks like you''ve got a talent for using guns," Xiang Peng said with a wink.


    The bullet had hit directly into the man''s right thigh. Not quite enough to kill, but certainly enough to immobilize. Exactly what I had been going for.


    "Hey, I think I''m going to keep this gun!" I hollered, further distracting the three of them. In the corner of my eye, I saw the catgirl slip away nimbly, down the stairs of the abandoned building.


    The injured man cursed. "D-Damn it...get them!"


    "Y-Yes!" the man with the auto rifle pressed the trigger, and dozens of bullets headed our way.


    All of us, however, merely ducked, and the bullets flew by, hitting nothing but our afterimages...but we didn''t actually have afterimages.


    After that, we just retreated, seeing no further reason to stay. The catgirl had gotten away sessfully by now, and I got myself a brand new weapon - a silver six-shot revolver.

 Chapter 207 - The Gunsmith

    "You know, using a gun isn''t as hard as I thought it would be," I said, eyeing my newly obtained revolver as the ten of us walked down a wide street, neon signs shing everywhere. I wasn''t afraid to be out here in the open, since those guys we made enemies out of earlier couldn''te after us immediately. After all, they had to first treat the poor guy''s injury - the one that I had shot.


    "Yeah? Well, when I first picked up a gun, it took me quite a while to get the hang of it," Xiang Peng said. "I couldn''t handle the recoil."


    "Hm...well, the recoil on this thing isn''t that bad," I mused, spinning the revolver around my finger. "There''s only 5 bullets left in the chamber though. I got the weapon, but not the ammo."


    "Oh, once you get a Mana Projectile Compactor, you won''t have to worry about that," Xiang Peng replied.


    "H-Hold on, a what?" Feng Mian asked.


    "A MPC. Mana Projectile Compactor. Basically, it uses the mana inside your body, and converts it into bullets for a certain gun. Every gun has a MPC to go along with it," Xiang Peng exined. "Actually, this''ll be a whole lot easier if we just went to a gunsmith...oh, matter of fact, there''s one right up ahead."


    "Hm? Gunsmith? Where?" ria asked, looking around.


    "The massive sign, idiot," Obsidia snorted. She was looking for every opportunity to insult ria, it seemed.


    ria red at her, but didn''t say anything in return since she was technically correct here. Indeed, there was a massive neon sign up ahead that read ''Guns & Guns''.


    <em>Gee, that''s a creative name. I wonder what the shop sells? Couldn''t be guns, of course.</em>


    We entered the shop. Despite it being past midnight, the ce still appeared to be open. The lights were on, and a single man stood behind the counter at the back. He wore an eyepatch, and was smoking a cigar. With scars all over his face and arms, I assumed this man was not a weak person, but instead a battle-hardened soldier who has fought and survived countless fights. Around himy many different types of guns, ranging from sniper rifles to pistols, all hanging on the walls on full disy.


    "Wee," he said. His voice was deep and hoarse, but not unfriendly. "How can I help ya today?"


    Xiang Peng walked up to the man confidently, and smiled. "This is our first time in The Fortress. We''re hoping to learn the basics of gun usage and just in general, some information on this ce."


    "Heh. Well, for starters...nothin''es fer free in The Fortress. Physical stuff, information - all of them will cost ya somethin'' in return," the man said with a chuckle. "But...most people thate into this shop end up leavin'' after seein'' all the scars on my body. Why? Because they''re scared of me. But you guys...didn''t show any sign of fear. I appreciate yer bravery, so I''ll tell ya everything ya need to know to survive in this ce, free of charge."


    "Much appreciated," I replied.


    <em>Honestly, looking at it from an objective perspective, indeed, this man looked pretty scary. Big and tall, scars all over his body, eyepatch - everything about him made him look like some thug king. But the ten of us here have seen uglier things - abominations far worse than any human could ever be. The monsters the Midnight Syndicate unleashed upon our home...they were far more terrifying than this man.</em>


    First off, the man pulled out a rifle from off the wall behind him. "The first thing ya gotta do...is get rid of all yermon sense."


    "H-Huh?" the girls all blinked in surprise at this sudden statement, telling them to abandon their reason.


    "Human morals, killin'' people is wrong, all that...they don''t apply here. This ce is a trial of fire, where death is perfectly normal," the man exined. "If ya let yer old ways bind ya down...ya won''tst a day in The Fortress. Everyone here came to this ce prepared to abandon their old selves and turn into cold-blooded killers for the sake of strength. Well...that, and provin'' themselves to reach the location of ultimate glory - Fragment."


    "Fragment, huh..." I murmured to myself. That was the same as what Xiang Peng told us, who was currently nodding along as if this was all within her expectations.


    "Now...next tip for survival...don''t make any unnecessary enemies," the man continued. "Sometimes, trouble wille to ya, but don''t go lookin'' for it yerself. That''s just stupid, not brave."


    <em>Well...too bad we already made an enemy. Hopefully, the upsides of doing so and saving that mysterious catgirl will outweigh the demerits of making some unknown party our enemy.</em>


    "That''s about it, honestly. Every year, a tournamentes around for everyone within The Fortress. This was the opportunity to make it into Fragment. Only two hundred people can make it in every year, hence why everyone is killing one another out here. To eliminate possiblepetitors before they even have a chance to reach the stage."


    "And this is exactly as the IMF has nned?" Yu An Yan asked.


    The man nodded. "Of course. The International Magic Foundation...they ain''t as good as ya think. They are a group of severe elitists, those bastards. Only the best of the best can receive proper education and resources - the rest have to work for their own. That''s their policy. While I understand it, it just...bugs me. A lot."


    "That''s apletely reasonable policy, in my opinion," I said. "It''s not like they are forcing people toe into The Fortress andpete. Everyone here chose this path. If they survive and make it through to Fragment, they will have earned that glory, education, and resources for themselves. And if they die trying, well...at least they''ll die knowing it was their own decision that led them to where they are today, and have no one else to me but themselves."


    The man stared at me for a while, before chuckling. "Heh. You''re an interestin'' one, kid. Are ya an elitist as well?"


    I shrugged. "I merely believe those who work the hardest should in return, receive the best. It''s only fair."


    "What about those born prodigies?" the man continued asking. "The ones who were geniuses from the moment they opened their eyes for the first time. They easily breeze through their magic studies where others struggle. Without puttin'' in a single ounce of effort, they still receive the best. How is that fair?"


    "Hmph. Even if they are born prodigies, they will still fall one day or another if their foundation is not firm," Obsidia replied in my stead, leaning on the ss disy case on the right of the room. "In the end, only the ones who worked the hardest will fare the best."


    "Hm..boy, yerpanions here are quite the interesting species as well, eh?" the man mused. "Well, whatever. I like yer theory. It''s semi-elitist style, but for some reason...I feel it''s different from the IMF''s, who only value individual strength - hence this death trial. But yers...may just have some sense to it."


    "Whether it has sense or not, I will continue abiding by it," I replied determinedly. "As for those arrogant geniuses born with insane talent...if they don''t cross me, I''ll leave them alone. But if they do...I''ll show them their ce like I''ve done to many others in the past."


    "Oho...interesting. I can tell you ain''t just tryna act tough, boy," the man remarked, clearly amused. "Those eyes of yers...they belong to a killer. How intriguing. But s, sadly even if I asked about yer past, there''s no way yer gonna just tell me. So I might as well just move on to exining to you how guns work."


    I nodded. "That would be great."


    "Alright...so, first, lemme exin to ya what the concept of these guns are," the man said, stroking the rifle in his hands lovingly. "They are a mixture of science and magic...truly beautiful. Combining thews of physics with the wonders of the arcane world. These weapons...are firearms that don''t shoot metal bullets. Instead, they shoot magic."


    "Magic...?" Qing Yue tilted her head, eyes dazzling from excitement.


    "Yep, little girl," the man said with augh. "Ya see...the projectiles these guns shoot are created from yer own mana. Every gun has a Mana Projectile Compactor that goes along with it. The job of these MPCs are to create ammo for the weapon. It''s always a good idea to create some reserves as well. But since ya only have so much mana before you need to stop and rest for it to regen, don''t make too many extra rounds. Ya can''t carry too many around, either."


    "So...before using the gun on a mission or whatever, we should use this MPC to create ammo for it on the night before?" Feng Mian asked for confirmation.


    "Mhm," the man confirmed with a nod. "Ya wouldn''t want to be makin'' new bullets in the middle of battle, now would ya?"


    "I see...so these weapons essentiallybine the pros of both science and magic. By taking the brute power of magic and cing it into a precise and urate device like a gun, you can create a deadly weapon that has the best of both worlds," I concluded.


    "That''s about right," the man agreed. "Now then, my dear customers...it''s time to see what kind of gun suits you."

 Chapter 208 - Guns Galore

    "Hm? What?" the girls blinked in surprise.


    "What''cha starin'' at me for? I''m askin'' ya. What kind of gun do ya guys want?" the man repeated, reiterating what he just said.


    "Er...you mean to say, you''ll give us all a gun from your shop?" I asked.


    The man shorted. "Yer in a gun shop, kid. If I ain''t givin'' ya guns, what the hell am I gonna give ya?"


    "Wait, for free?" Xiang Peng asked, eyes shining in excitement.


    "Hm...yes, but actually no," the man replied cryptically. "Lemme exin."


    He ced his two elbows on the countertop and rested his chin on his hands. Dropping his tone, he continued. "If ya guys can eradicate the nest of a certain gang ''round here for me...I''ll let ya have the weapons fer free. Ya can choose to pay normally as well...but lemme just say this right now. The money ya got from the outside...won''t work inside The Fortress. We don''t do coins and bills ''round here. We do material trade. Information exchange. That kinda stuff."


    "...We''ll ept the deal," I said after a slight pause.


    "W-Wha, hey! S-Shouldn''t we, like, talk about it first?" Feng Mian protested. Lan Xiao Su nodded in agreement.


    "No, he''s right," Yu An Yan said. "There''s not much else we can do here. If we don''t ept the deal, we have nothing to exchange for the guns here. And if we can''t get a gun...our magic would be rendered useless against these firearms that everyone else possesses."


    "Yeah yeah! Let''s do this!" Qing Yue eximed happily, jumping up and down.


    "As expected," the man said with a chuckle. "You are a wise one, boy."


    "I said we would ept, but under <em>our own conditions</em>," I said, cutting him off.


    He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    "You give us the weapons first. Then we''ll go blow up this nest or whatever," I said. "We can''t aplish the task without the guns."


    "...And how can I trust that you''lle back?" the man replied. A valid argument.


    After some mental debate, I answered. "I''ll get one of us to stay behind with you while we go do this mission. She can be your hostage, in case we try and run with the guns. Sound good?"


    The man scratched his beard. "Oh...how interestin''. Fine! I like it! Who''ll be staying behind?"


    I pointed at ria, who had been exempt from the conversation all this time.


    "H-Huh? Me? What? What about me?" she looked around, confused.


    "Hmph. Put simply, Xuan Kai here is using you as a bargaining chip," Obsidia said truthfully.


    <em>Well...that''s not wrong, but why do you have to make it sound so evil? This is just to convince the guy...it''s not like we''re actually going to just take the guns and run. This girl right here is a genuine phoenix, despite how she acts. A couple of rifles aren''t going to make me give her up.</em>


    "W-W-W-What?! H-Hey! Master! Tell me she''s lying!" ria eximed, turning to me and pulling on my sleeve.


    I sighed, then bent down and patted her head gently. "Look, I just need you to stay here with this kind old man for a little while we go kick some gangster ass, okay? Very simple."


    "W-Wait, she wasn''t lying?!" ria looked around, desperate for help. The other girls all averted their gazes, feeling too guilty to say anything. Looking at it from an objective standpoint, it was the best decision to sacrifice ria here while keeping everyone else for this mission. Reason being, ria still wasn''t a fully grown phoenix yet. Her power was still really weakpared to the other members of our group. Taking her along would just be a burden, put bluntly.


    "Alright...now that that''s settled, let''s pick out some guns for ya, yeah?" the man said, spreading his arms. "Let''s start with ya, boy. What kind of gun do ya want?"


    "Hm...preferably something that''s a little bit of everything. Hits hard, decent range, manageable recoil...but most importantly, doesn''t hinder my movement in anyway. So nothing big like a machine gun or sniper."


    "Heh. Quite the picky one, huh? Oh well...the gun type that will suit you is probably hand cannons then."


    "Hand cannons...?"


    "Yeah. Take a look to yer left," the man said, and Iplied. On the left wally many handgun-style weapons, from revolvers to pistols.


    "Aren''t these just handguns?" I asked.


    The man shook his head, and walked out from behind the counter. "The proper term for these is ''hand cannon''. And they are everything ya asked for - hard hitting, good range...well, the only bad thing about them is the recoil. These babies kick strong. Can ya handle it?"


    He took off a ck and red hand cannon from the many thaty on the wall. "Here. Try this one. It matches your eye color, a deadly crimson."


    I took the gun from his hands, and inspected it. I decided not to reveal the fact that I had another gun in my back pocket - the one I stole from that guy I injured.


    "Hm...the grip feels nice, but I can''t test the recoil without actually shooting it...and, well, there''s no ammo in this thing," I said, twirling the gun around my finger.


    "I''ll get ya the MPC for this gun...just lemme find it..." the man went back around the counter, and pulled open the cab below. "C''mon...where is it...ah, found it."


    He pulled out a cardboard box and ced it on the counter. Opening it with ease, he revealed what looked like a...syringe? He then passed the syringe-like device over to me.


    "Stab that thing anywhere on yer body," he instructed.


    "Uh...won''t I bleed to death?" I asked carefully.


    "Hell no. Stop bein'' so overdramatic. This thing is a MPC, and these devices are customized so that they don''t draw blood when they are stabbed into yer body - only mana," the man replied with a scoff.


    "Huh...I see," I murmured, before stabbing the sharp end of the syringe into my wrist. For some reason, it didn''t hurt at all. In fact, there was no blooding out. I did feel like mana was getting sucked out of my body, however.


    "Alright, now push down on the other end," the man ordered.


    I did as told, and when I pushed down, the syringe revealed something inside - a projectile. A single bullet. It fell out onto the counter, and I stopped applying pressure onto the syringe.


    "All that...for a single bullet?" I murmured. The whole process took about 5 seconds, give or take. Sounds short, but depending on how much ammo you want for reserves, this could be he tedious, real damn quick.


    The man shrugged. "Mhm. If ya don''t like doin'' this, ya can also buy ammo packs made from other people''s mana. But that''ll cost ya extra."


    "Nah, I''m good, thanks...hand cannons don''t need that much ammo anyway, I''m assuming?" I asked.


    "Yep. The model ya got there can fit 9 bullets in the chamber at a time."


    "9...so if I wanted 20 mags worth of reserves, that would be 180 bullets in total," I muttered. "Assuming it takes 5 seconds to make one bullet...multiply by 180...900 seconds is equivalent to 15 minutes. That''s not that bad...but what about machine gun users and stuff?"


    "Those guys usually buy ammo packs," the man exined. "But machine guns aren''t that popr in the first ce. People who use machine guns can easily be taken out by a sniper before they even have a chance to use their weapon. Because of how heavy their gun is, they got no mobility, making them a he easy target for snipers."


    "That''s fair, I suppose," I replied, before picking up the single bullet I had created. "So...uh, how do you...put this thing in?"


    "It''s easy," the man replied. "Just dtch the chamber by giving it a good push and a swing."


    I did as told, swinging the gun from right to left. The chamber popped out from the force, and I inserted my single bullet into one of the nine holes. I then swung the gun from left to right, before giving it a firm push just to make sure the chamber wastched on again. Then, I took aim at the target dummy ced in the corner of the room, and shot, under the watchful gazes of the curious girls.


    I expected noise...but none came. But I did see smokeing out of the gun''s muzzle, so I was sure the bullet had shot. That, and the dummy''s head was smoking too. But where was the loud noise I had expected?


    "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell ya. This baby''s a silenced hand cannon. Doesn''t make a sound," the man said with a wink.


    I blinked. "Huh..."


    "But that aside...how''s the recoil? Can ya handle it...actually, never mind. Seeing as how you hit the poor dummy''s head despite this bein'' the first time you''ve ever touched a gun, it''s clear you can manage the recoil."


    "Yeah...this is perfect," I replied, inspecting the gun closely. It was mainly ck with red designs, and had a little red icon etched on the side of the chamber - a diamond shape with two chevrons on the left and right of it. It looked simple, but cool. The same icon appeared again on the grip of the hand cannon - but this time, instead of being full red, only the outline was. The shape was otherwise ck - the same color as the background.1


    "Awesome," the man said, before turning to the other girls. "Now then,dies, it''s yer turn. I know you''ve been living in shelter and stuff in the past, but now yer in The Fortress. This ain''t no mansion. This is a battleground...and in order to survive in it, ya gotta learn to kill. And the first step to doin'' that? Findin'' yerself a damn good weapon." Join the Discord to see a concept art of this gun! I drew it myself. c; P.S. I suck at drawing so don''t expect too much~

 Chapter 209 - New Weapons

    "Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go first!" Qing Yue said excitedly, raising her hand.


    "Sure, little miss. What kind of gun do ya want?"


    "Hm...something to match with Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue replied after some thought. "Y''know, one of those...uh...hand cannons!"


    "Whew, okay, little girl, but I don''t think ya can handle the recoil like he can," he man said, frowning. But, although reluctant, he still grabbed a hand cannon off the wall, the one that had been ced right next to mine. He then handed the gun to Qing Yue, and circled back around the counter to find the Mana Projectile Compactor for this model.


    Qing Yue''s eyes shone in excitement as she spun around, aiming at non-existent enemies and pretending to shoot them down one by one. Honestly, the gun''s appearance fitted her pretty well, just like mine did with me. It was mainly white, with pink designs. Since Qing Yue was wearing mainly white (and had white hair), it looked nice with her. Other than the colors, the gun seemed to be identical to mine, including the icon on the chamber and grip, so I had to ask.


    "That gun you gave Qing Yue...does it have some sort of rtionship with the one you gave me?" I asked. "They seem pretty...simr."


    "Oh yeah," the man replied as he unpackaged a cardboard box containing the MPC for this model. "She said she wanted to match with ya, no? These two guns were crafted with the concept of light and dark in mind. Yours is the dark one, and hers is obviously the light. The idea is that everywhere there is light, there is also darkness. The two concepts are inseparable - on the surface, they may seem like total opposites and nemeses, but in reality, they are just two peas in the same pod."


    "Heh....two peas in a pod...just like brother and sister, hehe~" Qing Yue giggled, diving into my arms.


    "W-Woah, careful...that might not have bullets in it, but still," I reminded her.


    "Alright, stop huggin'' each other in front of my face, ande test out the recoil, would ya?" the man said, slightly annoyed.


    Qing Yue reluctantly let go of me and repeated the same process as me - taking out the syringe (or rather, the MPC) and stabbing it into her wrist. She was slightly afraid at first, but after a while made up her mind. She seemed a bit surprised that it didn''t hurt at all, like I was when I first did this as well. After a few seconds, she pushed down on the other end of the syringe, and a single bullet was revealed. After seeing how I loaded my gun, she knew by now, so she just did the same thing I did, and retched the chamber.


    Then, taking aim at the same target dummy I had used, she closed one eye, and with an unusually serious expression on her face, fired. Surprisingly, her body remained firm, not kicked back by the recoil or anything. In fact, even her hand didn''t budge an inch.


    "Whew..." the man whistled. "That''s one talentedpanion you got there, boy. I must admit, I underestimated ya, little girl. Ya got a knack for guns. Embrace it."


    Qing Yue nodded happily, breaking the serious expression she had moments ago. "Yep, I will!"


    "Alright...now then, onto the nex-" the man continued, but I stopped him.


    "One sec. Before that...do these guns have names, or anything like that?"


    "Names...? Uh, do ya mean model names? Sure they do," the man said. "But hey, any good gunslinger has their own name for their trustypanion. So I suggest youe up with one too."


    "Coming up with my own name, huh..." I muttered.


    <em>Well...through various experiences, I''vee to the conclusion that I absolutely suck ass at creating names. But...I''ll give it a shot.</em>


    <em></em>"How about...the Ace of Hearts?" I said, looking around for feedback. "I mean, the red on this thing represents hearts, and Ace sounds cool, so..."


    "Hm...that''s kinda long, if you ask me," Feng Mian replied thoughtfully. "Something shorter, maybe..."


    "Then how about just Ace?" Yu An Yan suggested. "It''s short and easy to remember."


    "Ace, huh..." I looked down at the ck weapon in my hands, shining an ominous bloody red, and I grinned. "I like it."


    "Ace...okay! Then I''ll name mine Queen," Qing Yue replied with a smile.


    <em>Ace and Queen, huh...pretty fitting, I suppose.</em>


    <em></em>"Alright, I like those names," the man said with augh. "Nice and short. Now, as for the rest of you...let''s get you guys some weapons too."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>In the end, after a good hour, everyone had received a gun.


    Feng Mian got twin pistols, which were a rare type of dual-wielding weapon. She ended up naming them Gemini.


    Yu An Yan got an SMG, which fit her I guess since she likes to be the one rushing in. A submachine gun would amodate that well. She named hers Pyro, to match her fire elemental affinity and her Divine Weapon, the Axe of Fire.


    Yu An Xue got a nice pulse rifle, the type that shot in 3-round bursts. It had good range, so she could just stay back and focus onnding her shots - almost like a sniper. She named this weapon Oculus, which meant something rted to eyes, if I remember correctly...


    Speaking of snipers, Obsidia got herself a full on sniper rifle. It was mainly ck, but faded into white near the muzzle. She decided to call this The Whisper...whispering the mncholy melody of death into her victims'' ears.


    Xiang Peng got a ssic auto rifle, which was a little bit of everything. Moderate range, moderate power, and moderate stability. When she told the gunsmith her requirements, the gunsmith had originally suggested just giving her a hand cannon as well, but she said she wanted an automatic weapon, resulting in the auto rifle she received in the end.


    Its name? Harbinger.


    She imed the ''of death'' part was omitted for the sake of convenience.


    Lan Xiao Su, after some great convincing, finally picked out a gun for herself - a weak pistol...one that could immobilize people, but not enough to kill. She said she couldn''t handle any other gun, so we just settled with giving her the weakest model there was.


    <em>Well...some day, she''s going to have to get used to killing. At the rate things are going...we just keep heading into deeper and deeper danger.</em>


    The name she chose for her pistol was just simply ''Nine'', which I guessed was a reference to her stage name - Su Ning. Of course, the other girls didn''t know about this identity of hers, since she always had that veil on, even when sleeping and eating. For the record, when she ate, she just lifted the veil up slightly to bring the food in her mouth. And even then, she would block our sight with something else instead - for example, her arm. The other girls always questioned this, but Lan Xiao Su just brushed it off with ''I have scars'', and the girls left her alone.


    ria ended up without a weapon, since I was too afraid to give her one. She was still too immature to handle such a dangerous object, and with her mental capacity of a five year old, I wasn''t about to risk it. She could pout all she want, but I wasn''t giving in.


    Lastly, Mei Gui got something different from the rest of us - an energy sword that could both fire long-distance crescent-shaped energy sts, and be wielded just like a normal de. The gunsmith told us these swords are rare because they are extremely difficult to control. However, they are undeniably powerful. Mei Gui said she would for sure be able to master this, so we agreed to give her this weapon. She named it Infinity, which represented infinite potential.


    And with this, all of us had received a gun of our own. We were ready to set out on our mission to pay back the gunsmith. ria, as decided beforehand, stayed behind as insurance to make sure wee back. The gunsmith also gave us some ammo reserve packs for free, since we didn''t have time to sit around and make our own ammo, especially for some guns like Xiang Peng''s auto rifle, which ate bullets pretty damn hard.


    "Alright. Before ya leave, take these. I''ll keep in touch with ya through these," the gunsmith said, handing over a couple of earpieces - nine in total, one for each of us. We each took one, and ced them in our ear. The gunsmith then put in his own earpiece, and pulled out something else from the drawer of the counter - a piece of paper. More specifically, a map.


    "Now, look. I''ve marked the location of their den on here. See this red X? That''s it," the man said, pointing at a red symbol on the map. Then, sliding his finger over upwards, he tapped the map. "That''s the entrance of The Fortress. Where ya came in."


    Sliding his finger once more, he eventuallynded on a spot near the middle of the map. "And this, is where this ce is. So in order to get to the nest..."


    "We gotta go south, huh..." I muttered. "Got it."


    "Alright. Good luck," the man said, waving us off.


    I turned around, and the girls did the same. We exited the shop, and with our newly obtained weapons, began our first mission in The Fortress.

 Chapter 210 - Operation: Exterminate

    "Alright, kid, ya know where to go, right?" the man asked through our earpieces.


    "Yeah...you literally gave us a map," I replied, slightly irritated.


    "Yeah yeah, just makin'' sure. Now, if yer goin'' in the right direction, ya should be seein'' a casino right ''bout now," the man continued.


    "A casino..." I looked around.


    "There, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian said, pointing to a massive building to our right. A huge neon sign hanging from the side of the building read ''CASINO''.


    "Yeah, we see a casino," I responded to the gunsmith.


    "Awesome. Now, all ya gotta do is keep heading in the direction yer goin'', until ya enter the slums of abandoned buildin''s."


    "Y''know, I''ve always wondered this, but how have these gangs not raided the main city already? I mean, there aren''t any police or anything in The Fortress," Xiang Peng asked. "Fragment has a defense organization, but this ce sure doesn''t."


    "Well, if the gangse raid the city, they''ll get taken out before they can even reach any of the important ces, like my shop," the gunsmith replied with a chuckle. "Everyone here has amon understanding - not to fight inside the main city, where they can damage buildin''s and precious items stored within these buildin''s. After all, the gangs need this city for their weapons, ammo, food, and all that as well. That''s why, if two parties got a conflict, they go outside the city to fight. It''s an unspoken rule, but a strictly enforced one that everyone follows."


    <em>Huh...how interesting. Even viins have their bottom lines, I suppose. Though to be honest...I can say with 99% certainty every gang out there wants to eat up the city for themselves and reign as the leaders. It''s just...well, their power is far too weak for that.</em><em></em>


    After this exchange, we continued heading south, passing by many buildings and roads. Floating cars that were more like short maglevs breezed by on the streets.


    <em>I mean...yeah, okay, this is a cyberpunk city, so I kinda expected flying cars. If this ce is already this futuristic, I wonder what Fragment will be like.</em>


    <em></em>Eventually, we began seeing less and less traffic on the streets as we neared the edge of the main city.


    "Gunsmith, we''re about to enter the slums," I said on thems, just updating him on our status.


    "Alright. By the way, you can just call me Old Man Leng. That''s kinda my title ''round here," the man replied. "Just as some extra info, once you step into those slums, you''re out of District A."


    "District A?" I stopped in my tracks. The girls, confused by this, tilted their heads.


    "Yeah. The Fortress is split into 4 parts, ya see. Think of a round pizza, with Fragment at the very center of it. The pizza is diagonally divided into quarters - each quarter is a District, from A to D. The one I''m in - and the one yer ''bout to leave - is District A, the one at the very top of the pizza, above Fragment. Once ya pass through these slums ande out on the other end, you''ll be in District B - the one on the right side of Fragment. None of this really matters to yer mission, but I''m just givin'' ya this info as somethin'' extra. Y''know, just to make sure ya don''t somehow wind up in District B after the deed is done. I ain''t keepin'' yourpanion here forever. She''s too loud."


    Then, faintly, I could hear ria yelling in the background.


    "Hey! Who''re you calling loud, you damn old geezer?!"


    "O-Ow, my ears...goddamn..." Old Man Leng muttered to himself. "A-Anyway, good luck with the mission. Keep me posted."


    "Will do," I replied, and cut off thems. I would open them again when needed. Apparently, I was the only one who could talk with Old Man Leng. The girls'' earpieces could only be used tomunicate with me, for the mission. So, while we walked, I told them all the info Old Man Leng just dumped on me, what with the Districts and all that.


    As time passed by, before we knew it, we were all alone within the slums between District A and B. We slowed down, and kept talking to a minimum. We trod very carefully, and I discretely activated my Third Eye. My mana was in full supply thanks to that encounter with Dong Zhu and hisckeys a while ago, so I could afford to use The Third Eye here to help us. Mei Gui, on the other hand, barely gained any mana since she had been facing Dong Zhu, who was...quite weak, to say to the least. In fact, I don''t think he cast a single spell during the entire fight, meaning Mei Gui had no opportunities to absorb his magic for mana.


    "Old Man Leng, we''re in the slums. Where do we go from here? The map isn''t that specific," I said, opening up thems again.


    "Alright. The building yer lookin'' for should have a spray-painted logo on it - three diagonal lines, forming a w scar design. The color...should be red, knowin'' those bastards."


    "Red w scar...got it. By any chance, what''s the name of this gang we''re hunting down?" I asked.


    "...They call themselves...the Bloodthirsters."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    And so, we continued on our hunt for this so-called gang named ''The Bloodthirsters''. We wandered around the slums for a while with no sign of any ''spray-painted buildings'', and I was starting to feel a bit exhausted from searching. Until...


    I stopped in my tracks. My Third Eye was picking up on something - someone. More urately...it was multiple ''someones''.


    I gave everyone the hand signal to stop, and theyplied.


    "That building. Right ahead. There''s people in it," I said quietly.


    "But...I don''t see any w scar designs spray painted onto the walls?" Feng Mian murmured.


    "It''s probably on a different side of the building...well, either that, or it''s just too dark. We''re still quite a distance away from it, after all," Xiang Peng replied in my stead.


    "Get ready. Beyond this point, once we enter the building, we will be splitting up. Use our earpieces wisely - while it can be used tomunicate with us, it can also just as easily give away your position. Only use it when absolutely necessary," I instructed, and the girls nodded in response.


    I slowly moved forward, concentrating very hard on my Third Eye. The closer I got to the building, the more certain I was - there were around fifty people in this building, and they seemed to all be at the Advanced Mage level, except for one - an early-stage Ancestral Mage, whom I assumed was the leader of the Bloodthirsters, if this really was their hideout. There was a chance it was another gang holing up in here, but Old Man Leng''s info wouldn''t be that inurate...he would''ve told us beforehand if there was another gang here, just to avoid confusion. He didn''t want us killing the wrong guys, after all.


    The girls and I now had our backs to the building, and were slowly circling around to the other side. And as soon as we rounded the corner...


    "There it is. The symbol," Yu An Yan muttered.


    A red w symbol was spray painted onto the wall. But whether that paint was really just paint, or the blood of this gang''s victims...no one knew.


    "And there''s also the entrance," Xiang Peng whispered, pointing at the door below the symbol.


    I nodded. "Let''s move."


    We slowly moved closer to the door, until we were close enough to press our ears against it. I did so, but couldn''t hear anything. For a second, I considered using some Sound Magic to enhance my hearing, but honestly, I didn''t see a point. We were here to eliminate them, not to listen to their nonsense.


    My Third Eye told me the people were still further inside. That meant no one was guarding this entrance.


    <em>Hm...this Bloodthirsters gang...doesn''t really have a good sense of security, does it? I don''t know if it''s just because it''s like 3 in the morning right now, or they just think no one dares to invade theirir, but whichever one it is, this works in our favor.</em>


    <em></em>I gently pushed on the door, testing it out at first. The door budged slightly, meaning it wasn''t locked.


    <em>...Seriously? At least lock the door to your secret base...man, I don''t want to underestimate them or anything, but the reality makes that pretty damn hard.</em>


    <em></em>I shook these thoughts out of my head. I couldn''t afford to underestimate my enemies, no matter how weak they may seem at first. I pushed open the door fully this time, and luckily, it didn''t creak at all. That was kind of weird, since this was an old, abandoned building from what Old Man Leng told us. I expected it to be like the squeaky staircases in a 19th century house...but apparently not. I guess they must''ve oiled the hinges on this door or something, since...well, the noise could get annoying sometimes. Totally understandable.


    In any case, after pushing open the door, I pulled out my hand cannon, Ace, from its holster hanging on my belt which was attached to my cloak, then looked back at the eight girls with me on this mission.


    "You guys ready?"


    They nodded in unison as they all pulled out their weapons as well, and I smirked.


    "Good. Then let usmence...Operation: Exterminate."

 Chapter 211 - The Bloodthirsters

    As soon as we entered the building, we split up into different groups. I examined theyout of the room - at first, it seemed like an empty abandoned building with literally nothing inside it, but then, by chance, I looked up. I narrowed my eyes as I spotted a slight outlier in color from the rest of the ceiling. That was the first thing that roused my suspicion. The second...my Third Eye was telling me there were people not to our front, not to our back, not to our sides...but <em>below </em>us. That could only mean one thing.


    I pulled out my new gun, Ace, and aimed it directly at the outlier on the ceiling.


    "Alright...now...this is a silenced gun, so all I have to do is..."


    <em>Pull the trigger.</em>


    I let the bullet fly. No sound was made, but I felt the recoil kicking back. However, I kept a firm hand, and my shot hit its mark.


    Suddenly, eight sections of the ground slid open to reveal eight different spiral staircase, leading downwards. Luckily, this mechanism didn''t make too much noise, which I honestly found pretty surprising. I slowly peeked over one of the holes that had opened, and heard noiseing from below - the bottom floor.


    <em>Now I see why security seemed sox...it''s because they want people to think no one''s hiding in here at all. If the door was locked, that would just give them away.</em>


    The nine of us, with the exception of Obsidia, all each went down a different staircase, in order to attack the enemies below at all angles. I motioned for our dragon girl to stay up here and use the Whisper, her sniper, to eliminate any targets who ran away or we couldn''t kill.


    I kept my footsteps light and gentle. Simr to the door we had opened, these staircases didn''t creak at all, which greatly worked in our favor. Around the halfway point down, I opened up thems, but this time with the girls instead of Old Man Leng.


    "Alright...everyone in position?" I whispered, eyeing the people below. From where I was, I could already make out quite a few people. My Third Eye revealed that there were even more in my blind spots.


    "Yes, Master."


    "Yep! Let''s do this!"


    "Yeah, ready."


    The girls responded one by one, and I nodded in satisfaction.


    "Andstly...Obsidia? Can you draw first blood? We''ll follow."


    "Hmph...very well, human. I already have someone in my scope."


    "Sweet. Alright, then...as soon as we hear Obsidia''s shot, we unleash hell on these guys."


    I wasn''t too worried about the girls, since all of us turned out to be able to use guns quite well. After some short practice on the training dummy inside Old Man Leng''s shop, we were all pretty used to our respective guns'' recoils and whatnot by now. The only one who had a bit of a struggle was Lan Xiao Su, but with her it was more of a internal debate than her actual mechanics with the gun. But still...this would be the first time most of these girls would be killing other humans, for real. I can kill people at a second''s notice, but I couldn''t help but wonder if the girls had made their mental preparations yet...especially Lan Xiao Su.


    But before I could even process these thoughts, a loud boom resounded across the room. It was Obsidia''s sniper shot, and I looked down to see one of the gang members lying on the ground, dead. His head had a huge bloody gaping hole in it - the Whisper''s mark.


    This gunshot signalled the beginning of our first true battle within The Fortress. While the Bloodthirsters were still drunk from the beer they had been having, I leapt off the staircase andnded solidly on the ground in the middle of all the gang members, while the other girls remained on the staircases, providing me cover fire and taking out whatever enemies they see. So far, it didn''t seem like they were feeling disgusted by the feeling of killing someone, but whether that was because they really are just as cold-blooded as me, or if they just hadn''te to terms with what they are really doing yet, no one knew.


    But that aside, I had bigger things to be worrying about right now. Pulling out my hand cannon from its holster, I smirked.


    "Let''s rock, Ace."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, in a different part of the slums... -</strong>


    <strong>(???''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Hm...what should I do nyow? Go back to my n? Nya, nyever! Mm...well, I''m running out of meowny again, and I don''t wanna go steal from someowne likest time. That didn''t go well. I had to get saved by some unknown guy! Grr...I hate being indebted to someone! I hate this feeling! Oh, I knyow! I''ll go look for that guy fromst time! I''ll find him, then repay him the debt I owe! And then after that, I can beg for some money! Yay!</em>


    With these thoughts in my mind, I continued journeying through the slums, now with a goal.


    But then, I suddenly paused, and sniffed the air.


    <em>Hm? What''s this? I smell...a fight? Sniff sniff...wait...this scent...nya! It''s the smell of that guy from a while ago! What''s he doing in these slums again? Mm...I have to go investigate!</em><em></em>


    I immediately changed direction, and headed for where the scent wasing from. Us demihumans, especially the cat n, are renowned for our sense of smell. We could track down things - or people - with our noses from miles away. I abandoned my n a long time ago, but that didn''t mean I didn''t embrace my catgirl nature. I loved being who I was, and it was times like these that I was thankful I wasn''t born some other race.


    Eventually, I focused harder, and the smell of that stranger became more potent as I kept running. After a couple of minutes, I was panting pretty hard, since I was more of a short-distance sprinter than long-distance runner. But s, I was standing before one building in particr, and my nose told me that the guy I was searching for was within here. The building had a weird w mark logo spray painted on the wall I was facing, and the door was open. I peeked inside, and saw eight holes that were actually spiral staircases, leading downwards. Light shone from below, and I scratched my chin as I heard multiple gunshots ring out.


    "Nya...is he fighting some gang down there? That logo outside...I feel like I''ve seen it someowhere before..." I murmured to myself. "Well, no matter! This is the perfect chance to pay him back! I''ll save his life and help him out here, then we''ll be even!"


    I activated my ck mechanical extended ws, and leapt down one the holes.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>I shot down the drunk Bloodthirsters members one after another with my hand cannon, Ace, but before I knew it, my magazine was empty. I performed a deft tumble, rolling behind a nearby pir and promptly reloading my weapon the way Old Man Leng told me. This gave the Bloodthirsters a chance to recover, however. The still half-drunk gang members pulled out their own guns, and began firing back. Our element of surprise was now gone, and they still possessed the numbers advantage.


    "Ugh, damn!" Yu An Yan muttered, before hiding behind the spiral staircase she was on for cover from the volley of bulletsing towards her.


    "Obsidia, can you locate their leader?" I asked quickly, before peeking from my hiding spot and hitting two gang members in the head with Ace, then ducking back behind the pir again.


    "Yes...I have my sights on him. However...it appears he has put up a shield of some sort...? My bullets cannot prate it."


    I peeked over the pir again, and saw what Obsidia was talking about. Their leader, wearing full armor and a cloak, was within a dome of protection generated with some unknown energy. I frowned as I attempted to devise a way to get rid of that dome. Their leader was calling for everyone to gather around him, and now we couldn''t get close to him without running straight into a storm of bullets.


    But then, all of a sudden, I sensed something - another presence. This should be no extraordinary thing, since there were plenty of people within this room at the moment. But what was unusual about this neer, was that he or she...came from <em>above.</em>


    <em>Bloodthirster reinforcements? No...couldn''t be. They had no opportunities to call for help...and even if they did, they wouldn''t request the assistance of one person.</em>


    That being said, this unknown neer had the power of an Advanced Mage, from what I could tell with my Third Eye. She was certainly more powerful than these gang members here, however.


    I decided that it would be best to stay wary, so I pointed Ace upwards, where I was anticipating her to appear.

 Chapter 212 - Mysterious Catgirl

    Atst, the neer finally descended onto the battlefield. She aligned with my aim with Ace, and I pulled the trig-


    "Nyaa! W-Wait! Don''t shoot!" she cried, beforending on the ground next to me. "I''m here to help you!"


    I narrowed my gaze. "You are...the catgirl we savedst time?"


    "Yes! That''s me! Nyow, mind myoving the gun <em>away </em>from my forehead?!"


    I frowned. "How can I trust you?"


    "You saved my life! I''m here to repay that debt! I have nyo reason to hurt you!"


    <em>Well...I suppose that is true.</em>


    <em></em>Reluctantly, I move the gun away from her head, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, so, I just gotta kill all those baddies out there, right?" she asked, pointing at the gang members currently shooting at the other girls on the various staircases.


    I nodded. "Uh...yeah? But don''t just jump out ther-"


    By the time I could finish my sentence, it was toote. The catgirl leapt out of cover and dashed straight into the crowd of enemies below, who were using the various benches and tablesying around as cover.


    "Ah...damn it..." I muttered, before opening up thems again. "Listen guys, don''t shoot that catgirl, she''s our ally!"


    "What? Where did she evene from?!" Feng Mian asked exasperatedly, before I heard the mechanical sounds of two reloadsing through the earpiece. She had twin pistols, so she had to reload twice, after all.


    "Save the questions forter!" Xiang Peng eximed. "For now, let''s take care of these guys first!"


    I reloaded Ace, and peeked over the pir. The catgirl didn''t seem to have been hit so far, by some miracle. I noticed her insanely quick reaction speeds and movement, blinking behind enemies before they could even react. I then spotted a guy behind her, about to shoot his gun, but I wasn''t about to let that happen. I aimed Ace perfectly so that the bullet would pass right above the catgirl''s hair, and indeed, it did. My shot struck true, hitting the guy trying to sneak attack the catgirl square in the forehead.


    Meanwhile, I couldn''t help but admire how the catgirl was slicing open throats and severing arms like it was nothing. Instead of a gun like the rest of us, she used some kind of unusual mechanical ws, equipped on both her hands. I figured she fought better this way - everyone had different tastes andbat styles, after all. I knew from reading textbooks that demihumans have great agility and flexibility, so this method of fighting probably suited her quite well.


    What I didn''t expect, was Mei Gui, who had jumped into the battle at around the same time as the catgirl. She wielded her sword magnificently despite this being the first time she was using it - she couldn''t practice using this inside Old Man Leng''s shop, after all. That would destroy the entire ce.


    But despite this, she was wielding the sword effortlessly,unching crescents of pulsating purple energy at the Bloodthirster gang members. Bullets stood no chance against these violet projectiles. Mei Gui also moved swiftly, on par with the catgirl. In fact, Mei Gui had an easier time dodging bullets, since she had a smaller frame. Using every object in the area as cover for herself, Mei Gui elegantly blew away anyone in her way. Combine that with the other girls'' cover fire from above, and in no time, all the gang members had been cleared away. The only guy who was left, was their leader, still hiding within that damned dome of his.


    The girls all leapt off their respective staircases, including Obsidia. The ten of us stood, confronting the final boss.


    "You''re thest guy," I muttered. "Give up."


    "D-Damn it...who the hell even are you?!" the man cried in anger, hands trembling as he held his auto rifle.


    "That is not important," I replied stoically. "Now...you have two options here. One, kill yourself. And two...let us do the killing. It''s only a matter of time until we take down that shield of yours."


    "N-Now that it''se to this...I suppose I''ll just have to use it..." the man muttered under his breath.


    I frowned. <em>What is he talking about...?</em>


    "Watch out! He''s trying to blow this ce up!" the catgirl eximed, but it was toote.


    I noticed the detonator-like device in his hand, and my eyes widened. The man himself, grinned hysterically.


    "Ha...hahaha! Die in pieces! Remember my name - Syox! Fear me, even in hell! Level Three Space Magic - Teleport!"


    With these as his parting words, he disappeared from sight, just as he pressed down on the detonator.


    "Damn it...Old Man Leng didn''t tell me about this...!" I muttered as a loud boom resounded across the night, the entire building began shaking, and the pirs began to copse from the various explosions.


    "N-Nya! Gyet close to meow, everyone!" the catgirl suddenly yelled, and unable to do anything else, we followed her orders. Once we were all near her, she continued as a pir threatened to fall right on top of us. "Hold on tyight! Level Three Space Magic - Warp Gate!"


    A blue portal opened underneath us, and we sank.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Somewhere in the Slums Between District A and B -</strong>


    <strong></strong>A blue portal opened in mid-air, and the ten of us fell through it,nding on the ground. I ended up being the one on the very bottom, with the girlsnding on top of me.


    "Ow-! Damn..." I muttered, trying to get up. But s, how could I, with the weight of all these girls on me?


    "A-Ah, sorry!" Lan Xiao Su was the first to react. She immediately got off, blushing deeply.


    The other girls, seeing this, immediately reacted as well. They all got off me, and atst, I could breathe again...not.


    "Oy...get off of me..." I muttered. Indeed, one girl had remained lying on top of my body, even when all the other had gotten off already.


    The catgirl - who was the culprit - yawned and didn''t budge. "Nya...I''m tired. Let meow rest here fur a while, ''kay?"


    I cringed. "No. Get the hell off of-"


    But the nearby watching girls were quicker. They forcibly dragged the poor catgirl off of my body, then let her copse onto the pavement.


    "Ouch...what was nyat for?!" the catgirl demanded angrily.


    "Even <em>we</em> are not lying on top of him, what makes you think <em>you </em>can?" Qing Yue shot back, crossing her arms. Somehow, she was still holding her gun. I tried not to think about what would''ve happened if she identally shot while she was on top of me.


    "Grr....I was jyust tryna rest!" the catgirl protested, crossing her arms in a simr fashion. I noticed that her mechanical ws had retracted, and she now had human fingernails.


    "Yeah, well...you can rest somece else," I muttered. "Where are we anyway?"


    I could still hear distant explosions, so I assumed we weren''t far from where we just were.


    "This is my house!" the catgirl dered proudly.


    I blinked. "Okay...why did you bring us to your house? And besides, you call this a <em>house</em>?"


    I pointed at the doghouse in front of us.


    "I-I mean, I fit inside it!" the catgirl tried to defend herself.


    "Well, yeah, but..." I only felt pity towards her all of a sudden. "Is this...really your living conditions? Where did you evene from...?"


    "Meow...that''s nyot something you get to nyow!" the catgirl eximed secretively, refusing to tell us any info. "Nya, you saved me once, and nyow I saved you. We''re even! Nyow, get out of my house!"


    "..." I just shook my head in exhaustion and turned away. "Well, whatever..thanks for saving us, I guess."


    "Yeah yeah! Now go away!"


    The girls and I retreated, leaving the catgirl to herself. I opened up the channel with Old Man Leng, and reported everything that happened to him. I didn''t tell him about the catgirl, though.


    "So...ya mean their leader got away?" Old Man Leng confirmed through the earpiece.


    "Yeah...sorry. We weren''t expecting him to teleport, and that shield of his..."


    "Shield, huh? I''ll tell ya more about thoseter. For now, just head on back to the main city. Even if ya didn''t kill their leader, ya pretty much wiped ''em out. The Bloodthirsters are gone fer good."


    "Copy that. We''ll be there in about half an hour or so," I replied, and cut thems.


    "So...where exactly are we?" Feng Mian asked, looking around.


    "Er...I don''t know these slums very well either," I responded meekly. "H-Hold on. I''ll get an aerial view."


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    I rose up into the air, above the buildings, and took a good look around.


    "Alright, let''s see...there''s smokeing from over there...that''s where we fought just now. That means...District A should be to the north...that way."


    After a while of confirming our route, Inded back on the ground. "I figured it out. Follow me."


    <em>Man...this would be so much easier if I could use Level Three Space Magic. Xiang Peng and Obsidia don''t have an affinity for the Space Element, either...that catgirl from earlier did, but I couldn''t exactly go back to her and ask her to teleport us now.</em>


    <em>...Come to think of it, I forgot to ask for her name, huh? Oh well. It''s not like we''ll ever be meeting again...right?</em>

 Chapter 213 - Grenades And Gadgets

    "Wee back," Old Man Leng said as we entered his shop. It took us a while to get out of the slums and back to District A, but eventually, we made it, after I took several opportunities to fly up in the air just to make sure we were still on course. "How was yer first time usin'' a gun fer real?"


    I sighed. "Well...it didn''t impact me much, but..." I turned to look at the girls.


    "I''m still getting used to it," Feng Mian replied, sensing my gaze.


    "Yeah, it''s not too difficult, I''ll get the hang of it soo-" Yu An Yan added, but Old Man Leng cut her off.


    "No no...that ain''t what I meant," he said, shaking his head. "What I mean is...how was it? The feelin'' of killin'' someone."


    "..." the girls fell silent.


    "Well, I''ve done a lot of killing before, so this doesn''t affect me much," Xiang Peng spoke up. "They were bad guys anyway, so I don''t really feel any remorse in murdering them."


    "Yeah...it''ll take me a while to get used to this type of life, but since I made the decision ofing along with Xuan Kai, I''m going to have to grow ustomed," Feng Mian said.


    "Mhm...it''s kill or be killed, after all," Yu An Yan added. "It''s certainly not a pleasant feeling, taking lives...but I know that if I hesitate, it''ll be my life that will be taken."


    "Mm..." the other sister agreed with a faint nod.


    "Hm? Is it really all that bad?" Qing Yue asked, looking around. "I mean, it''s just a bunch of viins, right? They deserve to die anyway. We''re just moving up their expiration date."


    Everyone present all turned to look at Qing Yue in shock. She literally just described human lives as if they were grocery items.


    <em>I-I mean, it''s good that she''s adapting to this harsh environment pretty well, but...isn''t this a little </em>too <em>well? Goddamn...</em>


    "What about you, Lan Xiao Su?" I asked. She was the most concerning one of the group. Being a receptionist and overall frail girl, she wasn''t much of a fighter, much less killer.


    "U-Um...I''ll be fine! I can just immobilize them, not actually kill them!" she yelped nervously in response.


    Old Man Leng sighed. "Well...that''s good enough fer now, I suppose. But just remember...in the annual testin'' up to decide who can enter Fragment and who can''t...just being able to immobilize ain''t goin'' to help ya."


    "R-Right..." Lan Xiao Su murmured meekly.


    "Anyway..." I interrupted. "Where''s ria?"


    "Oh, the little girl? She went to sleep. Over there," Old Man Leng said, pointing at the couch near the back of the room. There we saw ria, lying peacefully with a sweater draped over her. I assumed it was Old Man Leng''s.


    "Huh...well, let''s leave her be," I decided. "Before we get into anything else, I''m curious. Why did you want us to wipe out that gang in particr?"


    Old Man Leng chuckled. "A good assassin doesn''t ask his customer questions, ya know."


    "...Okay then," I muttered. "Then can you tell us about that shield the leader of the Bloodthirsters was using? Our bullets couldn''t get past, no matter how much we shot at it."


    "Those are called DOPs, short for Dome of Protection. They''re a type of gadget that blocks all iing attacks, gunfire and magic alike, for a certain amount of time depending on how much mana the user has," Old Man Leng exined. "So...if you kept shooting at the shield, he probably would''ve just ran out of mana and it would''ve broken down."


    "Not really, since he still would''ve teleported away with his Space Magic," Qing Yue argued.


    "W-Well, perhaps ya may have been able tond a headshot on him before he could teleport away, ya know?" Old Man Leng said, trying to defend his point. "A-Anyway, those things are called gadgets. There are different kinds, of course...but I don''t sell ''em here. I only sell guns. If ya want gadgets and grenades and stuff, I can introduce ya to my good buddy down the street."


    "Sure, might as well," Feng Mian said. "If we''re going to be fighting against these gadgets or whatever, we should get some ourselves."


    We all agreed, and so, Old Man Leng sent us over to his ''good buddy''s'' shop. It was around a ten minute walk from where we were.


    "This...should be the ce," I said, looking up at the sign. The lights were on inside, despite it being like 4 in the morning. That wasn''t surprising, considering everyone in the Fortress were pretty much nocturnal creatures. Certain operations went smoother at night, after all...


    We stepped inside, and saw that theyout was simr to that of Old Man Leng''s shop. Behind the counter sat a rtively youngdy who looked to be around her thirties.


    "Wee!" she said enthusiastically.


    "Er...hi," I replied awkwardly. "We''re here to buy some gadgets and grenades."


    "Oh, yes! My husband gave me a call just now telling me to expect you all," the olddy exined.


    "Wait, husband?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Hm...? Yes! He calls himself Old Man Leng," thedy replied. "Why are you so surprised? Are you not the people he was talking about?"


    <em>Oh my god...Old Man Leng did not tell us this.</em>


    "No no, we are," Yu An Yan answered. "But, you see...well, we weren''t really expecting this. Old Man Leng..."


    I shot Yu An Yan a re. <em>Don''t expose the guy, Yu An Yan!</em>


    <em></em>"What is it?" the olddy raised an eyebrow.


    "E-Er, nothing," I quickly lied, covering it up. There was no way I was telling this woman that her husband referred to her as nothing more than a ''good friend''. That would get him the whip treatment. By the looks of it, this woman isn''t someone to mess with. She looks just as battle-hardened as Old Man Leng, and he was already scary enough - judging from appearances alone, that is. "Anyway, can you tell us more about gadgets and stuff?"


    "Sure!" thedyplied, and I let out a deep breath sensing the topic change. The girls looked at me curiously, unsure why I answered in Yu An Yan''s stead, but I would exin this to their insensitive brainster.


    "Gadgets are essentially an extra tool to help you out in fights, you see," thedy exined. "There are many different kinds of gadgets - some for offense, some for defense. It all depends on the type of fighter you are and yourpanions as well. All gadgets are one-time use items, so most people stock up on them once every month just to save time, avoiding the trouble of having toe back to buy more whenever they run out."


    "I see..." I murmured. "Any gadgets in particr that you would rmend?"


    "Rmend, huh...well, for starters, my husband told me about the Dome of Protection you all ran into on your mission earlier. Would you like to hear about that?"


    "Sure," I replied. The Dome of Protection would certainly be useful in sticky situations where we had to buy time for whatever reason.


    The woman pped her hands together. "Very well! The Dome of Protection is a gadget that, upon activation, creates a...well, dome of protection around the user! Based on the amount of mana the user puts into this gadget, the strength and duration of the dome will vary. For reference, the average Advanced Mage, if they put all their mana into a DOP, will end up with a dome that can block any gunfire and spells below Level Three with ease,sting around half an hour or so. Spells above Level Three and things like Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers may be able to break through."


    "So it isn''tpletely invincible...good to know," Feng Mian noted.


    "Well, it could be, depending on how powerful the user is," Qing Yue argued with a shrug.


    "Alright, would you all like to purchase some DOPs?" thedy asked, looking around at us.


    I sank into thought. "Uh...how much do they cost?"


    "Hm...my husband gave you some weapons in return for youpleting a task for him, correct?" thedy pondered. "I''ll do something simr then. All you have to do isplete a very simple task for me, and I''ll give you a bunch of the gadgets here in this shop for free! Deal?"


    "Well...we''ll have to hear what the task is before deciding," I replied after some hesitation.


    "Oh, don''t worry. It isn''t anything too difficult," thedy reassured. "I just need you to breach and investigate a certain facility for me."


    "<em>Breach </em>and <em>investigate </em>a certain facility?" I echoed. "Er...I''m guessing this facility has guards and proper security measures?"


    "Of course! It''s a top-secretb, after all-"


    "Wait, if it''s top secret, how the hell did you find out about it?" Xiang Peng asked, pausing the conversation.


    "Hm...tell you what, if you can aplish this mission sessfully, I''ll tell you the answer to that question. Trust me, whatever''s in that facility, it will be worth my - and your - time. Because hey, the stuff you''re going to find out inside that facility will be information for both of us. It''s a win-win situation, no?"


    After thinking about it for a second, I sighed. "Alright, fine...we''ll take your offer."

 Chapter 214 - Turning Into A Girl?

    "That''s the ce," I said, looking at a certain building through our telescopes. We were currently on an apartment building, getting a good look at our destination. We were currently looking at what looked like a movie theatre. I guess even in death arenas like the Fortress, recreational facilities were necessary.


    But ording to Old Man Leng''s wife...the movie theatre was nothing more than a cover for the secretb thaty underneath.


    Apparently, tickets and stuff didn''t exist at this theatre. Anyone could just walk in and watch a movie, as long as they gave something worth at the front counter. I thought back to what Old Man Leng said about the concept of money not existing in here - instead, they did trade: material goods and information. I figured this movie theatre didn''t offer food, since that would be very costly for them.


    <em>Hm...ording to Old Man Leng''s wife, an ammo pack from the each of us would be enough for our admittance. Since we still had quite a lot of those left over from our mission, we could use those here. Old Man Leng probably wouldn''t be pleased, since he gave those to us for free, but if he confronted us, well...we had the support of his wife, so he won''t be able to do anything.</em>


    <em></em><em>We also always had the threat of telling his wife the fact that he called her his ''good friend'' instead of ''wife'' or ''spouse''...</em>


    <em></em>In any case, we left the apartment we were on, and began heading for the movie theatre. The girls and I all wore masks that Old Man Leng''s wife provided us - it was a type of gadget that looked like a normal face mask on the surface, simr to my own ck one, but in reality it had a camera built into it - the perfect spyware.


    This would be used to record evidence of the things we find in theb. Old Man Leng''s wife would then be able to download all the data onto herputer, making our mission a sess. She also said if we seeded, we could keep these masks - and I quote, ''think of it as a down payment''. We could pick up some other gadgets for freeter, as our part of the deal.


    In any case, these masks worked in our favor. With the girls'' looks, they would attract a lot of attention, making our mission more difficult. With these masks, hopefully less people will stare at them, helping us go undercover. As an aside, Lan Xiao Su wore the mask on top of her veil...she probably didn''t want the other girls to see her true appearance, even if it''s just a second or two. She was a celebrity, after all.


    <em>Speaking of...she probably hasn''t got much time topose new songs recently. I wonder what her producer''s going to say.</em>


    <em></em>In any case, hopefully, no one would consider us too abnormal, for better or worse.


    <em>Then again...eight girls walking with one guy on the street. That''s going to attract some attention, no matter how you look at it. Nothing I can do about that, though...most I can do is just minimize the amount of attention we will get.</em>


    We entered the movie theatre, and for the most part, not many people turned to look at us. We walked up to the front counter, deposited an ammo pack each, and the receptionist let us in. Apparently, once you paid once, you could stay there for the whole day until the ce closed. Of course, if you wanted to watch more, you would have toe back tomorrow, and pay again. They operated on a daily basis.


    In any case, we made it into the movie theatre with no problem. The girls and I headed for an isted hallway, and I turned on my earpiece. Yes, Old Man Leng''s wife gave us some just like Old Man Leng, for ease ofmunication.


    "We''re inside, ma''am," I whispered, trying to still act natural as I walked.


    "Good...now, ording to my info, the entrance should be within the female bathro-"


    "The what?!" I didn''t even wait for her to finish the sentence before interrupting sharply.


    "Like I said...the female bathroo-"


    "Uh, and you expect me, a 14 year old boy, to infiltrate the female bathroom?"


    "That''s your problem, not mine," thedy replied sternly. "If you want those gadgets, you better find some way toplete this mission."


    I turned to look at the girls, who had obviously heard the entire conversation, since the earpieces thedy gave us allowed everyone tomunicate with her, not just me (unlike what Old Man Leng did).


    "So, uh...any ideas?" I asked awkwardly.


    "The Cloak of Invisibility?" Yu An Yan suggested, shrugging.


    "That thing is not tall enough to cover me. It''s wide enough, sure, but not tall."


    "Um...I guess you can wait out here while we go and do the mission?" Feng Mian suggested.


    "That''s...an option, but I kinda want to check out what''s inside thisb with my own two eyes. We''ll save it as ast resort," I replied.


    "Oh! Oh! I know!" Qing Yue raised her hand. "Why don''t we...turn Big Brother Xuan Kai into a girl?"


    I blinked. "Uh...can we go with thest resort?"


    "No no no, that''s a brilliant idea, Qing Yue!" Xiang Peng pped her hands together, snickering evilly. "Oho, this is going to be fun..."


    The girls all turned to look at me with sinister looks on their faces, and I slowly backed away.


    "U-Uh, guys?" Lan Xiao Su, the only normal one left, said weakly. "I-I don''t think Xuan Kai likes this p-n..."


    But s, she was too weak to stop the other girls. Hell, even Obsidia and Mei Gui entertained the idea of turning me into a female.


    "H-Hold on, you don''t mean <em>literally </em>turning me into a girl, do you? Like as in castration?" I asked nervously.


    "No, of course not! We''ll just make you <em>seem </em>like a girl, on the surface," Yu An Yan said with a evil giggle. "Oh, this is going to be so fun."


    "That isn''t exactly much better..." I muttered under my breath.


    "Ooh, wait, we can use Obsidia as a model for Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue suggested. "They both have ck hair and red eyes, after all!"


    "...Fine by me," Obsidia replied with a shrug.


    Feng Mian cheered. "Alright, then it''s decided! Let''s head to the store first to buy a wig!"


    "Wait, are the stores even open?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Naw, don''t worry about that," Xiang Peng answered. "The shops and stuff in this ce are always open, 24/7. And since we all slept on the maglev already, that means we''re all ready to go!"


    I tried interfering. "H-Hold on, what about my say in all of this? Does my opinion not matt-"


    "Nope, it doesn''t!" Qing Yue interrupted before I could even finish my sentence.


    I sighed in resignation. <em>Well, whatever...the girls seem to be having fun, and...how bad can it be, right? As long as I don''t lose my manhood, I''ll be fine...I think.</em>


    <em></em>And so, with that decided, we headed out the movie theatre, and into a nearby store to get myself some essories to...yep, turn me into a girl.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- At a nearby store -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Alrighty! Let''s see now...which hair style would suit female Xuan Kai best?" Feng Mian murmured to herself as she walked around, browsing the aisles.


    We were currently inside a cosmetics store - the type that sold stuff like lipstick, wigs, and makeup. Most of the customers here were female, so I felt kind of out of ce. But then again, there was a guy every now and then, so it wasn''t too bad. Except for the fact that said guys were all here with their lovers.


    In the end, they picked out a hairstyle that was long and smooth - simr to Obsidia''s hair. They also purchased some makeup and various other cosmetic items that I didn''t know or understand. Girl things, I guess.


    With that done, we moved on to the next store - this time, a clothing shop. My current cloak would be really unfitting for a girl to wear, despite the fact that Mei Gui wore one of a simr fashion to mine since she wanted to match. I tried using that as an argument in my defense, but was quickly shot down, as usual. They ended up getting me a ck dress, since I refused to wear a pink one. They also bought some female-style shoes and stockings to go along with it.


    "Now then...all that''s left is to find somewhere to begin the operation," Qing Yue said, pping her hands together in satisfaction.


    <em>W-Woah, operation? The vibes I''m getting from that word aren''t good. They aren''t good at all!</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Hm...does this ce have fitting rooms?" Feng Mian wondered aloud.


    "Yes we do, dear customer," a passing by employee answered. "They are right this way."


    We followed the employee, and the girls shoved me into one of the fitting rooms along with all the stuff they just bought. Then, with innocent smiles on their faces, they closed the door, and I was left staring at a mirror, bags full of clothes and cosmetic items in hand.


    <em>Oh man...there''s no escaping this, is there? Ah, screw it...let''s get it over with.</em><em></em>

 Chapter 215 - Exurtra Labs

    "And...I think that''s everything..." I muttered to myself. I then spun around and looked at the mirror attached to the back of the door of the fitting room I was in.


    <em>Holy shit.</em>


    <em></em>I lookedpletely like a girl. I had searched up a guide on my phone on how to do makeup, and followed it strictly. And now, I looked exactly like Obsidia, except taller. We could pass for twins. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.


    The girls, upon seeing me, dropped their jaws.


    "Wow...I don''t even recognize him anymore," Feng Mian remarked, amused.


    "Yeah...it''s like we''re looking at a second Obsidia," Yu An Yan added, looking between the real Obsidia and I.


    Even the dragon herself was pretty surprised. "Oh...I never realized how simr we looked."


    "Shut up," I muttered. "Let''s get on with the mission...I want to get out of this outfit as soon as possible."


    "Aw, why? You look cute, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue eximed, hugging me tightly. "Mm...you still have the same sweet scent though...that''s good!"


    "Whatever...let''s go," I said, heading for the door. Xiang Peng already paid for the clothes, so we were free to leave.


    Around ten minutester, we were back at the movie theatre. The receptionist at the front recognized our faces, so she didn''t ask us for another payment. As an aside, I took off my wig for this so I wouldn''t be mistaken for a new guest. The mask was part of my original look, so keeping that on was fine. In fact, it worked in my favor since it could block my female-style makeup for the most part.


    Once we were inside the female bathroom, I opened up thems again after making sure no one was around.


    "Okay, so...we figured it out. We''re inside the female bathroom right now...where do we go next?"


    "Sweet," thedy''s voice came back through the earpiece after a while. "Look in the third stall from left to right. There should be a secret trapdoor in there somewhere."


    "Secret trapdoor..." I entered the stall thedy indicated, and began looking around for any secret buttons, mechanisms, et cetera...but couldn''t find any. Then, I searched the onest ce that I couldn''t see from the outside...


    I lifted the toilet''s tank lid, where all the valves and stuff were located. And there, I found what I was looking for - a tiny button beneath the float.


    "Kuku...how sneaky," I muttered, and pressed down on the button - hard. It took quite a bit of force to activate, since obviously whoever set this up didn''t want the button to go off automatically from the water pressure or anything when someone flushed the toilet.


    I heard a faint rumbling noise, and one of the floor tiles slide sideways to reveal adder leading downwards. I smirked, then called the girls.


    "Hey, I found the entrance," I said.


    "Oop, let''s head inside then," Feng Mian replied, inspecting the entrance before preparing to drop down. The rest of the girls soon followed, and I was thest one to enter. As an aside, I locked the stall door so that no one woulde in and stumble across this secret entrance. That meant we were more or less on a time limit here - if we took too long, people may start getting suspicious and for example, call some employees to check out what''s going on in the stall.


    In any case, the room we dropped down into was very different from the stall. It was clean, and...white. Yep, everything was white. The ceiling, the floor, the walls - everything. The color scheme made it seem like aboratory, which further confirmed that Old Man Leng''s wife''s info was correct, and there was indeed some sort of scientific research going on down here. But my question was...why they wanted to hide it.


    I turned on my Third Eye, looking for any presences around us. Surprisingly enough...I couldn''t sense any.


    <em>No security, no staff, no nothing? That''s...interesting. I don''t see any security cameras or anything of the sort, either...</em>


    <em></em>We continued walking down the white corridor, and eventually arrived before arge door. It slid open automatically when we got near, and it the way it unlocked was almost like a vault. But what was inside of this room, was the real surprise.


    "What...<em>is </em>that?" I muttered.


    What we were currently looking at was a massive head. A massive...robotic head. It was contained within a disy case, and it had holographicbels of some kind showing the different parts of the head.


    "Uh...some kind of robot thingy?" Xiang Peng said, stating the obvious.


    "No, I mean...what does this have to do whatever they are researching down here?" I murmured. "Let''s...explore further."


    The girls all nodded in agreement, and we continued past the mechanical head, venturing deeper into this underground facility.


    As we walked through the corridor, we looked out the windows on either side of us, and spotted some pretty...creepy things. Human skeletons and frames, being put on disy andbelled the same way that head was. Until atst, my Third Eye picked up on something - a single presence.


    I signaled for everyone to stop walking, and then slowly crept up to the door in front of us. I ced my ear against it, and heard a man, yelling something.


    "Atst...after years of hard work and research...atst I havepleted it...my life''s work," he said,ughing uncontrobly. "HAHAHAHA! Yes...with this invention, I can finally prove to everybody that science is a power far greater than magic!"


    I narrowed my eyes. <em>Was this guy a...mad scientist? And...what invention is he talking about? I obviously can''t just barge in there to see. I need to report this information to Old Man Leng''s wife first, then see what she wants us to do.</em>


    <em></em>I backed away from the door, then turned to the girls, and pointed in the direction we came from, signaling that we''re leaving. But then, the man within the room just happened to head out as well, and he spotted us.


    Both parties froze, but I was the first toe back to my senses and react ordingly.


    "Go!" I yelled, before running away. The girls did the same, and the mad scientist''s face contorted in rage.


    "You...how did you find this ce?!" he yelled in anguish. "Ngh...Activate Defense Protocols! Level: Severe!"


    A calm, AI female voice responded amidst the chaos.


    <strong>"Activating Defense Protocols. Level: Severe."</strong>


    <strong></strong>Suddenly, sirens all around us began ring, and the originally bright lights turned crimson red. The walls, to our surprise, <em>opened up</em>, and multiple mecha robots equipped with what seemed like artillery weapons slowly walked out of them.


    "W-What do we do, Xuan Kai?!" Lan Xiao Su yelped, having never been in such a dangerous situation before. Back in the Bloodthirsters fight, she had been rtively safe, staying behind cover all the time, but now we''re pretty much dead meat out in the open.


    "Damn it...just run! I''ll do what I can to hold them off!" I yelled, before facing the robots.


    The machines looked down at me, and pointed their gun towards my head.


    <strong>PEW!</strong>


    Several bullets flew out, of its right ''hand'', which was in reality a minigun of sorts. The other robot also shot out a barrage of bullets out of its own minigun, since I assumed all these robots were of the same model and had the same functionalities - eliminate their target.


    But I had a n in mind. If my guess is right, then these guns and bullets should be based on the MPCs of real guns...which meant that the bullets were essentially made out of mana. If that''s the case, then...


    <em>I''m really hoping this works...!</em>


    <em></em>I raised out both my hands, one to each robot, the bullets flew directly towards me, but I merely activated my Chaos power, and absorbed the projectiles into my body with ease.


    The mad scientist, looking at this scene, widened his eyes in shock.


    "W-W-W-What?! How did you just do that?! Ugh...damn it, Clora, activate thesers!" he yelled.


    <strong>"Activating Laser Artillery."</strong> Clora, the female AI, replied to his voicemand.


    <em>Damn it...I really wish I could get past all these robots and just give that damn scientist a good punch in the face, but I''m kind of busy right now with all these robots around me.</em>


    There were eight of them in total, and they had me surrounded, I sesfully dragged their attention away from the girls, who had already gotten out safely.


    I chuckled. <em>This is...a good challenge, I suppose.</em>


    <em></em>I slid underneath one of the robots, right in between the legs, I then ran, the robots trailing behind me while shooting their guns. But at this rate, I would outrun th-


    "Oh shit!"


    I jumped up, just in time to avoid being vaporized by aser beam.


    <em>D-Damn you, mad scientist....</em>


    <em></em>I spun around and absorbed all of the iing gunfire, converting it into mana for myself. I didn''t know if I could absorb theser though, and I really didn''t want to risk it, but I was pretty much trapped here. The way to the massive head, where we came from, waspletely blocked by these rotatingser beams. And behind me were eight massive mechas...this situation definitely wasn''t looking good.


    "Xuan Kai!" Feng Mian yelled in worry.


    "I''m fine! Just get out of here!" I responded, before pulling out Ace.


    "B-But-"


    "He''s right. Let''s go!" Xiang Peng yelled, pulling on Feng Mian''s arm and dragging her away.


    <em>Heh. I appreciate it, Xiang Peng. Now then...</em><em></em>


    I turned around, and grinned despite the grim situation. <em>This is going to be a close one...</em>

 Chapter 216 - Reporting Back

    After confirming the girls had gotten out safely, I aimed at theser guns at their root, and shot.


    Unfortunately, the impact wasn''t enough.


    <em>Damn it...oh wait, I know!</em>


    I purposely moved in front of theser gun''s base, and the robots all aimed their guns for me. I waited for them to shoot, and when they finally did, I didn''t absorb the projectiles but instead dodged out of the way. The bullets hit true, and the barrage was enough to destroy theser gun.


    <em>Level Two Blessing Magic - Shield of Life.</em>


    I mmed my palm into the ground, and a dome of green light arose around me as the initialser gun''s explosion caused a chain reaction - and like dominoes, theser guns all exploded one after another, while I remained safe within my Shield of Life. I had to input quite a bit of mana to keep the shield up, but s, I survived unscathed. With theser guns out of the way, I immediately ran, leaving the robot soldiers and one pissed mad scientist behind.


    As an aside, on the way out, a logo I didn''t notice on the way in caught my eye. It was painted on the side of the wall inside the room with therge robot head, and it read ''Exurtra Labs'' in some fancy font. There was also a string of smaller text below, but I was running too fast to read what it said, unfortunately. Luckily, the mask I was wearing, as exined before, was in fact a recording tool, so hopefully we could identify what the line of words wereter, using some sort of video yback program.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After meeting up with the girls back in the stall, I pressed the button hidden beneath the toilet''s float once again, and the trapdoor closed shut. With that done, I let out a deep breath.


    "...That was close," I muttered.


    "Mou...don''t do something like that again..." Feng Mian murmured quietly, and I noticed tears on her eyes.


    <em>Geez, it''s not like I died or anything...</em>


    <em></em>Unable to stand watching her like this, I moved closer to her and gently wiped the tears away from her beautiful purple eyes.


    "Alright alright...just stop crying, okay?" I said, patting her head.


    "Hmph! I want a headpat too!" Qing Yue pouted, cing her hands on her hip angrily.


    "Me...too..." Yu An Xue whispered almost inaudibly while blushing.


    "H-Hey! What''s up with you all?" Yu An Yan asked, looking around in confusion. "We can ask for headpatster, okay? Let''s get out of here for now..."


    <em>''We''...huh.</em>


    "Grr....fine! But Big Brother Xuan Kai, you gotta headpat me first when we get back!" Qing Yue demanded.


    "Yeah yeah, whatever..." I muttered, and went to unlock the stall door. Luckily, no one was within the bathroom just like when we entered the secretb below, so we just all headed out the female bathroom normally. I was still in my female getup, so we could do this just fine.


    <em>Man,e to think of it, this is my second time having to pretend to be a girl..st time it was just my voice, but this time I had to change my whole appearance as well...speaking of, I hope Xiang Peng doesn''t bring it u-</em>


    <em></em>"Oh yeah, Xuan Kai, remember back when the Midnight Syndicate invaded Shenzhen, and you joined my protection team under the alias of Zhang San? Oh man, that was <em>sooo </em>funny. I''ll never forget the scene of you pretending to be a girl and pissing behind the tree."


    "You damn girl what are you tellin-" I began, but it was toote.


    "Wait, what? When did this happen?" Feng Mian asked, having now recovered from her crying earlier.


    "Uh...don''t listen to what sh-"


    "Oh, he hasn''t told you all this story? Aw baby, this is going to be a st!" Xiang Peng eximed, once again, before I could finish my protest. "Okay, so basically, what happened was..."


    And so, on the entire way back to Old Man Leng''s wife''s gadget shop from the movie theatre, I was stuck listening in embarrassment at the humiliating events of my own past while the girls tried desperately to hold in theirughter.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Old Man Leng''s Wife''s Gadget Shop -</strong>


    By the time we arrived at the gadget shop, it was pretty much morning - 6 AM, to be particr. When we entered, thedy smiled, and weed us back.


    "Good work," she said, patting on the PC in front of her. "I got all the evidence you recorded transferred over to thisputer. With this, I can possibly acquire some more information. But that aside...how did you bypass the female bathroom? I can''t help but wonder."


    "No thanks to you," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I had already taken off my wig and washed off all my makeup, and also put my original cloak on top of my dress, so I was more or less back to normal again, on the surface.


    "Heehee, Xuan Kai had to dress up as a girl," Xiang Peng said, not even trying to hide herughter. "It was quite amusing, if I do say so myself."


    Old Man Leng''s wife tilted her head. "Ho...sounds interesting. Well, I don''t really care what method you use, as long as it works - and that it did. So I''m going to have you try the same thing next tim-"


    "Wait, <em>next time?</em>" I asked in surprise.


    She blinked. "Yes, of course. Oh, my dear boy, you couldn''t have thought all you had to do was just that one trip, right?"


    "Hey, that wasn''t the deal," I muttered. "You said as long as we go investigate this facility for you, you would give us what we wante-"


    "Uh uh uh," she interrupted, wagging her fingers disapprovingly. "I said you had to <em>investigate </em>it. And as of right now...I can''t say your investigation isplete. I have some video evidence of what the inside looks like now, but I still can''te up with a final conclusion on what exactly is going on down there in thatb. Therefore, your investigation is not done yet."


    "Oh hell no, I''m not going down there again," I replied immediately. "I barely got out alive this time, and I''m not looking forward to another encounter with armed robots and giantser guns."


    "But you got out fine this time, didn''t you?" the woman said with a chuckle. "I trust you can do it again, yes?"


    <em>Old Man Leng...I pity you. This woman is your wife? Can''t imagine what life must be like for you at home. I...sort of understand why you referred to her as your ''good friend'' now, instead of ''lover'' or ''spouse''. Hell, she probably forced the marriage.</em>


    "I-" I began, trying to deny what she said, but she cut me off before I could even utter out a single word.


    "You still want those gadgets, don''t you?"


    After a long, ufortable silence, I sighed, then red at the woman. "Fine. We''ll head in there one more time. But after that, if you still can''t deduce a conclusion...we''re done."


    "Amazing!" the woman eximed, pping her hands together. "I''m sure you all must be tired, soe with me. I''ll book a room for you all at the nearby hotel."


    <em>Now you''re acting considerate, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"Two rooms, please," I said exasperatedly.


    "Hm? Two? Can''t you guys just all sleep in one? ''Cause I''m only paying for one," thedy argued defiantly.


    <em>Jesus Christ, she''s so picky when ites to money...whatever.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Then we''ll pay for the other one ourselves. Where''s the hotel?"


    "Right down the street. I''m closing up the shop anyway, and the hotel is on my way home. Follow me," thedy said, beforeing around the counter and heading out the door.


    Once we were all out of the shop, she locked it up, and began walking to our right. We turned and followed her.


    "So, while we''re walking...what are your guesses as to what that facility is researching?" Feng Mian asked thedy. No strangers were around, which I confirmed with my Third Eye. Therefore, it was safe to discuss this here.


    "Hm...from the data I recovered from your masks - by the way, you can take them off now if you want - I saw that you encountered lots of...robots and mechanical suits, dead or alive. My guess is that whatever that scientist down there is researching, it has something to do with robots.


    "Do you know that scientist?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Not particrly, no. If I''m not wrong though...he went to the same university as me. And he''s always been a little bit of an oddball."


    "Let me guess...''science is greater than magic'', all that?" I muttered.


    Old Man Leng''s wife nodded. "Indeed. He''s always been unhappy with the fact that he was born with only one innate element, even though that was the norm for us humans. Unfortunately, Shanghai - or rather, The Fortress - is a ce where everyone from all around the world can enter andpete in, regardless of race, gender, or age. The only rule? Once you enter, you can''t leave...unless you sessfully make it in to Fragment, of course."


    "Yeah, I figured..." I said with a sigh.


    In any case, we arrived at the hotel, and Old Man Leng''s wife paid for one room like she said she would. The girls took that room, since it was - unexpectedly, considering how much of a prick she was - big, so I had to book another...well, more urately, Yu An Yan had to book another.


    <em>I-I''ll get to work soon...I promise.</em><em></em>

 Chapter 217 - Return To Exurtra

    After a good sleep at the hotel, the girls and I woke up at around 3 in the afternoon.


    <em>Man...our biological clocks arepletely reversed now that we''re living in the Fortress. Then again...sleeping during the day and operating at night is the norm around here. So I guess this is just our new biological clock, from now on. I imagine inside Fragment will be different though...switching back will be a pain, I already know it.</em>


    Today was the day we would be returning to that underground research facility - Exurtra Labs. The same ce withser beams of death and giant robots with machine guns for arms. Not exactly the kind of ce you''ll take your children when you grow up, but it is what it is. I agreed to the deal, and I wasn''t about to back down now.


    The girls and I met up in the hotel lobby once we were all ready for the day. We would first head to Old Man Leng''s wife''s shop to pick up the earpieces again and just to check in, then head towards the movie theatre to enter Exurtra Labs. I wasn''t exactly thrilled about having to dress up as a girl again, but once again - it is what it is. As an aside, it seems the girls were quite excited to see me dressed up again...for some odd reason.


    <em>I don''t know what goes through girls'' heads. Like, I wouldn''t be excited to see the girls dressed up as boys, so why does the opposite apply? Whatever.</em>


    <em></em>And so, we continued our mission within the Fortress, and our quest to obtain gadgets.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- A While Later, Twilight Movie Theatre -</strong>


    "Damn it...this dress is the worst," Iined. "I can''t even move properly in it. How do you girls manage to live wearing these?"


    "Well, we only wear dresses for special asions," Qing Yue exined. "I do agree, dresses are pretty inconvenient."


    "Then why the hell did you guys pick a dress out for me, all of all things?!"


    "Hm...let''s see, because it was the most amusing?" Xiang Peng murmured thoughtfully.


    "Yeah...that sounds about right," Feng Mian agreed.


    I shook my head in despair as we walked through the corridors of the Twilight Movie Theatre. We had been here once already yesterday, so we were more or less slightly familiar with theyout of the ce. We had to pay the entry free again (one ammo pack the each of us), since this ce operated on a daily basis - the reset was at 12 PM, even though the theatre itself operated 24/7. That meant that even if you paid at 12 PM one day and stayed all the way until 11:59 AM the next day, you would get kicked out by the staff and have to pay again for admittance. A pretty weird policy, but hell, we were on a massive floating city. Anything goes.


    In any case, we entered the female bathroom once more...but this time there was someone inside. After some eye contact with the girls, we silently agreed on just waiting for this woman to leave. We each entered a different stall - I happened to enter the one with the trapdoor - and waited for the sound of shuffling feet outside.


    But...none came.


    We waited.


    Five minutes...ten minutes.


    But still, no noise wasing from the outside at all.


    I frowned, and activate my Third Eye. It was still picking up on the woman, who appeared to have not moved a single step from when we entered the bathroom initially. I then decided to send a telepathic message to Mei Gui.


    [Mei Gui, can you check out what''s going on outside? I''m getting suspicious of this woman.]


    [Understood, Master. Remember what I mentioned a long time ago about the sense linking? I believe that is a suitable skill to use here.]


    [Oh yeah...I do remember you saying something like that. It was really a while ago though - how do we do it?]


    [You do not have to do anything, Master. Justmunicate with me telepathically normally, and I will handle the rest.]


    [Alright.]


    I heard a shuffling noise from the stall beside me - the one Mei Gui was in, and I knew that she had exited the stall as an excuse to sneak a peek at the woman who still hadn''t budged a single inch. She just stood there menacingly, back leaning against the wall and arms folded as her eyes were hidden behind a beautiful ck winged mask that covered her upper face but left her mouth out. She looked to be around 20 or so, wearing a ck tight full-body skinsuit that highlighted her slim figure and nice curves. She was certainly an enemy, but it was undeniable that she had charms.


    How did I know all this? Well...it was thanks to the ability known as Sense Linking Mei Gui had used with me during the fight with gue, of course. I was currently seeing a projection within my head like I was seeing the scene with my own two eyes, all while maintaining perception of my actual surroundings. It was weird, but kind of simr to when I experimented multicasting with Summoning Magic - looking at two separate scenes at the exact same time...just not as extreme as the Summoning dimension, where I literally have two different bodies, one within the Summoning dimension and the other still in the real world - consciously, unlike other Summoning Magic users.


    Either way, this woman was starting to concern me. By now, I was 90% certain she was here for us...but then again, she hasn''t done anything yet, so I can''t say for sure. If she''s really here for us...then I''m assuming she has some sort of connection with the mad scientist down below. That also meant we would have to deal with her if we wanted to enter thebs again.


    <em>Ugh...how troublesome.</em>


    Since Mei Gui couldn''t just keep staring at the woman for too long without appearing suspicious, she just went up to the sink, washed her hands, and pretended to exit the bathroom. Of course, in reality, she was just standing right outside, waiting for the chance to slip back in again.


    After a while, I couldn''t take it anymore, and decided to confront the woman directly. I stepped outside the stall, and look at her in the eyes (in her sunsses, really. I couldn''t actually see her eyes).


    "You''ve been standing there for the past fifteen minutes. What do you want?" I demanded, careful to keep my tone slightly high-pitched so I sounded more like a girl.


    "Oh? Finally can''t wait any more?" the woman asked right back, easily ignoring my question. Whether that was intentional or not, no one knew. "I don''t think you''re in a position to be asking any questions, my dear...boy."


    I flinched. <em>So she can tell.</em>


    I narrowed my gaze. "I''ll repeat myself. What do you want?"


    "No no no..." the woman murmured. "I should be asking <em>you </em>that question. What do <em>you </em>want, infiltrating my business partner''s secretb?"


    At that moment, Mei Gui walked back into the bathroom, sensing that I was already confronting the woman head on so there was no need to act anymore. The other girls also came out of their respective stalls, and turned to face the woman.


    "Your business partner?" Feng Mian echoed. "You mean that crazy scientist?"


    The woman shrugged. "Whether he is crazy orpletely sane, I care not. As long as I get my benefits, our deal stands. And so...as much as I don''t want to, he requested that I do this, so here I am, blocking your way. So? What will it be? You leave here peacefully, keep your mouths shut, nevere back here again, and we have no further problems, or do you want to do this the hard way?"


    I discretely evaluated this woman''s strength. On the surface, it seemed she was around an Ancestral Mage - which meant Xiang Peng alone should be enough to handle her, much less the all of usbined. But...strong mages can hide their true strength with ease, which is what makes me concerned. If she was a Holy Emperor, wiping all of us here would be no problem.


    <em>But...we''re out of options here. If we want those gadgets, we''re going to have toplete this mission...alternatively, we could go to a different gadget store, but I doubt they will just offer items to us for free - and very possibly demand something even more difficult than what Old Man Leng''s wife is asking.</em>


    <em>This bet...I''m willing to take it.</em>


    <em></em>"Sorry, but...I''m afraid we''re going to need to enter theb."


    The woman smiled seductively, as if anticipating this. "Very well. The hard way it is, then."


    And all of a sudden, we were enveloped in darkness. But this was far more than just some basic Shadow Magic. The moment she released this dark energy around us, I knew. I knew that I had made a fatal mistake. And the rest of the girls felt it too. This woman...was not an Ancestral Mage. She wasn''t a Golden Monarch either, which we could''ve handled.


    No...she was a <strong>Holy Emperor.</strong>


    And we, were fighting right within her domain.

 Chapter 218 - Fury Of The Holy Emperor

    Domains - a special power that only Holy Emperors possess. When you reach this rank, you receive a certain sort of ''enlightenment'' that grants you the ability to use this special power known as domains. It''s impossible to drag other Holy Emperors into your domain, but anyone below can be. And once they are in your domain...they are essentially fighting in a world where you control everything. The worst part? There''s no way out, unless they defeat you, the domain''s owner.


    Within a domain, there was nothing else but the Holy Emperor and the people trapped within their domain. All evidence of the real world was erased, essentially bringing you into an alternate dimension where the Holy Emperor rules all.


    Every Holy Emperor has a different domain, depending on the element they specialize in the most. In this case, we were up against a Shadow Domain, as if it wasn''t obvious enough what with the dark energy surrounding us and the woman herself nowhere to be seen.


    The first thing I tried was to absorb the domain - with my Chaos power. But unfortunately, it didn''t work. My body rejected the mana - it was too powerful for my current level. And since Mei Gui''s level follows mine, she obviously couldn''t absorb this domain, either.


    <em>W-Well, uh...this is quite the predicament.</em>


    <em></em>"Um...is this a domain we''re in right now?" Feng Mian asked hesitantly, looking around.


    "As much as I hate to say so, yeah," Xiang Peng replied, gritting her teeth. "Xuan Kai, that was a very bad move."


    "Yeah, I know...she was hiding her strength. I took a bet, and paid for it," I muttered, frustrated with myself.


    "So...what''s our next move?" Yu An Yan asked uncertainly.


    "Oh, but there <em>is </em>no next move, unfortunately," a female voice cut through our discussion. "I gave you a choice...and you chose to do this."


    The voice came from all around us, and I had no way of discerning which direction she wasing from...or at least, that''s what she thought.


    <em>Third Eye is still functioning here...maybe because it is a spell of an order higher than Holy Emperors can reach? Either way...this may just be our key out of here.</em>


    <em></em>I didn''t let it show on the surface that I knew where her real body was, however. If I did, that would ruin the whole n. Instead, I purposely turned to the opposite direction of where her real body was, just to add on to the act.


    "Level One Light Magic - Illuminate!" Qing Yue chanted, generating an orb of light that helped us see our surroundings a little better in this utter darkness. However, the light was meager, and threatened to fade away immediately if Qing Yue stopped putting mana into her spell.


    "Oh my~that little bit of light won''t help you," the woman said seductively. "Now...who should I take out first? Or perhaps...all of you together, at once?"


    My Third Eye picked up on her moving around us.


    "Everyone, get in a circle," I ordered, and the nine of us all gathered together with our backs to each other, each facing a different direction to monitor all around us.


    <em>She''s deciding which one to go for...and it looks like she''s settled on her target. </em>


    <em></em>"Mei Gui!" I yelled, signaling that the woman ising in her direction.


    Mei Gui narrowed her gaze, and chanted out loud, just as the woman appeared from within the darkness, attempting to snatch Mei Gui away. "Level Two Light Magic - Divine de!"


    A bright golden sword arose in front of her, and flew towards the woman, who appeared shocked at the attack. In fact, so shocked that she retreated, back into the shadows. The Divine de, upon hitting the darkness, vanished as well.


    "Oh my...how interesting. You can sense where I aming from? How?" the woman giggled.


    "I have no obligation to answer that," I replied cryptically.


    "Well, no matter, I suppose...though I must admit, I am curious," the woman said. "But...unfortunately, even then, you won''t be able to escape from my domain. Your attacks are far too weak to hurt me."


    "Wanna bet on that?" Xiang Peng smirked, channeling her mana.


    "Hm...an Ancestral Mage, huh?" the mysterious woman murmured. "Sorry, but I''m afraid...even your attacks would do nothing more than tickle me within this domain - <em>my </em>domain."


    "Xiang Peng, she''sing for you!" I called out, sensing the woman''s movements on my Third Eye. I could afford to keep this ability active for very long periods of time, since I absorbed so much mana from our encounter with the robots yesterday.


    "Level Three Sky Magic - Prison of Lightning!" Xiang Peng chanted, timing the spell just right so that the woman ended up trapped within her cage of electricity.


    "Ha! How do you like that?!" Xiang Peng demanded, a triumphant look on her face.


    The woman, enclosed within this circr prison of lightning, red at me for a second before shrugging. "Tch...mildly annoying, but still no threat whatsoever."


    And saying this, she turned into a cloud of ck mist and disappeared from the prison with ease.


    "Wha-" Xiang Peng began, slightly surprised at this. However...


    "Behind you!" I yelled, but it was toote. A pir of Shadow energy burst out from the darkness behind Xiang Peng, and struck her directly in the back. She fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The rest of us all backed away from the center, where the pir was. With one move, the woman had broken our formation, leaving us vulnerable.


    "Ngh...damn it, that hurt..." Xiang Peng muttered.


    "Oh my~for all that big talk, you are quite the...frail little girl, no?" the mysterious woman''s gentle yet seductive voice rang out from all around us once more, taunting Xiang Peng.


    "Heh...you just got me by surprise there," Xiang Peng said, wiping blood from her mouth. "You won''t get me with the same trick twice."


    <em>One attack...one attack was all it took to make an Ancestral Mage, the strongest of us all here (not counting Obsidia''s dragon form) copse, spitting blood. She didn''t even chant, either - because she didn''t even need to use spells against us. No...she had simply manipted her domain to her will, causing sts of Shadow energy to ur at various locations. It was that easy for her, yet so devastating for us. Was this...the power of a Holy Emperor?</em>


    <em></em>"Oh, is that so?" the woman murmured, before I suddenly sensed that she <em>teleported </em>behind Xiang Peng once again, and now that our formation was gone, she made for an easy, isted target.


    A st of darkness energy shot out from nowhere, but this time, Xiang Peng was ready. She spun around, and met the attack with one of her own.


    "Level Three Light Magic - Holy Ray!" she yelled, and a beam of light shot out of her palms, meeting the darkness energy. But to all of our surprise, the beam of light - was pushed back.


    The Shadow energy within this woman''s domain was far too powerful. Even Level Three Magic was being pushed back.


    <em>Damn it...there''s nothing we can do here...</em>


    <em></em>[Master, I have a n,] Mei Gui suddenly said through our telepathic messages.


    [You do?]


    [Yes...we can detect where that woman ising from with our Third Eye, because it is Forbidden Magic - an order of magic higher than even Divine Tier spells. Holy Emperors are vulnerable to such power, meaning we can use Forbidden Magic...to break out of this predicament.]


    [How though? The only three spells I know are Chaos Mirror, Soul Shackle, and Third Eye - none of them will help us break out of this woman''s domain.]


    [I will teach you a new spell now, Master...it is risky, and I do not know if your Chaos is pure enough to handle this yet. However...it is our only chance.]


    I looked over at Xiang Peng, still struggling to push the Shadow energy back. But at this rate, it was only a matter of time before she couldn''t take it anymore. Suddenly, a burst of energy shot out from behind Xiang Peng as well, and threatened to end her right then and there.


    But the other girls weren''t just sitting around doing nothing, either. Yu An Yan rushed to Xiang Peng''s back since she was the closest, and chanted.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux!"


    Twoser beams of fire shot out of her hands, and met the Shadow energy in force. But like Xiang Peng, she was getting pushed back as well - even faster, since she was using a Level Two spell.


    [...Let''s do it,] I decided, clenching my fists.


    [Understood, Master,] Mei Gui replied, and walked closer to me and took my hands in hers, then closed her eyes. I did the same, while the battle rang out all around us, the woman shooting more bursts of Shadow energy as the girls each struggled to parry them all.


    [Listen closely, Master. The spell is a purification one. A spell that erases all, if used to the maximum potential. That is impossible at Master''s current stage, but it should suffice to eliminate this domain.]


    [What if I identally ''erase'' one of the girls, or myself?]


    [That is impossible, as this spell cannot erase people, but only mana-powered phenomena such as domains.]


    [I see...and what is this spell called, so I can use it?]


    [The spell''s name is...Zero.]


    A new determination lighting up my eyes, I calmly let go of Mei Gui''s hands, and mmed my palm into the dark ground below to define the location of the spell. And amidst the battles between light and dark going on all around us, I chanted.


    <strong>"Forbidden Magic - Zero."</strong><strong></strong>

 Chapter 219 - A Lost Companion

    <strong>"Forbidden Magic - Zero."</strong>


    <strong></strong>A shockwave of red and ck energy burst out from me, and suddenly, everything was enveloped in a bright white light. After a good few seconds, the light began to dim away, and the first thing I saw was the familiar walls of the movie theatre''s female bathroom. I sighed in relief. I turned around and looked at the girls, confused with what happened.


    "You guys all okay?" I asked, panting slightly from the huge amount of mana I just lost. This spell was certainly powerful, able to erase all mana-powered phenomena in a set radius, but at the same time, it was extremely costly as well. Luckily, I still had around 20% of my mana left.


    "Uh...yeah? What just happened?" Feng Mian looked around, still in a daze.


    "I was fighting back against the Shadow energy, and then..." Yu An Yan trailed off.


    "Xuan Kai did something, of course," Xiang Peng said with a chuckle. "Always reliable, eh?"


    I ignored her and turned around to face the woman, who was still in the same position as before we were dragged into her domain - leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.


    "...We''re done here," I said with a re.


    "Ara ara~but are we?" the woman said, cing her fingers over her mouth. "I don''t know how you broke out of my domain, but of course, there''s no way you''ll just tell me. And so...I''ll have to pry the information out of you."


    I clenched my fists. "I said, we''re done. We won''t try to get in your business partner''sb anymore. So leave us alone."


    The woman smiled. "Ah...if only you said this <em>before, </em>when I asked kindly. Sorry, but now you have me interested in you. And I am a woman who never lets my prey escape."


    Saying this, before any of us could even react, she appeared behind not me - but <em>Mei Gui.</em> She knocked her out with a good strike on the neck, and Mei Gui fell limp into the woman''s arms.


    Since I doubt any of my spells would be useful against a Holy Emperor, my first reaction was to pull out Ace and aim at the woman, but she just smiled seductively.


    "Ara ara~are you sure you want to shoot? I can''t promise I won''t use your friend here as a meat shield, y''know..."


    At this point, Obsidia must''ve gotten tired with all this - enough to be ready to transform into her dragon form. I could see her human skin partly turning into scales, and her ears perking up into a dragon''s.


    "Obsidia, no!" Lan Xiao Su yelled, calming her down. "If you do that, not only will you not get that woman, but also kill everyone here!"


    "Tch..." Obsidia muttered, but settled down, and turned to look at me. "Human...if it weren''t for my deal with you, I would have transformed already and crushed this puny woman. The audacity...to cage me within her domain...."


    "Oh my...is that a dragon I sense?" the woman tilted her head and giggled. "Hey, Xuan Kai, was it? You have quite the gathering of rare specimens."


    "Obsidia...calm yourself," I said, ignoring the woman. "Even in your dragon form, it''s not guaranteed that you can win against this woman. She''s a Holy Emperor - the highest achievable rank, excluding the Divine God tier of legends."


    Obsidia snorted and turned away, and I looked back at the woman. "...What do you want with mypanion?"


    Of course, I was referring to Mei Gui, who hung limply within her arms, unconscious. The woman smiled.


    "Don''t think I''m blind. Within my domain, I see all - this girl was the one who taught you how to break out of my domain, no?" the woman remarked, slightly amused. "How interesting...a girl this young, knowing a method to escape a Holy Emperor''s domain that isn''t directly killing the Holy Emperor themselves...yes, I think she will be a fine specimen for my business partner''s research. After all...he''s told me the only thing he needs now is a test subject for his experiments."


    I narrowed my gaze, and kept Ace fixated on the woman''s head. "You intend to use her as a test subject?"


    "Well, strictly speaking...that scientist will be the one using her as ab rat. As for me...I''ll be using her as a bargaining chip. I''m not going to just offer this girl to him for free, after all."


    "Xuan Kai..." the girls looked at me in worry, waiting for my decision.


    <em>Do we ept the harsh reality and abandon Mei Gui here, or do we take our chances and fight this woman - a Holy Emperor - again, even after being utterly powerless the first time?</em>


    <em></em>...Of course, my choice was thetter.


    Mei Gui was far too valuable of an asset to lose. She not only provides me with knowledge on this power that I possess, but is also a fighting demon in her own right. I can''t count the number of times I would''ve died without Mei Gui by my side, helping me.


    I am someone who pays back my debts well - whether that debt is bad, or good. In this case, it was good. And so, I would never just abandon Mei Gui.


    "Give her back," I said with a dangerous tone.


    The woman raised an eyebrow beneath her ck winged mask. "Oh? You want to fight me again?"


    "If need be...yes. That girl you''re holding...I''m not letting you take her," I replied defiantly, determination in my voice.


    "Xuan Kai..." the girls murmured once again - but this time, it was not one of concern. It was one of admiration, as if they were hoping I would make this choice.


    <em>I am a person who doesn''t like fighting unnecessary battles. But sometimes...when something important to you is put on the line...you have to fight.</em>


    The woman contemted my words for a second, but then her lips curved upwards into a smile. "Nah."


    I blinked. "Nah...?"


    I did not expect this response, and neither did the other girls.


    "I don''t see a point in fighting you here," the woman exined. "If I did, it''s obvious you would fight to the death to get yourpanion back. And...well, let''s just say you''ve...sessfully intrigued me. I don''t want you to die."


    "...Then give that girl back."


    The woman shrugged. "Oh my...didn''t I tell you? I''m a woman who never lets her prey escape. This girl is already in my hands - what makes you think I''ll just hand her back to you?"


    I narrowed my gaze, and shot. But the woman just turned into a cloud of ck mist, and my bullet passed through thin air.


    I cursed. "You can cast spells without chanting too, huh?"


    Although I couldn''t see the woman, I heard her giggle. "Yes, I can indeed. All Holy Emperors can - it''s just a matter of whether they choose to do so or not. As for yourpanion here...worry not. She won''t be harmed - she''s far too valuable for that. Although...the next time you see her, she may be...quite different."


    And with that, I sensed with my Third Eye that the woman was gone - taking Mei Gui with her.


    I mmed my fist into the ground. "Damn it..."


    Qing Yue walked over to me and hugged me from behind. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, it''s not your fault...she''s too powerful...there was nothing we could do."


    <em>I know that...but in the end, I was the one who decided to fight her in the first ce. That was a misjudgement on my end, and...it eventually lead to Mei Gui being taken away like this.</em>


    <em>No...I''m definitely not letting Mei Gui go. I''ll get her back, no matter what it takes.</em>


    <em></em>I stood back up slowly, and looked at the girls. "Let''s go...first things first, we have to report what happened here back to Old Man Leng''s wife."


    "What about Mei Gui?" Feng Mian asked in concern.


    "We''ll definitely get her back. I promise," I replied, determination in my voice. "I went through the trouble of naming that girl...who the hell does that woman think she is, to just take her away from me?"


    <em>Mysterious woman...I don''t know what your name is, nor do I care. But one thing is certain. The things you did here today to me...will all be paid back hundredfold, in due time.</em>


    And so, the eight of us headed back to Old Man Leng''s wife''s gadget shop. We had set off this morning with nine people, but are nowing back with only eight. But unlike what the woman probably hoped for, we weren''t sad at all. Instead, our despair at losing Mei Gui was converted into a burning anger - a lust for revenge. The girls and I shared this feeling, and will stop at nothing to turn it into reality.


    But that didn''t mean we were just going to rush in blindly like idiots, of course. First, we would have to collect information. Then, gather our forces. Andstly...strike when the time is right.


    <em>Mei Gui...we''reing. Just please...hold on until then.</em>

 Chapter 220 - Strategy Meeting

    "...A Holy Emperor, huh," Old Man Leng''s wife murmured to herself.


    We were all currently gathered within the gadget shop - Old Man Leng himself was here as well, together with ria. The girls and I had just finished reporting what happened back to these two, and were now waiting for their response.


    "Hm...my guess is that the Holy Emperor is from within'' Fragment," Old Man Leng said.


    "Then why is she out here?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Well, Fragment is more or less smallpared to out ''ere. Some people just wanna have fun, y''know? Since they already passed the test, they can return to Fragment at any time, usin'' a special item given to them when they pass."


    "You''re...awfully knowledgeable about how this works, for someone living outside of Fragment," I noted quietly.


    "Well, my- ahem...our son lives inside Fragment, and we visit him from time to time," Old Man Leng replied, changing ''my'' to ''our'' after receiving a look from his wife.


    "Why can''t you just stay there permanently?" Feng Mian asked, confused. I had the same question.


    "Well, ya see...the IMF doesn''t allow that," Old Man Leng answered with a sigh. "Remember what I said about this ce bein'' a death arena where only the strongest can make it into Fragment? Yeah...just because ya make it in, doesn''t mean yer family and friends can. The most the IMF will allow is annual visits. They''re very strict ''bout this stuff."


    "That''s...cruel," Qing Yue mused, a look of disgust on her face.


    "Yeah, well...it fits in line with their bullshit elitist philosophy just fine. It is what it is," Old Man Leng''s wife replied. "In any case...you said yourpanion got ''kidnapped'', essentially?"


    I nodded. "...That woman was too fast...we werepletely overpowered by her. I tried shooting, but she just turned into ck mist and escaped."


    "Understandable," Old Man Leng remarked. "That''s a Level Three Shadow Element spell, called Umbral Mist. Bein'' a Holy Emperor, it''s no surprise she knows this spell. Don''t me this on yerself, pal. The power difference is just too huge."


    "That being said...I still want to get Mei Gui back, somehow," I said determinedly.


    "Oh...? Even after experiencing the might of a Holy Emperor yourself, you still want to fight her?" Old Man Leng''s wife asked, slightly surprised by my proposal.


    "That..pared to what Mei Gui has done for me, is nothing," I replied.


    "Hm...very well. The information you have given me is pretty useful, so I''ll help you out in return. We may not look it, but my husband and I are actually Ancestral Mages."


    <em>Uh...you do look it. Really, you do.</em>


    "Your help would be appreciated," I said, bowing slightly.


    "Alrighty. Let''s grab some food first - it''s ''round time for lunch...10 PM. Then we can discuss our n from there," Old Man Leng decided, and we all nodded in response.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- A While Later, A Certain Chinese Food Diner -</strong>


    "So - first things first - do ya have any clues as to where that woman took yer friend?" Old Man Leng asked, munching on some fried rice.


    I nodded. "She said she would be using her as a test subject for her business partner - in other words, that mad scientist, in theb below the movie theatre."


    "Oh boy, I don''t like the sounds of that," Old Man Leng''s wife muttered.


    "Yeah, me neither...which is why I want to save her as soon as possible," I replied.


    "Well, we''re going up against a Holy Emperor here...I doubt just us will be enough," Feng Mian noted.


    "I agree. Which is why...we''ll need reinforcements," Old Man Leng''s wife added. "Any ideas as to who we could ask? I mean, my husband and I can probably find some people, but you can''t count on that."


    "Hm...well, we''re new to The Fortress, and truth to be told, the only people we''ve really had any interaction with are you two," I said with a dejected sigh.


    "Wait, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said, pulling on my sleeve. "Wasn''t there...that catgirl? Y''know, the one who we first saved when we just entered this ce?"


    I fell into thought. "Oh yeah...there <em>is</em> her, but...she''s already paid us back by helping out when we fought the Bloodthirsters. She''s under no more obligation to help us again."


    "Hm...catgirl, ya say?" Old Man Leng murmured to himself. "I think I know who ya may be talkin'' ''bout."


    "Oh? You know her?" I asked.


    "Not her specifically, no...but her n, yes. Ya see, all demihumans within Fragment have their own n," Old Man Leng exined. "She belongs to the Neko n...but one thing bothers me...they have always been a n that sticks together and doesn''t interact with outsiders fer the most part. Why is this girl out here runnin'' wild?"


    "That girl''s part of a n? But her living conditions..." Feng Mian murmured.


    <em>Riiiiiight. She lives in a...doghouse? As a catgirl. I''m pretty sure this ''Neko n'' or whatever is able to afford a proper living space for its n members.</em>


    <em></em>"Looks like we''ll have to find out from her ourselves," I said with a sigh. "Obsidia, can you track her down based on her scent? You remember it, right?"


    Obsidia nodded. "This is the one thing phoenixes can do, and yet because the poor little birdie was not with us on our mission, she has no idea what our target smells like. How tragic."


    "H-Hey! That''s not my fault! Master was the one who forced me to stay behind!" ria protested.


    I rolled my eyes. "Guys, calm down. Stop bickering every chance you get. After we''re done eating, let''s head out."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    "I believe...this is close to her home...I don''t remember the exact location, but this should be close enough for you, Obsidia," I said, then turned to Obsidia. Only the two of us were here on this expedition - the rest of us stayed behind to devise a more detailed n on how we''ll infiltrate the facility.


    "Do you smell her scent?" I asked.


    "Yes...it is quite potent, in fact. Follow me," she replied confidently, then began walking, rounding the corner.


    I followed, and eventually, after a few minutes, we arrived at her ''dog (cat) house''. I could see a long and furry tail sticking out - she was clearly there.


    <em>But if I remember correctly...don''t demihumans have a strong sense of smell? How has she not noticed that we''re here? Wait...is she...sleeping?</em>


    I signaled for Obsidia to tread lightly. As we got closer, I could hear faint snores.


    <em>Yep. She''s sleeping alright. But...I don''t know when she''ll be waking up. Sorry, but I''m going to have to disturb you from your sleep by force.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>Thinking this, I gave her tail a tug.


    "Kyaaa-!" she yelped, snapping out of dreand. "W-W-W-What the hell was thyat fur?!"


    "Sorry..." I muttered guiltily. "We kinda need your help."


    "Hm? Nya...you''re that human!" the catgirl eximed, pointing at my face. "Didn''t we already gyet even? Shoo, I''m tryna take a nyap!"


    <em>Okay...time to be shameless.</em>


    <em></em>"Nah, we''re nowhere near even," I said defiantly. "I saved your life. And truth to be told, we could''ve gotten out of that building just fine without your Space Magic. And well, we were doing fine against that gang before you got there, so...you didn''t pay us back at all."


    "W-Wha-?! Hyow can you say that?!" the catgirl eximed, astonished with my shamelessness.


    <em>Ugh...endure it...!</em>


    "Now, before you reject anything, hear me out," I said, cutting her off. "Mypanion...was recently taken away from me by someone. I want your help getting her back."


    "Who...?" the catgirl asked, tilting her head.


    "Do you remember the girl who wielded a sword? She''s the one who got taken away," I said, casting my eyes downwards.


    "Oh..." she fell into thought. After a while, she continued. "Fine! I''ll hyelp you, but only if I get a reward out of it!"


    <em>Oh god, what is she going to demand...?! Ugh...it''s fine...no matter what she asks for, it can''t be valued more than Mei Gui.</em>


    <em></em>"...What do you want for your reward?" I asked nervously.


    "Food fur one year!"


    I blinked.


    "Huh?" Obsidia and I said at the same time.


    "What? Can''t afford it? Meow...sorry thyen, but I''m nyot helping."


    "Uh, no...it''s just...I was expecting a bigger demand, that''s all," I replied.


    <em>Food for one year...shouldn''t be that hard to acquire, with the help of Old Man Leng and his wife.</em>


    "Hm? Meow! Then...food for two years!" the catgirl eximed, excitement dazzling in her bright pink eyes.


    I sighed. "...Sure. Want me to throw in a suitable living environment while you''re at it?"


    "Mm...yes! That would be purrfect!" the catgirl yelled, smiling happily.


    "Well then,e on. There''s a few people you should meet - some of them you may know already though," I said, turning around. "And...there''s also some questions we would like to ask you once we get back to our temporary headquarters."


    "Meow~kay!"

 Chapter 221 - Gathering Forces

    We soon arrived back at Old Man Leng''s wife''s gadget shop, this time with a new helper - the catgirl. We decided to first get to know her, since that was imperative if we were going to be working together on this mission. So, we started with the basics.


    "Well, first things first. Wee to the group. I believe Xuan Kai here has already briefed ya on what we''ll be doin'', yes?" Old Man Leng asked, sipping on some tea, coffee, or whatever was in his cup.


    The catgirl looked around, still unfamiliar with this new ce, and then nodded a couple of times, very quickly.


    Old Man Leng chuckled. "Good. Then, before we talk about any strategy, we should get to know ya first. Let''s start with the basics. What''s yer name?"


    The catgirl tilted her head slowly. "Hm...my nyame? I don''t really have one."


    Old Man Leng frowned as the rest of us widened our eyes in surprise.


    "Aren''t ya from the Neko n? How do ya not have a name?"


    The catgirl froze, upon hearing the words ''Neko n''. She then cast her gaze downwards, preventing us from seeing the expression on her face. But from her voice, it was clear she wasn''t happy.


    "Please don''t myention that nyame...I am nyot from that n."


    <em>...Okay, there''s definitely something deeper than the surface going on here.</em>


    "That''s impossible...unless those ears on yer head are fake, there''s no way ya aren''t in the Neko n. All demihumans are very unified when ites to this type of stuff."


    "...I said DON''T MYENTION THAT NYAME!" the catgirl yelled all of a sudden, surprising all of us with the sudden anger in her tone. After a few deep breaths and an ufortable silence, she finally calmed down and continued. "...Syowwy. I got too myad."


    "E-Er, it''s fine," I said quickly, trying to ease the tension. "Anyway, let''s move on from that topic an-"


    "Move on from which topic?" a woman''s voice suddenly cut in as she blew open the front door with a front kick.


    All of us turned to look at this new intruder, and our gazes widened as we noticed her feline ears and tail.


    "Are you...from the Neko n?" I asked carefully.


    The woman smirked. "Yes, I indeed am. And that girl behind you...is my daughter. The same long-lost daughter that had been hiding in the slums all this time, where my radar couldn''t sense. But now that she''s back in the city..."


    "Wha-" I turned to look at the catgirl, who cowered behind my body in fear. I then spun back around.


    "...But she told us she wasn''t from the Neko n," I muttered.


    "Hm...that is true, I suppose," the woman replied thoughtfully. "But...that''s not the whole truth."


    She then attempted to look at the catgirl, who was currently hiding behind my back.


    "So? Amane, will you tell them yourself, or do you want me to say everything?" she asked, a smug look on her face.


    "A-Amyane is nyot my name!" the catgirl eximed from behind me, clutching onto my shoulders tightly.


    "I am your mother, and I gave you that name, whether you like it or not," the woman continued,pletely unfazed by her daughter''s disobedience. "Now then...since you are unwilling to talk, I may as well reveal your true story to all these people, yes?


    The catgirl - or rather, Amane - looked away in frustration, and the woman - her own mother - smiled.


    "You see, Amane is a bit of a unique case when ites to our n. Despite being the daughter of the current matriarch - in other words, me - she is out here running wild instead of staying within the n like what a good daughter would do."


    "...That pwace is myore like a pwison than a home to me!" Amane yelled in anguish. "Nya...you don''t let me do anything, and treat us like mindless soldiers! I''m dyone being your ve!"


    The woman narrowed her eyes. "The training that goes on within the n is for your own good. It is to help you grow stronger - strong enough that no one can harm you."


    "...I''m pwenty strong already!" Amane shot back after a slight hesitation.


    The catwoman scoffed. "Look at you, still with your baby kitten ent. Not very convincing."


    "Nyaa...I-I am strong!" Amane protested desperately.


    "Oh? Then prove it," the catwoman said, lips curving up into a grin. "Face that boy in a duel. If you can beat him, I''ll acknowledge that you are indeed strong enough to handle yourself out here in the real world, and leave you be. But if you lose..."


    "W-Wait, me?" I asked, pointing at myself.


    "Yes. Do you see any other boy here?" the catwoman snorted.


    <em>Well, I could say Old Man Leng, but...he''s an old man, so on second thought, no.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Uh...no? But why me?" I asked.


    "I can sense that you are quite powerful, despite how young you are," the catwoman replied with a chuckle. "A worthy opponent for my daughter. So? What will it be? Will you ept the challenge, or allow me to just take her back to the n?"


    I slowly looked back at Amane, who was on the verge of tears, and sighed. "Sorry, but we kinda need her for something. So I can''t let you take her away now. I ept the challenge."


    The catwoman pped her hands together, and smiled. "Very well! Follow me. I already have a stage prepared...oh, and no one elsee. Just Amane and this boy, please."


    "Wait, why can''t wee along to watch?" Feng Mian asked, stopping her.


    "...Haiz...why do children ask so many questions nowadays?" the catwoman asked rhetorically. "It''s because we will be hosting the duel within the Neko n''s territory. Outsiders are not allowed. The boy is an exception."


    "But-" Feng Mian began, but Old Man Leng''s wife stopped her.


    "We''ll wait here. I trust you won''t do anything to the boy, yes?"


    "Of course. The Neko n isn''t violent like some of the other demihuman ns within The Fortress, after all."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Neko n Grounds -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"We''re here," the catwoman said, getting out of the car.


    We had driven our way over here, and frankly, riding a floating car just hits different. All the vehicles in the Fortress didn''t have wheels, but instead hovered above the roads somehow. I didn''t care enough to figure out how exactly they worked, though. My eyes were attracted to something far more grand.


    What wasid out before me was a massive ancient Japanese-style temple...but colored in cyberpunk colors - turquoise, pink, all that. This gave the building a modern twist while still retaining the grandness of the ancient architecture. Apparently, we were inside the Demihuman territory of the Fortress right now - there were eight big ns, and the Neko n was just one among them.


    "Stop gawking and get inside," the catwoman ordered, turning around and ring at me.


    "R-Right," I muttered, then looked at Amane beside me. She had her gaze cast downwards, as if afraid to look at this ce.


    I sighed and tapped her on the shoulder. "C''mon. Let''s go...no need to be afraid. I''m sure you can beat me. I''ll make sure of it."


    "Xuwan Kwai..." she murmured. It felt a bit weird, hearing my name spoken in such a...unique ent, but hey, she couldn''t help it.


    We entered the temple, territory of the Neko n. On the way, various passing servants all bowed down upon seeing the catwoman, the matriarch of the n, but then directed curious gazes towards Amane and I.


    We soon arrived at our destination - the dueling stage. But it was unlike what I had in mind. Instead of a t ground where we could go all out, the stage was a bunch of pirs of different sizes and heights, rising up from the ground.


    "Uh...what''s this?" I asked nervously.


    "The stage for your duel," the catwoman exined with a smile.


    "But...isn''t this...disadvantageous for me?" I murmured quietly.


    "Think of it as home field advantage," she replied with augh. "Now, Amane...if you still somehow lose this, I will be very disappointed."


    "D-Dyon''t worry! I got this!" Amane eximed, clenching her fists.


    The matriarch smiled. "Alright. The rules of this fight will be simple. Only I will be watching, so no one can secretly interfere with the fight. Your goal is to either touch the opponent''s vitals, or get them off the pirs. If you manage toplete any of those two, you win. Of course, this isn''t a battle to the death - stop at touch. No surrenders will be allowed. You fight until a winner is decided. Is that understood, both of you?"


    We both nodded, and went to opposite sides of the pirs.


    <em>Alright...this should be easy. All I have to do is let her win...</em>


    <em></em>"Oh, and one more thing," the catwoman said suddenly. "Boy, you are not allowed to just let Amane win. You must give it your all - I''ll be watching. I can tell you are powerful...so I know perfectly well what you are capable of. Don''t let me down...and I believe Amane herself wouldn''t want you to just give her this win for free, either."


    Amane nodded. "Nyaa...pweesee at me wif all you''ve got!"


    <em>Welp, there goes that n. T</em><em>he only option left is just to listen to them, I suppose. And pray...pray that Amane is strong enough to defeat me.</em>


    <em>Man...this is the first time I actually </em>want <em>to lose. How stupid.</em>

 Chapter 222 - Neko Clan Duel

    "Just to confirm, no magic is allowed, correct?" I asked, right before my duel with Amane began.


    "Indeed. I would like to see a battle of physical strength, not magic," the catwoman - matriarch of the Neko n and Amane''s mother - said in response.


    <em>Alright...that makes it easier for Amane to take me down, which in turn makes it easier for </em>me <em>to aplish my goal ining here. Besides, my mana is also quite low, so I would like to avoid using any more if possible, until I get it refilled again. In any case, good start so far.</em>


    "What about guns? If I shoot a bullet and Amane ends up not being able to block it, wouldn''t that kill her?" I asked.


    "Do you have another weapon?" the matriarch asked, raising an eyebrow.


    I thought about it for a second, then made my decision. "Yeah, I do."


    I summoned my twin katanas - Weapons of Chaos, and swung them around a feel times since I hadn''t used them in a while. I had been debating whether or not to reveal them here, and eventually decided there wasn''t anything that could potentially harm meing from this.


    "Oh? What are those weapons? I feel a powerful energy radiating from them...though I cannot quite ce my finger on what exactly it is," the matriarch murmured thoughtfully, genuinely intrigued by my two katanas.


    "Er...honestly? I don''t really know either," I replied, feigning ignorance. "My parents bought these for me as a gift when I turned 12."


    "Hm...well, your parents must be pretty rich - or just lucky - people to be able to get their hands on such weapons," the catwoman said with a chuckle.


    <em>Lucky? Haha...if getting assassinated by your own family is considered ''lucky'', then sure.</em>


    <em></em>"Alright...if there are no more questions, then get ready. You will start your duel on ''go''," the matriarch continued, looking at the both of us.


    We both nodded in confirmation, and the matriarch smiled.


    "Very well, then. Three...two...one...go!"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- ? -</strong>


    <strong>(Mei Gui''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Where...am I? What time is it...? My head hurts. My body hurts. Everywhere hurts. Master? Where is Master? Master!</em>


    I slowly blinked my eyes open, and saw white. I was sitting in a white room...but then I noticed the metal wristcuffs, chaining me down and preventing me from getting up from the chair. I looked around quickly, despite still being in a dazed state. This made me a bit dizzy, which didn''t help my already hurting head.


    I tried breaking free, but it didn''t work. In fact, the cuffs seemed to lock down even tighter. Not only that, but I felt as if my mana was being restrained somehow, as well.


    <em>...Damn it...I have to get back to Master...</em>


    <em></em>"Oh? Finally awake, are you?" a man said, walking into the white room through a sealed door. "Wee to Exurtra Labs. Thest time you were here...I''m afraid I did not give you a warm wee. I apologize."


    I narrowed my gaze. "...What do you want with me? Where is Master?"


    The man smiled. "''Master'', is right here..." he said, pointing at himself.


    I widened my eyes. "What..."


    "Soon, very soon, I will be your new Master," the man said with a crooked grin. "Yes...my ultimate product will be made from you."


    I gritted my teeth. This chair was draining mana out of me, and right now I didn''t have enough to cast any spells, so I couldn''t get out of here. I waspletely trapped.


    <em>Thest thing I remember...we were fighting that Holy Emperor in the bathroom...and then...? Did I...get kidnapped? Ngh...I am so useless...nothing but a burden to Master.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"I must say...I have never seen someone like you before," the man said, turning to aputer nearby and projecting some holoscreens. "Your mana...is weird. I''m still in the middle of getting samples, but one thing is certain - there aren''t distinct elements in it. Instead...it seems like a mixture...of all the elements?"


    He turned and stared at me straight in the eyes. I stared right back, not showing anything on my face. After a while, he turned away and continued. "But of course...that would mean you can use all 21 Elements - and we both know that is impossible."


    "I will ask one more time...what do you want with me?" I asked in a dark tone.


    The man smiled innocently. "Nothing too big. Just...turning you into a machine."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, Back At The Neko n -</strong>


    "Go!" the matriarch yelled, signaling our battle''s start.


    Amane was the first to move. She immediately leapt onto one of the tallest pirs with a single jump, and began closing in on me at an insane speed. But s, she was going to have to do better than this to catch me.


    I stood still, waiting for the right opportunity. And then, shended on the pir right in front of me, preparing to leap at me. But just as she thought she was about to hit me, I jumped upwards, and onto another pir. Amane''s momentum nearly sent her flying off the field, which would have resulted in a win for me. However, fortunately for her - and me, truth to be told - she was better than that. Using her tail to wrap around the pir, she managed to forcibly pull herself back into bnce.


    But this left a slight opening while she was using her tail - and I took advantage of it. I jumped towards her, aiming for her throat with one of my two katanas. She seemed surprised, and went into a bridge position - an unbelievably low one. I soared past her, andnded on the pir behind.


    "Heh...nyot bad, Xuwan Kwai," Amane said, getting back up to a standing position.


    I looked down at her. "You too."


    She then prepared tounch herself at me again, and I immediately dodged this time. We chased each other around the pirs for a while, but s, I couldn''t keep up with her catgirl speed and stamina. And so, realizing I couldn''t keep running, I spun around suddenly, thrusting my katana while keeping the other one in a defensive position. This surprised Amane, since she had expected me to just keep running like before.


    Demihumans, however, have quick reaction speeds as well. Had it been a human, I most likely would''ve won right then and there, taking them by surprise. But Amane merely changed her position midair, using her left hand with the ws extended to parry away my attacking katana, sliding her hand across the de while getting closer to me. The metal hitting metal caused sparks to fly off, but it bothered neither of us.


    But Amane wasn''t quite done yet. Using her free hand - the right, also with her ws extended, she reached for my defensive de, attempting to brute force her way through. She managed to get ahold of it, and now that my defense waspletely gone, her other hand, which had slid all the way down to the hilt of my de, was free to attack.


    However, I wasn''t going to go down like this. Maybe if I wanted to just give her the win for free, but not now. I noticed the matriarch staring intently at our fight, watching every one of my smallest movements.


    <em>Damn it...sorry, Amane.</em>


    Right before she could reach for my throat with her left hand, I spun around my attacking katana by the hilt, and stabbed towards <em>myself,</em> but it was going to hit her first, of course, since she was in between my de and my throat. Taking advantage of the fact that my weapon was longer, I knew that I was going to hit her first before she could hit my throat. She realized this as well, so she used my body as a foothold,unching herself upwards before doing a backflip andnding back on the pir she had came from.


    I managed to regain my bnce, and Amane looked at me in amusement. "Nya...you''re weally strong."


    I shrugged. "Just one of the downsides of your weapon - range."


    She considered my words for a second, then smiled deviously. "Hehe~you just haven''t seen the weal potential of these ws..."


    Saying this, she crossed her arms in an X-shape, and then <emunched </em>her ws at me.


    I was caught by surprise - so surprised that I remained fixated on the pir for a good few milliseconds before finally responding. But by then, it was toote to jump to a pir. My brain ran at hypersonic speeds, and I realized there was only one option left.


    I jumped - <em>off the pir.</em> Using one of my katanas to hit the ground below, I used it as a support to ''handstand'' without falling to the ground as the ws flew by overhead. But that was not enough - the ws then circled back around, and began heading down - straight towards me, who was still in a..plicated position.


    <em>What the hell...they''re homing?! Goddamn it...the Neko n and its advanced technology!</em>

 Chapter 223 - Fight And...Marriage?

    I stabbed my other katana onto the pir deeply, and swung upwards from it, pulling the katana buried in the ground out, andnding back on the pir with both weapons in hand as the ws once again changed direction to head directly for me.


    I cursed and jumped to another pir - and another - and another. But by this time, my stamina was running out. I wasn''t used to jumping around on pirs like these, and the energy cost for me was far greater than for a catgirl like Amane. Blocking the ws wasn''t an option either - there were too many of them travelling simultaneously. I wasn''t that skilled with these katanas yet, so there was no way I could aplish deflecting all of them.


    In ast-ditch attempt, I suddenly changed direction, and ran - directly towards Amane herself, preparing to attack with my katanas.


    "Wha-" she widened her eyes, surprised by my sudden change, and side stepped my attack - or so she thought. As I crashed onto the pir behind her, I moved myself ever so slightly to match Amane''s sidestep - and then, she was struck. By none other, than her own flying ws.


    "Ah-!" she screamed from pain as the ws lodged in her skin, and she began falling off from the pirs. Using the little bit of stamina I had left, I got to the ground below before her, and caught her in my arms. She looked at me, body bleeding.


    "Hah...nyice match...Xuwan Kwai..." she murmured quietly, before fading to unconsciousness.


    I leapt off the battleground, and brought Amane to her mother.


    <em>Ahh....damn it...I won...but at what cost?</em>


    "Er...she won''t die, right?" I asked nervously.


    "Worry not. I reduced the ws'' speed at thest second so they wouldn''t permanently damage anything in her body," the matriarch replied.


    Huh...I didn''t even realize her using Time Magic. Maybe it was because I was so focused on the battle.


    "I''ll...leave her in your hands then?" I said hesitantly.


    "Hm...I think you should stay until she wakes up," the matriarch said mischievously.


    "Wait, what? Why? She lost, didn''t she? So...she''s supposed to stay with you now, no?"


    "Yes...but I believe she wants to say one final goodbye," the matriarch replied with a sigh. "It will be a long while before she can go out again, after all - possibly never."


    "..." I fell silent, and looked down at the catgirl in my arms. Her short turquoise hair and brilliant neon pink eyes.


    <em>Dang, she''s actually pretty cute. But that aside, I''m more concerned about the fact that I have to go look for another helper now...ugh. I got so caught up in the battle that I won by ident.</em>


    "Fine, I''ll...stay until she wakes up."


    "Then, follow me. Let''s take her to the infirmary," the matriarch said, before beginning to walk away. I followed.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Some Time Later, the Infirmary -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Mmngh..." Amane murmured, slowly blinking open her eyes.


    I turned to look at her. "How you feeling?"


    "Xuwan...Kwai?" she whispered, hesitant at first. But after a few blinks, she suddenly pounced on me - literally. Leaping off the bed, shepletely jumped on me, making me fall to the ground in shock. "Xuwan Kwai! Nya...!"


    "H-Hey!" I yelled as I crashed onto the floor...with her on top of me. "What the hell?!"


    I couldn''t see anything, since my face was...well, stuck in her breasts. And at that exact moment, the matriarch - Amane''s mother - walked in the room. She blinked as she saw the position Amane and I were in.


    "Oh ho ho...did I interrupt something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow smugly.


    "N-No, you didn''t!" I yelled, attempting to push Amane off of me...to no avail. "Damn it, Amane, get off...!"


    "Nya...nyever!"


    "W-What''s up with you?!" I eximed in frustration.


    "Alright Amane, that''s enough," the matriarch said atst, and Amane reluctantly got off of me, returning to the bed as if she wasn''t injured at all.


    "So...it seems you lost that fight," the matriarch said quietly, staring at Amane intently in the eyes.


    But Amane didn''t seem to be fazed at all. In fact, she seemed happy. "Yep!"


    "...Why are you so happy? You realize you''ll have to stay within the n now?" the matriarch continued, raising an eyebrow.


    "Nya! That''s nyot true..." Amane replied, a evil grin on her face.


    Both the matriarch and I narrowed our eyes, confused with what she''s talking about.


    "Mother, remyember the ancient wules of the n?" Amane asked with a bright smile.


    "Which...?"


    "Nyaa~the one abyout marriage," Amane answered.


    And at this, the matriarch widened her eyes. "You...don''t mean..."


    "Yep! Xuwan Kwai beat me in a fair fight, so we are betrothed nyow!"


    "H-H-Hold on, <em>what?!</em>" I stood up in shock at this sudden news.


    The matriarch turned away in shame. "Ugh...Ipletely forgot that rule existed...Amane, was this your n all along?"


    Amane swung back and forth happily on the bed. "Hehe~yep!"


    "Wait, what rule?!" I yelled, desperate for answers.


    The matriarch sighed, and then turned to Amane. "You tell him yourself."


    Amane smiled happily and turned to me. "Nyahaha, the Neko n has an ancient wule that hasn''t been enforced in years, but still exists! Put simply...if a girl within the n is defeated by a boy from the outside, then that makes the two of them betrothed!"


    "...<em>What?</em>" I dropped my jaw. "What kind of bullshit rule is that?!"


    The matriarch shrugged. "It was passed down by previous generations...don''t me me."


    "...What about the people in question? You can''t just force two people who don''t even love each other to get marri-"


    "But I''m fine with it! I lyove you, Xuwan Kwai," Amane eximed,tching onto my arm while rubbing her head into my chest.


    <em>What. The. Hellll?!</em>


    I tried to break free, but it didn''t work. "O-Okay, sure, but that doesn''t mean I love you bac-"


    "You dyon''t?" Amane looked up at me, tears in her eyes.


    <em>Ah...</em>


    <em></em>"Er, maybe? Uh, I don''t know," I muttered nervously.


    <em>Oh man...I''m so useless - I can''t even reject a girl properly! I already have too many by my side...</em>


    "...Well, think about it this way," the matriarch said. "If you ept her proposal, she can leave with you, you two get married, everyone''s happy. If you don''t ept...she''ll have to stay here with me, possibly for eternity."


    I fell into thought. I needed this girl to save Mei Gui, but at the same time...the price is pretty costly. I could always just look for someone else, but...


    I saw the hope in Amane''s eyes. She believed in me - she believed that I would choose her.


    I averted my gaze, and made my decision. "...Whatever. Fine. She cane with me."


    "Really?!" Amane jumped up in her bed, any sign of injurypletely gone.


    I nced at her, and sighed. "Yeah..."


    "Nyaa~! Xuwan Kwai~" she leapt off the bed and crashed into my arms. But instead of falling to the floor, I caught her this time. Her body was warm and soft.


    "Okay then...Amane, change into these clothes," the matriarch said, tossing some attire onto the bed. "Meanwhile...Xuan Kai, was it? Come with me."


    I blinked, slightly confused, butplied nheless. We walked out the door, and I closed it gently behind me.


    "So? What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.


    "Well...are you sure? About taking Amane," the matriarch said, leaning against the wall. "I mean...are you serious about her?"


    "Despite how you act, you still care about your daughter, huh?" I murmured.


    "Of course...she is my only kin, after all."


    "Well...I have no ns of actually marrying anyone anytime soon, but if I made the decision to ept her, then I''m going to protect her. That''s for sure. So if you''re worried about me just treating her as a tool or something to achieve my goals, then just tossing her away...that won''t happen."


    "If that''s really the case, then good," the matriarch replied, sighing, and pushing herself all the wall. "I leave my daughter in your hands, then. Farewell."


    Just as she was starting to walk away, however, I stopped her. "Are you...not going to say goodbye?"


    She paused. "...There''s no point. Because...I''m afraid if I do...I might shed tears."


    "..." I fell silent, and watched on as the catwoman walked away, tail swinging side to side behind her.


    By the time I heard a click from behind me, signaling that Amane had finished changing, the matriarch hadpletely disappeared. I spun around, and smiled.


    "All done?"


    "Nya!" she nodded happily, then nced over my shoulder. "Where''s myother?"


    "Eh, well...she had some stuff to do," I lied. "Let''s go...the others back at the store are probably waiting anxiously."


    "Meokay!" Amane eximed, wrapping her hands around my right arm and leaning on my shoulder.


    I wanted to push her off, but I figured just for now was fine...once we got back within the view of the other girls though, I was definitely pushing her off. I didn''t want to listen to another lecture.


    <em>Well, that was a slight...unexpected detour. The whole issue is resolved now though, and I somehow ended up with a new fiancee. Now...we can finally get back to saving Mei Gui. I wonder if she''s okay right now. I hope that damn scientist hasn''tid a hand on her yet...</em>


    <em>...For if he did, there''s no telling what I''ll do to him as payback.</em>

 Chapter 224 - The Plan

    Amane and I returned to the gadget shop soon after that. And...uh, I didn''t manage to get her off of me in the end, and when the girls saw the scene of Amching onto my arm lovingly, I was met with various dead, slightly disappointed gazes. Seeing the awkward look on my face though, they realized I probably just ended up like this against my will - as usual, so they just sighed in understanding and didn''t ask, thankfully.


    "So? This catgirl beat you in a fight?" Feng Mian asked skeptically. "Did you let her win on purpose or anything? Because knowing your strength..."


    "Okay...first off, she has a name, and it''s Amane," I replied.


    "Didn''t she not like being called that?" Yu An Yan asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Nya, that was only because it was my myother saying it," Amane answered in my stead. "I dyon''t mind the name itsyelf."


    "Huh..." the two girls murmured quietly.


    "Alsyo, about the fight...Xuwan Kwai actually beat me," Amane continued nonchntly.


    Xiang Peng tilted her head. "Oh? Then...how are you still here? Didn''t your mom say-"


    "Yes, but...uh, she changed her mind at thest second after seeing how close the match was," I cut in, desperate to hide the truth. I wasn''t about to reveal the fact that Amane and I were technically betrothed. I sent Amane a re to let her know my intentions, to which she responded with an ok-sign with her hand and a wink.


    The girls narrowed their eyes suspiciously, but didn''t say anything.


    I cleared my throat and turned to Old Man Leng and his wife. "So? About those reinforcements you had been talking about earlier...we got ours. What about your side?"


    "All good to go. They''re already on their way here to devise a n, in fact," Old Man Leng replied smugly. "But...ya sure just one person counts as ''reinforcements'' over on yer side?"


    I turned to Amane, who was smiling innocently. "Believe it or not...this girl is actually insanely powerful. Besides, numbers are what your guys are here for, right? As for the people actually going deeper inside thebs to retrieve Mei Gui...the fewer the better, no?"


    Old Man Leng thought about it for a second, and appeared to arrive at a conclusion. "Yeah, that''s fair. We''ll go along with your idea, then. But as for the specifics of the n..."


    "Let''s wait until your guys arrive," I replied.


    "Alrigh...actually, they''re already here," Old Man Leng said, pointing behind us.


    I spun around, and saw a single hovercar that had parked by the roadside, with a man walking out of it. He looked to be about as old as Old Man Leng, and was also battle-hardened, with plenty of scars all over his body and a rugged look on his face. His right eye appeared to be wounded, as there was a massive scar over that side of his face, and he was only looking out with his left.


    The man slowly walked towards us, and pushed open the door. Upon seeing Old Man Leng, he chuckled and headed directly for him, ignoring the rest of uspletely.


    The two men shared a short embrace, before pulling away from one another.


    "Long time no see, Old Xia," Old Man Leng said with a grin.


    "Yeah, likewise, Old Leng," the neer - Old Xia - replied.


    The two of them did some kind of bro handshake sequence, and then bothughed.


    "Surprised ya still remember that pattern," Old Man Leng chuckled.


    "Yeah, you too," Old Xia snickered. "So? You wanted me to help these youngds andsses?" he asked, looking around at us.


    "That''s right," Old Man Leng responded. "Ya don''t mind, do ya?"


    "Nah. It''s rare for ya to call in a favor from me. I''ll help out, dly - me and my army of one thousand."


    "O-One thousand?" the girls and I echoed, jaws dropping.


    "E-Er, isn''t that overkill, maybe?" Feng Mian murmured hesitantly.


    "Huh? Overkill? There ain''t no thing like that in war, young miss," Old Xia scoffed. "Ya best get rid of that mindset if yer lookin'' to survive in this ce. Ya want to make sure the enemy is dead - always."


    "Um...okay then," she whispered, almost inaudibly.


    "Anyway - who''s the enemy this time ''round? Some evil cult? A gang, perhaps?"


    "Neither. We''re going up against a lone scientist," Old Man Leng''s wife answered.


    "One single man? Oh c''mon, ya really need my help for that?" Old Xia asked skeptically.


    "No no - here''s the catch," Old Man Leng continued in his wife''s stead. "This man has this army of robots defendin'' him. That, and...uh, what was it again? Yeah,ser guns."


    "...Ok, so he has a bunch of scrap metal put together. Yer point?" Old Xia continued, unfazed.


    "On top of that...he has a hostage. And if that hostage gets killed..." Old Man Leng began.


    "Don''t worry, he won''t kill her. He''s using her as a test subject - far too precious to just kill," I cut in. "That being said...I still wish to save her as quickly as possible."


    "If that''s the case, then it''s just ya against a bunch o'' robots," Old Xia scoffed. "Can''t even handle them?"


    I snorted. "You haven''t even seen them, and you''re already talking shit?"


    Old Xia red at me, and was about to grab my cor by the looks of it, but Old Man Leng stopped him. Old Xia backed off, but still kept his angry gaze locked on me.


    "Kid...I''ve seen far worse than whatever you ever have. Don''t try me now," he muttered.


    <em>Yeah? Then you shouldn''t be underestimating your enemies like so. What a joke.</em>


    <em></em>But of course, to prevent any further conflict, I didn''t say that out loud. I secretly knew I won this argument, and that was enough.


    "In any case...it''s not just the robots that are the problem," Old Man Leng''s wife said with a sigh. "The most troubling part is that there is someone else - a woman who seems to be in a business partner rtionship with the scientist man. And she...is a Holy Emperor."


    Old Xia widened his eyes at this, and I noticed sweat begin to form on his forehead. "A Holy Emperor...how the hell did ya even find out? Don''t tell me you fought a Holy Emperor and survived, ''cause I ain''t believin'' that shit."


    "Well, whether ya believe it or not...these young ''uns really did," Old Man Leng said with a shrug. "I dunno how they did, but they did."


    Old Xia looked at us once again, this time in a new light. His eyes were slightly amused...impressed, even. "Huh...interestin''."


    "Anyway - now that everyone is present, let''s begin talking about the actual n," Old Man Leng''s wife suggested. "First of all, we have a little bit of information on what the interior of theb looks like - and I have created a map out of it."


    She twisted herputer screen to face us, and on the disy was indeed a map of the interioryout of Exurtra Labs, from a bird''s eye view. This info was all deduced based on the video footage we have of the inside from our first expedition there, of course, and there could be far more rooms deeper in where we didn''t get to.


    "This is the entrance," she continued, pointing at a little red X marker at the bottom of the screen. "And this...is the deepest part explored thest time these guys went in," she said, moving her finger up, pointing at arge rectangr room - bigger than all the rest.


    Old Man Leng''s wife took a deep breath, then continued. "There may be - and probably are - more rooms beyond this one, but we have no way of ascertaining that as of now. As for the defense mechanisms in ce...the known ones so far are massive robots with guns, andser beam cannons all around the walls, floor, and ceiling. And...of course, that Holy Emperor woman, though with any luck, she may not be there when we make our move."


    "And if she is there?" Obsidia asked - always the pessimist.


    "In that case...me, my husband, and Old Xia will take her on. There''s no chance we will win, but at least we can buy some time," the woman replied. "But let''s hope for the best, and just assume she won''t be there. We will first all have to infiltrate the movie theatre and enter theb - to do so, we need someone to dress up as a custodian, putting up a sign in front of the female bathroom to prevent anyone from entering. We''ll need a girl to fit this role, if possible."


    "I can do it," Lan Xiao Su immediately raised her hand. "U-Um, I''m kind of useless in actual fights, so...this is the least I can do!"


    Old Man Leng''s wife nodded. "Okay. We''ll sneak people inside whenever no one is around. Once that is all done, getting through the actual defense mechanisms should not be too hard - with a hundred people flooding the facility, you can easily take care of the robots. As for theser cannons..."


    "You can destroy theser cannons by shooting at them with a powerful attack - most bullets won''t work, but grenades and for example, sniper shots, probably will," I interrupted. "I''ve done it once before by using one of the robots'' shots to destroy theser cannons."

 Chapter 225 - Breaking Mercy

    "Alright. We''re in position," I said over the earpiece.


    We were currently inside the movie theatre once again - it was a little before 10 in the morning, but since everyone had their biological clocks reversed in this ce, right now was the best time for our n. We just had to get in and get back out before the daily reset at 12 PM, where the theatre employees would go around the ce and pretty much kick everyone out. They would then have to pay again to get back in.


    "Xiao Su, have you finished changing?" I asked, looking around. There were over a hundred of us in total, counting Old Xia''s soldiers. We were all spread out, just acting inconspicuous for now - waiting for everything to be set up.


    "H-Hm? Ah, yes!" Lan Xiao Su replied, slightly surprised at me calling her affectionately, without thest name. "I-I''m getting ready to go now."


    Old Man Leng''s wife, themander of this mission, was the one to respond this time. "Good. Everyone else in position?"


    "Yes ma''am," I replied. "Alpha One, in position."


    "Alpha Two, in position," Xiang Peng added. She was just around the corner, but we still split the Alpha group into One and Two just to stay organized. My group consisted of Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Obsidia, and I, while Xiang Peng''s group consisted of the Yu sisters, ria, and herself (we took ria this time because her phoenix form could be used as ast resort). The reason we split into groups like this was so that we could infiltrate the bathroom efficiently like this - one person would givemands, like so: ''Alpha One, move in.'' That way, we would know who we are, and move ordingly.


    "Bravo One, in position," Old Xia''s deep and hoarse voice said.


    "Bravo Two, in position as well," Old Man Leng added. Together, these two old friends made up the Bravo squad, each leading a group of fifty soldiers.


    "That''s everyone, then. Charlie, begin the operation."


    "Copy," Lan Xiao Su replied. "Charlie out."


    In total, we had four squads, excluding Charlie - who was just Lan Xiao Su, andmand - Old Man Leng''s wife. We were spread out across the theatre, but all still rtively close to the bathroom so we could get there fairly quickly when it was our turn to enter.


    Soon after, we saw a custodian strolling a cart arrive at the female bathroom. Obviously, said custodian was in fact Lan Xiao Su in disguise. We bought all the props needed beforehand. She first entered the bathroom, and after a while, came back out with several other women who had probably been using it. Then, setting up a sign at the entrance the read ''Cleaning. Do Not Enter'', she went inside, and disappeared.


    "Charlie in position," she said over the voicems. "Mission sessful."


    "Good timing. I just managed to hack the theatre''s camera system, so that''s taken care of. They are currently seeing looped footage," Old Man Leng''s wife replied. "Now, I''ll be watching the actual footage - and I''ll let you know when you should go in."


    "Copy," I replied, and the other groups did the same.


    After around a minute or so, Old Man Leng''s wife spoke again. "Coast is clear. Bravo One, enter first."


    "Roger that," Old Xia responded with a chuckle, and moved swiftly, his men trailing behind him. They slipped inside the female bathroom with ease.


    After another minute, Old Man Leng''s wife continued. "Alright. Bravo Two, your turn."


    "Roger!" Old Man Leng responded, and headed inside the bathroom, his men following soon after.


    The same process was repeated with our groups, Alpha One and Alpha Two, and after around ten minutes, the whole process wasplete.


    Fortunately for us, I turned on my Third Eye and didn''t sense that Holy Emperor woman fromst time. Hopefully, she wasn''t here at all. That would make things a lot easier for us.


    I went over to the stall where the trapdoor was located in, and activated the secret button. I had expected them to remove this door or at least change its location afterst time''s incident, but guess they forgot or just didn''t have time. The trapdoor slid open, and the squads entered one by one, with Bravo One going first, then Bravo Two, followed by Alpha One, and atst, Alpha Two. Lan Xiao Su remained on the outside, to keep up the cleaning farce and also just to keep an eye on what''s going on.


    "This is Bravo One tomand," Old Xia said, looking around once we allnded safely inside theb. "We have sessfully infiltrated the facility, over."


    "Copy. Two hour timer - starts now," Old Man Leng''s wife responded. "It is currently exactly 10 AM. Get out of there before 12 PM. Good luck. Over."


    And so, we once again began our journey within Extura Labs - this time, with reinforcements.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Some Time Ago, Location: ? -</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong>(Mei Gui''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Turn me into a machine? What is he...talking about?</em>


    <em></em>"What...do you mean?" I asked, ring at the man before me.


    But he was unfazed by the killing intent in my eyes, and instead merely smiled. "I mean exactly what I said. I will turn you into a machine - a powerful mecha robot, able to take down anything - whether that thing is as small as a single human, or as big as magic itself. You, my dear girl, will be the final product of all my years of research and investment."


    I gritted my teeth. "No...I refuse to be your test subject..."


    The man shrugged. "Ah...but s, I''m afraid you do not have a choice."


    He picked up a syringe from a nearby tray, and twirled it around in his fingers. "Rx, my cute little guinea pig...this will hurt...just a little."


    <em>N-No!</em>


    <em></em>He stabbed the syringe into my neck, and I felt my consciousness drifting away.


    <em>No...Master...all my memories with him...I refuse...to just let them go away....</em>


    <em>...</em>


    <em>...I''m sorry, Master. Mei Gui...can''t hold on...anymore...</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <em></em><strong>- Some Time Later, Location: ? -</strong>


    <strong>- M????e??i??? ??G??u????i?????''s Perspective -</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Power: On.</em>


    <em></em>I slowly opened my eyes. A man stood before me. My Master. I kneeled down on one knee, and spoke mechanically.


    <em>Master: Registered.</em>


    "Master."


    The man smiled. "Hahaha...HAHAHAHA! It worked...it really worked! Oh...just a few days ago, I tested this on a rabbit, and it worked...but I never expected it to work on a human first try as well! Ah...I am such a genius! I really am the chosen one by God! The one to revolutionize the world with my inventions!"


    The man - my Master - then turned to me, and spoke.


    "You are now my servant. My bodyguard, and my closest ally. As for your name...Apoxyia is good."


    "Understood, Master."


    <em>Name: Registered.</em>


    "Now then...let''s test you out, shall we?" my master asked, to no one particr. "There''s a group of peopleing our way that I want you take out. I can see them on my hidden cameras. Eliminate them through whatever methods you like...and make sure none of them get out alive."


    I bowed my head deeply. "Understood, Master."


    Then, standing up, I exited the room, leaving a very satisfied and excited man behind.


    <em>Action: Registered.</em>


    <em></em>I then spotted the control room, and entered it, where the hidden camera footage was being yed in real-time.


    Amidst therge group of trespassers, I narrowed my gaze as I saw one particr boy, with ck hair and glowing red eyes. He looked very familiar...yet I did not know why. I was a brand new being, with no memory whatsoever. By logic, there should not be anyone or anything I consider ''familiar''. Therefore, that means this boy is a w in my my Master''s work. And my Master''s work is perfect. Hence...I must erase this boy''s existencepletely to get rid of this paradox.


    <em>Target: Acquired. Goal: Locate and eliminate.</em>


    <em>Operation: begin.</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Meanwhile, Elsewhere... -</strong>


    <strong>(?''s Perspective)</strong>


    I sat inside my exquisite chair, sipping on a fine ss of wine. Or...I was about to, anyway. But then, my phone began ringing. I took a look at the name disyed, and tilted my head in slight surprise.


    "Oh my...don''t tell me..."


    I pressed the answer button, and spoke. "Yes?"


    "I did it," a man''s voice came through, loud and clear. "I did it. I really did it-"


    "Okay..." I interrupted him. "Calm down a bit. By ''you did it''...you mean you seeded in creating the ultimate mecha, yes?"


    "Y-Yes....I still can''t believe it...it really worked..."


    I giggled softly. "Have some more confidence in yourself, Mr. Scientist. Did you use that girl I brought you just two days ago?"


    "Yes...she was quite the fine subject. My research on her showed that she wasn''t exactly human, and her mana was a bit...weird. But I didn''t pay too much attention into that, since I was eager to begin my experiment."


    <em>Hm...? Not exactly human, and mana that''s a bit ''weird'', huh? Hehe~sounds pretty interesting.</em>


    <em></em>"Mm...that''s cool and all, but when will I be getting my...payment?" I asked, getting to the main point.


    "D-Don''t worry - I''m testing her out on some invaders right now - if this goes well, which I''m 99.9% certain it will, then we can begin making money by the millions everyday."


    <em>99.9%...so not 100, eh? Heh...how sneaky.</em>


    <em></em>"Invaders? The same people fromst time?" I asked, drinking a little bit of my wine.


    "Yes...but it appears this time they have brought reinforcements," the man replied. "Oh, but don''t worry - I don''t need your help this time around. I got Apoxyia - she can take care of them all."


    I smiled, even though he couldn''t see it since we were on a phone call. "Very well...I await your good news, then."


    "Y-Yes!"


    I hung up, and gently ced my phone down on the table once more.


    <em>Hehe...what an interesting development. I am fully content to just watch on the sidelines for this one. I remember this girl and that boy...Xuan Kai, was it? Yes...they were really close, it seemed. I wonder...how will this fight y out?</em>


    <em>After all...the most painful feeling is having to fight your loved ones with your own two hands.</em>

 Chapter 226 - Unwilling Treachery

    We continued venturing deeper in Exurtra Labs. We passed the clean, white, halls, arrived at the massive robotic head, and kept going. And then - we stopped at the massive door, the deepest part we''ve explored yet. Beyond this door, none of us knew whaty there. However...one thing was for sure. There was a strange unsettling feeling in my heart.


    <em>Since we came herest time...that scientist really didn''t implement any cameras or automated defenses to protect this ce from us? Even if the scientist is a mad man who cares only about his own research, I''d expect his business partner, that Holy Emperor woman, to think with a straight head.</em>


    There were only two exnations here - one, they were really that stupid. In which case, that would be good for us. But the other...would be if this was a trap, and they <em>wanted</em> us toe here today. If that''s the case...not so good.


    The girls noticed the worry on my face, and asked worriedly.


    "What''s wrong, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, frowning slightly in concern.


    I shook my head. "Nothing...it''s just...we haven''t triggered any defenses so far."


    Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow. "Isn''t that a good thing?"


    I scratched my head. "Well...normally, yes. But I find it pretty hard to believe that they haven''t detected over a hundred people invading their home...it almost feels as if...our mission has been <em>too </em>sessful so far. I can''t shake the feeling that something''s wrong - but hey, it''s probably nothing, and I''m just tense from losing Mei Gui. Let''s keep moving."


    The girls appeared to still be pretty worried, but we continued walking nheless. This time, however, the door we stopped atst time - <em>swung </em><em>open,</em> as if inviting us to answer. By this point, I was certain. They had expected us toe here.


    I signaled for everyone to stop. "Wait, everyone. This door...it shouldn''t have swung open by itself like that. They know we''re here...and they want a fight."


    Old Xia snorted. "Well, if they want a fight, we''re gonna give one to ''em. No backin'' down now, kid."


    I sighed. "Yeah...you''re right. But...let''s be careful, just in case. We don''t know what they''re going to send our way."


    We all nodded, and entered the room. It was empty...or at least, so we thought. The moment thest one of us entered, the door shut behind us tightly. I spun around in surprise.


    "Damn it..." I muttered. "If they use some kind of poison gas here...it could be lethal."


    "Don''t worry," Old Man Leng said, cing his hand on the door and applying some pressure, as if testing something. "This thing isn''t that durable. Worstes to worst...we can blow our way out of here."


    Just when I was about to sigh in relief at his words, however, the walls all around us - slid open, to reveal battle robots residing within them. They turned on, and began marching out of theirirs, mechanical red eyes staring at us intently.


    "...I''m guessin'' these are the robots ya foughtst time?" Old Xia asked, an unexpected grin on his face.


    I nodded. "Yeah. We didn''t try fighting themst time, though...we just ran away."


    "Hmph. Cowards," Old Xia snorted, then began channeling his mana.


    "You''re not going to use your gun?" Qing Yue asked in surprise.


    "Heh. Guns are only useful for fights with cover, where speed and precision is key. Here? These guys got a huge hitbox, and are slow as hell too. What''s the point in usin'' a gun?" Old Xia scoffed, then chanted. "Level Three Fire Magic - Starfire Blitz."


    A brilliant crescent-shaped cloud of fire formed in each of his two hands, and heunched them towards the robots. As soon as he threw one, another new crescent appeared in his hand, and this process repeated for about four times - meaning he had six crescents in total. Normal fire wouldn''t do anything against these durable robots, but this was no normal fire. This was <em>starfire -</em> a special brand of Fire Magic. Itbines the power of the stars with the mes of magic to create a powerful new weapon. The spell he just used, Starfire Blitz, was just one of the numerous spells within this family of Fire Magic.


    Although this family of spells was powerful, however, apparently only certain people could use it. People born with the gift of the stars. Without this innate power, you could not draw strength from the cosmos, thus failing to execute starfire spells.


    The crescents of starfire cut through the projectiles the robots shot at us with ease...and also the robots themselves. Instead of being a burning orange like normal fire, starfire was a mixture of blue, purple, and yellow. It sliced the robots cleanly in half, and they exploded soon after.


    "Don''t just stand there watchin''!" Old Xia yelled. "There''s guys on your side too!"


    I snapped back to my senses, and turned to face the various robots on my side - there were ten in total. This room was massive, so I figured it would be safe to assume there were even more that had yet toe out.


    "Feng Mian, slow them down!" I instructed, and she nodded.


    "Level Two Ice Magic - Blizzard!"


    Immediately, the robots found themselves within a snowstorm, slowed by the tons of snow on the ground and the wind blowing against them.


    Since I was in front of outsiders, I had to chant properly. "Level Two Poison Magic - Acid Frenzy!"


    Sending out a wave of corrupting acid in the robots'' direction, I waited. This spell was simr to the Legendary Tier spell Xuan Yang had once used against me in our fight - Acid Flood. However, this was on a far smaller scale, and I couldn''t manipte the acid to my will.


    But s, this was enough. Paired with Feng Mian''s Blizzard, my acid has all the time in the world to corrode the robots'' metal, and eventually destroy their internal wires and such. They couldn''t get a target lock-on thanks to all the snow as well, so we werepletely safe, and just had to wait until my acid did its work.


    On the other side of the room, Old Xia continued to use his starfire magic to destroy the robots one after another, with his men helping him out, including Old Man Leng and his group as well. Essentially, it was Bravo on one side, and Alpha on the other. After a couple of minutes, all the robots had be scrap metal.


    From what I heardst time I was in here, this room shouldn''t have been empty. After all, I heard the mad scientist going on aboutpleting his experiment or whatever. This room must''ve had something in it before - and had been moved out in preparation for us.


    <em>Like I thought...they expected us toe here.</em>


    The door directly in front of us slid open, revealing a new narrow passage. From this point on, it was officially uncharted territory. We had no idea whaty ahead.


    "Proceed with caution," Old Man Leng''s wife said through the earpiece. "I can see...you are about to enter unknown grounds. You still have around an hour and a half left. Take your time."


    "Understood," I said through thems, and we continued through the narrow passage.


    This corridor was dimly lit, unlike the previous rooms. We walked slowly, careful for any traps.


    And then, suddenly, the walls opened up once more, revealingser cannons. Before we could even react, however, thesers shot out, and ended up forming a maze ofser beams. A few unlucky people couldn''t dodge out of the way in time, and got disintegrated to ashes.


    "Holy...shit..." Old Man Leng muttered, frozen in a position. He gently, carefully set his foot down, so he was barely straddling aser beam without touching it.


    "Damn it...didn''t expect that one," Old Xia gritted his teeth. "How many did we lose?"


    "Around 14 people," I replied, careful to not touch any of theser beams.


    "..." Old Xia turned away and didn''t say anything, but it was clear he was angry. These were his men who just died, after all.


    The rest of us slowly worked our way through the maze ofser beams, careful not to touch any. After a good half an hour of tension, all of us finally made it past, and reached the door on the other end. The door opened up, and my eyes widened at the scene before me.


    Completely unlike the rest of thisb, this massive room was lit with ominous red lights, and had various metal tformsying around, hanging from the ceiling. I looked down below, and saw a boiling pit ofva.


    <em>Yeah...that''s probably going to kill me if I fall down there.</em>


    <em></em>"What the hell...is this ce?" I gasped in shock.

 Chapter 227 - Reminiscent Of A Past Self

    Facing this hell of a room, I felt sweat began forming on my forehead. This looked like some pretty difficult parkour - jumping from one tform to another would be a pain. Yes, I could just use Sky Magic - Flight, but the problem was, not all of us here had that elemental affinity. Those who didn''t would have to traverse the hard way, but these tforms hanging from the ceiling don''t seem too safe to me. Who knew when these tforms would copse from the weight?


    But none of this was the main issue here - what concerned me the most was the fact that I could not see an exit to this bloody room, dimly lit by a few scarce red lights on the walls. This gave it a hellish theme, the type you didn''t exactly want to enter. Unfortunately, this was the only way to go for us, so we kinda had to just grit our teeth and bear with the ominous atmosphere.


    Still, the problem remained - where was the exit? Where was the next room? From where we were standing, all we could see was theva below, and the tforms that formed - more or less - a ''staircase'' downwards. In reality, they were just various horizontal metal boards suspended from the ceiling at different elevations, slowly forming a descending pattern...straight into theva. The descent was very long, probably around a good 500 feet. This would definitely take some time, if it didn''t end up getting us killed.


    I scanned the walls for some opening - some hidden door of some kind, but was unsessful in doing so.


    "So? What''s the move here?" Old Man Leng asked, folding his arms.


    "Well...we don''t really have much of a choice if we want to keep exploring," I replied with a sigh.


    "Let''s have the people with Sky Magic affinities like myself to scout this room out first," Yu An Yan suggested. "If there are any traps or anything, we can activate them beforehand and avoid them easily with Flight."


    "Sounds good," I said, then turned to the men behind Old Man Leng and Old Xia. "Anyone who has a Sky Element affinity here, follow An Yan and I."


    I didn''t even bother saying ''you have to know the spell Flight'', because any Sky Magic user has to know this spell. It''s literally the basics of the basics of Sky Magic, after all.


    Yu An Yan and I each activated Flight by chanting out loud, and we descended down into the red room. We kept going down, and for now, it didn''t seem like any traps were activated. Xiang Peng, ria, and Obsidia also followed us, since they could use Sky Magic as well. A few of the men with Old Xia and Old Man Leng followed as well, and that totalled up to around a dozen people scouting. We slowly descended further, and eventually arrived at the very very bottom - right above theva itself.


    I could feel the steam from the hot fluid against my skin, and it wasn''t exactlyfortable. But then. I spotted a single opening on the wall - just wide enough to fit one person in at a time. I narrowed my gaze, and flew closer to it. The other scouts followed.


    "Just wide enough to fit one person..." I muttered, thennded softly within the opening.


    "See anything?" Yu An Yan asked, still hovering outside.


    All I could see was an endless corridor. There was a door at the end of it, but by the looks of it, the walk there was a good 500 meters. I didn''t want to risk it, so I just backed out of the hallway.


    "There''s a door at the end of the passage, but...that''s about it. I don''t want to risk triggering any trips that may be in there, since there would be no escape given how narrow this corridor is. Let''s regroup with the guys above, and get everyone down here first," I said, looking up.


    And so, we flew back up, and ryed everything we found down there to Old Man Leng and Old Xia.


    "Well...we gotta find out what''s on the other side of that door," Old Man Leng said. "One person has to scout it out first - these tforms don''t look stable. Don''t think they can handle havin'' people standing on ''em for too long."


    I sighed. "Well...that''ll be me, I suppose."


    "W-Wait, Xuan Kai!" Feng Mian eximed. "It''s too dangerous..."


    I walked over and patted her head gently. "Yeah, well...it''s going to be a whole lot more dangerous if <em>all </em>of us went down there. Don''t worry...I can get out quickly if things go south."


    I didn''t want to say too much here, but hopefully Feng Mian understood what I meant by that - my ability to insta-cast, since my mana was constantly active. That could help me use a spell like Space - Eliminate much faster, allowing me to escape a sudden trap or something of the sort.


    "But..." Feng Mian still seemed uncertain, reluctant to let me go.


    "Don''t worry, Feng Mian!" Qing Yue patted her shoulder. "Big Brother Xuan Kai can do it! I believe in him!"


    Then, turning to me, she winked and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled in return, even though it was hidden by my mask.


    "A-Alright...be careful," Feng Mian said atst, looking up at me hesitantly.


    "Yeah," I replied with a firm nod, then began my descent once more.


    Arriving at the opening, Inded gently for the second time, and slowly began walking towards the door at the end of the passage. By this time, I had probably disappeared from the sight of everyone else, minus Old Man Leng''s wife who could track our location thanks to her position asmand.


    I treaded carefully, taking every step with extreme caution. I kept an eye on the walls, since from past experiences, I knew where the traps in this ce usually sprung. But s, there was nothing. I kept walking, and still...nothing. Atst, I arrived right in front of the door. Unscathed.


    <em>There really wasn''t any traps...? Hm...something feels of-</em>


    <em></em><strong>SLAM!</strong>


    <strong></strong>I spun around at the loud noise, and saw...darkness. The opening I had came into the tight passage from was now gone - snapped shut. The walls of this room were made of pure fireproof steel - otherwise, it wouldn''t be able to withstand being so close to genuineva. This also meant that sting my way out of here wouldn''t work. Space - Eliminate only worked when you have vision of the location you wish to teleport to, and I didn''t know any more advanced Space Element spells like Warp Gate. Conclusion? I was trapped.


    <em>Damn it...they got me good.</em>


    <em></em>I then turned back around to look at the door.


    <em>Well...only one choice now.</em>


    Clenching my fists, and taking a deep breath, I pushed it open.


    I stepped into the new room. It was ck - the walls, the floor, the ceiling. All ck. And in the middle of it all, sat a single girl. She had long, waist-length white hair, and brilliant red eyes. She also had four red horns on her head - two long ones facing forward, and one above each of her ears respectively, facing to the left and right. Despite the ck and red mask she was holding, I knew - she was...beautiful. An otherworldly beauty that can''t be described by words. She looked so...perfect. A surreal perfection.


    The girl stared at me, and stood up from the seat she had been sitting in. As our eyes met, I felt a familiar connection with her. The girl I had lost. The girl I had came here searching for.


    "Mei Gui...?"


    But she didn''t respond. Instead, suddenly, <em>wings </em>grew out of her back. They were not an angels. but were instead utterly demonic. In the center of her wings, above her head, was a single red eye. She flew up into the air, eyes never leaving me once.


    And then, the first words she spoke to me, chilled me to the bone.


    <strong>"Target located. Action: Eliminate."</strong>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, Outside the ck Room -</strong>


    <strong>(ria''s Perspective)</strong>


    It had been a while since Master had entered the corridor down below. And still no response.


    Suddenly, I felt a pain in my heart.


    "Ngh!" I fell onto the ground, causing everyone around me to back away in surprise.


    "ria, what''s wrong?" Feng Mian asked, bending down and patting my back.


    I clutched my chest, and cast my eyes towards the corridor down below. "Master...he''s in trouble..."


    "What?!" Yu An Yan was the first to yell.


    "I can...feel it...he needs help..." I muttered weakly.


    As his contracted Magic Beast, I can feel when he is in danger, and would feel pain based on how severe the danger was.


    And right now...I was on the verge of death. That meant the danger level was enough to kill Master as well.


    <em>Who could be so damn strong?! The Holy Emperor they mentioned...? Ngh...</em>


    <em></em>"Everyone who can use Flight, we''re going down there. Let''s move!" Yu An Yan instructed, and dove downwards immediately, without a care for anything else.


    <em>Master...please be okay...</em>

 Chapter 228 - Apoxyia, Reforged

    The girl before me raised her hand, and shot out aser beam directly towards my head.


    <em>Space - Eliminate.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>I teleported away just in time. If it wasn''t for my quick reactions paired with my ability to insta-cast, I would''ve been fried right then and there. But s, there was something that concerned me far more than that.


    "Are you...Mei Gui?" I murmured, doubting the wordsing out of my own mouth.


    <strong>"Error: Unknown Term - Mei Gui."</strong>


    Her mechanical, robot-like tone seemed so distant, yet oddly familiar at the same time. That was what scared me. She then raised her other arm, and shot out anotherser beam towards me. I dodged once again with Space Magic, but two Gatling guns popped out from behind her shoulders, and they began firing at me at full power.


    <em>Ugh, damn it...Potentia: Celeritas.</em>


    I resorted to using this spell instead of Space - Eliminate, since thetter drained mana far too quickly. I could still avoid these Gatling guns with the speed boost - just barely. I remember when I first tried this spell out, I couldn''t control it at all, but now, I could, and pretty well at that. Dodging these bullets should be achievable...and even if it wasn''t, I kinda had to do it. After all, absorbing them didn''t seem to work - I tried a few times amidst my blinks around the room.


    I kept running, avoiding all the bullets so far, but...this room waspletely empty with the exception of the two of us, so there wasn''t any cover to hide behind.


    <em>Well...if there isn''t any cover, all I have to do is make some myself.</em>


    <em></em>I skidded to a stop, and mmed the floor with my palm.


    <em>Level One Earth Magic - Stone Wall.</em>


    <em></em>I settled with using Earth Magic here instead of cier Form since I wasn''t sure Ice could block the bullets of a Gatling gun, even with my enhanced Chaos magic. Luckily, my ability to insta-cast got rid of the downside of this spellpletely - a slightly long casting time. Therefore, I was able to create the wall in time before the Gatling guns rotated in my direction.


    <em>I just realized...these walls...are they made of obsidian? They don''t appear harmed at all, even after all those bullets hit it after missing me.</em>


    But unfortunately, I didn''t have the pleasure of just sitting here and thinking about such pointless things. The mecha girl, realizing the Gatling guns weren''t going to get past my wall, switched weapons.


    <strong>ZOOM! ZOOM!</strong>


    <strong></strong>I heard two loud noises, and knew what wasing.


    <em>Holy shit...she has <strong>missiles?!</strong></em>


    <em>Space - Eliminate!</em>


    <em></em>I blinked out of the explosion radius, and watched in shock as my stone wall was obliterated into pieces by the two cluster missiles. The girl then spun around to look at me once again.


    <strong>"...Annoying. Question: Why have you not died yet?"</strong>


    <strong></strong>I narrowed my gaze at this question, and then smirked. "Kuku...answer: there''s someone I''m looking for. Before I find her...the <em>real </em>her...I can''t die."


    The mecha girl stared at me with the same dead, emotionless eyes, and then flew up in the air all of a sudden, pping her wings.


    <strong>"Too bad. You will die here today, target."</strong>


    The red eye above her suddenly began glowing, as if charging up energy. It began spinning rapidly, and I gritted my teeth from the sudden pressure. I turned to look at the remnants of the Stone Wall I had created earlier, and widened my eyes as I saw the pieces being converted into some sort of energy, and flowing towards the eye. It seemed...this eye was using its surroundings to charge up power.


    "As if...I''m going to let you do that...!" I pulled out Ace from its holster, and shot at the eye. But s, the bullet merely bounced off harmlessly. I tried shooting again, but nothing came out of the chamber.


    <em>It''s out of bullets?! Now, of all times?! C''mon, ammo pack...ah, shit...it must''ve fell out while I was running...</em>


    As the eye continued to charge, I hurriedly pulled out Ace''s Mana Projectile Compactor as ast-ditch attempt to stop her. Luckily, this didn''t fall out as well. Stabbing the syringe into my wrist, I quickly pressed down, and a single bullet was created. I loaded Ace skillfully, and took aim.


    <strong>"Die, target."</strong>


    Just as the eye finished charging, I shot, and let the bullet fly.


    I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for impact...but none came.


    <strong>CRACK.</strong>


    I slowly opened my eyes, and saw the girl motionless, hovering in midair. I then moved my gaze upwards, to the red orb that looked like an eye....but not anymore. Slowly, the orb of energy cracked, and a bright ray of light shone through. Then another. And another. And finally, the whole orb exploded, turning the originally ck and dark roompletely white, shimmered in radiance.


    When the light died down, all that was remaining was the girl, kneeling motionlessly on the ground. Her wings had disappeared, and she appeared as if she didn''t know what to do - as if her programming had went haywire.


    I carefully stepped closer to her, and bent down right in front of her. She didn''t look up at me, or respond to my actions. So, I reached for the mask on her face, and then pulled it clean off. Her eyes widened, but she still didn''t make a move. But I did, after seeing her face.


    "...As I thought...there''s no mistake. You''re Mei Gui," I muttered, then threw the mask on the ground, before stomping it to pieces beneath my boots.


    "Mei...Gui..." she murmured quietly.


    <em>It seems...she''s free from the control of that scientist now, but...her memories still aren''t back. For now...let''s get her out of here.</em>


    And at that moment, the door bust open to reveal Yu An Yan, Obsidia, and Xiang Peng in the lead, with plenty of people following behind.


    "Xuan Kai!" Yu An Yan yelled, running over to me. "Are you...okay?"


    I sighed. "Yeah...how did you even get in here? Wasn''t the outside sealed shut?"


    "Yes...but...one of the guys with Old Xia had a Metal Element affinity. It took a while, but he eventually reformed the metal to let us through," she replied.


    <em>Oh. Metal Magic...I didn''t even think of that. Damn. I could''ve gotten out all this time? Ah, well...it was good that I got trapped in here, I guess.</em>


    <em></em>"Who''s this girl, by the way?" she asked, looking curiously at the girl in my arms.


    "Believe it or not...she''s Mei Gui," I replied with a deep breath.


    "What?! Mei Gui?" Xiang Peng eximed, walking over. "No way, doesn''t she have red hair and ck eyes? What''s with this appearance change?!"


    I averted my gaze. "It''s..plicated. But there''s no doubt about it. I feel a connection with this girl - and the only one who has this link with me is Mei Gui. Despite her distinct appearance changes, she''s still Mei Gui. I''ll exin moreter, but for now..."


    "...Let''s get back," Obsidia finished, and we all exchanged nods.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, In Another Room Within Exurtra Labs, A Short Distance Away -</strong>


    "W-W-Wha...n-no way..." a man stumbled backwards from the screen disyed before him, nearly tripping on nothing.


    On the screen was the footage of this man''s final, ultimate product - the embodiment of his countless years of research - Apoxyia, against a single 14-year-old boy. And it had lost. His greatest invention, the one that would let him reign over the world - <em>lost.</em>


    <em></em>"H-HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" he yelled in anger, mming the table with his fists. "How...how did the eye get destroyed so easily?!"


    He had specifically made the eye as Apoxyia''s ultimate attack. The more enemies around her, the more powerful the attack was supposed to be. This was based on his research on the girl''s mana - he had discovered that she possessed a special ability to absorb mana from the outside, and thus constructed this eye using that knowledge, and enhanced it. But what he hadn''t expected...was that the boy waspletely unaffected by this power. Under normal circumstances, had the boy been a normal kid, he would''ve found his mana being sucked out of him, but this boy was still perfectly fine, as shown on camera.


    Not only that, but he had <em>destroyed </em>the eye. The scientist had designed the eye to bepletely invincible to all sorts of attacks - bullets,sers, magic, explosions. For as long as that eye was there, Apoxyia could constantly regenerate and recover through it''s absorption ability. The n was wless. The design was perfect. And yet...it didn''t work.


    The scientist sat down, and clutched his head. He began to think through things more clearly, trying to calm down.


    "I saw...I saw that boy try to shoot at the eye. It didn''t work the first time, as I nned. But...then he made a new bullet, with his own mana...and that bullet was what destroyed the eye..."


    The scientist stood up, realizing what had happened.


    "That boy...don''t tell me...his mana is also <em>special</em>?"


    The scientist walked around aimlessly in the room, thinking.


    "Yes...yes...that''s the only exnation. The only thing that could destroy the eye created with an invincible power is that very same invincible power. That boy...I need him. I need hi-"


    "Need who?" a voice suddenly asked, breaking through the door of the room. They rounded the corner, and walked into the room. It was a girl - a catgirl. She had short turquoise hair, pink eyes, a long furry tail, and cat ears.


    "Y-You...where the hell did youe from?!" the scientist eximed, fumbling for his gun in his pocket, taking it out, and pointing at the intruder.


    "Nya...hm...Xuwan Kwai told me nyot to kill him, but...ah, whatever," the catgirl murmured to herself,pletely ignoring the existence of the gun.


    "D-Damn you...one step closer and I''ll shoot!"


    The catgirl turned ever so slightly to look at the scientist, then smiled - and <em>disappeared.</em>


    <em></em>Thest thing the scientist heard was the mechanical sound of ws being activated, and everything went to ck.

 Chapter 229 - Lost Memories

    <strong>- Within A Hospital, The Fortress -</strong>


    With a click, the door of the room swung open, and a doctor walked out of it, before gently shutting it behind him.


    "How''s her condition?" I hurriedly asked. Of course, I was referring to Mei Gui, whoy within the room.


    The doctor sighed. "I''ve never seen something like this. She appears to be perfectly healthy, yet is still remaining in a half-unconscious state. She also doesn''t need food or water, and doens''t need to urinate either."


    <em>Half-unconscious...</em>


    <em></em>"It''s almost like...she isn''t human or something," the doctor muttered. "The problem is, everything else about her point to her being a living being just like you and me. And yet..."


    I clenched my fists. <em>That damn scientist...just what the hell did he do to her...?!</em>


    <em></em>"I understand. Thank you," I said, and the doctor nodded in response before walking away.


    I took a deep breath, and entered the room. The girl - Mei Gui -y motionless on the bed, as if dead. But her eyes were open, and the pulse monitor beside her also said her heart was beating perfectly fine.


    <em>The whole food and water thing the doctor mentioned is because Mei Gui''s an elemental, but...this half-unconscious state she''s in right now is what concerns me.</em>


    <em></em>"Mei Gui...can you hear me?" I asked gently, sitting down beside her and clutching her hand.


    But she made no response. Not even the slightest of movements. Not bothering to even look at me, she just remained still,pletely ignoring my existence like a pro. I sighed, realizing this wasn''t going to work, and stood back up, and headed for the door.


    <em>Well...first, let''s get some information out of that bastard. Hopefully, that''ll lead me to a clue as to how to bring back Mei Gui.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- A Nearby Room -</strong>


    "Get him awake," I ordered, and Qing Yue nodded, filling up a bucket with ice cold water from a sink nearby, then dumping the entire thing on the bed, where a many. Old Xia, Old Man Leng and his wife, and all the girls with me were also here in the room.<strong></strong>


    "W-Woah!" the man''s eyes flew open, and he leapt up in bed...not. He tried, at least. But he was bound by ropes on both of his wrists, tied down to the bed. "W-W-Where am I?"


    "You don''t need to know," I replied mercilessly, sitting down near him and ring into his eyes. "I only want one thing from you - information. Tell me...what did you do to Mei Gui?"


    "M-Mei Gui? Who the hell is that?!" the scientist yelled, trying desperately to break the ropes, to no avail.


    I leaned in closer and grabbed his cor. "Don''t y dumb with me, bastard. That girl you experimented on. What the hell did you do to her?! How do I turn her back to normal?"


    "H-Hah...there <em>is</em> no way to turn her back!" the scientistughed hysterically. "She is my ultimate product - Apoxyia!"


    "Her name is Mei Gui," I cut him off, tone deep and dangerous. "Not your Apoxyia. Now...tell me exactly what you did to her. Unless you want to die a long and painful death, that is."


    Hearing my words, the man flinched. "I-I already told you! There''s no way to turn her back!"


    "I want to know what you did to her, so you''re going to tell me exactly that," I said, eyes never leaving his. "Now. Talk."


    "T-Tch...never!" he yelled defiantly.


    I narrowed my gaze, and let go of his cor. Turning around, I spoke two soft words.


    <strong>"Kill him."</strong>


    "W-What?! You dare-! T-This is a hospital, isn''t it? You can''t possibl-"


    <em><strong>SLASH.</strong></em><em><strong></strong></em>


    <em><strong></strong></em>Amane, before the man could even finish his sentence, used her mechanical ws, and sliced his throat, silencing him - forever.


    "Well...there he goes. How we gonna deal with the corpse?" Old Man Leng asked, folding his arms.


    "My men and I will take care of it," Old Xia replied, before promptly lifting the dead man''s body from the bed after untying the ropes, and...casually jumping out the window. I looked over the ledge to confirm hended safely, and he waved us goodbye.


    "It''s goin'' to be a while before we see him again," Old Man Leng said with a chuckle. "Despite how he seems, he''s quite the busy man. I''m honestly surprised he agreed to help us out this time ''round."


    I sighed. "I wanted to learn some Starfire magic from him too...damn."


    "Now now, don''t get greedy, boy. Starfire ain''t somethin'' just anyone can use, y''know."


    I turned around and began walking for the door. "Yeah, but...how do you know if you don''t try?"


    "Where are you going?" Feng Mian asked as Old Man Leng muttered ''true, true''.


    "Visting Mei Gui again. I''ll keep trying to talk to her," I replied, slightly dejected.


    "Hold on, human. I have a...suggestion," Obsidia interrupted, which was rare. She then tilted her eyes towards Old Man Leng and his wife, suggesting that they were outsiders. I nodded and walked out, Obsidia following me.


    "So? What''s the suggestion?" I asked once the door had shut tight behind us and I maked sure no one was loitering in the halls.


    "Mei Gui...she has Chaos within her, correct? You mentioned that you defeated her - or rather, the eye - with a bullet created from your own mana - Chaos mana. That means...despite how much she''s changed under the hands of the scientist, she still has Chaos within her. She''s still a Chaos elemental."


    I nodded. I had told them how I managed to defeat Apoxyia while we were on the way out of the movie theatre. It was a pain getting out, and lots of distractions were needed, but eventually we made it all out.


    "I was thinking...the real her is still hidden in her body somewhere, just suppressed by the scientist''s changes. If you can somehow awaken the real her..."


    "And...you''re suggesting I do so with the power of Chaos," I concluded.


    Obsidia nodded. "Correct."


    I sighed. "I''ve thought of this already, but...how exactly would I do this? I''m definitely not shooting her with a bullet made from my mana. I remember a while ago, when I fought against a member of the Midnight Syndicate, Mei Gui had somehow sucked poison out of me using Chaos mana, but I don''t know how to do the opposite of that, injecting mana into her..."


    "I believe there is a method," Obsidia said.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"


    "Sexual interc-"


    "Denied," I cut her off, not letting her finish that word. "I''m not taking advantage of this situation like that."


    "This is to save her, human," Obsidia argued.


    "...If I do it without her consent, that''s just rape. Besides, we''re both underage," I shot back. After a while, however, I sighed. "I''ll...do it as ast resort, if there are really no more options."


    <em>Actually, wait...is Mei Gui underage? I''m only 14, but although Mei Gui looks like a 12 year old at best, who knew how old she really was? I remember...isn''t she like, the sister of the multiverse?</em>


    <em></em>"...Perhaps...a kiss could work," Obsidia said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin with her fingers.


    "A kiss..." I echoed, looking at the door Mei Gui was behind.


    <em>ording to what school taught me, a person''s mana is all around their body - especially their bodily fluids, such as sweat, saliva, and urine. So...technically, a kiss could work, based on this logic. Alternatively, I could make her drink my sweat, but that''s too gross. And urine is just out of the question. A kiss is probably...the best method.</em><em></em>


    I sighed. "Fine. Let''s try it."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Shortly After -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"So...? Why are all of you here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Everyone except Old Man Leng and his wife were here - that meant all the girls with me.


    "Obsidia told me you were trying to wake Mei Gui up with a kiss," Yu An Yan said, folding her arms. "I''m not against the idea, but if you do it behind our backs, it''ll feel like you''re cheating on us, so...we came to watch."


    "..." I fell silent stunned at these girls'' logic. "This isn''t even a kiss...think of it as CPR."


    "CPR or not, we''re watching," Xiang Peng replied giddily. "Oh my god, this is like, Sleeping Beauty in real life! So exciting!"


    I sighed, realizing arguing wasn''t going to get me anywhere. Mei Gui was still the same as always, lying emotionless on the bed.


    I closed my eyes and leaned in slowly as the girls all watched with excitement...well, and some jealousy.


    <em>Mei Gui...please work.</em>


    My heart pounded for some reason as our lips met, and I could taste a soft, cherry-like sweetness. She smelled like flowers, and I clung onto that beautiful scent as our tongues entangled. After a good minute, I finally backed away, eyes still closed.


    And when I opened them again...


    "Master...?" the girl before me whispered softly.


    My eyes widened. "Mei Gui...? You''re back?"


    "Master...!" Tears began forming in her eyes, and she began crying uncontrobly.


    I immediately pulled her into an embrace, and stroked her hair lovingly.


    "I''m here...I''m here."

 Chapter 230 - Reunion, New Powers, And Next Steps

    "Mei Gui...it''s really you..." I murmured, caressing her cheeks lovingly.


    "Mm...Master..." Mei Gui rubbed her face into my chest, and embraced me tightly.


    The other girls, seeing this touching scene, also broke into tears and watched from afar. After a solid few minutes of hugging, Mei Gui and I finally broke away from each other, and she wiped her tears away.


    "Master...I''m sorry," Mei Gui said, bowing down even though she was still lying on the bed. "I...I hurt you."


    <em>It seems...she still retained her memories from when she was in Apoxyia-mode? </em>


    "Don''t worry about that," I replied, patting her head. "It''s not your fault."


    "That man...is he dead?" Mei Gui asked, clenching her fists.


    I sighed. "Yes...I know, you want to kill him yourself, but...I couldn''t take his bullshit, and ran out of patience..."


    Mei Gui shook her head. "It''s okay, Master. I''m just happy to be with you again."


    I nodded. "Me too."


    Our eyes met, and our faces naturally, slowly, drew closer together, and-


    "Pause!" Qing Yue yelled, sticking her hands in between our faces, and forcefully pushing up apart.


    Mei Gui turned to re at her dangerously, and I turned away, slightly embarrassed.


    "What do you think you''re doing, hm?!" Qing Yue demanded, resting her arm on her hip. "Big Brother Xuan Kai...was that still just CPR?"


    I scratched my hair, not meeting her eyes. "E-Er, yeah? Uh...no...I mean, I saw a speck of dust on her face, so I wanted to uh...get it off?"


    "..." Qing Yue looked at me with dead, unamused eyes, and Iughed awkwardly.


    "A-Ahem...anyway, Mei Gui...you''ve already returned to your original self, but why do you still look like this?" I asked, changing the topic.


    "I...am not sure either," Mei Gui replied dejectedly, looking at her own, unfamiliar body.


    She still had the long, white hair of Apoxyia, and the metallic pink horns on her head, two on top, and one above each ear.


    I fell into thought. "If you still have this body...does that mean you still wield the capabilities of Apoxyia, even though your mind is already your own again?"


    "Possibly," Mei Gui replied, then closed her eyes, and appeared to concentrate, but I quickly stopped her.


    "Woah there, wait. It''s too dangerous to try it here. Let''s get outside first. I''m sure you''re eager for some fresh air as well," I said, then looked at the other girls, who all nodded in agreement.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Outside the Hospital -</strong>


    <strong></strong>Since we were toozy to go out the proper way, we just leapt out the window. If we went through the hospital, we were undoubtedly going to attract lots of attention given Mei Gui''s...unusual new appearance, and the sheer beauty of the girls. So, we decided to pull an Old Xia and just jump off through the window. It was getting dark outside around this time - 5 PM. We finished the mission before 12 PM as nned, but we were all extremely tired upon getting back, so we had needed some rest before interrogating the scientist and waking up Mei Gui.


    We were on the 2nd floor of the hospital, so the jump wasn''t that bad. I went first, and caught the girls as they jumped down. We were now in the back parking lot of the hospital - not many cars were around, given the time. 5 PM here was pretty much like 5 AM in the outside world - too early to wake up. Thus, we had plenty of time to test things out without having to worry about damaging properties and such.


    "Alright, this is a good spot," I said, walking around and pointing at 5 vacant parking slots in a row.


    Mei Gui nodded, and went to the center one before closing her eyes and concentrating hard.


    Suddenly, a brilliant white light shone out from around her body, and two massive wings sprouted from behind her...but they weren''t attached to her body. Instead, they were just hovering behind her, as if there was some kind of invisible string tying them to her. However, the functioned and moved just as if they were directly attached to her body.


    And of course...at the center, above Mei Gui''s head, in between the two wings, was a single red eye.


    "That eye...I thought I destroyed it?" I muttered to myself as the rest of the girls watched on in awe and wonder.


    "Worry not, Master. I have harnessed the power of this eye - I am the one controlling <em>it </em>now, not the other way around. It was fairly simple, since it was made out of my own mana," Mei Gui exined. "This eye...is extremely powerful. I can use it, but as I am right now, I cannot keep it active for long. Only when the eye is active can I ess the abilities of Apoxyia - including missiles, miniguns, invincibility, regeneration, et cetera."


    "Invincibility? Apoxyia is invincible?" Feng Mian tilted her head. "Then how did Xuan Kai beat you?"


    "It must have something to do with Chaos mana," I replied. "That eye takes advantage of the power of Chaos to provide Mei Gui - or rather, Apoxyia - with constant regeneration and essentially invincibility by absorbing mana from the environment and converting it into power for Mei Gui. This power is pretty much unbeatable...that is, unless it''s put to the test against <em>another </em>unbeatable power."


    "That...makes sense, I guess?" Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow, but didn''t ask any further.


    "Nyaa~it dyoesn''t!" Amane pouted, folding her arms. "What is this ''Chyaos'' thing, Xuwan Kwai??"


    <em>Oh...right. Forgot she was here.</em>


    <em></em>I turned to Obsidia. "Uh...Obsidia, can you exin everything to her real quick?"


    Obsidia stared back at me, and I made a faint pleading gesture. After a moment of silence, she gave in with a sigh.


    "Fine. Follow me, female of the Neko n," Obsidia said, before promptly turning away and heading for another area of the parking lot where they could discuss things in peace. Amane followed, slightly confused, and I turned back to Mei Gui.


    "So...as of right now, how long can you hold this form?" I asked.


    "About 10 minutes," Mei Gui replied.


    <em>10 minutes...so it''s essentially 10 minutes of invincibility.</em>


    <em></em>"What about after? Do you suffer any repercussions after using this form?" Lan Xiao Su asked, raising her hand.


    "No, but it will be 24 hours before I can use this form again," Mei Gui answered.


    <em>24 hours - that''s a full day. Looks like we can''t use this ability carelessly.</em>


    <em></em>"And...what are the full capabilities of this form? I know about the Gatling guns andsers and missiles thanks to...personal experience, but what else is there?"


    "Firstly, I get a radar in my mind when I am in this form," Mei Gui responded. "It alerts me when enemies are near, which direction they areing from, how many of them there are, and how far away they are."


    "That''s useful for crowded, messy battles," I noted. <em>Basically Third Eye except it''s based on science instead of mana.</em>


    Mei Gui nodded, and continued. "Next, this form provides increased agility, awareness, mobility, speed, and power. My spells are already enhanced with the power of Chaos, but this form boosts it further thanks to the eye, which amplifies my Chaos power."


    "I''m assuming those wings aren''t just for show either, right?" Xiang Peng asked with a chuckle.


    Mei Gui nodded. "Indeed. I can fly without using magic in this form."


    As if to demonstrate, she elegantly jumped up, and her pink, translucent wings began pping. Even though they weren''t directly attached to her body, they somehow still managed to lift her into the air.


    "Wow..." Yu An Yan murmured, eyes widening ever so slightly at the beautiful sight of Mei Gui in the air, almost like an angel (which wouldn''t be an exaggeration either, given her goddess-like looks).


    "Okay, Mei Gui. Come down now - don''t want anyone seeing you," I hollered, getting her to gentlynd back on the ground, and deactivated this form of hers.


    "So, how exactly do you summon this form?" ria asked, curious as usual.


    "It is difficult to describe in words," Mei Gui exined. "However, to put it simply...I call upon the eye, and channel mana into it to activate it."


    "You mean...the eye, when you''re not in that form, is inside your body?" I asked, slightly surprised.


    She nodded. "Correct. The specific location is vague, but I can feel it inside my body."


    "Huh..." I fell into thought. "That''s pretty cool. Do you have a name or something to ''activate'' this form?"


    "Master, why don''t youe up with one for me?" Mei Gui asked, tilting her head cutely.


    Iughed awkwardly. "Ahaha...you sure? You know my naming sense..."


    Mei Gui smiled, ever so slightly. "Master''s naming sense is the best. I love the name Mei Gui."


    I sighed. "Alright then...since the scientist already provided us with a name, let''s just use that. Does ''Form: Apoxyia'' sound good?"


    She nodded happily. "Yes, Master!"


    I smiled gently, seeing the happiness in her heart. Well, I couldn''t actually see it, since she practically only showed emotion on her face when we''re alone, but I could feel it thanks to our connection.

 Chapter 231 - Tournament News

    After thoroughly testing Mei Gui''s new capabilities out, we returned to the hospital - also via the...non-conventional way. I carried the girls up one by one using Flight. Even though some of them already had Sky Magic affinity on their own such as Yu An Yan and Xiang Peng, they still insisted that I carry them up so that it was ''fair''.


    <em>What a pain...</em>


    <em></em>In the end, we all managed to get back to the hospital room Mei Gui was assigned to safely. Obsidia and Amane had also finished their discussion about my Chaos power and whatnot, and...she seemed to be taking it quite well, in fact. She didn''t ask me anything, but instead just clung to me even more than before, much to the dismay of the other girls who didn''t quite have as much guts as she did.


    When we arrived in the room, however, we soon heard the sound of the door opening. Old Man Leng and his wife walked inside.


    "Back?" Old Man Leng asked, raising an eyebrow.


    I averted my gaze. "Uh...you knew?"


    He chuckled. "Of course. I ain''t this old for nothin'', y''know. I pulled the same tricks ya did when I was yer age. I won''t ask anythin'' about this girl though. I know you won''t tell me anyway."


    I nodded. "Much appreciated. But that aside, did you need us for something?"


    "Yeah. I think I may have mentioned it once before, but never really talked about it," Old Man Leng replied. "It''s about the annual tournament. Ya know, the one to enter Fragment."


    "...Is iting up soon?" Feng Mian asked nervously.


    "Yeah, but why so nervous? You''ll be fine," Old Man Leng''s wife said with augh. "If you managed toe out of a fight with a Holy Emperor alive, you''ll definitely do fine in the tournament."


    <em>Yeah...it''s more like she</em> let <em>us go alive, but whatever.</em>


    <em></em>"Mm...I ain''t too sure about that," Old Man Leng said, rubbing his chin. "I''m not concerned about the actual tournament. The thing I''m worried about is whates before."


    "Whates...before?" I echoed, curious and confused.


    Old Man Leng nodded. "Indeed. Before the main tournament, there''s a kind of...preliminaries, if you will. Otherwise, there would be too many contestants in the tournament."


    "That''s understandable, but...why are you worried about this?" Yu An Yan asked. "Is it dangerous or something?"


    Old Man Leng''s wife sighed, and answered in her husband''s stead. "Yes, but...not because of the contest itself. It''s because of the people you will be facing off against."


    "The people...you mean...they''ll try to get rid of us before the actual tournament even begins?" Xiang Peng concluded.


    Old Man Leng nodded. "The lesspetition there is, the better for them, ain''t that right?"


    "Not only that, but considering these girls...that would make another reason to attack you," Old Man Leng''s wife added.


    <em>Yeah...that''s true. We will be quite a big target for a lot of people.</em>


    <em></em>"...I believe we can deal with them," I said confidently. "But...there''s just one thing I''m concerned about. Are there different divisions? They can''t expect an Advanced Mage to fight against a Golden Monarch."


    Old Man Leng''s wife nodded. "Naturally, yes. That would be too unfair. There are two divisions - Novice Mage to Advanced Mage, and Ancestral Mage and above...though that is mainly just Ancestral Mages and Golden Monarchs. There are very few Holy Emperors here who have not made it into Fragment yet. That woman you fought...was an exception, I guess."


    "Hmph. Now they care about ''fair''..." Old Man Leng muttered. "Yet they don''t care at all when someone kills someone else during the preliminaries."


    <em>Strength is the only true justice, huh?</em>


    "Well, in any case, that makes things easier for us," I said with a shrug. "I''m confident we can handle Advanced Mages."


    "I know, but...it''s still best to be careful, yeah?" Old Man Leng said with a chuckle.


    "U-Um, when exactly are these prelims happening?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly.


    "A month from now. Best get some trainin'' in, ya hear me?"


    "Training? Do you mean...guns?" Qing Yue asked, eyes dazzling in excitement at the chance of getting to use a gun again.


    "Well. That, and yer normal magic, too," Old Man Leng replied. "Yer allowed to use anythin'' in the preliminaries - guns or normal spells, so just choose the one ya find mostfortable."


    "Hm...where do we train?" Feng Mian asked.


    Old Man Leng and his wife exchanged nces knowingly, then chuckled. "I know a ce. I''ll take ya guys there...just don''t forget to collect yer reward from my wife first."


    <em>Reward...? Oh, the gadgets.</em>


    <em></em>"Right...I almost forgot about the gadgets," I said, slightly embarrassed. That had been the whole reason we even entered Exurtra Labs in the first ce.


    "Ha! Come with me back to my shop, you guys can choose whatever gadgets you want, as promised," Old Man Leng''s wife said with a wink. "Only one per person though."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Some Time Later, Old Man Leng''s Wife''s Gadget Shop -</strong>


    "Here we are. Pick anything," Old Man Leng''s wife said, spreading her arms wide as she weed us inside her store. Old Man Leng had left to go back to his own shop, since right now was about time for him to open up anyway.


    "Hm...you say that, but we''repletely clueless about this stuff," Feng Mian said dejectedly. "Any rmendations?"


    "Well, for starters, remember that dome of protection you wereining about?" Old Man Leng''s wife asked, walking over to the left wall and taking off what looked like a...pad? It had a weird pattern on it, but it was nothing more than a...pad.


    "That''s the dome of protection?" I raised an eyebrow skeptically.


    She smiled. "I''m used to neers being surprised when I tell them this. Follow me outside - I''ll show you."


    And so, we followed the woman outside, and around the building, until we arrived at the back parking lot. There, she looked at us, and smiled.


    "Look closely."


    And then, she <em>casually </em>tossed the ''pad'' onto the ground. Our eyes were glued to it the entire way, and then, immediately after making contact with the concrete, a translucent bright blue dome shot out from the center of the pad, and expanded to surround herself - much like the scene we had once seen during the fight with the Bloodthirsters.


    "Woah..." Qing Yue murmured, eyes widening.


    "It''s...that simple?" I asked, frowning.


    "Yes! Gadgets are made to be simple and convenient to use, after all," Old Man Leng''s wife replied with a smug grin.


    <em>Hm...hard to argue against that logic.</em>


    <em></em>"Wait, I have an idea!" Qing Yue added, waving her hand, before taking out her amber ne and holding it in between her fingers.


    "Is that..." Feng Mian began, eyes widening.


    "Yep!" Qing Yue dered excitely. "This is the reward I got for cing first in the Advancement Exams a while ago!"


    <em>Ah...right. Song Qian Long had given all of us rewards for finishing in first, and Qing Yue''s had been a ne that could transform into a golden bell of protection. Hence, it was nicknamed...the Golden Fortress.</em>


    <em></em>"And? What''s the test you want to do?" Xiang Peng asked, curious.


    "I want to see which one is stronger - my Golden Fortress or this dome of protection!" Qing Yue exined with a smug smirk.


    "Oh? These babies aren''t that weak, y''know?" Old Man Leng''s wife murmured in response, as if up to the challenge.


    "Hehe, I''m confident I''ll win!" Qing Yue eximed, folding her arms in front of her chest.


    "H-Hold on, how are we testing this, and why?" I asked nervously.


    "Because it''s fun!" Qing Yue immediately countered, andughed. "Hehe, Big Brother Xuan Kai, all you have to do isunch your most powerful attack at both of our shields. Whichever one takes damage is the loser."


    "W-Wait, what if...uh...the shields can''t handle it?" I inquired weakly. "I don''t want to identally hurt anyone."


    "Don''t worry about that! Give it all you got!" Qing Yue yelled, giving me a thumbs-up.


    I sighed, and concentrated. "Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re."


    Arge ball of fire shot out towards the Golden Fortress, and made a huge explosion on impact. But once the dust had settled, the Fortress wasn''t damaged at all. And inside stood Qing Yue, triumphant.


    I then turned to the Dome of Protection, and chanted the same spell.


    A simr ball of fire emerged from my palms, and flew towards the dome. A loud st ensued, and when the dust cleared, the dome appeared to be undamaged as well.


    However...then Old Man Leng''s wife deactivated the gadget, and stepped out.


    "I admit defeat," she said, sighing.


    "Huh?" we all tilted our heads in confusion.


    "Like I said...I lost. That golden bell wasn''t damaged in the least by your attack," she exined.


    "Uh...yeah, but your dome wasn''t damaged either, no...?"


    She shook her head sadly. "No. It''s just...it regenerated shortly after. If your attack had been any stronger, it would''ve broken straight through and not given it a chance to regenerate. If you don''t mind me asking, little girl...where did you get that artifact? It seems to be extremely powerful."


    "Hm...I don''t know either," Qing Yue said truthfully. "All I know is that this cost quite a bit."


    "Hm...I see."


    <em></em>After that little experiment, we headed back into the shop, and each of us picked out some kind of gadget - grenades, dome of protections, deployable cameras, et cetera. In the end, we each got one, just as she had promised. And with that done, we were now going to head to training with Old Man Leng.

 Chapter 232 - Training: Guns

    After meeting back up with him, Old Man Leng drove us to a section of the slums near his store, in the area the Bloodthirsters had once patrolled. Here, he said, would be where we wouldmence the first stage of our training for the preliminariesing up soon.


    "So, uh...what exactly will we be doing?" I asked, looking around.


    "A mock battle," Old Man Leng replied immediately with a chuckle.


    "A mock battle?" Feng Mian echoed, evidently confused.


    "Yeah. I''m goin'' to have ya fight one another in a paintball battle," Old Man Leng said,ughing. "Oh man, this is goin'' to be amusin''."


    "Wait, didn''t you say we could choose whichever method we wanted to use in the preliminaries? We don''t have to use guns, do we?" Yu An Yan inquired, slightly nervous. Her gun skill wasn''t the best,pared to the rest of us - although still better than average.


    "Uh-uh, that''s for the actual tournament," Old Man Leng replied. "In the preliminaries, usin'' guns will be yer best bet. The reason? In the past years, the contest has been traversin'' through various types of terrain - forests, icy mountains, ya name it. Range and precision beat outright power in this case. Usin'' utility-type magic is perfectly fine, but I''d advise against usin'' spells for offense. Not only would that give away yer position to other teams lookin'' to eliminate as many other contestants as possible to minimizepetition, it would also be useless in ces with lots of cover, like a forest."


    "What about an icy mountain, like you mentioned? There shouldn''t be that much cover up there, no?" Yu An Yan continued, not backing down.


    "U-Uh, you''ll trigger an avnche..." I murmured.


    "What he said," Old Man Leng snickered.


    "R-Right..." she turned away, slightly embarrassed at having not realized that.


    "Any more questions?" Old Man Leng asked, looking around at us. "This ce is perfectly safe, since ya got rid of the Bloodthirsters. I''ve already made sure no other gangs moved in. So? What do ya say?"


    "Well...it would be a lie if I said I wasn''t excited to test out my gun abilities against you guys," Xiang Peng said with a wink. "Is this going to be a free for all or teams?"


    "Free for all," Old Man Leng replied. "Even though the actual prelims will be in teams, there will be many other teams fighting against ya, not just one, so it''s basically just a free for all, just in teams."


    "Free for all...sounds interesting," Obsidia muttered, a sly grin on her face. It seemed this was one of the few times she actually showed emotion on her face and was genuinely interested in doing something with humans.


    The girls all seemed to be okay with the idea, so Old Man Leng pped his hands together in satisfaction and made a toothy grin.


    "Alrighty. I''ll let ya know when the fight begins via earpieces. Here," he said, handing us out the now-familiar ear pieces...along with special ammo packs, it seems like.


    "What are these?" Qing Yue asked curiously.


    "Special bullets. They emit a colorful gas if you hit someone with it, and doesn''t actually do any harm," Old Man Leng exined. "Use these unless ya want to kill yer own friends."


    After we each took one pack along with the earpieces, he continued. "Now, split apart from each other. As far as possible."


    We nodded in confirmation, and each went our separate ways. There were plenty of different paths in the slums, so we just each chose a separate one; wasn''t too hard. After a good ten minutes, Old Man Leng finally said something through thems.


    "Alright. Y''all should be far away ''nuff from each other by now," he said. "Now, the rules of this fight will be simple. Free-for-all - anythin'' goes. The boundaries are these slums, so as long as ya don''t leave ''em, runnin'' anywhere is fair game. When ya get tagged by smoke, yer dead. Just stay where ya are, and I''lle get ya toe back to this starting ce. Everyone ready?"


    "Yeah," we all replied through thems.


    "Good. Then...let''s begin, shall we? 3...2...1. Go."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Obsidia''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Go.</em>


    <em></em>As soon as I heard that word, I began moving.


    <strong></strong>I ran quickly through the shadows. The first thing I needed to do was secure a good spot where I could snipe from and get a good view of the entire slums. The most optimal location to satisfy both these requirements was - given the circumstances - of course, the roof of a tall building. High ground is a sniper''s favorite home.


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    Activating Flight, I immediately flew upwards onto the roof of a nearby building. There weren''t any rules against using magic to aid you, after all - only no offensive-type spells. However, that being said, I didn''t want to just keep flying until I found a good spot. That would make me too much of a target. I couldn''t use any invisibility magic since I didn''t have a Shadow Element affinity, so that left me with only one option - jumping from roof to roof with my own two feet.


    I would try to get to the highest rooftop possible, and after several minutes, I arrived at one that looked good. I jumped upwards from the rooftop I had been on, and just barely managed to reach the ledge of the roof I was aiming for. Pulling myself up with great difficulty, I took a deep breath, and rxed just a little to get my strength back.


    <em>Tch...this human body is really tiresome. With my draconic strength, climbing a ledge like this would be easier than a cake walk. Unfortunately, shapeshifting into a human came with its disadvantages. My strength would be limited to that of an average human as well, until I reverted back into my original form. And since that''s not an option here...ugh, whatever. I''ll just have to deal with it.</em>


    <em></em>With theseints in my head, I looked around. This building seemed to be the highest one in these slums, and not only that, but I could also pretty much see the whole ce since I was in the centre of the area. Satisfied, I gently took Whisper off my back, andid it on the ground. It had a built-in bipod, so I just activated that by pulling on a tiny lever on the bottom of the gun. A metal beam swung out, and I pried it apart into three separate legs, forming a stand for my sniper.


    I then moved the whole thing to one edge of the roof, andid down on my belly. Looking through the scope, I adjusted the height of the bipod and position to fit myfort. Despite how insignificant these actions may seem to the untrained eye, it was critical for a sniper to shoot a gunfortably in order to achieve maximum uracy and precision.


    After a good minute of slight adjustments and tweaking, I suddenly heard a gunshot. It wasing from my north, quite distant - in otherwords...whoever just shot, and whoever that person was shooting at, were bothing towards me. I narrowed my gaze behind the scope of Whisper, and waited patiently for my pray.


    All I had to wasy here in wait. Those foolish humans have no knowledge of tactics and strategies - they will never think to look for me in the high grounds.


    <em>Kuku...keep fighting, humans. And when you''re done, I will pull the trigger.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Meanwhile, On That Same Roof -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    ...


    Was what I was seeing real?


    Laying on her belly <em>right in front of me </em>was Obsidia, her elegant long ck hair blending in with her ck clothes. She was looking through her sniper, Whisper, appearing to be waiting for someone.


    <em>Is this the strategy known as...camping?</em>


    <em></em>I also heard the gunshot from just now, which was why I immediately moved up to higher ground to get a view, but I never expected to run into someone so quickly. Moreover...Obsidia had no idea I was right behind her. Looking at herpletely innocent and unknowing figure, I could only cringe and turn away.


    <em>Ah...ignorance is bliss, as they say.</em>


    <em></em>Slowly, careful not to make any noise with my footsteps, I walked away, and leapt off the roof of the building before activating Flight mid-air to avoid falling to my death. But before that, I took out my phone from my pocket, and took a picture of her to use as proofter.


    <em>Kuku...can''t wait to see her reaction when she finds out about this.</em>


    Yes, I could''ve eliminated her right then and there. But where would be the fun in that? All that would serve to do was getting Obsidia pissed off at me. Despite her being a dragon and all that, she was still pouty just like any of the other girls.


    And besides...even if I don''t make a move here, first blood will <em>still </em>be mine.


    I grinned, and began taking the ground path towards the direction where I had heard the earlier gunshot from.

 Chapter 233 - Paintball (1)

    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Level One Shadow Magic - Vanishing Shadows.</em>


    <em></em>I sank into the cloak of night, and quickly moved towards the sound of gunshots. More wereing up now, and that helped me better determine where my two prey were and which direction they were heading in now. Right now, they appeared to be directly in front of me, and were also heading in my direction. I decided to just hide in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike in order to secure the double kill.


    There were 10 participants in this fight in total - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, Mei Gui, Lan Xiao Su, Obsidia, Xiang Peng, Amane, and I. ria was forced to stay behind with Old Man Leng once more, since I wasn''t about to let her use a gun.


    <em>Hm...maybe I should consider giving her a pistol or something? Something that''s simple to use and can''t cause too much damage...oh, wait. They''reing.</em>


    <em></em>Immediately ceasing all other thoughts, I slowly pulled out Ace from its holster, already pre-loaded with the special paint bullets Old Man Leng had given me.


    <em>Man, I hope no one forgets to switch into these special harmless bullets. Otherwise, some serious stuff could happen - stuff I didn''t want to deal with.</em>


    In any case, the two people were getting closer and closer to me. Close enough that I could hear their voices.


    "Nya! You cyan''t cyatch meow!" one of them, the one in front, eximed in a taunt-like fashion. This was Amane, of course.


    Behind her, another girl ran. "Tch..e back here, you damn catgirl!" she yelled in frustration, before unleashing a volley of bullets at poor Amane, who yelped and scrambled to dodge all of them. Somehow, she seeded.


    By the rapid fire rate of the second girl''s gun, I could tell it was an SMG. The only one out of the ten of us who got an SMG was Yu An Yan. Her voice also matched as well, further confirming my conclusion. Incidentally, Amane''s win condition was that she had to touch her targets, since she didn''t use a gun. However, against an SMG user like Yu An Yan, that would prove to be difficult.


    <em>Yu An Yan and Amane, huh...well. Amane can probably sense me with her demihuman instincts, but Yu An Yan will make for easy prey. She''s stubborn and rushes into things without thinking...this is a good opportunity to make her learn.</em>


    <em></em>It appears Amane didn''t sense me after all - she was too busy using her keen senses to avoid the bullets. Either that, or she knew, but wanted me to take out Yu An Yan for her. She ran straight past me, and Yu An Yan did as well, following right behind her. And as soon as she did, I stepped out of the shadows of the wall, cancelling my Vanishing Shadow spell, and aimed Ace at her back. Had this been a real fight, I would''ve aimed for the head to secure the kill. But in this case, the back was enough.


    I pulled the trigger, and my bullet mmed into her back.


    "Wha-" Yu An Yan gasped from the impact, nearly falling forward. Despite these bullets not doing any actual harm, they still had the velocity of a real bullet, meaning the impact hit pretty hard. There would probably be a bruise afterwards, but nothing more.


    A bright red gas began emitting from where I struck Yu An Yan, and she turned around in surprise to find me staring at her, my smug grin hidden by the buildings'' shadows. As an aside, I wasn''t wearing my mask, since there wasn''t a need for that here.


    "You...ugh, damn it..." she muttered, clenching her fists in frustration.


    I chuckled. "Next time, don''t rush into a narrow corridor without thinking. Especially when you know I can use every element of magic - Shadow included."


    She sighed. "Yeah...that''s a big issue of mine. I realize that."


    <em>At least she knows. As long as she is aware of her own ws, she can slowly get rid of them. That''s good.</em>


    <em></em>"Now then...Amane, how long are you just going to hide up there and watch?" I asked, looking up. She had scaled the walls upwards, onto the roof of the building using her ws. It appears she had been trying tond a surprise attack on me, but s...


    "N-Nya! Hyow did you knyow?!" she eximed in surprise, appearing to be shocked.


    "Tsk tsk..." I wagged my fingers. "Your movements are still too loud. I can hear them."


    <em>Well, that''s a lie. Compared to average people, she''s already an exceptional assassin with her quiet movements. In fact, just now, I had detected her not through her movements, but through my Third Eye. I had it constantly active, since I had mana to spare after recharging it with the help of the girls after the fight with Apoxyia.</em>


    <em></em><em>That being said...her movements were still audible. I''m sure if I listened really closely - if I hadn''t been talking with Yu An Yan - I would be able to hear her, not to mention the variety of Sound Element spells and Blessing Element spells I could use to improve my hearing. Therefore, I lied to her so that she would continue striving to improve.</em>


    <em>Now then...Potentia Excitant: Salire.</em><em></em>


    With one swift jump, I leapt up onto the roof of the building directly across from Amane, and she backed away in carefulness. Pulling out Ace, I took aim and shot - but at the exact same time, I used my ability to instacast to use a single spell:


    <em>Level One Time Magic - Tempus el.</em>


    I used this spell on the bullet itself, causing it to elerate suddenly. This made Amane''s dodge timing slightly dyed, and my bullet hit her square in the shoulder.


    "N-Nya!" she yelped, clutching her shoulder in pain. Shortly after, a red gas began emitting from where I hit her, and she pouted, puffing her cheeks out. "Mou~Xuwan Kwai!"


    I shrugged. "Sorry. I''m not showing any mercy."


    Suddenly, I felt a bullet whizz past above my head. Had I been any taller, I would''ve been eliminated right then and there. I immediately turned to the direction that the bullet hade from - and I saw the building I had just been on earlier, where Obsidia was. I narrowed my gaze.


    <em>Perhaps...I should''ve eliminated her right then and there. She''s a problem.</em>


    Keeping this in mind, I dropped back to the ground, where she couldn''t get a clear hit on me, and decided that she would be my next target.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Obsidia''s Perspective)</strong>


    <em>Tch...wind. I missed that human''s head by just a little. How unfortunate.</em>


    <em>But...it seems he knows where I am now. I should move positions quickly.</em>


    I began moving from roof to roof once more, constantly listening in for footsteps to see if anyone was following me. I settled down on a decently tall building, andid down Whisper once more, waiting for the right time to strike.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Hm...she moved. Quite far away too, at that. Ah...whatever. No point going all the way over there to hunt her down. She wouldn''t be bothering me for a while, I think...and besides, I''m picking up on someone else on my radar now...</em>


    <em></em>I switched directions, turning left. I then slowed down my pace, crouching down and moving forward carefully. Just as I reached the end of the corridor and was about to turn again, however, I identally kicked a metal can on the ground, and immediately, a volley of three bullets struck the wall across from me, narrowly missing my head. I grinned.


    <em>Sneaky...but not enough.</em>


    <em></em>A pulse rifle. That signified Yu An Xue. Thanks to me identally hitting that can, she knew I was here, and hadid down some warning fire. Undoubtedly, if I turned right now, I would be met with a barrage of unavoidable bullets, resulting in my elimination.


    So...how was I going to get out of this situation?


    I looked up, and smiled.


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    <em></em>Landing on top of the roof, I slowly peeked over the edge, but three bullets once again narrowly flew by, just barely missing my head.


    <em>Hm...? How did she know I was up here?</em>


    <em>The first time was because I identally stepped on a can, making a loud, crunching noise. But this time, I purposely made sure not to make any sound, and yet...she could still predict that I was going to try and hit her from up here?</em>


    Yu An Xue...she was either just extremely aware of her surroundings, or she has a trick up her sleeve I don''t know about. From my Third Eye, I could sense that she hadn''t moved a single inch from where she was standing. But I also knew that the moment I peeked my head out here, I would get shot.


    <em>Well, this is troublesome. What do I do now?</em>

 Chapter 234 - Paintball (2)

    <strong>- A Little Earlier - </strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Yu An Xue''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>The match has just begun. For a moment, I considered just staying exactly where I was, waiting for the others toe to me. But after some thought, I decided that would be too cowardly. And so, I ventured into the slums, my pulse rifle, Oculus, in hand.


    All was going well, until I suddenly heard foostepsing from directly in front of me. I narrowed my gaze and raised Oculus, aiming down sights, waiting for the stranger to turn the corner.


    But when she did, it wasn''t in a threatening way. Instead, she had both of her arms raised, as if expecting I would be here.


    "Wait! Don''t shoot!" she cried, and I hesitated, not pulling the trigger immediately.


    "What...do you want...?" I asked sharply, keeping my tone quiet.


    "Listen. I want to form an alliance with you," the girl - Xiang Peng - proposed.


    I tilted my head, ever so slightly. "An...alliance? But...this is a...free for all."


    "O-Okay, just hear me out!" she quickly eximed, realizing I was about to pull the trigger. "I know, Old Man Leng said this was a free for all. But that''s because the actual preliminaries will be of a simr fashion. That being said, however...there aren''t any rules saying we can''t team up with someone else, no?"


    I paused.


    <em>That''s...true.</em>


    <em></em>"...And you want to...team up with me? Why...?"


    "Hm? That''s because we''re both rifle users, of course! You have a pulse rifle, I have an auto rifle. We''re destined to be allied!" Xiang Peng replied with a bright smile. "Well, that, and...uh, you were the first person I came across."


    <em>I''m...guessing the second reason is the real reason. But either way...I suppose having a teammate wouldn''t be too bad. As for who will be the final winner...I can worry about thatter.</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>I slowly lowered my gun. "...Fine. I am...willing...to form an...alliance."


    "Sweet! Then...who do you want to get rid of first?" she asked curiously.


    "...Does not matter. Whoever...we run into...first."


    "Okay - first, take this," Xiang Peng said, handing me a earpiece.


    I frowned. "What''s this...for?"


    She grinned smugly. "I know Old Man Leng already gave us each an earpiece, but everyone can hear that channel. This one is a private one between just you and me. Oh, but don''t ask how I got them."


    I was skeptical, but took it anyways, and stuck it inside my free ear. Both my ears were now plugged. "I...can''t hear the outside...that well...anymore."


    "That''s fine...because I''ll be telling you where enemies areing from," Xiang Peng chuckled. "Here''s how things are going to work - I will stay close to you, but discretely. I will keep a constant eye on your blind spots, and alert you to any dangers."


    "What...about you?" I asked.


    "Don''t worry about me," she replied with a casual wave of her hand. "My Ancestral Mage title isn''t just for show. I''m confident they can''t find me - hell, they won''t be able to even think that we would form an alliance in the first ce."


    "..." I fell silent, and turned around. "Fine."


    "Heheh - looking forward to working together with you, Yu An Xue," Xiang Peng said, concluding our conversation, before disappearing once again, to locations I didn''t know. I trusted her to keep an eye on my blind spots though, so she had to be somewhere close by.


    Taking a deep breath, I gripped Oculus even tighter than before, and continued my way through the slums in search of the others, now with an ally on my side.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Present Time - </strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <em>How does she know that I''m up here...? She doesn''t have a Psychic Element affinity,st I checked. </em>


    I looked around, trying to see if I identally set off some traps sheid out beforehand or anything, but couldn''t find any. And then, I realized.


    My Third Eye was picking up on another presence - very faintly, but still there. She was quite a distance away, and seemed to be using some kind of concealment technique. But s, nothing could hide from my Third Eye. Deciding that Yu An Xue was too troublesome of an opponent right now, I changed direction and began heading for the other presence.


    I leapt across the roofs, keeping a constant lookout for Obsidia''s location, and made sure to stay out of her line of sight. Eventually, I got tired of this, and just went back on the ground, using Vanishing Shadows to traverse faster through the slums.


    After a while of chasing this presence, I finally found myself staring straight into her back - Xiang Peng''s back, to be particr. She was on top of a roof, using some kind of...binocrs? She appeared to be looking out at the direction I hade from.


    "Where the hell did he go?" she murmured. But for some reason, it felt like an act to me.


    Narrowing my eyes, I slowly raised Ace, pointed it at the back of her head, and pulled the trigger.


    But the moment before I did, she suddenly spun around, and threw something - a smoke grenade.


    My eyes widened, and I cursed, before covering my face. "Tch...!"


    "Haha! Fell for it, didn''t you?" the girl said smugly. "You''re mine now!"


    I heard the mechanical sound of a gun being pulled out.


    <em>Panicking won''t do me any good here.</em>


    <em></em>Realizing that, I stayed calm, closed my eyes, and used my Third Eye to determine where my enemy was. Said enemy was currently to my 12 o''clock position - in other words, directly in front of me.


    I raised my hand out, and prepared for the barrage of bullets.


    However...sucking them in didn''t work.


    <em>W-Wha-</em>


    <em>Damn it! I forgot these aren''t normal mana-generated bullets! These are special fake ones that don''t do any actual harm-!</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong><em></em>(Xiang Peng''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>I let out a deep breath after emptying my entire mag''s worth of bullets into the smoke cloud, where Xuan Kai was trapped in. It was a brilliant n - one I had thought out from the very beginning.


    First, I would find someone as an ally, and have them lure someone in. Then, I would purposely have that someone notice me, by making a noise or something simr. Xuan Kai had somehow detected my location without me needing to do either of those things, which worked in my favor.


    Next, when they came for me after deciding my ally was too much of a problem - as I was watching their blind spots - I would pretend I didn''t notice they were there...then suddenly spin around and drop a smoke grenade on them. This was the gadget I had picked out from Old Man Leng''s wife''s shop, after all...I wanted to test it out immediately.


    "Whew...he should be eliminated now, right?" I murmured, waiting for the smoke to disperse.


    I walked closer, and waved a little. "Hey hey, Xuan Kai? You dead or something? Haha! Good one, I switched out the bullets. Most you''ll get is a few bruises tomorrow after waking up."


    But I received no response.


    <em>Oh...did I piss him off? Haha! That''s amusing.</em>


    <em></em>But what awaited me when the smoke finally dispersed a little (notpletely) was not the defeated face of a boy. Instead, it was a smug grin, and in front of him was a weird translucent ck screen of some kind, emitting a dangerously ominous ck and red energy. Then, suddenly, before I could even react to this shocking scene, a volley of bullets - <em>the </em><em>same bullets I had just shot at him</em> - came flying back towards me.


    "W-Wha-" I cried, but it was toote to dodge or do anything. I didn''t have the insta-casting abilities of Xuan Kai, after all.


    The bullets hit me on several different parts of the body - the shoulder, the chest, the stomach, and the arms. Soon after the impact, red gas began emitting from the locations where he struck me, and I copsed onto the floor of the roof, defeated.


    "Ah...damn. You got me good," I muttered dejectedly.


    The boy before me shook his head. "Nah. I should be saying that to you. That was a well thought-out n...but unfortunately, not enough to defeat me."


    I chuckled quietly. "Yeah..."


    Then, Xuan Kai turned around, preparing to leave, but I called him back.


    "Hey, Xuan Kai?"


    He looked back at me, ever so slightly. "What?"


    "...Thanks. For not hitting the face."


    He snickered, and leapt off the roof of the building.


    <em>Ah....did I really just lose against a 14 year old boy, two ranks below me? An Ancestral Mage just got defeated by the hands of an Intermediate one. Oh man, if I tell those guys back home in Fragment about this, I can''t even imagine how hard they''re going tough.</em>


    <em></em><em>Welp...it is what it is. Looks like...I''ve still got a ways to go.</em><em></em>

 Chapter 235 - Paintball (3)

    <strong>- Meanwhile, Elsewhere in the Slums -</strong>


    <strong>(Feng Mian''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Hm...so you''re my first opponent, huh?" I mused, staring at the tiny girl in front of me - Qing Yue.


    "Hehe, don''t underestimate me just because I have a small body!" she yelled back in response. "Yes, I''m jealous of your body - especially those boobs - but that doesn''t mean small bodies don''t have their advantages!"


    <em>H-Huh...what? My...my boobs? Erm...that just made things a lot more awkward...</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>I shook my head. I had an enemy in front of me right now, and my goal was to eliminate her. I pulled out my twin pistols, Gemini, one in each hand, and took aim.


    Qing Yue, realizing I was done talking, quickly cast a spell.


    "Potentia Excitant: Celeritas!"


    After boosting her own speed, she dodged behind cover, running out of view. I grinned, and followed. Rounding the corner, a bullet just barely grazed past my face - she had expected me to chase her.


    <em>Damn, that was close...</em>


    Not letting her get the chance to fire another bullet, I took advantage of the slower fire rate of hand cannonspared to my twin automatic pistols, and unleashed a barrage of bullets straight down the narrow alleyway.


    Qing Yue, once again, just barely managed to round the corner in time. I cursed, and followed once again.


    Before rounding the corner this time, though, I purposely paused for a brief moment, letting Qing Yue''s bullet pass through in front of me before finally turning the corner and emptying what was left of my two guns'' magazines directly in front of me.


    This time, however, it seemed that Qing Yue wouldn''t be able to round the corner in time, even with her speed boost spell. I smiled, knowing that victory was within reach...not.


    Qing Yue suddenly spun around, and in her hands was the amber ne she always wore ever since the Advancement Exams. My eyes widened as a bright golden light enveloped her, and took on the shape of a bell enclosing her inside. My bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the golden bell''s surface - directly back at me.


    "Tch...cier Form: Wall!"


    mming the ground, a chill emitted from my body, and the tight alleyway waspletely cut off by the wall of ice I conjured. I heard the sound of bullets hitting the ice, and after several ricochets, the bouncing sounds stopped. But even then, I didn''t get rid of this blockade of ice, since I knew Qing Yue would be waiting for me on the other side, ready, waiting for the moment I dropped my defenses.


    The most annoying thing about that bell of hers - Golden Fortress - was the fact that attacks from inside the bell could pass through, but attacks from the outside could not. Which meant...if I got rid of this ice wall right now, that would be walking straight into a death trap.


    <em>Come to think of it...that artifact of her''s is overpowered, huh? She can just stay inside that thing for as long as she wants - wouldn''t that just give us a free win in the test to enter Fragment? Oh, but wait...in the actual preliminariesing up...we have to not only fight other teams, but also make it past some kind of terrain. Qing Yue can''t move freely inside her Golden Fortress...actually, wait. Can she? I don''t know for sure. I would have to ask her once this fight is over.</em>


    <em></em><em>That being said...either way, for this paintball fight, it''s more than enough. If she''s smart...she''ll just keep that thing up forever. I should...probably just get out of here, and look for someone else to eliminate.</em>


    <em>Speaking of...I received a present from principal Song as well - Qing Yue wasn''t the only one.</em>


    <em>The only problem?</em>


    <em>...The Cloak of Invisibility is in Xuan Kai''s Space Locket.</em>


    <em>Haiz....looks like I''ll have to take him out first, then.</em>


    <em></em>With a new goal in mind, I turned around, and fled the battle with Qing Yue in search of a new target.


    <em></em><strong>******</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Qing Yue''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>...The ice is thawing.</em>


    <em></em>I concentrated, and held my hand cannon, Queen, firmly. The moment the ice melted, I would shoot, eliminating Feng Mian...Feng Mian?


    The ice waspletely gone now, but I saw no sign of Feng Mian. Frowning, I willed Golden Fortress to go away, and it returned back into my beloved amber ne. Walking closer to where the ice had been, I scratched my hair in confusion.


    "Where the heck did she go...?" I murmured to myself. Then, after a while of pondering, I shrugged. "Whatever. If she ran away, all I have to do is find someone else, hehe~"


    Spinning around, I continued exploring the slums, waiting for someone else to challenge me.


    <strong>******</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <em>Hm...where to now? I''ve pretty much explored most of these slums already. There are six people left apart from myself. They''ve gotta be around here somewher-</em><em></em>


    <em></em><em>...Wait. A presence? Pretty nearby too...I didn''t notice this until now because the hostility emitting from this presence was minimal to none.</em><em></em>


    <em></em><em>Such a low hostility factor...so...someone who doesn''t want to fight? Oh man, that''s gotta be Lan Xiao Su.</em>


    <em></em>I fell into thought. <em>What do I do...? Eliminate her right here and now? That would be the most sensible move if I wanted to win this mock battle, but...to me, winning this isn''t all that important. What''s important is that all the girls learn something from this experience. If I eliminate Lan XIao Su right here, she''ll have gained nothing from this mock fight, and will undoubtedly be vulnerable at the actual preliminariesing up soon.</em>


    <em>...Okay. I''ve decided. I''ll lure her out. Force her to fight me. But really...it''s going to be more of a psychological fight then a real one. If I can show her that fighting isn''t really all that bad and difficult...maybe she won''t be so scared anymore.</em>


    I slowly headed towards the presence, but was careful to move in a way that didn''t make it seem like I came here particrly for her. I walked carefully, as if I didn''t know what was here, and was looking out for any surprises or traps.


    My n was this:


    I would make myself seem as vulnerable as possible - basically, using myself as bait to bait out her inner urge to eliminate me from thepetition here. If I can do that...even if I do really end up getting eliminated, it would be worth it, in my honest opinion. Like I said - victory here was nothingpared to letting one of the girls learn something important for the future.


    Of course, there''s a high chance this n wouldn''t work at all, for example, if Lan Xiao Su just really had no intention of causing any harm or winning this fight, and just hoped to hide here for the rest of thepetition. But in that case, I had a backup n as well - just in case.


    After thinking these things out, I approached the location Lan Xiao Su was hiding at, and slowed down my pace. Taking a deep breath, I paused, entered actor mode, and resumed walking.


    Lan Xiao Su seemed to be hiding behind several green garbage trolleys lined up along the side of the walls of one of the buildings. I only spared her direction a single nce, however - too quick to be even noticed. Then, in an exaggeratedly loud voice as I got closer to her hiding spot, I spoke.


    "Whew...there doesn''t seem to be anyone around here. Finally...I can take a break and just <em>rx</em>..."


    After these words, I got closer and closer to her hiding spot, until the only thing separating us two was the line of garbage trolleys. But I pretended to not know she was there at all, and instead turned around, and sat down - directly in front of her. With my back leaning against the garbage trolley, I purposely made a very dramatic movement of setting my gun, Ace, down on the ground, making sure it made a loud cking noise as it came into contact with the cold, hard pavement.


    I could feel her presence directly behind me, and honestly, this was pretty awkward for myself as well. I wasn''t used to having an enemy so close to me - after all, I would''ve eliminated them before they could even get this close, under normal circumstances. But obviously, Lan Xiao Su wasn''t an actual enemy, I just belled'' her as one for the sake of this mock battle in preparation for the uing preliminaries to enter Fragment, so that my Third Eye would register her as a ''foe''.


    I heard no noiseing form behind me whatsoever, not even the slightest of breaths, but despite this, I knew she was back there, stiff from fear and nervousness. The Third Eye was omnipotent, and no amount of hiding or concealment techniques could pass by it unnoticed.


    I grinned slyly, looked up at the sky, and began waiting. Waiting for her to make her decision.


    <em>Now then...Lan Xiao Su...how long can you hold up, I wonder?</em>

 Chapter 236 - Paintball - Interlude

    <em>How long can youst, I wonder?</em>


    <em></em>I wouldn''t receive an answer to that question until a long ass whileter. I was honestly impressed by how long Lan Xiao Susted, thinking - hoping - I would just leave this ce after getting a sufficient amount of rest. But s, unknown to her, she was the exact reason I was here, and I wouldn''t be leaving until I got what I wanted from her. That being said, some rest was always nice. I didn''t mind it.


    After a good twenty minutes of literally nothing, I decided to try a different strategy. It was one that even I myself found crazy, but at this point, I had to give it a shot.


    "Ah...so tired..." I murmured ''to myself''. Of course, I was, in reality, saying this so Lan Xiao Su could hear it, but I made it seem like I was merely talking to myself and didn''t have a single idea she was there. "There''s...no one around...I guess...I can just take a short nap..."


    Then, I closed my eyes, and rxed my muscles. I even pretended to snore softly, even though I actually didn''t snore at all when I slept...but she didn''t know that, which worked in my favor. It was all an act, after all.


    After several minutes, I nearly had legitimately fallen asleep. It happens sometimes - when you keep your eyes closed over long periods of time and haven''t slept in a while, you...tend to automatically drift off into dreand, even if you weren''t actually intending to sleep. But luckily, Lan Xiao Su decided this was a good time to make her move, and those slight actions triggered my Third Eye, snapping me back into reality. Of course, I didn''t open my eyes or body, since I still wanted to keep up my fake sleeping impression.


    I heard her shuffle around from behind the garbage trolleys, movements slow and careful. She was being extremely precise in order to not wake me up identally, but little did she know, I was watching every single one of her movements. Gently, she slid her body in between two trolleys, and squeezed herself past swiftly.


    She paused for a brief moment, I''m guessing to look at me and to confirm I was still indeed ''sleeping''. She seemed to be hesitant - thinking about something, as if she was making a tough decision.


    <em>And I think...I know what that decision is.</em>


    Lan Xiao Su then turned around, having made her choice, and prepared to leave. But at that moment, my eyes flew open, and in one swift motion, I got up to my feet, pulled Ace out of its holster, and aimed it at the back of her head.


    She noticed the sound, and spun back around, a frightened expression on her face.


    "Ah!" she yelped, putting her two hands up high in the air as if it was a natural reaction.


    "Fight, or die," I said in a cold, merciless voice, nothing like the usual tone I used to address the girls. Instead, the voice I was using right now was more simr to the one I used when talking with strangers, or even worse - outright enemies.


    I didn''t actually regard her as an enemy, but for the purpose of this operation, I had to convince myself that she was my foe. If I can do that, then I can act out my character wlessly.


    "W-What?" she blinked a few times in a panic, confused at what''s going on.


    I narrowed my gaze, my eyes devoid of any emotion. "Was I not clear enough? I said...fight, or die."


    After a few seconds, she finallyprehended the meaning of what just happened, and my violent words.


    "...Y-You knew I was hiding here the whole time?" she asked hesitantly. "B-But then...why did you not just eliminate me outright? I-I''m an easy target, s-so-"


    "Shut up," I cut her off, then gave her a condescending look.


    "''I''m an easy target,''" I mocked. "Are you proud of that fact? Do you feel happy being a punchbag anyone and everyone can just kick around whenever they like?"


    I noticed her clench her fists - the first real form of defiance, of anger I''ve seen her show. She looked downwards at her feet, and I couldn''t see the expression on her face.


    "I...I''m not proud of that..." she muttered, biting her lips in frustration - with herself. "I-I''m not proud...but...I can''t help it! I''m weak!"


    "So what?" I interrupted.


    "So...so I''m scared!" she finally looked at me directly, and I saw that her eyes were full of tears. "I have two elemental affinities, but I don''t know what to do with them! The only spells I''ve really used are utility ones! I was never taught any attack spells, since I quit school at such a young age!"


    She yelled these words as she cried.


    <em>She...she must have held these words for god knows how long. Waiting. Just waiting for the day someone will finally listen to her cry out her soul. I guess...I''m that person.</em>


    <em></em>"Again...so what?" I continued, not fazed by her outburst of emotions. "You only have two elements - you can get more. You don''t know any offensive spells - you can learn. You''re weak - you can get stronger. Instead ofining, how about putting in some real work? Listen - strength isn''t something that you can just randomly get. Strength is something thates after years of hard work and suffering. So if you want to stop being weak...the answer is simple: work for it. Strive to achieve your goal, by any means possible."


    She stared at me, shocked by my unfazed attitude and calm demeanor.


    "You know about my past, no? The other girls must''ve already told you," I continued, setting away Ace back in its holster. "I was once a mere child with no magic. Nothing more than a powerless idiot you wouldn''t bother sparing a second nce at, just like a random piece of trash on the streets. But on one fateful day, after 14 years of suffering and torment, I received redemption. A chance to prove myself, and get back at all the bastards who have done me wrong in the past. ording to Mei Gui, I didn''t just get this power by chance. The Chaos <em>chose </em>me - me, particrly, our of the six billion inhabitants of this. And it did it for a good reason."


    I walked closer to her, and gently removed her veil to reveal a beautiful but tearful face underneath.


    "In this world, you either fight for your life, or you die. Kill, or be killed. Be a murderer, or be murdered yourself. This is a ce where might makes right, and strength is the only true justice. So fight. Fight for the sake of the adrenergic thrill of victory. Fight for the sake of those who care about you. But most importantly...fight for yourself."


    "..." she looked at me, a new spark within her eyes. She seemed to have been enlightened by my speech one way or another, and I now saw a burning passion within her I never found before. She was no longer the weak and meek Lan Xiao Su from the past. She was now Lan Xiao Su, forged anew. She now had a goal to strive for, and she was going to fight for it.


    Lan Xiao Su smiled, and wiped away the tears on her face.


    "I understand now, Xuan Kai. Thank you."


    I grinned. "Thank me by showing me a good fight."


    We exchanged nces, and both knew what wasing next. I drew Ace from its holster once more, and she did the same with her pistol, Nine. We backed away from each other slowly, and then both raised our gun and pointed it at the other''s head.


    "Before we begin...you changed out the bullets, right?" I asked, slightly nervous. After all, if she had no intention of participating in this fight in the first ce, it''s possible she never bothered to switch out the real bullets in her gun with the special, harmless ones Old Man Leng gave us earlier.


    "Don''t worry! I did," she replied, and I let out a sigh of relief.


    It wasn''t just relief at her remembering to change out the bullets, however. It was also relief from seeding in my n. This, was my backup n - the one I would use if Lan Xiao Su didn''t try to fight me, which was exactly what happened here. I would try to talk to her. Literally. That simple. Words are far more powerful than some may think, and sometimes, even the toughest of viins only need a few rightly-chosen words to defeat, not to mention Lan Xiao Su.


    My n had worked. And because of it, Lan Xiao Su was now saved, in a sense.


    "Well then...show me what you''ve got," I said with a smug smirk.


    And just like that, with a loud bang from Lan Xiao Su''s pistol - since Ace was a silenced weapon - we began our duel.

 Chapter 237 - Paintball (4)

    The moment Lan Xiao Su pressed the trigger, I chanted a spell, taking advantage of my ability to instacast.


    <em>Level One Time Magic - Tempus Decel.</em>


    <em></em>Slowing down the time around her bullet, I was able to dodge it with ease, even with just my human reflexes. Had it been anyone else, this wouldn''t have worked, since Tempus Decel is but a Level One spell - the effects aren''t too significant. However, with my Chaos power and boosted magic, my spells were now 8 times as powerful as the norm, since I broke through to the third stage of the Chaos energy within my body a while back, after the fight with gue. Therefore, the bullet was massively slowed down, allowing me to avoid it easily.


    The bullet hit the garbage trolleys behind me with a loud click sound, and I didn''t even bother looking behind me to see where itnded. It seemed that these bullets were so weak that they couldn''t even prate a stic object, such as the garbage trolleys.


    Lan Xiao Su continued firing rounds at me, which I all dodged using the same strategy, until atst, she ran out of bullets after exactly nine shots. Made sense too, considering she named her gun ''Nine''. Realizing this, she turned around, and ran down the alleyway. Done ying games, I shot a bullet in her direction, but unfortunately, she got behind the wall just in time. I twirled Ace around my index finger once, and followed.


    <em>Well, maybe it''s actually fortunate she got behind the wall. Otherwise, it would''ve been so anticlimatic to just be eliminated so quickly, after the whole motivational speech I gave. I want this battle to be exciting...no matter who wins.</em>


    I stopped momentarily, leaning against the wall where she had disappeared behind, since there was a good chance she was just camping there in the alleyway, waiting for me to peek my head out. After confirming she wasn''t there with my Third Eye, I rounded the corner and continued tracking her presence. She appeared to still be fairly close to me, and I deduced that I could reach her in no time, since my speed was faster than hers.


    But as I got closer to her presence, I noticed something. She had stopped. Stopped running away from me.


    <em>Did she...get sniped by Obsidia or something? Why is she standing still? Does she not understand that facing me in a head on confrontation is suicidal, with all the techniques I can use?</em>


    <em></em>Chaos Mirror, Tempus Decel, Space - Eliminate; these are all spells that I could cast to put myself in an advantageous position in an outright gunfight. I could also summon walls made of nature using either Ice Magic or Earth Magic, not to mention barriers such as Wind Barrier. All of these were extremely useful in fights like this one, and I was certain Lan Xiao Su knew that. Otherwise, why did she run from me earlier? And more importantly...why did she stop running now?


    I slowed down my pace as I approached her presence, closer and closer.


    And soon enough, I found myself in an open space - there were still buildings on all 4 sides of us, but the arena was fairlyrgepared to the rest of the slums, which mainlyprised of long and narrow alleyways. It was an approximately 28 by 15 meters rectangr area, so around the size of an average basketball court.


    Lan Xiao Su stood on the other end of it, and had surrounded herself with water barriers of some kind.


    "Hm...you lead me here on purpose, didn''t you?" I asked, looking around. "I don''t see any traps or anything of the sort, though."


    "Um...I just came here because it was a nice and open ce, that''s all," she responded, but that obviously wasn''t the truth. Anyone with half a brain could tell that much.


    I scoffed. "Say what you want, but...I wonder how long you can keep those barriers up."


    Saying this, I pulled out Ace, and pointed it at Lan Xiao Su. "The moment they fall, you will too."


    But faced with my threat, she merely smiled, which made me narrow my gaze in suspicion.


    Calmly, she raised her gun, and pointed it at my head.


    I tilted my head, slightly confused. She was behind a barrier; she couldn''t shoot me through tha-


    <em>Wha-!</em>


    <em></em>The moment I realized her bullet passed <em>through</em> the water barrier she had conjured, it was already toote to cast any spells, even with my ability to instacast. Dodging was obviously out of the question too, since without the help of Tempus Decel, there was no way I was dodging a full on bullet.


    So, I did the only thing I could - shoot my own gun.


    My bullet collided with hers mid-air, and both projectiles exploded into a colorful burst of gas. Now that I knew she could shoot through her barrier somehow, I needed to remain vignt. I had no time to run back into the alleyways I had came here from and use them as cover, but if I stayed perfectly aware, paired with my ability to instacast...I could defend against her bullets.


    Amidst the colorful mixture of gas, mine red and Lan Xiao Su''s light blue, seven more bullets came flying towards me.


    <em>Chaos Mirror!</em>


    Summoning a curtain of ck and red Chaos energy, I absorbed the bullets into the mirror, and sent them soaring straight back to her.


    Then, as the gas from earlier dispersed, I saw another bullet fly towards me. My eyes widened, both because I was met with this attack, but also because the seven bullets I had shot back had all been deflected by her water barrier, but I remained calm. I had time.


    <em>Level One Time Magic - Tempus Decel.</em>


    <em></em>I slowed down the bullet sessfully, just for a brief moment - but it was enough. I swiftly moved my body out of the way, and let the bullet fly past. I went back into my original position after, and smirked in triumph.


    "Kuku...close, but you missed," I said, having barely survived that ordeal. After the first bullet, then the seven more she shot when the gas was still here, and now this final bullet, she was out of rounds, and had to reload.


    ...Or at least, that''s what I thought.


    "But...did I now?" Lan Xiao Su smiled gently, a mischievous grin on her face.


    My eyes widened, as I felt something strike my back.


    <em>W-Wha....</em>


    <em></em>I turned my head around slightly, and saw a light blue gas emitting from my back, where a bullet - <em>her</em> final bullet, had struck me.


    "H-How...?" I stuttered in utter shock. "I...I clearly dodged that...?"


    Lan Xiao Su deactivated her barrier, and walked closer to me. "It''s precisely because you dodged that bullet, that my n was able to seed."


    I narrowed my gaze. "What do you mean...?"


    "Earlier, when we were still by the garbage trolleys...I shot a few bullets to test a theory of mine," she exined. "These special bullets Old Man Leng gave us really do bounce."


    I clenched my fists as I realized what happened. "...You ricocheted your shot off the back wall."


    She beamed happily. "Yep! And it worked!"


    I let out a sigh of resignation, and unclenched my fists. "Ah...you got me good. Good fight."


    "Hehe, thanks!" she yelped, content with mypliment.


    "By the way, what is that barrier you used? Howe you could shoot through it but I couldn''t?" I asked. "I''ve never seen such a spell before."


    She giggled. "Of course you haven''t. This spell is a secret family treasure of the Lan family, passed down from generation to generation. No outsiders could possibly know about it."


    <em>A secret treasure of the Lan family...does that mean Lan Gui Ying has it too? Well, even if she did, there would be no way to confirm, since she''s already dead now, but...</em>


    <em></em>"Huh...what''s it''s name?" I continued. "And if it isn''t too much to ask...can you teach me the spell after this battle is over? It sounds really useful."


    "dly! I''m no longer tied to the Lan family, so...also, the spell''s name is Illusionary Ripple."


    <em>Illusionary Ripple...what a nice name. The barrier does look like a water ripple levitating in the air, and it is indeed illusionary, since the caster can shoot through it.</em>


    "I see...thanks," I replied, before sitting down on the ground, and leaning against the wall. "Man...to think I really lost like that. Xiao Su, you''ve got a knack for fighting. You''ve just never embraced it until now."


    "E-Eh? A-Ah, thank you..." she murmured quietly, blushing at me calling her Xiao Su without the ''Lan'' part.


    "What, for thepliment? C''mon, you don''t gotta show gratitude at every tiny thing," I chuckled.


    "N-No, not just that...I mean, for helping me realize. In a sense, you''re my savior," she said, staring at me straight in the eyes, irises full of determination. "Before, I was only apanying you all because we had a deal to save my mother, but now... even after my mother is cured of her curse...i-is it alright if I still stay with you?"


    She became extremely flustered at the end there, and I found it kind of cute.


    I smiled. "Of course. Besides...you know too much about my powers anyway. I was never nning on letting you go in the first ce."


    She blushed, and spun around. "W-W-W-What are you saying?! T-This is too fast!"


    <em>Oh man...I think she took what I said in a...different sense than I intended. Ah, whatever.</em>


    <em></em><em>Still...I really lost to her, huh? I underestimated Lan Xiao Su. By a whole lot. And that, was my downfall. Man...if I can''t even handle a girl my own age, then eradicating the Midnight Syndicate, my parents'' true killers, will be nothing but a distant dream.</em>


    <em>I still have to work harder - get even stronger. I originally fought this battle with Lan Xiao Su with the intention of teaching her an important life lesson, but...it seems I was the one who got taught one instead.</em>

 Chapter 238 - Paintball (5)

    After getting defeated at the hands of Lan Xiao Su, I remained in my spot, like we were told before the paintball fight even began. Soon after Lan Xiao Su left the area to search for more opponents, I heard my earpiece cackle.


    "Heh. Got eliminated, didn''t ya?" Old Man Leng''s old voice said.


    "Huh? How did you know?" I asked.


    "Well, yer stopped movin'' all of a sudden, so I kinda figured," he replied. "These earpieces have trackin'' on ''em, so I know where yer at anytime."


    I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn''t see them. "Yeah yeah...whatever. Hurry up ande pick me up."


    "Don''t worry, I''m on my way," he replied, before cutting thems.


    Not even a minuteter, I heard a loud whirling noiseing from directly above me.


    I looked up to see what it was, and-


    "Holy shit...a helicopter?" I murmured in shock. Out of all the things that could''ve shown up, this was the most surprising.


    Then, I saw the door of the helicopter slide open, and a rope being tossed down from it. A man yelled at the top of his lungs:


    "Get yer ass up here! And no Flight Magic!"


    I frowned. "Old Man Leng, can''t you justnd it down here so I can board the damn thing normally?"


    "Nope! Too much of a hassle. What, ya tellin'' me a healthy young man can''t climb a damn rope?" he scoffed.


    I groaned in exhaustion and began climbing my way up the rope. "Man...why can''t you just let me fly up there...?"


    "This is part of yer trainin'' too!" he yelled in response. "Deal wit'' it!"


    <em>I mean...I guess that''s fair. Physical endurance and capabilities will be vital if we have to journey across difficult terrain for the preliminaries, such as snowy mountains or dangerous forests.</em>


    <em></em>After a long struggle, I pulled myself up onto the helicopter. Old Man Leng mmed the door shut, and hopped back in the cockpit. He then steered the helicopter away, and about five minutester, hended it on top of the roof of a building near the edge of the slums, where we first started the paintball fight. I stepped out of the helicopter, and saw the other eliminated contestants, leaning against the wall and resting. ria was there too, but she appeared to be sleeping peacefully.


    "Hm? Xuan Kai?" Yu An Yan tilted her head upon spotting me. "You got eliminated? How?"


    "W-Wha?! Nyo way!" Amane''s jaw dropped wide open.


    I sighed. "Long story short, I underestimated my opponent, and uh...I paid the price."


    "Uh...okay, but who defeated you?" Xiang Peng joined in as well, curious. "I can only imagine Qing Yue''s Golden Fortress thingy posing some trouble for you. But knowing you, you probably have a n to use against that as well."


    "Well...you aren''t going to believe it, but...it was Lan Xiao Su."


    "What?! Lan Xiao Su...?" Yu An Yan gasped.


    "H-Hold on, we thinking about the same Lan Xiao Su here, right? You don''t got anther mistress out there named Lan Xiao Su whom we don''t know about?" Xiang Peng asked, sweating profusely.


    "The very same," I replied. "I know, it''s hard to believe, but...what do you know? She''s actually a really smart girl when ites to fighting. She just needed someone to give her the push she needed to actually obtain the courage that''s crucial to battles."


    "Nya...seow, Xuwan Kwai, you gave her this courage??" Amane asked, tilting her head in inquiry.


    I shrugged. "Yeah. I gave her a motivational speech, more or less, and that somehow enlightened her. Honestly, I feel like getting eliminated is worth it."


    "Huh...now I''m curious, too. How did she beat ya?" Old Man Leng asked after turning off the helicopter and walking over to us.


    "Those bullets you gave us - they are crafted with some kind of special casing, instead of the mana bullets we''re used to. Xiao Su took advantage of that, and realized that the bullets have ricochet properties. Then, she caught me off guard by bouncing one of her bullets off a wall, and striking me in the back."


    "Ho ho...ricochet, is it?" Old Man Leng echoed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That''s pretty interestin''. I never thought someone would actually be able to discover that."


    I raised an eyebrow. "So you knew the entire time?"


    He nodded. "Yep. But I didn''t inform you all, since I never expected someone to actually put it''s reflective properties to good use. That girl...she''s really a talent."


    "Right?" I muttered in defeat. "I really shouldn''t have underestimated her..."


    "I want to see how she uses this ricochet thingy!" Xiang Peng dered, puffing her chest out. "Hey hey, Old Man Leng, can we go spectate?"


    He scoffed. "Huh? Spectate? How?"


    "We take the helicopter! It''s <em>so </em>boring just staying here and waiting, so...please?" Xiang Peng continued, giving him the sad puppy dog eyes.


    Old Man Leng sighed. "Fine, fine. I just closed the damn thing...agh, whatever. Hop on."


    He turned around and entered the helicopter once more, and the rest of us followed him. He booted the machine up, and so, Amane, Yu An Yan, Xiang Peng, and I set off to spectate the rest of the fight.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Mei Gui''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>...This is troublesome.</em>


    <em>I wanted to go to Master and form an alliance with him, but I had hesitated. That old man had said this was to be a Free For All, so perhaps Master wouldn''t want to team up with me.</em>


    <em>But now, it was toote.</em>


    <em></em>Just a few moments earlier, I sensed Master being moved away back to the starting area. That could only mean one thing - he had been eliminated. How, I do not know. By whom, I do not know either. But one thing, I knew for sure - Master would not be defeated so easily. My best guess...he underestimated his opponent, and got hit with a surprise attack.


    But that matters not. I am certain he learned something from this defeat, and that is all that matters.


    However.


    That being said...whoever eliminated him must be removed from this battle. I will not allow otherwise. The problem was, I did not know who, out of the five otherbatants excluding myself, was the one to eliminate my precious Master.


    <em>...Then again, I suppose that is not a problem. All I have to do is eliminate</em> everyone <em>else.</em>


    So far, I have not encountered anyone else in the slums. I had heard gunshots from time to time, but by the time I got there, the ones who had produced them were long gone. Yes, I could have just used a spell like Third Eye and saved myself a lot of trouble, but I had made the decision to challenge myself at the beginning of this fight. I would refrain from using any radar or detection-type spells, and rely on nothing but my own base abilities.


    It was always a good idea to hone my intrinsic skills. After all, if I run out of mana, or for some reason cannot use external help such as spells or anything of the sort, I will have nothing to rely on except my own bare body. Thus, keeping it prepared for such a situation is never a bad thing.


    However, then, as I was walking through the slums, I heard a cackle noise through myms.


    "Hey, remaining contestants - if ya see a helicopter flyin'' by, don''t shoot it, damn it!" Old Man Leng''s voice came through. "The eliminated guys just can''t sit still, so here we are, spectatin'' the rest of the battle unfold. That''s all. Good luck!"


    <em>Spectating...hm.</em>


    <em></em>I tried contacting Master.


    [Master, can you hear me?]


    [H-Hm? Mei Gui? Yeah. What''s up?]


    [Are you...going to watch me fight?] I asked hesitantly, eager for an answer.


    Master chuckled. [Of course. Now that I''ve been eliminated, I''m counting on you to win the fight for me.]


    My eyes lit up, and I smiled. [Understood, Master! Also, one more thing...]


    [What is it?]


    [...Actually, never mind.]


    [Hm...? Okay then...]


    We ended our conversation there, and in the end, I decided against asking him who was the one to defeat him. I would be eliminating everyone else if I wanted to win, after all, so it was better to keep a non-biased mentality as to who I should target.


    <em>Don''t worry, Master...I will avenge you.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Qing Yue''s Perspective -</strong>


    <em>Heh, spectating us? Hm...I suppose I don''t mind. I can use this opportunity to show Big Brother Xuan Kai that I''m not a weak girl who needs protecting!</em>


    I rounded corner happily, but the moment I did, my mood went down as I saw a new opponent.


    I sighed. "Well well. Look who it is! Lan. Xiao. Su!"


    "U-Um...yes?" she murmured in response.


    "Hehe, I''ve always wondered what you look like under that veil, so how about we make a little bet?" I proposed.


    "A...bet?"


    I nodded in confirmation. "Yep! I mean, you''re not going to just run away, right? C''mon, this is a fair fight, woman to woman. If you win, you get to take my reserved spot for one whole week, but if I win...you have to show me your true face."


    "H-Huh? Your reserved spot...?"


    "By that, I mean Big Brother Xuan Kai''sp! I''m willing to go this far to see your face! I normally would never give that spot to anyone, just so you know..."


    "U-Um...sure, I guess?" Lan Xiao Su agreed atst, albeit hesitantly.


    I pumped my fist into the air. "Alright! Let''s do this!"

 Chapter 239 - Paintball (6)

    <strong>(Qing Yue''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>I made the first shot - Lan Xiao Su''s silenced pistol has a higher fire rate but a lower magazine size, so I needed to take advantage of that and make the first shot. I had ten bullets, she had nine. This way, not only would I get first shot advantage, but she would still have to reload before me, giving me a window to hit her.


    ...That was my n, anyway.


    Unfortunately, she saw straight through it, and instead of shooting back at me, she spun around, ducked to avoid my bullet, and dashed away from me, before rounding a corner and disappearing from my sight.


    "Hey! Get back here...gr..." I growled angrily, starting to chase.


    I hated fighting in these slums, since my physical abilities weren''t that good. Any of the other girls could outrun me, not to mention Big Brother Xuan Kai and his insane physical capabilities. This ''map'', as I like to call it in video game terms, was disadvantageous for me.


    That being said, I did have an ultimate ace up my sleeve - the Golden Fortress. Principal Song had given me this as a reward for finishing first in the Advancement Exams along with Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, and of course, Big Brother Xuan Kai. This artifact was extremely useful in this fight, since not only could it block all iing bullets, it followed me around as long as I had it active. Meaning, I could technically just keep it on all the time, and no one would be able to eliminate me.


    But...even if I win like that, I''d feel pretty guilty. And more importantly, Big Brother Xuan Kai probably wouldn''t be very proud. That''s what scares me most. I want to win this fair and squarely, so I can earn the acknowledgement of Big Brother Xuan Kai! That''s why, if possible, I wanted to beat Lan Xiao Su without using the Golden Fortress, or at least only minimal use of it.


    With this in mind, I began following the sound of her footsteps, stopping every once in a while to use Detect Presence to make sure I was still on the right track.


    Soon enough, we arrived at arge, open space. Most of the slums were narrow corridors, so ces like this were umon. It was then that I saw the building with the familiar mark of the Bloodthirsters nearby - this was close to the area we had once engaged inbat with that gang. They were wiped out now though - with the exception of their leader, whose current location is still unknown - so we were safe to train and host this mock battle here.


    I sniffed my nose, and noticed the smell of gunpowder. A battle had happened at this same spot not long ago.


    "Hm...did you eliminate someone else here earlier?" I asked, pretending to look around but really keeping a close eye on Lan Xiao Su and when she''s going to shoot. She had erected a barrier before her, so I didn''t waste any bullets trying to shoot at her. As I was chasing her all the way here, I reloaded my chamber, so I was back to ten bullets.


    Lan Xiao Su giggled. "You noticed?"


    "Yeah...the smell of gunpowder is in the air," I replied with a wink. "So? Who was your unfortunate victim?"


    "Xuan Kai," she replied innocently.


    <em>...?! Big Brother Xuan Kai? He was eliminated?!</em>


    <em></em>This came to me as a shock - so much so, in fact, that Lan Xiao Su noticed I wasn''t paying attention and quickly took advantage of that. She shot out a bullet, which passed <em>through </em>her barrier somehow, and flew directly towards me.


    I snapped out of my daze, but it was toote...or was it? Somehow, quite luckily, my finger was already on the trigger of my hand cannon, Queen, so I just fired it in a panic out of instinct, and by some insane stroke of luck, my projectile directly hit hers, and the two bullets bounced away in opposite directions.


    "Sneaky..." I muttered in disdain.


    Lan Xiao Su smiled. "Sorry, Qing Yue, but Xuan Kai, although inadvertently, taught me a lot of things, one of which is to always look for openings in your opponents. And the moment one appears, take advantage of it!"


    "Heh...the teachings of Big Brother Xuan Kai, is it?" I chuckled. "Too bad...I''ve known him for way longer than you!"


    Saying this, I unleashed a bullet of my own towards her, but that was just a decoy. In reality, I knew the bullet would be harmless against her barrier - I was just buying some time for myself.


    "Level One Light Magic - Illumination!"


    I generated an orb of bright white light above me, and controlled its movements with my mind so that it followed right behind my bullet. The orb of light trailed right behind my shot, blinding Lan Xiao Su. The bullet hit her barrier and did no damage, but that was fine. I had already achieved my goal. While my orb of light blinded her momentarily, in that single instant, I used all my energy to dash to her right, and unleashed another three bullets towards her. On this side, she didn''t have a barrier to protect her. But to my surprise, she had <em>predicted </em>I would do this, and was prepared. She leaned back elegantly, letting the three bullets fly by above her.


    "Wha..." I gasped in surprise, and she raised her gun, pointing it at me. I realized she was about to shoot, so I skidded to the side, running back to my original position while doing rolls and various movements to confuse her aim. Once I was back in my original spot directly in front of her, I noticed she aimed slightly to my left, attempting to predict my movements. This, was her eighth bullet. I was counting. Just one more shot until she had to reload, and it was my turn to attack.


    Since she tried to lead her shot, I remained in ce to juke her out, and ducked downwards. Unfortunately, my momentum still carried me forward a bit, and the bullet just barely missed my head. I stood back up in triumph, but then, I felt a bullet graze past my cheek, close enough that I could hear it whizz by. I froze in fright, and felt cold sweat trickle down my back.


    Lan Xiao Su frowned. "Hm...I miscalcted it. I purposely aimed a little below the spot I used to ricochet the shot I used to eliminate Xuan Kai, but...I guess I wasn''t precise enough. Ah...unlucky."


    <em>What...? Ricochet...? Oh, so that''s what it is...wait...I have an idea.</em>


    <em></em>"Heh...that was close," I muttered. "But that was your final bullet. You have no more in the chamber now, do you? It''s my turn."


    Of course, this was a lie. That shot just now was her eighth, meaning she still had one more left. But I purposely made her <em>think </em>I counted wrong, so that she <em>thought</em> she could catch me off guard with herst bullet. But no - in reality, I had already made preparations. As I was getting up from the ducking position I was in just now, I discretely took off my amber ne and was now holding it in my left hand, behind my back, where Lan Xiao Su couldn''t see.


    Hearing my words, Lan Xiao Su smiled innocently, and I knew. I knew she had fallen for my trap. I raised my other hand, where I held Queen, and prepared to shoot a bullet, but before I could, Lan Xiao Su acted first, and unleashed her final shot, aimed directly for my forehead.


    However...like I said: I was prepared for this.


    I tightened my grip around the amber ne in my other hand, and my Golden Fortress appeared around me instantly, <em>deflecting </em>her bullet straight back towards her. Her eyes widened, not expecting this, but she quickly rxed again as she realized she still had a barrier in front of her.


    But I wasn''t done. I shot Queen, but not towards her - I shot my bullet at the wall to my right, where it ricocheted off and hit my <em>deflected </em>bullet mid-air, causing the <em>deflected </em>bullet to change trajectory and hit the <em>left </em>wall, where it then ricocheted again at a 45 degree angle to head for Lan Xiao Su once again, this time without the protection of her barrier, which only covered directly in front of her. With the use of my precise calctions, I was able to make the bullet she originally shot, which I deflected, go <em>around </em>her barrier to strike her clean in the chest.


    "Ngh-!" she groaned from the impact. It wouldn''t do anysting harm, but it still hurt about as much as a punch would. Not long after, a white smoke began emitting from the ce where I hit her, and just like that, Lan Xiao Su was - eliminated.

 Chapter 240 - Paintball (7)

    <strong>(Qing Yue''s Perspective)</strong>


    <em>Hm...now then, who''s left?</em>


    After eliminating Lan Xiao Su, only Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, Mei Gui, and Obsidia remained apart from myself. Out of the four, Mei Gui would probably prove to be the most troublesome opponent - she was the strongest, after all, especially after the newly unlocked abilities she recently gained with her Apoxyia form. It seems that the whole incident with her getting kidnapped and whatnot may actually be a blessing in disguise.


    Not that I was happy or anything having one of my allies taken away from me, but what I mean to say is that everything turned out okay in the end, and all''s well that ends well. That being said, perhaps it didn''t turn out okay after all, since now I''m stuck here trying toe up with a solution on how to defeat her.


    Yes, I could just keep my Golden Fortress up until Mei Gui decided to go for someone else, but that was pretty unsportsmanlike, and well - if we were thest two standing, there would be no one else to go for. I would have to face her at some point, so might as well do it now.


    Even if I really did decided to just use foul y and keep my Golden Fortress up at all times, it would still result in a draw. She wouldn''t be able to harm me, but simrly, I wouldn''t be able to harm her either, given her insane mobility and agility. I needed a wless, out-of-the-box n to defeat Mei Gui. And it needed to be executed perfectly as well.


    And after some walking, I found that n.


    After carefully analyzing the advantages and disadvantages Mei Gui and I possesspared to each other, I noticed there was one thing I knew, and she didn''t - the ricochet perk of these bullets. Even though I couldn''t be 100% sure Mei Gui didn''t know about this already, I was 99% sure she didn''t. I only figured it out after facing Lan Xiao Su, after all.


    Maybe...just maybe, I can utilize this to defeat Mei Gui. You know what they say - knowledge is power.


    <em>Actually...wait. Will Mei Gui even use a gun? She can only maintain her Apoxyia form for ten minutes, so what will she do once that time expires? If I remember correctly, Old Man Leng gave her a sword as her weapon. Yes, the sword did have a ranged projectile attack as well, but that thing did serious damage. I doubted Old Man Leng had a ''harmless'' version of it, simr to these bullets. Hm...will it be like with Amane, where if she touches me, I''m eliminated?</em><em></em>


    But perhaps, I was thinking a bit too hard, since suddenly, a bullet whizzed right above my head, just barely missing me. I immediately ducked behind cover, trying to pinpoint the direction the bullet hade from.


    "Level One Psychic Magic - Detect Presence," I whispered, scanning all around me for signs of any enemies. But the results? No one.


    <em>No one is close to me? Then that means the bullet that nearly hit my head just now...was from a sniper, far far away. And the only one with a sniper out of our circle, is Obsidia.</em>


    <em>Sneaky sneaky, huh? She''s a problem...again, I could just use Golden Fortress and keep it on at all times, but that''s just kind of unfair to the other contestants.</em>


    <em>Hm...just wait until I find you, Obsidia! You have until then to try and eliminate me. But if you can''t, and I get into range to use Queen...you''re done for!</em>


    <em></em>With a new goal in mind, I set off in the direction the bullet had came from, careful to keep crouched and staying out of the line of sight of any openings. Obsidia was an urate sniper - I knew that much from the battle we had with the Bloodthirsters. The reason she missed just now was probably just because she was too far away. Even the best snipers can''t hit 100% of their shots, after all.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Meanwhile, Elsewhere -</strong>


    <strong>(Obsidia''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Gr...damn it! I missed again. Zero out of two. I had fired two shots so far - one on Xuan Kai, the other on Qing Yue - and...missed both of them. The first time was because of wind, but this second shot was inexcusable. Yes, I had never shot from this extreme range of about 2,000 meters before, even as a sniper, but even then, I feel like I could have hit her there, if I was just more experienced and...well, better.</em>


    ...That was my one and only chance to eliminate Qing Yue, and I blew it. She knew I was watching her now, and would be more careful. I definitely cannot engage in closebat with her, since she had her Golden Fortress, so I had to stay at range...the only thing I could do now was try and find another snipe on her somehow, as she made her way over here.


    <em>Should I switch locations like I didst time? No...she will predict that. She thinks I am going to go to a different spot than where I shot from, so...staying here is the safest option.</em>


    <em>Ah...what gun fight. This is more like a damned mind game...not my strongsuit.</em>


    I focused, and tried following her movements using the very slight openings created by the space between the buildings and my angle. But the windows for this were too small. Every time I spotted her, she was already out of my line of sight before I could even pull the trigger. Her body was small too,pared to the other girls, making her an even harder target.


    But then, something else attracted my attention. Multiple gunshots in a row,ing from my south. I spun around, packed up Whisper, and immediately moved to another building in order to get closer to the action. I needed to redeem myself with a good snipe. I needed to secure a kill before Qing Yue found me first.


    After pinpointing the location of the fight going on, I set down Whisper on a suitable building and looked into the scope. After adjusting it for a bit, I found what I was looking for - two girls, in the middle of a heated fight. Neither was using any buildings was cover, but instead generating their own cover with spells - Ice Magic, in particr. The twobatants were, of course, Feng Mian, and Yu An Xue. Both had an Ice Element affinity, and they were having an intense showdown within a medium-sized open area where nothing else stood in the way.


    In my opinion, Yu An Xue had the upper hand here. Not because of their magic capabilities, but because of their weapons. Yu An Xue''s weapon was a pulse rifle - a mixture of range, burst damage, and stability. On the other hand, Feng Mian''s weapon was a pair of pistols, which were full-auto, so she could essentially just hold her finger down on the trigger, creating spam fire.


    But if she did so, Yu An Xue could just hide behind cover and create new cover whenever Feng Mian destroyed one. And when Feng Mian ultimately runs out of bullets like all guns do, that was her chance. She could peek out, or even deadlier, prefire her pulse rifle. Since for the purpose of this mock battle, just one bullet was enough to eliminate someone, she could use thest bullet of her 3-round burst to hit Feng Mian. Her pulse rifle, Oculus, had an upwards spray pattern, after all.


    This was difficult to pull off, but not impossible. I was sure Yu An Xue could do it...it was only a matter of whether or not she realized her advantage in this situation or not.


    <em>Well...I suppose it doesn''t matter. Whoever wins, I will merely snipe them. For now, I will watch the battle unfold. Humans are foolish creatures, after all. When they emerge victorious in a fight, they tend to let their guard down, even if only for a brief moment. But that instant is all I need.</em>


    <em></em>But then, I realized something.


    <em>What if...they don''t finish their fight before Qing Yue gets here?</em>


    <em>...It seems I would have to set up some defensive measures.</em>


    <em></em>With this in mind, I turned around, and cast a single spell.


    "Level Three Water Magic - Thunderstorm."


    Dark clouds began converging above the area I designated, and soon enough, rain was pouring down furiously, apanied by loud thunder and lightning strikes from time to time.


    <em>There...that should prevent her from sneaking up behind me.</em>


    With this, she couldn''t climb up this building I was on. Her Blessing Magic was not boosted with the power of Chaos like Xuan Kai and Mei Gui''s are, so she could not jump up here with a simple Potentia: Salire spell. Climbing was her only option, and now, with this, even that was eliminated. The storm also served as a good disguise for me, and made it hard for people to see me from the other side.


    With all this done, I went back into my original position, and locked down aim on my two targets.

 Chapter 241 - Paintball (8)

    <strong>- A Little Earlier - </strong>


    <strong>(Feng Mian''s Perspective)</strong>


    After my encounter with Qing Yue, it took me a while before finally finding someone else. This time, my opponent was Yu An Xue. We first came across each other as we both happened to round a corner at the same time, bumping into one another.


    My first instinct was to pull out my dual pistols, and point them at Yu An Xue''s head. She seemed to harbor simr feelings, as by the time my guns were fixed on her forehead, her pulse rifle was also lined up directly with my heart.


    Neither of us shot, however.


    "So...uh, want to move somewhere more open to fight? It''ll be pretty boring if we just both eliminate each other right here, don''t you think?" I suggested after several moments of awkward silence.


    "..." she didn''t respond, but instead lowered her gun. I took that signal as a yes.


    Since I wasn''t a cheap person, I lowered my gun as well, and we formed a temporary truce as we moved to find a good ce to have a nice fair fight.


    Eventually, we came across a medium-sized open area that seemed suitable for a duel.


    "How about here?" I asked, looking around.


    "...Sure," Yu An Xue responded softly, before walking to a spot across from me, and turning around to face me. "...How will we be doing...this?"


    I fell into thought. "Hm...let''s keep things simple. A straight-forward gunfight - we both have Ice Magic, so we can use that to create cover for ourselves. No other spells apart from cier Form, and no leaving this area. Sound good to you?"


    Yu An Xue closed her eyes. "...Fine by me."


    I smiled in satisfaction. "Sweet. Let''s do this, then. On the count of 3 - 1...2...3!"


    I immediately shot a bullet towards her, but she was quicker. She had anticipated my shot, and ducked to avoid it. Before I could move my aim down to match her movements and fire again, she was already casting her spell.


    "cier Form - Wall."


    A wall of ice rose up in front of her, and I tsked quietly, before creating my own cover.


    "cier Form - Wall!"


    I made a few more wall segments, just for good measure. By the time I was done, I pretty much had an ice fort. On the other hand, I saw that Yu An Xue''syout was different from me. She, too, had a few different wall segments, but they were ced apart from each other, unlike mine which were interconnected to form one massive wall. But I couldn''t keep looking for long, as she fired a burst of bullets at me, which I narrowly managed to avoid by ducking back down just barely in time.


    <em>Damn...I''m in a bad position now. She can just keep her aim fixed on my location, waiting for me to peek my head out again...</em>


    <em></em>With this in mind, I discretely shuffled to the left, remaining below the height of my ''fort'' so that Yu An Xue couldn''t see. This way, I could catch her by surprise, and she would have to shift her aim. In that brief window, I could definitely shoot her first.


    Once in position, I suddenly peeked over my cover, and focused my twin pistols Gemini on Yu An Xue, whose eyes widened before retreating behind one of her own wall segments.


    I cursed. I had expected her to try and shift her aim to attack me, but it seems she was more careful and defensive than I had expected.


    But this was still a good turn of events for me - now, I had the advantage. As long as I kept an eye on that wall segment she retreated behin-


    "Wha-!" I immediately ducked back down, as three bursts of bullets came flying my way. Yu An Xue didn''t peek her head out, but instead hipfired her pulse rifle with one hand, blindly spraying bullets in my direction.


    Under the pressure of her fire, I had no choice but to remain in cover as Yu An Xue regained advantage.


    <em>Now...her gun has more bullets than both my pistolsbined. I have to y this smart...what do I have over her? Same magic, same firepower...but...I have two weapons, and she has one. That''s right! I have two guns! I got it!</em>


    Taking a deep breath, I leapt out of cover. This surprised Yu An Xue, who had been waiting for me, and she immediately let out a burst of three bullets towards me. But I wasn''t afraid this time - instead, I charged directly towards her, closer. And when the bullets were about to hit me, I <em>threw </em>one of my pistols in her direction, blocking the bullets. Her eyes widened in shock, and she tried firing another volley of bullets at me, but unfortunately for her, she had no more bullets left, and needed to reload.


    But s, how was I going to just let her do that? I aimed my other pistol, and shot without any hesitation. The bullet struck Yu An Xue in the shoulder, and soon after, a bright yellow mist began emerging from the spot I hit her.


    I took a deep breath once again, this time in relief. Then, walking over to Yu An Xue, I patted her shoulder.


    "You okay? It didn''t hurt too much, did it?" I asked in concern.


    She shook her head slowly, but from the look on her face, I could tell she was dejected. I sighed.


    "It''s fine, An Xue. It was a close fight. No one can win 100% of the battles they fight - and you know what they say. Defeat is the mother of victory. I may have won this time around, but you can beat me next time - I''m sure of it."


    Yu An Xue looked up at me slowly, smiled faintly, and nodded. "...Mm...yeah."


    After confirming she was okay, I let go of her shoulder and began to walk awa-


    <em>Pew.</em>


    <em></em>"Ngh-!" a projectile suddenly struck my shoulder, and I nearly fell sideways from the impact. My eyes widened as I saw a ck gas emitting from where I had just felt pain. Yu An Xue was surprised as well, but not nearly as much as I was.


    No one was closeby. There were no footsteps, and even the sound of the shot came from far away. That left only one exnation.


    <em>Wha...a sniper?!</em>


    <em>...That must mean...Obsidia. Damn it...ah...I let my guard down. Well yed, Obsidia. Well yed.</em><em></em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Obsidia''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong><em>Got her.</em>


    <em></em>I closed my eyes, and stood back up. Finally, I hit someone. But that was not enough. Right now, my uracy was still 1/3. I have hit one bullet out of the three I shot. That is about a 33.33% hitrate. Not nearly good enough.


    But still, it was a start.


    I packed up Whisper, swung it back over my shoulder, and relocated once more...or at least, that is what I wanted to do. However, it seems that someone would not let me.


    A figure emerged from the shadows on the building across from mine. She had an otherworldly beauty, long, silver hair, and piercing pink eyes. And out of everyone I knew, only one had such gorgeous features.


    "...Mei Gui," I muttered in frustration.


    She didn''t respond.


    And then, without any warning, she uttered the few words that would lead to my doom.


    <strong>"Apoxyia Form - Activate."</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Hmph...no manners," I cursed, before turning the other way and beginning to run.


    I had no choice. She was far more equipped forbat at this range than I was. My Whisper was a sniper rifle - a weapon designed for long distance assassinations. The moment an enemy got close to me, I was doomed. Especially when said enemy is in killer-invincible-robot-form, packed with all sorts of guns and artillery. Even if I was in my dragon form...I was not sure I could defeat her.


    "Worry not," Mei Gui said, chasing after me, gliding in the air with ease with her detached wings. "I have already reced all the bullets within my guns with the projectiles that old man provided. They will not do anysting harm...probably."


    <em>...Probably, huh.</em>


    <em></em>I continued running, before promptly leaping off the edge of a roof. Right before I fell to the ground, I activated a spell.


    "Level One Sky Magic - Flight."


    Rising up into the air, I flew away, but Mei Gui followed behind, undaunted by my speed.


    <em>I remember...10 minutes. If I can justst 10 minutes...I will be the victor. After all, once these 10 minutes are over, her Apoxyia form will end. By then, she will have no ranged weapon, since she was prohibited from using her sword. The rules set for her, like with that catgirl Amane, was that she had to touch us to eliminate us unless she was in her Apoxyia form. If that was the case, I am sure I could win.</em>


    <em></em>After all, no matter how bad a sniper rifle was for close quartersbat, it still beat pure fists alone.

 Chapter 242 - Paintball (9)

    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    I sat within Old Man Leng''s helicopter along with the other eliminatedbatants as we attempted to spectate the remaining battle. We picked up Lan Xiao Su as well - though I must say, I did not expect her to get eliminated right after me. I wonder who defeated her...Mei Gui, perhaps? She''s probably the strongest among the remainingbatants. I would have to ask Xiao Su herselfter - too bad she''s asleep right now...on my shoulder. Can''t me her. It''s been a tough fight.


    "Hm...wait, what is that?" Yu An Yan asked, pointing in the distance.


    There, two long trials of gas could be seen emitting from below - one a bright yellow, and one obsidian ck.


    <em>Two more people...eliminated?</em>


    Old Man Leng turned the helicopter in that direction, and when we arrived, we saw Feng Mian and Yu An Xue, waiting below.


    Upon spotting us, they waved. Old Man Leng tossed down adder for them, and they climbed their way up with ease.


    I red at the old guy. "Howe I had to climb a damn rope instead of a properdder?"


    Old Man Leng snorted. "If ya were a girl, I''d give ya adder too. Are ya?"


    I averted my gaze and scoffed. "Sexist, much?"


    He shrugged. "Nope. Just different genders, different expectations."


    By this time, Feng Mian and Yu An Xue had finally boarded the helicopter, and they fought to sit in the one vacant spot beside me, since on my other side was Lan Xiao Su, still asleep. In the end, Feng Mian, unsurprisingly, got the spot, saying something like she had beaten Yu An Xue so she deserved this as her reward.


    "Wait...if you beat An Xue, who eliminated you?" Yu An Yan asked, frowning in confusion.


    "Obsidia. She sniped me from far away," Feng Mian exined, sighing dejectedly. "I let my guard down since I just won a fight...ah."


    I scoffed. "For real? You actually let Obsidia snipe you? Oh man...I guess I should''ve taken her out after all, huh?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Feng Mian asked.


    "She was the first person I came across," I exined. "I found her lying defenselessly on the roof of a building. She never even noticed me there...ah, how ignorant. So ignorant, in fact, that I decided to pity her and just leave her be. It wouldn''t be any fun if I first blooded that quick, after all."


    Feng Mian red at me with deadpan eyes. "So...in other words, if you didn''t decide to pity her, I wouldn''t have gotten eliminated."


    I nodded. "Sounds about right, yeah. I don''t regret my decision though."


    "..." she turned away, clearly pissed off. I chuckled.


    But upon turning, she noticed something that we all should have noticed a long time ago, but didn''t.


    "U-Uh, is that...Obsidia and Mei Gui?" she asked, pointing out the helicopter''s window.


    Directly to the left of us, Mei Gui was chasing Obsidia down in her Apoxyia form, while Obsidia struggled to escape her predicament. Both were flying around in the sky, with Mei Gui keeping her Gatling guns constantly firing. It was like a one-sided dogfight, in a sense.


    Except...that soon would change, once Mei Gui''s Apoxyia form ran out. But even then, she was still strong - it would be difficult for Obsidia to defeat her, even with a weapon advantage. After all, Mei Gui was not allowed to use the projectile sword Old Man Leng gave her here, since that thing could demolish entire buildings in a single swing, much less Obsidia.


    "Holy...that is one intense fight," Yu An Yan mused.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Intense? Hardly. It just seems like Obsidia is getting destroyed right now to me."


    "Hm...that may be so right now, but what if Obsidia was in her dragon form?" Feng Mian suggested thoughtfully.


    I shook my head. "If we''re talking strictly Obsidia''s dragon form versus Mei Gui''s Apoxyia form with no time restrictions, the best oue Obsidia''s going to get is a draw. When Mei Gui is in Apoxyia form, she''s practically invincible, except to Chaos energy."


    "Meow...furum what I heard, doesyn''t Obsidiya have syome traces of Chyaos in her?" Amane asked, tilting her head and wagging her tail cutely.


    "Hm...yes, but actually no," I replied cryptically. "Think of it like this. Mei Gui and I have legitimate Chaos power in us. Mei Gui because she''s literally the embodiment of it, and me because...well, actually, I don''t know why I have it. Mei Gui said something like the Chaos chose me or whatever, but I don''t really understand fully. But in any case, Obsidia''s is different. It''s like she has identally had a run-in with a ce in which there is rich Chaos energy, and some of it got absorbed into her body. She can still enjoy some of the benefits of this, but her Chaos is not nearly pure enough tobat Mei Gui''s."


    Amane frowned in confusion. "Nya...I still dyon''t weally get it, but sure!"


    "Well, either way, my point is, Mei Gui is stronger than Obsidia in her Apoxyia form. Without her Apoxyia form...I''m not sure."


    "So....once ten minutes are up, Obsidia will have an advantage, is what you mean to say?" Feng Mian confirmed.


    I shrugged. "Not necessarily. But what I can say is that the fight will certainly turn more even, since as you can see right now-"


    I looked out the window once more.


    "-Obsidia is gettingpletely pushed back right now with no chance of fighting back. But hey, though I doubt it...Mei Gui may let her guard down for a brief moment. If Obsidia can capitalize on that instant with her sniper, she may just turn the tides of this battle before Mei Gui''s Apoxyia form even ends."


    <em>Her invincibility doesn''t do much in this fight, after all. The only thing it''ll do is prevent her from feeling the slight pain these special bullets will cause, but the gas signaling she had been hit would still go off, eliminating her.</em>


    As an aside, this whole conversation was happening in the back of the helicopter, which was separate from the cockpit where Old Man Leng was, so he didn''t hear any of the stuff about my Chaos power and all that. I then slid open the door that separated the back of the helicopter and the cockpit, and spoke to Old Man Leng.


    "Hey. Might wanna move this thing out of the way," I said.


    "Huh? Why?" Old Man Leng replied in puzzlement.


    "Well, Obsidia and Mei Gui are fighting right now..." I murmured.


    "What? What does that have to do with us? We''re in the ai-oh."


    Following where my finger was pointing with his eyes, he saw what I was talking about, and immediately steered the helicopter away from the dogfight in the sky. Good thing he chose to listen to me. Even if Mei Gui''s bullets had already been reced with the special ones Old Man Leng had, if they were fired off from a Gatling gun, they can still do some serious damage.


    We retreated a good distance away, and found a good angle to spectate this fascinating battle. The two of them zoomed around in the air, performing various turns and spins. It was almost like an aerobatic show, except the nes were people instead.


    So far, Obsidia seemed to be holding up okay, but who knew how long that couldst? From when I first spotted these two, around two minutes have passed. That meant eight more minutes left of this chasing.


    Then, Obsidia suddenly went downwards, spinning in a spiral to avoid the stream of bulletsing her way from Mei Gui''s two Gatling guns, one on each of her detached wings. Mei Gui followed, and the two of them descended at terrifying speeds.


    "Go down, Old Man Leng," I ordered. "C''mon, we can''t see like this."


    "Agh, fine..." he muttered, before following my directions obediently.


    I wonder why he listened to me like so. He certainly didn''t have to. We were in his helicopter, where he makes the rules. And yet...but I would ask him about thatter. For now, I wanted to focus on the fight.


    Right as the two were about to hit the floor, Obsidia suddenly twisted her body 180 degrees so she was facing Mei Gui, and let out a shot from her sniper, Whisper.


    But with a single p of her wings, Mei Guipletely changed the trajectory of the bullet using the powerful winds she generated, and then unleashed her Gatling guns once more.


    Obsidia cursed, and swiftly rose up high into the air again, just barely avoiding bing impaled by several hundred bullets at once. Wouldn''t cause permanent damage? Sure, buddy.


    Mei Gui, as expected, followed her, and us spectators sitting on the helicopter had to move with them to keep up the pace. Old Man Leng groaned every time I ordered him to do something, but in the end,plied nheless.


    Obsidia and Mei Gui continued soaring through the skies, asionally dipping downwards but alwaysing back up again.


    Their battle, had only just begun.

 Chapter 243 - Paintball (10)

    <strong>- Obsidia''s Perspective -</strong>


    <em>Damn this girl...she sure is persistent, if nothing else.</em>


    If my opponent had been anyone else, they surely would have changed to a different target by now after experiencing first-hand just how tough it was to eliminate me. But this girl - Mei Gui - was different. Despite our arduous chase, she still seemed to show no sign of hesitating, much less stopping and moving on to a different target.


    I noticed the helicopter the humans were in close by, and so did Mei Gui. Neither of us cared, however. They were just here as spectators - a mere audience for our long and tiring fight.


    Well. I say ''long'', but in reality, only 4 minutes have passed. I had been counting ever since Mei Gui transformed into her Apoxyia form. She could withhold this state for exactly 600 seconds - or rather, 10 minutes. So far, 240 seconds had passed - 4 minutes. That left 360 seconds of this boring and tedious chase still left.


    As much as I wanted to use this time for something more useful, such as perhapsing up with a n on how exactly to actually defeat Mei Gui after her Apoxyia form expired, I could not risk thinking about anything else right now. The moment I did and lost focus on what was happening in the real world, I would get defeated at the hands of her two ursed Gatling guns. It took everything I had - physical strength and mental strength - to avoid her constant streamline of bullets.


    The only brief ''breaks'' I had were when the Gatling guns overheated, a problem with all weapons of this model. But even then, with Mei Gui''s enhancing powers derived from the Chaos energy within her, these overheat periods were no more than five seconds. And in these five seconds, I had to try and create as much distance between us as possible, since I did not have to strafe or worry about any bulletsing my way during this time.


    And right now, was one of those periods.


    I pretended to ascend, and Mei Gui followed me, as expected. But just as I was about to reach the clouds, I suddenly twisted downwards, as sharply and swiftly as possible. This threw Mei Gui off a little, though not by much.


    But it was enough.


    I zoomed downwards as fast as I could, and only decelerated at the end, right when I was about to hit the ground, to avoid killing myself.


    <em>Keep running around in the sky will not work...it''s too easy for her to hit me up there. I need to try a new tactic.</em>


    <em></em>With this in mind, instead of taking up high into the air again like I did in the past, I stayed low, and entered an extremely narrow corridor, even by this slums'' standards. Cancelling my flight spell, Inded gently on the ground and began sprinting. Mei Guinded where I had just did the same moments ago, but unfortunately for her (fortunately for me), her wings were toorge, and prevented her from entering the same corridor I did.


    Snarling in frustration, Mei Gui flew back up, into the sky, and attempted to track me from above. However, luckily for me, it was still dark, and with my ck clothes and hair, it was extremely difficult to spot me from above without the use of detection spells. There weren''t any lights in the slums either, further contributing to my stealth.


    <em>Good...this was good for me.</em>


    <em></em>I had her exactly where I wanted. This way, I could just keep continuing to do this until her time ran out. But my relief was short-lived, as I suddenly heard the now-familiar wind-up sound of Mei Gui''s two Gatling guns...directly above me.


    <em>What?! How did she know where I wa-</em>


    "Damn-! Level Two Sky Magic - Wind Barrier!"


    I quickly deployed a wall of wind above me, just barely in time to block the bullets for me. But there was no time to rx, as I immediately dashed around a corner and began sprinting as fast as I could, hoping I could throw Mei Gui off somehow. But she still continued to chase after me, and since she was faster up in the sky, I had to put up Wind Barriers from time to time. My mana was slowly getting depleted.


    <em>6 minutes have passed...still 4 minutes left...</em>


    <em></em>And then, I came across a crossroad with two options - left, or right. I decided to take the right path, hoping that Mei Gui would take the left. It was a 50% chance, after all.


    But I would soone to realize that it was not a 50% chance at all. It was an 100% chance she would follow me. Why? Because she had her radar activated, of course.


    "Damn...I forgot about the radar thates with her Apoxyia form...how annoying!" I muttered in anguish as I kept running.


    Mei Gui followed from up high in the sky, and continued to rain down hell on me. Seconds turned into minutes, and every moment, I was getting closer to victory. All I had to do was keep avoiding her bullets...though that is far easier said than done.


    Mei Gui herself seemed to be getting more anxious by the second as well, since she knew her time was running out. She became more reckless in the use of her Gatling guns, but that only made things easier for me, contrary to what she wanted. Her shooting pattern became more concentrated, making her bullets simple to dodge. She slowly became more and more impatient, which was exactly what I wanted.


    Until atst, only one minute of her Apoxyia form time remained. I began the countdown.


    <em>60...</em>


    <em></em>I suddenly changed direction to just barely avoid getting yed by a barrage of Gatling gun bullets, entering a small alleyway that was quite dark, evenpared to the rest of these slums. Mei Gui continued to shoot at me from above, but since her radar was just a broad kind of detection and didn''t reveal my exact, precise location, her aim was a bit off, allowing me to still remain in the fray.


    <em>50...</em>


    <em>I normally dislike mazes, but in this case, that worked in my favor.</em>


    <em></em>I made random twists and turns within the slums, not knowing exactly where I am going. But on the other hand, neither did Mei Gui. This strategy seemed to be working...


    <em>20 seconds....</em>


    <em></em>...Until I hit a dead end. I stared at the tall grey wall in front of me, and cursed. Behind me, I could hear the bullets getting closer and closer to hitting me from above, and realized that it was toote to cast any spells.


    In onest desperate attempt to escape this predicament, I did the first thing my instincts told me - <em>rely on the power of dragons.</em>


    A full transformation would take too long, and would destroy everything around me. But a partial transformation...I can manage that.


    <em>Draconic Transformation - Arms!</em>


    My left hand transformed into that of a dragon''s, and my fingernails turned into talons. While the rest of my body remained in my human form, my right hand and arm were now clearly that of a ck dragon''s - and I had strength to match. I arched my arm back, and threw a punch that tore straight through the solid concrete wall. Undoing my transformation, I leapt through the newly opened way, and once again, managed to escape elimination by the skin of my teeth.


    <em>10...</em>


    <em></em>I turned left, nearly tripping but not quite.


    <em>8...</em>


    <em></em>Regaining my bnce, I began sprinting once more at full speed, adrenaline pumping through my veins.


    <em>5...</em>


    I prepared for myeback, as I kept an eye on the sky above me where Mei Gui was still flying.


    <em>3...2...</em>


    I came across an open area that allowed for Mei Gui to finally get a good shot on me, but the same could be said for myself as well. I had a perfect shot on Mei Gui, and I was going to take it. Sliding and turning around in one swift motion, I unsheathed Whisper off my back and aimed it directly at Mei Gui''s head. Her Gatling guns also swivelled to point towards me, and we both narrowed our gazes.


    <em>1.</em>


    <strong>PEW!</strong>


    I pressed the trigger, and let the bullet fly just as Mei Gui''s wings deactivated, signalling that her Apoxyia form had ended. Fortunately for me, she was not able to wind up her Gatling guns in time before her form ended, so she was merely falling defenselessly towards my bullet''s calcted trajectory - or so I thought. I loaded another bullet into Whisper, just in case.


    Mei Gui, however, seemed to have anticipated my shot, as to my surprise, the bullet appeared to have struck her hand, and yet no gas came out, even when shended on the ground in front of me.


    Just as I was about to shoot another shot to secure the kill, she threw something towards me - the bullet I had just shot.

 Chapter 244 - Obsidias Monologue

    <strong><em></em>(Obsidia''s Perspective)</strong>


    <em>I-Impossible...she caught it in mid-air?! A bullet, of all things?!</em>


    This distracted me momentarily, but it was the brief window she needed to close the gap between the two of us. The rule with her was that once her Apoxyia form ended, she had to eliminate contestants by touching them directly, simr to Amane. And that, was exactly what she was about to do to me.


    In a panic, I pressed down hard on the trigger as Mei Gui''s face appeared directly in front of me, and she grasped my neck. And then...


    "You win," we said at the same time. We then looked at each other''s eyes in confusion.


    "...You win," she muttered again dejectedly, letting go of my throat and turning around.


    After getting my breath back, slightly shocked by how strong her grip was, I noticed that her chest had a ck gas emitting from it - I had hit her with my final, Hail Mary shot. But...simrly, my throat had a red smudge on it, signaling that she had touched me. Now the question was, did my bullet hit her first, or did she touch my neck first?


    "No...you won this fight," I replied defiantly. "I am certain you touched my neck before my bullet struck you."


    "..."


    "..."


    We both fell silent. And then, the sound of a helicopter''s whirling des dawned upon us, as we both looked up. Above us, the door of the helicopter slid open, and down came adder for us to climb on. Old Man Leng hollered at us impatiently.


    "Well? What are ya waitin'' for? Get up here!"


    Mei Gui and I exchanged nces and we bothplied obediently...although I did hear Mei Gui mutter the following words:


    "Tch...if it wasn''t for Master, I would never obey a human''smands..."


    <em>I wonder...just how close is she with Xuan Kai? She calls him Master and all, but is that merely a title, or are there actual feelings of attachment behind it?</em>


    <em></em>By the looks of it, it seemed like Mei Gui genuinely viewed Xuan Kai as the most important person in the entire world to her. Whether that had anything to do with their Chaos-borne connection or not, I had no clue, and quite frankly, did not care all that much either. I was only staying with these humans temporarily; we have a deal, and that was the extent of our rtionship - business partners, you could say. The moment they fulfilled their end of the deal, we would part ways.


    <em>Or at least...that is what I always believed would happen up until now.</em>


    <em>I am a dragon. I have always looked at humans as a inferior race - nothing more. I saw them as weak, pitiful little maggots who could be easily crushed under my talons. But after journeying for so long with Xuan Kai and the girls with him...I, quite unexpectedly if I do say so myself, found this to be fun.</em>


    <em>As much as I wanted to deny it, to turn away from that fact, I could not. The past few months...this paintball mock battle...everything has been entertaining, interesting...fun.</em>


    <em>Before I met Xuan Kai, I never would have thought one day, I would be travelling along with a species I had always seen as maggots, and having fun with them, no less. I never thought that I would be genuinely enjoying being alongside these humans.</em>


    <em>Perhaps...once everything is over, I may be able to continue travelling with them. If that is possible...I think I would like that.</em>


    Of course, these were merely thoughts in my own head. I would never say them out loud, especially not to Xuan Kai. I would continue acting as I have always been, not showing a trace of emotion.


    My mother once told me that emotions were a weakness. They were nothing more than a w for your enemies to exploit, to take advantage of. And so, I learned to mask them, only ever showing my true feelings when I was alone. Until eventually...they disappeared as a whole. Even when I was by myself, I barely had any emotions left. But Xuan Kai...somehow, he managed to trigger an emotion in me when we first met - embarrassment.


    I remember he had suddenly picked me up in a princess carry and flew me downwards into the city. At first, I was just surprised - surprised that a human could be so fearless of a living dragon. But that feeling of shock quickly turned into embarrassment as I realized what was really happening. Against my own volition, I had let out a high-pitched yelp of surprise, something extremely unlike my normal character.


    After that, as I journeyed along with these humans, my emotions slowly began returning, more and more. I could even feel joy now - joy at this mock battle, for example, and just...being here, with them, in general.


    <em>I...I kind of understand why the Primordial Chaos chose Xuan Kai now. That human...he is a person of miracles.</em>


    <em></em><em>He may be contradictory at times, perhaps cold and ruthless, maybe even indecisive sometimes, but despite how he seems on the surface, deep down, he cares a lot about all the girls with him. That much is a fact. Other humans may not see it, but all dragons have an innate ability to sense what a person''s true personality is, to an extent. Xuan Kai''s...was a bit confusing, to say to the least.</em>


    <em>He is a cold-blooded murderer. Killed hundreds of people. Merciless and ruthless. That much I instantly saw.</em>


    <em>But what I did not expect, was that under that coldyer of ice, a burning suny. He had a warm side to him too, though he did not show this side too often. But when he is with the girls, he seems to be more gentle and caring...almost like a top-tier boyfriend.</em>


    <em>Xuan Kai...he really confuses me. But one thing, I knew for certain - I needed someone to trust, to rely on - and this human, I could trust he would not hurt me, even if I asked him to. </em>


    <em>And that, is all that matters to me.</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>Once Obsidia and Mei Gui climbed up thedder tossed down to them and entered the helicopter, Old Man Leng shut the door. I noticed Obsidia giving me a slight...almost affectionate nce when she first saw me, but then quickly looked away.


    <em>What''s that all about...? The hell? She take an aphrodisiac or something? Do those even work on dragons? Wait, what am I thinking about?</em><em></em>


    "Anyway, who won between ya two?" Old Man Leng asked, getting back in the cockpit.


    "...A tie," Mei Gui and Obsidia muttered at the same time.


    "Huh?" I raised an eyebrow, and the other girls did the same.


    <em>DId they...defeat each other at the exact same time? No way.</em>


    "A tie. Interestin''," Old Man Leng chuckled. "So who''s the winner then? I mean, of this whole thing."


    <em>...Oi, Old Man Leng. Don''t tell me...</em>


    Mei Gui and Obsidia exchanged nces, and then both shrugged.


    "Well, whatever. Let''s just say you two both got first, and head back," Old Man Leng continued after seeing their reactions.


    <em>...Yep, he really forgot.</em>


    <em></em>"H-Hold on," I interrupted, stopping Old Man Leng from taking us back into District A.


    "What?" he asked, mildly irritated.


    "Aren''t you...uh, forgetting someone?" I asked, hoping he would remember. Because if he didn''t...that would be quite awkward.


    "Huh? Who?"


    <em>...</em>


    <em>Wow. He really forgot. Is it old age? I''m hoping it''s just old age.</em>


    "Er...Qing Yue," I replied. "Y''know? The short girl with the white hair? Ring any bells?"


    <em>Heh. Speaking of, Qing Yue taught me that phrase.</em>


    <em></em>"Ah...yes...er, sorry," Old Man Leng muttered quietly, before activating the earpiecems. "A-Ahem, uh, Qing Yue? Can you hear me?"


    "Hm? Oh, yes!" Qing Yue''s excited voice came through from the other end.


    "Alrighty. Can you shoot a bullet or somethin'' so we can tell where ya are?"


    "Eh? But why? The fight isn''t over yet...?" Qing Yue asked innocently over thems.


    "It is," I replied in Old Man Leng''s stead. "We''ll exin once we pick you up."


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue''s voice suddenly turned happy, and she giggled. "Okay!"


    And then, we heard a gunshot in the distance.


    "Okay~done," Qing Yue said. "You heard that, right?"


    "That we did," Old Man Leng chuckled. "Comin'' over right now. Don''t move."


    "Got it, tee-hee!"


    And with that, Old Man Leng cut thems, and began driving the helicopter towards Qing Yue''s location, not too far off.


    <em>Geez, old man...I can''t believe you really forgot about my cute little sister. Wait, none of the other girls said anything either...</em>


    <em></em>I turned to look at the other girls, and as soon as they noticed my gaze, they knew what was up. Each one of them looked away and pretended to be busy doing something awkwardly, like ying with their hair or staring down at theirp.


    I sighed.


    <em>Well...I suppose it''s been a long day. Well, technically it''s nighttime, but...the Fortress is very different from the outside, as I''vee to realize firsthand. Ah, whatever. Can''t exactly me these guys for having minor memorypse, but still...forgetting someone even existedpletely? Good lord...</em><em></em>

 Chapter 245 - Resting Up

    Once we picked up Qing Yue, we all headed back to District A of The Fortress via helicopter. All the girls seemed to be quite exhausted from this fight, with the exception of Qing Yue, who was always energetic, and Mei Gui, who...well, even if she was tired, she wouldn''t show it. As an aside, ria still was asleep...


    <em>Honestly...how long can this girl sleep for at a time? I just hope she doesn''t wake up in the middle of the night and disturb the others...</em>


    In any case, Old Man Lengnded the helicopter in an enclosed area behind his shop, and we all piled out of it. He himself was thest one, and he shut off the machine on his way out.


    "Now then, my dear youngsters, ya should all get some rest," Old Man Leng said, facing us and twirling the keys to the helicopter around on his finger. "I''m sure yer all tired, so just head on back to the same inn ya stayed at a few days ago. My wife already booked out a room for ya guys."


    "Only one room?" I asked with a sigh. "Damn it...do I even have any ammo packs left to use as payment...?"


    Old Man Leng frowned. "What, can''t y''all just stay in one room? C''mon now, don''t tell me ya haven''t slept together before. I ain''t believin'' that. Lovers sleep together. That''s the natural order of this world."


    I sighed once again. "Well...I suppose I can work something out."


    <em>I''ll probably just sleep on the couch, or floor, or something...any surfacerge enough to fit my body works, actually.</em>


    <em></em>I then looked at the girls. "You all okay with this?"


    Feng Mian shrugged. "Fine by me. I don''t think you''re the type to proactively try something."


    Xiang Peng smirked, and crept up behind me. "Hey hey, Xuan Kai...you like being on the top or the bottom?"


    Upon hearing this, I turned around slowly, and looked at her dead straight in the eyes.


    <strong>"...What?"</strong>


    She giggled. "I was talking about top bunk or bottom bunk! What did you think I meant, pervert?"


    <em>Like hell I''m going to believe that. Man...why did I choose to let this girle with us back in Shenzhen...?</em>


    In any case, it seemed that all of the girls were fine with me sleeping in the same room as them. That made me feel relieved, but also kinda dubious at the same time. Relieved because they trusted me, and didn''t think I would do anything to them even if left unchecked, but also dubious because...


    <em>Well...just what is their image of me? They really think I''m too cowardly to try anything sexual proactively, so they have to make the first move, or something like that?</em>


    <em>I mean...that''s not wrong, but...goddamn, it still kinda hurts, as a proud member of the male race.</em>


    Right before we left, Old Man Leng said something that made me slightly nervous:


    "Rest up! After all...there''s goin'' to be another trainin'' session tomorrow!"


    <strong></strong>*****


    After that, we got to the inn without incident. Old Man Leng''s wife was already there waiting for us, and when we arrived, she tossed us the room key.


    "Room 420," she said briskly. "I think I can trust you all to find the room on your own. Ciao."


    With those short words, she left the hotel.


    "Uh, wait-" I called out, but it was toote. She was already gone. I sighed. "Man...is this even allowed?"


    "Is what even allowed?" Feng Mian asked, tilting her head.


    "I mean, Old Man Leng''s wife booking a room for us like this," I exined. "Isn''t itmon knowledge that you can''t have someone else check in at a hotel for you?"


    "Hm...well, this ce is pretty different from the outside world, so..." Feng Mian replied thoughtfully, before trailing off.


    I sighed - for the millionth time tonight. "Yeah...you''re right."


    "If things go south tomorrow morning when we check out, we can always just call Mrs. Leng over," Yu An Yan added. By ''Mrs. Leng'', she obviously meant Old Man Leng''s wife.


    I nodded, and we headed up the elevator to room 420. It ended up being on the 42nd floor. Apparently, the first digit(s) of the room number specified what floor said room was on, and thest digit told you which room exactly it was, out of the ten rooms on that floor. The 0 in 420 meant 10, I assume.


    In any case, we piled into the room one by one. The lights were off, and all the curtains were closed. I was the first to enter, and since I couldn''t see the light switch, I instead used an alternative method - magic.


    <em>Level One Light Magic - Illumination.</em>


    <em></em>As I cast the spell in my head, an orb of light appeared above my hand, and I directed it around the room. Turns out, the light switch was right beside me on the wall the whole time, and I was just stupid, by the looks of it.


    I flipped on the switch and the lights in the room immediately turned on. They were quite bright, as expected of a 5-star hotel. Of course, I didn''t really see the need of staying at such a good ce, but for one, a few of the girls with me - for example, Xiang Peng and the Yu sisters - are from prosperous families, so they are used to conditions like these. If we went to just some random third-rate hotel, they might not be ustomed to it, and feel ufortable sleeping there.


    <em>Ah...whatever. It''s not like I''m the one paying.</em>


    The second reason was that...well, this was really the only hotel in District A. The next closest one was in District B, and I wasn''t about to traverse the slums to get there. Besides, it was probably another expensive-as-hell-5-star one.


    "Okay...it''s been a long night. Let''s take turns bathing, and then go to sleep," I said as all the other girls walked by me and inspected the room. I shut the door behind Obsidia, who was thest one.


    "Who''s bathing first?" Qing Yue asked, plopping down on the exquisitely designed velvet red couch.


    "You guys can go first," I replied. "I''ll gost."


    "Woah, what a gentleman," Xiang Peng noted, but then her lips twisted up into a sinister grin. "...Is what I''d like to say, but...you sure you don''t have ulterior motives for goingst?"


    I stared at her with deadpan eyes, preparing for another baseless, utterly irrelevant assumption of hers. "What do you mean?"


    She snickered. "Hm...like, I don''t know...using the bathwater we''ve used?"


    "C''mon nyow...I dyon''t believe Xuwan Kwai would do thyat - after nyall, why bother using nyour bathwater if he can just use <em>us</em> directly instead...?" Amane giggled cutely.


    I merely shook my head and ignored herment. She didn''t seem fazed by this at all, however, and instead beganughing, amused by her own sad attempt of a joke.


    <em>Once again, I am questioning why I even considered letting here along with us.</em>


    At any rate, in the end, the girls ended up going showering first, one by one, and I finally took my turn once they were all done. Turns out, everyone just took a quick shower to avoid staying in the bathroom for too long and hogging up more time, so the whole bathwater theory Xiang Peng had used me with waspletely invalid. Not that I would''ve really used their bathwater even if they did take a bath instead of just showering...that''s just perverted as hell.


    As I stood under the warm water of the shower, I began thinking.


    <em>...What is my goal?</em>


    <em>I mean, my end goal is still to eliminate the Midnight Syndicate in order to fully avenge my parents. But...that''s not happening anytime soon - I''m nowhere near strong enough yet. Come to think of it, the Midnight Syndicate had a base in Shenzhen - I wonder if they have one here in here as well. This is the Magic Capital - of course a dark criminal organization would want to have a secretir stationed here.</em>


    <em>That being said...this ce is also under the direct watch of the IMF - more so than any other city. The IMF Headquarters is stationed within Fragment, after all. It would be difficult for the Midnight Syndicate to create a hideout here, and not get caught.</em>


    <em>Anyway...back to the original topic...what is my goal? I don''t mean as a whole - I mean here, inside Shanghai, the Magic Capital - otherwise known as the Fortress. I originally came here with the intent of getting stronger, but so far, all I''ve gotten is a gun, really. Well, that, and Amane, but that has nothing to do with my own, individual strength.</em>


    <em>Hm...the Magic Capital is home to the best resources in the world, yeah? I''m sure the best of the best is all stored within Fragment, but even if I haven''t got in there yet, I think there should still be quite a lot of good stuff to be found in these four Districts surrounding Fragment. I''ll ask Old Man Leng tomorrow about where I can find a library...books are knowledge, and knowledge is power, after all. </em>


    <em>Maybe, if I''m lucky, I can even learn some Level Three spells...yes, I could just ask Xiang Peng, who was an Ancestral Mage despite how she seems, but I really didn''t want to owe her anything.</em>


    <em>Sigh...I should probably get out of the shower now. There''s going to be a long day tomorrow.</em>

 Chapter 246 - An Eventful Night

    I stepped out of the shower and slipped on a change of clothes I pulled out of my Space Locket. A ck T-shirt, and ck shorts. Nice andfortable; perfect for sleeping in. I sighed and went out of the bathroom, assuming that the girls had already fallen asleep already...but they hadn''t just yet.


    "Hm? You guys haven''t slept yet?" I asked, fixing my hair.


    "Nope! We were trying to figure out how we would be sleeping!" Qing Yue replied excitedly.


    "Yeah, there''s only two beds..." Feng Mian added. "If we pushed them together, we could probably all fit, but it would be kind of hot in there..."


    I nced at the two skan king-sized beds in the room she was talking about. Since each one could fit about four people with room to spare,bining the two would fit eight. In total, there were eleven of us - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, the Yu sisters, Mei Gui, Xiang Peng, Obsidia, Lan Xiao Su, ria, Amane, and I. But since I wasn''t about to sleep in the same bed as these girls, I didn''t count - that left ten people. If they squished together a bit...I think they could make it work, especially since Qing Yue, Mei Gui, and ria have rtively small bodies.


    "Well, we only have one room. Unless you want to book another one," I said with a shrug. "Besides, I won''t be sleeping inside the bed anyway, so what''s the matter if you all squish together a little?"


    "Huh? Wait, you won''t?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Uh...yeah?" I said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look, I''m a guy, and you are all girls. Sleeping together at our age is not happening."


    "Eh...? But why?" Qing Yue tilted her head. "I don''t mind at all! And I believe none of the other girls dislike the idea of it either, isn''t that right?"


    She looked around at the other girls, who merely averted their gazes and didn''t respond.


    I blinked. <em>Is this for real? They really don''t mind me sleeping together with them, in the same bed, under the same covers?</em>


    <em>...Okay...the idea is tempting, but no. Too early. I''m still only 14, damn it!</em>


    I shook my head. "Either way - even if you guys don''t mind, I do. I''ll be sleeping on that couch over there."


    I pointed at the couch across from the beds.


    The girls seemed slightly disappointed, especially Qing Yue, until...


    "Master, I will join you," Mei Gui proposed confidently.


    I flinched. "H-Huh? What-"


    But before I even realized what she said, she had already plopped down on the couch and went into a lying down position. I blinked.


    "H-Hold on Mei Gui, I know you say you need to recharge your energy or whatever by sleeping near me, but isn''t being in the same room close enough?"


    She shook her head. "I must initiate physical contact with Master."


    "..." I fell silent, unsure of how to respond to this.


    And then, Feng Mian couldn''t take it anymore. "Well, you can wait one night! You don''t have to recharge everyday, no?"


    "As a matter of fac-" Mei Gui began, but was quickly silenced by the other girls.


    "Too bad!" Qing Yue interrupted. "Grr...if I can''t sleep with Big Brother Xuan Kai, no one can!"


    "Oh my, perhaps Xuan Kai prefers the more...mature girls? Like big sister here," Xiang Peng winked suggestively, and I cringed, before facepalming.


    "N-No way!" Lan Xiao Su joined in. "He l-likes the more...um...submissive girls! L-Like me!"


    "No - he likes my body the best!" Yu An Yan said, blushing furiously while cupping her generous breasts.


    "Mm...no...he prefers mine," Yu An Xue argued back quietly but fiercely.


    "Nya~he likes nyeko girls the best, right?" Amane asked, getting into a cat-like position and purring softly.


    "Er...guys? Can you all just stop arguing and sleep?" I suggested meekly, but my voice was drowned out by the vicious debate of the girls.


    I sighed in resignation.


    <em>Ah...am I even going to get any sleep at all today?</em>


    <em></em>And so, that night, the girls continued arguing over who I liked best,pletely forgetting I was literally right next to them. In the end, I somehow managed to drifted off to sleep on the couch, Mei Gui in my arms.


    <em>How ironic. She was the only one who didn''t participate in the argument, yet she was the one to end up sleeping with me...</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Next Day -</strong>


    I groggily blinked my eyes open as I got ready for a new day. But what I saw at that moment, was something straight out of a harem anime.


    The ten girls were spread all around me, eachtching on to some part of my body. Qing Yue was hugging me from the front, practically riding me, while the Yu sisters were on either side of me, clutching my arms as if it were their lifeline. Amane was all curled up into a ball, nesting within myp as Qing Yue used her as a seat, almost. Feng Mian leaned against my legs, while Mei Gui sat behind me, straddling my neck. Xiang Peng and Obsidia weren''t directly touching me, but they were also on the ground nearby. The only ones in the actual beds were Lan Xiao Su and ria.


    <em>What the hell happenedst night....? How did it end up like this?!</em>


    <em></em>I couldn''t even move. I waspletely tied down by thebined weight of all these girlstching onto my body. Hell, I could barely breathe.


    <em>Guess I''ll just have to wait until they wake up...what a pain.</em>


    <em></em>I didn''t want to wake them up forcefully, so this was the only option. Ah, how noble I am - sacrificing my ownfort for someone else''s. Well, that, and...even if I tried waking these girls up, I doubted it would actually work. Humans, both male and female, are creatures who naturally despise waking up in the mornings, after all.


    Luckily, I didn''t have to wait too long, as a couple of minutester, the doorbell to our room rang. This caused the girls to slowly awaken from the noise, and I found myself staring straight into Qing Yue''s eyes.


    "Hm...oh, Big Brother Xuan Kai," she murmured quietly, still in a daze-like state. "Good morning..."


    Despite waking up, however, she still seemed to show no sign of getting off of me.


    "Er...good morning," I replied hesitantly. "Are you going to get off of me, or...?"


    At first, I thought she didn''t hear me, but after a little staring at me with dreamy eyes, she finally reluctantly got off of me.


    The Yu sisters began stirring from my left and right as well, slowly waking up.


    "Huh...huh?!" Yu An Yan eximed as soon as her eyes were open, and immediately let go of my arm. "U-Uh, this isn''t what it looks like!"


    "..." I merely looked at her pitifully, without saying anything.


    But s, her loud voice caused the rest of the girls in the room to wake uppletely as well. Some of them were embarrassed like Feng Mian and Yu An Yan, while others were more or less nonchnt, such as Mei Gui and Qing Yue.


    In any case, as soon as they got off of me, I wiggled my arms around and did a few stretches to ease the pain. Then, I went to unlock the door. On the other side was Old Man Leng''s wife.


    "Oh good, you''re up," she said once she saw me.


    "Well, technically I was already up like half an hour ago, but...never mind, long story," I replied. "Anyway, you''vee here to pick us up, I assume?"


    "That''s right," she said. "I''ll give you half an hour starting now to do your thing and get ready for the day. Meet me in the hotel lobby when you''re done. Oh, and don''t bete."


    <em>...Or else. That part was omitted.</em>


    With that, she closed the door and left. I sighed, and turned back to the girls. "Listen up. We only got half an hour to get ready. Go shower in the same order you wentst night - I''ll gost."


    The girls nodded, confirming they had received my instructions, and Feng Mian, who had been the first to gost night - or rather, morning, since time was practically reversed here - went into the bathroom.


    It was then that I realized - there was still one person who still has yet to awaken - ria.


    Before long, all of us had noticed this.


    "She''s still asleep...?" Yu An Yan remarked thoughtfully.


    "No way..." I muttered. "She''s been sleeping since we finished the paintball fight yesterday...that''s abnormal."


    It was then that Obsidia stepped in. "Worry not, human. This is natural for phoenixes."


    I turned to her. "What?"


    She sighed, and began exining what she meant. "Phoenixes have a yearly period of hibernation. The exact time and duration for this varies from individual to individual, but for the most part, it willst around a month or so. During this time, the phoenix will appear to be sleeping, and remain that way until the hibernation ends."


    "I see...but what''s the point of this hibernation thing?" I asked.


    "Every time a phoenix goes through hibernation, they be stronger. Think of it like a natural ''leveling up'' process. So, ria hibernating is good for you as well," Obsidia exined. "You should leave her somewhere safe and quiet, where she can hibernate peacefully. This hotel is a good ce."


    I nodded. "Got it. I''ll talk to Mrs. Leng about this when we go down."

 Chapter 247 - Acquiring New Spells

    A short whileter, we met up with Old Man Leng''s wife in the hotel lobby on the first floor. We found out that she had already handled all the hotel procedures for us, so we didn''t have to worry about anything of the sort, which was awesome. As an aside, she didn''t check us out or anything - apparently, she booked around a whole month for us.


    "Hm...two minuteste," she said upon spotting us exit the elevator.


    We walked over to her, and I spoke. "Sorry. The elevator we had been nning on entering was too full, so we had to wait for the next one. Since this is peak times, the traffic on these elevators are pretty high."


    "There''s always the stairs, you know..." she replied with a smirk.


    "Sorry,dy, but we aren''t about to descend 42 flights of stairs in one go," Xiang Peng scoffed.


    Since our room number was 420, that meant our room was on the 42nd floor. This was the one time I agreed with Xiang Peng - I''m not going down 42 sets of stairs in a row. My legs wouldn''t be able to take it.


    "Yeah...it would take us even longer if we did that, not to mention we would be far too tired to do anything before the training today even began," Feng Mian added with a sigh. "Speaking of, Old Man Leng mentioned some more training today - do you have any idea what it''s going to be?"


    Mrs. Leng smiled mysteriously. "I do, yes...but telling would ruin the whole suspense and mystery my husband intended, no?"


    "Suspense and mystery...for just some training?" Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow.


    "Um...I don''t think it''s ''just some training''..." Lan Xiao Su murmured. "I mean, yesterday''s paintball battle was a pretty unique form of training and above all, fun!"


    "Agreed!" Qing Yue eximed happily, before clutching onto my arm as usual, much to dismay of the other girls. Amane, seeing this, immediately clutched at my other arm, not letting anyone else get ahead of her.


    Yu An Yan sighed after hearing Qing Yue''s words, then chuckled. "Yeah, hard to argue there. I got eliminated really quickly by you-know-who, but it was still fun nheless spectating."


    She red at me when she got to the ''you-know-who'' part, and I averted my gaze.


    <em>Why am I feeling guilty? All I did was y the damn game. Ah...whatever.</em>


    <em></em>"Heh. He''s going to be real happy when I tell him you guys all enjoyed it," Mrs. Leng chuckled, before turning around and facing the main entrance of the hotel. "In any case, you''ll find out what today holds soon enough. Follow me. Might want to be quick too, since you''re attracting...quite a bit of attention."


    It was then that I noticed the stares (res)ing from all around. As usual, going around town with eight absolutely stunning girls was a problem. It would be nine if ria was here as well...speaking of, I should bring the topic up...


    "By the way, Mrs. Leng..." I spoke up. "Can you pay for us to stay at this hotel a bit longer?"


    She nodded. "You''ll be staying here every night until the preliminaries for the tournament to enter Fragment. But...why the request?"


    I sighed. "Well, you see...ria seems to like this ce a lot. I wasn''t sure if you were going to make us switch to a cheaper hotel or something, so I decided to ask just to confirm."


    Mrs. Lengughed. "We aren''t that poor. We can afford having you all stay here, as long as you only take up one room. Let that little girl know she has her wish granted."


    I smiled in return. "Thank you."


    Mrs. Leng walked out of the hotel lobby, and we moved to follow her. But before that, I was met with the dubious gazes of the other girls.


    "Why did you lie to her...?" Feng Mian asked, confused. She wasn''t using a demanding tone or anything, just genuinely curious.


    "We''re not that close with Old Man Leng and his wife," I exined. "I don''t know why they are helping us like this right now, but...I don''t want to give them any information that they can use to their advantage. Always assume the worst - if they know ria is vulnerable right now...the consequences could be dire."


    Xiang Peng sighed. "Haiz...Xuan Kai, you''re so pessimistic all the time. No fun."


    "No. This is not pessimism, but instead merely carefulness," Obsidia argued. "I respect his mindset, and agree with it. The less information we give out for free, the better. Not many people know about the...''thing'' ria is going through right now, after all."


    The ''thing'' she referred to were the hibernation periods all phoenixes went through. Since people from all around us could be using Sound Magic to listen in to our conversations, she didn''t specifically say anything, which I appreciated.


    "Anyway, let''s go. Don''t want to keep Mrs. Leng waiting," I said, slipping on my hood. Mei Gui, seeing this, did the same - the little copycat. She copied what I wore as well...and now even my exact motions. I didn''t mind, per se, but instead found it quite amusing.


    And so, the ten of us set out for another tough day of training, not knowing at the time that today, will be the day we all take a crucial step forward in our magical journey of cultivation.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    We followed Mrs. Leng out the hotel, walking along the rtively empty sidewalks of District A. Since most people travelled using vehicles - although the ''cars'' in here were far more advanced than those on the outside, and were pretty much levitating in the air without wheels - the sidewalks were rarely used. Old Man Leng owned one of these vehicles, but it was far too small to fit all of us inside at once.


    We continued walking, all the way from the hotel to Old Man Leng''s shop. When we arrived, Old Man Leng was just turning on the sign on one of his windows from ''closed'' to ''open''.


    "Good mornin''," he said upon spotting us.


    "Heya," Qing Yue waved happily in response. "Where are we going today?"


    Old Man Leng chuckled. "You''ll find out when we get there, lil'' girl."


    Then, turning to his wife, he continued. "You got the store?"


    Mrs. Leng nodded. "I can handle it."


    "Alrighty then. Let''s head out," Old Man Leng said with a wink.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- About An Hour Later -</strong>


    After a good hour of walking, we arrived before a massive tower that looked like a futuristic library. The windows were transparent, so we could see what was inside - shelves upon shelves of books, lined up neatly on every floor. At first nce, this huge structure seemed to have a good hundred floors, at the very least. The scene was grand and quite breathtaking.


    "Woah...what is this ce?" Qing Yue asked, eyes widening in wonder.


    Old Man Leng grinned, as if he had expected our awed reactions. "Wee to the most famous ce in District A - The Library of Infinite Beginnings."


    "The Library of Infinite Beginnings..." I echoed. "That''s quite the...enigmatic name."


    It took me a while to find the right word to describe it - enigmatic. While I had no idea what these ''infinite beginnings'' are, no doubt, they provided this ce with an air of mystery. To me, this building was a ce of unknowns - waiting to be discovered by someone. And that makes me quite excited, to put it bluntly.


    "So, what will we be doing exactly in here?" Feng Mian asked curiously.


    "Fer now, I''ll just give y''all a tour of this ce, since it''s damn huge," Old Man Leng replied. "Once we''re done that, I''ll tell ya guys about the actual trainin'' task..."


    "Well, the paintball fight yesterday was training with guns, right?" Yu An Yan spoke up. "So we should be getting some training for our actual magic..."


    "...And ording to its name...this ce is a library," Obsidia added. "The perfect location to learn new spells and improve your magical strength."


    "U-Um...but, I doubt they''ll just let us read whatever textbooks are in here for free," Lan Xiao Su remarked. "Wouldn''t people normally put a price tag on this kind of thing?"


    Obsidia snorted. "Humans are greedy creatures. They try to profit off of whatever they can. However...it seems to me that this library is unique. Like Lan Xiao Su, I do not think they would just let us learn the knowledge in this ce for free, but at the same time, I wonder if the ''payment'' method is a bit...different."


    "Oh?" Old Man Leng raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "And how is it different, do ya think? Take a wild guess."


    "Hmph...from what I have seen so far in The Fortress, the Magic Capital...I would say it is less ''payment'', and more of a...''test''," Obsidia answered, folding her arms as a grin crept up Old Man Leng''s aged face.

 Chapter 248 - The Library Of Infinite Beginnings

    We entered therge tower before us, known as the Library of Infinite Beginnings. The automatic doors slid open, and we walked inside. The interior was beautifully delineated, with lots of space all around so that it didn''t feel cramped like lots of libraries on the outside. There walls of this cylindrical structure were all transparent, so they were more like windows, really. There was a massive exquisitely designed ss spiral staircase in the middle of the first floor, leading upwards. The floor above us was also transparent - we could essentially see through it and even beyond to floors further up, but curiously, we couldn''t see any actual people.


    "Is there no one on the upper floors?" I asked.


    Old Man Leng chuckled. "Nah, they''re there. Ya just can''t see them from down here."


    "But...the ceiling above us is transparent. I can see all the bookshelves and even other floors further up," Feng Mian mused.


    "It''s enchanted with some special magic," Xiang Peng exined, stepping up and making a sightseeing gesture, cing her hand above her eyebrows. "More specifically, it''s a high level Enchantment Element spell. I''ve seen this kind of thing before. What it does is essentially hide specific entities from view in a given direction. In this case, they merely enchanted the ss floor so that it looks nice when looking from below - staring at shoe soles wouldn''t be really nice, after all."


    "You''re right...this way, when I look up, it looks like a maze of bookshelves lined up in different directions, at different altitudes..." Yu An Yan remarked in awe. "You would think this makes it look messy, but in reality it looks intriguing and draws gazes in, almost like a hypnosis spell."


    Old Man Leng sank into thought. "Hm...ya know of this technique? Where are ya from, girl?"


    "Ahaha..." Xiang Pengughed awkwardly, before turning to me for help.


    <em>Don''t look at me, dude. You only have yourself to me for this one.</em>


    Old Man Leng, seeing her reaction, sighed. "Heh. It''s fine, I get it. Everyone''s got a few secrets. I won''t pry."


    Xiang Peng sped her hands together in a praying gesture. "My thanks!"


    <em>If she said she was from within Fragment now, that would only cause Old Man Leng to have more questions, which I would like to avoid.</em>


    "Anyway, follow me. We should get ya some library cards first, before anythin'' else," Old Man Leng said, walking over to the counter further inside.


    We did as told, and the receptionist, an old woman who looked to already be in her 100s, spoke. "Wee to the Library of Infinite Beginnings. How may I help you?"


    Living 100 years wasn''t too big of a deal. The stronger you were as a mage, the longer you could naturally live. If I had to guess, I''d say this woman was at least an Ancestral Mage. But...most people retained their youthful looks when they aged - a benefit of the elemental energy in our bodies. However, people like this woman whose appearance also aged with her age weren''t that umon either. Old Man Leng also appeared to be one of these people, while his wife, Mrs. Leng, was part of the majority - she still appeared to only be in her thirties, after all, while Old Man Leng looked to be around sixty.


    "Good mornin''," Old Man Leng said in his usual coarse voice. "I''m just bringin'' a few buddies ''round here for the first time. Think ya can get them their cards?"


    "Of course," the olddy replied. "Quite the beautifuldies and handsome youngd you have there."


    "Heh. What if I told you these girls are all in love with the boy?" Old Man Leng chuckled.


    The girls, caught off guard by this surprise attack, widened their eyes and began blushing, but because this was a library, refrained from saying anything out loud.


    "Oho...what a lucky boy," the receptionist covered her mouth andughed a little.


    I averted my gaze, and sighed.


    "Now then, your Mage IDs, please?" the olddy continued.


    The girls and I all pulled out our Mage IDs and handed them to her, with the exception of Obsidia, who still didn''t have one. Speaking of, we should probably get her a fake one somehow soon...


    After a few minutes, the whole procedure was done. She handed me our newly printed library cards along with our Mage IDs back, and I distributed them among the others. I noticed that the library cards each contained our name, a long string of numbers on the back, and...


    "Hm? What''s this?" Qing Yue asked, pointing at the tiny text in the bottom right corner of her card that read ''Clearance Level: 1''.


    "That number there defines the locations you can go to within this library," the receptionist exined. "Right now, all of you are only at Clearance Level 1. What this means is that you can only ess the first floor of the library - going further up is impossible. You can try it yourself, but...only when you''re ready."


    "Huh...and I''m guessing the higher up the floor is, the better its contents?" I asked.


    The olddy nodded. "Indeed. But I warn you - it is not easy, getting a higher clearance level."


    "Nya...then, how dyo we dyo it?" Amane questioned, tilting her head and wagging her tail slowly.


    "Remember where we are," the olddy stated, winking mysteriously. "Within The Fortress, strength is the only thing that matters."


    "U-Um, so, in other words...we have to prove ourselves by fighting to obtain a higher clearance level?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly for confirmation.


    The olddy nodded. "That''s correct. There are gatekeepers at the entrances of each floor. You must defeat them to obtain clearance for that floor."


    "Old Man Leng...is this why you made use here?" I muttered quietly.


    The person in question, however, heard my words, but strangely didn''t respond. Instead, he just looked at me and gave a faint chuckle.


    "However," the olddy continued. "Beware that the gatekeepers are not easy targets. They are also merciless. There have been many people who went in unprepared, and got ughtered - quite literally."


    "You can...actually die from this..." Yu An Xue murmured thoughtfully.


    "Yep," Old Man Leng agreed. "So, better prepare yourself first before trying to beat the gatekeeper."


    "Hey oldie, what clearance level do you have?" Xiang Peng asked.


    "Me? Level 26," Old Man Leng replied. "Couldn''t get any further than that, back in prime. Even now, I still probably won''t be able to beat that damned Level 27 gatekeeper..."


    <em>So even Old Man Leng is only able to get up to Floor 26, huh...</em>


    <em></em>"How many floors are there in total?" I asked. "By the looks of this ce, there''s got to be at least fifty."


    "A hundred," the olddy receptionist answered. "There are a hundred floors in total...and so far, no one has been able to conquer the 100th floor, no matter how strong they were. But it is said that...the reward for defeating the Level 100 gatekeeper is something extremely special..."


    <em>No matter how strong they were...? Just how strong is this final boss...?</em><em></em>


    <em>But...I have to admit. I''m a bit curious about this ''extremely special'' final reward...</em>


    <em></em>"Well, I don''t expect ya guys to do anythin'' crazy like that," Old Man Lengughed. "I just want ya guys to reach Floor 30. You have now until the start of the preliminaries, which are in a month."


    Yu An Yan sighed. "Easier said than done...you yourself only reached Floor 27, and you''re...what, an Ancestral Mage?"


    "Actually, I''m only an Advanced Mage," Old Man Leng snickered.


    "Still, that''s higher than us," Yu An Yan continued. "We''re only Intermediate Mages right now..."


    "Which is why I''m givin'' ya a month to get stronger."


    "...Fair."


    "From now on, I''ll leave y''all on your own. I''ve already showed ya where this ce is, and got y''all cards - my part is done. The rest...is up to yerself. Remember - if ya don''t want to die, make sure yer sufficiently prepared before goin'' in to challenge the gatekeeper."


    With that, he gave us a wave, and left the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    "Well then...we should start learning," I said with a sigh. "Let''s just go through this first floor and look for anything useful, since...it''s the only floor we can ess right now."


    The girls nodded in response, and we each went to a different part of the floor.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- ??? -</strong>


    <strong></strong>A silver knight, d in shining metal armor, knelt before a masked man sitting on a throne. This man was wearing ck robes, and was quite skinny. He had ck hair, and his mask was silver, covering most of his face, but leaving one eye in sight.


    "My lord, the boy you have been looking for is here. In the Magic Capital," the knight said. His voice was deep and rich.


    The robed man chuckled. "Is he now..."


    "Yes. I spotted him earlier today. He and his group of allies were with an old man who looked to be about in his fifties or sixties."


    "I see...and the stone pendant?"


    "Unfortunately, I was too far away to get a good look, so I may be wrong, but...I did not see the stone pendant on him," the knight replied, bowing his head in apology.


    "Hmm...how intriguing," the robed man tilted his head, before gently resting it on his hand. "Hey...our men back in Shenzhen, they failed to get the stone pendant as well. Didn''t they send in a thief into his dormitory or something, from what I''ve heard...?"


    "Yes, they did, my lord. However, the thief was converted into one of that boy''s allies," the knight answered. "I apologize for the uselessness of our men..and myself."


    "Don''t. In fact, I am quite thankful they didn''t seed back in Shenzhen. Otherwise, some of the other High Priests may have gotten word on what I was nning...remember, the invasion on Shenzhen was a collective project between myself and several other High Priests. The men who were stationed there were not all ours."


    "Yes, you are right, my lord."


    "However...District A is my domain," the robed man continued, a smile creeping up his face beneath the mask he wore. "So...you know what I am hinting at, don''t you...Shingen?"


    The knight, Shingen, got up from the ground, and saluted the robed man.


    "Yes, my lord. I will seed this time - I promise."


    "Good...there is nothing in this world more reassuring than a knight''s promise, after all."

 Chapter 249 - The Gatekeeper

    <strong>- The Library of Infinite Beginnings, Floor 1 -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    After a while of browsing on our own, we regrouped back near the main entrance of the building.


    "So? Did you guys find anything useful?" I asked.


    They all shook their heads dejectedly.


    "All of these books on the first floor only exin the basics of magic, stuff like history of the world and all that. But it doesn''t even teach any actual spells," Feng Mian said with a sigh.


    "Yeah, same for me. None of the books I came across were useful at all," Yu An Yan added.


    "Looks like it''s the same for everyone else as well then," I concluded. "All I found were some children''s...counting books? Some didn''t even have anything to do with magic..."


    "I''m sure what we''re looking for is on the higher floors," Qing Yue said hopefully. "There''s just the matter of getting past the Gatekeeper..."


    "Do you guys want to give it a shot?" I asked. "Old Man Leng said that we could actually die if we aren''t sufficiently prepared, but...I think we can do it."


    "Oh? The confidence! What makes you say so?" Xiang Peng tilted her head.


    "Well...I''m thinking of this ce like a dungeon. 100 floors total, with a boss at the end of each one. When designing a video game, you''ve gotta make it beatable with the resources given within the game, correct? So in this case, the books on each floor...should allow us to defeat the gatekeeper there," I exined.


    "Nya, syo, in nyother words, the Gatekyeeper of this floor shouldn''t be too bad?" Amane wondered aloud. "I mean...if it kyan be beaten with children''s kyounting books."


    I nodded. "That''s my guess. But if you all don''t want to risk it, that''s fine by me too."


    "No....Master, if we can''t even handle this level of danger, we don''t deserve to be travelling by your side," Mei Gui said determinedly. "There will only be stronger enemies and greater dangers in the future. This is good practice for when that timees...unless some of you want to back out now?"


    She turned to re at each of the girls, as if asking <em>''are you going to abandon Master just because the journey ahead is dangerous?''</em><em></em>


    Feng Mian shook her head. "Calm down, Mei Gui. We''ve all been with Xuan Kai for quite some time now, and came across quite a few dangers. If we were the type to just back out the moment things went south, we would''ve left a long time ago."


    "Honestly...I can''t even imagine you''d suggest something like that," Yu An Yan sighed. "Really, Mei Gui? Are we that low in your mind?"


    "Heehee, I don''t know about danger or anything like that, but as long as Big Brother Xuan Kai is with me, nothing is scary!" Qing Yue eximed, before hugging me tightly. The other girls all agreed.


    I caught her in my arms, and took a deep breath. "Okay then. Let''s give the Gatekeeper a shot."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    The ten of us headed up the ss spiral staircase in the middle of the room. It wasn''t too long, but it felt like it due to the nervousness we were all feeling right now. We had logically concluded that the Gatekeeper of Floor 1 should be pretty easy, but...who knows, really? There are too many things in this world that defy logic, after all.


    Once we reached the top of the staircase, a door stood in our way. It looked like a normal - albeit exquisitely designed with masterful craftsmanship - door at first nce, but when I tried pushing it open, it wouldn''t budge.


    "U-Um...there''s a card scanner down here. Maybe we have to use our library cards?" Lan Xiao Su spoke up, pointing at a machine attached to the beige wall, to the right of the door.


    I did as she suggested, pulling out the library card I had just been issued a little earlier, and swiped it downwards, since that appeared to be how you were supposed to use the device.


    After a while, the monitor of the device beeped twice, and showed the following word:


    <strong>VERIFIED.</strong>


    And then, without any warning, the door before us swung open...to reveal what seemed like a portal.


    "What is this...?" I muttered aloud.


    "What is what?" Feng Mian asked, clearly confused.


    "Huh? Wait, you guys don''t see this portal in front of me?"


    "Nope," Yu An Yan and the other girls responded, shaking their heads. "What portal? All I see is the door."


    "..." I turned back to the portal, and narrowed my gaze.


    <em>Does it...only be visible for whoever swiped their card on that machine?</em><em></em>


    <em></em>Then, spinning back to face the girls, I continued. "There''s a portal in front of me right now, but you all probably can''t see it because I was the only one who swiped my card on that card-reading machine. It''s probably set up this way so that people can only take on the Gatekeeper on their own, with no outside help. I''m guessing even if you swipe your card on this machine and a portal pops up, it''ll bring you into a different ce to fight your Gatekeeper, separate from mine."


    "Huh...howplicated," Xiang Peng noted. "Guess they <em>really</em> value individual strength, huh?"


    "Is it not like this within Fragment?" Obsidia scoffed.


    "Oh yeah. Don''t get me wrong. The people inside Fragment are all extreme elitists. I''m honestly sick of it. They''re all ''get strong or get out''. It''s dumb as hell," Xiang Peng replied. "So, I''m journeying along with you guys as a break, kinda. And it''s been pretty enjoyable so far!"


    I sighed. "Whatever the case...if individual strength is what they want, then so be it. I''ll go first - you guys wait out here."


    "Okay - stay safe," Feng Mian said with a warm smile.


    "Mm...we''ll be right here when you return," Yu An Xue added, practically the first time she''s spoken all day.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai doesn''t lose! I''m sure of it!" Qing Yue eximed happily.


    I nodded in confirmation, then took a deep breath. And with that, I stepped through the portal.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Within the Portal -</strong>


    <strong></strong>The moment I stepped through, I found myself in a ck space. All around me, there were differents - one with a huge red dot, another with a beautiful ring around it, and a hazy blue one that was smaller than the others. Along with these were various rocks - asteroids, floating about. I looked below me, and saw no solid ground. And yet, I could feel that I was standing on some kind of floor. I wasn''t falling, after all.


    Despite my surroundings clearly depicting I was in space, I could still feel the force of gravity. I still had full control over my body, and breathing wasn''t a problem either.


    <em>Just...where am I?</em>


    And then, suddenly, a man materialized about 50 meters in front of me. I immediately got into battle position, assuming this person was the Gatekeeper I had to defeat. But instead, the man showed no sign of hostility. He wore a ck and yellow mask that covered only his eyes, and a long white robe plus two white wings that made him almost seem like some kind of angel.


    "Wee to the Library of Infinite Beginnings," the man said. His voice echoed throughout whatever ce I was in, and it was gentle and soothing.


    "Who are you?" I asked in return, narrowing my gaze.


    "Before that...I wish to ask you a question."


    I raised an eyebrow, getting out of battle stance. "A question? Aren''t I supposed to be in here fighting a Gatekeeper?"


    The man smiled. "Yes...but I sensed something different within you, dear disciple. You have a mysterious energy inside you, and I wish to know what it is."


    "Hate to break it to you, but...I''m nothing special. Just your average 14 year old, trying to get stronger," I replied nonchntly.


    <em>If he can sense my Chaos power...he''s gotta be extremely strong. Normal people of this world shouldn''t be able to detect that I''m unusual until they see me use magic.</em>


    The man merelyughed softly and flew up into the air with his two wings. "...Tell me, boy...why is it do you think that birds fly?"


    "Huh?"


    <em>What the hell...? That''s so random.</em>


    <em></em>"It''s a genuine question. Why is it do you think...that birds fly?"


    I frowned. I didn''t know why I was taking so long to answer this question, but for some reason, I feltpelled to really think about it and give the answer that resides within my soul.


    <em>Birds fly because they have wings? No...their wings gives them the ability to fly, but that''s not why they choose to fly...</em>


    <em>Perhaps...they fly because they have to in order to get food? No, but...they can do that on the ground too, just slower...</em>


    <em></em>After a good few minutes of thinking, the man patiently waiting all the while, I looked up at him and stared him straight in the eye.


    "Birds fly...because they want to."

 Chapter 250 - Angels Descent

    "Birds fly...because they want to."


    The angel-esque young man before me appeared a little stunned by my answer. He froze in mid-air, somehow still levitating even though his wings had stopped pping. After a while, he finally came back to his senses.


    "Birds fly because they want to...what an interesting answer," he remarked. "I expected you to say something about them having wings, or the fact that they needed to search for food, but...looks likes I was right after all. You are indeed special."


    "Special? Nah," I scoffed. "I''m just saying whatever fits in line with my own philosophy. Birds fly because they want to - and I am the same. Call it selfish. Call it immature. But in order to achieve the goal that I want, I am willing to do whatever it takes."


    "But wouldn''t a world where all suffering and pain is gone be the ideal?" the angel continued. "Your philosophy is indeed interesting, but in a perfect world, all sadness will be gone - including the burning hatred I see within your eyes."


    I scoffed. "A world where all suffering and pain is removed, huh...but at what cost? Humans are naturally evil creatures, to some degree. In order topletely remove suffering and pain from the world, you must purge all evil thoughts from everyone''s minds - essentially brainwashing them. But doing so would also remove other emotions."


    I crossed my arms. "So you tell me, Mr. Angel - is a life without suffering and pain worth it, at the cost of choice, hope, and joy?"


    Shocked once more by my wless argument, the angel descended back on the ground. "...You are certainly a pragmatist."


    "I''ll take that as apliment," I replied with a smug grin. "No offense, but screw your ideals."


    But instead of getting pissed off like I assumed he would, the angelic young man smiled. "I see. You are indeed special, young man."


    Then, turning around, he began pping his wings once more, ascending into the air. And right before he dematerialized in a blinding white light, he murmured a few words.


    "Birds fly because they want to...huh."


    "Wait! You still haven''t told me who you ar-" I began, but it was toote. He was already gone.


    And then, a door suddenly appeared in front of me, where the man used to be.


    <em>What...?</em>


    <em></em>With nothing better to do, I stepped forward, and pushed open the door. On the other side, was another portal. I frowned, and entered it.


    A bright sh ensued, and when it dimmed away, I found myself in a brand new room - much like Floor 1 of the Library of Infinite Beginnings. Bookshelves were neatly stationed everywhere, and the door I just passed through nked shut gently behind me.


    <em>Wait...is this...Floor 2?!</em>


    To check, I immediately pulled out my library card. Indeed - magically, the clearance level on it had been somehow changed from 1 to 2.


    <em>What the hell happened...? I didn''t even fight anything!</em>


    I immediately turned around and pulled open the door I had just came through, expecting another portal. but instead, now, it just functioned like a normal door. On the other side were the girls, surprised to suddenly see me pop out there. To them, it must''ve looked like my head suddenly appearing out of a portal...but since I already ''passed'' this level, I couldn''t see the portal anymore. I''m guessing it was the same for anyone else who had already passed. Obviously, those who didn''t scan the card on the scanner couldn''t enter the portal, as only one person could enter at a time.


    It was a weird mechanism - but then again, these Gatekeeper tests were never meant to be taken in arge group like ours anyway.


    "Wha...Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian murmured hesitantly.


    "Uh...hi?" I waved a little, before stepping through and closing the door behind me.


    "Wait, did you beat it? The Gatekeeper," Yu An Yan asked.


    I scratched my hair. "Er...it''splicated. I''ll exin moreter, but for now, you all can go ahead and give it a shot."


    The girls looked at me curiously, but didn''t pry.


    "Um...okay," Feng Mian took a deep breath. "I''ll go, then."


    And with that, she swiped her library card on the device beside the door, and stepped through the portal. Of course, I couldn''t see it, so to me, it just seemed like she just phased straight through the door, but...oh well.


    I doubted that man was the Gatekeeper. After all, I didn''t even have to fight him. He must''ve let me pass on purpose for some reason, after asking me those weird and random questions.


    <em>But if that''s the case, then...was he some kind of high-ranking administrator of this library? Who else could just let me freely pass a level like that?</em>


    I decided to ask the olddy receptionistter, after all the girls had finished their run.


    <em>Good luck, Feng Mian.</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Inside the Portal -</strong>


    <strong>(Feng Mian''s Perspective)</strong>


    After a blinding sh of white light that surrounded mepletely, I found myself within a space-themed arena of sorts. The ground below me was transparent, but I could feel I was still standing on solid ground. In front of me was a boar - yes, the animal: a literal boar. Not only that, but it appeared to be sleeping at the moment.


    <em>Wait...this thing is the Gatekeeper? That easy? Really?</em>


    <em></em>I raised my hand, and pointed it towards the sleeping boar. "Level One Ice Magic - Skewer of Ice."


    A long and sharp ice shard appeared in my hand, and I shot it out at the boar with great force. The ice prated the poor animal''s ''tough'' hide instantly, and the creature spasmed a little before stopping all movements altogether.


    <em>Wait...is that it? No way, right? It was that easy?</em>


    <em></em>The answer to my question was revealed as a door suddenly manifested in front of me, where the boar had just been. The dead boar''s body was nowhere to be found. I stepped forward into the doorway, and pushed it open.


    A familiar white light surrounded me, and when it dimmed away, I found myself on the other side of the door - the 2nd Floor of the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    At least, that''s what I thought it was.


    To confirm, I pulled out my library card, and saw that the clearance level noted on it had indeed been somehow magically changed from ''1'' to ''2''. I could now officially ess the 2nd floor of this ce.


    I looked around, and saw people reading books here and there, some browsing the shelves. A few of the male guests nearly dropped their jaw after seeing me, and I doubted that had anything to do with me suddenly appearing...but more so just my looks.


    In any case, I quickly turned around and pushed open the door. I was met with the rest of the girls along with Xuan Kai. They weren''t too surprised to see me, having already been through this once when Xuan Kai suddenly appeared through this door.


    "You did it," Yu An Yan mused. "Congrats! How was the Gatekeeper?"


    "Well...believe it or not, it was just a boar," I replied truthfully.


    "A what?" Xuan Kai raised an eyebrow.


    "A...boar," I repeated.


    "Are you kidding me? A boar?! That''s it?!" Xuan Kai continued, covering his face in shame. "Oh god, now I feel so stupid for worrying that we might die from this..."


    "I-It''s okay!" Qing Yue quickly said, cheering Xuan Kai up. "This is just the first floor, after all! No doubt, the Gatekeeperster on will be far tougher and more dangerous!"


    "Man...I don''t want to say ''I hope so'', but really..." Xuan Kai muttered.


    I giggled. "In any case, I''ve verified that this test is extremely easy. Who''s going next?"


    "I''ll go next, I suppose," Yu An Yan said with a sigh. "I was kinda looking forward to a good fight, too...oh well, whatever."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    After that, we repeated the same process with everyone else, and not even an hourter, all ten of us were finished. During this time, no one else attempted toe up the staircase to ess the 2nd floor, surprisingly.


    "Whew...all done!" Qing Yue eximed, stretching her arms.


    "Qing Yue, how did you even beat the boar? You barely have any offensive power," I asked, genuinely curious.


    "Heehee, it was easy! I used a speed boost spell on it, then taunted it to make it charge at me...and then finally, leapt out of the way. The boar mmed into some kind of solid surface behind me, and dropped down unconscious," Qing Yue exined.


    "Unconscious? So you don''t have to kill the Gatekeeper, just render it unable to keep fighting?" Yu An Yan guessed.


    "I guess so," Feng Mian added with a shrug. "In any case, now that we''re all Clearance Level 2 now...let''s explore the 2nd floor. We still have quite a bit of time before lunch."


    "Yeah, you guys do that...I have something I need to do real quick," I interrupted, much to the girls'' dismay.


    "What...? What thing?" Xiang Peng asked. "Oho...a secret date with someone we don''t know about?"


    I sent her a deadpan look. "Why do you always assume it''s something sexual?"


    Xiang Peng shrugged. "I don''t know, man. You tell me, with all these girls around you."


    I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I''ll be done pretty quickly. I''lle find you guys."


    With that, I turned around, and headed down the staircase.


    <em>Alrighty...let''s ask the receptionist about that weird angel-like man and how he knows about my Chaos power...speaking of, did he appear for Mei Gui as well? She''s pretty much a Chaos Elemental, no? The energy in her should be even more pure than the Chaos in me.</em>


    "Master, I shall apany you," Mei Gui said, as if reading my mind. Actually, she probably could tell I was thinking about her, thanks to our psychic connection.


    I nodded. "Alright."

 Chapter 251 - The Hovercar Experience

    I headed down the staircase, Mei Gui following closely behind. The other girls were disappointed to be left behind, but didn''t question and instead spent this time exploring the 2nd Floor of the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    The ''something'' I had to do was, of course, investigating about that young man I had met within whatever that portal was.


    "Mei Gui, did you also meet that man when you went into the portal?" I asked as we were on our way down.


    She nodded. "Yes, Master. He wore a ck mask that covered only his eyes, a white robe, and had two angel-like wings."


    "That''s the one," I muttered. "What did he ask you?"


    "I attacked him before he could ask anything," Mei Gui replied calmly.


    I blinked. "I should''ve expected that...but uh, what happened? Did he just run away or something?"


    Mei Gui shook her head. "He started asking me questions <em>while </em>evading all of my attacks."


    <em>H-Holy shit...now that, I didn''t expect.</em>


    "Er...okay. So what did he ask you?"


    "An interesting yet utterly irrelevant question - he asked me why is it do I think that birds fly."


    "He asked me the same thing," I sighed. "And? What was your response?"


    "I didn''t answer him, Master. I assumed the question was just a futile attempt to distract me, and that the man was the Gatekeeper I had to defeat."


    "...Pragmatic as always I see," I muttered. "Anyway, I''m curious...why <em>is it </em>do you think that birds fly?"


    Mei Gui frowned and tilted her head. "Is this relevant, Master?"


    I shrugged. "Not really, but I just want to know your answer. After thinking about it for a little, I came to realize that a person''s response to this seemingly simple question can actually tell you a lot about them."


    "...I do not quite understand, but alright," Mei Gui said. "I believe that birds fly because they possess hollow bones in their body that are light yet strong. The shape of their wings are perfect to catch air, and the feathers on their body helps with the aerodynamics of it. In addition, a bird''s lungs are powerful and efficient, allowing them to fly for long distances without tiring."


    I blinked. "..."


    "...That is my answer, Master."


    "...Er...okay then. I guess it makes sense, considering you''re the very definition of pragmatic," I said with a sigh. "But uh, just for the record, I was expecting more of a philosophical answer than a full on scientific research essay."


    "I am very sorry, Master," Mei Gui suddenly bowed down in apology.


    I gave a little chop to her head, which surprised her a little, and she yelped in surprise, something I didn''t get to see often.


    "Idiot. What are you apologizing for? I said ''just for the record''. You did nothing wrong - in fact, your answer fit perfectly in line with your personality, so I''d say my theory about how one''s answer to this question can say a lot about themself, still holds true."


    "Master..." she smiled faintly, but it was a smile more valuable than any other. I doubted she even understood what I was saying, but she could feel the emotions in my heart, as I could with her. We were connected - and not only by the power of Chaos.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After that short exchange, we finally arrived at the front desk on the 1st Floor of the Library, where the same olddy who issued us our library cards was still sitting behind there, working on something on herputer.


    "Excuse me," I said, walking over directly since no one else was in line or anything.


    "Oh, it''s you again. Yes? How may I help you?" she asked in a kind and gentle tone.


    "Uh...is there any way we could talk somewhere...more private?" I muttered, looking around and spotting several watchful gazes looking in our direction. Mei Gui, in particr. She was wearing her ck mask as well since I was, but even then that could not hide her perfect features. She was bound to attract attention.


    "Hm...there''s about 5 minutes until my shift ends," the olddy replied. "If you want, you can eat lunch with me. No one else would be able to hear our conversation."


    I nodded. "That sounds perfect. We''ll wait, then."


    5 minutester, the olddy got out of her workspace just like she said she would. Someone else, a young man, took over her position for the time being. Telling us to follow her, we were led outside, and she circled around to the back of the massive tower known as the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    There, hundreds of vehicles were parked. Unlike the outside, where all cars had wheels, within The Fortress, these vehicles travelled by floating slightly above ground,pletely removing the friction generated from the floor, allowing itself to reach higher speeds. Of course, when they were parked, they were just sitting on the floor like any normal car.


    The olddy led us to a red one, and pulled open the door with one swift motion.


    I widened my eyes in surprise. "You don''t leave your car locked?"


    "Huh? What are you talking about?" the olddyughed. "It <em>was </em>locked. I just unlocked it."


    "What...? But you didn''t even use a key or anythin-"


    "A key? Really?" she looked at me as if I just said something really stupid. "Who still uses those?"


    "Then...how do you prevent other people from stealing your car?" Mei Gui asked, frowning, just as confused as I was.


    "Fingerprints, my child," the olddy replied. "You see here? When I ce my hand on the handle of the door, my fingers wrap around the bottom of it. There are sensors stationed there to scan my fingerprints, and identify the person as me, therefore allowing me to unlock the door."


    She allowed us to get a closer look, locking the door and then unlocking it again with the same manuever.


    "Oh..." Mei Gui and I looked on,pletely engrossed in this new knowledge.


    "Of course, keys still exist as a back-up - for example, if your hand gets broken or something. But really, no one uses them nowadays, especially since most wounds can just be healed with some Blessing Magic - which is a fairlymon element to have."


    "I see..." I murmured thoughtfully. "I learned something new today. Thanks."


    "Oh, don''t thank me - you were bound to find out eventually. It''smon knowledge around here," the olddy said, before hopping the driver''s seat. "Hop in, I''ll take you two to a restaurant."


    Mei Gui and I looked at each other, unsure of whether or not to ept this request...mainly because we didn''t have any money.


    Then, as if reading our minds, the olddy chuckled. "Don''t worry. My treat."


    With this, the two of us let out a sigh of relief and did as told. She suddenly started the vehicle, and we were suddenly lifted up into the air.


    "Woah-!" I gasped, surprised by the sudden movement. I wasn''t used to this. I could feel that there was nothing but air between the bottom of our vehicle and the ground below. The lofty feeing left an unsettling feeling in my stomach, but at the same time, another part of me felt this was quite exciting.


    "Buckle up your seatbelts," the olddy said, and we immediately followed her instructions.


    And then, suddenly, the ceiling of the car dematerialized away, much to our shock.


    Noticing our reactions, the woman turned to us and grinned. "Where''s the fun in this if you don''t get the full experience?"


    "R-Right..." I muttered.


    <em>God...this woman''s daredevil personality does not suit her old age and librarian profession at all...</em><em></em>


    <em></em>Then, zooming out of the parking lot, we went onto the road, where many other floating cars were travelling about. I noticed the average speed of these vehicles was a lot higher than cars on the outside as well - a benefit of removing the friction between the wheels and the ground. These vehicles within The Fortress didn''t even have wheels, after all.


    "By the way, what are these vehicles really called?" I asked. "They can''t be just called cars, right...?"


    "Huh? What did you say?" the olddy yelled, unable to hear us through the howling winds whizzing past our ears.


    "I asked what these vehicles are called," I repeated, in a louder voice this time.


    "These babies are called hovercars!" the olddy replied. "Woohoo! I''ll never get sick of this!"


    I turned to look at Mei Gui, and she shrugged. I sighed, and just enjoyed the wind blowing against my face. It felt pretty nice...with the exception of when some stray debris, like small rocks, happened to hit my face. That was <em>not </em>nice. Mei Gui slowly reached her hand out over the left side of the hovercar, feeling the wind at its full. Her hair was also swaying from side to side from the wind, though she didn''t seem to mind.


    It was quite the experience. I could say that much.

 Chapter 252 - Celestici

    After around 10 minutes of driving, the old receptionist, Mei Gui, and I arrived at a restaurant located in the outskirts of District A, fairly close to the slums.


    "Why did wee here?" I asked. "There are plenty of better restaurants closer to the central part of the city."


    The old woman chuckled. "No no. Those ces might <em>look </em>luxurious and posh, but the food here is unbeatable."


    I had my doubts, but kept them to myself as we walked into the restaurant. As soon as we entered, a waiter spotted us.


    "Ah, Mrs. Fang! Wee back!" he said cheerfully, as expected of a waiter.


    <em>Wee...back? So is this olddy a regr here?</em>


    <em></em>"Good afternoon," the woman replied with a gentle smile. "Now then...where shall we sit?"


    "Right this way, madam!" the waiter eximed, leading us towards an empty table near the corner.


    <em>Yes! The corner seat is mine!</em>


    Once we had settled down, the waiter continued. "What will you be having today, Mrs. Fang and her twopanions?"


    "The usual for me," the olddy said. "As for these two...why don''t you give them the menu?"


    "Oh, yes! Of course! I just forgot because you were such a regr here, haha..." the young man quickly ran to the main counter and back, now with two menus in his hands. "Here you go, dear customers."


    Handing Mei Gui and I the two menus, he retreated for the time being to let us browse through it. I flipped my copy open and Mei Gui did the same.


    "Hm...seems like pretty traditional dishes," I noted. "Stir-fried tomato and eggs, spicy Szechuan beef..."


    "They are," the old woman replied.


    "But...you said that the food here was unbeatable, so I was expecting some kind of exquisite dish..." I murmured. "But this is fine to-"


    "Ah, the dishes may look like the type you would find at any other average restaurant, but the taste here is irreceable. You''ll see."


    Once again, I had my doubts, but I kept them for myself.


    "Okay...I''ll just have this tomato and eggsbo then. Mei Gui, what about you?"


    "I will have the same thing as Master," Mei Gui replied closing the menu gently.


    "Alright - hey, waiter?" Mrs. Fang, the old woman, hollered.


    The young waiter from earlier immediately rushed over. There were very few other customers in the restaurant, so service was rtively quick. I assumed it would be so when they served the actual food as well. Not only that, but us being pretty much alone here gave us lots of space to talk privately, which was exactly what I asked for.


    "Yes, Mrs. Fang?"


    "Can we get two orders of the Tomato and Eggsbo for these two here? And just the usual for me," the olddy ordered. "As for drinks, just three sses of water is fine."


    "Understood, Mrs. Fang!" the young man nodded, finishing jotting down everything she said. Then, picking up the menus we had just finished reading, he continued. "Your food will be ready in about ten minutes. Please wait patiently until then!"


    With that, the young man left us to our own devices.


    "He''s quite the enthusiastic young man, isn''t he?" the olddy chuckled.


    "Yeah...especially whenpared to me," I muttered.


    <em>He''s also not a bad guy. Normally, when men see Mei Gui, they can''t take their eyes off of her, but this boy only nced at her for a few moments, and it wasn''t in a lecherous way either.</em>


    "By the way, your name is Mrs. Fang?"


    She nodded. "Yes - that''s myst name. Feel free to call me that."


    I nodded. "I see...and do you know that waiter? I could tell you were a regr here, but you two seem to know each other on a personal basis."


    ncing out the window, her face became slightly saddened all of a sudden. "Yes. He''s my nephew."


    "Ah, that exins i-"


    "But he doesn''t know that."


    "Huh?" I blinked in surprise at the second part of her sentence.


    "To him, I am just a regr customer here. But to me...he''s my passed brother''s son," Mrs. Fang exined.


    I sank into thought. "I...see...and forgive me for prying, but is there some reason you don''t want him to know you are his aunt?"


    "It''s just...I don''t know how to face him," Mrs. Fang said with a sigh. "You see, his father - my brother - died from a curse. And...ording to my brother before he passed, after he dies, the curse will automatically transfer over to his future generation - his son."


    "What?!" I eximed in shock. "What kind of curse is that?"


    Mrs. Fang "It''s something called...the 1 Year Curse, I believe?"


    My eyes widened, and I looked at Mei Gui. She too, was in shock.


    "No way..." I breathed.


    "You know of this curse?" Mrs. Fang asked, slowly lifting her head.


    "Yes...the mother of one of our friends has been afflicted with it. She has around a little over two months to live now," I exined. "But if what you say is true, then..."


    "After her mother dies, the curse will transfer over onto your friend, and in another year, your friend will die as well." Mrs. Fang confirmed.


    I clenched my fists tightly. "Looks like we''ll have to speed up the search for the remedy then..."


    "What?! You know of a remedy?!" Mrs. Fang suddenly stood up, mming the table.


    "Uh...what''s wrong?" the young waiter, Mrs. Fang''s nephew, hurried over to investigate.


    "Ah, no...it''s nothing. Sorry about that," Mrs. Fang said, waving the young man off. He was confused, but did as told by his customer.


    After he had gone back into the back kitchen, Mrs. Fang turned and looked back at us. "You really know of a remedy to cure this curse?"


    I nodded. "Yes...my little sister discovered it in a textbook she read in our old school. I thought it wasmon knowledge since our school''s library wasn''t exactly top-tierpared to the Library of Infinite Beginnings, but..."


    "I have searched that ce clean to find a cure for this curse...that was the whole reason why I decided to work there in the first ce," Mrs. Fang muttered in frustration. "And yet...I was unable to find anything. Even if I was an employee there, I could still only ess up to Floor 32, which is my current clearance level. I have no doubt the remedy for this curse is somewhere within the Library of Infinite Beginnings - that ce has books on just about anything you can think of. But unfortunately...I am not strong enough."


    "How long does that waiter have left?" I asked grimly.


    "...6 months."


    "Got it...looks like that extra Hydra Fang I got might just be useful after all," I muttered.


    "What?!" the old receptionist eximed. "A Hydra Fang?! Those things are extremely hard to obtain, no?"


    "Yeah, well...I did some stuff, and uh...I got it by chance. But never mind that...I can''t promise you I will be able to make your nephew an antidote, since I have to prioritize my own friend, but if I do ever get my hands on some extra materials, I will send them your way."


    "You...really? You would do that for my nephew?" Mrs. Fang began tearing up.


    "Er, well...he''s not a bad guy, from what I can tell. He doesn''t stare at mypanions like most other men do."


    Mrs. Fang blinked, stopping the tears immediately. "Oh, that''s because he''s gay."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...What?"


    "Oh, but um, he''s still a nice guy! I''m just saying..."


    "U-Uh, s-sure...however," I continued, slightly unsure of what to do after hearing that response. "In exchange, I want you to answer some questions I have - and that''s also the reason I came to speak with you today in the first ce."


    "Right...deal. As long as it''s something I know of, I will definitely answer you to the best of my abilities."


    I nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now then..."


    But then, Mrs. Fang''s nephew came over once more.


    "Dear customers, your food is ready," the young man said,ying out three tes, one in front of each of us. "Please call me over if you have any concerns, and enjoy your meal!"


    With a bright smile, he left us again, and I noticed Mrs. Fang''s eyes trailing behind him.


    "In any case...I want to ask you about a man," I said, getting her attention once more.


    "A...man?" she echoed, confused.


    "Well, really, I don''t even know if he''s considered a human man. But he looked like one," I replied. "You see, when I tried challenging the Gatekeeper of Floor 2, I was met with a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. He wore a ck mask that covered only his eyes, and had tworge white wings."


    Mrs. Fang''s eyes widened. "And...was he wearing a white robe?"


    I nodded. "How did you know?"


    "From my knowledge...the person you met should be a Celesticus - a member of the Celestici race."

 Chapter 253 - Floor Two

    "But what is he doing here in the Library of Infinite Beginnings...?" Mrs. Fang frowned, asking herself.


    "A Celesticus...aren''t they the race who dwells above the clouds, in Celestica? I heard they never interact with the other races down below. There are some Celestici who disguise themselves among humans, but they are few, and keep a low profile," I murmured. "What was it doing in the Library...?"


    "That''s my question too," Mrs. Fang replied with a sigh. "Celestici are extremely powerful in terms of individual strength. ording to legends, they were born with four innate elements, with Sky always being one of them."


    "Extremely powerful, huh..." I echoed.


    <em>That must be the reason why he could detect the Chaos inside me, although only faintly. Strangely though, I hadn''t felt any extremely overpowering auraing from the man when talking with him.</em>


    Then, remembering something, I continued. "Oh, wait. Do you have any knowledge of a Celesticus perhaps working in the Library of Infinite Beginnings as a high-ranking employee?"


    "A Celesticus high-ranking employee...? No...well, not that I would know anyway, even if there was one," Mrs. Fang sighed. "My knowledge is very limited - as you can see, I can only work on the very bottom floor."


    "That''s alright," I quickly said. "I was just wondering because after talking to that Celesticus, I was given clearance to Floor 2 immediately. I didn''t have to fight a Gatekeeper or anything like that. I assumed that whoever that man was, he held a considerably high position in the Library of Infinite Beginnings, able to just give free passage to certain people."


    But to this, unexpectedly, Mrs. Fang frowned. "No...no matter how high your rank is, even if you''re an employee, you cannot alter the base set of rules that the creator of the Library dictated."


    "The creator of the Library..." Mei Gui murmured.


    "Who was this ''creator''?" I asked after some thought. "This may be presumptive of me, but if no high-ranking admins can change these rules...can the creator himself do so?"


    "Are you trying to say that the Celesticus you met was the creator of the Library?" Mrs. Fang sank into thought. "Hm...that''s a valid possibility, but...why would a Celesticus build such an amazing structure for humans? The knowledge contained within the Library is something everyone wants to get their hands on, regardless of race. He could''ve easily constructed this building in Celestica, thend above the clouds. So...why?"


    "I have a few guesses as to that, but for now, do you know anything about this creator?" I asked, taking a sip out of one of the three sses of water the waiter had brought over earlier.


    "I remember seeing some books about the origin of the Library of Infinite Beginnings on Floor 25 or so. I never read into them though, because I was already preupied with searching for a remedy for the 1 Year Curse. I can go back up there and read about it, then tell you, if you wish," Mrs. Fang suggested.


    "That would be nice," I said. "Thanks."


    "No problem. You''re already doing me such a huge favor, after all," she said, smiling softly. "Now then...what do you say we try out my nephew''s cooking?"


    "Wait, you mean...your nephew is both a waiter and a cook?" I blinked in surprise.


    She nodded proudly. "His mother also works here, in the back kitchen, but we don''t interact with one another because it could give my identity away. She is a great cook, and my nephew inherited that talent. Nowadays, all of the actual cooking is done by him. His mother only does preparation work and gives tips."


    "Huh..." I used my chopsticks, and picked up a tomato slice from the te in front of me, before cing it into my mouth and chewing.


    After swallowing it, I nodded in satisfaction. "This is pretty good."


    "Isn''t it?" Mrs. Fang chuckled, taking a bite of her own food. "It...it reminds me of when my brother was still alive."


    "...I see..." I murmured, eating some more, this time together with the rice.


    Mei Gui did the same, and for the rest of that meal, we ate in silence. After all...Mrs. Fang seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the taste, and we didn''t want to disrupt. No one else would ever understand, but to Mrs. Fang, this wasn''t just a well-made dish.


    To her, this, was the taste of home.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    After we all finished the meal, Mrs. Fang paid like she said she would, and drove us back to the Library of Infinite Beginnings. The ride back was just as exciting (and dangerous) as the ride there. Quite the experience indeed.


    In any case, the whole lunch took about an hour.


    <em>Oh shit...I just realized. Mei Gui and I went off to eat without the other girls...damn, now I feel bad.</em>


    <em>I''ll treat them to a mealter, I guess...is what I''d like to say, but I really don''t got any money, and that''s a problem. Where is the Hunters'' Guild in this ce...actually, do they even have one? The entire Fortress is just a mixture of urban cyberpunk cities and slums. There aren''t any Monsters or Magic Beasts to hunt. But if that''s the case...then how the hell am I supposed to get money?</em>


    The three of us went up the spiral staircase. I scanned my library card on the device to the right of the door, and the door opened up for me - and just for me. ording to Mrs. Fang, only one person could go through this door at a time. The door shut behind me, and Mei Gui came through soon after. Mrs. Fang camest.


    I looked around in search of the other girls, and soon spotted Feng Mian sitting at a table, reading a book before closing it and sighing. Beside her, arge pile of books had already umted, neatly stacked one on top of the other.


    "By the way, Mrs. Fang," I said quietly.


    "Yes?"


    "How does the Library make sure people return these books to where they belong? I noticed all the books are organized and categorized neatly on every floor, but some people may forget where they took the book from. That''s unavoidable. So how does the Library still remain so organized and wless?"


    Mrs. Fang chuckled. "My child, there are thousand if not millions of Enchantment Element magic weaved into the architecture of this Library. Therefore, there are many magical properties about this ce - one of which is what you mentioned. When no one is looking, the bookshelves automatically rearrange the books on them to the order they were meant to be ced in. At least, that''s what I''ve heard from my fellow employees."


    "Huh...that''s interesting," I murmured. "What about people who don''t put the books back on the shelves at all? It''s pretty disrespectful, but I''m sure there are people who do that out ofziness."


    "I''ve never witnessed such a thing myself, but I''m guessing the Library automatically returns the book to the shelves somehow after a while," Mrs. Fang said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I will head up to Floor 25 now, and begin searching for the information you wanted. Good luck with climbing your way up this building."


    I nodded. "Thank you."


    With that, she continued up the spiral staircase, up to further floors.


    <em>I wonder...is there an elevator of some kind in this ce? Say you have clearance to Floor 80. Having to climb a staircase all the way up there, scanning your library card every floor of the way, would be pretty tiring and boring, that''s for sure. There''s gotta be some kind of faster travel method, right?</em>


    I sighed. I probably should have asked Mrs. Fang about this, but it was toote now - she had already left.


    I walked over to Feng Mian, Mei Gui in tow behind me.


    "Hey, bookworm," I called out affectionately.


    "Hm?" she looked up, and finally saw me, before standing up and frowning. "Where did you go for so long? You said you would be back very soon...it''s been more than an hour. Also, what the heck is ''bookworm''?"


    I chuckled. "Sorry about that. Things got...moreplicated than I had originally thought. But enough about me, where are the others?"


    "We''ve all spread out to search the different parts of this floor," Feng Mian exined. "Just like what we did with the first floor. So far, I haven''t found anything useful. Just a bunch of the most basic Level One spells, and also scarce few at that. Most of the books I''ve read so far from this floor are just legends and myths about magic."


    <em>Legends and myths about magic? Hm...I wonder, is the power of Chaos mentioned in any of these books?</em>


    <em></em>"Well, that''s good enough for now," I said. "I''m sure you''re all tired and hungry, so let''s get the other girls and find somewhere to eat."


    Feng Mian nodded. "Got it."

 Chapter 254 - Going Forward

    After regrouping with all of the other girls, we exited the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    On the walk in search of a good ce to eat, Yu An Yan spoke.


    "We could''ve kept going for longer, y''know. Eating lunch a bitter is no big deal."


    "Yeah, but it''s not healthy," I replied. "Girls should take care of their bodies more."


    Qing Yue giggled. "As if you''re one to talk, Big Brother Xuan Kai."


    "Yeah? Well, I''m not a girl," I shot back. "Not to say boys don''t need to take care of their bodies, but the point is, I''m used to it, so it''s fine."


    The girls didn''t say anything, but the skepticism on their faces was as clear as day.


    "Besides," I continued. "There''s something I want to talk to you all about. Some recent news I just found out. It has to do with the curse Lan Xiao Su''s mother has."


    At this, Lan Xiao Su stiffened. "What...what about it?"


    I sighed. "It''s..plicated. I''ll exin once we''re sitting down and waiting for our food."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    In the end, after a good half an hour of searching for a suitable restaurant, we...ultimately decided to just use our phones to look for a good one. All the ones we came across were either too expensive or too crowded, since right now was peak lunch hour. Sure, we could''ve went to the same one Mrs. Fang''s niece worked at, but he already knew how I looked like...it would be kind of awkward to go back there just an hour after leaving.


    Atst, we settled on a diner by the name of The Waterfront Persoit.


    Like the name suggested, when we arrived at its location, the first thing we noticed was a massive artificial fountain in front of it.


    "Well...that certainly is a sight," Feng Mian whistled.


    Xiang Peng, ever the clown, immediately saw a good opportunity to make a bad pun. "Ha, ''well'', get it? ''Cause like, water well? And there''s water in wells? And...actually, never mind. Sorry, that was bad."


    "Wow, you realized it yourself," I said sarcastically.


    "R-Right," Xiang Peng averted her gaze, pretending the whole ordeal never happened. I was happy toply.


    "In any case, I thought by ''waterfront'' they meant this restaurant being close to arge body of water, like ake or something," Yu An Yan murmured. "Did they really mean just this fountain? Yes, it''s quite a beautiful fountain, but..."


    "Well, think about it. It''s easy to forget this, but we''re actually on top of a massive floating structure right now, chained to the ground. I doubt there are anyrge bodies of water up here," I replied.


    Then, realizing what I did, I immediately turned to Xiang Peng, ring at her as I met her eyes.


    <strong>"Don''t."</strong>


    She opened her mouth, about to say something, but quickly retreated after seeing the murderous gleam in my eyes.


    <em>I''m never saying ''well'' again around her. Never. For the sake of my sanity and all those around me.</em>


    <em></em>"Never mind the scenery! The food is what matters!" Qing Yue shouted with excitement, tugging on my sleeve. "C''mon! Let''s head in already!"


    "Yes, yes..." I muttered, slightly exhausted, before letting myself be dragged away by her.


    The ten of us went inside the restaurant, ignoring the jealous staresing from all around us.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Once we were inside, we were greeted by a young waitress with long pointy ears. She had long, golden hair, withrge green eyes. Quite frankly, she was beautiful. Almost...inhumanly beautiful.


    "Wee to the Waterfront Persoit," she said, bowing elegantly.


    "Wait, those ears...are you an elf?" Lan Xiao Su couldn''t help but speak up in awe.


    "Xiao Su, that''s kind of rude, just asking that out of the blue..." I murmured quietly.


    "No no, it''s alright, haha," the elf replied. "Indeed, I am an elf. But as you know, Shanghai epts all races, unlike the rest of Human territory. Therefore, there''s no problem in me being here."


    "No one said there was," Feng Mian replied with a gentle smile.


    "S-Sorry! It''s just my first time seeing an elf in real life, so I got a little excited..." Lan Xiao Su blushed.


    <em>Good to see that easily embarrassed side of you isn''tpletely gone. It''s pretty cute, not gonna lie.</em>


    <em></em>"That''s alright," the elven waitressughed. "We aren''tmonly seen within Human territory, after all. And even in Shanghai, I can safely say I am one of the few who are here. We elves are a bit of an...anti-social race, haha. The only people we really get along with are the Fairies."


    "If that''s the case, then - and forgive me for prying, but - why are you here?" I asked curiously. "I mean, why leave your homnd?"


    "I''m...one of the morepetitive few elves, you could say," she chuckled. "I dislike theid-back and rxed way of living we elves have. So, I left Elven Territory to challenge myself. This, I heard, was the best ce to do that."


    "I see...are you nning on entering this year''s test to enter Fragment?" I continued asking.


    She nodded. "Yes. And are you all nning on doing the same?"


    We all nodded, and she smiled.


    "See you in the battlefield, then. Good luck."


    "You too," Feng Mian replied.


    And with that, the waitress led us to an empty table, and we parted ways. Lan Xiao Su was a bit disappointed, since she probably had more questions to ask the elf, which waspletely understandable. I myself wouldn''t mind having a longer talk with her. It wasn''t everyday you got to see an elf, after all.


    "Wow, a real elf..." Lan Xiao Su murmured. "I wonder if we''ll run into her in the preliminariesing up."


    "We probably will," I said. "She seemed to be around the same age at us, based on appearance. She should be in the same divison as us."


    "Ah, but that''s where you''re wrong," Xiang Peng winked and casually inserted herself into the conversation. "Elves age differently from humans. For the first 18 years of their life, nothing is differentpared to humans. But when they hit 18, it will be as if they stopped ageing altogether. So, essentially, even a fifty year old elf would appear to be in her youth. In conclusion - that elf may be in our division, but she also may not."


    I shrugged. "Sorry, I never cared enough about other races to read in on them. Good to know though, thanks. The only ever useful thing you''ve done in your life."


    Xiang Peng made a fake offended expression at this. "What?! Xuan Kai, that hurts my feelings, y''know...you are hurting a poor maiden''s heart. How could you?"


    "Yes yes, I''m sorry, apologies, all that," I waved off her childish act. "Now. Let''s order."


    "But Master, we already ate," Mei Gui said, frowning.


    I sighed. "Yes, but the others haven''t. So we''ll just watch as they eat."


    "Understood."


    "Wait, you two already ate? Since when?" Yu An Yan asked, frowning in confusion.


    "Ah, yes...that leads me to the thing I wanted to talk to you guys about," I replied. "You see, when Mei Gui and I left earlier, we were nning on asking the receptionist about something. You remember, the olddy who made us our library cards?"


    The other girls all nodded, and I continued.


    "Right. The question we wanted to ask her was something we wanted to keep private, so she suggested we go talk while eating lunch. Since she was treating, I didn''t see a reason to say no."


    Mei Gui nodded along to all this while I talked, confirming the facts.


    "In any case, while we were eating, one thing led to another, and we ended up discovering something pretty terrifying - and it has to do with the 1 Year Curse."


    "That''s...the curse that my mother has!" Lan Xiao Su eximed in shock.


    I nodded. "Indeed. And what we found out was that...after the current holder of the curse dies from it, the curse will be automatically transferred onto the deceased''s descendant."


    Feng Mian''s eyes widened. "Wait...then doesn''t that mean-"


    "Yes," I cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say. With a grim look on my face, I continued. "If we don''t end up saving Xiao Su''s mother in time...she herself''s next in line."


    "That''s...horrible..." Yu An Xue grimaced.


    But surprisingly enough, Lan Xiao Su herself was taking all this quite well.


    "I understand," she said, not a hint of fear or worry on her face. "In other words, our goal hasn''t changed, right? All we have to do is save my mother and free her from this curse."


    "Nya...Xiwao Su, hyow kyan you keep syo cyalm?" Amane asked, tilting her head and furrowing her brow.


    Lan Xiao Su smiled. "There''s no reason for me to panic. Nothing''s changed. All this is, is one more incentive to save my mother as soon as possible."


    At this, I grinned beneath my mask, ever so slightly.


    <em>She''s...gotten strong. Really strong. Looks like...my efforts during the paintball fight weren''t for naught, after all.</em>

 Chapter 255 - Basilisks Calling

    After that short talk, we called a waiter over and made our order. The service wasn''t nearly as quick as Mrs. Fang''s niece''s restaurant, but it was good enough. The food was also not as good, and I knew because the girls each offered to let me try some of theirs. Qing Yue started it, and everyone else soon followed, not letting anyone else get the jump on them.


    So, in the end, I pretty much did eat another lunch. I was full as hell now, and probably won''t be eating dinner tonight. Moreover, being overly full wasn''t a good thing, considering where we were - the Fortress. Action calls at all times, and you never know when someone may just try to assassinate you, especially with the uing preliminaries.


    In addition, I have no shortage of enemies out there, that''s for sure. The Midnight Syndicate alone is more than enough for anyone to deal with. I mean, c''mon - they''re literally the biggest, most infamous, and strongest underground criminal organization there is. I doubted I was too high up on their evil priority list for people to eliminate, but I was slowly climbing higher.


    <em>And it would be wise of them to ce me higher too...because when they finally do, it may just be toote.</em>


    <em></em>I was getting stronger at a fairly quick pace - and now, with the discovery of the Library of Infinite Beginnings, that rate would only get faster. One step of a time, I was getting closer to eradicating the Midnight Syndicate, and achieving my goal of revenge.


    So far, in Shanghai, I haven''t seen any traces of the dark organization. But I was 99% sure there were syndicate members lurking about, hiding undercover. If they could casually nt themselves within Shenzhen - which was quite arge and powerful citypared to others - so easily, then even the Magic Capital was not safe from their tactics. And that, was also exactly why I was constantly on guard.


    The Midnight Syndicate was watching. They''re always watching.


    It was a race. A race between them and I. A race about whether I could get strong enough to destroy them first, or whether they could catch me first.


    In any case, the girls and I finished our lunch fairly quickly, and decided to return to Old Man Leng''s shop afterwards. Originally, we were nning on just heading back to the Library of Infinite Beginnings to explore some more, perhaps beat another floor, but now we have something far more urgent to worry about. The Library could wait. But someone''s life, could not.


    After a long while of walking, we finally got to Old Man Leng''s gun shop. The man himself was inside, and we entered the door.


    "Oh, yer back," he said upon spotting us. "The day ain''t over yet though, what ya doin'' here?"


    "Things have changed. There''s something we need to do - as soon as possible," I exined. "And...we need your help for it."


    "My help?" Old Man Leng raised an eyebrow. "Ight, fine. As long as it''s within my abilities."


    I nodded. "Thanks in advance. What we need from you isn''t anything too difficult - just some information."


    "Go on," he said, adjusting his sitting position.


    I took a deep breath, and lowered my voice. "Then I''ll get straight to it - do you have any idea where we could acquire some Basilisk Dust?"


    He furrowed his brows. "Basilisk Dust...what the hell do ya need that for?"


    "Do you have to know?" I asked.


    He chuckled. "Yer askin'' for information from me, free of cost. I think I deserve to at least know what ya need this info for."


    I sighed. "Hard to argue there..."


    "It''s to treat my mother''s curse," Lan Xiao Su stepped forward and spoke up. "I don''t know if you''ve heard of it before, but...it''s called the 1 Year Curse."


    Old Man Leng frowned. "Hm...can''t say I have. But as for the Basilisk Dust...I heard recently that there''s an auction goin'' on soon, and one of the items bein'' sold is what yer lookin'' for."


    "An auction...but even with my family''s money, that won''t be enough..." Yu An Yan appeared troubled. "No doubt, other buyers will have their eyes on the Basilisk Dust. It''s not something youe across everyday, after all."


    "Ah, but ya don''t necessarily have to buy it, per se..." Old Man Leng chuckled, winking suggestively.


    I snickered, understanding his meaning. The other girls, however, merely frowned in confusion.


    "I got it," I muttered. "Thanks, Old Man Leng."


    He grinned. "No problem, kid. What''s yer phone number? I''ll text ya the address and time of the auction."


    I told him my number, under the puzzled gazes of the girls, still struggling to figure out what was going on. After that, we left the shop, now with a new destination in mind.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Hey, Xuan Kai? What did he mean back there when he said you didn''t have to buy it?" Feng Mian asked, tilting her head cutely as she tapped on my shoulder.


    I sighed. "Yes, it''s an auction. The way it works is that you spend money to purchase things. That''s the conventional method, anyway...but here''s the thing - we don''t have to be conventional."


    "Um...I still don''t think I quite get it," Lan Xiao Su spoke up this time, frowning slightly.


    I facepalmed. "Okay. Put really bluntly, we''re going to...steal it."


    "Wha-steal?!" the girls'' eyes widened in surprise.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so surprised? C''mon now, think about the things I''ve done up until now. ughter one of the Four Great Families of Shenzhen, kill a bunch of gangsters, raid a scientist''s secret undergroundb...not one has been remotely legal. And you all travelling with me automatically makes you an aplice of mine. We''re already on this path. There''s no turning back now."


    "You''re...right," Yu An Yan sighed. "Also...so it was you behind the annihtion of the Xuan family after all."


    I blinked. "Oh yeah, I tried hiding that from you all, didn''t I? My bad."


    "Yeah, but...we kinda figured," Feng Mian giggled. "No one else has a motive to randomly ughter the entire Xuan family in one night...except for you."


    I shrugged. "True."


    "But, if we''re really going to steal it, then we need some kind of n, right?" Qing Yue asked innocently.


    "Of course," I replied, nodding, pulling out my phone and showing the girls the text Old Man Leng sent. "That''s what we''ll be doing right now. The auction is in three days, Tuesday, February 1st, 2023 - as you can see - so from now until then, our goal will be to scout the ce out, and hopefully get a good map of the area. Information is the first step to a good n, as they say."


    "Sooo, where exactly is this auction going to be held?" Xiang Peng asked.


    Using the Maps app, I entered the address Old Man Leng sent me, and ran a quick directions search.


    "Not far from the Library of Infinite Beginnings, actually," I said, after the results came up. "In a building called the Ross Estate."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Later, The Ross Estate -</strong>


    "This is the ce," I said, looking up at the tall skyscraper before me. It wasn''t as tall as the Library of Infinite Beginnings, but it was up there. Under the bright moonlight of 1 AM, the building stood, with a bright yellow logo on the side that read ''The Ross Estate''. Lights were on everywhere within the building.


    "Hm...isn''t the design of this ce a bit...weird?" Feng Mian asked. "Why would an auction house need so many floors?"


    "I agree. Most auction houses only have two floors, but instead cover arge area on the ground," Obsidia added. "How this building is designed, however...it makes it seem more like apany than an auction house."


    "Perhaps...it''s constructed this way in order to hide the fact that it''s an auction house?" Yu An Yan suggested. "There are plenty of ck market only auctions out there. This may be one of the sites where they are held."


    "That doesn''t matter to us," I cut in. "Legal or not, this uing auction is our target. Our goal is to scout this ce out."


    "All those floors?" Qing Yue asked dejectedly. "This is going to take forever..."


    I shook my head. "Think about it. If you were holding an auction, would you want to make your guests have to go up fifty floors before arriving at the show?"


    "In other words...the auction should be held on the lower floors," Xiang Peng concluded. "Not a bad conjecture."


    "The problem is...how will we get inside in the first ce?" Lan Xiao Su inquired hesitantly. "Just strolling through the front door definitely won''t work..."


    I narrowed my gaze, and focused on the front entrance of the Ross Estate. We were rtively close to it now, so I could get a good look. And once I did, I spoke.


    "Actually...it might."

 Chapter 256 - The Ross Estate

    "Actually...it might," I said, after some thought.


    "H-Huh? You serious?" Feng Mian asked, voicing the thoughts of all the other girls.


    I nodded, and pulled out the pouch Yu Ao, the Yu family patriarch, had given me a while ago. Well, on the surface, it was just a pouch. In reality, it was a Space Locket - a rare Magic Artifact that seemingly had an endless amount of space in it, making it incredibly useful for storing things.


    <em>Hey, if stealing doesn''t work, we could always try selling this Space Locket to trade for the Basilisk Dust....yeah, no. We''re stealing it.</em>


    "Don''t tell me, Feng Mian...you really forgot about this?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Forget about what?"


    "About <em>this,</em>" I replied, taking out a purple cloak from the Space Locket. It magically increased in size as I pulled it out, and it looked to be able to fit one person, maybe two if they squish together.


    "Wait, that''s..." the four girls who were with me with the Advancement Exams back in Shenzhen all widened their eyes - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, and Yu An Xue. The rest, however, merely appeared confused.


    "...Yep. The Cloak of Invisibility," I smirked. "Now...from what I can see, the front entrance is only guarded by two guys. This baby should allow one or two people to get past them easily."


    "But...they''re real humans. Won''t they sense something is wrong? Like maybe a breeze past their face?" Yu An Yan asked.


    I scoffed. "It''s precisely because they are real humans that this method will work. If it were, let''s say, a heat sensor monitoring the entrance, we would be screwed - invisibility only works on eyes, after all. Their body heat would still be there, rendering the entire mission a fail."


    "That makes sense, but...who''s going?" Feng Mian asked, looking around.


    Lan Xiao Su was the first to step up, which was unusual. She was usually content to justy back and observe, being the quiet type like Yu An Xue.


    "I''ll go," she said. "This was my fight to begin with - it wouldn''t be right of me to stay behind."


    Feng Mian sighed. "And as the owner of the Cloak, I''ll tag along as well. I know how this thing functions best, after all."


    Lan Xiao Su frowned. "I can go alone, really. You don''t have to risk it - you''ve all already done more than enough for me."


    Feng Mian smiled. "Really? We promised you we would help save your mother, so we will. And besides - what are friends for?"


    "But..." Lan Xiao Su still appeared hesitant.


    Feng Mianughed. "I insist. C''mon."


    Lan Xiao Su looked like she still wanted to argue, but under the determined gaze of Feng Mian, she gave in with a sigh of resignation, before smiling in return.


    "...Alright then. Thank you...really."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>(Lan Xiao Su''s Perspective)</strong>


    After settling on our course of action, Feng Mian and I slipped the Cloak of Invisibility on, and after she poured some mana into it, we vanished from sight.


    "Alright, you guys can''t see us anymore, right?" Feng Mian asked. I could still see her perfectly fine, right beside me, but apparently, the guys outside could not.


    "Yep. Completely invisible. We can still hear you loud and clear though, so be careful not to make any sounds as you sneak by the guards," Yu An Yan reminded.


    Xuan Kai nodded in agreement. "Perfect. This is how it''s going to work - you two will get as close as you can to the doors, and when you''re in position, send me a text. Anything underneath the Cloak of Invisiblity, objects included, will be rendered invisible, so using your phone is no problem. Once I receive your text, the rest of us will create some kind of distraction to divert the guards'' attention. You two will take that opportunity to sneak in. Now - let''s get this over with as soon as possible."


    "Got it," Feng Mian and I replied at the same time, and we began heading for the Ross Estate about 500 meters in front of us.


    On the way, we passed by many people, but not a single one looked in our direction. We did our best to keep our footsteps as light as possible, and a few times, we nearly brushed past some people, but none of them noticed a gush of wind passing by on their side.


    <em>I wonder...how powerful is this artifact? Is it immune to all sorts of detection spells, or can certain magic reveal us?</em>


    <em></em>I couldn''t ask those questions without giving away our location, so I just kept my mouth shut, breathing as light as possible, and saved my inquires forter. The cloak might render us invisible, but any sound we made, talking and breathing included, still was perfectly audible from the outside.


    As we approached the Ross Estate, I noticed that while nearby buildings, such as a movie theatre, a shop, and a restaurant, had people streaming in and out of it, the one we were going to had no oneing in and out whatsoever. The only two people were the two guards, standing at the entrance and looking around for any suspicious activity.


    Then, suddenly one of the guards'' eyes looked directly in our direction, and the two of us froze. We wentpletely still - even our breathing was paused. The guard narrowed his gaze. For a second, I thought he spotted us, seeing through the invisibility somehow, but shortly after, he turned away, before swiping at the air with his hand.


    <em>Um...he was narrowing his eyes at a fly near him? Whew...</em>


    Feng Mian and I both let out a soft breath of relief, and we continued moving closer to our destination.


    Atst, we were standing right before the guards...yet they didn''t seem to notice at all. Looked like the Cloak of Invisibility was doing its job just fine.


    <em>Whew...okay...let''s do this.</em>


    <em></em>Feng Mian and I looked at each other in the eyes beneath the cloak, and we both nodded. Then, each of us raising one hand, we did a little silent countdown using hand gestures - three, two, one.


    On cue, both of us took a single step, perfectly in sync. The step was light,pletely inaudible under the gentle night breezes of the small hours. After making sure the two guards did not see us, we took another step - again, perfectly in sync. We repeated this process several times, until we were nearly directly in front of the door.


    <em>Wait...these doors...they seem...automatic?</em>


    <em>If that''s so, then that means...if we get any nearer, it will open on it''s own, giving us away. And with a super advanced skyscraper like this one, I doubt the guards would think it was just a simple malfunction.</em>


    <em></em>And so, as Feng Mian moved to take another step, I pulled on her arm and stopped her. She looked at me in confusion, and I did my best to convey what I wanted to tell her through hand signs, since we couldn''t make a single bit of noise.


    <em>Darn it...Psychic Magic would be great right about now...too bad I have Water and Sound elemental affinities instead...</em><em></em>


    <em></em>I pointed at the door, then made a gesture with my hands to show that the door slid open sideways. Most normal doors were either push and pull, so hopefully with this, she could understand my meaning...


    Feng Mian blinked, then nodded twice in confirmation, as if saying ''I see''. I nearly sighed out loud in relief, but then remembered where we were. My partner pulled out her phone, and quickly sent Xuan Kai a message. We made sure to mute our ringers beforehand, so the phone didn''t make any sound when the text was sessfully sent out. Feng Mian stuffed the phone back into her pocket silently, and we waited anxiously for ourpanions to make their move.


    But then, suddenly, the doors before us slid open.


    <em>Wha-</em>


    <em></em>And out walked a woman, wearing a rich and shiny red dress, paired with ck sunsses. She had long hair, and a nice figure - though not nearly as good as the girls around Xuan Kai (myself <em>excluded</em>), even with her tight garment that was meant to show off her curves.


    I immediately turned to Feng Mian, and found her staring right back at me.


    Our eyes both said the same thing:


    <em>What do we do?!</em>


    <em>If we shifted in either direction, we would end up being too close to the guard on each side respectively, and if we moved backwards, the woman would catch up to us unless we moved quickly, which was bound to cause noise...ah, what do we do?!</em>


    Right when all seemed lost, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of us, and was at the woman''s side in an instant, resting his arm on her shoulder and purposely pushing her away from where we were standing, and our jaws dropped upon seeing who it was, and what he was about to do.


    "Hey," the neer said in a flirtarious manner. "You look fine, girl. Wanna hang out?"

 Chapter 257 - Outstanding Move

    <strong>(Lan Xiao Su''s Perspective)</strong>


    "Hey," the familiar neer said, winking in a flirtarious manner. He didn''t have his usual mask on, and his usual cold and introverted personality was also nowhere to be seen. He appeared to have gotten here in a rush, his ck hair disheveled and messy, possibly from running against the wind.


    "You look fine, girl, wanna hang out?" he continued, forcibly pushing the poor woman away from us.


    Feng Mian and I dropped our jaws, just as the woman screamed in surprise.


    <em>X-X-Xuan Kai?</em>


    Yep. No doubt about it - the flirty yboy in front of us right now was none other than the Xuan Kai all the girls around him have a crush on. The same cold and ruthless person who has killed over a hundred people now, and the same boy who is hellbent on getting revenge for his parents.


    Feng Mian and I were both thinking the exact same thing right now.


    <em>What. The. Hell?!</em>


    All of this happened in an instant, and it took everyone on scene a moment to process what was going on. After the woman screamed out of shock, the guards immediately reacted, quickly moving to pry Xuan Kai off of the poor woman. In doing so, however, their full attention was now directed at this issue, leaving the door wide open.


    Feng Mian and I snapped back to our senses, and we quickly moved, dashing into the building at once. The automatic doors slid open and closed, with no one but the midnight breeze as a witness.


    Once we were inside, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Xuan Kai, still trying to hold on to the woman in order to buy as much time for us as possible.


    <em>Ah...he''s doing so much for us...</em>


    Feng Mian seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she looked at him too. But...in her eyes...there was a hint of jealousy behind the gratitude?


    <em>Erm...I guess I can understand. It would be a lie if I said I wasn''t a little bit jealous as well - Xuan Kai would never throw himself towards us like he did just now with that random woman, after all. Even though we wouldn''t mind at all...</em>


    In any case, Feng Mian and I realized we still had a mission toplete, so we carried on, moving quickly now that no guards were present. We still kept the cloak on though, just in case there were security cameras.


    Haha, who am I kidding...there are definitely security cameras.


    <em>But worry not, Xuan Kai! Your sacrifice will not be in vain!</em>


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- Meanwhile, Outside the Ross Estate -</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    <strong></strong>"Really? You don''t want to hang out with me?!" I shouted in shock, putting on the best act I could.


    "No! I don''t even know you, you crazy son of a bitch!" the woman I hadtched on to screamed back.


    I was currently being constrained by two beefy guards, who had me pinned down to the ground. In reality, I could probably take both of them on at the same time, having trained my physical body to the limits, but since I started this act, I was going to finish it.


    "Urgh..." I grumbled.


    "And you! The guards! You two are so useless!" the woman continued, seething with anger. "What are we paying you for?! Ugh, I''ll get you both fired!"


    "M-Ma''am, please calm dow-" one of the guards tried to speak calmly to the woman.


    <em>Sorry pal, when a girl is mad, nothing can get through to them. You''re just wasting your breath. </em>


    <em>Trust me, I know.</em>


    <em>How?</em>


    <em>Uh...personal experience.</em>


    "Huh?! Calm down?! Would you be able to calm down if a disgusting pervert leaped out of nowhere and grabbed onto your shoulder?!" the woman yelled in response, havingpletely lost all sense of reason.


    "E-Er, no, but-" the other guard said, trying to calm the woman down just like his partner.


    "Then just shut up and wait for your termination letters!" the woman interrupted rudely once more.


    <em>Ahaha....this is quite amusing. Wait, how am I going to get out of here?</em>


    With that, the woman left the scene, cursing at me every step of the way.


    After she left, I prepared to fight back against the guards pinning me down, but to my surprise, the two of them both just loosened their grip on me on their own.


    I stood up, confused, and looked at them.


    "Why''d you let me go?" I asked, brushing off the dust on my hoodie. For the purpose of appearing like a hoodlum, I had purposely taken off my cloak and left it in Qing Yue''s care beforehand, just to ensure this distraction mission went smoothly.


    "Hmph. We hate that woman, that''s why..." one of the guards snorted. "And you''re lucky we do."


    I frowned. "Why do you hate her?"


    "That woman''s name is Cai Hua," the other guard replied. "She only got into this ce by flirting with the CEO, who''s fallen head over heels for her. Now, that bitch has a high position, and does whatever the hell she wants within thepany. If you bribe her somehow and she likes you, you can stay. If she doesn''t, you get fired - just like you saw a moment ago."


    I patted the guards'' shoulders. "Damn. There''s no point staying in a corruptpany like this one, anyways. Best of luck to both of you, finding a job worthy of you. And...thanks, letting me go."


    <em>Because things may have turned ugly if you didn''t. For you.</em>


    <em></em>But of course, I left that part out, since I didn''t want to ruin the nice and wholesome atmosphere going on right now, like a nice talk over drinks between long-time homies.


    The guards nodded at me. "Thanks for the encouragement bro. Good luck with whatever it is you were doing as well."


    I chuckled. "Can''t you tell? I''m just a random pervert,tching on to beautiful girls whenever I see one. You sure you wanna wish me good luck on that? I mean, I''ll take the blessing, but..."


    The guardsughed in unison. "Kid, we aren''t stupid. We could tell immediately you aren''t just any pervert on the streets. For one, perverts wouldn''te into the Fortress to do their thing. And for two, your movements are far too precise and fast to be an untrained worthless trash. It''s clear you were acting, but we won''t ask why. Every man has his secrets, after all."


    <em>Huh. They''re smarter than I thought...so not just your average muscleheads.</em>


    <em>But then again, they did fall for my trick so easily, and let Feng Mian and Xiao Su through the doors...so maybe they are just your average muscleheads. Just slightly better than other average muscleheads. Not exactly a great feat, though.</em>


    With that, I parted ways with the guards, and returned to where I left the girls, in a patch of bushes near the side of the Ross Estate.


    "Wee back, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue eximed, diving into my arms.


    "Yeah...you put on quite the show," Yu An Yan giggled.


    I averted my gaze. "Listen - that was just a one-time thing. I couldn''t think of a better immediate distraction. Now - where''s my cloak, Qing Yue?"


    "Right here," Qing Yue said, handing me my cloak, now neatly folded.


    "Y''know...you didn''t have to fold this...I''m going to wear it now anyways," I murmured.


    "Yeah, but I just liked the feeling of folding Big Brother Xuan Kai''s clothes, heehee~" Qing Yue replied giddily, tilting her head from left to right, attempting to be a cat.


    Meanwhile, the <em>real </em>cat was staring at an artificial river of some kind, on the right side of the Ross Estate, a little distance from where we were.


    "What...is she doing?" I asked, directing my gaze towards said cat - Amane.


    "Oh, she''s been looking around for something over there ever since you left," Xiang Peng said. "I don''t know what it is, though."


    I frowned and walked over to Amane. "Uh...hey. What are you doing?"


    She seemed startled, and flinched, before turning around immediately to face me. "Nya! Xuwan Kwai! You''re bwack!"


    She leaped into my arms, much to the dismay of the other girls behind us.


    "Uh...yeah, but what were you doing just now?" I asked, patting her head softly as she purred in my arms.


    "Looking fur fishies!" Amane eximed excitedly, pointing into the water. "I <em>love </em>fishies, meow!"


    I pointed at the ''river''. "Uh...Amane, that''s not a real river. There aren''t any fish in there..."


    "Eh?" she tilted her head, and blinked her bright pink eyes a few times.


    "Yeah..." I continued awkwardly. "If you want fish, we can eat some tomorrow or something..."


    She seemed disappointed, and looked back at the river. "Nya..."


    I led her back to the other girls, and together, we waited for Lan Xiao Su and Feng Mian to return from their scouting mission.

 Chapter 258 - Scouting Mission

    <strong>(Feng Mian''s Perspective)</strong>


    With Lan Xiao Su and I now inside the Ross Estate, we could begin our mission of scouting this ce out. I''ve always had exceptional memory since I was a child, so I was confident I could memorize the wholeyout of this ce. In addition, Lan Xiao Su was here if I ended up forgetting anything, so the two of us together could piece together a map for this building once we were out.


    Since we had already decided beforehand that our target was the lower floors, Lan Xiao Su and I began by scoping out the first floor - the one we were on right now. There was a receptionist desk a short distance away from the main entrance where we first entered the building, but...no one was behind it. Normally, there would be a receptionist waiting there to greet any guests, but...actually, there weren''t any guests anyway, so I guess it made sense that there wouldn''t be a receptionist.


    <em>But then...why build a desk at all?</em>


    <em>Ah...for the auction. I see. So this ce really only operates when an auction is going on - at other times, the lights and everything are on, and guards are stationed, to make it seem like a functioningpany, but in reality, no one is doing anything.</em>


    Lan Xiao Su seemed to have more or less understand this as well, and we quickly moved around, looking for security camera locations and making mental notes of their locations. Soon enough, we were done with the first floor. The fact that there wasn''t anyone around really worked in our favor.


    We noticed an elevator going up, but decided against using them, since cameras were watching. We didn''t want to create any suspicious phenomena, so the two of us looked for a staircase instead - and luckily, there was one. Undoubtedly, it was rarely used, with the entrance leading to it quite hard to find and ess. I was honestly surprised they haven''t removed it yet. Maybe they just don''t have anything better to use this isted space for.


    In any case, we took the stairs up, and soon found ourselves on the second floor. I took note of the fact that there weren''t any cameras in the staircase, since that coulde in handy when we actually raided the auction in the near future. After looking through the ss pane of the door to make sure there wasn''t anyone around, I gently pushed the door open, and the two of us stepped through. Once again, the location we were at was an isted part of the floor, with no cameras around anywhere to guard it.


    <em>This is...certainly useful info. I find it hard to believe that the owner of this luxurious-looking building, and also a rich auction host, would leave such security ws. But perhaps...they are just overconfident. And as they say, arrogance is the first step to downfall.</em>


    <em></em>As we explored the second floor, we noticed that it wasn''t too different from the first floor, except there was no receptionist desk, and instead of empty space, there were office cubicles all around, giving off the impression of a legitimatepany. By ''not too different'', I mean both the first and second floors didn''t seem to be suspicious whatsoever.


    We memorized theyout, and went back to the staircase, where we headed up to the third floor. As we went up, however, I couldn''t help but notice that this set of stairs was a lot...longer than the flight of stairs we took to get to the second floor. At the time, I didn''t give it much thought, but we would soon discover the reason behind this.


    Upon reaching the third floor after a long climb, we gently pushed the door open, just like we did with the second floor. At first, everything seemed normal - just another floor of office cubicles, nothing out of the ordinary. I originally just wanted to skip this floor, but Lan Xiao Su, being the careful girl she was, insisted we still check it out, just to be sure.


    And as it turned out, she hit the jackpot.


    As we investigated the third floor, we eventually came across what seemed to be a bathroom. This wasn''t here on the 2nd floor, even though the two floors''youts were otherwise identical. Not only this, but the bathroom was also hidden in a very isted corner of the floor, unable to be seen from the outside of the building - much like the staircases.


    <em>Hm...that''s weird. Why would they put a bathroom on one floor but not the other?</em>


    <em></em>Deciding this was suspicious, Lan Xiao Su and I pushed open the bathroom door to investigate, after making sure no cameras were pointed in this direction - and luckily for us, there weren''t.


    At first nce, the bathroom seemed like...well, a normal unisex bathroom. The room wasrge, with a toilet and a sink. There was even a special area to breastfeed babies - as expected of a gender-neutral washroom.


    They wouldn''t put any surveince equipment in a washroom, so I decided it was safe to talk.


    "I get the feeling that this ce isn''t what it seems," I whispered, still keeping my voice low just in case. We also kept the Cloak of Invisibility on, just for good measure.


    Lan Xiao Su nodded. "For some reason, I can''t seem to shake the feeling that there''s something we''re missing here..."


    "Like what?" I asked.


    "Like...a hidden contraption, or something..." Lan Xiao Su murmured.


    I frowned and began searching around for any hidden mechanisms. It was a bit difficult to do so, seeing as how the two of us had to remain extremely close to each other to both stay underneath the Cloak of Invisibility, but we could manage.


    And then, I found something.


    "A hidden contraption...like a button, perhaps?" I murmured.


    "Hm?" Lan Xiao Su tilted her head, hearing my murmuring.


    "Look here," I said, pointing at the bottom of the breastfeeding station attached to one of the walls of the washroom.


    Lan Xiao Suplied, and her eyes immediately widened. "This is...a button...?"


    I nodded. "I wonder...what will happen if we press it?"


    "If it''s ced in such a hidden spot, no doubt, whoever put this here didn''t want anyone else to find it easily," Lan Xiao Su exined. "Could this...be the secret to this building?"


    "Should we test it out now...?" I whispered nervously.


    "It could be dangerous. If we activate this, we will give away our location, and also lose our escape route. Let''s rendezvous with the others and report all this info back first, thene back here when we have a proper n," Lan Xiao Su said thoughtfully.


    I blinked in surprise. "Wow...you''ve really changed, Lan Xiao Su."


    "E-Eh? Ahaha, thank you...Xuan Kai helped me a lot," she murmured, blushing. I frowned, slightly jealous.


    "Okay then, let''s head back," I said, taking a deep breath. "You ready?"


    She nodded, and I pushed open the bathroom door.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>We didn''t encounter any issues on the way out of the Ross Estate. Slipping by the guards at the gate with ease, we quickly went to the right side of the building, where Xuan Kai and the rest of the girls were waiting, and we took off the Cloak of Invisibility.


    "Woah...you startled me," Yu An Yan said, blinking a few times in surprise. To them, it must''ve seemed like we appeared right out of thin air.


    "Yeah, um...sorry about that," I said, bowing my head apologetically.


    "What did you guys discover inside?" Xuan Kai asked, walking over.


    "Before that...I just wanted to say, nice ''distraction'' earlier," I giggled.


    He averted his gaze. "We are not bringing up that topic. Ever again."


    All the girls around usughed, with the exception of Obsidia and Mei Gui, who were both emotionless as usual.


    "It was not a bad tactic, in my opinion," Obsidia stated matter-of-factly. "It served its purpose, did it not?"


    "Well, it did, but...it alsopletely ruined his image," Xiang Peng replied with a bright, beaming, innocent smile.


    "Like I said, we are <em>not </em>bringing up that topic," Xuan Kai said once again, this time cing more emphasis on the ''not''.


    "Well, let''s head back to the hotel first," I said. "This isn''t a good ce to talk, and I''m feeling kind of tired. How about you, Lan Xiao Su?"


    "M-Me? I''m fine..." Lan Xiao Su murmured, surprised by my question.


    <em>Hm...why is she fine when Xuan Kai isn''t around, but almost turns back into her old self when he is? Is this what love does to girls, without them even knowing? Oh god, I''m scared to know how I''ve changed...</em>


    <em></em>"Well, I can''t me you for being tired," Xuan Kai said with a sigh. "Even though it''s only technically 2 AM, which would be 2 PM in the outside world, today''s felt a lot longer than it really has been. Let''s go back to the hotel, and you two can tell us what you discovered inside the Ross Estate."


    We all nodded in agreement, and after handing the Cloak of Invisibility back to Xuan Kai so he could safekeep it within the Space Locket he had, we headed back to the hotel.

 Chapter 259 - Hidden Mechanism

    <strong>- Later, At the Hotel -</strong>


    <strong>(Xuan Kai''s Perspective)</strong>


    "So," I said once we were all in our hotel room, room 420 to be particr. "What did you guys find in the Ross Estate?"


    "Well, as expected, it''s not what it seems on the outside," Feng Mian started off, sitting down on the couch. "On the surface, it seems like a normalpany...that is, if you don''t ount for theck of employees. The 2nd and 3rd floors we explored both contained office cubicles - a fairly standardpanyy out."


    "Why did you stop at the 3rd floor?" I asked. Not demanding, just asking.


    "Because we found something that may hold the secret to the building," Feng Mian replied.


    Lan Xiao Su nodded. "I-It was in the washroom."


    "Right, and the suspicious thing is that there was no bathroom on the 2nd floor, even though the two floors''youts were otherwisepletely identical," Feng Mian continued. "So, of course, we went in to investigate. And indeed - there was something off about the ce."


    "Oh?" I tilted my head, waiting for more answers.


    "We found...what seemed to be a hidden button," Lan Xiao Su said. "It was concealed quite cleverly, so undoubtedly, whoever put it there didn''t want anyone else - like us - finding it."


    "A secret button, huh..." Yu An Yan murmured. "That practically screams ''suspicious''."


    "We debated whether or not to test out what it did, but after some thought, we decided to just report back our findings first," Feng Mian said with a sigh. "Just to be safe."


    I nodded. "That was the wise choice. There''s no telling what could''ve happened if you really did press that button."


    "So, what''s the n from here?" Xiang Peng asked, shrugging. "Or, in other words, who''s gonna be the sacrifice to go in and press the button?"


    "No one''s getting sacrificed," I immediately said, ring at Xiang Peng. "Actually...maybe you should."


    "E-Eh?" Xiang Peng jumped back 10 feet away from me, and quickly swayed her hands in denial. "''Twas a joke, don''t kill me!"


    I shook my head and sighed at her immaturity. Despite being the oldest among us, excluding Obsidia, Xiang Peng seemed to be the most immature, evenpared to Qing Yue.


    "Anyway...I haven''t thought of a good n yet," I announced, turning to the girls. "Give me some time...when I have thought this through, I''ll talk to you all."


    The girls nodded in confirmation, and that was that. Afterwards, we each did our own thing for the rest of that day.


    Mei Gui and I returned to the Library of Infinite Beginnings to see if Mrs. Fang had discovered anything about that male Celesticus we encountered within the Gatekeeper ''world'', while Feng Mian and Lan Xiao Su stayed within the hotel to get some rest. The Yu sisters as well as Obsidia said they wanted to get some training with guns done, so they went to see Old Man Leng. Qing Yue and Amane surprisingly didn''t tag along with me, but instead chose to remain at the hotel as well, for some reason. Xiang Peng, on the other hand, wanted toe with Mei Gui and I, but since I was extremely annoyed at the time, I rejected her and told her to go by herself if she wanted to.


    As an aside, ria was still asleep, and there was no telling when she would wake up again.


    After sparing onest nce at my phoenix girl, I left the hotel, Mei Gui tagging along behind me.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Library of Infinite Beginnings -</strong>


    <strong></strong>After a short while, we arrived at the massive tower known as the Library of Infinite Beginnings. Mei Gui and I entered inside, and headed up the 2nd floor after noticing that Mrs. Fang wasn''t behind the receptionist counter. I assumed she only worked morning shifts...which within the Fortress, was from 6 PM to 11 PM, more or less. Yes, I said PM. The biological clocks of everyone here arepletely different from those on the outside.


    In any case, the two of us went to the 2nd floor, and...


    "Oh, you two," a woman''s voice said from behind us. We had just arrived on the 2nd floor, and we turned around to see who it was.


    "Mrs. Fang - good timing," I said. "Have you found out anything about the Celesticus?"


    I kept my voice quiet so no one else could hear us, and even if they tried, it would take effort.


    "Yes, I have...and your initial guess may not have been too far off, after all," Mrs. Fang murmured with a wink.


    <em>My...initial guess?</em>


    <em></em>I tilted my head, frowning slightly in confusion.


    "You see..." she began, leaning on the wall. "From what I''ve read, the creator of this Library was actually not just a single person. It was actually <em>sixteen</em> different founders, one from each race. They came together to form this Library for unspecified reasons...but that''s about the most I understand."


    "How so? Did the books you read not provide any more information?" I asked, slowly getting more and more curious.


    She shook her head. "Not exactly...it''s more like the information it''s giving me seemed all too surreal for me to believe andprehend. I can''t describe it quite well, and taking books from one floor to give to others is impossible thanks to the Enchantment Magic I told you about thest time we talked, so..."


    "...In order to understand, we''ll have to reach Floor 25 ourselves, huh," I finished the sentence for her.


    She nodded slowly. "Sorry - I wasn''t of much help."


    I shook my head. "No worries, your information has been more than helpful."


    With that, we parted our ways, and I found somewhere nice and isted to sit down to talk with Mei Gui.


    "Mei Gui, what do you think Mrs. Fang meant earlier?"


    "Master, this is mere spection, but...I believe the ''surreal'' thing she was talking about may refer to a higher world."


    "A higher world?" I frowned, even more puzzled than I was just now.


    Mei Gui nodded. "As Master gets stronger and the Chaos within him gets purer, I also regain more memories. And recently...I have been seeing glimpses of a ce unlike this, but instead almost like outer space - or rather, where the Primordial Chaos originally came from, you could say."


    "Outer space...but aren''t there spacecrafts and such exploring out there? If there were really upper worlds, wouldn''t news have gotten out a long time ago?" I inquired.


    Mei Gui frowned, and looked downwards apologetically. "My apologies, Master. I cannot exin these visions I have been seeing nor provide an answer to your questions. Perhaps...once Master gets a little stronger, I will be able to acquire more of my old knowledge."


    "That''s alright," I replied. "But if what you specte is really the truth, and word gets out...it will cause a global uproar. After all, even the idea of there being higher worlds than our own has never been thought of before..."


    Mei Gui nodded, and we fell silent.


    And then, I remembered something.


    "Oh, shit - I forgot to ask Mrs. Fang something-!"


    Immediately standing up and rushing for the stairs as fast as I could with Mei Gui following closely behind, we tried our best to catch up with thedy. I even cast some Blessing Magic to boost my speed.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Celeritas!</em><em></em>


    Luckily, we did manage to catch up with her in the end. Right as she was about to exit the Library of Infinite Beginnings, we caught up to her, with me panting heavily. Mei Gui, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine - she wasn''t even out of breath.


    "Oh...um, what can I do for you, my dear child?" Mrs. Fang blinked a few times, surprised at my sudden appearance.


    "Hah...Hey....hah...I just got...hah....a few...questions..." I panted.


    Mrs. Fang smiled. "Sure! Just catch your breath first - and walk around a little; it''s not healthy to suddenly stop moving after vigorous exercise."


    I did as told, and after around a minute or so, I had finally caught my breath again.


    "So, my dear boy. What is your question?" she asked as we walked across the busy streets. There were plenty of people walking about, but I wasn''t worried, since unlike before, the questions I would be asking now weren''t private anyway.


    I scratched my chin nervously. "Er...this might be a stupid question, but...is there a Hunters'' Guild within The Fortress?"


    Mrs. Fang looked at me, and didn''t respond.


    "Ahaha...as I thought, there isn''t, right? Haha, no, of course not....there isn''t even a single sign of nature around, much less Monsters or Magic Beasts..."


    "Oh no, no," Mrs. Fang immediately shook her head. "There is a Hunters'' Guild here - I was just slightly surprised you didn''t know of it. It operates just like any other branch...well, kind of."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Kind of?"


    She sighed. "You see...what you said just now is true - there <em>aren''t </em>any Monsters or Magic Beasts within The Fortress. But that doesn''t mean there aren''t any <em>outside</em>."

 Chapter 260 - Shanghais Hunters Guild

    "So...what you''re trying to say is that this guild operate differently from the ones in other cities? How so?" I asked.


    Mrs. Fang checked the watch on her left wrist. "Well, I''ve got some time. I''m no expert, since I''m not a Hunter myself, but I can take you to the Hunters'' Guild. I''m sure the employees there will be able to exin to you a lot better than I could."


    Mei Gui and I looked at each other, before both nodding in agreement. "Sure. Take us there."


    And so, we circled around to the back of the Library to board Mrs. Fang''s hovercar for the second time today, and headed for the Magic Capital''s Hunters'' Guild.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- 10 Minutes Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong>We soon arrived at what seemed like a wide pavilion of sorts, with bright pink neon lights everywhere. It seemed all Hunters'' Guilds, no matter what city they were in, shared one simr property - they all only had one floor. They made up for this, however, by being extremely wide. The building before us right now, fit those descriptions perfectly. If that wasn''t clear enough, there was also a massive sign that read ''Hunters'' Guild'' with some smaller text below that read ''Shanghai Branch'', both in bright neon pink font.


    "Go on," Mrs. Fang said, after dropping us off. "I won''t be entering."


    I nodded. "Okay. Thanks."


    She smiled. "No problem, dear boy."


    With that, she drove off, leaving Mei Gui and I by ourselves. With nothing else to do, we entered the building after putting on our masks and hoods.


    The interior was lit up by a few - you guessed it - neon pink lights, but other than that, it was quite dim - but everything was still clearly visible. The various quest terminals stationed around were lit up as well, providing some extra light. There were plenty of people inside, but not to the point where it was full and ufortable. It was loud too, as expected of a Hunters'' Guild.


    I walked up to one of the empty receptionists - there were quite a few, since the building was so big with so much space.


    "Uh...hi?" I said hesitantly, scratching my hair.


    "Hi, wee to the Hunters'' Guild of Shanghai," the girl before me said with a smile. "You seem like you''re new to this ce. Are you two already Hunters, or are you trying to be ones?"


    "We already have Hunter IDs and everything. But...we heard that the way the guild functions here is different from other branches?"


    The receptionist nodded. "Indeed. I see...so you are from the outside. Very well, allow me to exin to you how the guild here works."


    Mei Gui and I patiently waited for her to exin.


    "As you may have guessed already, there are no Monsters or Magic Beasts within The Fortress. That much is a given. However, this is the Magic Capital - the Hunters'' Guild would never just give up such a popr location like that. Therefore, the guild master here, Mr. Chen, came up with a brilliant new way of operating."


    "How so?" I asked.


    "Using Space Magic," the receptionist replied with dreamy eyes. "Oh, Mr. Chen is a genius, to be able toe up with such a strategy..."


    <em>Looks like...somebody is in love.</em>


    "Er...could you...uh, borate?"


    "Hm? Oh! Yes, sorry...a-ahem, do you see those quest terminals?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. What about them?"


    "They are built differently than the ones you see in other branches," the receptionist exined. "After you pick up a quest from one of them, they will automatically transform into a portal - one that will lead you directly to the area where your quest objective is located. The portal will then stay there until you enter it once more, which will take you back to the guild here. Oh, and by the way, other people cannot see the portal, and cannot enter it either."


    <em>Through this system, Hunters here can ess quests from all over the world, no matter where the objective is located. This is a genius idea.</em>


    I widened my eyes. "Damn...that''s quite the system."


    "Indeed! Mr. Chen used his expertise over Space, Enchantment, and Shadow elements to craft such an amazing system. It took quite a lot of time and nning, but it was worth it in the end. We are making lots of profit and exposure by setting up a branch within the Magic Capital!"


    "Right...but if this system is so good, why hasn''t it been implemented in other branches, outside of Shanghai?" I asked.


    The receptionist averted her gaze. "Well, you see...in the end, Mr. Chen is only one person, and the amount of people in the world with his talent is few. Not only this, but the resources and money that were needed just to set up this system in this one branch alone, took about ten trillion dors from HQ. We''ve only recently managed to finally pay back our debt to them, and are finally making real profit now. There''s no way headquarters will allow every branch to implement this system."


    I blinked. "Wow...I see."


    <em>10 trillion dors...quite the sum. Hm...I''m not saying the system is bad, but I would''ve been a lot more impressed if it didn''t cost 10 trillion dors'' worth of resources.</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui seemed to feel the same way, as I could tell from our telepathic connection.


    "Yep, that''s how it is, unfortunately. Feel free to test the system out for yourself though! Just pick up a quest from one of the quest terminals," the receptionist continued. "Happy hunting!"


    "Right...thanks," I said, before turning around and heading for one of the quest terminals.


    Once we were at a vacant one, Mei Gui tugged on my sleeve. "Master, what quest shall we do?"


    I fell into thought. "Hm...I think the two of us together are strong enough to tackle a Magic Beast hunt on our own, honestly. Your Apoxyia Form is practically invincible, after all."


    "Understood...however, fighting Rank 6 and above Magic Beasts is still impossible for Master and I, ording to my calctions."


    "Oh, don''t worry - I wasn''t nning on jumping that far ahead of myself anyway. We can start with a nice and simple Rank 2 Magic Beast hunt, just to try this system out and see how well it works," I replied, before turning around and skillfully operating the quest terminal. It''s been a while since Ist did this, but luckily I still remembered the procedure.


    A Rank 2 Magic Beast would be about equal to an average Intermediate Mage. Since I was no average Intermediate mage, even I alone could take one down easily, not to mention with Mei Gui together with me. So, this was a safe pick, and we could probably get the job done ande back fairly quickly, as long as we didn''t end up getting sidetracked.


    "Okay, and...don-Woah."


    Just as I was about to say ''done'', the quest terminal <em>spun</em> around, revealing a portal on the other side.


    "O...kay. That was a bit unexpected," I muttered under my breath. "Mei Gui, let''s go."


    She nodded, and the two of us entered the portal. We were enveloped in a purple light so bright we had to close our eyes, and when we opened our eyes again, we were staring at a lush green forest.


    "Wow...so it really does work," I mused.


    Then, pulling out my phone, I checked our location on the Maps app. We were currently in Jilin, a city in the northernmost region of Human territory. We had just travelled over 2000 kilometers in a single instant. Space Magic was truly a powerful element to be reckoned with.


    I had purposely chosen a quest that was far away from Shanghai, just to test out the limits of the system. And so far...my conclusion was that there <em>were </em>no limits. Perhaps it couldn''t teleport us outside Human territory and into, for example, North America,nd of the Elves and Fairies, since that could cause international incidents, but anywhere within China, Human territory, was okay.


    The quest we chose was a hunt for a Rank 2 Monster - more specifically, a <em>herd </em>of Rank 2 Monsters. Since the species we were hunting down didn''t move independently but instead always remained in batches, I would have to take all of them down toplete the quest.


    That being said, the difficulty of the quest was stillbeled as Easy. You would expect that multiple Rank 2 Monsters would be harder to take down and more dangerous than just one, but that''s where you''re wrong. The Monster we were hunting down, called Thistle Walkers, were a hostile form of the normal nt, thistle.


    Originally, thistles were harmless nts - though they did have leaves with sharp prickles on them. However, Thistle Walkers were dangerous because they would actively attack you, and could move. Normal nts couldn''t move from their roots, tied into the ground, but Thistle Walkers could - hence...why they were called ''Walkers''. From what I''ve read on them back in Shenzhen Magic High School, these Monsters looked exactly like the normal nts at first nce, but upon getting close to them, they would suddenly pop out of the ground and begin ''walking'' towards their target.


    That being said, they were slow. So you had time to run. Not really that scary, huh?


    That is...until you realize you''ve been surrounded by hundreds of them.

 Chapter 261 - Thistle Walkers (1)

    ...Yep. I said it.


    Hundreds of them. Remember what I said earlier about Thistle Walkers travelling in groups? Yeah...I meant <emrge </em>groups. They tended to band together in groups of a hundred or more, moving simultaneously, patiently waiting for their prey to arrive. Apparently, they were omnivores - meaning they could sustain themselves perfectly fine from the environment itself, just like normal nts, but...well, every living being has their preferences. Thistle Walkers just happened to prefer meat. More particrly, human flesh.


    Apparently, ording to the background info provided for this quest, this forest was originally a tourist attraction for visitors of Jilin City. Its hiking trail used to be extremely popr, until a few death incidents urred fairly recently. At first, people just thought the hikers had been careless, and died from an ident. Things like that weren''t umon during hikes, after all.


    However, as the death toll continued to increase, people soon realized that these deaths were no idents. Drones were sent to investigate the cause, and found the Monsters behind all this - Thistle Walkers. Authorities were soon called in, and the Hunters'' Guild put up a quest to exterminate the threat lurking within this forest, known as the Forest of Alpheridian. Quite the lengthy name, but it in fact rtes to the long history of this ce, tracing back to as far as the 15th century...but never mind that. I''m not here to give history lessons, I''m here to kill some nts.


    Now, normally, thistle nts grew in open areas, such as ins. They were rarely found within forests. However, Thistle Walkers were different - they could be found anywhere you could see green nature, from grasnds to even tundras at times. In this case, they were in a forest.


    Mei Gui and I entered the forest slowly and carefully, keeping a constant eye on our surroundings. I didn''t expect the Thistle Walkers to just be here at the very entrance, but you never knew. Ever since the deaths, the forest has been cleared out and closed off until further notice - also known as whenever the threat within had been eliminated. Thus, we had no one to interefere with our operation, which was nice.


    The two of us ventured deeper into the forest, back to back. That way, we could watch each other''s blind spots, forming a 360 degree circle of vision all around us to make sure no enemies could sneak up. Unfortunately, since we were moving this way, we were extremely slow. That wasn''t necessarily a bad thing though, since we could survey our surroundings more carefully this way.


    As we continued, however...I noticed that no nts were in the area. With the exception of the trees forming the forest, no other nts could be seen on the ground. This was extremely odd, considering forests were supposed to be filled with greenery and nature.


    And then, as we headed even deeper, I saw - the first thistle nt.


    Mei Gui noticed it too, and we immediately stopped walking. Normal thistles did not grow in forests, so this was definitely a Thistle Walker.


    <em>But...if that''s the case, then why is it on its own?</em>


    <em></em>I looked around, but didn''t see any other Thistle Walkers within eyesight.


    <em>That''s weird...</em>


    Then, after some debating, I decided to use Ace to kill the Thistle Walker. We were still out of its detection range, so I could kill it easily with a single shot. Sure, I could''ve used magic too, but Ace was more precise, and was silenced too, so it wouldn''t attract any attention.


    I pulled out Ace from its holster, hanging on my cloak''s waistbelt, and aimed it at the seemingly harmless thistle. With a single pull of the trigger, a Chaos-imbued bullet shot out, silent and deadly. The projectile struck its target, prating itpletely. The Thistle Walker, now with a hole in its body, copsed onto one side, its fake roots now out of the ground.


    Mei Gui and I cautiously proceeded closer, and inspected the Monster. It showed no sign of life. I let out a sigh of relief and reluctantly picked up the carcass, before stuffing it into my Space Locket. Thankfully, I had gloves on. Since everything put into the Space Locket are stored separately and don''t contact one another, I didn''t have to worry about the dead body of a Monster contaminating other stuff.


    A Thistle Walker could be easily killed - quite frankly, it was the weakest Monster in terms of individual strength. Yet, it was ssified as a Rank 2 Magic Beast - simply because of just how deadly they could be as a group.


    However...there had only been one Thistle Walker here. And that fact bothered me.


    "Mei Gui..." I began.


    "Yes, Master...I find it suspicious as well," Mei Gui replied, having already understood what I was about to say. "I will activate my Third Eye to scan around us, just to be safe."


    I nodded in agreement, and she went to work.


    And then, suddenly, Mei Gui''s eyes shot open. "Master! We''re surrounded!"


    I immediately narrowed my gaze. "What?!"


    As if on cue, I heard the rustling of leaves...as hundreds of Thistle Walkers dropped down all around us - from <em>above.</em> The little bastards had been camouging within the green leaves of the trees - that''s why we hadn''t noticed them. And that one lone Thistle Walker we just killed was nothing but a bait. Not only that, but we couldn''t even fly away, since a few Thistle Walkers remained on the trees, ready totch onto us the moment we tried to fly off.


    <em>Since when...did these Rank 2 Monsters know tactics and strategies?!</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui and I quickly moved closer to one another, back to back.


    "Tch...!" I raised my hand out, and chanted within my head.


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination -</em>


    <em></em>"Wait, Master!" Mei Gui interrupted me, realizing what I was going to do after seeing a spark of fire appear within my palms. "If you use Fire Magic, that would burn the whole forest down!"


    I gritted my teeth. She was right. She was right, but...


    "But it''s the only sure-fire way to kill them all in one go!" I yelled in response (no pun intended), as the Thistle Walkers inched closer and closer. The moment they got within attacking range of us, they wouldsh out with their spiked arms, and drag us onto the ground.


    "Master, use the environment!"


    <em>What? Use the environment...? Damn it, I don''t understand...wait, this side is a slope going down...I got it! But...I need some help to cast that spell-!</em>


    <em></em>"Mei Gui! Conjoined Release!"


    "Understood, Master!"


    Turning around, she sped her hand around mine, and together, we poured our mana into a single spell that I had managed to learn off a book in the library back at Shenzhen Magic High School. It was the only Level Three spell I remembered though.


    <em></em><em>Level Three Water Magic - Flood!</em><em></em>


    <em></em>A torrent of ck water erupted in front of us, and began flowing down, towards the iing wave of Thistle Walkers. There were also ones closing in from our left, right, and behind, but with this, all of the Thistle Walkers in front of us had been washed away, down the hill. I took Mei Gui''s hand, and slid down the slope, along the water, right before the Thistle Walkers could reach us.


    Mid-way down, I activated Flight, and Mei Gui and I took off into the air. Once we were safely levitating above the forest, I finally let go of her hand.


    "Well, shit...my lower half ispletely drenched now," I muttered. "I wish there was a spell to just instantly cleanse and dry clothes. That would be awesome."


    Mei Gui, hearing my words, moved closer to me and began wordlessly rubbing the wet parts of my cloak with her own''s sleeve.


    I smiled at her cute attempt to dry off my clothes. "Mei Gui...that''s not going to work."


    "..." she didn''t respond, and merely continued to rub, harder than before.


    I chuckled and let her do as her please.


    "In any case...these Thistle Walkers are smarter than I expected," I said, frowning. "Since when did Rank 2 Monsters possess such intelligence?"


    "Master, I agree. These Monsters were acting extremely weird, but at the same time, organized," Mei Gui replied, deep in thought as she continued to rub on my cloak.


    "Could it be..." I murmured thoughtfully.


    "What is it, Master?"


    "Hm...this is only a possibility, but...what if someone was <em>controlling </em>these Thistle Walkers?"


    "Controlling Monsters...that is not impossible," Mei Gui muttered. "I believe there are certain spell branches of Curse Magic that can do that, from what I have read on the second floor of the Library of Infinite Beginnings. However, in the same book, it was also stated that most of them have been long lost to history."


    "I''m guessing these books didn''t actually teach you the spell names or what they did specifically, huh?"


    Mei Gui shook her head. "Unfortunately not, Master."


    I sighed. "Yeah...thought so. The books on the lower levels of the Library are virtually useless."


    Then, turning back to look down below, where the Thistle Walkers were still at, I furrowed my brows.


    <em>Now then...how am I going to deal with these things?</em>

 Chapter 262 - Thistle Walkers (2)

    "Mei Gui, any ideas as to how to wipe out all these Monsters?" I asked. "The Flood I used was only a temporary measure to get us out of that situation. It didn''t actually kill any Thistle Walkers. Besides, we can only use that spell so much before our mana reserves run out. Using Conjoined Release to cast a Level Three spell drains mana, after all. The only way I can think of is using Fire Magic to burn this whole ce down, but...that''s out of the question."


    "Master, I still think there is something suspicious about these Thistle Walkers. They are moving in such a controlled, organized fashion - if there is not someone purposely controlling them to attack us, then they must have a leader amongst them giving out directions and serving as themander for their attack. If we are able to take that leader out..."


    "...Then the pack would fall into chaos, making it easy for us to clean them up one by one," I concluded. "But what if there really is someone behind this ordeal, controlling the Thistle Walkers to attack us?"


    "Even in that case, there is no way the mastermind is controlling all of these Thistle Walkers at the same time," Mei Gui replied. "The amount of mana and energy required for that is unimaginable. In other words, they have to be controlling just one Thistle Walker, who has control over the rest."


    "Huh...now that I think about it, I do remember reading somewhere that most Monsters that travel in packs have some sort of leader among them," I murmured.


    "Then we will have to locate and eliminate that leader," Mei Gui said firmly.


    I nodded, and looked down below once more, where the Thistle Walkers were gathered, collectively staring at us, patiently waiting for us toe down.


    "Yeah, but...that''s easier said than done. How do we even tell who''s the leader?"


    "Master, the leader will obviously want to protect itself - as the leader, that is its privilege. Therefore..."


    "Ah...I see," I murmured. "Then, following that theory...the leader should be among one of the Thistle Walkers who were on the trees - that''s the safest spot, after all."


    Mei Gui nodded, and together, we flew downwards, disappearing from the sight of the Thistle Walkers as we vanished into the cover of the trees.


    <em>They used the cover of the trees against us...now it''s time we beat them at their own game.</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui and Inded on a branch, and began leaping from one tree to another. With the use of Potentia Excitant: Salire plus the power multiplier granted by the Chaos in our bodies, these leaps were no problem for us at all. There were Thistle Walkers below us that were heading back in the same direction we were going, possibly because they lost sight of us and were now waiting on further instructions from their ''leader''.


    <em>If that''s the case, then...if we just follow them...</em>


    <em></em>Mei Gui, who was about to jump onto the next tree, paused when I blocked her way with my hand. Immediately understanding my intentions, she nodded, and waited for the Thistle Walkers below us to pass. Once they did, we followed them from the trees, careful to take it slow and quiet.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Soon enough, we found ourselves back at the area where we were first ambushed - I knew this because I noticed the dead carcass of a Thistle Walker lying on the forest soil below. The still alive Thistle Walkers, which was pretty much all of them, had gathered all around one tree. Mei Gui and I nced at the tree they were all gazing at, and spotted a single Thistle Walker on it. However...this one seemed a little different. I couldn''t quite ce my finger on it, but something felt odd about this one - and not just the fact that it was the leader of this pack.


    I pulled out Ace, but then put it back in its holster. We were too far away from our target right now for a hand cannon like Ace to be effective. Unfortunately, there were other Thistle Walkers on the trees near us too, so we couldn''t get any closer.


    [Master, what do we do now?] Mei Gui asked through our telepathic connection.


    [Just wait...for an opportunity.] I replied briskly, before turning my full attention to the Thistle Walkers once more.


    [Understood, Master.]


    We refrained from talking out loud here, since that could possibly give away our position and alert the Thistle Walkers to our presence. That wouldn''t be good.


    The Thistle Walker leader made some screeching noises that I obviously couldn''tprehend, then the Thistle Walkers around him suddenly all disbanded, each going in different directions.


    <em>Searching for us, perhaps? Well...their targets are closer than they think. In any case, this gives us an opening...</em>


    <em></em>The Thistle Walkers on the trees near us all left to join the search as well, so we could began moving freely through the trees again, getting closer to the Thistle Walker leader, who had now dropped down from the tree to stand still beside the carcass of itsrade, who we killed earlier.


    Discretely, I got on the tree right beside the one the leader had just been on, and pulled out Ace once more.


    Taking careful aim, I pulled the trigger, and let the bullet fly.


    However-


    My eyes widened. I couldn''t believe what just happened.


    The Thistle Walker leader...had just <em>dodged </em>my shot.


    Right before the bullet was about to hit it, the ursed Monster had ducked down, nting its roots deep into the soil so it wouldn''t get struck by my attack.


    <em>What the hell...?!</em>


    Mei Gui, who had been watching from beside me, was shocked at this sudden turn of events as well. Neither of us had expected this mere Rank 2 Monster to avoid a bullet with such insane reaction speeds. It had moved so fast that I could only barely track its movements with my eyes.


    Quickly, not letting my shock get the better of me, I shot another bullet, and this time, the shot hit true, since the leader had rooted itself within the soil in a panic, causing its roots to go too deep, hence why it couldn''t escape from the soil in time to avoid my bullet once more. The creature, now impaled, let out a high-pitched scream, before copsing for good. I sighed in relief, and dropped down from the tree. Mei Gui followed.


    As I approached the corpse of the dead leader,ying beside itsrade that we killed earlier, I kept a firm grip on Ace, and held it out in front of me, just in the case the Monster wasn''t fully dead. I remember reading that some Monsters will pretend to be dead in order to trick their enemy, after all.


    But not in this case, it seems.


    The Thistle Walker leader seemed to be truly dead for good, as it didn''t budge a single inch even when I was well within its attacking range.


    <em>Okay...now, cleaning up the rest of the Thistle Walkers should be easy, especially since they are all spread out to search for me right now. They will be disorganized without their leader, just like any pack.</em>


    And then, I spotted something nested within the flower part of the Thistle Walker. It seemed to be...a bug? But...it was dead. Or rather, about to be dead. It seemed to be just barely hanging on to life right now. It had a narrow body, with countless tiny legs below it - like a centipede.


    "Hey, Mei Gui,e check this out," I said, calling my trusty partner over. "You recognize this thing?"


    Mei Gui frowned, then shook her head. "Unfortunately not, Master. Why?"


    "Hm...I just found it kind of odd that it was hiding within the Thistle Walker. I feel like there''s more to this incident then what we see on the surface...especially since that leader dodged my first bullet."


    <em>There was no way the leader should''ve been able to react to my silenced shot. It''s just a mere Rank 2 Monster - the equivalent of an Intermediate Mage in strength. Not to mention, Thistle Walkers individually were practically the weakest Monster in all of existence. One dodging a bullet was never heard of before.</em>


    <em></em>"Shall we take it back to examine it, Master?" Mei Gui suggested.


    I nodded. "Yeah. Let''s do that..."


    I turned to look at the half-dead bug, then averted my gaze.


    Mei Gui tilted her head upon seeing my weird actions. "What''s wrong, Master?"


    "U-Uh...you see, the thing is...I have entomophobia," I admitted after some hesitation.


    "Entohmohfobia?" Mei Gui asked in confusion.


    "Er...it''s a fear of insects," I exined. "I...I can''t go near that thing."


    Mei Gui blinked twice. "Understood, Master."


    Then, she bravely strode over to the bug and picked it up without any hesitation. I dropped my jaw in shock.


    She then walked over to me, the near-dead centipede-like creature crawling slowly on her hand. "Where should I keep this, Master?"


    I quickly stepped away instinctively. "Uh..."


    Taking out my Space Locket and taking out a stic bag out of it, I tossed it at her. "Here. Use that."


    Mei Gui caught it with her free hand, and without any dy, threw the bug into the bag quite violently, and tied the bag up.


    "All done, Master."


    I nodded. "R-Right...good job."


    I patted her head, since I knew that''s what she wanted for a reward. Mei Gui smiled happily at this, and enjoyed the moment.

 Chapter 263 - Maids?

    After we stored the mysterious bug, Mei Gui and I went around the forest, cleaning up the various Thistle Walkers. They were all spread out, allowing us to take them out one by one easily with my silenced Ace. We left all the bodies in the forest, since that wasn''t the Hunters'' problem to deal with. Proper clean-up crews woulde into the forest to clear the ce after we reported news of our sess back to the Guild.


    After we eliminated all of our targets, the two of us flew up into the air, and began searching for the portal we had came through from. Luckily, since we were high in the air, we could see the whole forest. The portal was pretty big too, so we were able to spot it after not too long. Entering the portal, we were shrouded in a purple light, and when we opened our eyes again, we were back within the Hunters'' Guild, Shanghai branch. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.


    8 PM. Took longer than I expected.


    I found the same receptionist who had exined to us how this ce worked earlier, and quickly walked up to her. "Hey."


    "Greetings, Hunter," she said. "I see you are back. Quest go well?"


    "Well...it took longer than expected, but we managed. The Forest of Alpheridian is safe for hiking once more."


    The receptionist smiled. "I see. Good work. We''ll pay you once we have received confirmation that the area is indeed safe again. Sorry for the dy, but..."


    I nodded. "I get it. Standard procedure. We can wait."


    The receptionist sighed, relieved that I understood. I figured other Hunters may have given her trouble over this issue. People wanted to receive money as soon as possible, after all. I wasn''t exactly like other people, though.


    "How would you like us to contact you to collect your payment? Phone call or text message?" the receptionist asked.


    "Uh...a phone call," I replied after some thought. There''s a possibility I might miss a text, but not a phone call.


    "Alright. We will call you once the payment is ready, then."


    I nodded. "Sounds good."


    "Well then, have a good day, and thank you for your efforts once again, Hunter."


    "Likewise."


    With that, we parted ways. The Hunters'' Guild had all my necessary contact info in their database, from when I first registered. That included my phone number, so they could reach me easily.


    After that, Mei Gui and I headed back to the hotel. Luckily, it wasn''t too far away from the Hunters'' Guild - around a 20 minute walk. It was in the general opposite direction of the Library of Infinite Beginnings - if the Library was to the east of the hotel, then the Hunters'' Guild would be approximately in the hotel''s northwest direction.


    Upon reaching the hotel, we went up to our room and rang the doorbell. I had the keycard for the room as well, and could''ve entered that way, but I knew the girls were inside anyway, so there was no point. After a nce through the peephole, Yu An Yan opened the door for us. And when she did, I was shocked.


    "Wee home, Master," the girls said in a gentle tone, with a cute curtsy from each of them.


    Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Lan Xiao Su, and Amane weed me inside, and were all in <em>maid </em>outfits. Quite frankly, they were acting like maids too.


    "Uh...what''s going on here?" I wondered aloud.


    Xiang Peng, who was also wearing a maid outfit, giggled and pushed herself off the wall. "How is it, ''Master''?"


    She smirked suggestively as she said ''Master'', which made me cringe back a bit.


    "Er..." not sure what to do, I turned to Mei Gui for help. But instead of meeting my eyes, she seemed to be ring at the other girls.


    <em>Wait...is she mad that the other girls are calling me Master? No way, right?</em>


    <em></em>"Um...Xuan Ka- I mean, Master? Are you okay?" Feng Mian asked, blushing deeply.


    "H-Huh? Yeah, I''m fine..." I murmured, averting my gaze. Then, I turned to re at Xiang Peng. "This was...your idea, wasn''t it?"


    Flinching, realizing I caught her, she turned away and began whistling Happy Birthday even though it was no one''s birthday.


    I shook my head and sighed, before taking off my shoes. "Er...you guys can take off the outfits now. I have something to discuss."


    The girls seemed disappointed at my words.


    "Eh? But why?? Does...Master not like us like this?" Qing Yue asked with a worried expression.


    "It''s not that..." I muttered. <em>It''s more like...I''m not too sure how to deal with this situation, and there''s something I would like to talk about.</em>


    <em></em>"Then what''s the problem?" Yu An Yan asked, capitalizing on my response. "Come on, M-Master...take off your cloak."


    She seemed to be trying her best not to stutter out of embarrassment, but her flushed face gave her away. She moved in to take my cloak off, and I let her. After closing the door, Yu An Xue and Feng Mian then led me over to the couch, and made me sit down. Qing Yue and Amane began massaging me, both with surprisingly good technique. Qing Yue worked on my shoulders, while Amane gently rubbed my legs.


    <em>Y''know...this isn''t that bad.</em>


    <em></em>"Please rest here while we prepare the bath for you, Master," Feng Mian said with a bright smile, before entering the washroom along with the Yu sisters and Lan Xiao Su. Mei Gui red at them every step of the way.


    "Er...okay," I murmured in response, still in a bit of a daze. "By the way, Qing Yue and Amane...where did you learn these massage techniques?"


    "Hehe, does it feel good, Master?" she leaned in and whispered in my ear. I could feel her breath, and it made my heart thump a little.


    "Er...yeah. It does - quite rxing," I replied truthfully.


    "Well then, don''t ask questions, and just give in to thefort..." Qing Yue continued whispering seductively.


    "Nya...we''re all yurs, Master..." Amane murmured flirtariously.


    <em>I wonder...who taught them these seduction techniques too? Little do they know, they aren''t working on me, since I already know them beforehand, especially Qing Yue, but if they uses these on another man, the results could be deadly.</em>


    I then saw Xiang Peng, standing nearby with a wide smirk on her face.


    <em>...Yep. I think I know who the culprit is. </em>


    <em>Well, in any case, seduction skills can be pretty handy at times for girls, so I''m not going toin. But if she dares to feed Qing Yue or Amane any dirty knowledge...</em>


    <em></em>After a short while, the four girls who went into the bathroom earlier came back out.


    "The bath is ready, Master," Feng Mian said gently. She seemed to be leading the other three girls, who were still a bit hesitant and embarrassed, especially Lan Xiao Su and Yu An Xue.


    I nodded, and stood up, a little reluctantly. The massage was good, after all.


    Heading into the washroom, I was immediately hit by the beautiful fragrance of flowers. I couldn''t tell what type of flower it was, since I was no expert, but one thing was certain - it smelled really nice.


    <em>That being said...aren''t flower baths usually for girls? Oh well, whatever...I''m assuming Xiang Peng didn''t manage teach them everything before I got back.</em>


    Flower baths may be originally meant for girls, but I''m not about to say no to such a well-prepared bath that those four girls worked so hard on.


    I began taking off my dirty clot-


    "Wait. What are you four doing in here?" I asked, frowning.


    "W-We will take off your clothes for you, Master," Feng Mian said, voice quivering slightly out of nervousness.


    I immediately backed away. "Uh, no no no no. I can take off my clothes myself. Please."


    "A-Are you sure, Master?" Lan Xiao Su asked.


    I nodded quickly. "Yes. You''ve already done more than enough."


    "As you wish then, Master," the girls said, before retreating. I let out a sigh of relief, and began undressing once more. Taking off my ck hoodie, I hung it on a peg on the back of the door, and put my T-shirt underneath on a hanger, which I then hooked around the shower rod. I did the same with the rest of my clothes.


    Atst, I sank into the warm bath. It was nice and rxing. I took a couple deep breaths. The flowers'' fragrance was not too strong, yet prominent all the same. The girls really did a good job setting this bath up.


    <em>Come to think of it...is ria still in hibernation? She was in bed already when I saw her just now, along with Obsidia. But all phoenixes had different hibernation durations, right? So she could be awaking anytime. And where do I go tomorrow? My payment from the quest Mei Gui and I did today should be ready by then. Alternatively, we could go and try to challenge another Floor of the Library of Infinite Beginnings... then there''s also the Ross Estate we have to investigate.</em>


    <em>Ah, too much thinking. Let''s just rx and enjoy this bath for now.</em>

 Chapter 264 - One Step Closer

    The next morning - or rather, evening, as it was 6 PM - the girls and I decided to split up to conserve time. From now until 12 AM, one group of us would go to the Hunters'' Guild toplete some quests, while another would go to the Library of Infinite Beginnings to challenge another floor, and tell the others what the Gatekeeper was like once they were done. After reconvening at lunchtime, we would then scout out the Ross Estate, and figure out what the button did once and for all.


    I still hadn''t figured out what exactly we would do for that matter, but there was still some time until then. I woulde up with something...probably.


    In any case, that was our n for today. The majority of the girls wanted to try out the portal system I told them about after showeringst night, so the only onesing with me to the Library were Mei Gui and...Xiang Peng. Apparently, she had already experienced the Hunters'' Guild''s portal system within Fragment, as there was a sub-branch of the Shanghai branch in there. Nevertheless, I still couldn''tprehend why she wanted toe with us.


    <em>Well...I suppose this isn''t a bad thing. Mei Gui said a while ago that I could learn Level Three spells now, so I could take advantage of this opportunity to learn some spells off Xiang Peng. Knowing her, though...she''ll probably ask for something crazy in return. Eh...whatever. I''ll give it a shot.</em>


    <em></em>Anyway, we soon took off in our each separate ways after eating room service breakfast together. Everyone except Mei Gui, Xiang Peng, and I headed for the Hunters'' Guild, while the three of us went to the Library of Infinite Beginnings. ria, who was still in hibernation, remained within the hotel room as usual.


    <em>ria...I hope she wakes up by the time for the preliminaries. A phoenix will be a useful asset, especially if the terrain we are going to be traversing through is cold, like a tundra or snowy mountain. She''ll be a living source of warmth.</em>


    "Xiang Peng," I called out as we walked.


    "Hm? What is it?"


    "Uh...you think you can teach me any Level Three spells?" I asked hesitantly.


    Xiang Peng blinked, unsure if what she just heard was right. "Level Three?! But didn''t you <em>just </em>be an Intermediate Mage, like, a month ago?"


    Since right now was early February (around the 10th to be exact), and I took the Advancement Exam at the end ofst year, she was more or less urate with that statement.


    "So many questions..." I muttered in disdain. "Look, can you teach me or not?"


    Xiang Peng thought about it for a moment, then her lips slowly curved up into an evil smirk. "Yes...but what''s the magic word?"


    "Huh?"


    "I said, what''s the magic word?" she repeated, smiling deviously.


    "..." I stared at her with dead eyes, then turned away and began walking. "Never mind then. I''ll ask Old Man Leng or something."


    She blinked in surprise. "E-Eh? No, wait!"


    Shocked by my response, she struggled to catch up to me, and ced her hand on my shoulder. "Wait! I''ll teach you! I just wanted to hear you say something nice to me for once..."


    Stopping, I nced at her hand on my shoulder, and pried it off forcefully. "You know...back during the invasion on Shenzhen, I admired you quite a bit. But...I guess everyone has different sides, huh?"


    "Well, if I was always uptight and strict like I am during battle, then I would tire myself to death!" Xiang Peng shot back. "Everyone needs to unwind every once in a while - even you."


    I sighed. "Whatever...no sense in arguing with you. But tell you what - if you do teach me, I''ll say thank you once we''re done."


    Xiang Peng''s eyes immediately lit up. "Really? A thank you, from <em>you </em>of all people? Oh, I''ve gotta be the first one you''ve ever said those two words to!"


    "Actually no, but...whatever. I''ll even treat you to dinner, if you want," I replied, not wanting to argue with this girl. It was impossible.


    "Oh baby, how can I say no to that? Sure! When do you want to get started?" Xiang Peng asked excitedly.


    "Uh...now?" I suggested. "Let''s move somewhere else though, where I can practice the spells."


    "Mkay~"


    "..." Mei Gui watched this whole situation unfold, unamused by Xiang Peng''s dramatic emotions and movements.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- A Short While Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong>We soon found ourselves in the empty slums, where we had once had that paintball battle.


    "So? What elements do you have again?" I asked Xiang Peng, who was in the middle of doing some stretches.


    "Sky, Gravity, Light, Water, Metal, and Sound. Since you have all 21 elements, just go ahead and pick your poison," she replied with a wink.


    <em>Well...wouldn''t exactly call it poison, since I''m learning stuff here, but...perhaps with her as the teacher, it really is poison.</em>


    "Hm...which elements are you best with?"


    "Well, I''m good at all six of my elements, but Sky and Gravity are my two best ones."


    "Perfect. Teach me some Sky and Gravity Level Three spells to start off, then."


    "Okay...well, I''ll teach you a straight forward offensive-type one first, then," Xiang Peng said, before clearing her throat. "Ahem, listen closely. This spell''s name is Electric Lash. You can summon a powerful whip of electricity with this, which you can then use to strike enemies with."


    I nodded in understanding, and Xiang Peng moved to demonstrate. "Level Three Sky Magic - Electric Lash!"


    Immediately, a bright whip of lightning appeared in her hand, crackling with electricity. She thenshed out with the whip, striking the brick wall in front of her. The whip shed straight through, leaving behind a deep ck burn mark on the wall. Xiang Peng then demateralized the whip, and turned to me.


    "Just like that. Easy-peasy. But of course, don''t expect to get it on the first try - this spell took me a couple of years to mas-"


    <em>Level Three Sky Magic - Electric Lash.</em>


    <em></em>Holding my hand out, I chanted in my head. I couldn''t instacast spells I was learning for the first time, so I had to go through this process. Immediately, a ck whip appeared in my hands, sparkling with ominous red energy. I could feel it - it was stronger and longer than the one Xiang Peng had summoned.


    As Xiang Peng stared, ck-jawed, I did the same thing she did to the wall, striking directly below where she did. This time, the whip sliced straight through the <em>whole building.</em> The structure, after a short dy, copsedpletely, melting into a heap of bricks with a loud crash. Luckily, we were deep within the slums, so no one else could hear the destruction I was causing.


    "Wha..." Xiang Peng still hadn''te to her senses, so I helped her out by pping in front of her face.


    "Hello? What''s the next spell?" I asked, impatient for more.


    "H-Huh?! Oh, right! Uh...sorry, I was just a bit...surprised," Xiang Peng scratched her hair, frowning, as if debating whether or not what she just saw was real.


    "Right...didn''t the other girls tell you about my powers a long time ago?"


    "W-Well, they did, but...this is still beyond my imagination," Xiang Peng murmured, then shook her head quickly. "Whoo...okay, the next spell is called Prison of Lightning."


    I rubbed my chin. "Oh...that spell. I remember seeing you use it back in Shenzhen."


    She nodded. "That''s the one. I''ll do a demonstration, so just stand bac-"


    Not waiting for her to finish her sentence, I mmed the ground with my palm like I saw her doing back then, and chanted in my head once more.


    <em>Level Three Sky Magic - Prison of Lightning.</em>


    <em></em>Immediately, a ck and red magic circle appeared above my head, which I then moved to the area in front of me, near where Xiang Peng was standing. She immediately dodged out of the way, as numerous opaque ck clouds condensed, and dozens of powerful red lightning bolts struck down, in a circr pattern, forming a cage around the target area. I remember back when Xiang Peng cast this spell, arger, more powerful lightning bolt had emerged from the center of the magic circle, but in my case, just the lightning bolts forming the cage were already on par with that one in terms of strength.


    And then, a blinding white sh appeared, giving birth to a huge red lightning bolt of unfathomable power that crashed down in the center of the cage I had created. Soon after, the cage dispersed, along with the magic circle and clouds above it. What was left in its wake was a massive crater in the concrete ground surrounded by numerous smaller craters, all created by my lightning strikes.


    Xiang Peng could only stare on in shock, left utterly speechless by my insane yet unexinable power.


    Meanwhile, I dusted off my gloves as if nothing unusual had just happened, and turned to Xiang Peng.


    "So? What''s the next spell?"

 Chapter 265 - Advanced Mage?

    Around half an hourter, I had mastered every single Level Three spell in Xiang Peng''s arsenal, and improved them with the power of Chaos. It''s just like the quote from that one video game: Consume, Enhance, Replicate.


    Unfortunately, every single spell I learned just served to make Xiang Peng more shocked and utterly speechless. But hey, that wasn''t my problem. I learned the spells, and that was all that mattered. Besides, I even said ''thank you'' to her like I promised, so it''s not like she got nothing in return out of this. I wasn''t about to really treat her to dinner though. That had been a joke.


    <em>Hm...maybe she did get nothing out of this. Again though, not my problem. She agreed to the terms, after all.</em>


    <em></em>All in all, through this experience, I learnt a total of sixteen Level Three spells:


    Electric Lash - Sky Magic.


    Prison of Lightning - Sky Magic.


    Rune of Thunder - Sky Magic.


    Rune of Wind - Sky magic.


    Gravity: Neutralize - Gravity Magic.


    Gravity: Bend - Gravity Magic.


    Holy Ray - Light Magic.


    Moonlight Beam - Light Magic.


    Rune of Light - Light Magic.


    Flood - Water Magic.


    Rune of Water - Water Magic.


    Torrential Downpour - Water Magic.


    Metal Surge - Metal Magic.


    Rune of Metal - Metal Magic.


    Iron Will - Metal Magic.


    Reprisal of Sound - Sound Magic.


    Out of these sixteen though, I would only be using a few of them. Prison of Lightning and Electric Lash were especially useful and powerful, but for different purposes. The former was used to single out an individual target and deal massive damage to them, while thetter could be used for a variety of things such as wiping out entire toons of weak enemies or destroying cover.


    Another spell I would definitely be using a lot was Moonlight Beam. It''s simple and straight-forward, firing a devastating beam in a target direction. But there was a catch to this spell - unlike its counterpart, Holy Ray, Moonlight Beam relied on the power of the moon for its power. Thus, in the daytime, it was weak, but as soon as the moon rose, the spell''s power would be amplified many times over. In other words, during the day, Holy Ray was better, but at night, Moonlight Beam was definitely superior. And since within The Fortress, biological clocks were essentially reversed, with the majority of activities happening at nighttime...Moonlight Beam would prove to be quite the asset.


    Then there are the five Rune spells I learnt. These spells are a bit different from other spells, ording to Xiang Peng. Apparently, there was a Rune-type spells of each element, with the exception of Enchantment and Summoning. Sky Magic was also a bit different, with two different Rune-type spells.


    These spells, instead of being used up-front, were used to set traps. Even though their power was unmatched, Rune spells took a long time to set up, which is why using them in a real battle was unrealistic. However...since I could instantly cast spells, that wasn''t a problem for me. I tested it - my instacast ability applied to Rune spells just fine, which could possibly give me an edge in battles.


    Essentially, think of Rune spells as mines that disappeared from view once you cast it. The moment someone apart from the original caster came into contact with one, it would erupt in a powerful st of whatever element the Rune spell came from. For example, if Iid down a Rune of Thunder somewhere, and an unsuspecting enemy walked over it, it would explode in a cloud of electricity, instantly vaporizing the target and anyone else caught inside its effective range.


    There were certain spells that could detect Runes, including Rune of Vision - the Psychic Element Rune spell. This was a Rune that countered all other runes, but apparently, Rune spells were supposed to be extremely hard to learn. Only certain people with talent could get the hang of it. Since I was able to pick them up instantly, I guess I just had ''talent''. Xiang Peng was one of these people as well.


    In any case, I was certain these Rune spells would be useful in the future.


    Next up, the Gravity element spells I learnt...not much to talk about there - Neutralize basically got rid of any other Gravity element effects on me, while Bend...well, bent Gravity around a certain point.


    Flood and Torrential Downpour were both popr Water Element spells I''ve seen quite a lot of Advanced Mages and higher use. The former was one I already knew and used pretty recently with Mei Gui, when we were fighting the Thistle Walkers in the Forest of Alpheridian. It did exactly what its name said - create a flood. It wasn''t a powerful one, but a flood nheless. Torrential Downpour, however, was...quite different. It was, at its core, a torture technique.


    Torrential Downpour creates rainfall over a select area. At first, the rain is light, almost gentle and rxing. But as time passes, the raindrops will get heavier and heavier, slowly causing pain as they hit your skin, until they eventually be strong enough to break bones. Since the caster could stop and cancel the spell at any time, Torrential Downpour was amonly used interrogation technique, able to break even the most iron wills.


    Speaking of iron wills...the Metal Element spell Iron Will I also learnt today was actually more useful than I initially thought. Basically, it hardened your resolve, and prevented any mental attacks from getting to you. It was useful against Curse Magic that inflicted hypnosis or mind control, as well as Psychic Magic such as Mind Reading at times. ording to Xiang Peng, there was a higher variant of this spell, called Iron Body. It did the same thing as Iron Will, except instead of on the mind, it was on the physical body. That was a Legendary Tier spell though - something I still couldn''t use just yet.


    <em>Actually...I honestly probably could, if I really tried, but I''m toozy for that.</em>


    Meanwhile, Metal Surge basically creates a torrent of metal that can erupt out of the ground, striking enemies. It was a lot like the Level One Earth Element spell, Stgmite, except instead of rock, it was pure solid metal. A lot stronger and deadly.


    And finally, thest spell I learnt, and also the only Sound Element spell Xiang Peng taught me - Reprisal of Sound. This was an interesting one. Normally, Sound Magic was considered mostly useless in actualbat - even the Enchantment Element was probably better than it in terms of pure strength. But this spell was different. It was actually quite powerful. Essentially, what it did was take in all the sound in the area over a set period of time,bine them into one powerful st of sound, and then shoot it out at a target.


    This may not sound like much (haha, sound), but sound can in fact be extremely powerful. When I tested this spell out, I blew away an entire building with it. Of course, my Chaos amplification abilities were mainly responsible for that, but the spell itself wasn''t weak either.


    Overall, to sum it up, this was quite the rewarding experience, if I do say so myself.


    "Hey, Xuan Kai," Xiang Peng said as we were on our way out of the slums to head to the Library of Infinite Beginnings. "Now that you''ve learnt these sixteen Level Three spells, you can honestly be an Advanced Mage right now if you wanted to. I know where the IMF branch here is, so you can take the Advancement Exam there."


    "Is just sixteen enough?" I asked with a dead tone, brushing off her question with ease.


    Xiang Peng, however, seemed to be genuinely considering the matter. "Hm...I would say yes, since all sixteen of the spells I taught you were actually useful all the time, no matter the situation. There''s a lot more Level Three spells I know that are very situational and scarcely used. Hence why I didn''t teach them to you."


    I sighed, and stopped walking. "Can''t you tell? What I''m really saying is that I don''t care about Advancement Exams, or bing an Advanced Mage. Take a hint."


    She frowned. "Huh? But why?"


    I stared at her with an unamused expression. "List me three reasons why I should go through the hassle of officially be an Advanced Mage. Now."


    "Eh? Uh...sure. For starters, you''ll be more respected in soci-"


    "More respected in society? Do I seem like the type of person to care about that?"


    "Hm, well, no, bu-"


    "I''ve always been a lone wolf, despite how it seems right now with all these girls around me. My inner nature will still remain as it always was - I work better independently, and nothing will change that. So - other people''s opinions of me don''t matter, is what I''m trying to say," I exined, hoping to get through to Xiang Peng.


    But the stubborn girl seemed to be still seriously considering convincing me.


    "O-Okay, look. That''s not the only reason. If you be an Advanced Mage on papers, you can also unlock benefits when you enter Fragment."


    "Such as?"


    "Such as...um...more respect!"


    "...That''s literally the exact same thing as your previous reason."


    "Er...o-okay, what about the Awakening test that you are eligible for after ranking up? You know, the more elements you have, the better!"


    "In case you forgot..." I began, getting more annoyed of her by the second.


    "R-Right. You already have all 21 elements..." she muttered, realizing her own mistake. "Ugh, it''s such a pain dealing with extremely overpowered characters like you! It''s like you came straight out of some fiction novel!"


    "You canin all you want, but I''d suggest you stop trying to convince me now. It''ll only give you a headache. I''m quite a stubborn person, after all."


    "Agreed," Mei Gui, who had been silent all this time, added. I almost forgot she was here. Xiang Peng was way too loud and attractive (not in the good way), not to mention Mei Gui didn''t have much of a presence in the first ce - which wasn''t a bad thing, since that made her useful for assassinations and stealth missions. The girl had been watching while Xiang Peng taught me, picking up the spells for herself as well. She was clever and intelligent - no doubt, she already had all of them mastered just like I did, without even having to try them out once.


    "O-Okay, look - there might not be any too visible merits to bing an Advanced Mage on paper, but there aren''t exactly any <em>downsides </em>to it either, are there?" Xiang Peng continued, trying to tackle the subject from a different approach.


    I scoffed. "Huh? No downsides? You''re kidding me. There''s a test fee for the exam, is there not? Not to mention the time you have to waste on this thing. What a hassle - and you''re telling me there are <em>no downsides?</em>"


    Xiang Peng gulped, unable to argue any further after being hit by my sound point. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again.


    "Okay, whatever. You win. God, I have a headache now..."


    I rolled my eyes. "Imagine if you listened to me when I told you to stop trying to convince me..."


    And with that, we began heading for the Library of Infinite Beginnings, our main mission for today.

 Chapter 266 - Aluna

    Upon reaching the Library of Infinite Beginnings, the three of us - Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, and I - didn''t hesitate. Mrs. Fang noticed us and gave a little wave as we walked by, which we returned. We didn''t stop to make conversation though, as we already had a clear goal in mind.


    Heading directly up the spiral staircase in the middle, we entered the second floor, and without stopping, continued onwards, circling around the staircase once again to reach another door higher up. The door was a simr design as the one on the second floor, which meant this was undoubtedly the entrance to the third floor - but to ess it, we would need to defeat the Gatekeeper of that floor first.


    "This is it," I said, pulling out my library card from my wallet, which, as an aside, was depressingly empty. Hopefully, the Hunters'' Guild''s payment for me would be readyter today though.


    "Woah, you wanna go first?" Xiang Peng asked uncertainly. "I''m stronger, you know. Let big sister here go first to scout it out."


    I sighed. "One, you''re not stronger than me. Two, you''re not my big sister. But...if you want to jump into danger for me, then by all means."


    "Hey hey,e on. You''re no fun," Xiang Peng giggled. "You say I''m not stronger than you, but...didn''t you need my protection back during the fight in Shenzhen?"


    Indeed - Xiang Peng had saved me once by blocking aser beam shot out from one of the monsters'' eyes.


    I scoffed. "I hope you realize...actually, never mind. Saying anything to you is just useless."


    "Hmph! Then duel me, after this!" Xiang Peng puffed out her chest. "I''ll show you not to mess with an Ancestral Mage when you''re just an Intermediate one!"


    I shook my head slowly, exasperated even though I haven''t even done anything that required stamina. "I can''t believe you''d underestimate me when you already know full well how much power I wield...you''re a different breed, Xiang Peng."


    "For better or worse," Xiang Peng said with a wink.


    "For worse..." I muttered quietly. "In any case, I''m not taking the duel. It''s utterly pointless, and I have nothing to prove to you."


    She smirked. "Oh? Could it be...you''re scared?"


    "If you think I''m going to fall for your simple taunts, think again."


    "Heh. I know you''re a cunning person, so how about this? If you win, you can do whatever you want to me," Xiang Peng offered, grinning suggestively. "I''m pretty confident in my looks, y''know...evenpared to all those other girls around you. And if you can win...I''m all yours."


    "Denied," I immediately said, not even bothering to spare her a nce. I swiped my library card on the scanner beside the door.


    "What?!" Xiang Peng appeared to be genuinely heartbroken. "How is this possible, a teenage boy rejecting such a tempting offer?! Is it because I''m not beautiful enough? Are you asexual or something?! No....wait, do you swing <em>that </em>way?"


    Completely ignoring her baseless assumptions, each one more distant than thest, I pulled open the door to reveal a portal behind it. It was just like the one I had entered when facing the Floor Two Gatekeeper.


    "Good luck, Master," Mei Gui said firmly,pletely ignoring Xiang Peng''s desperate cries beside us.


    <em>That''s my girl, retaining the same qualities as me...heh. We have both perfected the art of ignoring idiots being idiots.</em>


    <em></em>I nodded in response, and entered the portal, leaving behind the two of them.


    <strong>******</strong>


    A bright sh ensued, and when I opened my eyes again, I was somewhere else. It wasn''t like the outer space environment I had been in when I met that Celesticus, apparently one of the founders of the Library. Instead, this setting was a forest. A real forest, with life teeming everywhere, unlike the Forest of Alpheridian Mei Gui and I had just been in yesterday to hunt Thistle Walkers.


    Luckily, Thistle Walkers were mainly bright green in color, so I had been able to track them with my eyes even at night in a dark forest, without using any Blessing Magic to empower my vision.


    This forest, however, was different.


    Despite it being around 7 PM outside, within this dimension, it seemed to be early morning to midday.


    <em>It must''ve taken some insane Space and Time Magic to create an alternate dimensional simtion like this. The founders of this ce...just how powerful were they?</em>


    <em></em>I looked around, unsure of who was the Gatekeeper I was supposed to defeat. There were plenty of small animals around - but none of them seemed to be hostile. So far, nothing had tried killing me. I was a bit confused.


    <em>Was the real test of this floor more to locate the Gatekeeper, rather than actually defeating it?</em>


    It seemed the tests of the Library of Infinite Beginnings were a lot moreplex than I had expected. I had originally thought they would all just be straight forward, battle-based, but it seemed otherwise.


    Then, suddenly, I heard gentle movement behind me.


    I immediately spun around and leapt back a distance away, my guard up. Facing me was an elf - a beautiful woman, with snow white skin and long golden hair. She gave off a gentle and mature air around her, making her seempletely harmless - almost like a caring elder sister or mother.


    But I wasn''t that gullible.


    I kept up my guard as she stepped closer - and the moment she did, I unleashed an attack.


    <em>Time to make good use of the spells I just learnt. </em>


    <em>Level Three Light Magic - Holy Ray.</em>


    <em></em>I shot a ck beam of light at the elf, who appeared a bit surprised - but to me, it seemed that rather than the fact that I attacked her, she was more interested in the <em>color </em>of the attack I had unleashed.


    And then, it was my turn to be surprised.


    The beam of ck light collided with her...not. Instead, it just stopped, a few inches away from the elf''s body. It was as if she had an invisible and flexible wall covering her entire body, almost like an invulnerable set of armor.


    "My, my...so what Sigil told me was really true," the elf murmured, seemingly to herself.


    I narrowed my gaze. "Who are you? There''s no way you''re the Gatekeeper of this floor, if my attacks aren''t even able to graze you."


    The elf looked into my eyes, and smiled warmly - a beautiful, genuine smile. "You''re right - I''m not the Gatekeeper. My apologies for myck of manners - allow me to introduce myself properly."


    She continued walking towards me, but I didn''t step back this time. This was a farce, however. I seemed rxed on the outside, but I still kept my guard up - this was to give <em>her </em>the impression my guard was down. That way, she would let her own guard down too, thinking I trusted her. If she tried anything...I would be ready.


    After walking close enough to touch me, she continued, that gentle smile never once leaving her face. "My name is Aluna. Aluna Elven."


    My eyes widened. "Elven...? Isn''t that the royal bloodline of the Elves?"


    The beautiful elf, Aluna, appeared surprised. "Oh my, you recognize the name?"


    I nodded. "I remember reading something like that some time ago, at my old school."


    From what I have read, the elves were a matriarchy - in other words, a queendom, with one queen to rule over the entire race. And said queen, has always had thest name ''Elven''. That was the sign of the royal bloodline. ording to legends, the first queen had thest name of Elven, and has been passed down ever since. It was also where their race name, elves, originated from.


    "I see..." Aluna murmured, thinking to herself.


    "So? What kind of business does a member of the royal elven bloodline have with me?" I asked, getting to the main topic at hand.


    "Hm...if you show me your face, I will tell you," Aluna giggled softly. It was cute.


    "My face? What does that have to do with this?"


    "Oh, I''m just curious to see what you look like, that''s all," she answered in a carefree tone.


    I sighed, and removed my facemask slowly. "There. Happy?"


    "Mm..." she murmured, as if evaluating my looks. "Yes, very handsome. Just as I expected."


    "I don''t believe you came here just to tter me," I said coldly.


    "Yes, yes, you''re right," Aluna replied. "My apologies, I got carried away."


    "So? What do you want from me?"


    "Before that...I trust you''ve seen a friend of mine already, yes?"


    "A friend of yours...? How am I supposed to know your friends?"


    "Oh, you know, alright. He''s...hard to miss," Aluna chuckled. "I believe the two of you met when you challenged the second floor of the Library."


    "The second floor of the Library...ah, I see," I said, remembering who Aluna was referring to. "The Celesticus, yeah? The one that was wearing a mask that only covered his eyes?"


    She nodded, happy that I remembered. "Yes. His name is Sigil."


    "And? He told you about me?"


    I frowned, not liking where this was going. That Celesticus - Sigil - had detected some sort of unique power within me. That is to say...my Chaos power. If these two were ''friends'', as they called it, then this elf was also one of the founders of the Library. What that also meant...was that both of these individuals were extremely powerful masters.

 Chapter 267 - The Third Floor

    "So...that still doesn''t answer my question - what do you want from me?" I asked, keeping my guard up at all times.


    "I''m sure Sigil has told you this already, but he sensed a special power within you. A power so strong and unfathomable, even for him," Aluna exined. "I didn''t believe him at first. But after seeing you with my own two eyes...I understand now. You are quite the special boy indeed."


    "Power? What power?" I raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.


    "You can y dumb all you like, but unfortunately, your mind is not guarded well enough," Aluna replied with a gentle smile, with genuinely no hostility behind it.


    <em>...Psychic Magic, huh?</em>


    Aluna must''ve read that thought too, since her expression didn''t change and she continued to beam at me with a happy expression, as if she was thoroughly enjoying our meeting.


    "...Are you going to try and obtain my power for yourself?" I asked, getting to the heart of my worries.


    Aluna seemed surprised at first, then unexpectedly giggled out loud. "Hehehe~you''re an interesting one, Xuan Kai. We have no intention of stealing what is rightfully yours."


    "Xu- Wait, how do you know my name?"


    Aluna smirked. "I believe you already know this, but...I am one of the sixteen founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings. I have eyes and ears everywhere within the Library. Getting your name wasn''t too difficult."


    "Hold on...is it alright if I ask a question?"


    I didn''t know why I was being so polite and timid in front of this woman - perhaps it was just the gentle aura she gave off that made people want to treat her nicely in return as well.


    "Sure. I will answer to the best of my abilities."


    "You said there are sixteen founders, right? But...what about the Monster and Magic Beast races?"


    Aluna sighed. "Not all Monsters and Magic Beasts are evil, Xuan Kai. For instance...all Rank 8 Magic Beasts have formed an alliance with the IMF, no?"


    "Then that means..."


    She nodded. "Correct. The Magic Beast representative, my dear friend and fellow founder of the Library of Infinite Beginnings, is a Rank 8 Magic Beast."


    "So, in other words, he or she possess strength equivalent to that of a Divine God?"


    "It''s a she. And yes, she does."


    "Hold on. I''m still confused. If you''re ''friends'' with this Rank 8 Magic Beast..."


    Then, reading my mind, she answered. "Yes. I am a Divine God. And so are all the other founders, including Sigil, the Celesticus you have already met."


    My eyes widened, and it took me a good second to process all this information. "But...I hadn''t sensed a powerful aura emitting from this Sigil person when I met him, and nor do I sense one from you right now."


    "Your ability to sense powerful presences and gauge their strength based on what you feel is extremely fascinating," Aluna remarked. "However, that skill is unfortunately only useful on those who still do not have the power to <em>hide their true strength.</em> This is not meant to be an insult, but...if I were to release my full aura right now, you would faint if not straight up killed."


    <em>Was this...the power of a Divine God?</em>


    <em></em>Aluna didn''t seem to be lying, nor did she have any reason to lie to me. Then she looked up.


    "In any case...I think our time here is up for today, quite regrettably. If you stay any longer, your friends outside will get suspicious," Aluna said, sighing, slightly disappointed. "Goodbye for now, Xuan Kai. We''ll meet again - I''ll make sure of it."


    With that, she turned around, and vanished into the forest. But then, she paused, for a brief moment.


    "Oh, one more thing. Don''t tell anyone else of our existence - me, or any of the other fifteen founders," she said gently.


    "...Are you threatening me?" I asked, wondering what the implied ''or else'' was.


    "This is not a threat, I assure you," Aluna said in response, as calm and mature as ever. "I will not force you to do anything - hehe, I''m just not that kind of person. If you do wish to tell the whole world about what happened here, then so be it. I won''t inflict any sort of punishment on you, nor will any of the other founders. I am merely asking you this as a favor...in other words, I treat you as an equal - as a friend."


    <em>Well, I wouldn''t go so far as to call us ''friends'' after one meeting, but...</em>


    <em></em>After a deep sigh, I replied. "I understand. We never met."


    Upon hearing my response, even though I couldn''t see her gorgeous face, I knew that, without a doubt, she was smiling happily. She began to walk away once more.


    It was then that I realized my question all along still has not been answered clearly.


    In a hurry, I tried to call out to her. "W-Wait, you still haven''t told me what you want me fo-"


    But s, she didn''t respond, and the only thing I could do was watch her graceful back slowly get smaller, smaller, and eventually, disappear from sight.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>The world around me shed a brilliant white, and in an instant, I was brought to a seemingly endless white room, with a single door ced in front of me.


    <em>Okay...I get the gist by now.</em>


    <em></em>Pushing open the door, I stepped through - and found myself on the other side of the staircase - in other words, the third floor. There were about just as many people here as there were on the second floor. Trantion: not much. I took a deep breath, and collected myself. I needed to calm down after all the information I just got, and the whole conversation with Aluna Elven.


    <em>Divine Gods...they really do exist. But...why do they note out and reveal themselves? They are already standing at the peak of the world, so why are they choosing to hide their own very existence instead of enjoying the fame and wealth of being among the strongest mages there ever was?</em>


    <em></em>I sighed. These were questions I would never find the answers to unless I spoke to Aluna or Sigil again. Or, perhaps...another founder would work too, depending on his or her personality, and whether the liked me or not. Then again, I had never been a very ''likeable'' person, so...


    <em>There''s just one thing I can''t wrap my head around. When Aluna was leaving, she had said she considered me her equal - a friend, just like any of the other fifteen founders. Why? Our strength gap right now wasrge enough to the point where it was simplyughable. And I don''t think we''ve ever met each other before...ugh, the more I think about this, the more questions I have.</em>


    <em></em>Shaking all these thoughts away and saving them for the next time I had a chance to meet one of the sixteen founders of the Library, I pulled open the door and slipped through. On the other side, Xiang Peng and Mei Gui were waiting for me.


    "Wee back, Master," Mei Gui said with a smile. It was faint, but that meant a lot for Mei Gui, who was usuallypletely emotionless and stoic. So, to sum it up, she was genuinely happy I was back.


    Meanwhile, Xiang Peng had quite the different reaction.


    "Ugh, I will <em>never </em>get used to just seeing someone''s head pop out of a portal like that," she grumbled in disgust.


    "Too bad," I replied ruthlessly.


    "So? How was the Gatekeeper?" Xiang Peng asked,pletely ignoring the coldness in my response.


    "You''ll see for yourself," I said, feigning ignorance. I wasn''t going to tell her about the existence of the founders.


    "Huh? Then what was the point of you going first?!" Xiang Peng cried in desperation. "Ugh, fine, whatever. My turn!"


    With that, she determinedly swiped her card on the scanner, and pushed open the door, disappearing into thin air (at least, that''s what I saw, since I alreadypleted the Gatekeeper test for this floor).


    "Master...you did not fight anyone at all," Mei Gui said once Xiang Peng was gone. She was extremely observant and perceptive.


    "How did you know?" I asked quietly.


    "There are no signs of intense movement on your cloak, Master," Mei Gui exined. "In fact, I cannot see any wrinkles, which should be impossible unless you have only been walking slowly. Obviously, there are no stains either. Of course, it is possible you just hid these signs, but I find that unlikely."


    "..."


    <em>Telling her should be fine, right? She''s probably going to be talked to by Aluna either way.</em>


    "Well, you''re right. I didn''t fight the Gatekeeper - instead, I met this woman," I said. "She was an elf...but well, you''ll find out the rest when you go in for yourself. She''ll probably want to talk to you as well."


    Mei Gui nodded. "Understood, Master."

 Chapter 268 - Xiang Pengs Past

    Xiang Peng appeared from the other side of the door about ten minutes after going in. Seeing as how she managed toplete the test within this short frame of time, I assumed the real Gatekeeper wasn''t that hard. She seemed to have defeated the Gatekeeper with minimal effort, as she didn''t appear to be sweaty or disheveled at all. As expected of an Ancestral Mage.


    "Heya, I''m back," she said with a flirtarious wink. "You two miss me? Sure you did."


    I was toozy to correct her, so I just ignored her question and instead asked my own.


    "How was the Gatekeeper?"


    "Huh? Why ask me? You''ve already fought it for yourself earlier, no?"


    No...but I couldn''t tell her that, obviously.


    "I''m asking for your thoughts on the fight. Was it difficult for you?" I continued, making sure not to make it look like I hadn''t fought at all.


    Xiang Peng, despite her yful and quite frankly, irritating demeanor, was in fact an extremely perceptive girl deep down. I could see it in her eyes, which was why I chose my words and actions carefully around her if I had something to hide - which I did, in this case.


    "Well, it was pretty easy, honestly. Not to brag, but I didn''t even break a sweat - quite literally," she replied. It seemed she was still confused as to why I was so eager to get her thoughts on the matter, but she didn''t pry since she knew that I wouldn''t answer her even if she did anyway. We''ve been travelling together for a while now, after all.


    "As I thought. The Gatekeepers of these lower floors are mere child''s y," I muttered.


    "Master, shall I go now?" Mei Gui asked quietly, pointing at the door.


    I nodded, and she scanned her library card just like Xiang Peng and I had done before her. Opening the door in one swift motion, she entered the portal.


    After she was gone, Xiang Peng spoke.


    "Hey, Xuan Kai...are you hiding something from me?" she asked. Her tone was gentle but firm, unlike her usual yful self. I could tell - she was being serious. She almost sounded...sad?


    "Hiding something? What do you mean?" I asked right back, feigning ignorance as usual. My acting skills at this point were nearly perfected.


    "...Never mind then," she said, turning away. "And here I was, thinking I''ve actually made real friends for the first time..."


    She was murmuring quietly, but I heard it. I heard it, but...I didn''t know how to respond. I may have mastered the art of acting and feigning ignorance, but I still had a long way to go when it came to human rtionships and conversing with others. After a long, ufortable silence, I finally decided to speak up.


    "Are you...lonely?"


    Xiang Peng, surprised to hear these wordsing out of my mouth, chuckled. "Lonely? No. Not really. I guess...if I was younger, I would''ve said yes. But by this point, I''m used to it. Being alone, I mean."


    "...Are you though?"


    She tilted her head, and looked me in the eyes. They were tainted red, a sign that she had been crying inaudibly just now. "What do you mean?"


    "If you were already used to being alone, as you say, then whye with us to Shanghai at all? If you travelled by yourself, you could''ve reached here a lot sooner, and not get yourself tangled in my problems," I said calmly. "You''re a liar, Xiang Peng. Face the reality."


    "W-Wha- that''s rich,ing from <em>you!</em>" she eximed angrily. "How much have you hid from the other girls and I?! How much of the things you say out of your mouth is true?!"


    <em>That''s right...let it all out. </em>


    <em></em>"I don''t mean lying to other people, Xiang Peng," I responded, as nonchnt as ever,pletely unaffected by her emotional outburst. "I mean...you are lying to yourself."


    <em>I didn''t realize it before, but...now I know. Xiang Peng has a dark past, just like myself. There''s probably a reason she volunteered toe to Shenzhen - the excuse she told me about her being part of the Magic Capital''s defense team or whatever had many loopholes that I never really cared about exploiting.</em>


    <em>Now, I know why. Her story was made-up.</em>


    <em>I don''t doubt that she''s part of the defense squad. She certainly has the capabilities to be on it - as a leader, even. However, at the same time, I find it extremely difficult to believe that the defense corps would just send out one of their best units to dangerous territory without even ascertaining just how dire the situation was at the time. That would be nothing but suicide. And yet, Xiang Peng still came.</em>


    <em>No - she hadn''t been ordered toe to Shenzhen to help fight back the Midnight Syndicate.</em>


    <em>No...she''d chosen to go there herself.</em><em></em>


    <em>Why? The reason was simple.</em>


    <em>To escape. Escape from her home. The home of her dark past. And after meeting us, she finally saw a ray of salvation. A chance to finally break free from the horrible chains that bound her - an opportunity to make genuine friends.</em>


    <em></em>"L-Lying to myself?" she echoed hesitantly.


    "I think there is one misconception you have on what the term ''friend'' means, Xiang Peng," I continued, not giving her any time to think. "If you think friends don''t have any secrets between them, you''repletely and utterly wrong. Even the closest of buddies; hell, even lovers have their own secrets they keep away from the other."


    Xiang Peng seemed to be shocked hearing this.


    <em>As I thought...whatever her past was, it definitely has something to do with her old ''friends''. Something severely traumatic must have happened, causing her to be disillusioned with the concept of ''friends''.</em>


    <em></em>"Look...humans are fundamentally selfish creatures. Yes, they interact with others. Yes, they form closely-knitted rtionships. But no matter how deep these bonds grow, they cannot alter human nature," I exined with a deep sigh. "In the end, there are no groups of friends in the world who know absolutely everything about each other. Everyone has a part of their life, a side to their personality, that they wish to hide. For some people, this may be so minimal that it''s practically nonexistent. But for others, this could be so great to the point that they have split personalities."


    She could do nothing but remain silent at my deep speech.


    "So - chin up," I continued. "All the other girls and I are here. You chose to travel with us, and now you know my secrets. Even if you wanted to get away, I wouldn''t let you. Xiang Peng...you''re not alone anymore. So stop. Stop lying to yourself."


    She stared into my eyes, and truth to be told, it made me feel extremely awkward. She didn''t seem to feel that way at all though - instead, she looked at me like I was some kind of savior, lighting the way to salvation for her.


    <em>Hm? Why am I feeling reminiscent of the time when I gave Lan Xiao Su a simr talking-to? Well...I guess it''s kinda simr. I guess I just have a knack to talking to people. Never thought I would be the philosophical type, but oh well. </em>


    <em>...I can only imagine what someone would''ve thought if they came up the stairs right about now, though. My speech was really deep, after all.</em>


    "Now then..." I began. "Tell me - what is your greatest wish?"


    "My greatest wish..." Xiang Peng echoed, looking downwards at her shoes. "I..."


    "Go on, say it."


    "I...don''t want to be alone anymore. That''s my greatest wish."


    I smirked. "Good news for you then, I guess. Unbeknownst to you, your wish had already been granted from the moment you chose toe along with us."


    "Xuan Kai..." Xiang Peng murmured, before suddenly pulling me into a hug. "Ahahaha! Xuan Kai, you''re so adorable!"


    "H-Huh?! Hey, let me go-!" I tried pulling away, but couldn''t. My face was thoroughly stuffed into her generous cleavage, as I could do nothing but take in her rose-like scent.


    "Heehee, you''re all mine now!"


    It was at that moment that the door swung open.


    "...Master? What is going on here?"


    Faced with Mei Gui''s deadpan re and t tone, I tried to respond, iming I was innocent, but s, I couldn''t even do that. Xiang Peng, sensing my resistance, only hugged me even tighter, practically rubbing my face into her breasts.


    "U-Urgh...c-can''t...breathe..." I coughed, tapping Xiang Peng lightly on the shoulder three times to signal that I was running out of breath.


    After what seemed like an eternity, she finally let me go, and I immediately took a deep breath in and out, to avoid dying fromck of oxygen.


    "God...Xiang Peng..." I muttered. "You''re a real damn piece of work, you know that?"


    "Hey, it''s not my fault you looked so cool there," Xiang Peng shrugged in response. "You were like some kind of dashing prince on a white horse! Ah...every teenage girl''s dream..."


    <em>I don''t see how I resemble a prince on a white horse in any way, but I suppose I will never understand a girl''s heart. Especially not ones simr to me in age, like Xiang Peng or any of the other girls around me...minus Obsidia and ria, of course.</em>


    <em></em>"...Whatever. Just...don''t suddenly hug me like that," I spat in annoyance.


    "Yeah, yeah...but you can''t say you didn''t like it, can you?" Xiang Peng winked, smirking suggestively.


    I sighed. I was pretty irritated by the usual Xiang Peng, that had now returned, but...it would be a lie if I said I wasn''t a bit d as well.

 Chapter 269 - New Friends

    Xiang Peng''s past was a dark one. I didn''t know the specifics of it, and honestly, I wasn''t particrly eager to find out. There was no point in reopening the just-barely healed wounds of her past, after all. Besides, even if I didn''t know the details, I already knew it had something to do with her ''friends''. Perhaps they betrayed her or something...but none of that mattered. She was fine now, since she had us - the other girls and I. Her lonely self was gone, reced by her current one, surrounded by friends. I was genuinely happy for her. Not everyone was lucky enough toe across an opportunity to leave their past behind, after all.


    In any case, after my little speech, she seemed to have fully left behind her old self. Unfortunately, she got a little bit too excited and pulled me into a hug, right as Mei GUi came back out...and now I was being misunderstood by my Chaos Elemental. I tried to exin, of course, but Xiang Peng shot down all of my attempts to do so. I could only hope Mei Gui didn''t spill the beans to the other girls - that would be asking for trouble. Then again, Mei Gui wasn''t really the type to snitch like that, thankfully.


    Anyway, since all three of us had passed the third floor sessfully, we decided to check it out. Pushing open the door, we entered one at a time, since the door could only allow one person through at a given time. We had to scan our library cards to verify our identity once again - this system was obviously wed and a bit of a hassle, but it wasn''t meant to be made for groups of people in the first ce. Most people came here alone for individual study - after all, in the end, this ce was still a library.


    The first thing we noted as we entered the room was that there were considerably more people on this floor than the previous two. There was also a variety of races among them - I spotted Humans, Demihumans, Elves, Dwarves, and even a Vampire. Most vampires chose to hide their fangs, but this one didn''t seem to care, and had his fangs out in the open as he sat at a table and read, engrossed in some book. He wore sses, making him seem like the nerdy-type...though the two fangs jutting out of his mouth kind of ruined that image. Still, he seemed to be genuinely enjoying the book.


    Other than this, I did notice that all the different races sat quite a distance apart from each other. It was kind of like an unspoken agreement between all the people on this floor at the moment - I didn''t sense any hostility between the races, but there was still that racial borderline there. They didn''t interact with one another, and instead mingled amongst members of their own race. Deciding to follow thismonly yet silently acknowledged rule, the three of us headed for a table where other humans were seated at, in an attempt to gather some more information on this floor. Since so far, the past two floors have both had a distinct topic of their own all the books there fell in, I assumed it was the same for this floor.


    <em>Hm...I said that we would be heading to the table where the Humans are sitting at, but technically speaking, Mei Gui is an Elemental. Most races of this world had their own charactersitics that identified them as that race, but Elementals didn''t. They coulde in all shapes and sizes...Mei Gui just happened to be a humanoid one that looked like...well, a human. Eh, whatever. These guys probably won''t be able to sense anything off with Mei Gui anyway...save for the fact that she was perhaps a bit too introverted and quiet. We''ll be fine. Probably.</em>


    Having made my decision, we continued heading for the table, and even when we got close, no one looked up at us. There were four of them at this table in total, but there were more Humans on this floor, of course. Just sitting in a different area. These four, two boys, two girls, seemed to be quite young, around the same age as me.


    "Excuse me," I began. "I have a quick question. Do you guys mind answering?"


    A guy with freckles and auburn hair raised an eyebrow, and looked up...but not at me. Instead, his gaze was directed at Xiang Peng. Herrge breasts, in particr. Xiang Peng backed away slightly, hiding behind me.


    <em>Really? Xiang Peng, aren''t you always making dirty jokes? What, don''t tell me you can''t even handle the lecherous gaze of a boy the same age as me.</em>


    "Sure," the freckled boy said with a grin, attempting to look handsome in front of Xiang Peng. "What''s up?"


    "Uh...we were just wondering what this floor''s books are mainly focused on," I asked.


    "Level One spells," a different boy answered. "And useless ones, at that."


    He had ck hair and wore sses, and didn''t even look up from his book as he answered us. "All of us beat the Gatekeeper for this floor yesterday. It was far too easy, so I didn''t hold high hopes for this floor in the first ce. Still, practically useless Level One spells are better than the books on Floor One and Two. We''re just killing time here so we can rest up in preparation for the next Gatekeeper."


    "Oi, Four-Eyes! The hell, just butting in to our conversation like that?!" the freckled boy from earlier stood up and roared in quite a loud tone unfit for a library.


    "Calm down, Shi Yan," the sses kid replied in exasperation. "You''re disrupting everyone else on this floor, trying to get some reading done. And regarding your usation, I don''t recall these three neers here ever mentioning you even once. It wasn''t your conversation in the first ce. They were asking us - collectively, all of us. Therefore, I have every right to answer."


    <em>Hm. Calm personality and strong analytical skills. Not bad. This Shi Yan, on the other hand...seems to be a guy who thinks with his fists instead of his brain, orck thereof.</em>


    "T-Tch...whatever!" Shi Yan sat back down, having no counter-argument to ''Four-Eyes'', as he called it.


    Now, all four of them were made well-aware of our presence, so the other four joined in the conversation as well.


    One of the two girls of the group sighed. "You two...honestly, can''t you stop bickering for two minutes?"


    She had brown hair, a slightly darker tone than Shi Yan''s auburn.


    "We weren''t bickering!" Shi Yan flew up once more, but met with the unimpressed stare of the girl, awkwardly sat back down.


    The girl sighed once more, then turned to us. "Sorry about them. They''re like fire and water. As you can tell, they really don''t get along with each other."


    "If that''s the case, then why are you guys still sticking together?" Xiang Peng asked, confused. Shi Yan, hearing her voice, quickly spun around to look at her. She noticed this, and quickly dragged me in front of her as some kind of meat shield against Shi Yan''s gaze. I sent her a look full of hatred, but she whispered in my ear ''I''ll pay you backter'', and that was that.


    "Oh no, don''t get us wrong," said a second girl with ck hair and sses. "The four of us are all friends. We all came to Shanghai from Huizhou, to try our luck and maybe get into Fragment."


    "Huizhou, huh..." I murmured.


    "Don''t tell me, you''re from there too?" the girl with brown hair asked.


    I shook my head. "No, no. But we did pass by there on our way here. We''re from Shenzhen."


    "Wait, Shenzhen...isn''t that the ce that got destroyed by a bunch of monsters?" Shi Yan asked around.


    "You dolt!" the other girl with ck hair quickly interrupted. "That''s their home, dummy!"


    "O-Oh, sorry...that was insensitive," Shi Yan murmured, having been reprimanded.


    <em>Well, technically, that isn''t Xiang Peng''s home, but...whatever. No need to tell them that.</em>


    "It''s alright," I replied nonchntly. "I''m sure he didn''t mean any harm."


    "He didn''t," Four-Eyes said. "He may be a dimwit sometimes, but Shi Yan isn''t a bad person."


    Shi Yan, hearing this, got fired up. "Y-You-!"


    But before he couldsh out, Four-Eyes continued.


    "My name is Qian Zi You. You can call me Four-Eyes."


    With that, the other group members began introducing themselves as well.


    "I''m Yi Ling," the girl with brown hair said with a friendly smile and wave. "I go by Ling Ling most of the time though."


    "Hong Qu Yuan," the girl with ck hair said with a firm nod.


    "You can call her Cherry," Ling Ling said with a wink.


    "W-Wha-" Hong Qu Yuan, or rather, Cherry, seemed caught off guard at this.


    "Oh,e on, where''s the harm?" Ling Ling giggled.


    Yuan Yuan sighed. "Yeah, you''re right...sure, call me Cherry. I don''t mind. Don''t ask about where the nickname came from though. I''ll kill you if you do."


    "R-Right," I muttered.


    <em>Don''t ask her about the name or she''ll kill us. Duly noted.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>Andstly, the final member of their quartet:


    "I''m sure you know already, but...the name''s Shi Yan," he said, then raised his hand out towards Xiang Peng hesitantly. "N-Nice to meet you."


    <em>Geez...I''m standing right here and he decides to try and handshake the person behind me? Nice one, chief.</em>


    Since his extended hand clearly wasn''t meant to me, I didn''t take it. Xiang Peng seemed to have no intention of taking it either, despite knowing full well it was meant for her. Shi Yan, realizing that he had been silently rejected, awkwardly retracted his hand. The remaining three members of their little group, seeing this, collectively sighed, perhaps embarrassed for their friend.


    "Well, since everyone''s done introductions...I suppose it''ll be a bit rude if I didn''t do the same," I said calmly. Straightening my cloak, I continued.


    "My name is Xuan Kai. Pleasure."

 Chapter 270 - Rendezvous

    "Xuan Kai, huh?" Ling Ling, the girl with auburn hair, murmured thoughtfully. "Pretty cool-sounding name! I like it!"


    "I agree. It is a nice name," Four-Eyes added. "I look forward to our friendship."


    "Yeah - there aren''t many people around our age in The Fortress, after all," Cherry said.


    "Hm? Wait, you could tell we''re around your age?" I asked, frowning a bit in confusion. Mei Gui and I were both wearing masks, it would''ve been difficult to tell our age...


    "Is that not why you approached us in the first ce?" Four-Eyes analyzed. "There are plenty of other tables you could''ve went to, yet you chose this one. Of course, your voice also hinted towards your age a bit, though it is quite deep. Then there is also the girl standing behind you, who is not wearing a mask."


    <em>Xiang Peng is actually a year older than me, but close enough.</em>


    "Hm...I see. Your observation skills are good, Four Eyes," Iplimented geniunely.


    "S-Speaking of the girl behind you, she hasn''t introduced herself yet, has she?" Shi Yan said, butting himself into the conversation.


    Xiang Peng, realizing she couldn''t keep hiding behind me forever, sighed and came up front. "Yeah, I haven''t. Sorry. My name''s Xiang Peng. Ancestral Mage."


    "Woah, you''re an Ancestral Mage?!" Ling Ling''s eyes sparkled with excitement. "But, you look like the same age as us! How?!"


    "Well, I''m actually one year older than Xuan Kai and the rest of you. As for how I got to where I am today...well, 99% hard work, 1% of talent, is what I''d say," Xiang Peng said. She didn''t seem to be bragging, but the quartet seemed to be looking at her like some kind of goddess now.


    "Wow...that''s amazing!" Ling Ling eximed - the talkative one of the group, I suppose. "Hey, can you teach me some Level Three spells?! I really want to get to Advanced Mage before the rest of these guys! That way I can flex on them!"


    "Um...sure?" Xiang Peng said awkwardly. "Just a heads-up though, I won''t be doing it for free. If you want me to teach you stuff, you gotta treat me to a good meal."


    <em>Funny...why is Xiang Peng acting so awkward? Normally, when she''s around me and the other girls, she''s a lot more open than this. Is it because of Shi Yan?</em>


    "D-Deal!" Shi Yan was the one who said this instead of Ling Ling, however. I assumed it was less for learning the spells and more to just take Xiang Peng out for a ''date''.


    "Hey! I asked first!" Ling Ling said, pouting angrily. Still, she kept her tone quiet, since we were in a library, after all.


    "Too bad!" Shi Yan shot back, then turned back to us. "X-Xiang Peng, wherever you want to eat, I''ll take you there."


    "Um...okay then," she murmured, looking at me for help. I strategically averted my gaze.


    <em>Nope. Don''t look at me. Your problem for being too attractive, not my fault.</em>


    Now that I think about it, Xiang Peng is really cute,parable to the other girls around me. She had light green hair with curls, and beautiful facial features. Her body was, of course, amazing as well, hence why Shi Yan kept staring at it. She also had an outgoing personality...though she didn''t show that here, for whatever reason.


    "There''s still a couple hours to go until lunchtime," I said. "We can discuss Xiang Peng teaching you guyster. For now, let''s just kill some time by continuing to read the books on this floor."


    "Sounds good to me," Cherry replied. "After that, we can all go out for lunch together."


    Everyone else nodded, and so that was decided.


    "Oh yeah, by the way, that other girl with you, she hasn''t said a single word! Is she just shy?" Ling Ling asked, directing her gaze towards Mei Gui, who had been standing by my side all this time.


    "Yeah," I answered in her stead. "Her name is Mei Gui. This is just how she is, don''t take it personally. Allow me to apologize on her behalf."


    "No no, it''s okay! I get it," Ling Ling hurriedly said. "After she gets to know us a little better, she''ll be morefortable talking, yeah?"


    I nodded in confirmation, and Ling Ling smiled brightly. "Okay! Sounds good!"


    With that, the three of us each found ourselves a seat by the same table. As an aside, Shi Yan tried to offer Xiang Peng the seat beside him, but she pretended not to notice and instead just naturally sat beside me, with Mei Gui on the other side.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- A Few Hours Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong>"...As expected, none of these books are any use for us," Four-Eyes muttered in frustration. "How long will it take to finally reach a floor where we can actually learn something?!"


    "Rx," Cherry said. "It shouldn''t be too long now. We''re getting into actual magic now, after all...even if it''s only useless utility Level One spells."


    "Ugh...what time is it now?" Shi Yan asked, doing a mild stretch. Over the past two hours, he had been asking this same question at regr 10-minute intervals. His exactness was quite impressive, actually.


    I checked my phone, then looked up. "11:30. Lunchtime."


    Shi Yan leapt up from the chair, and made a silent screaming gesture of excitement that resembled something like ''LET''S GO, FINALLY''.


    "Awesome! Let''s go, then!" Ling Ling eximed, mming her book shut, before moving to put it back to where it originally was, but I stopped her.


    "Wait. You can just leave the books here on the table," I said. "They will return to their shelf on their own."


    "Wait, really?" Shi Yan raised an eyebrow in suspicion.


    I nodded. "Tested and confirmed."


    "Huh...never knew that," Ling Ling murmured, setting the book back down on the table.


    With that, we headed off, down the stairs one at a time. Right as we were about to exit the Library of Infinite Beginnings, I received a call on my phone. I picked it up after seeing who it was.


    "What''s up, Feng Mian?"


    "Hey~where are you right now?" she asked.


    "Uh...nning to head out for lunch, why?" I replied truthfully. The fact that I was with some newpanions I met just slipped my mind.


    "Oh, that''s perfect! The other girls and I were just nning on doing the same thing! Wanna eat together?" Feng Mian asked, hope and excitement in her voice.


    "Well...if you say it so eagerly, I have no choice but to ept, do I?" I chuckled in response.


    "M-Mou~did I really sound that eager?"


    "Yep. You''ve never been good at hiding your emotions."


    She giggled slightly. "I suppose that''s true. Okay, see you in a bit then. I''ll text you the address."


    "Sounds good," I replied, then hung up.


    "Who was that?" Shi Yan immediately asked. "Sounded like a girl...with a cute voice too. Is she your girlfriend?"


    "Uh...girlfriend? Hm...I guess she''s a friend, and she''s a girl, so...kinda?" I replied, purposely avoiding the question. "That aside, they said they wanted to eat lunch together. That sound okay with you guys?"


    "Sure!" Ling Ling said.


    "Fine by me," Cherry agreed.


    "I don''t mind either," Four-Eyes added.


    "Uh..." Shi Yan''s eyes darted around, as if trying to ask a question but can''t muster up the courage to.


    Knowing what he was going to ask, I sighed.


    "Yes...there will be girls," I said exasperatedly.


    "C-Cute ones?" he murmured hesitantly.


    I smirked. Just ''cute'' was an <em>insult </em>to Feng Mian and the others.


    "All I can say is...you''ll see for yourself," I chuckled.


    "O-Okay, let''s go," Shi Yan said, having made up his mind.


    <em>Ah...what a guy. He''s already hitting on Xiang Peng, yet he''s so eager to meet new girls. Is his dream to have a harem or something?</em>


    In any case, I soon received a text from Feng Mian with an address, so I inputted it in the Maps app on my phone and ran a quick search.


    <em>Hm...okay, around a kilometer. Not too far away. Feng Mian must''ve been considerate of me when picking the location...but that also meant she and the other girls would have to walk further. What a dummy.</em>


    <em></em>Subconsciously, Iughed a little. I found it kind of cute, her clumsy way of showing care for me.


    "What''s the matter?" Xiang Peng asked from beside me, having been the only one who heard my quietugh.


    "Nothing," I replied quickly, and turned off my phone after memorizing the directions. "So, the ce we''re going to is called Violet Pce. It''s around one kilometer away from here, so not that far."


    "Thank god! I''m hungry, hehe," Ling Ling said while scratching her cheek, slightly embarrassed.


    With that, we headed for Violet Pce, making talk about random stuff while on the way.


    It was also then that I decided to contact Mei Gui telepathically, while the others were busy with their own conversation.

 Chapter 271 - Violet Palace

    Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, and I, along with the four new friends we made, soon arrived at the Violet Pce. It seemed to be an European-style restaurant, with elegant designs on the walls and name sign. On the way here, I had asked Mei Gui about what she experienced during the Gatekeeper test. Quite surprisingly, she told me no one tried to talk to her. I could tell she wasn''t lying, as I could get a general grasp on what she was thinking. Regardless, this information came as a bit of a shock to me. I had been 100% certain Aluna would attempt to talk to Mei Gui as well, since that is what Sigil had done. Guess I was wrong.


    Without further ado, we entered the restaurant.


    The other girls seemed to already be there, as Qing Yue immediately spotted me. It looked like she had just returned from using the washroom, and happened toe across us. She ran over and fell into my arms, as a kind of signature greeting between the two of us.


    "Mm...Big Brother Xuan Kai, who are these people?" she asked looking at the four newpanions we had with us.


    "Woah! She''s so cute!" Ling Ling immediately eximed, sping her own cheeks in excitement, "Oh my god, is that your little sister? She''s adorable!"


    "Well, we aren''t blood-rted, but yeah, she''s my little sister," I exined. "As for these four...they''re some friends I made today. They''ll be eating with us."


    Feng Mian walked over as well, out of a room further inside. "Luckily, I booked a private room...otherwise it wouldn''t be able to fit all these people."


    Shi Yan''s jaw dropped when he saw Feng Mian, who was all kinds of gorgeous. I, on the other hand, being used to this, didn''t even blink. Four-Eyes also stared at Feng Mian in a daze. I originally thought he was just a bookworm who didn''t care about romance, but guess Feng Mian just had this type of affect on people, no matter who they were.


    "Normally, I would reprimand you for wasting money and booking a big room, but..." I began.


    "It works out this time, doesn''t it?" Feng Mian shrugged, then smiled happily. "Besides, it''s my own money."


    "Yeah yeah..." I muttered, letting myself get dragged away by Qing Yue and Feng Mian, each tugging on one of my arms. The rest of the squad followed us. I felt Shi Yan''s gaze boring into my back - it was one of mixed emotion, from envy to frustration.


    <em>This is going to spell problems further down the line, if we are to continue our friendship. Jealousy is a powerful emotion, after all.</em>


    The girls on their own already attracted enough attention, but now that we were such a big group, nearly every other customer in the restaurant was looking at us in interest. It was ufortable, to say to the least. Luckily, Feng Mian had booked a private room, so we were spared from the stares of everyone else.


    There were the nine girls with me (Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, Yu An Yan, Obsidia, Mei Gui, Xiang Peng, Lan Xiao Su, and Amane), the four new friends I made (Ling Ling, Cherry, Four-Eyes, and Shi Yan), and myself. That totaled up to a sum of fourteen people. By chance, the private room Feng Mian booked just happened to also have 14 seats. Truly a fortunate coincidence.


    We each took our seats, with Feng Mian and Qing Yue sticking by my side, never once letting go, so that they could sit beside me. Shi Yan, upon seeing the rest of the girls, was left speechless. Frozen, in fact. He couldn''t even move as he stared at each of the girls,pletely charmed.


    The girls, met with his stare, shifted ufortably in their chairs, and internally prayed that Shi Yan wouldn''t sit beside them. Unfortunately, he had to sit somewhere, so in the end he sat beside Feng Mian, who was now stuck between two boys. She subconsciously moved closer to me, as if seeking protection.


    Sighing, I discretely cast a spell.


    <em>Level Two Psychic Magic - Telepathy.</em>


    <em></em>Linking with Feng Mian, I spoke inside my mind.


    <em>Rx, Feng Mian. He won''t try anything...not with all of us around. There''s no need to be so scared. Just be natural.</em>


    She wasn''t guarded against me at all, so I was able to get through to her mind easily. Other people would have a more difficult timemunicating with her telepathically.


    <em>Eh? But...I don''t think I can be natural with him staring at my body like that...</em> she responded.


    <em>Uh...try your best? </em>I sent back.


    <em>I-It''s fine. I...feel safe being close to you.</em>


    <em></em>She averted her gaze from me, blushing slightly. People who didn''t know what we were doing must''ve been confused, seeing her randomly blush out of the blue like that.


    With that, I ended the telepathy.


    Ling Ling, being the type to interact with everyone, quickly spoke up. "Hey, everyone! My real name isn''t important, so you can just all call me Ling Ling! Nice to meet you all!"


    "Might as well introduce ourselves then," Yu An Yan said. "I''m Yu An Yan. Beside me here is my sister, Yu An Xue. She''s not really good with talking, so forgive her if she seems cold."


    "..." As if on cue, Yu An Xue sent a sharp re towards Shi Yan, who seemed a bit taken aback by the integrity behind it.


    Ling Ling, on the other hand, didn''t seem to be affected one bit, perhaps because the gaze wasn''t directed at her.


    "Nice to meet you both!" she eximed excitedly. "Going around the circle, next would be..."


    "Um...hi. I-I''m Lan Xiao Su."


    <em>Hm...she''s improving. Had it been before, I never would''ve expected her to introduce herself like that.</em>


    <em></em>"Lan Xiao Su..." Shi Yan murmured in longing. The only thing he was missing was drool. Oh, wait, he started drooling.


    "Hey, Shi Yan! You''re drooling!" Cherry reprimanded in a hurry, frowning at her friend.


    "H-Huh? Oh!" Shi Yan quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin, embarrassed.


    The girls all turned away, unable to look at this scene y out. Things were getting awkward...


    "I suppose that means I''m next..." Obsidia sighed, as if she really didn''t want to do this. Still, she had to hide the fact that she was a dragon, so ying along here was the best choice to avoid suspicion. "My name is Obsidia. I would appreciate it if you...didn''t stare at my breasts so much."


    She red at Shi Yan as she said this, with killing intent.


    <em>Woah there, Obsidia...calm down. That''s even worse than Yu An Xue, holy shit...</em><em></em>


    <em></em>Shi Yan, being on the receiving end of this, nearly fell out of his chair, but quickly averted his gaze, and rubbed his nose awkwardly.


    "Nya, heya~" Amane waved cutely. "My nyame is Amane. I''m Xuwan Kwai''s future wifey!"


    "H-Huh?!" everyone present dropped their jaws after hearing this, myself included.


    "H-Hey! Don''t just go deciding that on your own-!" I said, narrowing my eyes.


    But s, it was toote. "Woah...Xuan Kai, you have such a pretty catgirl as your fianc¨¦e?!" Ling Ling eximed, eyes sparkling.


    "Er...no, she''s more of a self-proimed one, but-" I began.


    "Hey, what about all these other beauties around you?" Shi Yan hurriedly asked. He had probably wanted to ask this for a long time now.


    "Uh..." not sure how to answer, I thought about it for a moment, but before I coulde up with a good answer, someone else interrupted.


    "We''re his fianc¨¦es as well!" Qing Yue blurted out, much to the surprise of the other girls.


    "What?! All of them?!" Shi Yan cried. "C''mon, Xuan Kai...you''re really monopolizing all these girls?!"


    "Uh, no, listen-"


    "Wow...hey, how did he manage to get all of you to fall in love with him?" Shi Yan continued, no longer listening to me.


    "E-Eh? Um..." Feng Mian looked to me for help, but I couldn''t provide any.


    There was, however, something I could do.


    "A-Ahem...look, there''s a misunderstanding there. Currently, the girls and I still don''t have that kind of rtionship. But...can we save this topic for sometime else?" I asked. If I outright said ''let''s not talk about this topic'', that may have led to some misunderstandings, such as them thinking I charmed these girls with some sort of spell. "For now, let''s order and eat, yeah?"


    I said ''currently'', because I didn''t know what the future holds.


    Everyone agreed, and we all flipped open our menus. After ordering and some more talking, our food came, and we all ate. While we did that, the girls who still have yet to introduce themselves, also known as Feng Mian and Qing Yue, did so. After eating, Shi Yan stood up.


    "Xiang Peng, c-can I talk to you for a second?"


    "Hm? Me? Why?" she asked, still chewing on a chicken drumstick. She ate a lot, but didn''t seem to gain any fat, for whatever reason...


    "I have a...proposal to make," he said. "Privately."


    Ling Ling cheered from behind him. "Go, you can do it!"


    Even Four-Eyes and Cherry seemed to know what he was going to do, and nodded firmly as support. I had a goo idea of what he was going to do as well...but didn''t let it show on the surface.


    Xiang Peng and the rest of the girls, however, still didn''t seem to understand.


    "Mkay, just let me finish this drumstick," she said. "And...done! Let''s go."


    <em>Does food let her open up a bit more, or is it because she''s around familiar people now?</em>


    With that, the two of them left the room.

 Chapter 272 - A Cold Soldier

    "So? What did you want to talk to me about?" Xiang Peng asked, leaning against the wall a short distance away.


    I had followed Shi Yan and Xiang Peng, under the excuse of ''bathroom''. I didn''t know why exactly I followed them, since their conversation was supposed to be private, but perhaps getting this information could be usefulter on, if I ever turned enemies with Shi Yan and his group of friends.


    "Whew...okay...you got this, Shi Yan..." he told himself, looking down at the floor.


    Xiang Peng raised an eyebrow, confused, but didn''t say anything.


    After making up his mind, Shi Yan looked Xiang Peng straight in the eyes, and spoke.


    "I like you, Xiang Peng! Please go out with me!"


    Silence ensued. He spoke in a rtively loud tone, so honestly, it wouldn''t have been a surprise if the girls within the room we were in heard what he said, as the door was open. The other private rooms around us had their doors closed though, so it wasn''t likely they heard what happened. Still, this kind of defeated the purpose ofing all the way out there to talk. I wasn''t one to judge though.


    "Um..." Xiang Peng seemed unsure how to respond, and fell into thought.


    "P-Please! I''ve always wanted a girlfriend, but this is the first time I actually mustered up the courage to ask someone out!"


    "But...didn''t we only meet, like, an hour ago?" Xiang Peng frowned. "You''re just going for my body, aren''t you?"


    <em>On point.</em>


    <em></em>Shi Yan flinched, as her guess hit the mark. "N-No! I genuinely like you, Xiang Peng!"


    Xiang Peng thought about it for a moment, then grinned - or rather, <em>smirked</em>.


    "Tell you what, if you can do something for me...I''ll believe you," she said.


    "Huh? What is it? No matter how difficult, I''ll do it!"


    "Hm...okay, it''s not too hard. All you gotta do is press a button."


    <em>Press a button...? Oh. Don''t tell me...</em>


    <em></em>"T-That''s it? Where''s the button?" Shi Yan asked innocently,pletely charmed.


    Xiang Peng smiled. "In a building a bit far away from here, called the Ross Estate."


    <em>...Yep. That confirms my suspicions. Xiang Peng...is more devious than I expected. Quite the move she yed there.</em>


    <em></em>"The Ross Estate...never heard of it," Shi Yan said.


    "I can show you where it is. But the button I want you to press is on the third floor of the building, in a hidden bathroom," Xiang Peng exined. "So? How about it? You up to the challenge?"


    "Y-Yes!" Shi Yan said, pumping his fists. "I''m ready. When do you want to go?"


    "Oh no, I won''t be going with you," Xiang Peng said, wlessly removing all me from herself. "The less people, the better, since you''ll have to sneak past the guards to get in."


    "Hm...I can do that. My specialty is Shadow Magic. I can use Vanishing Shadows to sneak inside."


    "Perfect. You can go after we pay the bill, then. I''ll keep in touch via phone."


    "R-Really? You''ll give me your number?" Shi Yan asked, getting excited like a 5 year old receiving a new toy.


    "Of course, how can Imunicate with you otherwise?"


    With that, the two of them exchanged phone numbers. Sensing their conversationing to an end, I hurried back to the room before they returned to avoid being suspicious.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After we paid the bill, we got ready to leave. The girls who went to the Hunters'' Guild this morning still needed to clear the Gatekeeper for Floor Three in the Library, so the n was to return there to get that done. As for those of us who already have beaten it, we would challenge the Floor Four Gatekeeper.


    But then, Shi Yan spoke up. "Sorry, you guys, I got something to do. Once I''m done, I''ll meet back up with you guys at the Library."


    "Huh? You have something to do?" Cherry asked, frowning. "I''m going to say that''s a lie. You have never kept a secret from the three of us in your life."


    "L-Listen, there''s a first for everything. It''s just...men stuff. I won''t take too long...probably be back by 2 AM," he said.


    Since it was more or less 1 AM right now, he gave himself one hour of time to aplish the task given to him by Xiang Peng.


    "Alright...but don''t go doing something dangerous on your own, you hear me?" Four-Eyes said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.


    <em>He''s sharp.</em>


    <em></em>"R-Right, yeah. Of course not."


    "Have fun!!" Ling Ling said excitedly. She got along well with all the other girls because of her outgoing


    With that, he broke off from us. I assumed Xiang Peng already told him the location of the Ross Estate, as he was heading in that direction. I didn''t say anything though, and instead, just sent Xiang Peng a quick nce. She noticed this, and our eyes met. Even though neither of us said anything, she realized I already knew what was going on, and she stuck out her tongue and winked. I sighed and looked away.


    The remaining members of our group headed for the Library, and I noticed Xiang Peng''s pace being different from usual. I slowed down my own pace to match hers, and we found ourselves isted from the group that had walked on ahead. It had been a bit of a bother getting Qing Yue and Amane to let go of my arms, but I seeded. Ling Ling was keeping thempany with her extroverted personality that will never allow a conversation to die down. I swear, that girl could keep talking forever. She had been talking since lunch.


    "You''re more sinister than you seem on the surface," I said to Xiang Peng, while keeping my gaze fixed forward.


    She smiled, simrly not looking in my direction. "So you heard my conversation with Shi Yan, huh?"


    "...Was what you did really the right decision?"


    "What, do you not approve of me ying with a boy''s heart like that?"


    "No...that''s your problem. I don''t care about Shi Yan''s heart. I''m just asking...what if you get him killed? He seemed confident when he said he could sneak inside with his Shadow Magic, but those guards are not idiots. Even with my power, I can''t say for certain I will be able to get past them stealthily. Last time, Feng Mian and Xiao Su had to use the Cloak of Invisibility, after all."


    "So, in other words, you''re worried about him?" Xiang Peng asked. "Well well, this is quite a rare sight. I''m a bit jealous. You never worry about me, after all."


    I scoffed. "You know full well what I mean."


    "Are you afraid of our friendship with those four deteriorating because of this?"


    "Not exactly. I don''t really care about our friendship, per se, but it''s always better to have one more ally than one more foe," I exined. "If Shi Yan does get hurt or even killed..."


    "Then...no one will know, won''t they?" Xiang Peng unexpectedly interrupted. "Dead men tell no tales, after all."


    I blinked in surprise. "That was...cold."


    "Nope. Who can beat you when ites to that?"


    "...Heh. I suppose you''re right. I am in no position to judge your actions," I chuckled. "What you said was just pretty surprising, that''s all. I never expected you to have a harsh side to you as well. I guess we''re more alike than I originally thought - willing to use any and all tools at our disposal."


    "You''ve already seen this side of me though, haven''t you?" she asked.


    "Indeed...I guess I have. You were just like this back in Shenzhen. You didn''t even blink as you ughtered monster after monster. It wasn''t just monsters, either. The Midnight Syndicate members too - you didn''t even flinch as youmitted murder."


    "Exactly. A soldier needs to have a cold side, otherwise she won''t be able to survive for two minutes on the battlefield," she said with a sigh. "Though...maybe if that guy wasn''t so much of a pervert, or if we spent more time together before he randomly asked me out, I wouldn''t have done this," Xiang Peng murmured thoughtfully. "Y''know, he''s practically a stranger to me. A stranger that has been constantly staring at my tits."


    "Unnecessary detail there, but I get what you mean," I replied calmly.


    "Of course, if <em>you </em>wanted to see my tits, I''ll dly show th-"


    "No thanks."


    "Hm, well, it was worth a shot. I''ll make you requite my love someday," Xiang Peng said. "That''s my goal in life now."


    "Not going to happen. Guaranteed."


    Xiang Peng turned to face me atst, and winked. "You never know what the future holds."


    I didn''t bother turning my head to meet her gaze, so I just kept on walking forward.


    "True. But I do know quite a bit more about you now," I said. "Information is a powerful asset, and I intend to make the most out of it. You know. Just in case you betray me in the future, or something."


    "Hm...unfortunately, I''ve fallen too deep to betray you now," she said.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" I asked.


    But she didn''t respond. Instead, she murmured faintly, as if not wanting me to hear.


    "...Fallen too deep in love."

 Chapter 273 - Floor Four

    As we entered the Library of Infinite Beginnings, the ones who had already beaten the third floor''s Gatekeeper just went on ahead, while the ones who haven''t yet stayed back to beat it. ording to Xiang Peng, the Gatekeeper she faced had been...


    ...A rabbit.


    Yes, yes, I know. A rabbit - how harmful could it be? That was the girls'' reactions when they first heard it. But from what Xiang Peng said, this rabbit was no ordinary fuzzball. It hopped around speedily, looking for openings - you had to be really careful to always keep track of its location, especially since it could change its position with one single leap. Its small frame and nimble movements also made it hard to hit, but that wasn''t even the worst part. The most important thing here, was that...this bunny was out to kill you.


    Yep, that''s right. A killer rabbit.


    Mei Gui also confirmed all of this information, and so did the three other people who had already beaten it - namely Four-Eyes, Ling Ling, and Cherry. Apparently, while it was hard to hit, it was also weak. If you managed to get lucky andnd an attack on it, it was as good as defeated, whether that attack was a bullet or a spell.


    Speaking of, I asked them about this on the way here, but Four-Eyes, Ling Ling, and Cherry all didn''t like guns very much. To them, using guns was a brand new thing they had to pick up, and spending all that time to learn it just isn''t worth it. So, they stuck with what they knew best - magic. Now, the case was the same for the girls and I, but all of us had managed to grasp how to use a gun pretty quickly. Now that I think about it, we''re all pretty talented.


    In any case, we continued up the staircase, until we reached the door leading to the fourth floor of the Library. A card scanning machine was implemented beside it, simr to the previous floors.


    "Who''s going first?" Four-Eyes asked, looking at us.


    In total, we had six people here - Four-Eyes, Ling Ling, Cherry, Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, and myself. We would have seven, but...Shi Yan was currently on a dangerous mission, thanks to Xiang Peng. The rest of the girls were all busy passing the third floor right now.


    "I can go first, if no one else wants to?" Cherry volunteered, raising an eyebrow.


    "Oh, you''re so brave, Cherry!" Ling Ling hugged her from behind. "Okay, you got this! Tell us what''s inside once you''re done, so we know what to expect!"


    "Yeah, I get the gist of it by now...can you let go of me?" Cherry muttered, but she didn''t seem to be that annoyed. I figured the two of them have been friends for a long time now. There was also the fact that they were both girls. If Four-Eyes had done that to her - not that he would, since that didn''t fit his personality whatsoever - or if Shi Yan had been here and did that, no doubt, she would''ve blown up right there and then.


    Anyway, Cherry scanned her library card and entered the portal that appeared once she pushed open the door.


    As we watched her disappear, I decided to ask a question.


    "Hey, Four-Eyes, you''re an Intermediate Mage, right?"


    "Hm? Yeah. Aren''t we all? With the exception of Xiang Peng."


    I nodded. "That''s true. What about you, Ling Ling?"


    "I am one too! Cherry and Shi Yan are as well. Actually, we just became Intermediate Mages fairly recent-"


    "Hey - you don''t have to tell them that!" Four-Eyes interrupted sharply, sending Ling Ling a re.


    Iughed sourly. "Still don''t trust us all that much?"


    Four-Eyes, met with my question, awkwardly averted his gaze. "Er, no...it''s not that. It''s more...we just don''t want to appear weak in front of our friends, you know? It is human nature to want toe off as strong in front of others."


    "Huh. Is that true?" I murmured, mainly to myself. I was the exact opposite, after all. I wanted to use my powers just enough to defeat my adversaries. If people thought I was weak, all the better - I could hit with them with a surprise attack.


    But Four-Eyes had a different idea. "Of course it is. If you appear as weak...people will take advantage of that."


    From the way he was acting, he seemed to be touching on a subject of his own past, so I decided against asking further. I wasn''t <em>that </em>insensitive.


    Xiang Peng tugged on my arm, and I looked at her. "What?"


    "I gotta use the bathroom," she said with a wink.


    "Okay...but...why do you have to...oh, I see."


    I was going to ask why she felt the need to tell me that information, but then I realized the meaning behind her words - the sentence inside her sentence. She didn''t really need to go to the bathroom. That was just an excuse to leave us and go somewhere alone for some time. Why did she need to do this, you ask? Well...she''s going to contact Shi Yan, and give him instructions. He should''ve arrived at the Ross Estate now, after all. My guess is that after arriving, he sent Xiang Peng a text, which she received just now.


    With that, Xiang Peng left us, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her dial a number on her phone and ce it to her ear. Looks like my guess had been on the mark. Not that I wasn''t confident or anything. Otherwise, we would have a real problem if she told me she was gonna go to the bathroom just for the sake of it. That would be extremely weird.


    After that, the other people present each took their own turn going in. The Gatekeeper this time around was a wolf, apparently. More specifically, it was a werewolf - a human turned beast. However, no trace of humanity was left - so therefore it wouldn''t be incorrect to just say it was a wolf. In any case, by the looks of it, this Gatekeeper didn''t seem too strong.


    Mei Gui went before me, and I wasst.


    By the time I went inside, Xiang Peng had still not returned.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Shi Yan''s Perspective)</strong>


    Here I was. The Ross Estate. It was around 1:30 AM. It had taken me nearly half an hour to get here. I have never been in this part of District A before, so I was walking through unfamiliar territory. Luckily, Xiang Peng had sent me clear directions, and even I was capable of following basic instructions.


    I decided to send her a text to notify her I was here, and awaiting on standby. That was the agreement we worked out beforehand - when I arrived at the Ross Estate, I was to send her a message, and she would tell me what to do next from here.


    Five minutes passed since I sent the message. I was currently hiding in a patch of bushes a short distance away from the only visible entrance of the building. There were two guards at the door, both holding guns.


    <em>Man...if only I had a sniper or something. I could take them both out with one shot, I''m sure! I''ve always been good at shooting video games. How hard can it be to do it in real life, right?! </em>


    <em></em>I actually had wanted to get a gun, but the others shut me down. Especially that damned Four-Eyes! They said using guns in a video game was a lot different from using one in real life. But I don''t believe them. I can do it, I''m sure!


    ...But what was done was done, so here I am, out of any options except to slip by stealthily.


    <em>Hm...I wonder, if I tell Xiang Peng I took down the guards all by myself instead of sneaking by, would that impress her, and make her fall in love in me because of my strength? Yeah, let''s do that! And then...once she falls in love with me...we can...hehe...</em>


    As I was in the middle of dreaming about my erotic fantasies, a sudden loud ringtone red out from my pocket.


    "Oh, shi-"


    I snapped back to reality, and quickly fumbled the phone out of my pocket, before hurriedly pressing answer.


    <em>Ah, damn it! I forgot to put the phone on vibrate! Shit, did those guards hear that loud ass ringtone? God damn it...</em>


    "Hello?" Xiang Peng''s voice came over on the other end, and I quicklyposed myself.


    "A-Ah, yes. Hi. I''m here."


    "Okay. I know you already sent me the text, but...just to confirm again, you''re at the Ross Estate, correct?" she asked.


    "Yep. I''m looking right at it. The massive logo at the top of the building that says ''The Ross Estate'', I mean."


    "Perfect. And...those guards at the door haven''t detected you, have they?"


    I gulped, as I felt sweat forming on my forehead. "Y-Yeah. Don''t worry, Xiang Peng. Didn''t I tell you already? I''m a master at Shadow Magic. Stealth is my thing."


    Sheughed a little. "Okay~ Now then, your next job is to sneak inside. Remember, don''t let the guards catch you~"


    She said this in such a cute voice I almost got a hard on.


    <em>Okay, little buddy...calm down now. Now''s not the time. I''ll satisfy you soon enough, once I get this task done and win her heart.</em>


    Taking a deep breath, I stood up slowly, and whispered into the phone.


    "Got it. Just sit tight, and wait for my good news."


    With a goal set in mind and my determination lit anew, I hung up.

 Chapter 274 - Blood Of The Vampire

    Atst, it was my turn to enter the portal. I was used to the feeling by now. A purple light enveloped me gently, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a somewhat...unusual environment. The sky was purple, and it was raining. Lightning struck down from above, with loud thunders to apany them.


    But perhaps most bizarre of all was the structure in front of me - a massive, medieval-style castle, which I could only make out the silhouette of within this howling thunderstorm. asionally, I would get a clear look at the castle''s true form - whenever the lightning bolts struck down, that is. Nevertheless, seeing as how there was nothing but water behind me with no visiblend in sight for a good kilometers at the very least, I had no choice but to head inside this grand yet horrifying architecture.


    My footsteps were drowned out by the sshing of raindrops hitting hard gravel all around me as I walked on the narrow pathway towards the only entrance of the castle - the front. I could deal with the rain and lightning, but these loud ass thunders were starting to irritate me.


    When I reached the front door, it swung open of its own ord, as if weing me inside. I smirked. This was clearly no ordinary Gatekeeper, just as I had expected. If I had to guess, I would say this would be another one of the sixteen founders who wanted to meet me. Though...this is quite the wee, if I do say so myself.


    The others who had gone inside before me and came back all imed the Gatekeeper was a werewolf. They never mentioned a dark castle or anything like that. That''s how I was so sure this wasn''t just a normal Gatekeeper. But...wasn''t all this a bit excessive? I mean, if they just wanted to talk to me, why bother setting up such a huge castle, with such gloomy weather to apany it?


    <em>Well...to each their own, I suppose.</em>


    I entered through the now-open entrance, and the moment I did, the doors mmed shut behind me. I sighed, having expected this.


    <em>Y''know...I liked Aluna and Sigil a lot more. Still, perhaps I can get some information off this guy, whoever he or she is. I hope so, anyway.</em>


    Inside the castle, it was dark. So dark, in fact, that I couldn''t even see my own two hands if I held them out in front of me.


    <em>Hm...perhaps, he wanted to test me first before talking, to gauge whether or not I was worthy, or if I really did indeed possess special power?</em><em></em>


    <em></em><em>Well, no point hiding anything then, I suppose. Aluna and Sigil already know, anyway, despite me denying everything. I was certain of that.</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em>And...maybe it''s not a bad thing to show these founders just what I could do. That will make them believe and value me more, which I can then in turn take advantage of.</em>


    <em></em><em>Level One Light Magic - Illumination.</em>


    <em></em>With that, I created an orb of shining white light. It was dazzling. I could see a lot better now, thanks to that. Controlling it so that it hovered above my head, I saw a hallway that led deeper inside the castle. There was no other way to go, so I headed inside without a second thought. It''s not like I was escaping this ce, anyway.


    That being said, I wasn''t too scared. I doubted Sigil and Aluna would be very happy if this founder killed me here. I definitely wouldn''t die, but perhaps I may suffer some injuries, depending on the difficulty of this ''test'' he had set down for me.


    I ventured deeper and deeper.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- A Short While Later -</strong>


    <strong></strong>After a little bit of wandering that seemed to bear no fruit whatsoever, I gradually began to get tired.


    "Damn it, this ce is like a maze..." I muttered.


    So far, I have been met with 58 dead ends, 62 death traps, and over a hundred twists and turns in total. Yes, I''ve been keeping track. If I didn''t keep my mind focused on doing something simple, I would''ve lost it by now. The hallways were tight and suffocating, leaving no space to dodge if something came flying at you like a poisoned arrow or something.


    Yes, I was talking from experience. I can''t count the number of times I nearly got hit. I would''ve died a long time ago if it wasn''t for my reaction speeds. Remember what I said earlier about this damned founder not killing me? I take that back. He was <em>definitely </em>out to kill me, even if not intentionally.


    <em>Hm? I hear something...</em>


    Suddenly stopping my movements, I discretely activated my Third Eye. Directly ahead of me, there seemed to be a horde of living beings - more specifically, <em>hostile </em>living beings. They didn''t seem human, either. I counted.


    <em>1...2...10 of them in total. Not too bad. From the size of these dots, I would say they aren''t too powerful enemies either.</em>


    If this founder thought mobs of this level were going to kill me, then he had severely underestimated my power.


    Holding my hand out in front of me, facing outwards, I cast a spell in my mind.


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic - Abomination re.</em>


    <em></em>A massive sphere of condensed energy shot out of my palm, zing with ck and red fire. A loud explosion ensued, followed by various high-pitched screams that didn''t sound human whatsoever.


    I smiled thinly as I watched the red dots via my Third Eye disappear, one by one. Unfortunately, I didn''t have a suitable Level Three spell to use in this situation, so I had to use a Level Two one. Rune-type spells had virtually no range and could not be shot from a distance. Prison of Lightning was used to single out one individual tough target, and Electric Lash was out of the question. I couldn''t use that thing properly without entering the actual room, after all.


    Torrential Downpour could''ve worked, but I wanted something that could just destroy all of them in a single go instead of doing it overtime. Flood would end up hitting myself as well given this tight space with even ground, and Gravity Element spells just weren''t suitable for this situation.


    Moonlight Beam and Holy Ray had a rtively narrow firing angle, so it wouldn''t have been able to wipe out all of them. Simrly, Metal Surge couldn''t have hit them all, and Reprisal of Sound was simr to the two Light Element spells in the sense that they all had a narrow firing angle.


    Once every one of them had been killed, and the fires extinguished on their own, I walked into the room...and was met with a barrage of poisoned arrows.


    Snapping my fingers, I instantly cast a spell.


    <em>Level One Time Magic - Tempus Decel.</em>


    The arrows flying toward me seemed to slow, and I immediately ducked down to narrowly avoid them. If I didn''t have my insta-casting ability there, I would''ve died.


    "Tch...even after the monsters, there''s more traps in the same damned room? What a guy," I muttered in irritation, then walked over to inspect one of the dead monsters'' corpses.


    <em>That body shape...an ogre of some sort?</em>


    <em></em>But before I could confirm, the bodies dematerialized, turning into shards of light and disappearing. It was like a video game, almost.


    Sighing, I continued onwards. Luckily, there was only one way to go this time, so no more trial and error.


    After that, I had to fight several more groups of mobs, before finally arriving at arge, open chamber.


    "Bravo," a man''s deep voice said, pping slowly several times. "You actually managed to make it here. I suppose that deserves due praise."


    "You''re...one of the sixteen Founders, I assume?"


    "Indeed I am," he replied. "Count Draculus, at your service."


    "Count...? A high-ranking Vampire noble?" I murmured.


    "Hmph. You are more knowledgeable about the outside world than I expected, human boy."


    "Uh...do you hate humans or something? What''s with the tone?"


    "That...is not important. Now, tell me about this...power of yours," he said, brushing past my question with ease.


    "What power?" I asked, still feigning ignorance.


    "Don''t y dumb with me, kid. I''ve been living for millennia. I''m not stupid."


    He stared straight into my eyes. His irises were a bloody red, much like my own. He also had ck hair, just like me. The only differences between us were the two fangs jutting out of his mouth.


    "Tell me - or you won''t be leaving here today."


    I scoffed. "Empty threats, empty threats. What are you going to do?"


    "Kill you."


    The man responded with zero hesitation. It was clear he had murdered plenty of people before. That number was somewhere within the thousands, if not millions.


    "Sure...you can try," I responded wryly. "But...don''t you think the other Founders would be a bit upset if you did?"


    The man suddenly became a swarm of bats before rapidly converging again right in front of me. The man red at me dangerously, but I wasn''t intimidated in the least. The emotion known as fear had been driven out of my body a long time ago.


    "I''d advise against threatening me, boy. If I wanted to kill you now, even if God himself descended upon the mortal realm, he would still not be able to save you."


    Despite his tone and gaze filled with killing intent, I smiled. It felt like I was staring at Death itself straight in the face, but perhaps there was just one thing this man misunderstood:


    I wasn''t afraid of death. Death was afraid of me.

 Chapter 275 - Count Draculus

    The vampire stared at me for a while longer, before snorting, as if losing interest.


    "You are indeed different from other humans," he said, returning to his throne. "Others would have pissed their pants by now, in my presence."


    "What can I say? I''ve seen worse," I replied. Nothing could ever be scarier than losing your family directly in front of your eyes.


    "I admire your courage, and I respect those with courage. Therefore, I won''t pry for information about the strength you wield. I already know you have a special power - I just do not know exactly what it is."


    <em>Yeah...looks like denying it any further is not going to do any good here.</em>


    <em></em>"Was that all you wanted to say?"


    "Yes. I wanted to ascertain your mental strength and willpower. Even if you hold an insurmountable amount of external strength, that power will be rendered useless if you are easily manipted by someone else."


    "...I know," I replied. "So? Can I go now?"


    "...Before you do that, I have an offer for you," the vampire said after a short hesitation.


    "An offer?"


    "Yes. But before that, perhaps a more thorough self-introduction is needed," he replied. "My name is Abathasca Draculus. I am one of the current Counts of the Vampire race, and the strongest living vampire."


    "The strongest living vampire. Big words," I mused.


    "I am not merely bragging. If you were to go to Vampire territory and ask them who the strongest Vampire was currently, they would speak my name."


    "No no, I believe you. All of the sixteen Founders are supposed to be insanely strong, after all. So? What''s the offer?"


    "For you to be a half-vampire."


    He said these words calmly, with his expression not changing whatsoever.


    "A half-vampire...and why would I want to do that?" I asked, both surprised and confused at this sudden and unexpected proposal.


    "You gain incredible powers by doing so. Powers that no human can obtain. How does that sound?"


    "Oh? Certainly, that does sound great...almost <em>too good to be true.</em>"


    Count Draculus looked into my eyes for a brief moment, before chuckling deeply. "As I thought, you are unique. Almost impressive...for a human. Indeed, there is a price to this power, just as you had hinted at."


    "And that price is?"


    "Drinking a drop of my blood."


    I blinked. "That''s it?"


    He nodded. "That is it. No strings attached.


    "...I won''t have to drink human blood to survive or anything?"


    He shook his head. "No. You will only be a half-vampire by consuming my blood, and therefore will not need to fully abandon your humanity."


    I scoffed. "I already abandoned my humanity long ago. I was just thinking it would be a hassle having to drink human blood every day."


    "...I see. So? What will it be?"


    I sank into thought. "Hm...can you be more specific in terms of the benefits I will gain by bing a half-vampire? And the disadvantages too, of course."


    "Very well. That much is eptable," Count Draculus said, and took a deep breath, then stared into my eyes with that piercing blood-red gaze of his. "By bing a half-vampire, you will gain superhuman physical strength. Your reaction times, speed, muscle power, and agility will all be greatly improved. In addition, any injuries you suffer, be it external or internal, will be regenerated near instantly. Moreover, when you consume human blood, your physical and healing power will be amplified several times over, though doing so is not necessary. However..."


    "However?"


    "...There is just one disadvatange of bing a half-vampire. If your identity is ever discovered, you will be isted by both the human race and the vampire race. Keep that in mind."


    "That''s not too big of a deal for me. I''ve been isted all my life," I replied calmly. "I''m a bit curious about what you said, though. Humans will obviously be afraid of vampires, even if they are only half-vampires, but does your race look down on them as well?"


    Count Draculus sighed. "Yes. Us vampires are obsessed with royal lineage and pure blood. Those with high-ranking lineages were respected. Those who did not were trampled upon, regardless of their talents. They were made to be used as ves, as servants to those with higher lineages. But even lower than these servants were the half-bloods. If you were to expose yourself as a half-blood within Vampire territory, you will be killed on sight."


    "That''s...kind of excessive, isn''t it?"


    "Not really, if you look at it from a historical perspective. You see...pure-blood vampires see half-bloods as a disgrace to their race. Without even looking at anything else, as long as a person was a half-blood, they would be mercilessly ughtered. I...I could not ept that. I could not ept the fact that no matter how kind, caring, and innocent you were, you would still be brutally murdered for simply being a half-blood."


    <em>...And that is why he moved out of the Vampire race, and grouped up with the other fifteen Founders to establish the Library of Infinite Beginnings.</em><em></em>


    "...You sound like you''re speaking of your past," I remarked.


    Count Draculus snorted. "Do I? Perhaps I am."


    "Well, whatever. That''s none of my business, anyway," I muttered. "Sure. I''ll take your offer. Make me a half-blood vampire."


    "...Are you certain? This is an irreversible decision."


    I nodded. "Get on it with it."


    The Count closed his eyes, and then opened them again. "Very well."


    Standing up and walking closer to me once more, he raised his arm in the air. Then, with his other hand, he cut open the raised arm using one of his sharp fingernails. Then, he took out a vial, and gently angled his arm so that the blood would flow into the vial from above. A few secondster, the wound closed. My eyes widened.


    I knew that vampires had insane regenerative abilities, and Count Draculus had said I would get them too if I became a half-vampire, but that was a huge cut just now. For it to heal in less than three seconds...that was incredible.


    He then handed the vial to me. "Here. Drink it."


    "Uh...how does it taste?" I asked, in an attempt to crack a joke.


    "I do not know either. I have never tasted vampire blood."


    "Only human blood, huh?" I muttered. My joke had failed. Miserably.


    Opening the vial, I hesitated for a brief moment, then drank the whole bottle in one go.


    And then, my body froze.


    I dropped the ss vial, and it shattered on the floor. I fell onto the ground in pain, sending Count Draculus a re.


    "You...what did you...?!"


    "Rx," he said. "This is natural. Your body is undergoing extreme changes. Bear with it. If you cannot even make it past this tiny pain, how will you defend yourself against the stronger opponentsing your way? I can see it, child. The burning passion for revenge in your eyes. A deep, bloody red...just like my own. But if you cannot even withstand this, you might as well give up."


    "D-Damn it...!" I croaked, screaming in agony as sharp pain jolted up every cell of my body. It felt like my bones were being broken, then reformed. My entire body was getting broken down and reconstructed from scratch, all while I remained conscious. It was pain like I''ve never felt before. "Ngh...!"


    "It should be done right about now..." Count Draculus murmured, right as the pain began to fade away.


    "Hah...hah..." I panted heavily, just barely supporting my body from copsingpletely.


    "Looks like the transformation was sessful."


    After catching my breath, I stood back up. I could feel it. My body was a lot stronger, and my senses had improved significantly. I picked up one of the shattered ss pieces on the floor, and cut my finger open with it. However, before any blood even spilled out, the wound was already healed.


    "Incredible..." Count Draculus muttered. "Even if you were a pure-blood vampire, the regeneration speed would not be <em>that </em>fast. For it to heal before blood could even spill out...this must be the product of that special power you possess."


    <em>This must be my Chaos power at work. Looks like it not only boosted my magic, but through this process of breaking down and reforming my body, the Chaos energy within me managed to slip its way into my body''s very foundation, boosting my basic abilities.</em>


    <em>Overall...this was quite the benefit. I made the correct decision, this time around.</em>


    Then, looking at Count Draculus, I smirked. Making a leap for his throat, I could feel myself move at nearly Mach 1 - the speed of sound. Count Draculus himself seemed surprised at this too, and wasn''t able to defend in time. My hand around his throat, I lifted him up into the air. From the outside, it must''ve seemed like I was about to kill the man.


    Our eyes met, and it felt like we stared into each other''s very souls.


    Iughed slightly. "Hm...this power...is indeed interesting."

 Chapter 276 - Half-Blood

    "Tch...will you let me down now?" Count Draculus said after a while.


    He didn''t have an ounce of fear in his eyes, only mild annoyance. I smiled and set him down. He knew I had no intention of really killing him. I was just testing him out, and also my own newfound abilities in the process.


    "How could you be so sure I wasn''t going to kill you right then and there?" I asked, curious to see the answer.


    "Hmph. You may be cold and ruthless on the surface, but deep down, you have a warm heart. Those girls who travel with you are living examples of that," he said confidently. "You are not the type to mindlessly murder."


    "My, my...I appreciate it," I replied. "In any case...I''m not going to start growing fangs or anything, right?"


    Count Draculus shook his head. "No. Because you are only a half-vampire, your physical appearance will not change. Even though your power and speed have both improved, do you see any visible muscles on your body that weren''t there before?"


    I looked at my arms, which were the easiest spot to locate new muscles. "Nope. I suppose you''re right...with the power and speed I moved with just now, I should''ve been buff as hell, to the point where my clothes should''ve ripped. But here I am, still looking the exact same as before drinking your blood. That settles my worries, then. I should keep my identity a secret, yeah?"


    "If you wish to share it with those extremely close to you, such as those girls, I do not care. But I am just warning you - anyone beyond that must not know of your identity."


    I nodded. "Got it. Thanks."


    "No need for gratitude. You passed my test. All I did was give you a suitable reward in return."


    "Is that so...?" I smiled thinly. "Unfortunately...something in your eyes tells me otherwise. Tell me, what do I have to do to pay you back for this power you''ve given me? I''m not so good-hearted as to believe you would give all this strength to me free-of-charge."


    He sighed. "Fine. I do have a mission for you. However, not now. You are not yet strong enough. Familiarize yourself with this new power you have obtained, and keep improving. When you are ready, we will meet again. Do not forget this debt to me."


    I smirked. "I knew it. Don''t worry, Count. We''ll meet again."


    With that, Count Draculus did some sort of gesture with his hands, and a closed door suddenly appeared to my right.


    "Go through that door. You will find yourself on the fourth floor of the Library."


    I nodded in thanks, and pushed the door open. But then, I stopped for just a moment.


    "Hey. I think I already know the answer to this, but...I can''t turn into a swarm of bats, can I?"


    Count Draculus snorted. "Hmph. Nice try."


    I shrugged. "Well, it was a valiant effort. Truly unfortunate though."


    With that, I stepped through the portal behind the door, and vanished.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    When I returned to the Library, I was on the fourth floor, just like Count Draculus had said. Turning around, I pulled the door open once again, and found myself looking at the others, namely Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, Four-Eyes, Cherry, and Ling Ling.


    "Well then, looks like you made it out just fine," Xiang Peng said. It looked like she had returned from the ''bathroom''. Of course, that was just an excuse. She had, in reality, been secretlymunicating with Shi Yan. But if she was back here, then...that could only mean two things. One, Shi Yan seeded in his mission, and is on his way back now. Two...he died.


    Either way, it was not my problem.


    "Yeah, it wasn''t too hard," I replied nonchntly.


    "Are you sure? You took quite a long time in there. We were starting to get worried," Cherry said.


    "Yeah. I ended up exploring the ce a little bit after beating the Gatekeeper, and lost track of time," I exined. A lie, but a white lie.


    "I...see..." Xiang Peng murmured, staring intently at me. Mei Gui obviously knew the truth, but other than her, the three others seemed to believe my lie. Xiang Peng was the only one who was still suspicious. She was extremely observant and perceptive, for better or worse.


    I''ll tell her and the other girls the truth on what happenedter, about me now being a half-vampire.


    <em>But wait...that means I would have to tell them about the Founders and all that too...hm. I think if I just tell them not to pry, I can avoid it, but...well, it''s worth a shot.</em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Anyway, now that we''re all here, let''s go see what the fourth floor has in stock for us," I said, changing the topic.


    Everyone agreed, and we entered through the door, one at a time.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- A Little Earlier -</strong>


    <strong>Turning back time by about half an hour, right about when Xuan Kai entered the castle...</strong>


    <strong>(Shi Yan''s Perspective)</strong>


    "Okay...I can do this," I whispered to myself, then took a deep breath. "Level One Shadow Magic - Vanishing Shadows."


    Since it was nighttime, there were shadows everywhere. The perfect situation for this.


    I slipped closer to the edges of the building, hiding myself within the shadows of the structure itself. Hugging the wall, I slowly moved closer to the entrance, turning right to round the corner. There were two guards right next to me, but since I was hiding within the depths of the shadows, they couldn''t see me. The only problem?


    The doors were automatic.


    As I got close to it, the door opened on it''s own. Because of the lights on the inside, there weren''t any shadows to hide in either.


    <em>Damn it, what do I do now...</em>


    <em></em>"Hey, did the door just open on it''s own just now?" one of the guards asked the other.


    "Yeah...must be some malfunction. I''ll report this to the higher-ups," the other responded, then pulled out his phone and walked off to one side.


    <em>Okay, this guard is alone now...I can take him.</em>


    "Hey, hold up, you dropped something!" the first guard suddenly yelled, picking up a card of some kind off the floor, then started walking towards the other guard. "Good lord, can''t believe you dropped your employee ID..."


    <em>Uh...now there is no guard left.</em>


    <em>...This is my chance!</em><em></em>


    I quickly cancelled my spell and dashed into the building. It felt almost to convenient, the timing of that. My luck was just this great, I suppose. With this great luck, once I finish doing this and return back to Xiang Peng triumphantly...she''ll definitely fall for me instantly!


    I checked my phone once I was inside. Xiang Peng had sent me a text.


    [Find the staircase on the floor, and enter it. It should be near the back.]


    I headed to the back of the floor I was on, and saw a door. Through the peekhole, I could see that beyond the door was a set of stairs. I decided that this was the staircase I was looking for, because I was smart like that.


    Opening the door, I hurriedly climbed up the flight of the stairs, as I sent a text to Xiang Peng.


    [I''m in the stairwell.]


    The message was immediately marked was read, and a response came soon after.


    [Go straight to the third floor.]


    <em>She''s just waiting for my text messages? Damn, she cares a lot about me, eh? Heh.</em>


    <em></em>I soon reached the third floor, and waited before opening the door, just to be safe. It was weird, because I felt like getting to the third floor from the second took a lot longer than getting to the second from the first.


    [I''m here. What now?]


    I sent that short text to Xiang Peng, and she responded immediately.


    [Find the bathroom on the floor. It is pretty hidden.]


    <em>Hidden? Oh well, it''s not like they could hide a big ass room all that much.</em>


    I promptly entered the third floor. It was an office-likeyout. After searching around for a while, I found what I was looking for. As expected, it wasn''t <em>too </em>hidden. All I had to do was wander around for a little. I went inside the bathroom, and flipped the lights on.


    [I found it. What do I do?]


    Sending that to Xiang Peng, I awaited a response, which came soon after.


    [Look underneath the nursing table.]


    I did, and found what seemed to be a button.


    [Uh...I see a button.]


    [Press it.]


    I pressed it.


    Suddenly, arge shuffling noise came from outside the bathroom. I turned around, and my eyes widened as I saw the <em>entire floor </em>rotating 180 degrees. The officeyout was no more, and in its ce was an auction-center like room. Velvet chairs attached to the floor were arranged in an audience-typeyout, with the rows having different heights as you went up. And all these chairs were facing...was a stage, with velvet curtains surrounding it. It was empty right now, but no doubt, this ce was meant to host an auction.


    <em>What the hell...just where is this ce?</em>


    <em></em>Then, two concrete walls slid together, blocking my exit. I hurriedly pressed the button again, and the transformation redid itself. I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn''t stuck in here forever. I hurried out of the building after that. I didn''t bother using stealth on the way out. The guards tried to chase me, but I shook them off with ease the moment I reached some shadows.


    I hurried back to the Library of Infinite Beginnings to meet up with everyone else, and report back to Xiang Peng on what I had discovered.


    This was huge, after all.

 Chapter 277 - The Auction

    It was here. The day of the auction at the Ross Estate.


    But before that, let''s rewind time a bit.


    Soon after all of us had beaten the fourth floor''s Gatekeeper, including the girls who had started on the third floor, Shi Yan had returned. His buddies were pretty excited to see him back, but the girls with me weren''t exactly thrilled, with the exception of Xiang Peng, who was happy because he achieved results and gained valuable information for us.


    <em>Xiang Peng...truly a terrifying girl.</em>


    Shi Yan and her had obviously spoken privately beforehand already, before he met up with the rest of us. That was also why Xiang Peng took another bathroom break a little before Shi Yan grouped up with the rest of us - the same excuse as before, but...well, I guess it was a valid one.


    In any case, when she came back, our eyes met, and I immediately knew that she wanted to talk to meter, when we were alone. That time, was now.


    "So. What did your pawn find out?" I asked indifferently.


    "Hm...calling Shi Yan my pawn..." Xiang Peng murmured thoughtfully, closing one eye.


    "That is what he is, is he not?"


    "Well, I suppose that''s true," she agreed atst. "Though...when you put it like that, it''s almost like I''m a viiness or something, heehee."


    I scoffed. "Whatever. Get to the point."


    "Mkay. To put it simply, what we had originally conjectured was correct. That button in the bathroom on the third floor...its power is greater than we had imagined."


    "How so?"


    "Well, ording to Shi Yan, when he pressed it, the whole floor turned from an office-likeyout to an auction stage with seats for audience all around. He then panicked and pressed the button again, and everything returned to normal."


    "...I see. And how did he escape the building after causing such amotion?"


    "He brute forced it," Xiang Peng replied. As expected.


    I sighed. "What a pain...now they''re going to be on high alert for the auction this uing Tuesday..."


    "Should I...not have done this? Tell Shi Yan to go be the scapegoat, I mean," Xiang Peng asked quietly. It was behavior that didn''t suit her normal appearance.


    I chuckled. "Nah. The information was worth it. It''s not your fault."


    "Hm...so what do you say, in that case? A reward for me, perhaps? Xiang Peng leaned in closer to me, pushing me against the wall and pressing her cleave against my body.


    "Hmph. Don''t you still have Shi Yan to deal with?" I asked, pushing her off of me. "He''s looking forward to your answer, remember? I wonder how you''re going to settle this."


    Xiang Peng pouted. "Hngh...no fair, when Qing Yue hugs you, you hug her back, but when I do, you just push me away?"


    Without bothering to give her a reply, I walked off, having gathered the information I needed.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>We explored the fourth floor after that. It wasn''t all that exciting. For some reason, even though the third floor had contained some magic spells, albeit useless ones, this floor did not. The only things we found were...recipe books. Yep. Cooking books. I guess whoever decided what books went on which floor valued cooking over useless magic. I could see why. At least good cooking had a use - food. On the other hand, useless magic was...well, useless.


    For the remainder of that week, I didn''t attempt to climb any more floors. Mei Gui did not either. Instead, I figured it would be good to stock up on some money, so we spent our time taking on quests from the Hunters'' Guild here in Shanghai. Not only was it good training, we also got an opportunity to explore all the different parts of Human territory...though it was only in the wild, since any Monsters or Magic Beasts raiding a city would''ve long been resolved before the Hunters'' Guild could post up a quest for it.


    The other girls decided to do the same thing as me, and took a break from the Library of Infinite Beginning. In all honesty, Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue had been paying for all our expenses as a group thus far, and we all felt indebted to them. The two of them could honestly keep climbing the Library or perhaps just take a break for a couple of days, but they insisted oning with us to take on quests and make some money as well. They probably just didn''t want to be left out.


    It was nice to see that the girls had developed their own friendships with one another, even though they all met through me. As for the four people we becamepanions with by chance, they kept climbing the Library of Infinite Beginnings. I didn''t know what Xiang Peng said exactly to Shi Yan, but he seemed to be extremely heartbroken. 99% certain he got rejected.


    In any case, time passed by quickly. I had Xiang Peng teach the girls some Level Three spells as well in the process, but none of them could cast any yet. Still, it was a start.


    By the time Tuesday rolled around, we were pretty stocked up on money. All of us had a good 10,000 bucks now each. The girls all had debit cards to store the cash in, but unfortunately, I did not. So, topromise, I dumped all of the cash I received into my Space Locket.


    In any case, today was the day of the auction. The Basilisk Dust we needed would be sold here, tonight. We had a good idea of how the interior of the building was, where all the security cameras were, and we had a n too, which we devised over the time we had.


    ''If you want to get something dirty done, then you wait...for lights out.''


    That was the theory we''re running this n on. The electricity source for this building came from a metal green box outside of the building itself, a little distance away. We received this information from Old Man Leng. Mei Gui would be the one responsible for the destruction of this box at the right time.


    Feng Mian will be the one doing the stealing. She had entered my dorm room once before, so it''s not like she didn''t have experience being a thief. Moreover, the Cloak of Invisibility belonged to her, so it was only natural. She would hide within the building until the right time came.


    Now, as for how she will get inside in the first ce...that would be done with my help. Those two guards knew me, so it made it easier to convince them to let us through. Just going under a disguise as a plumber or something wouldn''t work. They would never allow me in. But if I could convince the guards...


    My portion of the fight was less of a physical battle, but more of a mental one. If I could persuade the guards to let me through, then I could take Feng Mian along with me easily, since she was invisible. Moreover, I knew that these guards were dissatisfied with thispany because of that incident with that woman fromst time.


    But even if this n failed, I had a back-up...though it wasn''t pretty. I would have Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue hiding on the sides. If I couldn''t convince the guards, I would give the signal, and they would use their Divine Weapons to kill the guards, or at least threaten them. Guns would be more useful in this situation, but unfortunately, neither of their guns were silenced ones, and magic was out of the question since it was too loud and conspicuous.


    Anyway, once Feng Mian was safely inside and Mei Gui was in position, all we had to do was wait. Since everything that was underneath the Cloak of Invisibility would also be rendered invisible as long as it remained active, Feng Mian''s escape shouldn''t prove to be too difficult. We would be here at the front door to receive her, and if anyone is chasing after her, we would be ready to take them out. Of course, pulling this off stealthily was the best oue, but stealth wasn''t always an option.


    This wouldn''t be an easy mission. But it was one we needed to do, in order to save Lan Xiao Su''s mother - and herself. She probably felt guilty about this whole situation, but under the continuous convincing of the other girls, she seemed to rx a little and ept the fact that we were all here for her. She wasn''t the only one who had grown, after all. All of us had, and will continue to do so.


    In any case, that was the n we came up with.


    All that was left was to carry it out, and hope everything would turn out fine.

 Chapter 278 - Lights Out

    We waited around the Ross Estate building. Tons of guests poured into the ce tonight, under the guise of a presentation of some sort. Of course, in reality, it was an auction being held, and these ''guests'' would be the bidders.


    "Everyone in position?" I asked through our voicems one final time. Old Man Leng had lent us some earpieces for this mission.


    "Yes, Master," Mei Gui replied.


    "Mhm. All good with An Xue and I here," Yu An Yan said.


    "And the rest of us are waiting patiently a short distance away," Xiang Peng saidstly. "Just as the n says."


    I turned to Feng Mian beside me, and nodded. "It''s time."


    Thest guest had just went inside the building, and the two guards watching over the door were about to shut it tight. As Feng Mian put on her Cloak of Invisibility, I took a deep breath, and went out of hiding.


    Approaching the two guards, I spoke. "Heya. Remember me?"


    The two guards looked at each other, than back at me. "You''re that molester kid..."


    My smile froze on my face. <em>M-Molester kid?! Really?!</em>


    <em></em>"Uh...I thought we already concluded that I didn''t have any actually bad intentions?"


    "Doesn''t change what you did," the other guard said. "So? What the hell do you want today?"


    "Well...you see, I have a sort of history with thispany," I exined. "I want to get back at them by pulling a bit of a prank at the auction today..."


    "Huh? A prank?"


    "Yeah...you know, like...shutting the lights off or something."


    "And what makes you think we will let you just enter and do that?"


    "You two hate that woman fromst time, don''t you? If you let me in...I''ll get some revenge for you," I offered with a devious smirk on my face.


    "Oh? And how are you going to do that?" the other guard asked, looking down on me.


    "I''ll make sure she will never show herself at thispany again," I replied confidently. "I''ll embarrass her so bad, she won''t be able to ever return here. How about it?"


    The guards looked at each other, nodded, then turned to me again. "Sorry, pal, but...even though your offer is tempting, I ain''t risking losing my job over this. You do realize that if you get caught in there, we will be the ones held responsible?"


    I sighed. "That''s too bad...I didn''t want to have to do this."


    "Wha-" the two guards'' eyes widened as I snapped my fingers, and the two Yu sisters leapt out of the bushes on either side of the entrance, with their weapons instantly at the guards'' throats. One could feel the hot, burning mes of Yu An Yan''s Axe of Fire, while the other could feel the cold, harsh air of Yu An Xue''s Sword of Ice and Water.


    Cold sweat immediately broke out on the two guards'' foreheads.


    "You...are you threatening us?" one of them asked, shooting me a re.


    "Well...what does it look like?" I smirked. "I didn''t want to resort to this method, but you left me no choice."


    "..." the two guards fell silent, realizing that the moment they tried anything, their eyes would be lopped off. Both the Yu sisters have killed people before, back when we fought against that gang - the guards could see it in their eyes. They wouldn''t hesitate to kill another.


    "...Fine. Do as you wish," one of the guards said atst.


    "Thank you," I replied, and walked into the building. Feng Mian followed behind me, hidden by her Cloak of Invisibility. But before I went insidepletely, I stopped for a brief moment.


    "Don''t let them get free," I said quietly, and the Yu sisters nodded silently in return.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    I led Feng Mian inside. Spotting the security camera hanging on the ceiling nearby, I didn''t continue any further, but instead just sat down in afy-looking chair. This was to create the guise that no one else was with me, and I was just here to chill. It was a bit of a strange sight to anyone monitoring the security cameras, and perhaps some people wille to drag me out, but my goal has already beenpleted. Feng Mian was inside, undetected.


    Sure, she could''ve just slipped inside on her own, but the door opening on its own would''ve been suspicious. Therefore, this was the method of attack we used. She slipped into the unmonitored staircase, and just like that, our n was set in motion.


    In the end, no one came to drag me outside, since they probably just figured I wasn''t doing any damage, or just didn''t care. They had more worrying matters to be concerned about, after all. The bidders who came here tonight are all big figures in the underworld. The Ross Estate needed to direct most of their forces into preventing any of these people from unfairly snatching any of the treasures away, since doing so certainly wasn''t beneath them.


    Little did they know...the treasure will be stolen. Just not by the ones they expected.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- Feng Mian''s Perspective -</strong>


    I was here. In the staircase, facing the door leading to the third floor. I could see from the peephole the bidders had already entered the room, and were sitting in the audience seats. Gently, I opened the door. Luckily, it didn''t creak or anything. I slipped inside and softly let it close. I took a deep breath, and looked around. Seems like no one noticed the door opening just now. That was good.


    I headed downwards, closer to the stage. I passed by several bidders sitting in their seats, but none of them seemed to realize someone had just brushed pass them. Keeping my footsteps light and nimble all of the way, I soon arrived right beside the auction stage. There were ten stands ced next to each other with a set interval in between, each with a cube covered by velvet-colored cloth resting on top. I assumed that these were the items to be auctioned today.


    And the Basilisk Dust we were looking for, was one of them.


    "May I have your attention, everyone?" a booming voice announced all of a sudden. He had seeded in rallying everyone''s attention on him. "Thank you. The auction will nowmence. Please keep talking to a minimum - as for the rest of the rules...I do not need to say them, I believe?"


    The man who had just spoke seemed to be some kind of auctioneer. He held an auction gavel in his hand and twirled it around. The audience remained quiet.


    "I will take that as a yes. Now then, without further ado..." he walked over to the lectern, and struck it with his gavel. "The first item we will be auctioning today is one of the Six Divine Weapons, forged by Mu Zi Kang himself. It is the Spear of Space - capable of tearing open rifts in space. The starting bid is 1 million gold."


    After saying that, he walked over to the first stand, and pulled off the velvet cloth covering it to reveal the item underneath. It was far smaller than expected - but it could change its size to the wielder anyway, just like any of the other Five Divine Weapons.


    "3 million troy ounces of gold," a man raised his banner and called out.


    <em>Hm? Gold? I thought there wasn''t a method of currency inside the Fortress...oh wait, they''re probably talking about literal gold, not coins. That''s why the unit of measurement is ''troy ounces'', after all.</em>


    "5 million!"


    "10 million!"


    ...


    The process continued like that, and repeated for all of the other items. Until atst...the one I was waiting for arrived.


    "And now...our final item - Basilisk Dust. Ten whole grams of it. I trust that everyone here knows just how valuable this item is, so let us just begin - the starting bid is 5 million troy ounces of gold."


    "7 million!"


    "10 million!"


    "15 million!"


    I quickly activated my earpiece, which came with a mic as well, and whispered. "It''s time. They are auctioning the Basilisk Dust."


    Xuan Kai''s voice came through immediately. "Got it. Get ready. Mei Gui, you in position?"


    "Yes, Master," Mei Gui said.


    "Alright..."then, on the count of three," Xuan Kai said, taking a deep breath, as the price continued to increase. "One...two...three!"


    At that moment, all the lights inside the auction room shut off, and I made my move. I leapt onto the stage and grabbed the ss box containing the basilisk dust inside. It was heavy, mainly due to the box, but nothing I couldn''t handle. It may restrict my movements a little though.


    I hid the box underneath my cloak and headed for the door to the staircase immediately, rushing past the confused audience. However, before I could...the emergency lights came on.


    <em>Damn-! </em>


    <em></em>"The Basilisk Dust - it''s gone!" someone immediately yelled, and everyone began to panic.


    <em></em>Realizing there was no turning back now, I merely continued, pulling open the staircase door with one hand while my other held the box. However, since the lights were now on and I had no time to be soft and gentle like I had when I came in, people noticed the door opening, even though they couldn''t physically see me.


    "There! The stairwell door! Guards!" the auctioneer hollered, and immediately, a pack of security guards began rushing my way at astonishing speeds.


    "Tch-!" I gritted my teeth. I could use Vanishing Shadows to easily escape here, but I couldn''t bring the Basilisk Dust with me into the shadows. I could only rely on purely running.


    I ran, and ran. I nearly tripped a couple of times, but I regained my bnce and kept going. I was making lots of noise by doing so, however, hence the guards chasing after me had a good idea where I was, even though they could not see me. Their speeds were obviously faster than my own, and a few of them even boosted their own speeds with magic. At this rate...


    <em>There! The first floor door!</em>


    I body mmed the door open. The impact caused the Cloak of Invisibility to slip off a bit. It also hurt a lot, but I had no other choice. However, even this was not enough. The guard in the lead was within distance to grab me-


    "Level Three Metal Magic - Metal Surge," the boy before me whispered quietly, but threateningly.


    Immediately, a thick vein of metal burst out from the ground. I leaped up and yelped in surprise.


    Luckily, Xuan Kai - the boy in front of me - was ready for that. He caught me with one arm, and I gasped in surprise.


    As for the other guards, they weren''t so lucky. They were hit by Xuan Kai''s spell, and sent flying back into the staircase they had just came out from.


    With our business here done, Xuan Kai turned tail and ran for the door. The two guards outside couldn''t do anything except let us pass, since the Yu sisters still had their weapons set near their throats. The moment we were out, everyone else also retreated, with Xiang Peng sending behind a Flood spell just for good measure.


    We disappeared into the darkness of night.


    With that, our mission wasplete - and sessful.

 Chapter 279 - Basilisk Dust

    After escaping from the Ross Estate sessfully, we headed for Old Man Leng''s shop. It was around 3 AM, so it was still open.


    Undoubtedly, the Ross Estate would send people to track us down. Feng Mian''s appearance was unexpectedly seen by some guards, and the Yu sisters hadn''t been wearing any sort of mask to hide their face. Moreover, even though <em>I </em>was wearing a mask, my midnight ck hair paired with bloody red eyes was quite a rarebo. They could probably find me either way.


    That is, if I didn''t take my ring off. If I took off the ring imbued with Chaos energy on my left hand, my eyes would revert to a ck color. That was pretty much useless though, since they could still just track down the girls. I decided to refrain from taking the Chaos ring off. Speaking of that thing, I was hoping I could, perhaps, find out more about it on the upper floors of the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    In any case, we stored the ss cube containing the Basilisk Dust within my Space Locket for safekeeping. When we arrived at Old Man Leng''s shop, he greeted us with a grin.


    "Wee back. Yapleted yer mission, I presume?"


    "Nice informationwork," I chuckled.


    "Well...I heard ya caused quite the ruckus, haha!"


    Shrugging, I took out my Space Locket and brought out the ss cube once more. "Anyway. We got the Basilisk Dust. Thanks for the info you gave us. There''s more than enough for the antidote inside this cube, so if you want...say, a quarter, then you can take it."


    I normally would''ve told him to take half, but I then recalled Mrs. Fang''s nephew. Having an employee at the Library of Infinite Beginnings owe me something was good for the future, further down the line. I needed to create two antidotes. Since I already had two Hydra Fangs from the encounter in Huizhou, I was on a good course to do that.


    "Nah, I''m good," Old Man Leng replied, to my surprise. "I didn''t do much. Y''all pulled everything off on yer own. Keep it. It''s yer prize."


    "You sure?"


    "Mhm. By the way, how are ya guys doin'' on the Library?"


    "Well, we''ve reached the fourth floor, all of us," Feng Mian said. "But...I''m afraid we''ll have to hold it off for a while."


    "Right...the ingredients for the 1 Year Curse antidote are not yetplete," Yu An Yan added. "Qing Yue, what''s the next ingredient we gotta get?"


    "Hm? Oh, uh...lemme see..." Qing Yue, who appeared to be a bit ufortable, pulled out her phone and checked the memo she had saved. "We already have the Hydra Fang and the Basilisk Dust now, so next is...oop, there''s only one more ingredient we need to get. And that is...the blood of someone close to the cursed."


    "So...my blood would work?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly.


    Qing Yue nodded. "Yep. It should, anyway."


    Lan Xiao Su let out a sigh of relief. "This is great! So...we have all the ingredients!"


    "Yep. All that''s left is to actually make it into an antidote," Xiang Peng smirked.


    "Right...how do we do that?" I asked.


    "I only know the ingredients. Nothing else," Qing Yue replied, pursing her lips.


    "Well...I just happen to know someone who''s an expert at craftin'' medicine and poison alike," Old Man Leng interrupted, chuckling.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Care to share?"


    "Sure. Her alias is Melvia. As for her real name...I don''t even know that," he said. "Just be careful though..."


    "Hm? Why?"


    "...Well, ya see, she charges...quite a lot, aha," Old Man Leng averted his gaze. "Oh, but don''t worry - the work she does is totally worth it."


    "Uh...how much money does she need?" I asked. We just obtained a bunch of money from grinding Hunters'' Guild quests, after all.


    "Oh, nah, she doesn''t want money," Old Man Lengughed.


    "Then what does she want?"


    "She''ll most likely ask ya toplete a task for her, like gettin'' some dangerous ingredient or somethin''."


    "I...see. Is there anyone else we can find?"


    "Nope. I don''t know what kind of antidote yer tryin'' to craft, but...if it needs Hydra Fangs and Basilisk Dust, chances are, it''s very difficult to make. I hate to say it, but...potion crafters on that woman''s level are rare."


    I sighed. There was no other way, it seems. "Fine. Where is this Melvia woman?"


    A female voice suddenly interrupted, walking through the door. "Hm...? Quite the gathering of youngsters here, I see...Old Man Leng, I don''t see you for a couple of months, and you meet all of these young, beautifuldies...? Hm, I wonder what your wife thinks of this, eh?"


    "...Welp, there she is," Old Man Leng said with a sigh, and all of us collectively turned to look at the neer. "Also, give it up. These girls are all in love with that kid there, heh."


    Caught by surprise, the girls blushed and looked away.


    I sighed. "Greetings, Melvia."


    "Woah, so formal. You''re more mature than you seem," she leaned in closer to me to inspect my face. She wore a long ck robe with brown hair and eyes, and in all honesty, seemed like a witch.


    "Melvia..." Old Man Leng warned.


    "Yes, yes...what is it you need from me, dear boy?" she backed up and asked.


    "I need an antidote made. We have all the ingredients already," I exined. "Are you able to do it?"


    "My, my...well of course I am able to do it. But the question is...are you able to pay the price?"


    I narrowed my gaze. "Just be up-front. What do you need done?"


    "Teehee! I like the way you think," Melviaughed heartily with a wink. "Very well, then. If you can get me...let''s see, what do I need...oh! That''s right! I need a Starflower!"


    Old Man Leng''s eyes widened upon hearing this. "Oi, oi...Melvia...these guys are only 14."


    "Oh, I can see that. But...something tells they are far stronger than the average 14 year old...isn''t that right?" she looked into my eyes intently.


    I was shocked.


    <em>Could she...perhaps, feel something different with me as well, just like the Founders of the Library?</em>


    However, I didn''t let it show on my face. I kept an indifferent expression, and replied.


    "You''re overestimating me, but...whatever. How do I get this ''Starflower''?"


    "Oop, you''ll have to find that out on your own," Melvia said, giggling. "Truth to be told, I don''t know either. Which is why I''m asking you to get it for me!"


    I clenched my fists. This woman was really getting on my nerves. "Fine. But...we''re low on time for the antidote."


    "Ah...I get it. You want me to make the antidote first?" Melvia frowned and considered my proposal for a second, then made up her mind. "Sure. I''ll do it, just this once. This is different from my normal policy, but I like you."


    The other girls were stunned at how easily this woman just confessed, hoping they could be like her one day. As for me, I was more surprised at the fact that she actually epted my condition.


    "Thanks. But...aren''t you afraid we''ll cross you?"


    "Mm~the fact that you asked me that just now makes me confident you won''t," Melvia said innocently, but then her eyes took on a dangerous gleam. "But of course...if you do happen to attempt to trick me...I won''t show any mercy, y''know? Even if Old Man Leng tries to protect you, or anyone else."


    I could feel her killing intent. She wasn''t joking around. But I wasn''t fazed in the least.


    I nodded. "Don''t worry...I''m not the type of person to do that. Now...best get to work on that antidote."


    Saying this, I handed her the cube container with the Basilisk Dust stored within, and also took out the two Hydra Fangs I had from my Space Locket.


    "Ooh...Basilisk Dust and Hydra Fangs," Melvia mused. "Quite the rare ingredients you got here. But thisbination...the 1 Year Curse, perhaps?"


    "As expected of an expert," Feng Mian said with a sigh.


    "But you do realize there is one final ingredient, I trust?" Melvia looked at us.


    I turned to Lan Xiao Su, our eyes met, and we nodded to each other.


    She stepped forward. "Do you...have a ce I can store my blood?"


    Melvia grinned. "Sure...an expert is always ready, for any situation."


    Saying this, she pulled out a ss vial from within her robe somehow. I assumed there was some sort of Space Locket hiddin in there. Then, twisting off the cap, she held it out in front of Lan Xiao Su.


    "Roll up your sleeve," she instructed, and Lan Xiao Su did as told.


    Melvia raised her other hand, and suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Lan Xiao Su''s arm had a light cut on it.


    "O-Ouch!" she cried in surprise, but she somehow managed to keep her arm even. Blood flowed out of the wound and into the vial below.


    "And...all done," Melvia said once the vial waspletely filled up with Lan Xiao Su''s blood. "Someone use some Blessing Magic on her."


    Qing Yue, realizing this was her job, hurried over and cast some healing magic on Lan Xiao Su''s cut.


    "Thanks..." she murmured.


    "Alright. I''ll have the antidote ready by...say, tomorrow."


    I nodded in response. "Got it...we''ll meet up here same time tomorrow, then."


    "Sounds good~" Melvia said, before walking out of the shop.


    "That woman...she''s strong," I murmured after she left.


    "Oh? What makes you say that?" Old Man Leng smirked.


    I scoffed. "She cut Lan Xiao Su''s arm in a sh. I didn''t even see her hand move."


    "Observant. Yer right. She''s actually only a step away from bin'' a Holy Emperor. Way stronger than me n'' my wife."


    I sighed. "That exins it..."


    "So, might want to think twice before crossing her."


    "Don''t worry - I never nned on crossing her anyway. Now...from your reaction earlier, you know something about this ''Starflower'' she wants. Can you tell me?"


    Old Man Leng chuckled. "I said this just now, but I''ll say it again. Yer extremely observant, for a 14 year old. Anyway...yer right. I do know of it. But...it''s goin'' to be dangerous."


    I smirked. "I kinda figured that. But since when has that stopped me from doing what I want to do?"

 Chapter 280 - Starflower

    The Starflower.


    A mythical herb said to be capable of healing all and any wounds. Even if a person is on the brink of death from an external injury, just one petal of a Starflower would be enough to cure them. Because a Starflower had thirty-six petals in total, that meant if you obtained one, you would essentially have thirty-six lives.


    Of course, this wasn''t entirely fool-proof. The Starflower could only heal physical wounds. It was ineffective against Curses, mind control, and things like that. There was, however, a different flower that was essentially the Starflower except for mental wounds - and it was called the Moonflower. But that was a story for another day.


    In any case, ording to Old Man Leng, Starflowers could be found on the sides of cliffs. That meant you either had to use Flight Magic to get them, or do it the harder way, which was climb down the cliff perpendicrly and get the herb from there. Thankfully, I had all 21 Elements, meaning Flight was a method I could use.


    But that was just the first part of the issue.


    ording to Old Man Leng, there weren''t any cliffs inside The Fortress. That''s meant the only way to obtain a Starflower was to get it from someone else, or rely on the Hunters'' Guild Shanghai Branch''s portals to send us to a quest area with a cliff nearby. Of the two options, the former seemed more reliable. That being said, it wouldn''t be a good idea to steal something right after we just stole the Basilisk Dust, so we had to buy it off someone - if it was even sold in the first ce.


    Even if it was, the price wouldn''t be cheap. Although we all had quite a bit of money now from doing Hunters'' Guild quests, we were still far from ''rich''.


    Speaking of, all the girls and I, throughout the past week, havepleted enough Hunters'' Guild quests to reach the Bronze Hunter rank. That meant we could tackle on harder challenges now, with correspondingly bigger rewards. Still, we had about 400 more Bounty Points to go before we could achieve the next rank, which was Silver.


    In any case, it had been a long day, so all of us returned to the hotel to rest.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>The next day, in the morning (around 6 PM in reality), we decided to look in the Hunters'' Guild in search of a quest that could bring us to a location with cliffs nearby. We even tried asking a receptionist, since we weren''t that knowledgeable about geography, but even she could not help us. I mean, it made sense. How diligent of a receptionist would you have to be to memorize the appearances of all the quest locations everyday?


    <em>...Actually, Lan Xiao Su seems like the kind to do that, but whatever. She already quit anyway.</em><em></em>


    In any case, we ended up just doing some quests at random until noon (12 AM in reality).


    After lunch, we headed for the Library of Infinite Beginnings to tackle another floor. When we arrived on the 4th floor, however, we saw something unexpected.


    "Hm? Four-Eyes...Cherry...Ling Ling?" Feng Mian was the first to react. I decided to ignore the fact that she didn''t even bother saying Shi Yan''s name even though he was also there.


    "Ah, it''s you guys!" Ling Ling hurriedly stood up and gave Feng Mian a big hug.


    "A-Ah, hey," Feng Mian caught her awkwardly. "What happened? I thought you guys went up to the fifth floor already."


    Cherry was the one to respond, sighing. "Well...this may be surprising, but turns out, the Gatekeeper of that floor was harder than we all expected. All of us were defeated, and were forced to run away through the door we came in from."


    I narrowed my eyes. "All of you? It would make sense if the first person was defeated, but...shouldn''t they warn the rest of you after escaping?"


    "See...Shi Yan was stupid, is what it was," Four-Eyes muttered, sending his friend a re of utter disdain. "This floor was unlike the previous ones. It allowed us to go in as a group, maximum of four people. Of course, you can also choose to do it with less, but Shi Yan''s headass dered that since we were a group of four anyway, we might as well do it together."


    "Oi! Who you calling a-" but then he turned to see Xiang Peng, and immediately fell quiet again.


    <em>Ah...how thoroughly you have broke his heart and mental will, Xiang Peng. I don''t know whether to be happy or frustrated that I have such a...maniptive ally.</em>


    "Anyway, yeah...that''s the story," Ling Ling concluded, pulling way from Feng Mian atst. "If you guys are nning on doing the test as well, please be careful."


    "Aren''t you guys going to try again?" I asked. "Just one loss is nothing. Now that you''re prepared..."


    Cherry sighed. "We would, but Four-Eyes and Shi Yan currently refuse to fight alongside each other. I swear, boys are such stubborn creatures."


    "Hehe, Big Brother Xuan Kai is like that too~" Qing Yue added, clutching onto my arm. She seemed to be fine now, despite being somewhat weird yesterday.


    Remembering this, I brought it up. "Oh yeah, Qing Yue, you seemed kinda off yesterday. More quiet than usual...but you''re fine now. What''s up with that?"


    "Eh? Ah..." she suddenly averted her gaze, blushing slightly.


    Then, the girls around me collectively sighed, even Cherry and Ling Ling.


    "Xuan Kai, you''re such a dimwit," Yu An Yan said, knocking me on the head.


    "H-Huh? Wha-"


    "Last week was <em>that </em>time of the month for Qing Yue," Feng Mian said cryptically.


    I frowned. "<em>That </em>time? What time?" The other boys, Four-Eyes and Shi Yan, seemed equally as clueless as me.


    Cherry facepalmed. "I swear...boys are not just stubborn, but also such...stupid creatures."


    Thank you very much, ma''am, you just collectively insulted about half the poption of the world with one sentence. A little more than half, in fact. If I remember correctly, there was a book on the second floor of this ce that I read - it said somewhere that the sex ratio of Xenith was around 101 males to 100 females.


    "Uh...sorry, I still don''t quite understand-"


    "Just stop asking, Xuan Kai~" Xiang Peng quickly interrupted. "Big sister here will teach you all about it tonight...just the two of us...heehee..."


    Saying this, she leaned in to my ear and whispered seductively. I pushed her away. "No thanks."


    I was eager to know, but not <em>so </em>eager to know that I would throw away my first time for it. I wasn''t ready for that yet. Especially not with Xiang Peng. God knows if she''s done it with other men before, with that flirtarious demeanor of hers.


    "Nya, Xuwan Kwai, do you weally nyot nyow about perio-"


    "Amane, no!" Lan Xiao Su quickly cried and covered the poor catgirl''s mouth. Unfortunate. I could''ve gotten some information there.


    "Master, I know what they are speaking of-"


    "No you don''t..." Obsidia moved, covering Mei Gui''s mouth in the blink of an eye. Once again, unfortunate. That being said, I could always reach out to Mei Gui telepathically. I didn''t really care all that much about this right now though.


    "Anyway, let''s see if we can beat this...difficult Gatekeeper you guys speak of," I said atst. "They allow groups of up to four people, correct?"


    The four who had already tried it out nodded together.


    "I see...but going solo is also an option, right?"


    "Er...yeah? But I don''t see why you would do that," Cherry said. "Not only is doing it as a group easier, with higher chances of sess, it also saves time, since you don''t have to go individually."


    I smiled from beneath my mask. "Well. I have my reasons."


    Then, turning around, I began heading up the staircase. Mei Gui followed, and soon, the other girls did as well after saying goodbye to ourpanions.


    "Hey, Xuan Kai, you can''t be seriously thinking of going in alone, are you?" Yu An Yan asked, frowning in disapproval.


    I shrugged as we headed up the stairs. "So what if I am?"


    She sighed. "I know you''re stronger than those four by a whole lot, and even if all of them tried to attack you together, they would still lose terribly, but...is this really the right choice?"


    I patted her head gently, to her surprise. She yelped a little, but didn''t move away.


    "Listen. I know my limits. I''m just testing this out to see if it gives me some extra benefit for doing it alone," I exined. A lie, of course. That wasn''t the real reason at all. "Besides, I can always just run if things go south. Those guys managed to escape - I think I can too."


    "Well, they managed to escape with four people, but...actually, I''m not even going to argue," Feng Mian said, sighing. "You just do what you want to do. We''ll wait here for your return."


    "Actually..." I turned to Mei Gui, and our eyes met. She instantly knew what I was hinting at.


    "Yep, I''ll take Mei Gui along," I said.


    "Understood, Master."


    "Wait, what-?!" Feng Mian immediately blurted out.


    "Didn''t you just say I should do what I want to do?" I chuckled.


    "That...ugh, fine. You tricked me again..." she pouted, crossing her arms.


    We arrived at the door soon after. This door was bigger than the ones on the previous floors, and had four scanners beside it instead of just one. Mei Gui and I each scanned our library cards, and after ten seconds of waiting from the system-side to see if anyone else would scan their card, the door opened up on its own, revealing a purple portal behind.


    "Well then," I turned to Mei Gui. "Shall we go?"


    She nodded. "Understood, Master."

 Chapter 281 - Luisfer

    When Mei Gui and I opened our eyes again, we were facing some kind of castle.


    <em>Wait...I remember this scene. Count Draculus had a castle too.</em>


    <em></em>That being said, this castle was very different from the ancient vampire''s - his was dark and gloomy, while this one was royal and grand, like a real castle should be. The environment here was vastly different too - the sky was a beautiful shade of pink,pared to the lightning-filled stormy night of Count Draculus'' ce. The difference was as clear as day and night.


    There was also one more distinct difference - Count Draculus'' castle had been the only building in sight, no matter how far I looked, but here, Mei Gui and I were currently in the middle of a street. We were surrounded by buildings, in fact. The castle, which I assumed to be our destination, could only be seen over the rooftops of the structures all around us.


    However, it was pretty weird. Despite the clear city-like environment we were in, no one was walking around. The weather was good - warm with a light breeze, neither too cold nor too hot. The sun had just began to set - the perfect time for people toe out of homes to enjoy the view. And yet...not a single soul could be seen around.


    Mei Gui noticed this too, and the two of us kept our guards up, always remaining vignt of our surroundings.


    [Master, shall I activate my Third Eye?] Mei Gui asked telepathically, since we never knew who could be listening.


    [Nah. Best save your mana. This is definitely another one of the Founders. They won''t hurt us.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    After a long while of walking, we finally reached the castle. A beautiful gardeny between the open metal gates and the castle itself. In the center of the garden was a majestic fountain, with a grey statue of a man shooting water out of it. Mei Gui and I walked past it, admiring the view all around us. We reached the entrance, and the doors of the castle opened.


    A man walked out. But he wasn''t human.


    He had two ck horns on the top of his head, but longer and more curved than the ones Mei Gui had. He wore sses and a sleek butler suit, apanied by a gentle smile on his face.


    "Wee to Lord Luisfer''s castle," he greeted, bowing deeply. "My lord has been waiting for you. Please, allow me to escort you inside."


    "Lord Luisfer...?" I murmured to myself, but did as told anyway.


    I began walking through the entrance, Mei Gui following behind, but-


    "My apologies, but...Lord Luisfer never informed me of yourpanion here. I''m afraid she cannot enter," the butler said, instantly teleporting to in front of Mei Gui and I.


    <em>Tch...he seems to be quite powerful. I can feel the strong aura emitting from him too...was that Space Magic or just really high level Blessing Magic just now?</em>


    I narrowed my eyes. "She''sing with me."


    "...This..." he seemed to be uncertain what to do. He had probably been told to treat me like an honored guest or something of the sort, given the polite attitude he was using towards me. He didn''t want to make me mad, but at the same time couldn''t disobey his lord''s wishes.


    "Let her in as well," a deep male voice echoed from deeper within the castle, and the butler''s eyes widened.


    "I see...understood, Lord Luisfer."


    He took a deep breath, and smiled at us once more. "Well then, let''s head inside, shall we?"


    <strong>*****</strong>


    We were led through the grand castle. It was enormous, but still, nowhere asrge as the maze-like death castle of Count Draculus. The interior was exquisitely designed. Vintage paintings lined the walls, and countless treasured artifacts were put on disy in the corridors. We headed up the polished stairs, our footsteps reverberating against the empty castle''s walls.


    Soon, we reached what seemed to be a throne room, given the excessively decorated door, evenpared to the rest of this ce. The butler knocked gently, and a voice soon responded.


    "Come in."


    The butler pushed open the door and weed us inside. After we entered, he closed the door again behind us, and knelt down.


    Facing Mei Gui and I was an aged man, sitting on a throne. He had horns simr to the ones on top of the butler''s head, but surprisingly, I couldn''t feel an aura from this man at all. However, from the way the butler revered this man, it was clear this person was Lord Luisfer...and even stronger than the butler. Just like the other Founders, I couldn''t feel a strong presence emitting from him. However, the truth couldn''t be further from that.


    I nced at the butler, kneeling in front of Lord Luisfer, and chose to <em>not </em>do the same. Luisfer seemed to be evaluating me, seeing if I would kneel down the same way. Seeing my decision, a grin crept up his aged face.


    "My lord, I have brought the guests here," the butler said.


    Luisfer nodded. "Good work. You may leave now."


    The butler stood back up, bowed, and left the room.


    "Now then...your name is Xuan Kai, correct?" he asked.


    It was clear he already knew either way, so I didn''t see a point in lying to him. With his power, finding out my name was as easy as breathing.


    "Yes...and you''re Lord Luisfer, I take it?"


    "Just Luisfer is fine," he replied. "I can tell you dislike bowing down to anyone, from how you did not kneel just now. However, you still show due respect. I must say, I admire you."


    "I see...thanks?" I murmured hesitantly. "You''re one of the sixteen Founders of the Library, right? Otherwise, there''s no way you would see me here."


    Luisfer nodded. "Indeed. I am the representative from the Demon race."


    "Ah, that exins the horns, then...but what about that butler? Is he affiliated with the Library as well?"


    Luisfer averted his gaze. "Actually...he is not. However, he knows of my affiliation with the Library, which is supposed to be taboo."


    "Taboo? Why?"


    He sighed. "You see...the sixteen Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings are all some kind of high-ranking and exceedingly strong member of their own respective races. Because of this, they are not supposed to be spending so much time and resources on something else - in this case, the Library. For this reason, no one else is supposed to find out about our identity as the Founders of the Library, no matter how close someone is to us."


    "But then, that butler..." Mei Gui muttered.


    Luisfer nodded. "He found out about my identity by chance, because of a slip-up I made. The other Founders had wanted to silence him immediately, and the most surefire way to do that was to kill him. However, I protected him with my life, and eventually, the other Founders sumbed, not wanting to create discord amongst ourselves."


    I frowned. "I still don''t get it. Why go to such lengths to hide your identity?"


    "...The matter of the Library is moreplicated than you can imagine," Luisfer said after a short silence. "You are not yet ready for that knowledge. Perhaps, once you have met all sixteen Founders...you will be closer to discovering the truth. The truth about this world, that is."


    "...What?" every word he said only served to make me more confused.


    Luisfer shook his head. "Nevermind. Let us talk about you. You have refrained from telling any of the previous Founders any information, and I am not so na?ve as to believe I will be any different. However...if possible, can you tell me who this girl beside you is? I feel a familiar energy from her that closely resembles one of the other Founders..."


    "That must be because she''s an Elemental," I replied. I didn''t mention the ''Chaos'' part though.


    "Ah, I see...that is indeed it. However, human-type Elementals are rare. The Elemental Founder is also one, but apart from her, I have never seen any other ones."


    I shrugged. "Is that so? I found her just lying in a forest somewhere, injured, and decided to help her out a bit. She''s been following me ever since."


    My ability toe up with bullshit on the spot was truly impressive, if I do say so myself.


    "Huh. Is that so? I did say she was simr to my good friend, the Elemental Founder, but she appears to be...somewhat different as well."


    "Well, she got kidnapped, some shit happened, and now she''s not 100% an Elemental anymore," I responded truthfully. I didn''t have a reason to lie about this, since with some digging, the Founders could easily find out the whole incident with Exurtra Labs.


    "Hm. I understand. That is all I wanted to know."


    "Huh? You''re really not going to ask about this ''power'' you''re all insistent on me having?" I blinked in false surprise.


    "No. I am different from Draculus, who I am sure you met on the previous floor. After all, that would be the only reason why you''re a half-vampire now. Here is the gateway that will lead you back to the Library."


    He snapped his fingers, and a door appeared near me.


    "Master...?" This was the first time Mei Gui has heard of the whole half-vampire incident, so she turned and looked at me in confusion.


    "Ah, I''ll exinter," I quickly said, before turning back to Luisfer. "Thank you for the good intentions. But...if you''re trying to warm up to me by acting nice, and then finding information that way, it''s not going to work."


    Luisfer''s expression changed. His smile froze on his face, and I confidently strode out the portal he had so kindly opened up for me.


    I had seen through his ns from the very beginning. The warm wee, the polite attitude, the ''admiration'' he had for me...was all nothing but a farce used to convince me he was a nice guy. Unfortunately for him, I wasn''t so easily deceived. Not anymore, at least.

 Chapter 282 - The Antidote

    Mei Gui and I found ourselves on the fifth floor.


    She moved to pull the door back open so we could meet back up with the girls, but I stopped her.


    "Didn''t you want to know about...?" I didn''t finish the sentence, purposely leaving what I meant out. Mei Gui, however, understood me, possibly thanks to our telepathic connection.


    "Master...you don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to. Whatever you do, I will follow."


    I sighed. "I was nning on telling you and the other girls anyway. It''s only a matter of time before you all find out anyway."


    "In that case...we shouldn''t talk here, Master," she eyed our surroundings. There were people at tables, reading. They would asionally spare us a nce, wondering what we were doing, just standing there.


    I followed her gaze. "I''ll speak to all of youter, at the hotel."


    Mei Gui nodded in return. "Understood, Master."


    The two of us returned to the girls after that, pulling open the door and walking through.


    "Woah, you''re back...from the other side, no less," Feng Mian mused. "I take it you two beat the Gatekeeper?"


    Mei Gui and I exchanged nces, and we shrugged. "It was harder than expected, but yeah."


    "Well? What does the Gatekeeper look like? What are its attack patterns?" Xiang Peng asked.


    I pretended to think for a moment, then smirked. "You''ll have to find that out for yourself."


    "W-Wha...but you two already beat it, so why can''t you tell us to make things easier?" Yu An Yan asked, genuinely confused with me.


    I shrugged. "This is a good training opportunity, trust me. If four of you go as a team, you can take the Gatekeeper down, no problem. That I guarantee...unless, of course, you do something stupid."


    Of course, this was all just an act. The truth was, I had no idea what the Gatekeeper looked like, since I didn''t have to fight it at all. But if I said that, it would lead to suspicion, and I didn''t want that. I remember making an agreement with the girls not to hide anything from them, but...the Founders had asked me not to share their existence with anyone else. Mei Gui, having met Sigil, was an exception. The Founders'' power was practically limitless, and I wanted to avoid rousing their anger, if possible.


    "...Nya...bwut, I always end up doing someting stupid..." Amaneined, looking down at the floor.


    Patting her head, I chuckled. "Rx, Amane. You''ll be fine. That''s why there are three other people going in with you."


    She seemed to feel a little better after that, and wiggled her tail happily.


    "Now then...the first group, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, An Yan, and An Xue," I said, turning to them. "You four have fought together before, back at the Advancement Exams in Shenzhen, so you have good synergy."


    The four of them nodded, and swiped their library cards on the devices one by one. The door swung open, and they entered into the portal.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>Around 15 minutester, they came back, exhausted.


    "Whew...we managed to beat it, somehow..." Feng Mian let out a deep breath, wiping sweat from her forehead.


    "Yeah...hah...that really was difficult," Yu An Yan agreed, panting.


    "Nicely done," I remarked. "So? Did the Gatekeepere as a surprise for you?"


    "Surprise? That''s an understatement, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yueined, running over and hugging me tightly. "You know I''m scared of spiders...and you still didn''t tell me what the Gatekeeper was?!"


    She seemed to be on the verge of tears, so I quickly hugged her back and rubbed her head gently. "Look...if I told you, wouldn''t you just have been more scared? Besides, you managed to beat it. So everything''s fine, right? All fears are meant to be conquered - you just conquered your own."


    "..." she didn''t respond, and instead just embraced me even tighter. It seemed that the boss was some kind of spider.


    "I...I''m afraid of spiders...too..." Yu An Xue murmured quietly, blushing and looking away. I realized what she wanted, and patted her head gently too. She smiled happily as I did that, as the other girls looked on in jealousy.


    I sighed. "Right...now then, the next group - there''s only four of you left, anyway. Obsidia, Xiao Su, Amane, and Xiang Peng. It''s up to you."


    The four of them nodded determinedly, and headed inside after scanning their own cards.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>In the end, all of the girls managed to beat the Gatekeeper sessfully, in teams of 4. We entered the fifth floor without bothering to let Four-Eyes and the others know. We browsed through the shelves, hoping to find something useful.


    But s, all we could find were books on various parts of Xenith, including non-Human territory. This was useful information to have, but not exactly what we were looking for.


    As we read, we lost track of time, and before we knew it, it was around time we would have to retrieve the antidote from Melvia.


    We exited the Library, and when we passed by the fourth floor, we saw Four-Eyes and his group, still engrossed in reading. I had wanted to avoid confronting them since we were in a hurry, but-


    "Oh, you''re back!" Ling Ling jumped up and ran over to us.


    "Ling Ling...we''re in a library..." Cherry reprimanded.


    "Ah, right, sorry..." Ling Ling giggled in embarrassment.


    "So? Did you guys manage to beat the Gatekeeper we couldn''t?" Four-Eyes asked curiously, with a serious expression.


    "Yeah, we did," I replied, as our representative. "It was pretty difficult, but we managed to do it."


    "Hm...looks like you''re stronger than we are then," Cherry said, sighing. "Well, it can''t be helped."


    "Hmph. Stronger?" Shi Yan scoffed, eyeing me with disdain. "Nah. if we didn''t have such a dimwit on our team, we would''ve already beaten it."


    "Who''s the dimwit you''re talking about, I wonder?" Four-Eyes said, narrowing his eyes dangerously.


    "Who do you think, dipshit?" Shi Yan stood up, and grabbed Four-Eyes'' cor. But the sses kid was not fazed in the least.


    "Break it apart already, the two of you!" Cherry mmed the table and yelled in an unusually loud tone.


    "Um...Cherry, we''re in a library," Ling Ling added quietly from beside.


    "H-Huh? Ah, right...sorry," she cleared her throat, and apologized to everyone around. "Anyway...we aren''t going to get anywhere if you two keep fighting like this. And in front of our friends too. Shameful."


    I waved her concerns off. "Don''t worry about it. Now then, we''re in kind of a hurry, so we''ll be off."


    Cherry nodded. "Got it. See you."


    "Aw....I kind of wanted to ask for tips, but..." Ling Ling murmured, dejected.


    "We''ll be back here tomorrow, if you''re willing to wait until then," Feng Mian spoke up.


    "Oh, sure!" Ling Ling''s eyes brightened up immediately. "We''re here everyday until the preliminaries!"


    "Speaking of, when are the preliminaries?" Yu An Yan asked, frowning.


    "Hm...today is the 2nd of February...so the preliminaries are in exactly 1 week," Four-Eyes analyzed calmly.


    "I see..."


    "Let''s have a good fight at the prelims then," I said, concluding our conversation.


    "Yeah. Looking forward to it."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    We headed for Old Man Leng''s shop after that. Melvia was already there, waiting for us.


    "My, you made me wait for a quite a while, little boy," she said upon spotting us.


    "She''s lyin''," Old Man Leng quickly interrupted ruthlessly. "She literally just got here."


    Melvia sent him a re, but he just shrugged it off.


    I cleared my throat. "In any case...do you have the antidote?"


    "Oh yes, right here," she said, taking out a vial from somewhere inside her robe. Truly fascinating.


    I reached out for it, but she then moved it away from me. I narrowed my eyes.


    "...What?"


    "Before I give you this...how''s getting that Starflower going?"


    I sighed, and retracted my hand. "Look...first off, I have no way to verify that the antidote in your hands is really an antidote, and doesn''t have some kind of poison attached to it. Second, I will get you what you want. I thought we already established that consensus yesterday. Why are you questioning my progress?"


    "Mm...I suppose that''s true. I shouldn''t doubt in my cooperators'' abilities," she said after some thought, then handed the sk containing the antidote to the 1 Year Curse over to me.


    I epted it gratefully, and then passed it on to Lan Xiao Su.


    "One more thing," I said.


    "Hm?"


    "Do you know of a way to send packages outside of The Fortress?"


    "Huh...I see. So the antidote is for someone not inside here, is it?"


    I nodded. Melvia smiled, then looked to Old Man Leng mysteriously.


    "What. Oh, no no no. Don''t you even think about it, Melvia. I quit doin'' that kind of shit a long time ago."


    "Oh c''mon, Old Man Leng...these poor children need your help," Melvia argued in an overly dramatic tone.


    Old Man Leng nced at us, back at Melvia, then at us again. He sighed. "Alright...fine. But this will be thest time I''ll ever be doin'' somethin'' like this, ya hear me?"


    "Of course. Your wife wouldn''t be happy about this, though..."


    "I''ll...keep it a secret from her," Old Man Leng said after a short hesitation. "And you kids too. Don''t go leaking the word if you want to get that antidote sent."


    We all nodded immediately in agreement, unable to argue.


    "Alright. I''ll...hit up some of my old buddies in the industry," he said, retreating to the backroom of the store.


    Melvia, with a yful grin on her lips, let out a breath of admiration. "Ah...how nice to see...the ''Silver Mailman'' back in business."

 Chapter 283 - The Final Founder

    After a short while, Old Man Leng came back out of the backroom and sighed deeply. Then, he held out his hand.


    "Gimme the antidote, and tell me the address ya want to send it to. I''ll get it delivered. Oh, and don''t ask questions," he said.


    "... Um, okay," Lan Xiao Su murmured, before doing as told. "The address is... "


    After telling Old Man Leng the address and leaving the antidote in his care, the rest of us headed back to the hotel to get some rest. The preliminaries were in a week - we needed to get stronger as fast as possible using the time we had remaining. Climbing the floors of the Library should be good for that.


    So, for the next seven days, the girls and I went to the Library every day, climbing up and up the floors. While everyone else fought the Gatekeepers to advance, however, I, instead, met with the remaining Founders of the Library. They all attempted to ask me the same things, about my Chaos power and whatnot. None of them seeded. So far, I''ve hit the 16th floor, and met 15 of the 16 Founders:


    Sigil - Celesticus Founder.


    Aluna - Elf Founder.


    Count Draculus - Vampire Founder.


    Lord Luisfer - Demon Founder.


    Hephestus - Dwarven Founder. He offered to forge me an extremely powerful weapon in return for information, but I already had my two Chaos katanas and the obsidian greatsword I obtained from the Xuan family guardmander if needed. I severely doubted the dwarf could make a weapon greater than those, no matter how skilled he was.


    ARXA-5 - X-Machina Founder. This woman (?) had wanted to fight me. We ended up engaging in a flying dogfight, and she had been the victor. The deal had been if I lost, I had to tell her info, but I never promised anything, so I merely went back on my word after the fight. She was pretty pissed, but couldn''t kill me either, so eventually, she had no choice but to just let me go.


    Fiona - Subus Founder. She tried to seduce me. Didn''t work, end of story. The charm of subi may be powerful, but I was surrounded by goddess-level beauties every day, so they were ineffective on me, fortunately.


    Tian Lin - Human Founder. This man was cold and demanding. He wasn''t physically forceful like Count Draculus had been, but he did have an aura around him that told me he wasn''t someone to mess with. That said, I didn''t fall under the pressure. Once again, the Founders failed to extract any information from me.


    Lienne - Fairy Founder. This encounter was interesting. She didn''t bring up the topic of my hidden power at all, but instead chatted about her own life. We ended up having a nice pic under beautiful weather. Apparently, she was good friends with Aluna.


    Scarlet - Beast Founder. She was an Elder Dragon - one of the most powerful existences on Xenith. A Rank 8 Magic Beast, apparently. She and I talked more about Obsidia than my power. She was curious to see one of her kin traveling with me, a human. I told her we had a deal, and it had something to do with dragon territory. However... that wasn''t the full story, and Scarlet seemed to sense that as well. There was something off about Obsidia - and it was rted to the Chaos inside me. Scarlet couldn''t identify it precisely, but she knew something was unusual.


    Kracken - Monster Founder. We didn''t even talk. The moment I stepped through the portal, I found myself on a ship in the middle of a raging storm. A massive octopus-like creature started attacking the ship, but never actually destroyed it. I thought it was a legitimate Gatekeeper at first, but then realized this was far too powerful for these early floors. After a while, he finally spoke, giving me his name and demanding info from me. Naturally, I refused. Also naturally, I was threatened. And of course, I wasn''t scared in the least. Eventually, he sent me back after realizing this conversation was getting nowhere.


    Sino - Dark Elf Founder. He was actually quite an enjoyable guy to talk to. I knew that elves and dark elves had a long, bloody history, but when I asked him about his thoughts on Aluna, he didn''t seem to dislike her at all. In fact... he seemed to have a crush on her, or something. Aluna didn''t seem to requite his feelings though, ording to him.


    Kyoko - Demihuman Founder. A wolf girl. Despite a small frame, she was quite fierce. At least, her tone was. Shecked the actual determination to go through with her empty threats. Honestly, her actions were more cute than scary, in my opinion. Though if I told her that, she might really kill me.


    Asteryx - Ethereal Founder. This was... really dull. The portal led me to a room of nothingness, except for a man sitting at a nd table, drinking some sort of tea. He asked me to tell me about the power I held. I refused. He let me out.


    Runter - Giant Founder. He was quite friendly and easy-going, despite our difference in size. Unfortunately, even his nice, polite way of asking me wouldn''t be able to make me give out info. I had no idea what these Founders would do to me once they did get the information, after all - especially now that I knew about their existence. ording to the info I received from Luisfer, the Founders'' existence was meant to be a secret, after all.


    And now, on the day right before the preliminaries. It was around 6 AM in the morning, which was really night inside The Fortress. I decided to try one more floor. For the record, on the 15th floor, we finally found some useful spells - Level One spells, that is. On this floor, the 16th, were some more advanced Level One spells that weren''t taught at most schools.


    The other girls had already gone back to sleep early and rest in preparation for tomorrow, but I wanted to stay. Mei Gui stayed with me, as usual.


    We headed up the spiral staircase, which seemed to just stretch on and on. Soon, the two of us arrived at a door - the entrance to the 17th Floor.


    I decided to go first, scanning my card on the device beside the door. However... when the door opened...


    "Master... I can see the portal too," Mei Gui said suddenly.


    "What?!"


    "Yes... I do not know why, but I can see the portal."


    I sank into thought. Out of all the Founders I''ve met with so far... only one remains. The Elemental Founder. Perhaps... this was her doing? She wanted Mei Gui toe in with me?


    "Come with me," I said, taking Mei Gui''s hand, and dragging her into the portal.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- On the Other Side -</strong>


    "You''re finally here," a low, female voice asked. I couldn''t see her or what she looked like, but our surroundings were a throne room of some kind - kind of simr to that of Lord Luisfer''s.


    "You''re the Elemental Founder, I take it?" I asked.


    "Indeed. And you must be the boy I have heard so much about from my friendstely."


    "If you''re here to look for more information on this ''power'' I have or whatever, sorry, but I literally don''t have any idea what you''re talking about," I said. "Though, I appreciate you guys letting me through the floors so easily, without having to even fight."


    "Worry not. I am not here to ask you about your hidden power today. Even if I did, you will not tell me. I have gathered that much from my acquaintances'' encounters with you."


    "So? What are you here to ask me about then?"


    "It is regarding that girl beside you. Or should I say.. Elemental?"


    Mei Gui narrowed her eyes, ready to fight at a moment''s notice.


    "Rx, girl. I am not here to fight you. I do, however... have many questions about you. Of the 21 Elements, you belong to none. However, at the same time, I feel energy from all 21ing from within you. What is this? I have never seen such a thing before."


    "... I do not know either," Mei Gui replied stoically, not giving away anything.


    "Hmph. Do you wish to know who I am?"


    "I mean, the other Founders all did a little self-introduction about themselves, so..." I trailed off.


    "Very well," the voice said before suddenly, a girl wearing a white kitsune-like mask materialized in front of us, amidst a bright light. She wore traditional Japanese (demihuman) clothes, a white robe lined with red. On her feet were two traditional sandals, known as ''geta''. Her figure was short, but still taller than Kyoko, the demihuman founder. Beneath her mask, I could see short ck hair. Given this frame, she was a humanoid Elemental - which, ording to Luisfer, were extremely rare. This one and Mei Gui were the only two he has seen so far.


    The girl spun around, and took off her mask slowly to reveal a beautiful, wless face underneath.


    "My name is Sylvoir. I am the prime of thisnd - the first Elemental."

 Chapter 284 - The Preliminaries

    <em>"You can be slow. You can be weak. But as long as you never stop, in the end, victory shall be yours."</em>


    <em></em><strong>*****</strong><strong></strong>


    <strong></strong>After the conversation with Sylvoir, Mei Gui and I headed back to the hotel. We didn''t talk about much - in fact, after she introduced herself, she let us out, after an ominous ''we will meet again''.


    But never mind that. Tomorrow was the day of the preliminaries. And we were ready.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong>- The Next Day -</strong>


    It was a nice evening. The girls and I woke up at 6 PM, brushed our teeth, washed our faces, and then gathered in the hotel lobby downstairs at 7, as per the instructions of Old Man Leng. We took ria with us, since this was thest day we had at the hotel, and she still hadn''t awoken. I was responsible for carrying her on my back. When we arrived at the entrance of the hotel, Old Man Leng and his wife were there, waiting for us.


    "All ready?" he asked us.


    "Yep!" Qing Yue was the first to respond, excited and energetic as always.


    I nodded, and the rest of the girls did the same.


    Lan Xiao Su then timidly raised her hand. "U-Um... Mr. Leng, about the antidote..."


    Old Man Leng chuckled. "It''s all good. Don''t worry about it. Also, just call me Old Man Leng. ''Mr'' feels too formal."


    "Antidote? What antidote?" Old Man Leng''s wife asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.


    "Ah, it''s nothing," I quickly said, helping to cover up for the old man. He shot me a secret wink, which I didn''t bother responding to.


    "Well, in any case, I hope yer all feelin'' confident. We''ll be gettin'' breakfast first, then we''ll take ya straight to the test center."


    "Sounds good," I replied, then gestured towards ria, whom I was carrying on my back. "What about her?"


    "We''ll take care of her for you," Old Man Leng''s wife said. "Hopefully, she awakes by the time you are done with the preliminaries..."


    I nodded, and handed the still-unconscious ria to Mrs. Leng, and we set off.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>After eating, Old Man Leng and his wife drove us deeper into District A, in the dead center of the district.


    "Here it is. The preliminaries."


    We were facing a massive crowd surrounding some sort of stage. There was a person standing on the stage, beside an enormous spinning portal.


    "Go on. Only contestants can go past here," Old Man Leng said, instructing us to head on into the crowd.


    The girls did as told, but I remained in ce. "Old Man Leng... why help us so much like this?


    "What do ya mean?"


    "You''ve paid for our hotel, trained us, taught us things, and prepared us for these preliminaries. Why?"


    "Hm... to fulfill a wish of mine, I guess," Old Man Leng replied with a sigh.


    "A wish?"


    "Yeah. Ya see... I tried to get into Fragment when I was younger. Unfortunately... I failed. And my son, he... he did it, but... just barely. I wasn''t satisfied."


    "So... you want us to secure good results? Is that it?"


    "Somethin'' like that, yeah. If I can''t do it myself, at least I can train someone to do it."


    "I see. We''ll... do our best. No guarantees."


    "That''s good enough."


    After that, I said my farewells to Old Man Leng, and headed in after the girls.


    <strong>*****</strong><strong></strong>


    "Wee to the 2023 Fragment Tournament Preliminaries, District A Quadrant," the man standing on the stage said. He didn''t seem to be using some kind of microphone, but his voice was loud and clear. I assumed it was some kind of Sound Magic at work.


    "The goal of this preliminary contest is simple - eliminate anyone found unworthy of participating in the main tournament. The test will be straightforward - travel across tough terrain to get from Point A, your starting point, to Point B, your endpoint. This year''s theme is the snowy mountains."


    I heard the crowd began to murmur, saying things like ''the snowy mountains is the hardest one'' and whatnot.


    "Now, this year''spetition will be a little bit different. Unlike before, for the purpose of this preliminarypetition, you will bepeting in teams rather than individuals. The reason for this is that we wish to recruit people who have strong teamwork skills in addition to their individual strength. Poweres in numbers, after all."


    This seemed to startle many contestants, who probably had originally been nning on tackling thispetition solo. However, this suited us perfectly fine. The girls immediately all looked towards me, and I nodded in return. No doubt, we were going to be forming a team. The only question was...how big would the teams be?


    "So, without any further ado... please get into your own groups of ten. The time limit is 15 minutes. Once these 15 minutes are over, anyone who still has not found a group will automatically be forced to band together in a group, even if the leftovers do not total up to ten people."


    In other words, if we didn''t want to have a number deficiency, we needed to prove our worth and make others want to recruit us into their groups. Meritocracy at its finest - as expected of the IMF.


    That said, I didn''t need to worry about any of that. Groups of ten? That was perfect for me.


    Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Mei Gui, Obsidia, Lan Xiao Su, Amane, and Xiang Peng - exactly nine girls. Plus me, that would make us a group of ten. We immediately banded together, and waited for the fifteen minutes to be over.


    However... unfortunately, trouble just had toe our way. A group of boys walked over. There looked to be five of them, and by the looks of it, it didn''t seem like they were just passing by.


    "Hey," the leader among them called out to us. "We''re in need of five more people. Any of you girls want to join?"


    <em>Man, I love how he casually ignored my presence and just only addressed the girls.</em>


    "We already have a group," Yu An Yan replied, shooting the boys a re. "No thanks."


    "Hm...? C''mon, with that kid in the back? He looks like he doesn''t even care about you guys," another boy in the group scoffed, and all of themughed.


    "C''mon now, we can work something out. We''ll protect you. Let''s see... you, you, you, you, and... you, join our group. The rest can stay here or do whatever they want," the leader said, pointing at Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Amane, Xiang Peng, and... Obsidia.


    <em>Well then. The other girls may not do anything too hurtful, but... he really picked Obsidia too. Man just sealed his own fate.</em>


    As if on cue, Obsidia looked into the leaders'' eyes, killing intent at max capacity.


    The poor boy, startled, instinctively took a few steps back, and Feng Mian chuckled.


    "If you can''t even handle a <em>girl''s </em>re, how are you going to ''protect'' us?" she scoffed.


    "Tch..." the leader backed down, and looked at <em>me </em>of all people in disgust. "Fine. Just know... when we encounter each other in the snowy mountains, I won''t show mercy. My name is Qi Feng. Remember that."


    "Oh, and also... no one is watching what happens in the snowy mountains. There aren''t any cameras, no supervisors, no nothing... so we can do anything we want to you," another boy in the group added as they began to walk away. "I can''t wait, haha!"


    I sighed in exhaustion, which caused the girls to all spin around and face me.


    "What?" they asked.


    I shrugged. "I didn''t think there would be a day when I would say this, but... I wish you all were more ugly, for a change. That way, we wouldn''t encounter unnecessary trouble like this."


    "Why, you''re afraid we can''t beat them?" Xiang Peng asked with a smirk.


    "Nah. I just don''t feel like spending the effort to crush them. But, of course, if theye to us... we have no choice, do we?"


    Feng Mian smiled. "That''s the Xuan Kai I know. I just can''t stand that guy''s sexist way of thinking. The way he said it, he thinks we were weak, and need his protection. That disgusts me."


    "Yeah, no kidding," Yu An Yan added. "They only picked out the girls with good bodies, too... uh, sorry, I didn''t mean the rest of you don''t have good bodies..."


    She murmured apologetically to Qing Yue, Mei Gui, Lan Xiao Su, and her own sister, Yu An Xue.


    "It''s meowkay!" Amane added excitedly. "Maybe Xuwan Kwai likes your body twype, you never know!"


    "Yeah! Big Brother Xuan Kai likes my body the best, right?" Qing Yue said, hugging me.


    "Settle down... people are watching," I muttered, sighing deeply once more.


    "Hm... this is an interesting topic though," Xiang Peng said, adding fuel to the fire as always. "Hey, Xuan Kai, what kind of body do you like in girls? Is it the small, cute type like Qing Yue, or... the big and soft type like big sister here~"


    Saying this, she grabbed my other arm and ced it in between her breasts. I flinched at the sensation, but stopped there.


    "If you all really want to know, I don''t have a preference. Both are fine," I replied stoically.


    Xiang Peng, hearing my boring reply, let go of my arm. "Mmngh, you''re no fun."


    Just as I had hoped.


    Shortly after, the 15 minutes were up, and most people had found a group. The leftovers were forced into a group of their own, just as aforementioned. It ended up only having eight people. My guess was that they would be eliminated almost immediately. They would only be a target for the stronger teams, after all.


    "Now then, everyone, head into the portal. The details of this preliminary contest are confidential, so I will exin more once we are on the other side," the man on the stage announced. "Go ahead and enter."


    Teams piled onto the stage and into the portal one by one, with us being thest ones to enter.


    <em>Alright... let''s see now. How interesting will this contest be?</em>

 Chapter 285 - Competition, Commence

    The moment we stepped through the portal, we were hit with the bitter cold winds of the snowy ins. I was wearing my cloak with a hoodie underneath as usual, so it wasn''t all that bad for me. The girls seemed to be fine too, with the exception of one - Qing Yue.


    "Brr... it''s so cold..." she murmured, hugging herself. I nced down at her, and sighed. She had always been afraid of the cold, ever since we were young.


    Without any hesitation, I took off my cloak and wrapped it around her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and began to sparkle as she looked into mine.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai... " she whispered, eyes full of admiration.


    "You''ve always been bad with cold environments," I replied. "Hopefully, this should make you feel better."


    "... You still remember?"


    I chuckled. "Of course. That winter... it was pretty harsh, wasn''t it?"


    "Hehe... yeah, I suppose it was. But with Big Brother Xuan Kai there... it wasn''t that cold after all."


    The other girls looked on curiously, and perhaps with a hint of jealousy. I rubbed Qing Yue''s head as she hugged my arm, my cloak wrapped tightly around her. It was too big for her to actually wear, but just setting it on her shoulders like a cape should be fine.


    "Alright. It seems everyone has entered, so I shall begin exining the details of thepetition. If anyone wants to back out after experiencing this coldness firsthand, this is yourst opportunity," the man who was on the stage earlier walked through the portal and announced to all of us.


    Despite the howling winds and snow, his voice was still perfectly audible. Once again, I assumed it was Sound Magic at work.


    I looked around. No one seemed to be backing out. Some appeared to be really nervous, but none were cowards who ran away the moment they encountered trouble. After all, they never would''ve entered The Fortress if they were like that.


    After half a minute or so, the man continued. "Good. It seems like none of you are cowards. However... just beware. The coldness you feel here is nothingpared to once you actually get to the top of the mountains."


    The crowd shuffled after hearing these words, but still, no one made a move to leave.


    "Also... onest thing. No one wille to save you if you end up stranded somewhere. Neither will anyone rescue you if you are on the verge of death. If you are still determined to continue after hearing these conditions..."


    Once again, no one left. The man smiled.


    "Very good. Brave and confident. I have high hopes for this year''s batch," he said, to no one in particr. "Now then, first off, a quick self-introduction - my alias is White Hand, and I am an operative of the International Magic Foundation, the IMF. And without further ado, I will begin formally exining the detailed rules of thispetition."


    As everyone listened in, he began exining.


    "The ultimate goal of this contest is simple - be the first to reach the endpoint, and beat the examiner there. However, only the team who ces first will be allowed entry into the main tournament next week. It does not matter if you ce second, third, or fourth - if you are not first, your cement is meaningless. In this contest and all of your future ones, there are only two ranks - champion, and trash. You will do well to remember that."


    Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd. They clearly had not been expecting such strict rules.


    <em>So we have to ce first, huh? Does that mean Old Man Leng''s son ced first too in order to get into Fragment? No... if he did, Old Man Leng wouldn''t have been disappointed, and asked us to grant his wish instead of his own son. My guess is that this year''s examination is a lot more difficult than the previous ones, for whatever reason.</em>


    <em></em>"Now, I am sure all of you must be curious - where exactly is the endpoint, and how far away is it from your starting point? The answer to that question is... I cannot tell you."


    "Huh? How are we supposed to reach the end if we don''t even know where it is?" a voice shouted. It was pretty amplified too - I was guessing that whoever said that just now also had Sound Magic.


    "Rx. I am going to exin that right now. Also, I will be taking questions at the end, so for now... just be quiet and listen," the man said with a sigh. "In order to reach the endpoint, you must first obtain map pieces scattered across the snowy ins, hills, and mountains ahead of you. They are stored inside white cases - so be careful when you look; they blend in with the snow."


    The man cleared his throat, then continued. "Once you find a full map, or enough pieces so that you can determine where the endpoint is, you will have your goal. There are 90 map pieces scattered around the map, and 9 pieces are needed to make up a full map. That means there are 10 of each piece. However... there are 30 teams in total here. Which means..."


    He pulled out a revolver from the holster on his pants and shot it into the air. "... You''re going to need to fight each other for the map pieces. And, that''s not all. Let''s say you and another team both have enough map pieces, and are now racing to see who can reach the endpoint first. In that case, you can try fighting the other team, and eliminating them from thepetition. Because all members of the team need to reach the finish line together for it to count, if you manage to incapacitate even one of their team members, you will be able to secure victory."


    "That is all," the man said atst, putting his gun away. "Any questions?"


    "I have a question," a boy said, from near me.


    I turned to see who it was - Qi Feng, the boy who had tried taking away the girls. His voice was loud and clear as well - once again, it was because he most likely had Sound Magic. I now knew a little bit of info on him, if I happen to have to fight him in the near future... which probably will end up happening, considering he''ll likely be <em>searching </em>for us.


    "Yes?" the man said.


    "Is... killing allowed?"


    "... Generally, no. But with this harsh climate, tough terrain, and the fact that there is no surveince whatsoever..." the man trailed off.


    Qi Feng smiled. "I see. Thank you."


    <em>Heh. What a guy. He''s pretty much saying as long as you don''t make it too damn obvious you murdered someone, killing and anything else is all fair y. Dead men tell no tales, after all. The IMF, the ones handling this exam, could 100% install surveince in thispetition if they really wanted to, with their power and resources. They simply don''t care about what happens during thepetition - they only wanted to see who would win, no matter what methods they used.</em>


    <em>Basically, they didn''t care about the process. Only the results.</em>


    <em>Truly, a bunch of savages. Not that I was any better... in fact, these conditions worked in</em> my <em>favor. </em>


    <em>Qi Feng wants to kill me and do all kinds of things to the girls around me?</em>


    <em>Heh. Two can y at that game. He didn''t have any girls around him though... and honestly? I can''t say I''m surprised.</em>


    <em>In any case... if hees for me, he dies. It''s that simple.</em>


    "Are there any more questions?" the man asked, looking around. No one seemed to have any more questions, so he continued after a short while. "Very well. The boundaries of thepetition are marked with an invisible barrier all around - the map pieces are all within the boundaries, so don''t try bypassing the bounds.


    "You will all be teleported to a random location within the boundaries of thepetition with your team momentarily. The time limit is 3 days. There are wild game and fresh water reserves for you inside the boundaries... that is, if you know where to look. Alright, that''s all. Good luck... though there can only be one winner."


    After that, the teams shortly disappeared one by one, teleporting away in a shimmering beam of white light. We were thest ones to go, so I decided to take this opportunity to ask a question before we were teleported away.


    "Sir," I raised my voice, hoping to not have to use Sound Magic.


    "Yes?"


    Luckily, he heard me.


    "About the examiner you mentioned earlier, at the endpoint... how strong will they be?"


    The man, White Hand, smiled sinisterly. "Oh? You remembered that? I purposely canceled my Sound Magic amplification properties a bit when I said that part so that most people wouldn''t pay attention to it, but... hm. Well, I suppose it doesn''t matter. You''ll find out when you get there. Though I can assure you, she is no easy opponent."


    <em>She? Hm... I see. A female, working for the IMF... yeah, the characteristics are still far too broad for me to guess anything.</em>


    "But as a bonus for you actually noticing this and asking about it, I''ll give you a little extra info," White Hand then said suddenly, catching me by surprise.


    "Oh?"


    "The girl you''ll have to fight is only 16 years old, but don''t underestimate her. She''s a member of the Council of Arcanity... in other words, a Holy Emperor. Obviously, she won''t be trying her hardest, but... still, beware. She''s quite... unpredictable."


    <em>16 years old... that''s only two years older than me, and she''s already a Holy Emperor? And a member of the IMF''s renowned Council of Arcanity, no less,posed of the best of the best from all around the world, across the races...</em>


    "I see. Thanks," I muttered quietly, before we were teleported away.


    For some reason, I had an unshakable bad feeling about this ''examiner''.

 Chapter 286 - Winter Garments

    The first thing I noticed after being teleported was the raging snowstorm. It was clearly a lot stronger than it had been just now, and by the looks of it...


    "Ugh... are we on top of a mountain?!" Xiang Peng shouted through the storm, unable to see.


    "Tch..." I quickly cast a spell to ease the situation a bit.


    <em>Level One Wind Magic - Wind Barrier.</em>


    <em></em>I set up a wind barrier in the direction the snow wasing from, and it helped - though not by much.


    "Looks like we got the short end of the stick, huh?" Feng Mian said, quickly ducking behind the wall I had set up. The other girls immediately followed suit. Thanks to my Chaos amplifying ability, the wall I had conjectured was big enough to cover all ten of us.


    "For now, we should work on getting down from here," Yu An Yan said. "There''s no way we''ll be able to do anything in this weather. It''s freezing."


    "Everyone who has Sky Magic, fly down on your own. I''ll carry the rest down one by one," I suggested.


    Amane tilted her head. "Nya, bwut what if there''s a map piece up here?"


    "Not all of us need to be up here for that," Obsidia replied. "The whole point of us being inrge groups of ten people is so that we know how to assign roles and distribute tasks ording to each member''s strengths and weaknesses."


    "I agree," Lan Xiao Su added. "The people with Sky Magic can return back up here to search."


    Qing Yue shivered and wrapped my cloak around her tighter. "W-When are we going to go?"


    "Right now," I answered, before promptly picking her up in a princess carry. I was prioritizing her because she was vulnerable to the cold.


    Yu An Yan, Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, and I all took off into the air, casting Flight on ourselves. We descended down the mountain as fast as we could. It was quite a long way down, but we managed to get there in a little over a minute. Uponnding, I set Qing Yue down and immediately moved to go back up again.


    "Xuan Kai, I can help carry someone too," Xiang Peng suggested, and I nodded.


    "Sure,e along."


    She gave a thumbs-up and took off into the air with me. She was a soldier, so her muscle strength wasn''t to be doubted. In fact, she was probably stronger than me in terms of arm muscles alone.


    The two of us headed up and brought down the remaining girls in pairs. Once we were all down, we began exploring around. We seemed to be in an alpine forest of some sort. Of course, all the leaves had fallen, and snow had umted on the branches. Still, it seemed to be a forest of some sort, given the thick trunks. It was also still snowing down here, but a lot weaker. The temperature was now manageable despite the rtively thin clothes we were wearing.


    "I wonder, where is this ce?" Feng Mian asked as we walked. "It''s February already, no? It''s rare to see such heavy snowfall still."


    "Hm... The North or South Pole, maybe?" Qing Yue shrugged.


    "No, I don''t think the North Pole has any mountains... as for the south pole, it doesn''t actually snow a lot there, if I remember correctly, right?" Yu An Yan said.


    I nodded. "I don''t think it''s either of those ces. In fact... I don''t think this is a real ce on the at all."


    "Hm? Then, where is this?" Lan Xiao Su asked, confused.


    "I assume it''s simr to the ces within those portals at the Library of Infinite Beginnings. Y''know, where we fight the Gatekeepers, just on a much greater scale in terms of size," I replied.


    "Huh, I see. That''s interesting," Feng Mian murmured. "But to manifest one of this size, that''s gotta take some really powerful Space Magic, right?"


    "Definitely," Xiang Peng replied. "But the ones who are hosting this event are the IMF. I wouldn''t be too surprised if they could make a full-on alternate reality of the world using Space Magic."


    After a short while of walking, we came across what looked to be a wooden house.


    "Hm? What''s this?"


    Naturally, we immediately went closer to it to check it out.


    I made a move to enter through the non-existent door, but Mei Gui pulled on my arm. "Master, this could be dangerous."


    I nodded. "I know. Don''t worry about it."


    Hearing my words, she let go of my arm, and I cautiously entered the building. Inside was a bed, a table, and most importantly, a closed chest.


    <em>Level One Poison Magic - Detect Poison.</em>


    Running this detection spell on the whole room, I sighed in relief as nothing came up. Then, moving closer to the chest, I opened it slowly. Luckily, no spikes shot out of it or anything of the sort. Even if something did, I was confident I would be able to dodge it, given all the practice I got in Count Draculus''s death castle a while back.


    Inside the chest were clothes - winter vestments, to be particr. Two coats, four mittens, and even two pairs of snow pants. After running another Detect Poison on these articles, I took everything out and threw them towards the door, where Mei Gui and the other girls caught them. At the very bottom were three two pairs of boots. I took them out as well but didn''t throw them at the girls this time for obvious reasons.


    Once I took everything, I immediately left the house.


    "None of the stuff there is poisoned," I said. "I checked already."


    "That''s great! We''ll have proper clothing made for this weather atst!" Qing Yue cheered. Naturally, she was the most excited one about this discovery since she had always been afraid of the cold.


    "There''s only enough here for two people though... " Feng Mian murmured, slightly dejected.


    "That''s fine. Not everyone needs a full set," I replied. "We can split things up. For example, if we give people a glove each, that''s enough to amodate four people instead of just two."


    "I see. Then, how''re we going to split this?" Yu An Yan asked. "Personally, I''m fine. I don''t feel cold at all."


    "... I am fine as well..." Yu An Xue added quietly. "I have... an Ice Element affinity..."


    "In that case, I''m alright without anything too," Feng Mian said. "Just like An Xue, I have an Ice Element affinity."


    "Well... for starters, I want to give Qing Yue a full set," I said overprotectively. "She''s the most vulnerable to the cold out of all of us here. Any objections?"


    Everyone shook their heads... with the exception of the person in question.


    "H-Huh? But that''s unfair to everyone else!" Qing Yue cried.


    "Rx, Qing Yue. You''re sensitive to the cold, so it only makes sense you need a full set. Don''t worry, we''re perfectly alright," Lan Xiao Suforted. "It would be a different story if we were still on top of that mountain, but now that we''re down here, especially with this forest surrounding us, it''s a lot less cold and manageable."


    "B-But..." she looked like she still wanted to argue, but met with the stern gazes of the other girls, she eventually sumbed. "Alright then. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    She gratefully epted the set we offered her, taking off my cloak and handing it back to me. Then, as I put my own cloak back on, she slipped on the coat. She then went inside the house and sat on the bed, taking off her shoes and putting on the snow pants, before finally putting on the boots.


    After several minutes, she came out, slipping on the mittens and putting on the coat''s hood. "All set!"


    I smiled. "Alright. Now, as for the rest of these..."


    "Master, I do not need anything because I am unaffected by the cold," Mei Gui said stoically. "Besides, I am already wearing a cloak."


    "I see... I already have this cloak too, that''s good enough," I muttered. "Amane, are you fine?"


    "E-Eh? Nya... yeah, I''m fwine!"


    She certainly didn''t look fine. She hadn''t been talking at all, and had been hugging herself until I called her out just now.


    "Most demihumans are sensitive to the cold," Obsidia exined.


    "W-Wha, n-nya! She''s lying!"


    There you have it. I sighed. "Take the coat, Amane."


    "I-I already said, it''s fwine!"


    "Are you going to take it yourself or are you going to make me forcefully put it on you?"


    Faced with these words, she had no choice but to sumb and took the coat from my hands gratefully.


    "S-Sowwy, Xuwan Kwai..."


    "What are you apologizing for?" I chuckled.


    After that, I distributed the snow pants to Lan Xiao Su, who had been wearing fairly thin pants; the mittens to Yu An Xue, whose hands were getting red from the cold, and the boots to Mei Gui, whose shoes weren''t the best.


    With that settled, we continued past the cabin and continued exploring the forest.


    For the record, I looked everywhere inside the house for a white container - there was no map piece.

 Chapter 287 - Map Pieces

    "Still... what an interesting ce for a random cabin to be at," Feng Mian remarked as we walked.


    "I''m guessing it was ced here on purpose by the IMF," I said.


    "Eh? But they didn''t tell us anything about this in the rules..."


    "So? They had no reason to. They exined the very basics of the rules - that''s it. They talked about the map pieces because we needed to gather them toplete the trial. However, these winter garments aren''t ''necessary'', per se. They are just here to make things easier, hence why the IMF didn''t bother exining it - on purpose."


    "Geez... that''s dark," Yu An Yan muttered.


    "You''re going to have to get used to this," Xiang Peng said with a shrug. "Lots of organizations appear to be good and just on the outside, but really are ruthless and savage on the inside."


    "Hm... I suppose that''s true..." Feng Mian murmured.


    "That said, I understand that it''s hard to believe the IMF would support such harshpetition between people without any form of surveince," I added. "However, the reality is, lives will be lost in this preliminary contest. I am 99% sure about that. So, if we don''t want to be on the receiving end of that motion, we should try to win as soon as possible."


    "In that case, we should split up individually to look for map pieces," Yu An Yan said. "That way, we can minimize time spent."


    "Yeah, but... it''s also less safe," Lan Xiao Su argued. "How about pairs of two? We will have five teams. That way, even if one person ends up in trouble somehow, their partner can still help them out."


    "I agree with Xiao Su," I added. Naturally, that meant Mei Gui was also in agreement.


    "Okay~then I''ll be with Big Brother Xuan Kai~" Qing Yue said, clutching onto my arm happily.


    However, Mei Gui immediately grabbed my other arm, and forcefully pulled me out of Qing Yue''s clutches, much to her dismay.


    "Master, I shall apany you."


    "Hey! I can support Big Brother Xuan Kai better with my Blessing Magic!" Qing Yue argued, pouting.


    "I can use any element, and my spells are also amplified. What more do you have to say?" Mei Gui shot back, sending Qing Yue a re.


    I sighed. "Mei Gui, you and I are the two strongest members of our group, not counting Obsidia''s dragon form. Because of this, we shoul-"


    "Hey now, I can''t just take that lying down," Xiang Peng said, butting her way into the conversation. "I am an Ancestral Mage, able to cast Legendary Magic. How can you be so sure that you and Mei Gui are the two strongest members?"


    "Nyaa~ that''s wight! I''m an Advanced Mwage too, y''nyow!" Amane added.


    "You two are both nowhere near Master''s level," Mei Gui immediately replied. It wasn''t even in a condescending tone - she spoke as if she was merely stating a fact.


    "Wha... alright, little girl... you''re really getting on my nerves," Xiang Peng gritted her teeth in fake anger. She wasn''t really mad, but she put up a good act.


    "Grr..." Amane growled.


    "Look, Xiang Peng... you''ve seen what Mei Gui and I are capable of. You taught me the Level Three spells, and you saw how powerful my magic waspared to your own. My Level Three magic is on par if not stronger than your Legendary Magic. As for Mei Gui... she''s the same as me in terms of our magic amplification skills, but in addition to that, she has her Apoxyia form. Do you really think you can win against us?"


    "W-Well, perhaps," she shrugged innocently, but it was clear I had called her bluff.


    "What about you, Amane?"


    "N-Nyaa...well, m-maybe?"


    After seeing Xiang Peng''s reaction, she really had no choice but to give in. If an Ancestral Mage was hesitating, then she, as an Advanced Mage, shouldn''t be talking.


    "Anyway... like I was saying... Mei Gui, you and I should split up," I said, finally returning to the topic at hand. "That way, we can have more bnced teams. Qing Yue, you''re with me."


    "Yay! I knew Big Brother Xuan Kai liked me best, hehe~"


    She hugged me tighter, sticking her tongue out at Mei Gui with a triumphant expression.


    "... Understood, Master."


    Mei Gui was clearly dejected, but she didn''t let it show.


    "What about the rest of us?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Hm... let''s see..."


    <strong>*****</strong>


    In the end, the mini-teams we determined were distributed as follows:


    Qing Yue + Me


    Feng Mian + Lan Xiao Su


    Yu An Yan + Yu An Xue


    Xiang Peng + Obsidia


    Amane + Mei Gui


    The reason for these groups wasn''t just power bnce. I had to consider their synergy and teamwork as well - for example, Feng Mian and Lan Xiao Su had walked together during the Ross Estate reconnaissance mission, and the Yu sisters are... well, sisters.


    It was decided that my team along with Xiang Peng''s team would go up to the mountains we had descended from to search for map pieces. Amane offered her coat to Obsidia and Yu An Xue gave her mittens to Xiang Peng. Mei Gui also gave her boots to Obsidia. This was because the environment on the mountain was a lot harsher than it was down here - we would be needing the winter garments more than the girls searching down here did. At first, Obsidia and Xiang Peng had wanted to refuse the equipment, but I convinced them to just ept it. When we returned, we would give everything back.


    As for the other mini-teams, they were assigned to the forest we were currently in. It was quite big, but there wasn''t a time limit like there was on top of the mountains. I didn''t want anyone going too far, so I had all three remaining teams work together to search the enormous forest. They had as long as they needed to do so.


    The same couldn''t be said for us, the mountain squad, however. We couldn''t stay up in that blizzard forever - after a while, we would inevitably start to weaken due to the cold, even with all the winter attire we had on. Therefore, the goal was to quickly get in, pick the ce clean, and get out.


    With all this decided, we moved out.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- On the Mountain -</strong>


    "Geez... this really sucks," Xiang Peng muttered as we walked across the highest point in the whole battleground.


    "Be careful. It''s slippery," I warned.


    "Yes, yes... I''m a soldier, okay? I''ve done training in these types of environments before," Xiang Peng said, sighing.


    "Then why are you stillining so much?" Obsidia questioned, which earned her a re from Xiang Peng.


    "Look, you''re a dragon. You practically have a fire burning inside of you, This coldness doesn''t bother you at all, does it? You wouldn''t get it..."


    "Perhaps in my dragon form. But right now, my physical qualities are the exact same as that of any 14-year-old human girl."


    "G-Grr... are all 14-year-old girls supposed to have such big... things?" Qing Yue growled, looking down self-consciously at her own chest.


    "Nope. You''re perfectly fine as you are," Xiang Peng said. "Everyone has different growth spurts. You''re probably just ate bloomer, Qing Yue."


    "Can we stay on topic?" I asked exasperatedly. "Let''s hurry. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone."


    The other three nodded, and we picked up our pace. Then, amidst the snowstorm, I saw something in the distance.


    "Hold on. Is that... a cave?" I pointed towards the single patch of ckness on the snow-covered mountains.


    Obsidia frowned. "That''s odd. If this is really an alternate space created using Space Magic, then..."


    "... Yeah, they wouldn''t just ce a cave there for show," Xiang Peng concluded. "Let''s go. There''s definitely something worth finding in there."


    We flew towards the cave, with me carrying Qing Yue and Xiang Peng carrying Obsidia. The raging blizzard made it hard to steer, but we managed to make it safely without dropping anyone to their deaths. Upon arriving at the cave, we immediately headed further in, where the storm couldn''t reach.


    <em>Level One Light Magic - Illumination.</em>


    <em></em>Because it was dark, I decided to create an orb of light to help us see better. So far, it seemed to just be a normal cave. Perhaps colder than most, but a cave nheless. As we walked further in, however, we soon found ourselves at a dead end. In front of the dead-end, however, was a rock pedestal. And ced directly on top of the pedestal was what we were looking for:


    A white container.


    Qing Yue immediately moved to grab it, but I held her back. She nced at me in confusion, and I exined.


    "If you touch that thing right now, it could trigger a trap. The three of you, go to the entrance and wait there. I''ll do the rest."


    "But-"


    "No ''buts''. Just go."


    Although reluctant, they still did as told. Once they were all safely at the entrance of the cave, ready to fly out any minute, I made my move.


    The moment I ced my finger on the white container and took it off the pedestal, however, the whole cave began to rumble. And it was at that moment that I knew:


    <em>Yep... just as expected. There was a trap after all.</em>


    <em></em>"Well, shit."

 Chapter 288 - Avalanche

    As the whole cave shook, I held the white box close to my body and protected it with my life. The three girls were ready at the exit when I arrived. I shoved the box into Qing Yue''s hands and picked her up in a princess carry once more.


    "Don''t drop that thing!"


    "I won''t!"


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    <em></em>I instantly took off into the skies, Xiang Peng following me, carrying Obsidia. And right as we did, the whole cave copsed. But that was just the beginning.


    The whole mountain began shaking after that, and the snow gathered on top began sliding down violently - it was an avnche. Luckily, the majority of the snow went down the other way, so the forest below the mountain where the other girls were waspletely safe. The same, however, couldn''t be said for any unlucky souls on the other side of the mountain. They had no idea what wasing their way.


    Still, I didn''t care. If anything, I felt good about it. With any luck, this avnche will help me eliminate some opponents. They would get kicked out of thepetition without even knowing who did this to them. How amusing.


    "Welp. There goes all that snow." Xiang Peng whistled.


    "Hehe, do you think anyone was trying to climb up the mountain on the other side?" Qing Yue asked, giggling as I held her in my arms.


    "I mean, if their group only has one person with Sky Magic, it would be risky sending them to search the mountains alone," I said. "It''s pretty likely that they will go as a group instead. Besides, there are definitely groups in thispetition who don''t have anyone with Sky Magic."


    Obsidia snorted. "Hmph. They are truly foolish humans if they are attempting to climb this mountain the hard way. They should just give up on this location and search for the map pieces elsewhere instead."


    "Keep in mind, not everyone participating is human," I chuckled. "There are plenty of elves, demihumans, and other racespeting too."


    "They are all equally foolish, in my eyes," Obsidia scoffed.


    "That arrogance wille back to bite you in the ass someday," Xiang Peng snickered.


    "Oh? Sorry, but I am unable to envision such a situation."


    "Hm... what if I dropped you right here and now?" Xiang Peng replied with an evil sneer.


    "Try it, and I will unleash my dragon form."


    "Ooh, I''ve always wanted to fight a dragon."


    "Perfect. I was just looking for a maggot to squash."


    "Stop joking around," I muttered. "Let''s head down and regroup with the rest of the girls. Maybe they''ve found something."


    Xiang Peng and Obsidia continued to send each other death res, as Qing Yue watched on happily and I sighed in exasperation.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    It didn''t take long for us to locate the other girls. All I had to do was send Mei Gui a telepathic message, and she quickly rounded up the other girls and came to ournding location.


    "So? Did you manage to find a map piece?" Feng Mian asked once everyone was present.


    I nodded and showed her the white container. "Right here."


    "Caused a whole avnche doing so too," Xiang Peng chuckled.


    "Oh, so <em>that </em>was the loud noise we heard just now... " Yu An Yan muttered, rolling her eyes. "Xuan Kai, why do you always end up causing such things?"


    "Listen, it''s not like I <em>purposely wanted to </em>cause an avnche," I replied. "It just... kind of happened."


    "Well, at least we knyow nyow that the map pieces are most nyikely booby-trapped," Amane said, shrugging.


    "But the one we found wasn''t," Lan Xiao Su argued, frowning.


    My ears perked up. "Hm? You guys found one?"


    They nodded. "Here."


    Feng Mian handed me the container they found and I took it, before opening the lid. Inside was what seemed to be a jigsaw puzzle piece, 1/9th the size of the box. Feng Mian did the same with the box I gave her, and inside was another jigsaw piece, also 1/9th the size of the box.


    "So... we can use this box as a base for putting together the map pieces we find, I suppose," I muttered. "That''s interesting... here, can I have the other one?"


    Feng Mian nodded, handing me the piece. I ced it into the box with the other piece and attempted to try if the two fit together. Sadly, they didn''t, no matter how I oriented them. Neither of them had a clear mark on them either as to where the endpoint either. However... one map piece did mark mountains on it. I assumed that was referring to the mountains we just came down from.


    However, what was interesting was that the map piece that showed the mountain happened to be the one I found in the cave on the mountains. This could just be a mere coincidence, but... if it isn''t, then following this pattern, the map pieces we find would be the section of the map depicting the area we located the piece in. The piece the girls found in the forest also had a forest illustrated on it, which further confirmed my suspicions. However, only two were not enough as a sample.


    "Looks like we''ll need to find more map pieces," Qing Yue said, peeking over my arm.


    "Yeah. Still, two map pieces already is a great headstart," I agreed. "For now, Qing Yue, Xiang Peng, and Obsdia - return all the winter garments to their respective owners, and let''s get out of this forest."


    They nodded and began taking off the coats, boots, and such.


    "I''ll go scout ahead in the air," Yu An Yan added and took off.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong>As we walked, Yu An Yan came back to us soon after.


    "What''s ahead?" I asked as shended gently in the snow.


    "Apparently, we can head even further down. This is still really high up, from what I can see," she exined.


    In the end, we flew down using the same strategy we had used to get down from the mountain - those with the Sky Magic outright flew down, while those who didn''t were carried by Xiang Peng and me one by one.


    Once we got down to the very bottom atst, we decided to take a short break. Carrying people up and down through 1000 meters of altitude wasn''t exactly easy.


    Yep, I said it. 1,000 meters.


    And that was just from the forest, not the top of the mountain where we had gotten teleported. This ce, made with Space Magic, was even bigger than I had anticipated. Not justndmass-wide, but also altitude-wise.


    It seems this would be a tougher fight to find the map pieces than I had expected. But, at the same time, a bigger arena meant fewer chances of us running into other teams, thereby avoiding conflict. That was something I was grateful for.


    Fighting without a good reason to do so was just crime, after all.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>- A While Earlier, During the Avnche -</strong>


    <strong></strong><strong>(Qi Feng''s Perspective)</strong>


    My team, who didn''t have anyone with a Sky Element affinity, was forced to scale the tall snow mountain in search of the map pieces. Luckily, we had found some ice climbing equipment earlier, so climbing the mountain would be possible.


    Still, that didn''t mean it wouldn''t be difficult.


    In the end, only five of us agreed to climb. The other five all wussed out and wouldn''t do it, no matter what kind of threats I used. I couldn''t kill them either, since that would put us at a disadvantageter on when we got into conflict with other teams. But 5 people, half our team, should be enough to find a simple white container.


    I, of course, being the leader, bravely remained on solid ground. If I died, the rest of these idiots would be left without anyone to tell them what to do. They would be a lost cause. Actually, they already were, but I was here holding them together. So, I couldn''t take this risk. The others were disposable pawns though - if they died, they died. If they could bring back a map piece, that would at least outweigh the disadvantages of being down a man.


    That was the n, anyway. Just when all five of my group members were nearing the top, about to reach the summit of the snowy mountain, a loud rumbling noise suddenly shook all of us.


    My teammates, confused, looked around. I was puzzled at first as well. But then, one of the group members who were still on the ground suddenly yelled.


    "AVALANCHE!"


    <em>A-Avnche? Now, of all times?!</em>


    <em></em>I quickly turned my gaze back to the five pawns busy scaling the mountain, and my eyes widened as I saw a barrage of snow sliding down at an insane speed from above. The climbers, who couldn''t see what wasing for them since the ice wall was blocking their vision, had no idea they were about to get swallowed by a massive avnche. They didn''t hear that guy''s warning either since they were so far away - they were practically dead meat.


    Hell, where I was standing probably wasn''t even safe. I immediately started to run in the other direction.


    "Oi, you four, follow me!"


    "H-Huh? But t-those-"


    "Leave them! They''re already dead!"


    After hearing that, the four of them didn''t argue any further and followed me, running the opposite directions as my five other teammates got devoured by the avnche.

 Chapter 289 - Silva

    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    We walked through the snowy ins. Not much was in sight except for snow, snow, and more snow. I doubted the IMF would just put map pieces in in sight, but there was still a chance. So, the girls and I were on the lookout. As we walked, however, Mei Gui suddenly sent me a telepathic message.


    [Master. Seven people approaching. About 500 meters ahead.]


    [I see. You''re using Third Eye?]


    [Yes, Master.]


    [How''s your mana reserves looking?]


    [Over 80%, Master.]


    [Alright, that''s good. Do these people know we''re here?]


    [I do not know any detection spell between Level One to Legendary Tier that can scan people at this range. Therefore, I conclude they do not know we are here.]


    [Hm... that''s a logical analysis, Mei Gui. Stay natural.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    I had wanted to ask her whether or not the people approaching were hostile, but if they didn''t even know we were here, I doubted they could be ''hostile'' towards us. Unless, of course, they were Qi Feng''s team... in which case it would probably best to sever our ties right here and now in order to avoid any unnecessaryplications further down the line.


    Soon, we spotted the other group directly ahead of us. The snowy ins we were walking on had little to no elevation of any kind, but the snowstorm kind of made it hard to see. In addition, the ''sun'' had begun to set, and night was rolling around. That''s why we only saw them now, when we were about 250 meters away from each other. Undoubtedly, they also only spotted us now, given how they paused for a slight moment.


    "There''s... people up ahead," Feng Mian remarked.


    "What''s the call here, Xuan Kai?" Yu An Yan asked. "Are we confronting them or running?"


    "Let''s talk with them," I decided. "If things get ugly, I have confidence we can win an all-out fight. However, allies are invaluable things in thispetition. If we are able to secure a trustworthyrade, it''ll help us out a lot."


    "Agreed," Xiang Peng said. "It looks the other party is thinking the same thing - look, they''re walking towards us."


    With that, we approached the other party, until we were nearly right in front of each other.


    They had seven people - that either meant they were the odd group out from the team formation phase, or they had three more teammates elsewhere at the moment. However, I believed the former to be the case here.


    "Hello," a girl who appeared to be their leader said in greeting. She had long blonde hair that dropped out of the hood covering her head, and a light, gentle voice.


    "Hi... hm, wait, why do I feel like I''ve seen you before...?"


    She then took off her hood, and I realized. She was the Elven waitress I had met at the restaurant a while back. The Waterfront Persoit... was it?


    "Oh, it''s you! The elf from that restaurant!" Lan Xiao Su eximed. She had been really excited to meet an elf for the first time, so it made sense she still remembered.


    "Now that you mention it..." the other girls, who had forgotten who this girl was until now, all began to remember again thanks to Lan Xiao Su''s words.


    "Yes, I recognize you all as well," the elf replied. "My name is Leena. If possible, I would like to form a friendly rtionship with your team."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Friendly rtionship... before that, let me rify one thing. Your group is..."


    She nodded before I even finished the question. "Yes. My group is the... one with seven members. The people who didn''t end up in a group were ced into this."


    I scanned over their group. None of them particrly stood out, except for...


    "Who''s that?" I asked, pointing at a girl who seemed very ''different'' from the rest.


    She wore a grey hood just like Leena, but something about her atmosphere made her feel ''wild''. Her robes were raggedy, and she didn''t wear anything on her feet. I was honestly surprised she was still alive in this weather.


    "Oh, she''s... well, as a matter of fact, I don''t know either," Leena said with an embarrassedugh. "I''ve tried asking her, but... she either doesn''t know how to talk, or just refuses to talk."


    "I see... " I muttered, racking my brain to decide whether or not to ept an alliance with this group or not.


    But then, Amane suddenly spoke.


    "Nya... she''s a demihuman."


    We all turned to her in surprise. "You can tell?"


    She nodded. "I can smell it. She''s... a girl frum the Wolf Tribe."


    Hearing this, I felt a sudden sh of killing intenting from the girl. She leaped towards Amane, but I intercepted her outreached ws, grabbing her by the forearm and mming her into the ground.


    "Grr..." she growled, ring up at me.


    "If you want to live, don''t make trouble for me," I said darkly, returning her re with one of my own.


    She still seemed pissed, but she kept quiet. I sighed and let go of her arm. However, the moment she was unpinned from the ground, she leapt up again and went for me instead.


    I dodged out of the way of her swipe, and grabbed her throat in one swift motion.


    "I thought I said if you want to live... don''t make trouble for me."


    "G-Grr...gah!"


    I tightened my grip.


    "No!" Leena cried, and I sent her a look that silenced her. She couldn''t exactly do much in this situation, unless she wanted to die herself.


    "Xuwan Kwai, let me talk to her," Amane said, stepping up.


    I nced at her, then sighed.


    "Mei Gui, bind this girl," Imanded.


    "Understood, Master," Mei Gui replied, then chanted the spell name out loud to avoid any suspicion. "Level One Earth Magic - Vines of Binding."


    Immediately, various ck roots shot out of the snowy ground and wrapped themselves around the wolf girl''s limbs. She growled in anger, but I wasn''t fazed in the least. Once the vines had finished entangling her, I let go of her throat. I wasn''t worried she would break free - Mei Gui''s spells were on Chaos-empowered, just like my own.


    Amane then walked up to the girl as the rest of us watched on in amusement.


    "Heya. Mya nyame is Amane," she said with a friendly smile. "As you kyan see, I am a demihuman as well - just like you."


    "Grr..." she still refused to talk, and instead just growled.


    "I... knyow a little bit about the Wolf Tribe. If my guess is right... you should be royalty, right?"


    "..." the wolf girl fell silent, neither confirming nor denying Amane''s statement.


    "What? Royalty? But her clothes..." Feng Mian murmured.


    "Yes. The Wolf Tribe treats their royalty... differently from most others," Obsidia exined. "Instead of basking them with royal treatment, they are instead treated like ves."


    "What?!" this caused everyone present to drop their jaws in shock, Leena and her team included.


    "It''s to prevent them from bing nyarrogant just because of their status," Amane turned to the wolf girl. "Isn''t that right?"


    Slowly, the wolf girl nodded, but still didn''t talk.


    Amane smiled sadly, as I began to deduce what this girl''s backstory could be.


    "In that case... I''m guessing you joined this preliminary contest again your own volition?" I said hesitantly. "Did the Wolf Tribe force you to join, as some sort of training?"


    Once again, the girl nodded. I moved to take off her hood. She flinched for a second from her beastial instincts, but she then realized I didn''t mean any harm, so she didn''t attempt to struggle. Besides... even if she did try, Mei Gui had her bound tightly.


    I removed her hood to reveal two wolf-like ears hiding underneath. Her face was scarred, but beneath those wounds was undoubtedly a beautiful demihuman princess. From her mouth, two tiny fangs could be seen. She had short, shoulder-length hair that was the same color as her eyes - a dreamy greyish blue color. She was extremely skinny as well, possibly due all the tough environments she had to go through.


    "What''s your name?" I asked.


    The wolf-girl didn''t respond, but instead bit her bottom lip with her fangs in anger.


    <em>She... doesn''t like her old name, huh?</em>


    <em></em>"In that case..." I began, then turned to Amane. She met my gaze, and understood what I meant.


    She approached the wolf-girl and bent down in front of her short figure.


    "From nyow on, your nyame is Silva!"


    <em>Silva... for silver, perhaps? Not bad taste in names, Amane.</em><em></em><em></em>


    <em></em>"Sil... va..." the wolf girl whimpered quietly.


    "Yep! Silva!" Amane smiled and hugged the wolf-girl, who was still detained by vines.


    I looked over to Mei Gui and signaled for her to get rid of the vines of binding. She was a bit conflicted, but I insisted, so sheplied.


    The vines retracted and Silva''s eyes widened in surprise. She copsed into Amane''s warm embrace, and didn''t make a move to attack. I had taken a gamble that she had epted Amane, and turns out my gamble was right. However...


    Silva sent me a re made of daggers.

 Chapter 290 - Third Partying?

    "So... can I consider our alliance formed?" Leena, the elf girl said meekly.


    I nodded. "Sure. As long as you never betray us, we won''t have any problems."


    "Of course!"


    "That said, has your group found any map pieces yet?" I asked, getting straight into the heart of the topic.


    Leena nodded. "By luck, we were teleported right next to one."


    Saying this, she took out a white container simr to the ones we''ve found and opened it up for me to see. I took out my own container where the two map pieces we discovered were stored and showed it to her as well.


    "Oh wow, you guys found two already?" she remarked, eyes sparkling.


    I nodded, then reached for the puzzle piece in her container. "Here, can I see that?"


    She handed the piece over to me without any hesitation. I had been testing her to see if she would show reluctance, but it seemed she was insistent on relying on us. As a group with a disadvantage right from the start, they were like a group of parasites. In order to survive, they needed to attach themselves to a suitable host. In this case, <em>we </em>were that host.


    After some arranging, I managed to get the puzzle piece to fit. The piece I had found on the mountain was on the top-left corner, and the one the girls found in the forest was the one in the center. This new piece Leena and her team had discovered was the bottom-right piece of the puzzle - in other words, none of them connected. I couldn''t tell much from this. Unfortunate, but still something.


    I handed the piece back to her, but she rejected my offer.


    "You keep it there," she said. "It''ll be easier to put together once we find more map pieces."


    "Are you... doing this to make me trust you more?"


    "Hm... I can''t deny that. That''s part of it," Leena replied thoughtfully. "But really, I want you to think of us as your group members as well."


    "You mean... protect you in case something happens?"


    She nodded. "Exactly. Just as you would treat your own group members."


    "... Sure. Losing one of you will be a demerit to us as well - less firepower overall."


    "Great! So then, what''re our next steps?"


    "Well, for starters, shouldn''t we be looking for more map pieces?" Feng Mian suggested. "Using the same strategy, of course."


    I nodded. "Split up into teams of two. Since your group has seven people... Leena, you can join Mei Gui and me to make a team of three."


    "Alright, sounds good," she replied.


    "Eh, but Big Brother Xuan Kai... shouldn''t we be together?" Qing Yue asked, sending me puppy dog eyes.


    "Er-"


    "Master will remain with me," Mei Gui immediately interrupted, cing herself in between Qing Yue and me as if acting as a shield.


    "Grr..." Qing Yue growled, but Mei Gui stood her ground.


    "I''ll go with Mei Gui this time," I said with a sigh before things escted further. "Qing Yue, you can be with... uh, Xiang Peng."


    "Hm... fine," she said with a pout.


    "Xiang Peng, she''s in your care," I told her. She was the most... reliable out of the other girls, as much as I hated to say it.


    "dly. Anything to not be paired up with that lizard," Xiang Peng replied, shooting Obsidia a triumphant grin.


    Obsidia wasn''t so easily provoked, so she just ignored Xiang Peng''s insult, probably marking it as the senseless babble of a maggot.


    And so, the new teams were formed.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    We decided for each team to head in a different direction on the wide-open ins. After two hours, we would regroup back here. By then, it would probably be nighttime. In order to not lose our way, we decided to each mark the path we took using certain magic spells - for example, me Lotus. Anything that could leave a visible mark in the ground, basically.


    Leena volunteered to be the one to do that for our team, which was pretty lucky for Mei Gui and I, who both had a limited amount of mana and couldn''t regenerate. Apparently, elves had a lot of mana, so she could do this for as long as we needed.


    As we walked, we suddenly heard the sound of explosions going off in the distance.


    "Mei Gui."


    Without me even saying anything in detail, she knew what I meant. "On it, Master."


    She activated her Third Eye and scanned our surroundings. When she was done, she looked up at me. "Ten people up ahead, Master. They seem to be fighting one another, five on each team."


    "I see. Let''s check it out," I said, then picked up my pace.


    Leena blinked in surprise as she sped up herself in order to keep up with us. "How did she... just determine that?"


    "Ah, she has a Magic Artifact that lets her do that," I exined. This was the lie I had nned on using just in case Leena asked. Magic Artifacts came in all shapes and sizes - some of which were even invisible. They could also do many different things, from leveling entire cities to cooking. If I just med everything on a Magic Artifact, it was both believable and logical.


    "Oh, I see," she murmured and didn''t inquire further.


    We soon reached the edge of the ins we were on. There was morend across from us, but to reach there, we would have to first cross this chasm. It seemed that even these ins weren''t the lowest point of this ''space''.


    However, what truly caused us to stop was the ongoing fight across from us. Two teams of five, ten people in total, were going full out against one another,unching spells and attacks without any holding back.


    Leena immediately began chanting a spell. "Level One Sky Magic - Flig-"


    I covered her mouth, not letting her finish the incantation. Her eyes widened in surprise.


    "Don''t go over there just yet."


    I removed my hand from her mouth.


    "But... why? Shouldn''t we join this fight?" she asked in confusion. "We need the map pieces, right?"


    "Let them fight for a bit longer. If we join now, it''ll just make it more difficult than needed," I exined. "Wait until both sides are tired and weakened. That''s when we''ll strike."


    "I... see," Leena murmured. "Got it."


    And so, we watched on as the battle before us unfolded.


    "Legendary Fire Magic - Sr Nova," a boy chanted, leaping up into the air and conjuring a massive zing ball of fire, before throwing it towards the ground in front of him. He was wearing quite the high-quality-looking armor, mainly red and orange themed with literal mes on his shoulders. It seemed... he was quite the Fire Element enthusiast.


    "Tch... everyone, gather around me!" a bald man with arge build yelled. He seemed to be on the other team, and was half-naked despite the freezing weather.


    "Legendary Metal Magic - Unbreakable Dome!"


    As his teammates converged around him, he put up his defense against the other boy''s ferocious attack. Fire struck metal, and a loud explosion ensued. When the smoke dissipated, I could see that the dome had cracks in it - but it still held, nheless.


    "Hm... you''re stronger than I expected," the boy who had used the Fire Magic said. "I am impressed."


    The dome melted away and the bald man along with his teammates emerged unscathed.


    "I could say the same to you. That''s the first time my dome has been cracked," he said with a chuckle. "This is getting me fired up!"


    "Is that so?" the boy sneered. "Well then... why don''t we fire you up even more?"


    Saying this, he raised both of his arms and chanted once again. "Legendary Fire Magic - Serpents of the Sun."


    Two bright yellow serpents shot out of his palms at lightning speed and dived towards the other team. The snakes of fire split into multiple as they flew, again and again, until there were hundreds of them flying towards the other team.


    "Tch... Legendary Metal Magic - Unbreakable Dome!" the man yelled once again as a steel dome encased him and his allies once more.


    The serpents tackled the dome at all angles as the boy who had cast this spell looked on with a smirk on his face.


    "That will only dy the inevitable. These serpents of mine will not stop until they are either destroyed or they kill their target... in other words, you. I wonder, how long can you hold up?"


    He then nced at his other teammates. "You four. Attack his dome. Let''s speed this up."


    His four ''servants'' did exactly as told, and began to pelt the dome with Level Three spells. It seemed that among them this boy was the only one who could cast Legendary Magic.


    "S-Sir! At this rate, the other team will die, and the fight will be over!" Leena said in a panic.


    I sighed. "Rx. I''ll handle this. but for that to work..."


    In a sh, I reappeared behind Leena and struck her on the back of her neck. Immediately, she fell into the snow, unconscious.


    "Now then..." I nced over at the fight, then at Mei Gui.


    "Ready, Mei Gui?"


    "Yes, Master."


    I grinned, and the two of us flew over to the other side of the chasm to join the fight and reap the benefits.

 Chapter 291 - Display Of Power

    "Any time now..." the boy murmured as cracks began appearing in the dome. But then, his eyes widened as all of his serpents, along with his teammates'' attacks, vanished.


    This was my doing, of course. I casually absorbed all of the magic they had sent towards the dome and converted it into mana for myself. But I didn''t just stop there. I continued my suction force, this time directed towards the metal dome. The ''unbreakable'' dome melted away instantly, turning into light and entering my body.


    "Why, thank you for the meal..." I muttered quietly as I stepped forward to meet the two very shocked parties.


    "What... did you just do?" the boy with the Legendary Fire Magic narrowed his eyes at me in anger.


    "What does it look like?" I asked right back, shrugging nonchntly to piss him off even further.


    "B-Brother Ning Yi, our spells... just all got absorbed by that guy!" one of hisckeys said, flustered.


    "I can see that, dumbass," the boy grumbled. "What I''m asking is... how."


    "Yeah... he sucked away my metal dome too, in a mere instant!" the bald man cried. "Tell me, kid, how the hell did you do that?"


    I sighed. "I had to step in earlier than I wanted to, but if I waited for any longer, you would''ve died. Instead of questioning me... shouldn''t you be thanking me instead?"


    "W-We were holding out just fine! Ain''t that right, Brother Kun?!" one of the teammates of the bald man shouted in response to my words.


    "Is that so? Well, if that''s the case, then why don''t you send out another volley of those serpents, Fire Boy?" I chuckled. "Let''s see how you hold up against that, ''Brother Kun''."


    Making sure to use a mocking voice to thoroughly piss them off, I smiled beneath my mask.


    "Hmph. Sure, if you want it so bad, I''ll send out another attack... but not at them. At you," Ning Yi said, eyes zing with anger. He then made the same motion with his hands as before and chanted:


    "Legendary Fire Magic - Serpents of the Sun."


    Once again, two serpents leaped out of his palms and flew towards me. On the way, they split into four, then eight, again and again. But s... no matter how many wereing for me, it was all futile.


    "How cute."


    I raised an arm out calmly and absorbed all of the bright yellow serpents. They flew into my body in the form of mana harmlessly.


    "Ah... this is really helping me out," Iughed. "Thanks for the meal once again."


    But Ning Yi wasn''t done just yet. "I don''t believe... you can eat anything! Legendary Fire Magic - Sr Nova!"


    A massive ball of fire formed above his head, and he directed it at me without any hesitation.


    Meanwhile, Kun also unleashed an attack of his own, also directed at me:


    "Legendary Light Magic - Cleansing Beam!"


    Faced with an enormous congrated sphere of pure fire along with a charged, powerful and deadly ray of purification, I merely smiled, and raised my two hands, one pointing in the direction of each attack.


    Without a word, I began using my Chaos power. The beam of light and ball of fire both stopped, before shrinking and shrinking until they were both nothing more but mana for myself.


    "What the hell... are you?!" Kun yelled in frustration.


    Ning Yi clenched his fists, then slowly pulled a sword out of his scabbard. It was a sword of mes, with fire surrounding the edges of the de.


    "B-Brother Ning Yi! The headmaster said not to use that sword unless it''s absolutely necessary!" one of theckeys tried to convince him, but he would not listen.


    "If magic doesn''t affect you... how about cold steel?"


    I snickered. "''Hot'' steel would be more urate, don''t you think?"


    Ignoring my jest, Ning Yi dashed towards me, sword in hand. Clearly, he was trained from how he was holding his weapon.


    However, it was not enough.


    <em>Katanas of Chaos,e.</em>


    <em></em>Immediately, two long and slightly curved des created from genuine Chaos energy appeared within my hands. Ning Yi cleaved down with his sword of fire, but I blocked his attack with ease with my two katanas in an X-shape.


    When his sword met my des, however, the fire on his weapon seemed to disappear. His eyes widening, he immediately leaped back a short distance and red at me.


    Meanwhile, I, who also had not expected this, nced down at my weapons in wonder. They were now burning in ck mes, almost as if they had<em>stolen</em>the ability of his weapon.


    "Huh... now this is interesting," I murmured to myself.


    Ning Yi cursed and attacked me again. However, my mes quickly corroded his weapon, and the steel began to melt away every time our metal des shed against one another. My own katanas, on the other hand, were perfectly fine without a scratch.


    "Ragh!" the other team''s Kun also charged at me while I was busy fighting Ning Yi. This was troublesome. Although my weapons were certainly powerful, my swordsmanship skills were not yet powerful enough to fight two opponents head-on - I would eventually make a mistake and reveal an opening, which these two would then take advantage of.


    Luckily, I had an ally of my own.


    Mei Gui summoned her spear of Chaos and stepped between Kun and I, stopping him in his tracks as she deflected his hammer strike with ease.


    "Do not interfere with Master''s duel," Mei Gui said with a cold killing re in her eyes. "Or else... I will kill you."


    "Hah! You, a little girl, killing me?" Kunughed, then swung down his hammer with all his might in an attempt to crush Mei Gui. "I''ll never believe that, even if you cut my head off!"


    "Hmph. Looks like I will just have to cut your head off, then," Mei Gui whispered, before blocking the man''s full-strength hammer strike with the tip of her spear alone. She could''ve dodged out of the way with ease, but she wanted to show this man that she was not an opponent to be underestimated.


    The strategy worked. The man''s eyes widened in surprise as Mei Gui kicked him straight in the stomach with such force that he was sent tumbling backward. He fell facefirst into the snow.


    "Despicable. Dirtying the bottom of the boots my Master gave to me," Mei Gui muttered in utter disgust.


    I turned away from their fight though, since the victor was already pretty much decided. I had my own battle to worry about.


    Ning Yi took a different approach after seeing what happens if our des shed. He attempted to do a fake strike, but I anticipated that and blocked his real one. He jumped backward and gritted his teeth in preparation for the next round. However, then, a void sphere came flying towards my head. I sucked it into my body just in time before it struck me.


    "Tsk tsk... sneak attacks, really?" I muttered, shooting Ning Yi a condescending look.


    "Stay out of this, no matter what happens!" he ordered hisckeys, to which theyplied. Then, he turned back to me. "Never before have I been shamed this much... I''ll destroy you with my own power. I swear it!"


    Iughed. "That''s the spirit. Come."


    He leaped upwards and came falling down with his sword in front of him.


    <em>Was he trying to break my katanas with sheer impact?</em>


    <em></em>I smiled and crossed my katanas in an X-shape. <em>Fine then. I''ll take your challenge head-on.</em>


    Metal struck metal, but neither of our des broke. He leaped backward beforeing at me again, this time directly from the front. I blocked his attack, and we exchanged blows just like that until I finally decided to go on the offensive.


    I thrust one of my katanas directly for his heart as I blocked his swing with my other one, but then, he did something I never expected.


    His figure disappeared for a brief moment, and he reappeared behind me in the blink of an eye. Both my katanas were not ready to block this since I went on the offensive - this was the moment he had been waiting for. However-


    I smiled and used my insta-casting paired with my multicasting ability.


    <em>Level One Time Magic - Tempus el.</em>


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Celeritas.</em>


    <em></em>Casting these two spells together in the same time it took a lightning bolt to crash down into the Earth, I elerated my speed and senses so that I could react to his attack in time. I dashed forward, spun around to see his shocked expression, and leaped back in the direction I had just dashed from, parrying his sword with one katana and stabbing him through the chest with my other.


    "Kuh-!" he groaned and dropped his weapon. I pulled out my de and he fell to the ground limply. Blood poured out from his body and stained the snow all around him.


    "Brother Ning Yi!" hisckeys called out, but didn''t make a move to help since he had explicitly told them not to.


    I sighed, bent down, and ced my hand over his wound.


    <em>Level Two Blessing Magic - Major Heal.</em>


    <em></em>A faint lime-green light appeared beneath my palm, and his eyes widened in surprise.


    "What... w-why?"


    "I still have uses for you," I muttered.


    "... Just kill me. I''m not bowing down to anyone... I''ve had enough of that," he muttered. "... Enough."


    "Sorry, I''m not that merciful."


    With those curt words, I finished up my healing and looked over to the other ongoing fight.


    "It''s useless... all you''re doing is stalling the inevitable," Ning Yi croaked weakly. "Those... mes you stole from my sword... they travel through any wounds the de inflicts... and burn the victim''s organs from the inside... I''ll die sooner orter anyway..."


    I chuckled. "That''s fine. I don''t really care if you die... as long as you fulfill your purpose before that."


    "Tch... " he spat in disgust. But s, he didn''t kill himself, so I took that as a sign of eptance.


    <em>Now then... I wonder, how did you make that sudden dash just now, Ning Yi? I had to actually cast magic in order to react to that attack... how intriguing. If I can get my hands on that technique... heh.</em>


    <em>Hm... I''ll make him an offerter. If he tells me how to pull that trick off, I''ll save him. Qing Yue can definitely do something about the fire inside him, after all.</em>

 Chapter 292 - Spoils Of War

    Mei Gui was just about to finish her own fight as I watched on in amusement.


    Kun and his four teammates rushed her all at the same time - it was a pretty sad sight from an outsider''s perspective, honestly, if you didn''t know the context. Five burly dudes rushing a little girl? Kind of overkill, don''t you think?


    Not. In. The. Least.


    Mei Gui looked at the approaching challengers with condescension in her eyes as she readied her Spear of Chaos. Kun was first - he swung his hammer at Mei Gui, who nimbly dodged out of the way this time around instead of taking it head-on likest time. Then,nding behind Kun who was busy trying to figure out where she went, Mei Gui parried the Ice Magic a boy had tried shooting at her. But perhaps ''parried'' wasn''t the right word.


    In reality, what she did was <em>absorb</em> the attack. She had the same mana suction power as me, and she was determined to use that to its fullest.


    "Weak," she muttered quietly as she drove the spear into the abdomen of the boy''s who had tried attacking her with Ice Magic.


    "Agh!" the boy groaned, before copsing to the ground in pain. Mei Gui had purposely missed his vitals as to not kill him - probably because she was unsure if I still had a need for them or not. Always considerate of my intentions, eh?


    The boy''s moan caused the other members to finally react to what happened, and they all rushed Mei Gui collectively. However, my Elemental was far too agile for them - she leapt up into the air as the four''s weapons of steel cut the empty air she had just been in.


    From there, she dematerialized her Spear of Chaos and pulled out the sword on her back - the projectile sword, more specifically, given to her by Old Man Leng when we first arrived in The Fortress.


    "Die."


    She swung the sword once, sending a crescent-shaped ripple of destruction towards the ground below, where the four guys were standing still in puzzlement. Then, they looked up, and their eyes widened in fear.


    "AHH!"


    The powerful energy projectile exploded upon hitting the ground, sending the group scattering in different directions. Out of the four, only Kun was fortunate enough to survive the st and still remain conscious. The other three¡­ ally unmoving in the snow. I doubted they were dead, but they probably fainted from the shock.


    Kun slowly got up from the ground, dusting the snow off of him. "Damn it¡­ this is shameful."


    Mei Gui pointed her projectile energy sword at the topless man and spoke quietly yet menacingly.


    "Admit defeat, weakling."


    Kun shot her a re, then charged at her once more in fury, hammer ready to strike.


    Mei Gui sighed. "Some people never learn."


    With these brisk words, she stood perfectly still as she waited for Kun toe. And when he did atst, swinging the hammer at her, she performed a graceful frontflip in mid-air over Kun''s body, as if flexing on him. By the time shended, Kun was still trying to regain control of his hammer.


    But it was toote, of course.


    With a short slice of her energy sword, a crescent-shaped st of concentrated sma shot out of it and struck Kun directly in the back. The man croaked in pain, and fell into the slow, limp.


    Mei Gui had controlled the power level of the sword so that it wouldn''t kill, but undoubtedly, it still hurt a lot. From where I was standing, I could make out burn marks on Kun''s back.


    Having defeated all of her opponents, Mei Gui sheathed the sword once more and walked back towards me, dragging Kun''s unconscious body with her. Once she was directly in front of me, she bowed and looked up into my eyes.


    "All targets eliminated, Master."


    I smiled. "Good work. I''ve finished up over here as well."


    ncing at Ning Yi, I chuckled.


    "Looks like we''re done here," I said, then turned to Ning Yi''sckeys, who were still waiting a distance away. "Hey, I''m going to take your leader here with me. If you want to follow, by all means. But if you make a move to attack¡­ well, you saw Mei Gui massacre those guys just now."


    Hearing this, the men looked at one another, nervous. Not bothering to hear their answer, Mei Gui and I left, each dragging a living spoil of war.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    Once we flew over the chasm once more, Leena was still unconscious. I turned to Mei Gui.


    "Wake her up."


    "Understood, Master."


    She raised a hand out, and chanted in her mind:


    <em>Level Three Water Magic - Flood.</em>


    Dropping a whole waterfall''s worth of water on Leena''s face, she instantly woke up, and Mei Gui canceled her spell.


    "F-Fwah! W-What happened?"


    "That¡­ was overkill, Mei Gui," I muttered, looking at Leena''s drenched figure in pity.


    "Apologies, Master."


    I shook her apology off and turned back to Leena. "Not much happened. You just fainted from the cold."


    "Oh no! I''m so sorry to troubl- wait, who are these two?"


    Finally noticing the two limp bodies we were dragging with us, Leena covered her mouth. "Wait¡­ aren''t these the guys who were fighting earlier?!"


    <em>So¡­ you remembered the fight, but not how I knocked you out? Okay then. Selective memory I see.</em>


    "Yeah, after they were done fighting, Mei Gui and I swooped in to clean them both up. It was pretty effortless, honestly," I said with a shrug. "It was all about the timing."


    Of course, this was a lie, but I didn''t want to show Leena my true abilities, so I just kept it as that.


    "Wow¡­" Leena murmured.


    "Yeah, got pretty lucky, huh, Mei Gui?"


    "Indeed, Master."


    Perfect teamwork, without even having tomunicate in secret. Truly a wless duo, Mei Gui and I.


    After that, we dragged the two back to the rendezvous point, following the marks Leena had made for us. It was almost time for the predetermined time to meet back up, after all.


    *****


    When we got back to the rendezvous point, all the other teams were there already.


    Of the eight teams that were sent out, two, excluding mine, found something noteworthy - in other words, map pieces. We now had 4 pieces in total, on the night of the first day. I''d say we''re doing pretty good, ahead of the other teams. And with any luck, we were about to obtain some more¡­


    "Wake them up," I told Mei Gui.


    She nodded and used Flood on the two men. I didn''t reprimand her for doing so this time.


    "H-Huh¡­" the two men sat up, drenched in cold water. "W-What the hell?"


    "Bastard¡­" Ning Yi spat, ring at me.


    "Hey, nice armor you got there," I chuckled. "Even after getting drenched, the mes on your shoulder tes are still burning."


    "Tch¡­ what do you want?"


    "Map pieces," I immediately replied. "Or, that armor of yours. It''s not bad."


    "¡­ What if I refuse to give neither?"


    Iughed. "What''s more important? A couple of jigsaw pieces or your life?"


    Ning Yi clenched his fists. "I refuse to give in."


    I nced at him, and his eyes contracted in fear as he nced into my bloody red iris, filled with hatred and horror.


    "I have ways to make you talk."


    On the other hand, Kun couldn''t take it anymore. He jumped up and attempted to hit me with a surprise attack, but with his wide figure and bulky body, it was hardly sessful. I stopped his right hook without even looking, grabbing his forearm and tightening my grip.


    "G-Gah¡­!"


    Then, I slowly turned to look at him in the eyes, and our gazes met.


    "Are you overly brave, or just stupid?"


    "I¡­ gah!"


    I threw him onto the snow, then stepped on his chest. "Since you''re so eager¡­ why don''t I y with you first? Hand over your map pieces, then you can go."


    "N-Never!"


    I sighed and pulled out Ace from its holster before pointing it at the man''s forehead. "Well?"


    "I¡­"


    "3¡­2¡­"


    "I''ll do it!" Kun cried, not wanting to lose his life.


    I chuckled and put the gun away. Kun took off his ne and ''opened it''. Apparently, it was a Space Locket of some sort.


    He pulled out a map piece and handed it to me.


    I epted I and grinned. "If only you cooperated since the beginning¡­"


    "C-Can I go now?"


    I looked at him, back at the map piece, then at him again. "Hmm¡­ can I see that ne of yours?"


    "What?! Why?!"


    "To make sure you haven''t been lying to me, of course."


    "That¡­"


    "You''re not exactly in a position to refuse. Remember that."


    He gritted his teeth, then slowly handed over his ne. I opened up the pendant and looked inside.


    Indeed, there were two other map pieces in there.


    I took them out then threw the ne back at Kun.


    "You''re lucky I''m feeling happy today," Iughed. "Otherwise, I would''ve killed you for lying."


    His eyes widened, before he immediately ran away, ne in hand.


    "Er¡­ Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian called out. "Is it really okay to just let him go like that? He probably had more treasures inside the ne, right?"


    I shrugged. "He''s a warrior. I respect that. I don''t see a point in robbing him of everything he has."


    "Huh¡­" Yu An Yan murmured. "What about this guy?"


    She looked down at Ning Yi, who had an ufortable look on his face.


    "Do you still insist on not giving us your map pieces?" I asked.


    He grunted. "I''m not as weak as that bastard. Even if you kill me, I won''t do it."


    "¡­ I see."


    With that, I pulled out Ace and pressed it against his temple. He made no move to resist.


    "Last chance," I said. "3¡­ 2¡­"


    "¡­" he still remained quiet.


    "¡­ 1."


    But I did not shoot. No, the gun did not malfunction. I mean I didn''t pull the trigger on purpose.


    He nced up at me in confusion. "What¡­ you can''t count or something?"


    I chuckled. "Nah. You can go."


    My allies all around looked at me in shock. "H-Huh? But-"


    "You can go," I repeated again.


    Ning Yi was just as surprised. He slowly got off from the ground and began walking away.


    "Don''t regret this decision," he muttered as he passed by me.


    I smiled. "Just remember - you owe your life to me."


    "¡­Tch."


    With that, he vanished into the zing snowstorm beneath the night sky.

 Chapter 293 - Piecing Together

    With the addition of Kun''s puzzle pieces, we now had 7 map pieces in total. With some quick arranging, I put them together with ease.


    None of the pieces marked where the endpoint was, but there were only two pieces remaining - in other words, only two areas on the map were still possible locations for our destination. That was still narrowing it down by a lot. Fortunately, none of the map pieces we had obtained thus far have been duplicates - otherwise, that could''ve been troublesome.


    "How does it look, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, walking over and peeking over my shoulder.


    "I pieced them all together, but¡­ this could suck," I replied, showing her what I meant.


    The two still-missing map pieces were the bottom left and top right respectfully - two areas that were the furthest away from each otherpared to any other pair of locations. If we chose to go to one and it turned out to not have the endpoint there, we would essentially have to travel across the entire map to reach the real endpoint.


    "Hm¡­pletely opposite locations, huh?" Feng Mian murmured. "What if we split up again, likest time?"


    Yu An Yan, overhearing our conversation, walked over. "That''s hardly effective. We''ve both seen just how big this ce is - do any of us know a spell that could allow us tomunicate from so far away? All ten members of the group have to arrive at the endpoint, right?"


    "Yeah," I sighed. "Mei Gui¡­"


    "Yes, Master?"


    "Would our telepathic connection work?"


    "¡­ Most likely not. I do not know the full dimensions of this space, but the maximum distance for our telepathicmunication ability at the Origin Chaos stage is roughly 1,000 kilometers, Master."


    "Yeah¡­ this ce is definitely bigger than 1,000 kilometers squared," I muttered.


    "Looks like we have no choice but to move as a group then," Lan Xiao Su concluded, joining the discussion.


    "I myean, I pyobably kyould use Spyace Magic to try and teleport several times¡­" Amane suggested thoughtfully.


    "How far can you travel with one teleport?" I asked.


    "Erm¡­ a nyandred kilometers?"


    "Yeah¡­ I doubt that''s going to work," Feng Mian sighed. "You''ll run out of mana."


    "Um¡­ I have an artifact that might work," Leena interrupted gently.


    We all turned to look at her. "Artifact?"


    She nodded. "It''s an item my mother gave to me before I left Elven territory."


    Saying this, she took out what looked like two metal tablets of some kind. each was small enough to be held in one hand.


    "When a person uses one of these tablets, their voice will be transmitted across the heavens - or so my mother used to say," Leena exined. "No matter where the other party is, they''ll be able to hear."


    I frowned. "Have you¡­ tested this before?"


    She shook her head sadly. "This Magic Artifact only has one use - once used, it will self-destruct."


    "That is hardly¡­ reliable," Xiang Peng muttered. "We still have two days left, y''know? Might as well just check out both uncharted areas as a group."


    I shook my head. "I''m willing to take this gamble."


    "Huh?" the girls looked at me in confusion and surprise.


    "We already have seven map pieces - while I''m fairly certain we''re ahead of most other groups, who''s to say no one else has already figured out where the endpoint is? It shouldn''t be impossible, given how we were able to get seven."


    "I concur," Obsidia added. "We cannot determine the other groups'' progress. It is better to get to the endpoint as soon as possible, even if it means taking a risk to do so. Only the first ce team will be able to enter Fragment, after all."


    I nodded in agreement. "The stakes are high. And besides¡­ I believe Leena. Or rather, I believe that Artifact in her hand."


    After a short silence, the girls gave in and agreed.


    "Alright. If that''s what you''ve decided, then that''s what we''ll do," Yu An Yan said.


    "I''m in Big Brother Xuan Kai''s group this time!" Qing Yue immediately spoke up, grabbing my arm and sending Mei Gui a look of disdain.


    "Master-"


    "Fine, fine¡­ both of you cane with me. As for the other team¡­"


    "How about this? We were two separate groups to begin with - you ten can travel together, while the seven of us will go to the other side," Leena suggested.


    "¡­ I don''t trust you to that extent," I replied after a short hesitation. "Who knows if you''ll just leave us behind once you get there?"


    "¡­ In that case, I shall remain with your team," Leena decided determinedly.


    I see¡­ if she stays with us, even if her team wants to just ditch us, they can''t. All members of the group must be there in order for them to sessfullyplete this mission.


    "¡­ If it''s like that, then fine. We''ll do it your way," I said. "But what about the artifact? You said it will transmit the user''s voice across the heavens, correct? But¡­"


    Leena nodded, having understood what I was nning on saying. "I understand your concern. How about we create a special code¡­ like a random number, maybe? That way, no one will be able to tell what the message means. They may still investigate in the direction of the voice, but not as urgently."


    "I like that idea," Xiang Peng raised her hand in agreement. "But better yet¡­ why don''t we pretend it''s an announcement from the IMF?"


    "Huh?" the rest of the girls tilted their head in confusion. I was puzzled as well.


    "I mean, like this:"


    She cleared her voice, then continued in a loud, announcer-like voice.


    "Warning: 2 Days Remaining."


    "Hm¡­ would that really work?" Feng Mian pursed her lips and thought deeply.


    "Sure it will," Xiang Peng chuckled then turned to me. "Hey, Xuan Kai, ever notice your voice sounds like some kind of radio announcer? It''s pretty sexy, not gonna lie."


    "It¡­ does?"


    This was the first time I was hearing such a thing.


    "Now that you mention it¡­" Qing Yue murmured. "It''s true! I can''t believe I didn''t even notice after so many years by your side!"


    "Uh¡­ sure, but what about the other end?" I asked, deciding to just ignore their remarks.


    "Silva can put up a pretty monotone, robot-like voice. That could work," Leena said, then turned around. "Silva! Can youe here for a second?"


    We waited as the wolf girl walked over, giving all of us a re full of hatred except for Amane.


    "¡­ What do you want?"


    "See? Perfect for an AI!"


    "Uh, actually, I think most AIs are supposed to be gentle, but¡­" I trailed off.


    In any case, with our n settled, we decided to just rest for now and then take off first thing next morning. I ended up taking Qing Yue up to the cabin we found in the forest earlier to sleep, since she was sensitive to the cold. I couldn''t just leave her there either, so I slept outside, leaning against the walls, keeping watch. Mei Gui was also here with me since she didn''t need sleep.


    Everyone else just slept in the snow, taking turns with night shift. We hadn''t eaten or drank anything all day, but all of us beared with it with the hopes of finishing this damnedpetition tomorrow.


    *****


    The next morning.


    Mei Gui woke me up gently, and the two of us then woke Qing Yue up in turn. Then, after descending the mountain, we saw that everyone else had already gotten ready.


    "We''re currently in the dead center of the map," I exined, then pointed behind me, about 90 degrees away from where the mountains were. "In that direction is the one the six of you will go to. Silva, you''re taking the lead."


    "We only have six people¡­" I heard some of them murmur.


    "If you end up in a fight, your top priority is to run. Give them whatever they ask for. The actual map pieces will be staying with me, so even if they encounter you they will gain nothing from you."


    "If the map is with you, then what if we lose our way?" one guy questioned.


    I pulled a sheet of paper out of my cloak pocket and tossed it at him. "Mei Gui spentst night making a copy of the map by hand. Take it. If you run into anyone, however, quickly dispose of it. I don''t care how."


    Slowly, they all nodded.


    "Good. That''s all. Keep the artifact safe."


    With that, the six of them set out in the other direction, while the eleven of us headed forward, towards the other uncharted territory.


    "I''m¡­ a bit worried about them," Leena murmured quietly as she walked beside me.


    "Your group isprised of people who no other group wanted. They are practically sacrifices," I said. "It''s cold, but the harsh truth."


    "¡­ I know that. But still¡­"


    I sighed. "Just consider yourself lucky you''re the one with us right now."


    "Right. I will."


    And with that, we picked up our pace.

 Chapter 294 - Endpoint

    We traveled across the snowy ins without anything too much happening. asionally, the terrain would have some slight differences in elevation, creating small hills and such. However, quite interestingly, we didn''t run into any teams. I kept my Third Eye on for the entire walk and couldn''t scan anyone.


    Yesterday''s fight was, of course, what enabled me to do this. I had restored plenty of mana thanks to Ning Yi and Kun, enough to supplement having Third Eye activated the entire day with still plenty of room to spare.


    While we walked, the girls made idle chatter with one another, especially with Leena who seemed eager to know more about the outside world. Apparently, she had came to the Fortress directly from Elven territory, so she didn''t all that much time to explore the world. Though, we''ve only been two two cities - three, counting Huizhou - ourselves, so it''s not like we were experts or anything. Still, Leena seemed content with just listening to our stories.


    She also told us of her own past, though I didn''t know how much of it was true. I had no intention of prying though - everyone has something they wish to hide. I was no exception, so I wasn''t about to be a hypocrite and ask others something they feel ufortable to answer.


    Throughout this eight or nine hour walk with short breaks in between, I managed to learn a lot more about Leena and even the rest of the girls, despite having been together with them for quite some time already.


    For example, apparently Feng Mian was quite the troublemaker when she was young¡­ I identally overheard their conversation. When I asked about itter, she blushed and got mad, probably because she didn''t want me to know about that side of her old self. Qing Yue also revealed how she made me yelp in fear when we were young by dangling a fake insect toy on my body, much to my dismay. If you want to talk about someone''s embarrassing past, talk about your own, for heaven''s sake.


    ¡­ I had a sever phobia of insects back then, and still do to this day.


    I didn''t know what it was with those little crawlers - they''re just so unpredictable, it scares me. I would observe them closely when I was young, and every time they would stop in their tracks, then suddenly move again. When they did that, I would always jump back in fear. Qing Yue used tough at me whenever that happened, but just because I was a man didn''t mean I wasn''t scared of anything.


    If there''s two things in this world that still haunt me even after all I''ve been through, it would be the feeling of losing someone I care about, and insects.


    After a long, tiring walk, we finally spotted some sort of faint ck silhouette in the distance. The snowstorm made it difficult to see, butpared to up in the mountains, this was nothing.


    "It seems like¡­ several pirs?" Lan Xiao Su murmured. "I can''t see very well, but¡­"


    "Pirs¡­ for an area of snowy ins, that is certainly out of ce," Feng Mian deduced. "Let''s check it out."


    "It''s the first interesting thing we''ve found all day," Xiang Peng sighed. "Might as well."


    We picked up our pace to a light jog. Surprisingly, despite having eaten nothing since yesterday morning, we were all still doing just fine. Still, this wouldn''tst for long if we didn''t hurry up. We have been using Water Magic from Lan Xiao Su and Yu An Xue whenever we got thirsty, but for groups without a member with Water Magic, this would prove difficult. 3 days was the maximum someone could survive without water - perhaps that was why the IMF made thispetition have a time limit of such.


    Of course, there was snow everywhere, so you could technically ''eat'' it as water, but there was no telling how dirty it was.


    After another two hours of walking, we finally nearly were directly before the pirs. It was already 6 PM - we had spent most of the day on the road, so we were all tired. However, we just needed to go a bit further - then we would reach the pirs.


    But then, something popped up on my Third Eye. I frowned and signaled everyone to stop.


    "Ten people. 500 meters directly in front of us," I said quietly.


    "500 meters¡­ doesn''t that mean they''re already at the pirs?!" Yu An Yan eximed in shock.


    "¡­ Follow me closely and keep quiet," I ordered, before slowly beginning to move forward again. The rest of the girls followed, obeying my instructions without a word.


    However, as we moved, the faint sound of battle suddenly rang out in front of us. Considering how close we were to the pirs, the sound should definitely have been louder, but¡­ for some reason, it sounded ''muffled'', like the effects of the middle pedal on a piano.


    I began to speed up and the girls quickened as well to match my pace.


    And then, finally, we could see what was going on before us - the origin of all the noise.


    Within arge green translucent dome of some kind that looked to be pulsating with mana, ten people seemed to fighting,unching spells one after another. However, what was most surprising was that to us, it seemed that there was no target they were aiming for particrly. On the outside, it just appeared as if they were randomlyunching attacks at random locations¡­ but that couldn''t be right.


    Narrowing my eyes, I daringly crept closer to see if I could get a better glimpse at what was going on. But unfortunately, that still did not work-


    "AHH!"


    Ten loud screams rang out at the same exact time from within the dome. My eyes widened in shock. In the same time it had taken me to merely blink, all ten mages, originally fighting desperately, nowy in the snow. Unconscious or dead, they were defeated.


    "¡­ How the hell?" I muttered as the dome receded. And then, I saw.


    A lone figure standing between all the unconscious figures of the challenging group. She had long ck hair and wore a ck mask that covered half her face on her eyes. Her outfit was alsopletely ck and seemed to be a tightsuit of some sort, perfectly highlighting her wless figure.


    But despite this woman''s clearly stunning beauty, that wasn''t what I was surprised at. What I was more surprised at was that I recognized her.


    "No way¡­ is it really her¡­?" I murmured, but that seemed to attract the woman''s attention.


    She snapped her fingers, murmured something under her breath, and suddenly, a ck puddle appeared beneath the ten bodies, dragging them to god knows where.


    Then, she turned in my direction, and seemed a bit taken aback.


    "Ara ara~ look who it is¡­"


    Tch¡­ she recognizes me too. It''s clear now. This woman was her. Without a doubt... the same woman who we had faced back in the bathroom at the movie theater.


    The Holy Emperor.


    The girls seemed to realize this as well, and were currently whispering to one another about the matter.


    Realizing there was no point in turning away now, I boldly stepped forward, closer to the pirs. There were ten of them in total, forming a circr arena of some sort.


    "It''s¡­ really you again, huh?"


    The woman smiled. It wasn''t a bright one, but more of a seductive one. "Ara, you remember me?"


    I scoffed. "You''re not exactly easy to forget."


    "Hehe~ you''ll make girls get the wrong idea if you say that to them so carelessly, you know¡­"


    When I fell silent, the woman continued.


    "¡­ Still, to think we would have to fight again so soon¡­ how unfortunate. I was hoping to interact with you more, but you see, I was told to kill anyone who I judged too weak to pass."


    "Pass¡­ in that case, I take it you''re the final examiner, and this is the endpoint of the preliminaries?" Feng Mian asked with a stern and unwavering gaze.


    "My, my¡­ yes, you are correct," the womanughed softly, then turned her gaze back at me and stared deep into my eyes. "Your eyes¡­ they''re as attractive as ever."


    I chuckled. "You''ll make boys get the wrong idea if you say that to them so carelessly, you know?"


    Faced with me using the same words she used against me mere moments earlier, the woman giggled.


    "You''re even more amusing than I originally thought¡­ Xuan Kai-kun."


    An honorific? Weren''t demihumans the only ones who used those¡­? Could this woman be a demihum¡­ no, that''s unlikely. Demihumans couldn''t hide their features like some other races, for example Subi, could, and I didn''t see any visible demihuman features on this woman''s body.


    "¡­ My name. If I''m not wrong¡­ you got that from the various secret surveince cameras ced throughout the map, correct?"


    The woman blinked, as if genuinely surprised I had figured it out.


    "Ara ara~ looks like I need to reevaluate you, Xuan Kai-kun. Indeed, that is where I got all of my information."


    "Eh? Surveince cameras¡­?" the girls tilted their heads in confusion at my words. "But didn''t they say there wasn''t any surveince¡­?"


    "¡­ That way of thinking is far too naive," Mei Gui muttered, which only served to confuse the girls further. I didn''t have time to exin to them right now though.


    "Tell me, how did you manage to find out? The surveince cameras were hidden with the highest level of Shadow and Enchantment Magic - with my own two hands, in fact. How did a mere Intermediate Mage figure it out?" the woman asked curiously. She seemed to genuinely want to know, and wasn''t threatening me to answer her or anything.


    "Luck," I replied. "That''s all there is to it."


    Of course, this was a lie. The reason I was able to discover them was thanks to the Third Eye Forbidden Spell I possessed. However, she didn''t need to know that.


    "Heh¡­ I see. Tell you what - as a reward for discovering those cameras, I''ll give you a special treat no other boy has seen before," the woman said, giving me a flirtatious wink and casually removing her mask to let us see her true face.


    Put simply, she was beautiful - on the same level as Mei Gui, but without the ''divine goddess'' feeling to it. As we watched on in wonder, she introduced herself formally.


    "My name is Ling Xin, currently 16 years old. I am the youngest member of the IMF''s Council of Arcanity, and one of the three representatives for the Human race. Pleased to meet you, Xuan Kai-kun."

 Chapter 295 - Ling Xin

    "16 years old¡­ that man wasn''t lying, huh?" I muttered.


    "She''s the same age as me," Xiang Peng blinked in surprise. "Welp, you know what they say. There''s always someone better, and there''s always a sky beyond the sky as we know it."


    "Reaching the Holy Emperor stage at only sixteen years of age¡­" Feng Mian murmured. "Compared to her, we''re¡­"


    "Hm¡­ 14, is it?" Ling Xin murmured, observing the girls around me. "Not bad. You can''t be said to be an unparalleled genius, but having two innate elements is already good¡­ for a human, anyway."


    Then, she turned to me. "As for you, Xuan Kai-kun¡­ hehe~"


    Her flirtatious smile made me slightly ufortable as she licked her lips, but I didn''t point that out.


    "¡­ Let''s get down to business," I cut in. "We have to beat you toplete the preliminaries, correct?"


    Ling Xin smirked. "Yes. But you witnessed that fight just now, no? Are you sure you still want to battle me? When I fight, I fight to kill, y''know¡­"


    I snickered. "It''s not like we have much of a choice, now that we''re here."


    However, contrary to my expectations, Ling Xin shook her head. "No. You can leave if you want to."


    "Huh? You''re saying we can just give up here if we don''t want to die?" Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "Indeed. Had it been any other group, I would''ve ughtered them all, but¡­" her gaze was focused on me, and me only. "I like you, Xuan Kai-kun."


    "W-W-W-What?!" Lan Xiao Su blurted out in surprise at her sudden confession. The other girls dropped their jaws at her words.


    Ling Xinughed heartily. "My, my, how cute¡­ but it''s true. I don''t want to kill you, you see. But if you insist¡­"


    "Sorry, but I don''t like you," I replied coldly without the slightest bit of emotion on my face.


    For a moment, the smile on her face disappeared.


    "¡­ I see. Then¡­"


    In an instant, she vanished from her original spot and came up beside me. My eyes widened in shock as she whispered seductively into my ear.


    "Don''t me big sister here for being merciless, mkay~"


    "¡­"


    In the next moment, she was back to where she had originally been standing. The whole process happened instantly.


    "What will it be? The ten of you, altogether, or one at a time?" Ling Xin asked with a confident smile on her face. "I suggest the former if you want any chance of winning¡­ not that you''ll win anyway, hehe."


    The girls turned to me for help. I replied without any hesitation.


    "All ten of us, toget-"


    "Master," Mei Gui interrupted.


    "What¡­?"


    "Please allow me to fight this woman one-on-one."


    "This¡­"


    Then, she sent me a telepathic message.


    [I wish to test out the limits of my Apoxyia form using her, Master.]


    <em>I see¡­ so she is nning on using Ling Xin as a tool. Daring indeed.</em>


    "¡­ Alright," I said, giving my approval.


    Mei Gui nodded and stepped forward to face Ling Xin. "¡­ Prepare yourself."


    "Ara ara, quite the interesting choice, Xuan Kai-kun, sending one person to deal with me. Aren''t you overconfident, little girl?"


    <em>Uh¡­ actually, she''s far older than you, being the sister of the origin of all creation, but¡­</em>


    "¡­ Save the talk."


    The two of them moved a little further away from us, to the center of the pirs. There, Ling Xin created a green dome just like the one she had used earlier. It was some kind of Sound Magic to prevent loud noises from getting out too far, though notpletely.


    "X-Xuan Kai? Why would you do that?" Feng Mian asked in puzzlement.


    "Fighting her with all ten of us together would be easier, no?" Yu An Yan added.


    I sighed. "Rx. Mei Gui has a n¡­ and besides, now that I think about it, fighting her with all ten of us at a time may not actually be the best move here."


    "How so?" Lan Xiao Su inquired.


    "Have you all forgotten what happenedst time we fought her?" Obsidia cut in, answering in my stead. "She wrapped us all up in her Shadow domain and nearly killed all of us."


    "¡­ Nya, I dyon''t knyow what you guys are talking about¡­" Amane whimpered. She didn''t know who Ling Xin was, after all. We only recruited her <em>after</em> the whole ordeal with Ling Xin, when Mei Gui got taken away.


    "All you have to know is that Ling Xin will be tougher than any other opponent we''ve encountered so far," I exined. "However strong you think she is right now, in reality, she''s many times stronger. That''s all I can say."


    "Wow¡­ even Xuwan Kwai can''t beat her?"


    I scoffed. "If I could, I would. Even though I can take on Golden Monarchs, fighting Holy Emperors is still well outside of my reach."


    I then turned to Leena. "Leena, use the artifact to call your group members over."


    "H-Huh? A-Ah, yes!"


    She appeared to have been in a daze, which I just snapped her out of. Apparently, she was extremely interested in our conversation with Ling Xin. I don''t think we revealed anything important about my powers, but¡­ now she knows I''m really strong in reality, and can fight opponents realms above my current stage. She must''ve already thought so anyway though, after the incident with Kun and Ning Yi - I just confirmed it with my own words.


    Leena did as I instructed, and did her best to speak in an AI-like voice.


    "Warning: 2 days remaining."


    Those words boomed across the snowy biome, but Ling Xin and Mei Gui who were inside the green dome didn''t seem to have heard it. Turning to the fight, I looked back at Leena, who was now spectating as well. Deciding that if this continued, she would see something she shouldn''t have, I hit her on her neck again, rendering her unconscious once more.


    I felt bad for doing this twice in a row to her now, but¡­ it is what it is.


    The other girls saw me do this but didn''tin. Instead, they just all sighed in pity for poor Leena.


    But there were more important matters right now. I turned back to the ongoing duel between Mei Gui and Ling Xin.


    <strong>*****</strong>


    - Mei Gui''s Perspective -


    So far, the fight was about even. I haven''t activated her Apoxyia form yet, but at the same time, Ling Xin didn''t seem to be taking this seriously at all. All the spells she threw at me were easily absorbed using the power of Chaos, much to her surprise.


    "Hm¡­ that''s an interesting ability you have," she murmured. "It''s almost simr to what Xuan Kai-kun had donest time to my domain."


    Last time, when we were engulfed within this girl''s domain of darkness, we had only managed to break out thanks to Master sessfully casting the Forbidden Spell known as Zero, which I taught him. However¡­ what I was doing right now was different. I was merely absorbing the spells she was throwing at me, which were all only Level Two or Level Three ones.


    "Perhaps it''s time to step it up a bit, hm?" Ling Xin smiled as she put her mask back on and flew up into the air.


    "Legendary Shadow Magic - Raven''s Fury."


    The portrait of a ck raven appeared above her, its wings shooting out hundreds of sharp ck feathers towards me. If I got hit by even one, it could be fatal - chances were, they had some kind of dark energy within them that acted simr to poison.


    I reached out my hand and tried to absorb it, but it seemed that I couldn''t. Master''s understanding of Chaos was still too low for me to absorb such powerful magic. When he had fought against Xuan Yang, he was able to absorb the Legendary Magic there because Xuan Yang had not fully mastered it yet. However, this girl was deserving of the title ''expert'' when ites to Shadow Magic. Her understanding of the element makes her spells far more strong and pure, rendering my currently still-weak Chaos energy unable to control it.


    <em>Looks like I have no choice but to use that.</em>


    I mmed the ground with my palm and concentrated hard, despite the deadly barrage of raven feathers flying my way.


    <em>Forbidden Magic - Zero.</em>


    A bright white sh ensued, as the raven and its projectiles all got erased to nothingness.


    Ling Xin smiled as if she had been waiting for this.


    "There it is¡­ that sh fromst time. I didn''t expect you to be able to use it too, though¡­ was it a bi-product of being converted by that mad man, perhaps?"


    This girl had been the person to kidnap me and force me to undergo changes, nearlypletely suppressing the Chaos energy within my body and mind-controlling me. If it wasn''t for Master breaking me out of that seal when he did, there''s no telling how hypnotized I would''ve be.


    "No¡­" I replied calmly. "But if you do wish to see the product of being converted by that ursed dead bastard, then¡­ I shall show you."


    I closed my eyes again as I slowly got up from the ground, and I chanted in my mind.


    <strong><em>Apoxyia Form - Activate.</em></strong>

 Chapter 296 - The Shadow Empress

    My eyes snapped open as I felt the mechanical, cyber power of Apoxyia flow through my veins. The horns on my head extended, as a pair of beautiful wings extended from my back. Two sets of cluster missileunchers grew out of my shoulders, one on each side, as a massive gatling gun rose from my back and aimed towards Ling Xin. A singr sphere between my two wings served as my core.


    "Ara ara~ now isn''t this something¡­" she mused, as if genuinely delighted by my transformation.


    "Die," I said, voice dripping with hatred. I only had emotions when interacting with Master, but that was only half-true. If I had to correct it¡­ I could only feel positive emotions when interacting with Master. However, when ites to hate and bloodlust¡­ I could feel that towards anyone except Master.


    I shot out eight missiles from each of theunchers, sixteen in total. They were all homing, and headed straight for Ling Xin''s head.


    "Hmph, trivial," she murmured, before opening a ck space rift and entering inside. My cluster missiles hit nothing.


    The radar that came equipped with my Apoxyia form also couldn''t detect anything¡­ it was as if she had vanishedpletely from this reality.


    But then, something triggered behind me. A loud warning red out in my head as I quickly moved away and spun around to see what it was.


    Indeed, there she was - Ling Xin, who had just been about to touch me with some kind of dark energy lingering on her hands.


    "Oh my, fast reaction times," she giggled.


    "¡­ You know Space Magic too," I muttered.


    "Indeed. But my expertise stillys within the Shadow Element. My title of the Shadow Empress isn''t just for show, y''know."


    I gritted my teeth. This made things troublesome. She was already slippery enough with Shadow Magic alone, but nowbined with Space Magic¡­ I wouldn''t be able to hit her at all. It seems that testing out my offensive capabilities against this girl was a fail.


    However¡­ I could still test out something else.


    I taunted Ling Xin. "Give me your best attack."


    "Hm?


    "I will not attempt to dodge. Hit me with everything you have, Shadow Empress."


    "¡­ Heh. You''re an interesting girl," she snickered. "But sure¡­ if it is a swift death you want, I will give you it."


    Saying this, she closed her eyes and prepared the most powerful attack yet.


    "Mythic Shadow Magic - Eye of the Shadow Realm!"


    She raised her hand high up into the air, as a space crack seemed to appear. Then, the crack slowly became bigger and bigger as it shifted into an eye-like shape. Suddenly, a ck pupil appeared within it, along with an iris of the same color. The singr eye was both terrifying and menacing. As I stared at it, I felt as if I couldn''t even move. If it weren''t for my Apoxyia form''s invincible capabilities, I would''ve died just by looking into it.


    But this was just the beginning of the spell.


    The eye seemed to bulge open, as a massive ck ray of pure destruction shot out of it like a obliteratingser, traveling at light-speed towards me. I closed my eyes and prepared for impact.


    But mere inches away from hitting me, it stopped. I slowly opened my eyes once again, and saw a ck and red force field around me fighting back against theser beam. Ling Xin''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "You¡­ blocked my most powerful attack? My, my¡­ that is¡­ truly impressive."


    The eye closed soon after that, and my force field also dissipated. While the shadow beam had been in contact with the force field, I felt no pressure. Not even the slightest bit of crack appeared within my defenses.


    "¡­ Was that the best you''ve got?" I provoked.


    Ling Xin smiled. "Yes. I won''t lie, that was the most powerful attack I have¡­ judging from raw strength alone, anyway. If I cast that spell towards the ground, it would''ve pierced through the entire with ease. That was how powerful the attack you just withstood was. It''s also unavoidable - even if you tried escaping into a different space or the shadow realm, it would still annihte you."


    "Then, it''s my turn."


    "H-Huh?"


    For the first time, fear appeared on Ling Xin''s face as I began channeling the Mythic-tier energy my force field had just absorbed. I couldn''t absorb her spells directly, but my invincible core made purely out of Chaos energy could.


    A red and ck eye of my own tore the space above me and opened up to face Ling Xin. And since she said it herself¡­ it was impossible for her to dodge this.


    "¡­ Have fun."


    A vaporizing redser of my own shot out of the eye, heading straight for my target. Realizing she couldn''t dodge this, Ling Xin bit her lip and uttered a single sentence.


    "Battle Soul - Come!"


    A massive crescent ck moon appeared all of a sudden. The points of it were facing upwards, and the bulge was pointing down. It emitted a dangerous and prominent Shadow mana aura that I have never witnessed before. The ck gas surrounding it was rich with toxic, dark Shadow energy, and if I tried going in there without my Apoxyia form''s protection, I would undoubtedly die instantly.


    My red beam of obliteration struck the dead center of the crescent moon, and the ground began to shake all around us. The amplification abilities of Chaos had made the Eye of the Shadow Realm attack many times stronger, but even then, the moon did not seem to give way¡­ until atst, cracks began forming in it.


    However, only cracks.


    Theser beam ran out, and the eye above me closed up. The half-broken moon, along with all the Shadow energy it had, also dissipated, revealing an injured Ling Xin underneath. She had blood on the corner of her mouth, but she didn''t seem to be angry with me at all. Instead, a smile was on her face.


    "Ara¡­ it seems I have truly underestimated your power. Hey, enlighten me¡­ is Xuan Kai-kun even stronger than you are?"


    I decided to answer her truthfully, since though I still hated her, I also somewhat acknowledged her strength. She was indeed the toughest opponent I have faced yet.


    "In terms of raw strength, I am superior to Master. However, when ites to strategies and tactics, he is far better than I am. If we were to fight, it is uncertain who woulde out on top."


    "Heh¡­ I see¡­ I''m even more interested in him now¡­"


    By this time, my Apoxyia time was about to run out. Deciding it would be a bad idea to stall any more time, I pointed my arsenal of weapons at Ling Xin.


    "Unfortunately¡­ you will have to die here today, lest you cause any more trouble in the future."


    But faced with my threat, the Shadow Empress smirked.


    "You may have injured me quite a bit, but that''s the extent of it," she said with a wry smile. "I underestimated you before. Now, however, I view you as a true opponent worthy of fighting with all of my strength. And when I get serious¡­ you don''t stand a chance."


    Saying this, she ate some sort of healing pill, and her body instantly began glowing green.


    *Not good¡­ I can''t let her heal.*


    I quicklyunched all the weaponry that I had towards her, but in an instant, she opened a rift in space and stepped through. The next moment, she was behind me, attempting to touch me with that same darkness on her fingers. I only barely managed to avoid it thanks to my Apoxyia form''s high speed and advanced, urate real-time radar.


    However, at this rate, I would lose. She kept blinking in and out of reality, creating rifts in space as easily as breathing. I could never hit her, nor expect where she woulde from next. Every time, I could only detect her the moment before she touched me, and react as quick as I could ording to that.


    But there was just one problem - my time in this form was almost over.


    I decided to send a message to Master asking for help.


    [Master. I have finished testing the capabilities of my Apoxyia form. My timer is about to run out. Requesting assistance.]


    Immediately after, I received a reply.


    [Coming in.]


    As if on cue, the nine others rushed into the dome. Ling Xin paused momentarily to look at them in surprise, but I quickly took advantage of the opportunity and unleashed a barrage of bullets towards her. Unfortunately, she was still too fast.


    My Apoxyia form ran out, and I fell back down to the ground, beside Master. Ling Xin, sensing this, stopped teleporting away.


    "Ara ara~ finally decide to join the fight, Xuan Kai-kun?"


    "¡­ Looks like my Mei Gui here gave you quite the beating," Master said as he took off his mask.


    Ling Xin blinked. "My, you''re pretty handsome¡­ just my type."


    "You showed me your face, it''s only natural I show you mine," Master replied. "And if I have to say¡­ you''re my type too."


    "A pity¡­ that you have to die today," Ling Xin sighed with a sad frown.


    "Indeed¡­ a pity that we were enemies," Master muttered. "But that''s enough talk."


    "I may be injured, but do you think you can beat me just because of that?"


    "No¡­ but it did increases our chances, if only by a little bit."


    "My, my¡­ that is true. But even so¡­ you''ll die in my hands today."


    Master smirked, that fearless grin appearing on his face once more.


    "We''ll see about that."

 Chapter 297 - Life Or Death

    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Immediately, we were shrouded in a dark dome of Shadow energy - Ling Xin''s domain. However, I had already seen this spell before. Immediately, I cast my own counterattack before she could take advantage of this situation.


    *Forbidden Magic - Zero.*


    I mmed my palm on the ground as I released the spell, causing a shockwave of energy to erupt 360 degrees all around me. The Shadow energy was cleansedpletely, not a single speck of it remaining.


    "The more you use that spell, the more I get interested¡­" Ling Xin murmured as the girlsunched a volley of attacks towards her.


    "Level Two Ice Magic - Subzero Hail!" Feng Mian chanted.


    Various skewers of ice formed above Ling Xin, but she vanished and reappeared elsewhere before it could hit her.


    "Hmph¡­ far too slow. Legendary Shadow Magic - Umbral Sphere."


    A massive, deadly ball of concentrated Shadow energy shot out of her palm, but this was exactly what I had wanted.


    "Everyone, behind me!" I yelled to the girls, who immediatelyplied. "Mei Gui, together!"


    "Yes, Master!"


    She came up beside me and we extended our palms together.


    *Come, Chaos!*


    The slow-traveling orb of destruction became even slower as it entered our range of absorption. Mei Gui and I gritted our teeth as we attempted to suck it in with both of our powersbined.


    "C''mon¡­" I muttered in impatience.


    The sphere got closer and closer, until atst, right before it was about to hit us, the orb froze and began to distort. Then, the concentrated Shadow energy split, flowing into Mei Gui''s and my body.


    Everyone on scene''s eyes widened, having not expected this. Hell, we didn''t even expect to be able to do it ourselves. Really, it was just a spur-of-the-moment gamble.


    "This¡­ I feel empowered, somehow¡­" I murmured.


    "Yes¡­ I do as well, Master," Mei Gui agreed, clenching her fists.


    "How interesting," Ling Xin murmured, narrowing her eyes. "That ability of yours¡­ is it another artifact?"


    "Heh. Why would we tell you?" Xiang Peng taunted, but naturally, the Shadow Empress was far too experienced to fall for such provocations.


    "My, my¡­ so immature, despite being the same age as me," Ling Xin sighed in response to Xiang Peng''s words. "Well, no matter¡­ I''ll find out the truth about your abilities eventually."


    Saying this, she opened up a space portal and prepared to step through, but then, suddenly, the portal closed before she could go in. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at us.


    "Who¡­ Space Magic as well, huh? Quite advanced, too¡­ not bad, not bad."


    We obviously weren''t just going to let this opportunity go to waste, so while she was still speaking, we already began chanting our spells. The one who had closed the portal was undoubtedly Amane, as she was the only one proficient in Space Magic here. However, there was no time forpliments or encouragement right now.


    The girls eachunched their own attack in Ling Xin''s general direction at the exact same time, making it virtually impossible for her to physically dodge all these attacks. She would have to rely on magic to do so.


    But, of course, she didn''t have to dodge at all.


    She calmly chanted the following words.


    "Legendary Void Magic - Endless Void."


    A massive purple, ck-hole like circle appeared in front of her. It was huge, and all of the attacks we sent were absorbed towards it.


    "W-What?!" the girls cried out in surprise.


    After sucking in all of our spells, the circle closed on its own, revealing a smug Ling Xin behind.


    "Ara, you think you''re the only one with attack-nullifying abilities?" she giggled. "I may not know what artifact you''re using, but I have certain¡­ alternatives of my own."


    The girls once again triedunching spells at her, from multiple angles this time. We spread out across the arena, surrounding Ling Xin. However, even this was not enough. If it was like this, she could dodge our attacks one by one, even if we fired them all at once - all she had to do was fall back to the ground, since if we shot our attacks at that elevation then there was a risk of hitting each other.


    As for Ling Xin, she seemed to be simply ying with us, making no move to attack. She calmly avoided every attack we threw at her, giggling as if amused in the process.


    After about ten whole minutes of doing this, the girls were exhausted. Thanks to the spell we absorbed earlier, Mei Gui and I were still far from empty, but the others weren''t looking so good. They were all panting in exhaustion as they tried to recover.


    Ling Xin also realized this, and she suddenly flew high up into the air in the middle of us all.


    "Now then¡­ it''s time to end this little game, don''t you think?"


    "You''ve¡­ just been waiting for us to tire ourselves out¡­?" Feng Mian murmured, as if disgusted with her tactics.


    "Of course. Isn''t this a lot more fun? Beating an opponent without having to make any move yourself. Though¡­ of course the two remaining enemies are the most troublesome ones. Isn''t that right, Xuan Kai-kun?"


    She shifted her gaze towards me and we looked into each other''s eyes.


    I slowly raised my arm, as she prepared her own spell. This, would be the final showdown.


    "¡­ Level Three Light Magic - Holy Ray."


    "Mythic Shadow Magic - Eye of Another World."


    My ray of light shot out of my palm, and her spell, the same one she had used on Mei Gui earlier, tore open space to reveal an ominous ck eye¡­ not. No¡­ nothing had appeared, despite her clearly casting the spell.


    I opened my mouth slightly in shock. Even Ling Xin herself seemed to be surprised for a brief moment, but that expression quickly changed to one of relief and¡­ satisfaction?


    My ray of light struck her directly in the body - she made no move to dodge. All of this happened in a fraction of a second - without my instacasting abilities, there was no way she could avoid the literal beam of light I unleashed.


    "Ling Xin!"


    Subconsciously, I called out her name for some reason, and rushed over, catching her falling body in my arms.


    The lips of her corner were bleeding, her mask half-broken, revealing the divine beauty underneath.


    "Hah¡­ I¡­ ran out of mana¡­ haha¡­" sheughed softly. "I¡­ I knew I shouldn''t have¡­ chosen a Mythic¡­ spell¡­ my bad habit¡­ of showing off¡­"


    I turned to Qing Yue. "Qing Yue! Save her."


    "E-Eh? A-Alright!" she replied, still stunned at what had just happened.


    Quickly rushing over, she ced her hands on Ling Xin''s stomach, where I had hit her just now.


    "It''s no use¡­ besides¡­ why are you trying to save me anyway?"


    I gritted my teeth. "Because¡­ you''re a useful tool to me. And I can''t use you if you''re dead. Nothing more."


    "B-Big Brother Xuan Kai! It''s not¡­ it''s not working! Her body¡­ it seems to have been affected by your Cha- I mean, your¡­ artifact!"


    *My Chaos power¡­ it affected her¡­? In that case¡­*


    "Teach Mei Gui the healing spell, quick!"


    "H-Huh? Ah, okay!" Qing Yue eximed, then turned to Mei Gui. "Okay, so¡­ the spell name is¡­"


    ¡­


    "Got it," Mei Gui said briskly after she finished hearing Qing Yue''s instructions. She walked over to where I knelt, holding Ling Xin''s barely-alive body in my arms.


    "Master¡­ are you certain you wish to save her?"


    I nodded. "She''s an invaluable asset. I''m not letting go of this opportunity so easily."


    "¡­ I see."


    With that simple and stoic reply, Mei Gui knelt down beside me and ced her hands over Ling Xin''s wound, just like Qing Yue had done moments earlier.


    Without chanting, she began applying the healing spell. A light green aura emitted from her hands, paired with some traces of ck and red energy.


    "Ngh¡­ ah¡­" Ling Xin moaned as she got healed, her hands grabbing mine and clutching them firmly to endure the pain.


    Momentster, the healing wasplete. Ling Xin was unconscious, but ording to Qing Yue, her condition was now stable. She would wake up soon.


    I sighed in relief and set her down on the snow.


    "I don''t understand, Xuan Kai, why save her? She would''ve killed us, no?" Feng Mian asked in confusion.


    "¡­ Like I said, she''s an invaluable asset. Think about it. Isn''t having a Holy Emperor owe you a favor good? Not to mention she''s on the Council of Arcanity as well. This is like getting a favor directly from the IMF," I exined.


    The girls nodded in understanding after hearing this, and we all decided to rest a bit to recover our energy and mana.


    *Not to mention¡­ I don''t think Ling Xin had been nning on killing us at all.*


    [Master.]


    Suddenly, I received a telepathic message from Mei Gui.


    [What is it?]


    [I have ced a¡­ Soul Shackle on her.]


    [A Soul Shackle¡­? Wait, that Forbidden Magic spell you taught me a while ago?]


    [Yes. However, the method I taught Master back then was only to use it offensively, against a Battle Soul. It can, in fact, be used like this as well, tying the soul of a person to your own.]


    [So¡­ how does that work, exactly?]


    [I tied her life together with my own, essentially. If I die, she will die too - no exceptions, as this is Forbidden Magic I used, the highest tier of magic there is.]


    [Mei Gui¡­]


    [This is the most effective way to control her, Master.]


    [Yeah, but¡­ chaining your own life to hers is kind of risky.]


    [Worry not, Master. I can break the shackle from my end, but she cannot.]


    [In that case, I''m relieved.]


    [What does Master wish to do with her?]


    I sank into thought for a brief moment, then smirked.


    [Use her as a spy¡­ from within the IMF.]

 Chapter 298 - Finishing First

    Ling Xin woke up soon after that.


    "Mm¡­ngh, huh?"


    She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was my back. I had been sitting in front of her, protecting her from the snowstorm.


    "Finally awake?"


    "¡­ Xuan Kai-kun?"


    I sighed. "What''s with the ''kun''? You''re not a demihuman. Humans don''t use honorifics like that."


    "Eh, I just thought it''s cute¡­ hm, still, you saved me, huh?" she murmured, then suddenlytched onto my back and whispered into my ear seductively.


    "Ara ara~ could it be¡­ you''ve fallen for my charms?"


    I sent her an unamused nce and pried her hands off of me as the other girls watched on in jealousy, eyes filled with killing intent. "If you''re able to flirt like that, it''s clear you''ve recovered."


    "Hehe~"


    "So? We beat you. What do we have to do now?"


    "Oh my, but did you? Now that I have recovered, I can¡­"


    "You won''t," I cut her off. "You''re not the type to return good with evil."


    "Hmm¡­ and what do you know about me?" she whispered.


    I lowered my voice so no one else would hear. "I''m not stupid. You let us win that fight."


    Her eyes widened slightly, but quickly regained herposure since she didn''t want to other girls realizing something was off.


    "¡­ How did you know?"


    "It was obvious. A Holy Emperor, failing to manage her mana properly? I refuse to believe that."


    "¡­" she fell silent, as if disappointed her trick had been seen through.


    "None of the others know," I said,forting her a bit. "But tell me¡­ why did you let us win?"


    She smiled seductively. "Because I like you. Why else?"


    I scoffed. "It''s more like you''re interested in my abilities."


    "Why ask if you already know?" she giggled, but then grabbed my hand and ced it against her ample breasts. My eyes widened and I turned to look at her in the eyes. It was then that I realized they were glowing yellow, though they were ck before.


    "Though¡­ you did save me," she whispered like a charming princess. "So if you want¡­ I don''t mind being yours, hehe."


    "Tch¡­" I tore my hand away. "How many men have you seduced like that?"


    "Ara, you''re the first one I''ve tried to, actually," she blinked a few times in honesty.


    <em>Level One Psychic Magic - Detect Lie.</em>


    This had been one of the spells I learned at the Library of Infinite Beginnings. This isn''t exactly a good use for it, but might as well test it out.


    My eyes widened a bit. The results of the test¡­ were false? In other words, she wasn''t lying?


    No¡­ she could be giving me a false output here. She was a Holy Emperor, an artifact that prevented any lie detection spells wouldn''t be out of her reach, not to mention if she had a Psychic Element affinity.


    Not that I cared about this, anyway.


    "What elemental affinities do you have?" I asked.


    "Hm¡­ let''s see, Shadow, Space, and Void are the only ones I usemonly. As for my other ones¡­ Enchantment, Sound, Demon, and Earth."


    I blinked in surprise. "You¡­ actually told me?"


    She giggled. "Hehe~ I''m not stupid either. I can feel something''s off with my Battle Soul, like it''s¡­ constrained, somehow. You definitely did something to me when I was unconscious."


    <em>Well, if you put it like that, it sounds a bit¡­ never mind.</em>


    Still, she didn''t have Psychic or Curse element affinities¡­ though then again, there was a chance she was lying. I don''t think she was, though.


    Then¡­ did that mean I really was the first person she''s tried courting?


    Given her demeanor, that was¡­ pretty hard to believe, but not impossible.


    Sighing, I continued, putting that matter aside for now. "What do we do now toplete the preliminaries?"


    She smiled. "Anytime, now."


    "Huh?"


    As if on cue, the seven pirs around us shot out different-colored beams of light, converging into a crackling sphere of energy above us. The seven colors were ck, dark blue, dark purple, white, lime, crimson, and brown.


    "Those colors¡­ they match your elemental affinities¡­" I murmured.


    "Indeed they do."


    The girls all stood up from resting, and I did the same. Only Ling Xin seemed unfazed.


    The sphere began spinning more rapidly than ever, and eventually, it exploded, painting the sky the seven colors.


    A portal then opened in front of us. It was the same seven colors as the sky, spinning slowly. It made me dizzy to look at it for too long, so I quickly averted my gaze.


    "Just step through the portal, and you''ll have passed~" Ling Xin said with a smile.


    "¡­ Leena," I said, turning to the elf.


    "H-Huh? Yes?"


    "¡­ Your team¡­"


    She quickly shook her head. "D-Don''t worry about it! I never expected to win this anyway with this handicap¡­ I was just hoping to make it out of this alive to try again next year."


    "¡­ I see. Sorry, I¡­ kind of used you."


    "Ahaha, that can''t be helped¡­"


    I then turned back to Ling Xin. "When Leena''s team gets here¡­"


    She winked. "I get it. I''ll just let them pass."


    "X-Xuan Kai?" Leena''s eyes widened.


    "Secondce should still have some rewards, right?"


    Ling Xin nodded. "While they won''t be able to participate in the main tournament, they will still have a chance to make it into Fragment this year¡­ though I can''t say too much about that right now. Then again, you could probably force me to talk anyway."


    "I won''t do that. If possible, I want to keep our rtionship neutral. The Soul Shackle is just there as a¡­ precaution."


    "Ara ara, showing care for this big sister?" Ling Xin hugged me from behind, caressing my chest seductively.


    "H-Hey!" the other girls yelled, pouting in jealousy.


    Mei Gui, in particr, had a grim look on her face.


    "Do you want to die, Shadow Empress?"


    "Mei Gui¡­ don''t¡­" I sighed exasperatedly.


    "Ara, Xuan Kai-kun is defending me~"


    "¡­ Give an inch and they''ll reach for a mile," I muttered, prying her bewitching hands off of me. "You guys go on ahead through the portal."


    The girls looked at one another but did as told, leaving behind only Leena, Ling Xin, and I.


    "A job for me, perhaps?" she murmured into my ear.


    I nced at Leena, who met my gaze. "I-I understand."


    Saying this, she moved away as to not disturb our conversation. With this, I didn''t have to worry about her hearing something she shouldn''t.


    "My first task for you is to find me information on the Midnight Syndicate," I said quietly. "With the IMF''s resources, that shouldn''t be difficult."


    "¡­ That''s a tall order, y''know? The other council members will get suspicious if I suddenly start digging around about that criminal organization."


    "Is your seat among the Council of Arcanity that low?"


    "Well, you can probably see why, can''t you?"


    I fell into thought. "What if¡­ I get another person to help you?"


    "Another person¡­ haha! Do you think outsiders can interfere in the Council''s matters?" Ling Xinughed boldly, clutching her stomatch.


    "No¡­ what if he is a Council member, just like you?"


    Ling Xin paused. "¡­ You know another one?"


    The Human Founder I had met in the Library of Infinite Beginnings had also been a member of the Council of Arcanity. This was info he told me himself, so it couldn''t be wrong. Still, being both a Council of Arcanity member and a Founder of the Library¡­ how serendipitous.


    I smirked. "Yeah. His name is Tian Lin. Do you not recognize him?"


    "Tian Lin¡­ real names are not used in the Council of Arcanity. Only aliases. I, for example, am known as the Shadow Empress. But if you describe his appearance¡­"


    "Tall, cold, sses. ck hair, ck eyes. About 40."


    "Oh, there is someone like that¡­ a human, right?"


    I nodded. "What''s his alias?"


    Ling Xin snickered. "Tsunami."


    "So¡­ Water Magic?"


    "Yep. If I were to fight him, there''s no telling who would win."


    <em>He''s on the Council¡­ it makes sense for him to be on the same level as Ling Xin.</em>


    "I see. Well, I''ll get him to help you."


    "How¡­?" she tilted her head in puzzlement. "How do you even know him in the first ce¡­?"


    "I have my ways. Also, you''re not exactly in a position to be asking questions."


    She giggled. "Hehe, didn''t you just say you wanted to keep our rtionship¡­ neutral? What''s with the threats?"


    I snorted. "As if you can be controlled without threats. I would like to avoid using them if possible, but¡­"


    "Yes, yes¡­ I won''t betray you, don''t worry. I lost, so I have to pay the price, yeah?"


    Despite her situation, she seemed very carefree and easy-going, as if nothing had changed. In fact, she seemed¡­ happier than before.


    "Hey¡­" I began hesitantly.


    "Hm?


    "¡­ Your eyes. There''s a trace of sadness hidden within them, deep down."


    "¡­ Whatever do you mean?"


    "My instincts tell me you don''t actually want to be in the Council of Arcanity at all," I said. "And it definitely has something to do with your past."


    "¡­ Sorry, even if you kill me, I''m not saying anything about that," she said after a short silence. She was being serious, her tone dark, in a stark contrast with her usual self.


    "¡­ We''ll meet again."


    With those words, I stepped through the portal, leaving her behind.


    In the corner of my eye, I saw her reach out with her hand a bit, as if trying to hold me back from leaving, but she retracted it almost immediately. I could see the faint gleam of a tear in her eyes, threatening to shatter the silence between us.


    I pretended not to notice this and continued onwards.


    <em>This girl¡­ she''s more than she seems. Was she crying just now because I pointed out her past? The past that no one else was supposed to know?</em>


    <em>She still had many more mysteries¡­ and that only made me more curious about her.</em>


    <em>Ling Xin¡­</em>


    "Xuan Kai¡­"


    <em><strong>"Just who are you?"1</strong></em> Just for reference, the two said this at the same time as they parted (Ling Xin out loud, Xuan Kai in his head).

 Chapter 299 - Preparations

    The portal we entered brought us back the Fortress, where the same man who had hosted this preliminary was waiting at the exact same location we had entered the snowy biome from.


    "Looks like we have a winner," he chuckled. "I didn''t expect one to show up so soon, though."


    "¡­ So, we got first?" Feng Mian asked, just to confirm.


    The man nodded. "Now, follow me."


    As the man walked away, the girls cheered happily.


    "We did it, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    I smiled and patted Qing Yue''s head. "Yeah¡­ we did."


    "It doesn''t seem like you were even trying all that hard, though," Xiang Pengughed with a sinister smirk.


    "What do you mean¡­ thatst fight against Ling Xin really took a lot out of me," I sighed. "If it weren''t for Mei Gui injuring her beforehand, we would''ve lost. Hard."


    "Still, to think she ran out of mana¡­" Yu An Yan murmured thoughtfully.


    "Yeah, hard to believe, isn''t it?" Lan Xiao Su added, frowning slightly.


    <em>Well¡­ this is not good. They''re catching on to the truth.</em>


    "U-Uh, for now, let''s follow that man," I interrupted, quickly ending the conversation.


    The girls nodded and followed after me.


    The watching crowd all around us were shocked to see me, possibly because they had been expecting some big names to be the victors. Then, of course, there was the girls with me, who were all quite eye-attracting, to say the least. Because I was curious, I decided to discretely listen in on their conversation.


    <em>Level One Sound Magic - Listener.</em>


    I could''ve used a Potentia spell instead, but this was easier - I had also learned this in the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    "What do you think of that kid?" an elderly man asked his friend beside him.


    "Luck. It is unfortunate, but one''s luck has a big impact on the oue of this preliminary contest. If it had been a tournament, my Qi Feng would have won for sure."


    <em>Qi Feng, huh? Heh. He''s lucky this wasn''t a tournament. If it was¡­ I would''ve humiliated him so badly, he wouldn''t be able to show his face in the Fortress ever again. This old fogey would''ve had to leave as well.</em>


    We were soon led to a chamber by the man. There, a chesty.


    "Open it, and you shall receive your rewards," he said.


    We did as told, lifting the lid. Inside were ten stones of some sort, ten potions, and a¡­ tablet of some sort.


    "What is this¡­?" Qing Yue murmured, taking the tablet out. It seemed to have the logo of the IMF inscribed on it.


    "That is your token to the main tournament happening the day after tomorrow," the man exined. "It will be held at the very center of the Fortress¡­ below Fragment itself, where the four districts converge."


    "I see¡­ and the rest?" I continued, taking over.


    "Those are ten Awakening Stones and ten mana-replenishment potions. Use them wisely."


    "A-Awakening Stones?!" Feng Mian''s jaw dropped. "One for each of us¡­?! Aren''t these only obtainable by ranking up?"


    Awakening Stones - special catalysts that helped you gain a new element, or even multiple if you''re lucky.


    "You came in first, meaning you are the champions. And champions deserve such rewards," the man said with a chuckle.


    "Hold on," I interjected. "Is it possible¡­ to exchange these mana replenishment potions for Upgrade Runes instead?"


    "¡­ No," the man replied, but then his curves turned up into a smirk. "However¡­ if you are able to make it into Fragment, then such resources are child''s y."


    "I see. Then, we''ll ept these with gratitude," I said, taking out my Space Locket and throwing everything from the chest inside.


    Then, turning around, I asked, "What time exactly will the tournament be happening?"


    "8 AM in the morning. Take your time resting tomorrow, and prepare for the uing fight. It won''t be easy, kid. As the IMF representative of District A, I hope you win."


    I nodded. "Thanks. We''ll do our best not to let you down."


    With that, we left the room, exiting through a nearby door. However, since my hearing boost spell was still active, I managed to catch onto the man''s murmurs after he thought we were out of earshot.


    "To think they beat the Shadow Empress¡­ but weren''t all the examiners ordered to kill off all of this year''s participants without mercy¡­? Ah, forget it¡­ they must have some skill if they managed to reach the endpoint on the second day anyway¡­"


    I froze for a brief moment upon hearing these words.


    "What is it, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, seeing that I stopped walking.


    I snapped out of my daze and hurriedly shook my head. "Ah, no, it''s nothing¡­"


    The girls looked at me with skepticism, but didn''t ask any further. We decided to head back to Old Man Leng''s shop from there to deliver him the good news.


    <em>The IMF¡­ what are they nning?</em>


    *****


    Turns out, we didn''t have to walk all the way to the shop at all - Qing Yue had sent a quick message to Old Man Leng, and in about ten minutes he was here. I was 200% sure he was speeding, but perhaps that''s just how excited he was.


    "Hey, Old Man Leng," I chuckled upon seeing his disfiguredplexion. It seemed he had driven here in a huge hurry.


    "A-Ah, yea, how goes it?"


    "Not much. We beat the littlepetition. The main tournament''s next, happening the day after tomorrow," I shrugged, purposely giving off an air of arrogance, simply because I wanted to tease the old man a bit.


    "O-Oi, ya ain''t lyin'' to me, are ya? Ya really got first? On the second day?!"


    "What, not confident in your own teaching abilities?" I mocked.


    "H-Huh? You damn brat¡­"


    "Listen, if you don''t believe us, the arena''s right that way. You can ask anyone present yourself," Obsidia said darkly.


    "Nah, I believe ya¡­ it''s just¡­ I never expected¡­ this quick¡­"


    "We just got lucky, really," Feng Mianughed awkwardly. "We managed to cooperate with another team and gather map pieces together, which made it a lot quicker¡­"


    "But ya still had to fight the examiner at the end, no? Usually, that''s a Golden Monarch-level mage! If ya were able to beat ''em, then ya obviously got some skill."


    "Eh? A Golden Monarch? But-" Qing Yue began, but I quickly cut her off.


    "Yeah, the Golden Monarch probably went easy on us," I said. "I could feel he wasn''t using his full strength when he fought us."


    Qing Yue frowned at me slightly, but I sent her a gaze that said ''I''ll exinter''.


    "Huh¡­ I see¡­ well, this is good news. I''m sure my wife''ll be happy to hear this too."


    "Mhm. But before that¡­ how''s ria doing?"


    Old Man Leng grinned. "Hop on."


    The girls and I exchanged nces, and we did as told.


    *****


    When we got back to Old Man Leng''s shop, he didn''t let us in, but instead led us to his wife''s shop a short distance away. Once we got there, we entered in as Mrs. Leng greeted us.


    "Wee back! Did you finish the preliminaries already?"


    "Yep. They won it, too," Old Man Leng chuckled proudly, then turned to me. "Yer friend''s in the backroom."


    As Mrs. Leng''s eyes widened in surprise, I nodded in gratitude and immediately rushed over, slowly pushing open the door to the storage room of the shop. There,ying beneath some nkets, was ria in her human form, breathing softly.


    It seemed that ria had been staying with Mrs. Leng all this time, since Old Man Leng''s back storage room wasn''t really suitable for living in for days in a row. The consideration they''ve shown for my phoenix, I will repay one day.


    Gently, I scooped ria up in my arms. She seemed to notice my presence, as her eyes slowly blinked open. And upon gazing at my face for the first time, her eyes widened, before immediately breaking into tears.


    "Master!" she cried, hugging me tightly. I gently embraced her back as Mei Gui sent her a look filled with killing intent, possibly because she didn''t like any other girl calling me Master.


    From a short distance away, the other girls, along with Old Man Leng and his wife, watched on with smiles on their faces.


    "You''re finally back, huh?" I murmured into her ear as she bawled her eyes out.


    "I-I''m sorry! I didn''t know I would go into hibernation that quickly¡­"


    "It''s fine. Still¡­ you were certainly hibernating for a long time,pared to other Magic Beasts. At least, that''s what I''ve heard from Obsidia. Your appearance has certainly changed, but¡­ what about your power level?"


    She was now wearing some kind of enchanting ck dress, simr to the one Mei Gui used to wear. Her body was still the same size, but her features seemed to have¡­ matured, somehow.


    "My power level has increased by a lot, heehee!" she dered, sniffling her nose and wiping the tears away.


    Hearing this, all of us couldn''t help but interested in what new abilities she unlocked.


    <em>Just how powerful did she be¡­?</em>

 Chapter 300 - Flarias New Powers

    "Hold on, ria," I interrupted, preventing her from spilling any important information here. Old Man Leng and his wife were still present, so¡­


    "Hm?"


    "Let''s go to a hotel first. I''m tired and want to just lie down," I lied, making an excuse. Then, I turned to Mrs. Leng. "Uh, Mrs. Leng¡­"


    "Heh. Follow me, I''ll get you a room," she said, walking out of the shop, then turned to Old Man Leng. "Take care of the store for a bit."


    He nodded in response, and we followed Mrs. Leng out.


    She led us to the same hotel we stayed at before, booking us a room and leaving shortly after the process was done. She couldn''t leave the shop hanging for too long, after all - Old Man Leng still had his own ce to worry about.


    We quickly entered the room, and after checking the ce for any monitoring devices, I sat down on the couch and turned to ria.


    "Now, talk. What new powers did you obtain?"


    "Heheh, finally. Okay, so, starting off, I can now freely transform between phoenix and human form instantly," ria said proudly. "There is no limit to how quick or how frequent I can change form, so I could essentially change into my real form during battle, unleash a powerful attack, then go straight back to my human form before anyone could even react."


    "Really? It''s that quick?" Qing Yue''s eyes widened in surprise.


    ria nodded, rubbing her nose in confidence. "Yep! Not only that, but my raw power has also increased by a lot. My strength in this form should be on par with an Ancestral Mage, but in my true form¡­ I should be able topete with ate-stage Golden Monarch."


    "Ate-stage Golden Monarch¡­ that''s only one step away from Ling Xin''s cultivation!" Feng Mian eximed. "If it''s like this, then if we had ria back there, we could''ve beaten her easily¡­?"


    I shook my head. "Maybe if Ling Xin had just stepped into the Holy Emperor realm. But from what it seemed like to me, she''s already been in it for quite a well. I''ve fought various Golden Monarchs before, and she''s definitely a lot stronger than them¡­ possibly even close to the Saint stage."


    "Saint¡­ that seems¡­ so distant from where we are," Yu An Yan murmured with a hint of sadness in her eyes.


    "No¡­ in fact, despite being Intermediate Mages, you all have strength on par with that of Advanced Mages," I said. "Especially now, since we got the Awakening Stones, you might as well have be fully-fledged Advanced Mages."


    "Oh yeah, speaking of, we never went to im our rewards for bing Intermediate Mages, huh?" Qing Yue said thoughtfully. "Where could we do that, hm¡­"


    "We can do that tomorrow," Xiang Peng interjected. "There''s an IMF branch in every district of the Fortress, and I just happen to know where the branch in this district is."


    "Sounds good," Feng Mian winked.


    "ria, what other abilities did you gain other than instant form swap and increased overall firepower?" Lan Xiao Su asked excitedly. She knew ria was a phoenix, so naturally she was excited. It was like this with the elves too. She also didn''t seem to stutter when she was genuinely interested in something like this, which was pretty cute.


    "Well, I don''t know if this can be called a new ability, but¡­"


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "¡­ During my hibernation, I kept seeing visions of a war. Which was weird, since I haven''t witnessed any wars in my time. There was this¡­ woman I was spectating from the outside. She looked simr to myself in human form, but a lot more grown."


    "Was she¡­ your mother?" Yu An Yan asked hesitantly.


    Slowly, ria nodded. "Yes¡­ but when I called out to her, she didn''t answer¡­ it was as if¡­ I wasn''t there at all."


    <em>That''s because it was only a vision. Just a memory of the past, nothing more. But ria said it herself - there were no wars in her time¡­ so why was she seeing these scenes, rted to her mother?</em>


    <em>In any case¡­ this must be hard on her. Even though it''s just a vision - a dream - calling out to your beloved mother and not being responded to had to be painful¡­ especially since you''ve already lost her once. I knew that feeling all too well.</em>


    "ria¡­" the girls murmured worriedly.


    "Could it be¡­ the Golden Phoenix Bloodline¡­?" Obsidia muttered, almost inaudibly. But I caught it.


    "The Golden Phoenix Bloodline? What''s that?" I asked, turning everyone''s attention towards Obsidia. Her eyes widened a bit, and she bit her lip.


    "¡­ I do not know much about it, myself, but¡­ the Golden Phoenix Bloodline could be considered to be the ''royalty'' of phoenixes, passed down from generation to generation. They are the most powerful among the race, and are worshipped as leaders. While dragons and phoenixes are on equal footing, it would take multiple Elder Dragons together to take on the Golden Phoenix of any given generation."


    I frowned. "So what makes you say ria is the descendant of the Golden Phoenix Bloodline?"


    "I heard from my seniors back in the tribe¡­ Golden Phoenixes are rumored to receive visions of their past generation. These appear suddenly and unpredictably. If the phoenix is able to grasp the meanings of these shbacks, then their power will be increased by a lot. At least¡­ that is what they said."


    "Grasp the meaning¡­" ria tightened her fists, a look of determination in her eyes.


    "That is all I know. I am not a phoenix myself, after all," Obsidia said, before walking away into the bathroom. "I will shower first."


    "The Golden Phoenix Bloodline, huh?" Xiang Peng murmured.


    "You know more about it?" Lan Xiao Su asked.


    She shook her head, "No, but I have heard of it. It is said that once, a long time ago, a Golden Phoenix wiped out half the in a rampage."


    "N-Nya, you''re kwidding, right? H-Half the ply?!" Amane eximed in shock, then looked at ria with fear.


    I chuckled and patted ria''s head. "Don''t worry, Amane¡­ even if our phoenix here turns that powerful, she won''t be able to break the naturalws of Magic Beasts. She signed a lifetime contract with me, so as long as I''m still alive, she cannot go against my orders."


    "Grr¡­" she growled at me, but didn''t make a move to pry my hands off. An improvement, I suppose.


    "Is that all, ria?"


    She nodded slowly, remaining silent.


    I sighed. "Alright. The hibernation was worth it, it seems. And if you really are this Golden Phoenix Bloodline or whatever¡­"


    "I know, I know¡­ I''ll grasp the meaning to be more powerful. That way, you can use me better, right?"


    I blinked.


    "No."


    "¡­ Huh?"


    "I was actually going to say¡­ if it''s too hard for you to look at those visions with your mother in them¡­ then don''t do it at all."


    "But¡­ the meaning¡­"


    "So what? I would rather have a healthy, happy phoenix over a powerful, mentally broken one. I don''t care if you don''t grasp the meaning or whatever. As long as don''t force yourself."


    "Master¡­"


    "Go take a shower already," I rolled my eyes. "You haven''t done that in¡­ what, two weeks now, right?"


    "W-Wah! Are you saying I smell?!" she eximed, shaking my shoulders back and forth.


    "N-No, I''m just saying, even Magic Beasts need cleaning, right? Hey, Obsidia, righ- oh wait, she''s showering¡­ hey, let me go!"


    She never did.


    *****


    The next morning, we all set out to the IMF branch Xiang Peng had mentionedst night. We decided not to do any training and just rx, take it easy, since overworking yourself wasn''t good considering we had a tournamenting up tomorrow.


    "Here it is," Xiang Peng smirked as we arrived before a decently-tall building that looked quite aesthetically-pleasing.


    "This is¡­ smaller than I expected for an IMF building," Feng Mian mused, ncing up.


    "Well, the IMF isn''t extravagant in everything they do," Xiang Pengughed. "C''mon. Let''s head in."


    We followed her inside, where plenty of people were waiting in line behind receptionists. We found the shortest one and waited patiently.


    Ten minutester, it was our turn.


    "Good morning," the receptionist said with a bright smile. "How may I help you today?


    "We''re¡­ looking to get our Awakening Tests done," I said, unsure if that''s what they were called. "We ranked up to Intermediate Mage a while ago, but never got the chance to do it due to¡­ certain circumstances."


    "Ah, okay, no problem. I just need your Mage IDs¡­"


    The process waspleted in a few minutes. She handed Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Qing Yue, and I an Awakening Stone each, contained within small ss cubes.


    "Because of the high amount of traffic going in and out¡­ the wait-list for a proper Awakening test is long," the receptionist exined. "Therefore, we have adapted this method instead, just giving out Awakening Stones to people. The chance of sess is lowered due to inadequate equipment and environment for some people, but¡­ we apologize for the inconvenience. If you wish to wait for your turn for a proper test, though, I can arrange that for you as well."


    I shook my head. "No need. Thank you."


    "You''re very wee. Have a good day, ande again."


    We said our farewells and exited the building. The wait-list being long may be a bad thing for most people, but to us, this was actually a blessing in disguise. By giving us Awakening Stones directly, we could transfer them however we wanted among us. I, for example, already had ess to all 21 elements, so I didn''t need to use one, and could instead give it to someone else. Mei Gui was in the same situation.


    I took a deep breath.


    "For now, let''s head on back to the hotel room and use these."


    The girls nodded, and we made our way back to the hotel.

 Chapter 301 - More Elements

    When we got back to the hotel, the first thing we did was distribute our Awakening Stones. Since Mei Gui and I didn''t need them, we ended up with three that could be given to others - two from finishing first in the preliminaries, and one from the IMF branch.


    "So? Who''s going to take the three extra?" Xiang Peng asked, leaning on the wall.


    "Well¡­ to start off, out of the eleven of us, only ria doesn''t have any. So we should give one to her¡­?" Feng Mian suggested.


    "I don''t even know how that would work," I said, then turned to Obsidia. "Obsidia, what happens if an intelligent Magic Beast like you or ria used an Awakening Stone?"


    She sighed. "We Magic Beasts are not the same as any other race. Depending on the species, we are either born with one element or multiple, but we cannot gain any other elemental affinities beyond that."


    "For example, I can only use Fire and Sky Magic," ria added. "Although I cannot use any other elements, my power in these two are insurmountable."


    "Hmph. How coincidental yet unfortunate¡­ I share the same elements as this bird," Obsidia muttered.


    The two of them red daggers at each other as usual. Before things turned hot and violent, I interjected.


    "So, you two both can only use Fire and Sky Magic?" I asked just to confirm.


    "Yeah, but we have special, extra-powerful spells only phoenixes and dragons can use," ria said.


    "Indeed. Normal spells do not evenpare," Obsidia agreed with ria, for once.


    "But¡­ that makes me curious. Both of you have been somewhat affected by my Chaos energy by being beside me for so long. Is it possible for you to use other elements as well, like me?"


    "This¡­" Obsidia looked down at the floor in thought. "¡­ I have never actually attempted to."


    "¡­ Yeah, me neither," ria admitted. "But maybe¡­? I think it''s unlikely though."


    "Well, it doesn''t hurt to give it a try, does it?" Feng Mian smiled, then raised out her hand, pointing it at me. My eyes widened slightly as I realized what she was going to do.


    "Here, follow along, ria," she winked, then began channeling her mana.


    "Level One Ice Magic - Skewer of Ice."


    A thin and sharp projectile of ice shot out of her palm towards me. I casually raised a finger, absorbing the spell into my body.


    ria, seeing this interaction, bit her lip and mimicked Feng Mian''s actions.


    "Level One Ice Magic¡­ Skewer of Ice!"


    ¡­


    Nothing happened.


    ria sighed dejectedly. "As I thought¡­"


    "Aw, it''s okay, ria¡­" Lan Xiao Suforted, hugging her gently. "It''s no big deal¡­"


    "¡­ Try using an Awakening Stone," Mei Gui suddenly interjected, which was unusual.


    "Huh?" we turned to look at her in surprise.


    "Like Master said, both the dragon and the phoenix have been affected by his Chaos energy. All they require is onest catalyst to share the benefits¡­ the Awakening Stone may serve."


    "Did you¡­ remember something?" I asked.


    Slowly, she shook her head. "It is¡­ extremely hazy. I do, however, believe using an Awakening Stone on them is worth a try."


    "¡­ Are we sure about this?" Yu An Yan raised an eyebrow. "If the experiment goes wrong, the Awakening Stone will be wasted. Those things don''t grow on trees, y''know."


    "Hm¡­" we all fell silent. Yu An Yan had a point - Awakening Stones were extremely precious materials that could only be used once. If the experiment failed, we would have lost a powerful item while gaining nothing.


    <em>But¡­</em>


    I turned to look at ria, who had a nervous expression on her face. Obsidia was as nonchnt as ever, but I think she wanted to try using an Awakening Stone as well.


    "I believe in them," I said, my decision made. "Even if it fails, we would have gained information. That way, the next time we receive Awakening Stones, we''ll know."


    "Master¡­" ria looked up at me with tears in her eyes. She reminded me of Qing Yue, which made me want to protect her as well.


    "¡­ Alright. Let''s do it," Yu An Yan said with a sigh.


    "Using Awakening Stones is most effective when alone, in a quiet environment," Xiang peng said. "Let''s take turns using the room, while the rest of us wait in the hallway."


    We nodded in agreement. I took out an Awakening Stone from my Space Locket and handed it to ria.


    "ria first, then Obsidia, then the rest in alphabetical order, starting with Amane," I said, walking out of the room. The others followed as ria remained in the room.


    In the hallway, we waited silently. There was no telling who could be listening, so we all quietly agreed to not talk about anything here.


    That is, out loud, anyway.


    [Mei Gui.]


    [Yes, Master?]


    [About Ling Xin¡­ is there any way we can contact her?]


    [Yes, Master. I can directlymunicate with her soul, via the Soul Shackles. If there is anything you wish to tell her, just let me know.]


    [Ah, I see. Got it.]


    [Anything else, Master?]


    [Hm¡­ yeah, one more thing. Can we sense when she''s in danger? For example, if she is physically harmed or whatnot.]


    [Yes. I can detect if she is gravely injured, no matter how far away.]


    [Great¡­ this way, we can fully control her.]


    [Master, I can also inflict pain on her soul from time to time to force her to speed up, if needed.]


    [Nah, I''m not in a hurry. My goal right now is to just into Fragment¡­ I don''t care when Ling Xin finds the information I want. If she stalls for too long though¡­ you know what to do.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    Ten minutester, ria came out. There was sweat on her forehead, and she was visibly tired. The process to use an Awakening Stone was simple - hold the rock inside your hand, and begin channeling your mana into it.


    However, this would eventually drain the user dry, thus making them extremely tired by the end of it. If someone doesn''t know their own limits, they might even fall under MES - Mana Exhaustion Syndrome. It was rare, but people have died from using Awakening Stones.


    "How was it? Did you seed?" I asked, walking into the room with everyone else following behind. As stated before, the hallway was not suitable for conversation.


    ria, instead of replying, held up her hand and pointed it at me.


    "Level One Ice Magic - Skewer of Ice."


    My eyes widened. Slowly, a sharp projectile of ice shot out of her hand, followed by a burst of blue mes. I immediately reacted, attempting to absorb the mana.


    <em>W-What¡­?! It''s not working¡­?!</em>


    Gritting my teeth, I used both hands and increased the Chaos power I was putting into this. Mei Gui joined in as well to help, and after a few seconds of tension, the me-trailing ice skewer was finally subdued, converted into mana and flowing into Mei Gui''s and my body.


    "What the hell was that¡­?" I muttered in shock.


    "Hehe," ria smirked triumphantly. "I can use Water and Ice Magic now, in addition to Sky and Fire. But, as you can see, my phoenix mes still end up affecting my spells, so they end up being empowered."


    My eyes widened. "So¡­ not only did you gain two new elements, the power is also amplified like my own magic?"


    Mei Gui was the one to respond this time. "No, Master¡­ the amplification abilities of her phoenix mes are even greater than the level of Chaos understanding you currently possess."


    "Woah¡­ for real¡­?" Qing Yue''s mused in surprise. "Does that mean¡­ ria is stronger than Big Brother Xuan Kai now?"


    "Not necessarily," Feng Mian said. "While in terms of raw strength, ria may be stronger now, but Xuan Kai still has ess to all 21 elements, and of course, the ability to nullify other people''s magic and convert it into mana for himself. That is an ability unable to be mimicked by anyone else - apart from Mei Gui, of course."


    "Still¡­ I can''t believe it actually worked¡­" Yu An Yan murmured.


    "Sis¡­ sometimes¡­ you need to be¡­ more confident¡­ in your¡­ allies¡­" Yu An Xue whispered, patting her sister''s shoulder gently.


    "Y-Yeah¡­" she replied softly.


    "Well, if it worked for ria, then¡­"


    We all focused our gazes on Obsidia. She sighed as she took out her own Awakening Stone. Once again, the rest of us exited the room to leave her in peace, and waited patiently.


    Several minutester, she came back out and attempted to demonstrate her newfound powers the same way ria had, but I quickly stopped her. I may have been able to block ria''s attack, but I didn''t know about Obsidia. The term ''holding back'' did not exist in her vocabry.


    The other girls went in after that, one at a time. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and the Yu sisters all had two Awakening Stones each, so they took longer than the other girls. That said, I still had two Awakening Stones leftover - I decided to give them to Obsidia and ria respectively, since it worked out so well the first time.


    By the time they were all done, our group''s overall power level had increased by quite a bit. The girls all unlocked new elements, some one, others multiple. Currently, our party''s elemental affinities looked like this:


    Feng Mian: Ice, Shadow, Poison, Curse, Necromancy


    Qing Yue: Light, Blessing, Psychic, Enchantment, Summoning


    Yu An Yan: Fire, Sky, Time, Void, Metal


    Yu An Xue: Ice, Water, Space, Earth, Void


    Lan Xiao Su: Water, Blessing, Enchantment, Light


    Xiang Peng: Sky, Gravity, Light, Water, Metal, Sound, Psychic


    Obsidia: Fire, Sky, Earth, Water


    ria: Fire, Sky, Ice, Water


    Amane: Space, Time, Fire, Shadow, Demon


    Tomorrow would be the fight to enter Fragment.


    Were we ready?

 Chapter 302 - Acting In The Shadows

    After the girls all finished using the Awakening Stones, it was decided that we would just take it easy for the rest of the day. Quality rest time was just as important as quality training when it came to major events such as tournaments.


    However, since I still had a task to do, I headed out of the inn. I didn''t tell the other girls what it was, but they knew better than to ask, since I wasn''t going to answer anyway.


    My destination this time around was the Library of Infinite Beginnings. I was already familiar with the path there, and since I was alone today, I was free to travel however I liked.


    <em>Level One Sky Magic - Flight.</em>


    Rising high up into the air, I looked around. I wasn''t the only one in the skies - there were plenty of other mages with Sky Element affinities taking the high road as well. I began flying in the direction of the Library of Infinite Beginnings - it was a massive tower that reached the heavens; it wasn''t exactly hard to miss. In fact, I could see a faint silhouette of it even from here.


    As to not attract any unnecessary attention, I chose to refrain from using any speed boosting spells. I could''ve actually went even faster, but that would''ve caused problems. I had a Cloak of Invisibility, but honestly, I wasn''t in too big of a rush, so I decided to just take it slow. Besides, this was a good opportunity to really admire the breathtaking view of the Fortress. There was nothing like a bird''s eye view.


    As I looked around in wonder, before I knew it, I had arrived at the Library of Infinite Beginnings. I nearly crashed into the walls of it, too.


    Sighing, I slowly descended,nding softly on the ground and walking into the building through the front doors. Mrs. Fang happened to be on her shift today, so she waved at me in greeting. I walked over.


    "Good afternoon, Mrs. Fang," I said.


    "Greetings," she replied with a warm smile like that of a mother.


    "Was there anything you wanted with me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. In all honesty, I already had a goo idea what this was about, but I wanted to hear it directly from her mouth, just in case.


    She nodded, then looked around hesitantly. "Yes¡­ it''s about¡­ the antidote."


    As expected.


    "Actually, I came here to the Library just for that," I said, scratching my hair.


    Her eyes widened. "D-Did you manage to obtain it?"


    "¡­ Mostly," I replied cryptically. "There''s just one final piece we need."


    "What is it? As long as it''s anything I can get, I will definitely do my best."


    "It''s no big deal¡­ just wait here. After I finish my other business here at the Library, I''ll let you know."


    "Uh¡­ alright?"


    She seemed hesitant and confused, but there was no point telling her anything further for now. I waved her goodbye and headed for the ascending spiral staircase.


    On the way, I ended up running into Four Eyes, Cherry, and Ling Ling on the 16th floor. It seemed they have made quite some progress.


    "Oh, it''s Xuan Kai!" Ling Ling eximed upon seeing me. "Hey~"


    "Quiet down, Ling Ling! We''re in a library!" Cherry whispered sharply from beside her, and turned to me. "Sorry about that¡­"


    I shook her apology off. "It''s alright. Where''s¡­ Shi Yan?"


    The three''s expressions suddenly turned dark as they averted their gazes ufortably.


    Realizing what was going on, I quickly smacked myself on the head. "Ah¡­ I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to¡­"


    "I-It''s fine," Cherry said with a sad look on her face.


    "If you don''t mind me asking¡­ what happened?" I asked hesitantly. "I believe you participated in the preliminaries as well, right?"


    "Yes¡­ we did," Cherry sighed. "We ended up being epted by a group of six, thus forming a group of ten. However¡­"


    "Those bastards¡­ treating us like tools and sacrifices¡­" Four Eyes muttered, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists angrily.


    "¡­ I see. My condolences," I muttered. There was no need for them to say anything more. I pretty much already understood.


    "Yeah¡­"


    "Sorry for bringing the topic up again," I scratched my cheek awkwardly.


    "It''s alright. Really."


    "¡­" Without anything else to say, I walked away, the three of them exchanged a look, and returned to reading their books.


    I didn''t particrly care about Shi Yan since he kept ogling the girls, but the others¡­ they weren''t bad people. I genuinely felt bad. Though¡­ I wonder what Xiang Peng would think of this? She had ruthlessly manipted Shi Yan before, after all.


    Putting this matter aside for now, I continued climbing the floors.


    *****


    Atst, I arrived at my destination - the 18th floor. Facing me was the entrance to the 19th level. Scanning my library card, I waited patiently for the door before me to open up, revealing a purple portal underneath.


    I stepped through.


    The reason I came here today was not to climb up in levels. There was a certain someone I wished to meet, and knowing the Founders, they wouldn''t give up on me that easily. Which, in this case, worked in my favor.


    The environment on the other side of the portal was beautiful. It was a wide, open ins area, filled with vibrant greenery and flowers. There was a massive tree in the middle of it all that seemed pretty unnatural, but provided just the right amount of shade.


    It seemed to be the perfect spot for a pic - I doubted the real 19th floor Gatekeeper lived here.


    "Wee back," an alluring voice whispered behind me.


    It seemed that I was right.


    I immediately turned around and pulled Ace out of its holster by instinct, pointing it directly at the forehead of the person who had spoken.


    "¡­ Aluna," I muttered.


    "Hi~" she smiled happily, not at all distressed by the gun in her face. "I said we would meet again, didn''t I?"


    I sighed and put the gun down. "What is it? If it''s about this special power I have again, my answer will be the same as every time. I really don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "Hm¡­ well, I thought that would be the case as well, but today will be a little different," she murmured thoughtfully. "Everyone else will be here as well, so just follow me."


    <em>Everyone else¡­? Does she mean the other Founders?</em>


    Aluna, the beautiful elf, walked over to the shade beneath the tree and swiped her arm gently. Immediately, arge, round, marble table phased into reality, along with seventeen chairs surrounding it. She casually sat down on one of them, then turned to me and patted the seat beside hers.


    "Come, take a seat."


    Seeing no reason to refuse, I did as told.


    She smiled happily, then said in an evidently louder voice, "How long are you all nning on hiding for?"


    "Haiz¡­ ya couldn''t let us give the kid a lil'' scare?!" Hephestus, the Dwarven Founder, muttered angrily.


    I immediately spun around to see fifteen people emerge out of nowhere. They were all familiar faces, though not all friendly ones. Well, if I had to say, no one here waspletely my ally, and no one here waspletely my enemy either.


    The fifteen various Founders took their respective seats at the marble table, with Sylvoir, the Elemental Founder, beingst, directly across from me.


    "What is going on here¡­?" I feigned ignorance.


    "Fufufu, don''t pretend you don''t know," Lienne, the Fairy Founder, giggled. "I can see through your thoughts, you know."


    I sighed. "If you could see through my thoughts, honorable Founder, then you should know I really don''t know anything about this ''power'' you all im I have."


    "Mm¡­ not necessarily. While it is true, I can''t see anything about the ''power'' in your head¡­ that may be the power itself at work, preventing anyone from seeing through it."


    "Enough teasing. Get to the point," Kracken, the Monster race''s Founder, grumbled in a deep voice. He was an enormous octopus-like creature thatmanded the ocean itselfst time I saw him, but today he seemed to have shrunk down quite a lot. He was almost¡­ adorable, in a way.


    Though, if I actually said that out loud, I would get killed without mercy, information or not.


    "Fufu~" Lienne giggled as she read my thoughts yet again, and I sent her an unamused re.


    "¡­ Today will be thest time we ask this of you," Sylvoir, the Elemental Founder, said as all the Founders focused their gaze on me. "Tell us about your power."


    "Like I said, I don''t know any-"


    "Don''t be so quick to refuse," she cut me off. "I have an offer to make."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    "All sixteen of us here have multiple identities - Founders of the Library is just one of the many titles we hold. Whether it is fame, influence, or outright power, we all have it. Therefore, I have a proposal. One that no one else can offer."


    My eyes focused on her as I leaned in on the table, resting my chin on my hands.


    "¡­ Let''s hear it."

 Chapter 303 - The Seventeenth Founder

    Sylvoir cleared her throat and matched my gesture, resting her cute chin on her delicate hands as she looked into my eyes. "The proposal is this: you tell us everything you know about the power you hold within your body, and in return¡­"


    My ears perked up.


    "¡­ All sixteen of us will grant you one favor each," she concluded. "No matter what you ask us to do, as long as it doesn''t concern the Library, we will do our best to grant it."


    I scanned my eyes over the other Founders. They were all calm and collected despite the shocking words that just came out of Sylvoir''s mouth. They must''ve already discussed this carefully beforehand, and judged my information to be worth the trouble.


    <em>Still¡­ why were they so desperate for information regarding my power¡­? I get that it was certainly powerful, but¡­ was it really worth all of this?</em>


    "How about it? This is a one-time offer," Sylvoir said dangerously. "Think about it carefully, Xuan Kai. Sixteen powerful beings such as us, sixteen favors. Whether it is money, power, fame, or women, we can provide you with anything."


    I sighed. "Like I said fifty times already¡­ I don''t know what you-"


    "Denying it won''t change our mind, kid," Hephestus snorted. "We know full well ya be hidin'' somethin''. We''ve already offered ya such good terms¡­ it would be a waste if ya didn''t ept them."


    "¡­" I purposely showed some hesitation to keep my act up, being careful not to think anything rted to my demeanor so Lienne wouldn''t be able to expose me.


    "¡­ Fine." I said atst.


    "So? Does that mean you admit you know something?" Luisfer, the Demon Founder, chuckled.


    I shrugged. "Perhaps. But before that, I need a guarantee on your words. How am I supposed to know you won''t just go back on our agreement after I tell you the info, or even kill me to silence me? Doing that would be as easy as breathing for you. You can''t possibly be expecting me to trust you blindly, right?"


    Sylvoir shook her head. "Of course not. Therefore¡­ the sixteen of us have came together to an agreement. You, Xuan Kai, shall be the Seventeenth Founder of the Library of Infinite Beginnings."


    "¡­ Come again?"


    "¡­ What? You wanted a guarantee, did you not?"


    "Uh¡­ yeah, but how is this supposed to guarantee anything?"


    "¡­ Sylvoir, he doesn''t understand what bing a Founder means," Aluna said gently. "We should exin that to him first."


    "Ah¡­ right," Sylvoir cleared her throat, before continuing. "You see, the Founders of the Library are like the pirs supporting it. If even one Founder dies, the entire Library will copse. When that happens¡­ this will not be the only world affected."


    "Only world¡­?" I frowned in confusion.


    "¡­ That is a story for another day. For now, you just need to know that the role of Founder is an incredibly important one. While we can designate as many Founders as we want, once the role is given, it cannot be taken back. Said Founder also cannot be killed, or else the Library will copse. Do you understand now? The amount of trust that we ce onto you shoulders."


    "¡­ How can you be so sure I won''t betray the Library?" I asked.


    "We can''t," Sino, the Dark Elf founder, was the one to respond this time around. "But hey, I like you. You''re pretty cold and ruthless to outsiders, but to the people you care about - those girls, wink, wink - you''re actually quite the warm boyfriend-type."


    "¡­ That was unnecessary, Sino," Sylvoir reprimanded.


    "A-Ah, was it? Sorry, Sylvoir, my bad."


    "In any case¡­" Sylvoir sighed. "It is as he says. We cannot be sure you will not turn traitor on us. However¡­ we would like to believe you. We trust you, in other words, which is why we are making this proposal."


    "¡­ I understand," I said. "But I don''t trust you, unfortunately. How can I know you''re not just giving me some random surge of power and iming I''m a Founder now?"


    And then, for the first time, Sylvoir smiled. It was faint, but it was there.


    "You need not worry about that. You will know it when you feel it."


    "Huh?"


    "Just say you ept the proposal, and the process will begin."


    "Uh¡­ I ept the proposal if I am really turned into a Founder of the Library, I guess¡­?"


    "Very well. Everyone, begin the process."


    The sixteen Founders nodded collectively, and closed their eyes, beginning some sort of chant.


    I felt myself suddenly begin to levitate upwards, higher and higher.


    "W-Woah, hey!"


    But the Founders did not stop. I tried breaking free with my own spells such as Flight, but none of them worked.


    I rose higher and higher, until atst, all sixteen Founders'' eyes flew open at the same time, as they shot out a beam of energy towards me from their index and middle fingers.


    The energy was not hostile - instead, it flowed into my body easily, and felt pretty nice too. It warmed my whole being as I felt power surging through my veins.


    Then, suddenly, the energy stopped. I gently fell back towards the ground,nding solidly on my two feet. But my expression was still that of shock.


    I felt¡­ different, somehow. After that ritual, it was like I became a whole new existence. The feeling was difficult to exin in words, but for some reason, I felt¡­ omnipotent. As if I could see through everything. My senses were greatly enhanced, and I felt my body be lighter and easier to move as well.


    I nced down at my two hands in wonder as I balled them into fists and rxed them again, repeating this process back and forth a couple of times.


    "This¡­ I feel a lot stronger now," I admitted atst. "But can this really prove anything?"


    "Close your eyes, Xuan Kai," Aluna said with a warm, gentle smile.


    I was doubtful, but I did as told. However, the moment I did, I immediately opened them again.


    "What¡­ was that?"


    "What you just saw was the Library''s true appearance," Sigil, the Celesticus Founder exined.


    "What? But¡­ it was just hovering in the sky, with a reflection of some kind below it, despite there not being any water or ss around¡­"


    "Precisely. But that is not all. I want you to close your eyes once more and enter what we call the ''Infinite Realm''. When you see the Library in the distance, turn around, without opening your eyes. There, you will find your ''guarantee''," Sylvoir said, folding her arms.


    I did as told once again, closing my eyes. In my mind, I saw a bright blue sky with calming white clouds drifting by. In the distance was the structure I had saw earlier, the ''true'' appearance of the Library, as Sigil imed. Taking a deep breath, I turned around.


    "¡­ What¡­" I murmured without opening my eyes.


    In front of me, within the ''Infinite Realm'', were sixteen pirs, surrounding one central pir that seemed to be glowing a bright yellow. For reasons I couldn''t exin, I feltpelled to go towards it.


    Slowly, I walked to it, admiring the other pirs in the process. I saw that they each had a symbol on them - a me insignia, a heart insignia, a fang insignia, and wing insignia, and much more. It seemed that each of them represented one of the sixteen Founders.


    And then, atst, I arrived at the seventeenth pir, in the middle of them all.


    Hesitantly, I traced my finger on it. However, the moment my skin made contact with the rough stone, the glowing intensified, so much so that I had to block my eyes.


    When the glowing finally subdued, I found myself staring at a pir that stood taller than all the rest. While the others were emitting different colors of light, this one was glowing an ominous ck paired with red energy. The insignia on it was some kind of rune-like symbol.


    <em>Wait.. I''ve seen this rune before¡­</em>


    I thought back to when I first awakened my Chaos power, in that dark alleyway. The stone pendant - now Mei Gui - had turned ck with a glowing red rune inscribed on it back then¡­


    My eyes shot wide open.


    <em>The two runes¡­ they''re the same.</em>


    I found myself looking at the sixteen other Founders, who all wore a grin on their faces. Even Count Draculus and Sylvoir, who didn''t smile much at all, had a slight smirk. Hell, even Kracken, a literal mini-octopus, appeared to be smiling, somehow.


    "It seems he has forged his connection," Runter, the quiet yet friendly Giant Founder said gently.


    "Yes¡­ it seems he has," Tian Lin, the Human Founder, murmured in amusement.


    Sylvoir smiled, and in an instant, teleported from the other end of the table to directly in front of me, holding out her hand.


    "Wee to the Library of Infinite Beginnings, Xuan Kai. You are one of us now."


    I let out a deep sigh, then smirked and took her hand, shaking it firmly.

 Chapter 304 - Favors & The Antidote

    "So, do you feel anything? Something simr to a ''link'' of some sort, perhaps¡­?" Kyoko, the Demihuman Founder, asked, raising an eyebrow. She was a wolf girl of short stature, and if I didn''t know better, I would think she was roughly the same age as Silva.


    <em>Speaking of¡­ they do look kind of simr. Is Silva her descendant, perhaps?</em>


    "A link¡­" I murmured. "Yeah. I feel¡­ ''connected'' to the Library, somehow."


    "The rest of us do as well," Scarlet, the Beast Founder, said. "If we are harmed, the Library will be harmed as well. However, simrly, if the Library were to suffer damage¡­ then so would we."


    "So I now have a duty to protect the Library, is that it?" I asked.


    "Not necessarily," Sylvoir said. "The sixteen of us are enough to handle any troubles thate our way¡­ for now, at least. In the future, a certain¡­"


    "He does not need to know that right now," Tian Lin interjected, shooting Sylvoir a sharp look.


    "¡­ Yes¡­ you are right."


    I was a bit curious about what would happen in the future, but clearly, they weren''t going to tell me, so I just gave up.


    Deciding to change up the topic, I moved on to a different question. "Are there any benefits that bing a Founder grants me?"


    "Yes," Sylvoir replied. "We already stated that if the Library is harmed, you will also received damage, but the opposite also applies. As long as the Library is healthy, you will receive divine protection."


    My eyes widened. "Divine¡­ protection?"


    "Essentially, ya got two lives now, kid," Hephestus exined in simpler terms. "Congrats."


    <em>Wow¡­ a whole extra life? The benefits of this was a lot better than I expected¡­</em>


    "That said, however, do not go throwing this extra life away," Count Draculus reminded.


    "Yes, you will not die if killed, but it is not as simple as respawning like in a video game. What happens is your soul is extracted from your body and brought back to the pir you saw in the ''Infinite Realm'', where a new body will be constructed for you. The process does not take long, but when you are reborn, you will have lost all of your memories. This also includes your magic - you will have to relearn everything from scratch."


    "¡­" I fell into thought. So it''s not like there weren''t any consequences¡­ I got overexcited for nothing, it seems. Still, this was better than just outright dying.


    "Draculus, you told him about the first part, but not the second? That''s cruel~" Fiona, the Subus Founder giggled.


    "The second part?" I asked curiously.


    "¡­" Count Draculus red at Fiona, but he eventually sighed in resignation and turned back to me. "Yes¡­ what I told you is not the full story. It is possible to get all of your memories and original strength back, but for that¡­ never mind, the method is tooplicated to exin now."


    I still had many questions, but it was clear he wasn''t going to answer them.


    "Now that you are one of us, it is about time you tell us about the favors you want from us," Sylvoir said, folding her arms. "Remember, you have one favor from each of us."


    "¡­ I see. Currently, I only have one favor in mind," I said, looking at one Founder in particr.


    "Founder Tian Lin."


    "¡­ Sure. What is it you want?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.


    "It is regarding the Shadow Empress," I said. "I request that you protect her in the Council of Arcanity from here on out."


    "¡­ Protect her? How so?"


    "I mean like supporting anything she proposes and using your influence to convince the other council members to do the same. From what you told me thest time we met, you are one of the more powerful council members, correct?"


    "¡­ That is true."


    "Then, can I consider it done?"


    "¡­ Yes. I will not ask why, but I will fulfill the favor."


    I nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you."


    "Requesting information on power of subject. Subject has agreed to terms, subject shall uphold his part of the agreement," a mechanically-female voice suddenly interrupted. ARXA-5 was her model name, apparently. She was the Founder representing the X-Machina race.


    "¡­ Right." I let out a deep sigh, and continued. "This power of mine¡­ I do not know the true nature of it either. That is the truth. However, I do know some of its abilities."


    The other Founders listened in intently. This was the moment they have all been waiting for.


    "For one, my spells are amplified many times over - by eight, in particr," I exined as the Founders fell into thought.


    "Eight times¡­ that makes your spells equivalent to the next rank''s magic in terms of raw power. Mages the same rank as you stand no chance," Tian Lin muttered. "Powerful indeed¡­"


    "Not only that, but I can also use all 21 elements."


    "What?!" Hephestus cried, mming the table.


    "Calm down, Hephestus," Sylvoir reprimanded, and he calmed down, sitting back down.


    "M-My bad¡­ I just got¡­ so surprised."


    "Do you want a demonstration?" I asked. "I can show you spells from every element right now, if you don''t believe me."


    "No, we believe you," Luisfer said. "Continue. What other abilities does this power grant?"


    "Well, let''s see¡­ just from the top of my head, I can cast spells in my head without any uracy or power loss, instantly use magic without having to channel mana first, and also - this doesn''t really count as an ability - but most of my magic has a ck and red color scheme rather than their normal colors."


    "This¡­ can you show us what the color looks like?" Sino asked, frowning in thought.


    I shrugged. "Sure."


    I directed my hand towards the tree, and without saying the spell name out loud, cast magic.


    <em>Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus.</em>


    A ck and fire blossom of fire shot out of my palm, striking the thick trunk of the tree and igniting it immediately. The ominous ck fire spread to the rest of the tree immediately, and within minutes, all that remained of therge tree were ashes.


    The Founders watched on, ck-jawed. Even the usually calm Sylvoir, Tian Lin, and Count Draculus were showing signs of shock. Asteryx, the Ethereal Founder, appeared to be very interested in the ashes, as he immediately void-ran to the ashes in an instant, collected some to put in a pouch, then returned to his seat.


    "So? Is that enough?" I asked.


    "¡­ If I wasn''t seeing this with my own two eyes, there''s no way I would''ve believed this," Kyoko muttered.


    Sylvoir sighed. "I agree¡­ this power¡­ it is truly terrifying."


    "So, I''ve told you everything there is to tell regarding the power. I don''t know anything more about it," I said, scratching my hair.


    "I see. Thank you¡­ this information has been useful. Return to the Library of Infinite Beginnings whenever you have time - we will need to meet you to collect samples of your mana to conduct further investigation."


    I nodded in response. "Sure, but¡­ once I get into Fragment¡­"


    "There is a entrance to the Library from within Fragment as well. Even other territories have portals leading to it, not to mention the Magic Capital," Tian Lin exined. "Once you make it in, I will send someone to guide you there."


    "Got it. Anything else?"


    "No, that is all for now. We are aware you have a tournament tomorrow, so you should head on back and rest," Sylvoir said considerately. "Good luck, Xuan Kai. We are rooting for you."


    I nodded in thanks as Asteryx opened up a portal for me to exit this ce. However, just before I left, Tian Lin said something.


    "Be careful, Xuan Kai. This year''s tournament¡­ it is not like the ones in the past."


    *****


    Once I stepped through the portal, I found myself on the other side of the doors - Floor 19. I took some time to browse the contents - this floor was filled with encyclopedias on various things, including Magic Beasts, Monsters, and whatnot. Pretty useful - I would remember this for the future.


    I went back to the bottom floor of the Library. On the way out, I saw Mrs. Fang waiting by the entrance.


    "Good evening, Mrs. Fang," I waved politely.


    "Yes, a fine evening it is¡­ so, where are we off to for the antidote?"


    "Hm¡­ I''ll tell you where to go. Let''s hop on your hovercar."


    We headed for Old Man Leng''s shop after that. When we arrived, I led her inside. Coincidentally, Melvia happened to be there as well.


    "Oi, kid, yer back. Melvia ''ere was just wonderin'' how your progress for findin'' the starflower was," Old Man Leng chuckled.


    I sighed. "You really think I''ve had time to do that recently?"


    <em>Though¡­ getting a starflower should be an easy task for the Founders. Should I¡­?</em>


    "Haha, it''s alright~ as long as you haven''t forgotten," Melvia giggled. "Now then, who is this?"


    She eyed Mrs. Fang, who tittered nervously under her gaze.


    "She''s here to get a potion made," I exined. "You remember the 1 Year Curse antidote fromst time? She wants one as well."


    "Hm¡­ sure, as long as you have the ingredients, but¡­ can she pay up?"


    Mrs. Fang clenched her car keys tightly. "Even if it costs my life, I will do it in an exchange for the antidote."


    Melvia nced at her in the eyes, and snickered. "Rx. It''s not that big of a deal. You seem to be in a hurry, so I''ll let you know what I want after I make the antidote. Now, where are the ingredients?"


    I took out my Space Locket and retrieved the other Hydra Fang I had along with some leftover Basilisk Dust.


    "This should be enough, right?"


    "Hm¡­ yeah, that will do. Now, as for the third and final ingredient¡­"


    I turned to Mrs. Fang. "Mrs. Fang, she needs your blood."


    "H-Huh? My blood?"


    Melvia rolled her eyes. "Yes! The final ingredient needed for the antidote is the blood of someone blood-rted to the cursed one."


    "A-Ah, in that case¡­ here," Mrs. Fang rolled up her sleeve and took out a pocket knife, preparing to cut herself.


    Melvia waved it off. "No need for that, just let me¡­"


    She casually flicked her fingers, creating a tiny cut just enough for blood to spill out. She instantly whipped out a vial, catching the liquid inside.


    "Wow¡­ it doesn''t even hurt¡­" Mrs. Fang murmured in surprise.


    "The wound will heal before you sleep tonight," Melvia said with a wink. "That''s all. You can go now. I''ll deliver the antidote to you myself tomorrow, since my sweet boy here has a tournament tomorrow. Where can I find you, dear customer?"


    "The Library of Infinite Beginnings," Mrs. Fang replied. I will be there in the morning and afternoon, just not lunchtime."


    "Sounds good. I will see you then," Melvia said, then waltzed out of the store.


    "This¡­" Mrs. Fang nced at her disappearing figure, as if worried about something.


    "Don''t worry. Her personality''s a bit¡­ unique, but her work is the real thing," I said.


    "I see¡­ that puts me at ease. Thank you, little boy¡­ truly. I don''t even know what to say¡­"


    I smirked. "Don''t worry about it¡­ you should go on back now. It''s gettingte."


    "Yes¡­ good night."


    Mrs. Fang walked out of the store and off into the night. As I looked at her walk away, Old Man Leng called out to me.


    "Why are ya helpin'' her like this? Hydra Fangs n'' Basilisk Dust ain''t easy toe by, ya know. This ain''t yer style."


    I smirked. "There will be a time in the future when I will have a need for her. When that timees¡­ having her owe me a favor now would make things a lot easier."


    "She''s just a lil'' secretary at the Library¡­ I don''t see how she''ll be of much use to ya."


    "¡­ Don''t worry¡­ I know what I''m doing."


    Old Man Leng chuckled.


    "Man, youngsters¡­ alright. If ya say so."

 Chapter 305 - The Truth About Elementals

    That night, I somehow managed to fall asleep, despite being surrounded by beautiful girls. Qing Yue and Mei Gui hugged me tightly from me left and right, while Amane ended up sleeping right on top of me. It was truly a miracle I actually managed to drift off into dreand.


    Well¡­ dreand? Not exactly.


    When I slept, I actually entered the Infinite Realm the other Founders had been talking about earlier today - I wasn''t alone, either. Sylvoir was there as well, though the other Founders seemed to be nowhere in sight. She stood by the sixteen - now seventeen - pirs, looking at them calmly.


    "You''re here," she said upon sensing me.


    "Hm¡­ you were expecting me?"


    "Yes. I wanted to talk to you about something the other Founders should not know about," she said softly.


    "¡­" I fell silent.


    <em>Did she find out that I purposely left out some information when talking to them earlier today¡­?</em>


    I had told the other Founders that I didn''t know the power''s name, but the reality was, I actually did - Chaos.


    But Sylvoir''s next words let me sigh in relief.


    "It is regarding the Elemental by your side."


    "¡­ What about her? If you want to take her away, I''m telling you right now - it''s not happening. Even if I let you, she won''t leave me unless I ordered her to."


    "No, I have no intention of taking her away from you," Sylvoir immediately replied. "I do not know how you managed to do it, but it seems she has already developed a deep emotional connection with you. Taking her away¡­ that is just cruel. Besides, it is not like I have a specific task for her to do in mind."


    "So? Why did you want to talk about her?"


    "¡­ The power you hold. She has been affected by it too, has she not?"


    <em>She''s¡­ sharper than I originally thought.</em>


    "Yes. She has."


    There was no point denying it here, so I just answered truthfully. Well, half-truthfully, anyway. She wasn''tpletely correct in saying Mei Gui has been affected by me, but I wasn''t about to correct her.


    "So that is why I could not determine her element, despite her being one of my kin¡­" Sylvoir muttered. She seemed frustrated.


    Then, finally turning around to face me, I saw that she had¡­ tears in her eyes.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ you said you could use all 21 elements thanks to this power, correct?"


    I nodded. "What of it?"


    "Does that mean¡­ the Elemental with you can also do so?"


    "¡­ Yes. Her spells are also amplified just like my own."


    Sylvoir clenched her fists. "I thought so¡­ I thought so, but¡­"


    Slowly, a tear streaked down her face. I was utterly bewildered at this scene.


    "U-Uh¡­ Sylvoir? Why are you crying?"


    She took a deep breath as she quickly wiped her tears away. "You do not know, do you?"


    I frowned. "Know what?"


    She turned back around to stare at the pirs, possibly because she didn''t want to be seen having tears roll down her beautiful face.


    "Why is it do you think that Elementals always live in domains rich in their own mana type?"


    "Uh¡­ ording to textbooks, aren''t Elementals born in ces dense in the mana of a certain element?" I asked, scratching my head.


    "¡­ I cannot deny that on the surface, that seems like a logical assumption. After all, Elementals have only appeared in ces rich with their respective element type''s mana. However¡­ I will tell you this right now - all that is false."


    "H-Huh?"


    "Elementals are in fact born from a ce called Eden. It is located deep underground, at the center of Xenith. There, a massive pool of concentrated mana exists. It¡­ is ck and red, just like the magic you disyed today."


    My eyes widened.


    <em>Chaos energy¡­?</em>


    "That is my other role, other than being the leader of the Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings," Sylvoir exined. "I am known as the Overseer. The Overseer of Eden. That is what the other Elementals all see me as, anyway¡­ except for yours. I am akin to the mother of all Elementals. No Elemental does not know who the Overseer of Eden is¡­ yet yours did not."


    "What are you hinting at¡­?"


    "Your Elemental was not born inside Eden, Xuan Kai. I do not know where she came from or how she was even created, but¡­ never mind, that is not the important part."


    "Then what is¡­?"


    She sighed. "When an Elemental is born, they are neutral in terms of element. In other words, they can be ''any'' element, depending on their surroundings. Because of this, I send them through various portals that lead to different locations, depending on avable space. Once there, they can absorb the mana around them in order to sustain themselves. Think of mana as food for us Elementals. Without a constant supply of it, we will die. And¡­ naturally, an Elemental can only take in one element of mana for their entire life."


    "So¡­ you''re worried about my Elemental not being able to handle it?"


    "You¡­ you are saying she can? She has been constantly on the move, with no stable source of mana to consume. Not only that, but she also has all 21 elements in her body, thus making her constitution extremely conflicting and paradoxical. My estimates say¡­ she will die within a year.


    Iughed, and she red at me. "What is so funny? Do you not care about whether or not your Elemental lives or dies?!"


    I ced a hand on her shoulder, much to her surprise.


    "Rx, Sylvoir. Mei Gui - that''s my Elemental - she''ll be fine. I forgot to mention this earlier today, but you see¡­ the unique power I have in my body also enables me to absorb other people''s magic and convert it into mana for myself."


    Her eyes widened. "And¡­ your Elemental also has this skill?"


    I nodded. "Naturally. And as for the second part of your concern¡­ I have to correct you a bit. Yes, Mei Gui and I can both use all 21 elements, but that does not mean the mana of all 21 elements are flowing in our bodies."


    "¡­ What?"


    "It''s more like¡­ hm, how do I put it¡­ the mana of all 21 elements fused together to create a brand new form of mana. That''s the energy coursing through our veins. So, while it is paradoxical at first nce, it is in fact quite harmonious."


    "¡­"


    "So? Convinced now?"


    "¡­ Are you certain what you say is true?"


    I nodded. "Trust me, Sylvoir. I know Mei Gui better than anyone."


    "¡­ In that case, I am relieved."


    "Is that all?"


    "Yes¡­ you may leave now."


    "Well, you say that, but¡­ how do I¡­"


    "Purge all thoughts from your mind. That is the easiest way."


    "Purge all thoughts¡­"


    "But before that, how long are you going to keep holding my shoulder for?"


    She red at me, and I quickly moved my hand away.


    "U-Uh, sorry, my bad."


    "Also. What you saw here today¡­ never happened."


    "What, you mean¡­ you crying?"


    Her face began turning red, as she clenched her fists. "I may not be able to kill you out of consideration for the Library, but¡­ torture techniques, I am quite proficient at as well."


    I gulped. "Okay, okay, fine¡­ but on one condition."


    "What?" she asked impatiently.


    "You answer my question - what kind of Elemental are you?"


    "That¡­ I cannot tell you. Not because I do not want to, but because I do not know myself. It has been a question I tried toprehend for the millennium I have been alive for now, yet to no avail."


    "Hm¡­ in that case¡­ how about this? You let me call you by a simpler name."


    "Huh?"


    "Sylvoir is too hard to say¡­ so how about Sylvie instead?"


    "S-Sylvie¡­" she murmured hesitantly.


    "You don''t want me telling anyone about today, do you¡­?" I taunted, smirking.


    "T-Tch¡­ fine. Call me whatever you wish. Now leave, before I change my mind and startunching fireballs."


    "Yes yes¡­"


    I closed my eyes and purged all thoughts from my mind, just as she had instructed me to.


    Instantly, my surroundings went ck, and I fell asleep.


    *****


    The next morning, we woke up early, at around 6 AM. The tournament would be taking ce at 8, in two hours. That was more than enough time to get ready for the day.


    Once we all refreshed ourselves, we headed downstairs, where Old Man Leng and his wife were already waiting. I told him where the tournament would be held - the center of the Fortress, where the four Districts met, direcetly underneath the massive tetrahedron in the sky known as Fragment. Old Man Leng said he knew the ce, so we all hopped on, half on his vehicle and the other half on his wife''s.


    The drive took about half an hour - longer than I had expected, even though we made a stop on the way to grab food. When we arrived atst, it was already 7:30 AM, only another half hour until the tournament began. We got off the cars and covered the rest of the distance by foot, since there was no way for the hovercars to get in. That was how cluttered the traffic was, since everyone wanted to watch.


    ria had wanted to fight together with us, but since she didn''tpete in the preliminaries, she could not fight in the main tournament.


    I took a deep breath and looked at the girls.


    "You all ready?"


    They nodded in response, smiling confidently.


    I smirked. "Let''s do this, then. Together."

 Chapter 306 - Tournament Time

    The arena for the main tournament was like a huge stadium. Thousands of people sat in the audience, lined up row on row.


    When the girls and I entered, we showed the token we got from the preliminaries to the guards, who then led us through a hallway beneath the audience seats, eventually into arge room. Inside sat a man - the same one who had been responsible for District A''s preliminaries.


    "Good to see you all again," he said as the guards left us, gently shutting the door to the chamber.


    "Likewise," I replied. "I''m assuming you''ll be exining to us the rules of this tournament?"


    The man nodded. "Naturally. The three other groups, one from each district, are also receiving the same exnation right about now."


    Saying this, he motioned to the chairs ced in an arc around him. "Please, take a seat. It is ufortable for me to talk while being the only one sitting down."


    <em>You say that, but¡­ isn''t that exactly what you''re doing right now? You don''t seem ufortable at all to me¡­ ah, whatever. Formalities, I suppose.</em>


    We each took a seat, since there was no sense in refusing his polite offer. Once we did so, the man spoke again.


    "Firstly, I want to make one thing clear to you - this tournament will be an individual contest."


    Our eyes widened. "What¡­?"


    "Yes, I know¡­ you all are quite close with one another, no? Don''t worry. You won''t have to fight amongst yourselves."


    Clearing his throat, the man continued. "Because there are ten people from each District, that makes 40 people in total. The final number of people who will be able to enter Fragment is also ten - meaning if all of you here win your fights, you will all be able to enter Fragment together."


    "So¡­ how would the brackets work?" Feng Mian asked thoughtfully.


    "Each person will only have to fight twice. There will be ten groups of four in total, and of those four, there will be one contestant from each District. In other words, each of you will be ced into one group. If you alle out on top in your respective group, then the ten of you can enter Fragment together."


    "That''s going to be¡­ difficult," Lan Xiao Su murmured worriedly.


    "S-So we''ll be split apart?" Qing Yue asked in concern. "But¡­ I''m a Support-type¡­"


    "Worry not. You will be split into groups based on your strength evaluated in the preliminaries," the man said, soothing her worries. "In addition, supports will evaluated differently than the others. Rather than fighting, they will bepeting in terms of healing capabilities."


    Qing Yue''s eyes lit up. "I can do that!"


    "Of course, this also means the leaders of the various Districts will all be ced into one bracket. That group will be the most difficult."


    "Leader?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes¡­ that would be you, boy," the man chuckled. "It was clear in the preliminaries who was taking control, even though you all did not actually designate a leader. The rest of these youngdies merely followed you naturally."


    "Hm¡­ I see. So four people in one group, two sets of one vs ones, then the finals, to determine the winner of that group. The same process applies for the rest of the groups. Is this a good summary?" Yu An Yan asked.


    The man nodded. "Precisely. The actual duels will be simple - anything goes, including artifacts and whatnot. Killing is allowed. For supports, the exact rules will be exined to them when it is their turn topete."


    "I see. How long until the tournament begins?" I asked.


    "Exactly an hour from now. You have until then to strategize and such," the man replied, then snapped his fingers. The screen on the wall behind suddenly blinked to life, revealing a variety of information.


    "On this screen, you can find information on all of the contestants in the tournament, including yourselves. You can operate it via touchscreen. To see the bracket, click the top left corner."


    As if to demonstrate, he clicked on the top left corner of the screen, revealing a brand new page. He then zoomed in on the bottom-right-most bracket of them all. I saw my own name, along with three others: Octavius, Peng Yao, and Lin Luo.


    "This is the leader bracket, happening at the very end of the tournament today. There will be thirty duels happening in total, which will take up the whole day, estimates predict. The supports bracket will be happening first."


    Saying this, he panned the screen up to the first bracket, top-left. The names listed were Qu Di Yi, Zheng Xiao, Elena, and Qing Yue.


    "That is all. I leave the rest of this time to yourselves," the man said, boldly brushing past us and heading for the door.


    As he passed me, he tapped me gently on the shoulder.


    "Best of luck."


    *****


    "Hm¡­ let''s take a look at the opponents Qing Yue will be facing first, shall we?" I murmured after the man left and closed the door.


    Feng Mian nodded and moved to the screen, going to be the one responsible for operating it. Closing out of the bracket and returning to the profiles screen, she scrolled down in search of Qu Di Yi, Zheng Xiao, and Elena.


    Because the list was in alphabetical order, Elena came first. Feng Mian tapped on her portrait, and a new screen was brought up. On it contained various pieces of information about the girl.


    Name: Elena Cullen


    Gender: Female


    Race: Vampire


    Role: Support


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Blessing, Necromancy, Void, Sound, Psychic


    Beside this info was a portrait of her face. She had ck hair and red eyes, almost simr to Obsidia. However, there was a yful grin on her face with a fang sticking out that made Obsidia seem far more mature.


    "Can you handle her, Qing Yue?" I asked teasingly.


    "Hm¡­ she''s an Advanced Mage, but¡­ I have confidence!" Qing Yue replied happily.


    "Yeah, I mean, even if we''re only Intermediate Mages right now, we technically have the status of an Advanced Mage in terms of elemental affinities," Xiang Peng said. "The Awakening Stones we received were pretty good."


    "Nya, byut wyouldn''t they hyave recweived Awyakening Stones as well?" Amane asked in confusion.


    "Hm¡­ maybe the rewards for the other Districts are a bit different," I shrugged. "I mean, this girl only has five elements. As a Vampire and an Advanced Mage, she should have morebined with an Awakening Stone. It doesn''t seem like she used one. It would be pretty dumb to not use an Awakening Stone before this important fight, so¡­"


    "Let''s take a look at the other two," Yu An Yan suggested. Feng Mian nodded in agreement and continued to operate the touchscreen as the rest of sat back on our chairs.


    It didn''t take long to reach the opponent, Qu Di Yi. We skipped over Qing Yue herself since there was no need to check that.


    Name: Qu Di Yi


    Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Role: Support


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Blessing, Psychic, Light, Earth


    "Yeah¡­ if they got Awakening Stones, they wouldn''t only have four elements, considering anyone who made it to the main tournament should be talented," Xiang Peng sighed. "Looks like we got the long end of the stick."


    "Not necessarily," Lan Xiao Su interrupted. "What the other teams have gotten may be even better than Awakening Stones. Just a possibility, though."


    "True - we can''t rule out that probability," Yu An Yan said. "But honestly, there aren''t too many things more valuable than Awakening Stones."


    I smirked. "Upgrade Runes, perhaps¡­?"


    "Oh yeah! Upgrade runes!" the girls collectively realized.


    "Just a guess," I chuckled. "Be ready to face upgraded spells though."


    They nodded, and I turned back to the screen. "Now then¡­ thest guy¡­"


    Name: Zheng Xiao


    Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Role: Support


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Blessing, Psychic, Shadow, Earth


    "Huh, this guy and Qu Di Yi have nearly the exact same elements," I mused.


    "I mean, Blessing is a given, since their role is support, but other than that, it''s really quite a coincidence," Qing Yue noted.


    I smiled and ruffled my little sister''s hair. "So, Qing Yue. Do you think you can handle the three of them?"


    "Of course, Big Brother Xuan Kai! When ites to Blessing Magic¡­ heh, they can''t beat me!"


    "Qing Yue''s only an Intermediate Mage, but she knows some Level Three Blessing Magic already, right?" Feng Mian wondered.


    Qing Yue rubbed her nose in triumph. "Hehe, I learned them back in Shenzhen. I wasn''t able to cast them back then, but I still remember how to. Now, I have enough skill to actually use them. Just watch me."


    After that, we continued to browse through the other opponents. There were a few Ancestral Mages here and there, but for the most part, they were Advanced Mages. Golden Monarchs and up were ced in a separate division, after all. There were just a few people that were quite concerning¡­


    ¡­ All three of which were ced into the leader bracket with me.

 Chapter 307 - Bracket: Support

    Soon after, the man returned to the room to call on us.


    "The first match will begin in five minutes. Miss Qing Yue, follow me."


    Looks like she''ll be going up first¡­ against Qu Di Yi.


    "Good luck, Qing Yue," the girls said, cheering her on.


    "Mm! I''ll definitely win this!" Qing Yue smiled happily and left the room, trailing behind the man.


    I smiled, fully confident that my little sister would merge victorious.


    *****


    - Qing Yue''s Perspective -


    I was led through the hallway. Suddenly, the man before me stopped, as a portion of the wall opened up. It caught me by surprise.


    "Come," the man said, walking through the new path.


    I nodded and followed him.


    "Alright. There are three minutes until the match begins," the man said, turning around to face me. "Listen closely, for I will only exin this once."


    After seeing me nod in confirmation, he continued.


    "Once the duel begins, twenty patients will rise onto the arena''s tform. These patients will have different wounds, varying in severity and type. Whoever is able to fully cure all twenty patients first will win. Simple enough, right?"


    I nodded once again. "Yep! Just one question though."


    "What is it? We do not have much time until the match begins."


    "Are the patients¡­ real people?"


    The man looked at me in the eyes, then smirked slightly after a short hesitation.


    "¡­ Yes. They are."


    I smiled. "I see. Thank you!"


    He stepped out of the way, revealing a door that had slid open, revealing a path upwards leading to the stage. I heard the voice of an announcer.


    "So! For the first match of the day¡­ on one side, we have Qu Di Yi! And on the other¡­"


    "Good luck, youngdy," the man said with a grin.


    I smiled and stepped out onto the arena.


    "¡­ Wee Qing Yue!"


    I stood, hands on my hips and brimming with confidence. On the other end of the stage was a young boy about the same age as me, though he was a lot taller than me since I was short. Big Brother Xuan Kai was still taller though.


    "Good morning, Lady Qing Yue!" the boy said brightly, a bold smile on his face.


    I waved in return in a simr cheery manner. "Heya~"


    "I look forward to a good match with you," he said, bowing politely.


    I nodded. "Mm! Likewise!"


    "Allllllright! Let''s get this show on the road, shall we?! Everyone, I now formally announce the first match in the 2023 Annual Fragment Tournament¡­ BEGIN!"


    Forty beds with patientsying on them suddenly rose up out of the ground, twenty on my half of the arena and twenty on Qu Di Yi''s.


    Without any hesitation, I went to work on the first patient, closest to me.


    "Hm¡­ these symptoms¡­ it looks like¡­ MES?" I murmured. The patient had a pale face, sweat on his forehead, and I couldn''t sense any energy from him. Everything about him said that he was dead, but he was still breathing - the only exnation was MES - Mana Exhaustion Syndrome.


    "This is a troublesome one to start with¡­" I murmured, then hovered my hand above his body. "Level One Blessing Magic - Mana Boost."


    A green light shot out of my palm and entered the man''s body. Slowly, color began returning to his face. His breathing evened, and the sweat on his head dried off.


    I smiled. One done.


    As I immediately moved to the next bed, I snuck a nce at the other end of the arena, where Qu Di Yi was working. He appeared to be using AOE (area of effect) Blessing Element spells to try and cure all of the patients at once, but I sighed slightly in response.


    As a fellow support, I can''t say I approve of his way of doing things. Even if they are cured on the surface using this method, there may be underlying conditions not treated. The only way to solve problems at their root is to examine them one by one like I''m doing.


    His method, while seemingly fast on the surface, would not win him thispetition. The reason for that was he was treating these patients like objects. As mere ''things'' he needed to cure for him to win this battle. But that would not work - I was certain of it.


    The first step to fully cure a patient was to see them as a patient, no matter how big or small their injury is.


    Several minutes passed. I was halfway through already, though my mana was running low. However, the same could be said for Qu Di Yi. He seemed to have cured over half of the patients already with his AOE strategy, so it could be said that he was in the lead. The truth, however, could not be further away from this.


    I saw him use a mana potion to replenish his reserves. I could still go on for a bit longer though, so I held off on doing the same.


    A few more minutes passed as there were only five remaining patients for me. I took out a mana potion we had received from finishing first in the preliminaries, and gulped it down as fast as I could.


    However-


    "Done!" Qu Di Yi announced from behind me as I swallowed the blue liquid, feeling afortable warmth spread throughout my body.


    Despite his announcement, however, the match was not over. I knew this - I didn''t even bother turning around to see if he was really done, because I <em>knew</em> he wasn''t. Maybe on the surface, they were. Maybe they would be fine for a couple of years. But sooner orter, the problem would resurface - that wasn''t called a cure. That was called a temporary solution.


    "H-Huh? Why isn''t it working¡­? Hey, I finished curing all twenty of them! Hello?" Qu Di Yi shouted from behind me, but no one answered his calls. His mistakes was his and his alone to find and resolve.


    That man had exined to me the rules of thispetition - we were to <em>fully</em> cure the patients. I didn''t miss that ''fully''. Qu Di Yi wasn''t a true support - he was merely there to provide temporary countermeasures to injuries and wounds that urred. A person like him could never be a true support, one valued by any team. His half-baked way of doing things would be exposed sooner orter - and that could result in his teammates'' deaths, something that could''ve been prevented had it been a real, passionate support like me.


    With a triumphant smile on my face, I continued to cure the remaining five patients one by one. I wasn''t rushing for speed at all - instead, I was working leisurely and carefreely, genuinely enjoying the process of treating these patients and doing something better for the world.


    "And¡­ done!" I announced happily, finishing up my cure for thest patient.


    "Connnnngrattions!" the announcer eximed rowdily, his loud and fiery voice echoing all across the arena. "We have a WINNER - Miss Qing Yue!"


    "What¡­" Qu Di Yi spun around and looked at me, eyes full of shock, confusion, and a little bit of jealousy.


    I nced at him in contempt, then smiled with a yful wink. "Patients are not objects. That''s why you lost."


    He frowned in bewilderment. "But¡­ they aren''t real patients?"


    I blinked. "Eh?"


    "They''re illusions. Look."


    My eyes widened as the patients and their beds faded away into nothingness, as if they hadn''t been there all along.


    "Huh¡­?" I murmured quietly. "But¡­ that man told me they were real patients¡­"


    "¡­ Well, either way, you won. I ept this loss. Good match."


    With that, the boy retreated, walking off the stage. I did the same, frowning in thought.


    When I got to the hallway, the man was waiting there.


    "Hey¡­ why did you tell me the patients were real people, when they''re just illusions?"


    The man looked down at me, and chuckled. "If I told you they were illusions, would you still have been able to give it your all?"


    "¡­ That''s true, but¡­"


    "It was just a white lie to make you actually try your best to win," the manughed. "No big deal."


    "Hm¡­" I pursed my lips, but didn''t say anything.


    The man led me back to the room after that, where Big Brother Xuan Kai and the other girls were waiting.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    As Qing Yue entered through the door, the man retreated, shutting the door gently.


    "Wee back, Qing Yue," I said as she dove straight into my arms.


    "Hehe, how did I do, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" she asked, rubbing her face against my chest.


    "Pretty good. Nothing less of what I''d expect of you," I chuckled.


    "That was weird, though¡­ that boy announced he was done, did he not?" Feng Mian asked in confusion.


    "Heheh," Qing Yue gave a evilugh. "He may have cured them on the surface, but he didn''t fully get rid of the root cause. That''s why he lost. The rules clearly said that you had topletely cure the patients."


    "Oh, I see¡­"


    "The next match is starting. We should pay attention," I said, switching the screen in front of us to a TV that showed what was going on outside in the arena, where the announcer began his broadcast.


    "AND no¡­ the next match, Zheng Xiao versus Elena Cullen!"

 Chapter 308 - Bracket: Assassins

    The battle between Elena and Zheng Xiao began immediately. The two quickly went to work, using the same strategy Qing Yue had used - going one by one with the patients. They seemed to be about evenly matched in terms of speed.


    "Who do you think''s going to win?" I asked Qing Yue, who was sitting on mypfortably.


    "Hm¡­ it''s hard to tell since they just began, but I think the girl''s mentality is better," Qing Yue said. "She''s clearly very skilled in the Blessing Element, just like me. The boy is too, but¡­"


    "Yeah, the girl''s pulling ahead," Feng Mian murmured as we watched.


    The boy kept sneaking nces at the girl to check her progress, which inadvertently slowed himself down - even if it''s only by a fraction of a second.


    "He shouldn''t be so focused on how the other person is doing," Yu An Yan sighed, facepalming.


    "You can tell. He''s starting to panic," Xiang Peng added. "That''ll only make him fall behind even further."


    And after a few minutes, our predictions came true. The boy lost - horribly. Even though they had been even in terms of raw skill, the girl''s unwavering mentality was what made her win. The boycked confidence and was too self-conscious, which was led to his loss.


    The twopetitors came onto the stage equal. Now, one leaves with triumph, while the other leaves with frustration and regret.


    And then, we heard a knock on the door. Without waiting to hear our response, the door clicked open. The man was behind it.


    "Hello again, everyone. We will now be moving on to the Assassin bracket. The first match will begin in fifteen minutes - you have until then to do your reconnaissance."


    "Assassin? But the victor of the Support bracket hasn''t even been decided yet," Lan Xiao Su frowned in confusion.


    "The contestants need time to rest. We will be doing the first series of matches for all the brackets first, then going back to the Support bracket to start the second series of matches, determining the victor of each bracket," the man exined. "Now, as stated, you have fifteen minutes. I will return then to lead you to the arena, Miss Feng Mian."


    With that, he left the room. Wasting no time, Feng Mian immediately moved up to the screen and took a look at the bracket. She would be up against a person named Tang Ren Shan. We quickly found him in the list ofpetitors and pulled up his profile.


    Name: Tang Ren Shan


    Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Role: Assassin


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Shadow, Void, Curse, Sky, Demon


    Beside was a portrait of him. He had an arrogant and somewhat psychopathic smile on his face, withrge, bulging blue eyes and blond hair.


    "This guy¡­ he seems¡­ off," Xiang Peng muttered with a hint of disgust in her voice.


    "I can win," Feng Mian stated confidently. "Trust me. It''s been a while since I''ve done true duels, but my skills are as sharp as ever."


    "Be careful. There is a high chance he used Upgrade Runes on his spells," I warned.


    Feng Mian nodded. "Don''t worry. I don''t intend to underestimate my opponent."


    "If he has the Demon Element, there is a high probability he is going to use a Demon Transformation as ast resort. Just beware of that," Obsidia said stoically.


    "How will she counter that?" Yu An Yan asked in worry. "Demon transformations can double one''s power and speed, if I remember correctly."


    <em>Only double? The vampire side of me provides much more than that¡­ though, I guess it''s because this is not a true demon transformation, just a shallow one through magic¡­</em>


    "If that''s the case, I will just have to exceed even his doubled strength and agility," Feng Mian said with a serious expression on her face.


    Iughed. "Too naive."


    "What¡­?" Feng Mian seemed displeased with my words.


    "Think outside the box, Feng Mian," I said, shaking my head in disappointment. "The goal here is not to show off how strong you are. The goal here is to win - by any means that is within the scopes of the rules."


    "What are you trying to say¡­?"


    "The rules said killing was allowed, no?"


    Feng Mian''s eyes widened. "You want me to-"


    "Yes, I want you to¡­" I cut her off with a cold look in my eyes. "If he attempts a demon transformation, kill him before he canplete it. That is the only surefire way to win."


    "¡­ But¡­" Feng Mian still seemed hesitant.


    "What? Feeling pity for aplete stranger?" Mei Gui snorted. "Weak. You cannot apany Master with a mindset like that."


    Feng Mian gritted her teeth in frustration, but she knew Mei Gui was right. She was traveling with a person capable of killing ruthlessly at a moment''s notice. If she herself couldn''t do the same, it would be better to just part ways.


    "¡­ Fine. I just have to kill him, right? No big deal."


    "Hmph. Let us see if you will live up to those words," Obsidia snorted.


    Together, Obsidia and Mei Gui were the closest to me in terms of personality. They were both able to kill with ease as well, making them the perfect partners in crime for me.


    Several minutester, the man returned to our room to let us know time was up. Feng Mian stood up and followed him out wordlessly. But right before she left, she turned her head around slightly and looked me in the eyes, her own filled with determination.


    It was as if she was trying to say ''I will prove myself to you. I can kill.''


    Slowly, my lips curved up into a satisfied smirk. My subtle maniption had worked.


    Once Feng Mian left, Xiang Peng broke the silence.


    "You did that on purpose, didn''t you?" she asked, shooting me a sinister smile.


    I feigned ignorance. "Whatever could you mean?"


    "I mean, suggesting killing the poor guy."


    "I was merely stating the truth. Killing him would be the easiest way to stop the transformation."


    "Oh, is that so? Is that your only intention?" Xiang Peng smirked in understanding.


    "¡­ Of course."


    [Master. She is dangerous.] Mei Gui said via our telepathic connection.


    [No kidding¡­ able to figure out my hidden intentions like that¡­]


    [Do we.. ''get rid'' of her?]


    [No. That''s not necessary. She''s an useful asset to us still - she can teach the other girls spells. But if she ever leaks anything about us or steps over the line¡­]


    [¡­ Understood, Master.]


    With that, we turned our attention to the screen. Feng Mian''s battle was beginning.


    *****


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    My elements were Ice, Shadow, Poison, Curse, and Necromancy. Thest one wouldn''t do me much good here since it took a long time to cast. As an assassin myself, I knew full well just how fatal one second of vulnerability could be.


    Ice Magic, Poison Magic, and Curse Magic also wouldn''t be of much use once we really got into the fight - my best bet was to use them right at the beginning.


    In other words¡­ this would be a battle of strength, agility, and our proficiency in Shadow Magic.


    As for weapons, I had Gemini - my twin pistols, but those wouldn''t be my killing card. I had something else up my sleeve - something my father had taught me when I was still young, but never got to use until now. It was my ultimate trump card - a secret spell no one knew about, not even Xuan Kai.


    I pulled out Gemini from their holsters and checked to make sure they both had ammo in them. I wouldn''t have time to reload, so I only have two magazines in total - one in each gun. Once that ran out, I would have to rely on that trump card of mine. The n was to finish this battle before then.


    I stepped onto the stage. My opponent, Tang Ren Shan, was already waiting there.


    "Oh my¡­ what a beauty. You look even better in person¡­ Feng Mian," he said, a crazy smile on his face.


    I red at him in disgust. "Sorry, but I already have a boyfriend."


    "That''s unfortunate¡­ but if that''s the case, then all I have to do is get rid of him, right? RIGHT?" heughed and stuck out his tongue like a psychopath.


    Faced with this weird behavior of his, however, I wasn''t fazed. Instead, I smirked.


    "You? Get rid of that absolute monster of a human being?" I snickered. "You''re nowhere close to his level. After all¡­ you won''t even be able to beat me."


    "Heehee. HEEHEEEHEE! Funny! You''re using GUNS in this fight, and you think I''ll lose to you?! HAHAHA!" the boyughed crazily.


    I twirled Gemini around in my hands and put them back into their holsters. I wouldn''t be starting the fight with them, after all.


    "We''ll see youugh after I kill you."


    "Kill? You won''t kill me. Your eyes¡­ they''re the eyes of someone who has never killed anyone else before."


    "¡­ Then you''ll just have to be the first."


    "EVERYONE! The battle will now begin!" the announcer dered in high spirits raising his hand high up into the air. "Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ go!"

 Chapter 309 - The Feeling To Kill

    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    "Maledictum - Segnis, Infirmis, Enervis!" I chanted, using the same series of spells Xuan Kai''s brother had used against him back in the Advancement Exams in Shenzhen.


    These three Maledictum spells slowed my opponent down greatly and also reduced his power. However, even with these debuffs applied, he was still quite fast. I pulled out Gemini, my twin pistols, and dashed backwards as I shot out a volley of bullets in front of me. He had anticipated my attack, however, and jumped up to avoid my shots.


    I had wanted to cast more spells before we began fighting, but Tang Ren Shan closed the distance far too quickly. Gritting my teeth, I swerved around the outskirts of the arena to try and create a gap between us, but he followed.


    "HAHAHA! Hey, you''re not hitting a single bullet!" he taunted as he charged towards me, dagger in hand.


    Ignoring his provocations, I continued to shoot at him. Dodging the bullets slowed him down a little, though not by much. Still, it was exactly what I needed.


    Once I had gained enough distance between him and myself, I whipped out a neatly-folded artifact from the back pocket of my jeans, and slipped it on myself. Right before Tang Ren Shan could strike me with his dagger, I leaped out of the way, now with my artifact equipped.


    "What¡­ where did she go?" I heard the audience murmur, and smirked. This was exactly the reaction I wanted them to have. For if they were this surprised¡­ no doubt my opponent would be confused as well.


    "Tch¡­ invisibility? Your profile didn''t tell me about this¡­" he muttered in frustration. But then, much to my dismay, he licked his lips as they curved upwards into a crazy smile.


    "Heheh¡­ this is getting interesting! Come on! Let''s fight some more!"


    I cringed in disgust as I circled around to get behind him, before firing off a few bullets from Gemini. I had about half my mag left on both guns.


    "There you are!" he yelled, spinning around instantly and deflecting my bullets with the t side of his de.


    My eyes widened as the bullets I just shot came ricocheting back towards me. I managed to avoid it just barely, and I felt sweat form on my forehead. This guy¡­ he may be a maniac, but his strength was real. I didn''t possess the cheat-like powers Xuan Kai had, but¡­ if it were him, the battle would''ve been over by now.


    "Where did you go, my sweet snack~" the boy giggled hysterically as he tried to look for me, who had returned to invisibility.


    <em>It''s time¡­ I''ll summon it now, just to prepare.</em>


    Thinking this, I muttered a spell name in my head as I felt something materialize behind my back. The cast had been a sess¡­ all that was left was to wait for the perfect moment to use it.


    Most mages chose to say their spell names out loud since chanting in your mind required a lot more mana and skill, not to mention the diminished power of the produced spell, and if it''s a projectile one, also the uracy of it.


    However, in higher-tier fights and situations like this where telling your opponent what you were going to do next could be fatal, even if they only have a second to react to it, casting in your head was a skill that needed to be mastered. I''ve been practicing it in my own time, but still wasn''t too proficient at it.


    Still, this spell that I just cast was not a projectile one, so uracy was out of the question. As for power¡­ that wasn''t too important. As long as it was strong enough to kill Tang Ren Shan in one strike, I was fine.


    Deciding that everything was in ce, I took off my Cloak of Invisibility and aimed the gun''s barrel at my clueless opponent, and let my bullets fly.


    He turned around immediately once more, eyes bulging with maniacal excitement.


    "You''re ALL MINE!" he yelled, charging at me and deflecting the bullets once again with his dagger.


    However, this time, I was ready. Stowing one of my two pistols away and dashing forward in one swift motion, I ducked below my own bounced bullets and pulled out my secret weapon from behind my back.


    Tang Ren Shan realized I wasn''t just running away like before, but it was already toote for him. He could not stop his own momentum.


    As he cut down on me with his dagger, I blocked it with my other pistol''s frame and went directly for his neck with my own de - a kunai, generated by Shadow Magic.


    My cold steel plunged into his neck, but instead of being shocked and scared, Tang Ren Shan''s expression contorted into one of a psychopathicugh.


    And then, his body dispersed into a cloud of dark purple energy. Immediately after, I heard his voice reappear from behind me.


    "HAHAHA! That was just a clone all this time - you''re SO DEAD NOW!"


    However, as he prepared to cut me with his own dagger, I smiled, having anticipated everything already.


    "DI-"


    He froze mid-movement, dagger still in hand. Slowly, I turned around and looked at him in the eyes as blood dripped from his throat.


    "H-How¡­" he croaked.


    "Too bad¡­ I specifically chose this weapon to deal with you," I chuckled. "You see¡­ this dagger is no normal dagger. It has a name - Umbra, Devourer of Souls. Even if I struck your clone and not your main body, your replica still possessed a fraction of your soul. And my cute little weapon here¡­ ate it up, inflicting the same damage on your real body."


    His eyes bulged in fear and shock as he stared at me twirling Umbra around in my hands.


    "N-No¡­ NOT¡­ HERE!" he suddenly yelled.


    I backed away on instinct as an ominous crimson energy began surrounding him.


    <em>Not good - he''s about to do the Demon transformation!</em>


    Time seemed to stop at that moment for me, as I thought about what to do. Xuan Kai¡­ he had told me to kill my opponent if this happened, but¡­can I really do that? Killing people wasn''t the same as killing Magic Beasts or Monsters¡­ they were my own race¡­


    No¡­ I have to prove myself to Xuan Kai. If it were him, he would not hesitate. In fact, he probably wouldn''t have held back on that strike to Tang Ren Shan''s throat either, killing him instantly before he could even start the demonification process.


    In the end¡­ some things, no matter how morally incorrect, had to be done.


    "Demonification Level Three, Tier II: FULL BODY TRANSFORM!"


    Gritting my teeth and holding my dagger tightly in my hand, I made my decision.


    Dashing towards Tang Ren Shan''s vulnerable body in an instant, I plunged Umbra deep into his heart. Slowly, his eyes shifted to look at me. They were full of astonishment, as if not expecting me to actually have the guts to kill him.


    Tightening my grip on my weapon, I forced Umbra in deeper.


    "GRAHHHHH!" he screamed in agony, the wail echoing across the arena''s dead silent chamber.


    And then, slowly, he fell limp, eyes no longer full of life.


    I pulled out my dagger and let his body copse to the ground. Umbra vanished, its time limit reached.


    Taking deep breaths, I backed away from the corpse.


    <em>I did it¡­ I killed someone. But¡­ I don''t feel disgusted. Somehow, this¡­ wasn''t as bad as I thought it was going to be. In fact¡­ it felt exhrating.</em>


    <em>Was this¡­ the feeling to kill?</em>


    "AND WE HAVE A WINNER!" the announcer dered excitedly, despite the silent audience and the gruesome death that urred just now. "Two contestants came onto stage, but now, only one will leave it! Congrattions, Miss Feng Mian!"


    I let out a deep sigh, ncing up at the sky as the audience roared in praise and cheering. I walked off the stage, refusing to look back.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    The match had just concluded, and Feng Mian was on her way back here.


    "Looks like your n seeded, eh?" Xiang Peng chuckled as she nced at the screen showing Feng Mian''s unfazed face despite having just murdered someone.


    "¡­ What n?" I asked, feigning ignorance.


    "Yeah, yeah, what n?" Qing Yue added as well, though she was genuinely ignorant unlike me.


    "¡­ Heh. Never mind."


    At that moment, Feng Mian came through the door.


    "Wee back," Yu An Yan said with a smile.


    Feng Mian returned it with one of her own. "Yeah¡­ that was tough."


    "Physically¡­ or mentally?" Obsidia asked with a mysterious yet devious slight grin.


    "I would say¡­ both," Feng Mianughed awkwardly.


    "Well, either way, you won. That''s all that matters," Lan Xiao Su said infort.


    "What she said," I added. "Good work."


    "Mm¡­ thanks," Feng Mian replied, blushing slightly at my acknowledgment of her.


    "By the way," I continued, curious.


    "Hm?"


    "Where the hell did you pull that purple knife from?"

 Chapter 310 - Shady Deals

    The next match in the Assassins bracket happened soon after. The two contestants both weren''t human - one was a dwarf, while one was a true demon race. Both were female.


    "Who do you guys think is going to win this one?" I asked out of curiosity.


    "Judging from the surface alone, the demon, cria," Feng Mian said in thought. "Demons have unparalleled brute strength. Dwarves, on the other hand, have their expertise in the forging of weapons and constructing arrays and whatnot."


    "Brute strength¡­ but this is a battle of assassins. So, if the dwarf just doesn''t get hit, the demon can''t do anything to him," Yu An Yan said.


    "That''s easier said than done," Lan Xiao Su analyzed. "However, dwarves do have naturally small and hard-to-hit bodies, which may make them more suitable for the Assassin role than one would expect, despite their expertiseying in the craftsmanship field."


    "Let''s see how this turns out," I murmured.


    *****


    - Meanwhile, Somewhere Within the Audience Chamber -


    "Have you confirmed it? He''s here?" a man wearing a hood asked quietly to his servant, who was sitting beside him. They were on the topmost row of seats, isted from everyone else who were all focused on the battle going on below them in the arena tform.


    The servant, also a man, nodded slowly. "Yes, Shingen-sama. He is the leader of his group, so he will bepetingst."


    "I see¡­ this is thest chance we have," the man - Shingen - said dangerously. "If he wins this tournament, he will enter Fragment. We will lose our chance to exterminate him."


    "In that case, Shingen-sama¡­ shall I¡­ ''help'' his opponent out?"


    "Yes¡­ remember, do not reveal your identity, and if needed, threats can be made."


    "¡­ Even torture?"


    After a slight hesitation, Shingen responded.


    "¡­ Even torture."


    "Shingen-sama¡­ this is unlike you."


    "Like I said, this is ourst chance. I will allow it just this once¡­ we must seed, no matter what," Shingen said with a deep sigh. "That boy has always stayed rtively safe, on open streets and whatnot¡­ I had no way of attacking him without causing a huge uproar. However, if we use someone else''s hands to kill him¡­ I should have already thought of this during the preliminaries, but I missed my chance."


    "Understood. But did Lord Preyta not wish for us to capture him alive?"


    Shingen shook his head. "He gave me updated orders, since time was urgent. If I am unable to capture him alive¡­ just kill him. Lord Preyta has Necromancy Magic, remember?"


    "I¡­ I see. I will do as told, then," the servant got up from the seat and prepared to walk off.


    "Remember," Shingen said as one final word of advice. "Give him the best ''one''. He will need it to defeat that boy."


    The servant nodded in reply. "Understood, Shingen-sama."


    *****


    - A Few Minutes Later, District D''s Waiting Room -


    (Peng Yao''s Perspective)


    <em>Come to the hallway.</em>


    "Hm? What was that voice?" I wondered aloud.


    "What? What voice?" my teammate, a girl named Xin Ya, asked in confusion.


    <em>Do not say anything. Come to the hallway.</em>


    "Uh¡­ never mind," I murmured, slightly confused myself. The others looked at me in skepticism and a twinge of pity, but I ignored their nces.


    <em>Who the hell are you?</em> I thought in my mind, hoping whoever the person trying to talk to me was could understand it.


    <em>Come, and you shall know. I am here to offer you a gift - one that will allow you to easily im victory in this tournament. You want it, do you not? To enter Fragment.</em>


    <em>Er¡­ yeah? But how do I know you''re not lying? What if you''re here to kill me?</em>


    <em>Hmph. Do you think I would use such a horrible method to kill you? If I wanted you dead, why would I bother calling you out suspiciously like so?</em>


    <em>Eh¡­ that''s a good point. Alright, I''lle. This better be worth my time.</em>


    *****


    - A Few Moments Later -


    I walked silently through the hallway, on my way to see the mysterious person who said he had a ''gift'' for me. The excuse I had used to leave the room was ''bathroom'', the ssic.


    "¡­ You told me toe meet you here, but where the hell are you? Don''t tell me, it was just a pran-"


    "Do not move."


    A sudden voice interrupted my words. I felt the cold barrel of a gun being pointed against the back of my head.


    <em>T-The hell?! How did he get behind me like that, out of nowhere?!</em>


    "Stop asking questions. If you move a single inch, I will shoot you dead."


    "Y-You can read my thoughts too?" I eximed. "Oh, wait, yeah¡­ you did use Psychic Magic tomunicate with me just now¡­"


    "¡­" the man fell silent, as if contemting how stupid I was.


    A few momentster, he resumed, never moving the gun away from my head. "Keep your voice down¡­ if anyone finds out we''re here, I''m going to do two things. First, shoot you dead, and second, run."


    "¡­ So, you''re here to kill me after all, huh? But before that, what''s with you and the phrase ''shoot you dead''?" I muttered in bewilderment. Though, I did lower my voice like he asked.


    "Ask any more questions and I will shoot you dead."


    "¡­" I held back the urge to retort, and listened calmly to what this man had to say.


    "First, I am not here to kill you. This is just¡­ a precaution."


    "¡­ Right. Ok? And?"


    "I was not lying when I told you I have a gift. Take this. Do not turn around."


    I felt the man reaching over my shoulder with his ck gloves and dropping a small vial containing a serum of some kind. I caught it with my right hand gently, careful not to break it.


    "What is this?" I identally let out on instinct. <em>Oh shit, he''s going to ''shoot me dead'', isn''t he-</em>


    "Calm down. That was a necessary question. I will answer it."


    Clearing his throat, the man continued.


    "What you are holding in your hands right now is the only sessful result of thousands of failed attempts. Many lives had been sacrificed for this¡­ entire cities ravaged. All for the sake of producing this serum."


    "¡­ No, I mean, what does it do? I don''t really care about its history."


    "This serum will amplify your senses, strength, mana capacity, agility, speed, and even magic power for five minutes, by about five times. Because this is the finished, sessful product, there is no bacsh. Essentially, this is an elixir that provides pure power with no demerit of any sort. I believe you know the value to that."


    "¡­ I see," I said after a brief silence. "This is indeed valuable, but¡­ why are you giving this to me? I don''t remember doing anyone any favors recently."


    "Hmph," the man snorted. "Do not think I am giving you this for free. There is a job I want you toplete, using this."


    "Huh? What job?"


    "Killing a certain boy."


    "W-Wha- you want me to<em> kill</em> someone?!" I couldn''t help but raise my voice a bit at the shock of hearing this.


    "Keep it quiet!" the man whispered sharply as I heard the click of his gun pressed to the back of my head.


    "O-Okay, okay¡­ chill¡­" I whimpered like a poor little puppy with no way of fighting back.


    "In any case¡­ as I was saying, I need you to kill someone for me."


    I gulped. "Who is it?"


    "The boy you''ll be facing in a match very soon - his name is Xuan Kai."


    My eyes widened a bit in recognition. "Xuan Kai¡­ I know that name very clearly. His profile was all messed up."


    "Messed up? How so?" the man asked, intrigued by this new piece of information.


    "Like¡­ everyone else we checked had their rank and elemental affinities disyed on their profile, but Xuan Kai only had question marks. It was really weird. We asked the IMF agent responsible for our District about this as well, but she also couldn''t help."


    "¡­ I see. No matter the case, I want him dead. And you, are going to help me do that. It should not be difficult, no? They said it themselves - killing is allowed. That girl who fought earlier¡­ she killed your teammate, did she not? She is part of Xuan Kai''s team. This is the perfect way to get revenge."


    "¡­" I fell silent. "... D-Do I get a reward for doing it?"


    The man snickered. "So, in the end, you do not care about avenging your teammate at all, and just want something for yourself. How selfish."


    "W-Well, no, I was just wondering¡­" I stuttered, sweat forming on my forehead.


    "All humans have a little bit of selfishness in their hearts. That is the truth. But my answer is¡­ yes. You will get a reward, if you execute this mission wlessly."


    "Oh?"


    "If you can kill that boy¡­ I will provide you with 500 vials of this serum, stored within a Space Locket."


    "F-Five hundred?!"


    "Yes¡­ five, zero, zero."


    "¡­" I bit my bottom lip as I made my decision. With the power of this serum¡­ I can overpower other people a full rank above me.


    "Alright. I''ll do it."

 Chapter 311 - Bracket: Fighters I

    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    The match between the dwarf and the demon concluded atst. The fight took longer than we all expected - the demon won in the end, just as we had expected, but the dwarf put up a surprisingly good fight.


    Even though she lost, however, she still had a look of determination in her eyes when she walked off the stage, unlike the previous contestants who had lost. I respected that mindset. Next year, she would return stronger, better, and a new self. Those kind of people were the most dangerous and tough opponents to fight against.


    A knock came at our door. By this point, we weren''t surprised to see who it was.


    "15 minutes grace period, then the first Fighters bracket battles will begin. Miss Yu An Xue, you will bepeting. Prepare yourselves," the man from the IMF said before quickly retreating out the door once more.


    Feng Mian moved to pull up the bracket. Yu An Xue would be facing against a person named Mo Huo Re.


    Name: Mo Huo Re


    Gender: Female


    Race: Human


    Role: Fighter


    Rank: Intermediate Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Fire, Earth, Sky


    "Fire is her main element¡­?" Yu An Yan smirked. "If that''s the case, looks like this''ll be a good show."


    "Oh, yeah¡­" I chuckled. "Which will be stronger - her mes, or your ice?"


    "Hm¡­ I will win," Yu An Xue said softly yet determinedly.


    "Man, she''s so quiet all the time, but she''s actually really confident, huh?" Xiang Pengughed. "I like that. She didn''t even say ''I can win''. She just straight up dered ''I will win'', like it was already set in stone. Good attitude, girl."


    Minutester, the man returned to our room to lead Yu An Xue out to the arena. Without a second nce back, she confidently strode out the door.


    "Now then¡­ let''s see, will the fire melt ice, or will the ice freeze fire?"


    *****


    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    I stepped onto the stage first. My opponent was already waiting there, hands on her hips as she eyed me with an impatient look.


    "I hate girls like you, you know that? The ''cold'' beauties. Why do all the boys always go for your type?"


    "¡­" I didn''t respond or show any reaction on my face, mainly because I wasn''t even listening.


    I was too busy observing her. She appeared to be using a ming sword of some sort, so I decided to respect her and materialized my own sword - one of water and ice.


    "Come, Frozen Fear."


    My opponent''s eyes widened upon seeing my weapon. "Oh? Is that¡­ one of the Six Divine Weapons?"


    "¡­" Once again, I did not respond, and instead sliced the air in front of me, ready to fight.


    "Heh¡­ let''s see how you stay silent after I torture you to death."


    "AND¡­ BEGIN!" the announcer shouted.


    Immediately, the girl charged at me in full speed, waving her ming sword in front of her dangerously. She jumped up and sliced down with all of her might, but I did not move. Instead, I merely raised Frozen Fear up and blocked the attack. Metal struck metal, and her sword''s mes began to erode away as the metal started to umte frost.


    Her eyes widened and she quickly backed away.


    "So¡­ your weapon is stronger, eh? But that doesn''t matter¡­" she muttered in disgust. "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons."


    "Hmph," I scoffed, leaping into the air as two massive ming orange dragons came flying towards me.


    They followed me upwards, but that was exactly what I wanted. I waited for the perfect moment¡­


    ¡­ Now.


    "Fear this de mine, that will freeze your hearts and souls. Fear this wielder, who will then shatter them into endless oblivion. Frozen Fear - Decimate!"


    I lunged downwards, heading de-first into the gaping jaws of one of the two dragons. An ice-cold energy surrounded mepletely as I cut through, cleaving the ming dragon cleanly in half. The other dragon, having lost its counterpart, dispersed into thin air.


    "¡­ My turn."


    I raised my hand towards my opponent calmly, while she wore a look of shock and panic on her face.


    "Level Two Ice Magic - Subzero Hail."


    Clouds formted above her as countless deadly pellets of ice shot down towards her.


    "Tch¡­ Level Two Fire Magic - Wall of mes!"


    As she put up a curtain of fire to defend against my hail, I moved in swiftly.


    "Hmph¡­ Space - Eliminate."


    Erasing the space between her and I, I instantly teleported directly in front of her, between her and the wall of mes. Without any hesitation, I cut her throat, spilling her blood across the arena''s floor. Her widened eyes and hanging mouth remained fixed on her dead face as she fell limply to the ground.


    If Feng Mian could do it, I could do it too - and a lot better.


    "Weak."


    I turned around and walked off the stage, flinging some leftover blood caught on the tip of Frozen Fear off. It sttered across the stage''s floor, but I didn''t pay it any mind as I dematerialized my weapon and strode through the door that I had came from mere moments earlier.


    My enemy was dead. I was not. That''s all that mattered.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Wee back," I said as Yu An Xue walked through the door that led back to our room.


    "Mm¡­" she nodded faintly and sat back down on her chair. Then, slowly, she tilted her head and looked me in the eyes.


    "Did¡­ I¡­ do good?"


    I smiled, walked over to her, and patted her head gently. "Yeah¡­ you did great."


    <em>How easily she killed that girl, without any hesitation¡­ that''s what I''m hoping all the girls will be like in the future. I don''t want them to be mindless evil beings who kill for fun, but I want them to be able to take lives, should the situation call for it.</em>


    "Hey! You didn''t pat my head when I got back¡­" Feng Mian pouted and puffed out her cheeks cutely.


    "Yes, yes¡­" I patted hers as well, and she giggled happily.


    "Eh¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai, me too, me too~" Qing Yue hugged me tightly.


    <em>Uh¡­ why does it always end up like this¡­</em>


    Every time I try topliment one of them, all the others want the same treatment. It makes everything a hassle, really¡­


    "Master, does this mean as long as we kill our opponents, we get a headpat?" Mei Gui tilted her head curiously.


    "Uh, no-"


    "Yep! It''s decided!" Qing Yue eximed happily in my stead.


    "¡­ Ugh, sure, fine. If that''ll make you all motivated."


    All the girls'' eyes lit up in response, with the exception of Obsidia, who merely snorted in unamusement.


    "Oh, the next match is starting," Feng Mian remarked, pointing to the screen.


    We all turned our attention to watch the uing battle. It was a boy versus a girl, but there was something off about them. They both wore hoods and masks that covered their entire faces, along with long robes spanning their entire bodies.


    "That is¡­ one unusual costume. I kinda like it though?" Yu An Yan said hesitantly.


    "If I''m not wrong¡­ those two should be members of the Ethereal race," I said.


    "Yep, Xuan Kai''s righ- wait, how do you know?" Xiang Peng asked me in confusion.


    "O-Oh, uh¡­ I read it in a book in the Library of Infinite Beginnings."


    The truth was, I knew because their appearance and outfit was simr to that of Asteryx, the Ethereal Founder''s. It had just been a guess, but looks like I was on point.


    "Hey, look at them!" Lan Xiao Su eximed suddenly.


    The battle had just begun, but both of them instantly vanished. A purple hole had emerged below their feet, one they both sunk into respectively. The holes closed soon after that, leaving the audience without a source of entertainment and utterly bewildered.


    "W-Well! Since both of our contestants are Ethereals, it seems they will be fighting within the Void realm! Truly a spectacr scene! Or, uh, well, it would be, if we could actually SEE!" the announcer yelled in frustration. He was left without anything tomentate on, so he started rambling about life and philosophy.


    Minutester, the contestants returned. More urately¡­ only one returned - the girl. She walked off the stage, much to everyone''s shock.


    "H-Huh?! Does this mean she''s forfeiting, or does this mean she has beaten the other contestant?!" the announcer wondered aloud.


    But after another few minutes of waiting, the boy never did return. It was a foregone conclusion that the girl had defeated him within the Void realm, leaving him to die.


    "Ethereals¡­ what an interesting race," Lan Xiao Su murmured, eyes dazzling in excitement as she looked at the screen. Always on the hunt for more damage, I see. She would be great as a librarian, not going to lie.


    "Yu An Yan, think you''re up next," I said.


    As if on cue, the door to our room clicked open and the IMF staff appeared once more. He opened his mouth to speak, but Yu An Yan quickly cut him off.


    "Yes, yes, I know. I''m going next, right? 15 minutes grace period? All that? Great, thank you very much."


    "I- uh, yes. Well then."


    The man, at a loss for words, merely closed the door once more and left us to ourselves.

 Chapter 312 - Bracket: Fighters II

    "So, this is my opponent," Yu An Yan murmured as she stared at the screen disying a certain girl''s stats.


    Name: Mo Bing Leng


    Gender: Female


    Race: Human


    Role: Fighter


    Rank: Intermediate Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Ice, Water, Sky


    "Mo Bing Leng, huh?" I chuckled. "Remind me again - what was the name of the girl Yu An Xue fought?"


    "Uh¡­ I believe it was Mo Huo Re¡­ wait," Feng Mian paused as she and the other girls all realized.


    "You don''t think¡­ they''re twins as well?" Lan Xiao Su guessed.


    "Most likely¡­ and not only that, they seem to be a pair of ice and fire as well. Looks like this''ll be a good show," Obsidia smirked faintly.


    Yu An Yan smiled like a devil. "Well then¡­ that''s perfect. My sister won her fight¡­ I naturally will win mine too."


    "Miss Yu An Yan?" the IMF employee knocked on the door without even bothering to open it this time.


    "Coming," she replied and walked over, sighing.


    "Good luck!" Qing Yue eximed happily as Yu An Yan turned around and gave us a thumbs-up.


    *****


    (Yu An Yan''s Perspective)


    "Hmph. You are rted to that Yu An Xue girl, I presume," my opponent, Mo Bing Leng, muttered, narrowing her eyes at me.


    "Yeah. She''s my little sister," I snickered tauntingly as we stared each other down on the arena''s stage. "What about it?"


    "What a coincidence¡­ her opponent was my little sister as well."


    "Oh? Is that so?" I made a fake look of surprise. "Then¡­ I guess you won''t be much stronger than your sibling, yeah?"


    A vein bulged in her head as she spun around a long spear of ice materialized out of thin air, and then she pointed it at me.


    "Do not underestimate me. Out of all the times my sister has challenged me to a duel, she has won none of them."


    "Hm, I would say An Xue and I are pretty simr in terms of strength," I replied in a carefree tone, not even bothering to draw my weapon. "Are you and your sister just not close, or what?"


    "¡­ You are correct. My sister and I do not have the best of rtionships. However¡­ even so, if someone were to kill her, I would never forgive them until I payed back the favor hundredfold."


    "So¡­ are you saying you''re going to kill me a hundred times?" I asked, ying the innocent girl.


    "Unfortunately, I do not possess a Necromancy Element affinity. However, I <em>will</em> make you want to die a hundred times rather than suffer through the pain I am about to inflict."


    "Oh, big words. Then¡­" I smirked deviously as I materialized my own Axe of Fire, ming Dance. "¡­ You wouldn''t mind if I do the same to you, would you?"


    "Both sides are done talking, it seems!" the announcer shouted through the broadcast system. "Well then, the battle shall¡­ begin!"


    Mo Bing Leng made the first move. She attempted to make the best use of her range advantage, but I thwarted her ns by mming my axe into the pole part of her spear from the side, pushing it away.


    I closed the distance immediately, sending a front kick into her stomach before she could recover from the shock.


    "Ngh-!" she flew backwards a short distance,nding just before she fell off the edge of the stage.


    I could''ve finished her off right then and there, but I wanted to see just how she would struggle. Shutting arrogant people like her down was quite satisfying for me, after all.


    "T-Tch¡­" my opponent slowly got off from the ground, forcing herself back up to her feet using her spear as a crutch as she clutched her stomach where I had kicked her in pain.


    "Just one hit, and you''re already half-dead?" I sighed, shrugging and shaking my head to purposely taunt her. "Do you want to admit defeat here? Don''t worry, if you do, I won''t hurt you anymore."


    "Just because¡­ you have one of the Six Divine Weapons¡­ doesn''t mean you''ve already won!" the girl shouted, seething with anger as she held her hands out in front of her and directed them towards me.


    "Level Two Water Magic, Tier II - Aquasurge!"


    Without even blinking, I raised one hand and put up some defense.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Wall of mes."


    A curtain of fire rose up in front of me, but the torrent of water tore through it, causing steam to evaporate into the air. My eyes widened slightly as I tried again.


    "Level One Sky Magic - Wind Barrier."


    This time, the water took more time to break through, but it still managed to do so in the end, even after being faced with two defensive-type spells.


    "Oh¡­ not bad," I mused as the water flew towards me and attempted to shoot me directly off the stage.


    "Face your defeat! Extinguish her mes, oh water of mine!"


    I smirked in a manner that Xuan Kai would be proud of. "Unfortunately¡­"


    I brought up the Axe of Fire, ming Dance and covered my face as the water sshed into it.


    "¡­ You''re still nowhere close to my level."


    I blocked the iing attack effortlessly. Such was the power of a strong Magic Artifact. When I moved the axe away from my face, however, Mo Bing Leng was already en route, charging towards me with her spear. My eyes widened as I quickly backed away. However, I found myself at the edge of the arena.


    "Freeze thend for all of eternity -e, my spear, and turn all to an ice wastnd!" my opponent yelled as she struck the floor with her weapon.


    "Frostfield!"


    Cracks emerged in the ground as the tform began to freeze over. Realizing it would be dangerous if I remained on the ground any longer, I took off into the air with Flight. Mo Bing Leng, however, also had a Sky Element affinity, so she quickly followed.


    Our battle on the ground had now transformed into one in the air¡­ and that was exactly what I wanted.


    Once she had fallen for the bait, I smiled and suddenly turned around, ming Dance in hand. I cleaved down, but her reaction speeds were quicker than I had expected as she nimbly avoided my strike.


    She then attempted to strike my side with her spear, but I performed a graceful spin in mid-air to avoid it.


    Then, I flew towards Mo Bing Leng at max speed, her eyes widening at the sudden burst of velocity. This time, because she had just been attacking me, she was unable to defendpletely in time. While I missed her with my axe, that was fine. I grabbed her shoulder with my hand and flew downwards at max speed, attempting to crash her into the ground.


    She tried resisting, but by the time she regained control and tried to stab me with her spear, I was already there.


    BOOM!


    I crashed her into the ground, smoke rising. I was careful not to touch the tform with my feet, since that would probably freeze me over too, making me an easy target.


    So, instead, I returned to the air, preparing my final strike. As I called upon the powersying dormant within ming Dance, I felt two wings emerge from my back - wings of fire and light. They helped me soar upwards even quicker as a rich congrated energy surrounded me. A burning light dawned my eyes as I raised my axe into the air and chanted my killing blow.


    "Divine mes, born from the heavens, descend and cleanse the world of evil! May you forever burn in hell, body and soul - Purgatory mes!"


    My opponents eyes froze in fear. "N-No¡­ this can''t be happening¡­ NO!"


    I dove downwards with my axe, cleaving the entire arena in half and setting it on fire. The divine, purgatory mes of ming Dance easily burned away the frostfield Mo Bing Leng had created, and more.


    Slowly, I stood up and walked out of the arena. The mes surrounding the edge of it made way for me, their creator I dematerialized ming Dance, and all the fire disappeared as well, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. Even my opponent''s bones were burnt to a crisp.


    Without an ounce of pity or regret in my heart, I returned to the room.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Good work," I said as usual once Yu An Yan got back from her fight.


    "Hm¡­ thank you. But¡­ where''s my reward?" she smiled sinisterly and gave me a wink.


    I sighed, standing up and walking over to her.


    "Yes, yes¡­ there you go."


    I patted her head gently. She smiled in return, before suddenly embracing me with a flushed face.


    "H-Hey! The hug wasn''t included!" Qing Yue pouted, shouting in jealousy.


    Yu An Yan stuck out her tongue at her yfully, to which she pursed her lips and crossed her arms in child-like anger.


    "T-o-o b-a-d," she mouthed silently.


    "A-Ahem! The next match is starting," Feng Mian interrupted, as Yu An Yan let me go reluctantly.


    We all returned to our seats¡­ and when we did, Yu An Xue gave her sister the cold shoulder. I chuckled softly.

 Chapter 313 - Bracket: Fighters III

    After the damage done to the arena was reversed with the help of a Time Element expert from the IMF, the next fight was held, between two Advanced Mages. However, despite the two being the same rank on the surface, the battle was so one-sided that it concluded in less than ten seconds. The winner was a boy wearing long blue robes and sses. He seemed like the¡­ smart, cold type.


    "That¡­ was quick," Feng Mian blinked in surprise as we watched the screen showcasing the battle.


    Yu An Yan frowned. "What even happened¡­? I just saw the other guy charging at him, and in a flurry of attacks, hey unconscious on the floor."


    "He''s¡­ dangerous," I muttered quietly.


    The girls'' eyes widened. "Even Big Brother Xuan Kai acknowledges his strength?" Qing Yue asked in shock.


    "¡­ Be careful, An Yan. You''ll be the one to face him."


    She nodded firmly. "Just so I have an idea¡­ if you were to face that guy, would you be able to beat him?"


    "Naturally," I scoffed. "However¡­ I am not 100% certain. For example, if he still has any hidden trump cards up his sleeve. From what I can tell from this fight, he was just extremely fast and precise with his attacks - that I can handle easily. However, he may be holding something back. He most likely is, actually. So, the true chances of me beating him would be about 90%."


    "I see¡­ so even you have a chance of losing to him, huh?"


    "Of course, if I use my trump cards as well, that''s a different story," I smirked.


    "Your trump cards? That we don''t know about?"


    "If I revealed my trump cards to you, it wouldn''t really be much of a trump card."


    "15 minutes grace period. Next up is Miss Xiang Peng," a voice on the other side of the door to our room said, interrupting our conversation.


    "Got it," Xiang Peng replied backzily, then turned back to us. "Who''s my opponent~"


    "Let''s see¡­" Feng Mian murmured, and after a few maneuvers, brought up a person''s profile. "Her. She''ll be your opponent."


    Name: Two-Face


    Gender: Female


    Race: Demihuman (Snake)


    Role: Fighter


    Rank: Ancestral Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Poison, Curse, Shadow, Blessing, Psychic, Light, Time


    Beside was a portrait of a beautiful snake-woman, smiling happily.


    "Oh¡­? This is interesting," I murmured, my lips curving up into a grin.


    "Her elemental affinities¡­ they are so conflicting," Qing Yue pointed out. "Poison to Blessing, Curse to Psychic, and Shadow to Light. It''s like there are two different people inside of her."


    "Perhaps that''s why her ''name'' is ''Two-Face''. That''s definitely not her real name, but¡­" Feng Mian trailed off.


    "She''s an Ancestral Mage, be careful," Yu An Yan warned.


    "I''ll be fine," Xiang Peng waved her concerns off. "Worstes to worst, I have something that can take out even a Golden Monarch. They did say Artifacts were allowed, right? Heh."


    "¡­ I won''t even ask," I sighed. It was probably something she got from within Fragment. "But I hope you still fight with all you have. I know you can go back to Fragment anyway even if you fail thispetition, but¡­"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of this dangerous opponent for you. That''s what you want, right? Heh, using me like a tool," she sniffed her nose in a fake crying gesture.


    "If you already know, why ask?"


    "WHAT?! So you really WERE nning on using me like a tool!" she eximed, bawling her eyes out. I sighed and face palmed.


    Several minutester, she was called by the IMF staff to go and head to battle.


    "Good luck, Xiang Peng~" Qing Yue cheered as the other girls nodded in agreement.


    "Yeah - just be ready to give me that headpat plus hug, y''know?" she winked and disappeared.


    *****


    (Xiang Peng''s Perspective)


    I walked onto the stage first and looked around. I was used to being watched by people all my life in military training, but this was the first time I was getting watched by hundreds of people to fight.


    My opponent, a mysterious snake demihuman who went by the alias of ''Two-Face'', hurried onto the stage, panting heavily.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ sorry¡­ I was so nervous I needed to use the bathroom, so I was a bitte¡­ I-I didn''t mean to keep you waiting!"


    I blinked. "Uh¡­ yeah. No problem."


    Her polite attitude reminded me of Lan Xiao Su, but perhaps she was even more nervous, which I didn''t think was possible.


    "I-I''m going to say this right now¡­ sorry if I hurt you."


    "H-Huh?"


    This girl sure was weird¡­ apologizing before the fight even began?


    "You see¡­ I have two split personalities - hence my name, Two-Face¡­ this side of me is my primary one, but when I end up in battle, my other sidees out¡­"


    Two-Face gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "She''s¡­ evil. She does a lot of bad things, and I- and I can''t do anything to control her¡­"


    <em>O-Okay, is this a psychological attack or something? Like, is she trying to invoke pity in me, so I go easy on her during the actual fight? Hah! Joke''s on her, because¡­</em>


    <em>¡­ Yeah, no. It''s totally working! If this was her strategy, then I already lost at the starting line! Hello? She''s too pitiful and adorable to be killed!</em>


    <em>¡­ Just kidding. She''ll die.</em>


    With a perfectly neutral face, I responded.


    "Ok. And?"


    "E-Erm¡­ just saying¡­ I hope you win."


    "And¡­ battle, begin!" the announcer eximed, marking the beginning of the battle.


    I immediately pulled out my auto rifle and began unleashing the hell out of it, hoping to catch my opponent off guard. She thought I would be using magic to start off, giving her a little bit of time to prepare, but bullets flew faster than words.


    However, right before my bullets were about to hit Two-Face in the temple, they all stopped.


    More urately, everything stopped.


    As color faded away from the world, only ck and white remained.


    I could still think consciously, but other than that, I could not budge an inch - I was utterly frozen in my position.


    <em>Time¡­ it stopped?!</em>


    Slowly, in front of me, my opponent looked up. However, her eyes were no longer the bright yellow ones, filled with excitement. No¡­ they were now an ominous bright purple, the only sign of color and life within this frozen, obsolete world.


    <em>It was her¡­ she froze time¡­ but I didn''t even hear her chant! Did she already master the method to chant inside your head? No, but¡­ I heard doing that for Time Magic, especially mass-scale ones like this, was incredibly difficult¡­ even Holy Emperors with Time Element affinities sometimes struggle. So then¡­ how?</em>


    Two-Face slowly walked towards me, a devious grin on her face. The nervous and worried her was nowhere to be seen.


    When she arrived in front of me, she stopped, then leaned in and whispered into my ear.


    "Don''t worry¡­ I won''t kill you just yet."


    Then, she brought her knee up to my stomach, but I did not feel any pain or shock, possibly because time was stopped. Then, looking into my eyes with those seductive purple eyes that seemed to draw in and devour all, she snapped her fingers.


    "Ngh-!"


    The moment she did, I was sent flying upwards, gasping in pain. The world around me regained color as time started to move again. But Two-Face wasn''t quite done with me just yet. With a demonic and fearless grin on her face, she pointed up with her hand and created a field of poison above me, once again without chanting.


    The impact from her knee kept me continue flying up, straight into the bubble of poison. In order to prevent that from happening, there was only one thing I could do.


    "Level Two Gravity Magic - Binding Order!"


    I cast this spell on myself, forcing me to drop straight back to the ground. At thest second, I canceled the affect, leaving me rtively unharmed.


    "Oh, not bad¡­" Two-Face murmured, looking at me in interest.


    I wiped the blood from my lips. "Heh¡­ I''m not that easy to beat."


    "Is that so?"


    She suddenly disappeared in a sh of ckness. Realizing what wasing next, I quickly cast Flight and took off into the air. Two-Eyes did not possess a Sky Element affinity - I could take advantage of that and just stay in the air.


    Indeed, just as expected, shortly after I left the ground, Two-Eyes instantly appeared behind me, poison dagger ready. She cut nothing but thin air, of course, but had I been a millisecond slower, I would''ve been dead.


    She looked up at me, but I gave her no mercy.


    "Level Two Gravity Magic - Binding Order!"


    "K-Kuh¡­" she was struck by my spell, pushed onto the ground from the weight of the attack. She had no way of escaping.


    "Level Three Sky Magic - Prison of Lightning!"


    Dark clouds appeared over Two-Face, still trapped by my Gravity''s binding. Lightning beams struck down all around her continuously, forming an unbreakable cage.


    Then, slowly, one massive lightning bolt appeared directly above her, at the center of all the other ones.


    "Ah, well. That was easier than expected," I chuckled as I prepared to watch her turn to ashes.

 Chapter 314 - Illusory Concepts

    <strong>(Xiang Peng''s Perspective)</strong>


    As smoke appeared from the arena''s tform, preventing anyone from seeing what was going on, I remained in the air and narrowed my eyes, waiting to see the results of my attack.


    "That should''ve gotten her¡­ right?" I muttered quietly.


    Normally, my Prison of Lightning would be able to vaporize anyone below the Golden Monarch stage - and even if they were above that stage, they would end up being severely injured if they were truly struck by the final lightning strike of the spell. Needless to say, Two-Face was dead¡­ or was she? For a reason I couldn''t quite ce my finger on, I felt like something was wrong - something was off. No matter how hard I tried, I could not suppress this feeling of uncertainty and nervousness in my heart.


    Was I¡­ worried?


    Worried that if Two-Face was still alive, I wouldn''t be able to defeat her?


    No¡­ I can''t be. Ever since <em>that</em> day, I''ve learned not to show any sign of weakness to anyone. Because of this, I never felt worried about defeating my opponents. Every time I struck, I struck with certainty, never hesitating a single bit. Every time I defeated an opponent, I was sure I had defeated them.


    That is, except for this one.


    I gulped in nervousness, anxiety filling up my head as I pointed my palm towards the smoke, ready to unleash a spell the moment Two-Face showed herself.


    <em>No, this isn''t good¡­ I''m assuming that she will actually survive¡­ I should be thinking the opposite¡­</em>


    Suddenly, I was in the middle of debating, a figure leaped out at me from the smoke like a panther jumping on its prey, purple eyes shining with bloodlust. My eyes widened as I quickly backed away to avoid getting hit, then immediately let out my most powerful attack in a panic.


    "Legendary Sky Magic - Fang of Zeus!"


    Raising my hand into the air as Two-Face continued to get closer to me with but a single jump, a massive lightning bolt conjured above my head, in my palm.


    "Take¡­ this!"


    I flung the enormous bolt of electricity below me, straight at Two-Face. However, to my surprise, she smiled like a devil as my attack went <em>straight through her.</em> Then, I felt a presence behind me. I froze in fear.


    Before I could even turn around to see who it was, I was kicked straight in my back. I pummeled towards the floor, crashing onto the arena.


    "Cough, cough¡­ agh," I groaned, desperately trying to get back to my feet. The perpetrator of thisnded back on the ground a little distance away from me, a smug grin on her face.


    "Close one, close one indeed," she chuckled, walking closer to me menacingly. "You''re the first one, you know? To almost knock me unconscious and lose control over this body."


    <em>Knock her¡­ unconscious? In other words¡­ if I could just knock her out¡­</em>


    It seemed that there was no choice but to use <em>that.</em> My special artifact, able to take out anyone at the Golden Monarch stage or below.


    "Too bad, too bad¡­ in this world, even a little bit of strength can make all the difference in a close fight," Two-Face sighed, stopping before me and pointing her palm at my body,ying on the ground. "Even if two people are both extremely strong and unparalleled, if they were to fight against one another, whoever is more powerful will win, even if it''s just by a tiny bit. Unfortunate, yes, but¡­ quite enjoyable for the victor, don''t you think?"


    She smirked and licked her lips like a devil as she took out a knife from her belt, twirling it around before finally stopping it at my neck.


    "Goodbye."


    <em>Now!</em>


    I activated my artifact, right before she could cut down on me. A bright white sh of light ensued, blinding her and everyone else in the arena - except for me.


    I took advantage of this moment of rity to suddenly get up from the ground and take her own weapon. Then, kicking her in the stomach, I sent her crashing to the floor.


    "Ngh-!" she cried out, gritting her teeth. However, she was still unable to see.


    As she kicked and punched frantically towards her front, I discretely circled around to her back and ced her own knife on her throat.


    She froze.


    "Ah¡­ you got me."


    Without any hesitation, I cut her neck open, the blood spilling out and tainting my face.


    Soon after, everyone was able to see again.


    "W-What happened?!" the announcer cried out in shock. "Oh, it seems we have a winner¡­ was that an artifact you used, miss Xiang Peng?"


    I nodded slowly on the stage, cing Two-Face''s dagger back in her hand as a sign of respect.


    "I see! You were on the verge of defeat, but managed to turn it back around with your trump card! Wonderful!" the announcer eximed excitedly as I walked off the stage. "I dere the winner of this battle to be¡­ Xiang Peng!"


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    As Xiang Peng returned to the room, I nced at her serious and slightly crestfallen expression that was unlike her.


    "¡­ Good work," I said quietly.


    "Yeah¡­" she responded meekly, as if her heart wasn''t in it.


    "That artifact¡­ was that the one you said could kill even Golden Monarchs?" Feng Mian asked hesitantly.


    Xiang Peng returned to her seat and nodded, exhaling deeply. "It renders everyone within a 500 meter radius of me blind and deaf for about a minute or so. It also prevents them from casting any magic. This essentially makes them mere targets for me to take down. But after using it this time, it''ll take a full year to recharge before I can use it again."


    "That''s interesting¡­ what''s the artifact called?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "The Litehedron."


    "Lite¡­ as in light, and hedron, as in prism. Makes sense," Qing Yue analyzed, then tilted her head slightly in confusion. "You won the fight, but¡­ why do you look so down about it?"


    "That''s¡­ well, I didn''t want to have to resort to using this, if that makes sense," Xiang Peng replied, sighing.


    "You wanted to beat her with your own strength, without relying on external help such as artifacts," Obsidia concluded. "A respectable mindset."


    "Yeah, but¡­ I ended up using this anyway. I can''t help but feel my victory was slightly¡­ unfair."


    I snorted. "Honor? Chivalry? Fairness? Those are all false concepts. Mere illusions, created to satisfy one''s own heart and emotions. Tell me - which one of those artificial, fake fantasies are of any actual use? Can honor save you from death? Can chivalry provide you with power? Can you rely on fairness to climb to the top in this cruel, ruthless world? No - you can''t. Might as well save the trouble."


    Faced with my speech, the girls fell silent. Some were perhaps wondering how I could be so cold, and some were genuinely contemting my words and finding them hard to ept.


    However, what I said was true. Even if you held honor, your opponent may not. That could end up getting you killed. The same theory applies to the other two.


    Better safe than sorry.


    Besides, Xiang Peng wasn''t telling the full story, since she wanted to appease me. Sadly, I saw straight through her facade. She imed that her difort came from her not winning ''fairly'', but that was only half of it. The truth was, she had genuinely felt regret and guilt for killing her opponent, Two-Face.


    I guess it was understandable - Two-Face probably didn''t even want topete in this at all, but her other self forced her to. She was, at heart, an innocent girl who didn''t wish to cause harm to anyone. Unfortunately, she was cursed somehow with possessing two souls in one body, and it just so happened that her other half was tainted with malevolence, killing and harming without a second thought.


    Still¡­ I had to say, I was disappointed in Xiang Peng. Not because she felt regret about killing another human being - that was perfectly understandable - but because she had attempted to lie to me.


    It seemed¡­ further training would be necessary for her.


    "The match outside is starting," Lan Xiao Su said, breaking the silence. Feng Mian switched the hologram''s screen to a livestream of what was going on outside, and so we watched.


    "The next contestants are¡­ Mu Mo Lin and Pao Zhen!" the announcer dered as two teens roughly my age walked onto the stage.


    Both of the two appeared to be the confident,bat-driven type. Looks like we''ll be having a show on our hands.


    "Lady Obsidia - you will be fighting next after this fight, I figured I would just tell you now," a voice said from outside the door.


    "¡­ Understood," Obsidia replied briskly back, then turned her attention back to the screen.


    Hm¡­ if Qing Yue was a support, and I was a ''leader'', then I guess Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Xiang Peng, and now Obsidia were all just¡­ ''fighters''? No, I suppose Feng Mian would be an Assassin.


    Well, whatever¡­ the role ssifications didn''t matter too much anyway. I decided to just stop thinking about the uing battles so hard and focus on the fight about to unfold.

 Chapter 315 - Bracket: Fighters IV

    The battle began with a loud sh of metal. Both boys wielded swords - one of shadow and one of light. Quite the interesting duo, they were - it reminded me of the sister cross-fight Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan had earlier.


    The two backed away from each other at the same time, both with a fearless grin on their faces. Then, wordlessly, they charged back towards one another, meeting once again with their des. The same process repeated for about a good five exchanges - and quite frankly, it was getting boring.


    Finally, the two decided to switch something up. They both used their own respective spells instead to turn the fight into a ranged one. The lightbearer used Light Magic, obviously, and the darkbearer used Shadow Magic. It was pretty funny, since both used a spell of the same archetype - a projectile, explosion-based attack.


    As the yellow-white and purple-ck spheres collided in a powerful st of energy, both swordsmen leaped towards one another again, this time not backing away after one strike. At first, it seemed like the lightbearer was winning and pushing the darkbearer back, but the tides soon shifted. The two teens were of perfectly equal power, neither giving in to the other.


    Soon, ten minutes passed, and both fighters were running out of energy. They panted heavily, swords in hand.


    "You''re good," the lightbearer teen said, wiping sweat from his forehead.


    "I could say the same to you," his opponent replied, shaking off sweat from his hair.


    "I would offer a draw, but¡­ I don''t think that is even allowed."


    "What do you say we both take a break, then continue once we''re both rested?"


    "Sure, sounds good to me. I''m really enjoying this fight anyway."


    And so, the two dropped their weapons at the same time andy down on the stage, closing their eyes.


    "You''re kidding me, right?" Feng Mian stared awkwardly at the two boys from our screen, unsure whether if they are really this dumb or are just being clowns.


    We could hear the audience roaring in disappointment, but since the stage''s walls were soundproof to everything except the announcer, the twobatants had no idea.


    "Well then¡­ looks like it will be quite a bit of time until I have to fight," Obsidia sighed.


    "Both contestants! Sudden death begins in one minute!" the announcer suddenly interjected, as the two teens'' eyes snapped open.


    "Sudden death? What''s that?" the lightbearer murmured in confusion.


    "I don''t know¡­" his opponent muttered, scratching his head.


    The announcerughed boldly. "If a victor is not decided between the two of you before then, both of you will be eliminated! Basically, hurryyyyyyyy up!"


    The two''s eyes widened as they immediately faced each other once more, picking their swords back up from the ground.


    "We don''t have much of a choice, it seems," the light-wielding teen said, gripping his weapon tightly.


    "Indeed¡­ best of luck," the shadow-wielding teen replied, simrly bracing for the uing final sixty seconds of their duel.


    Then, on cue, the twobatants dashed towards one another at the same time. As they sprinted, they both developed an aura around their bodies - one of Light energy, and one of Shadow energy.


    It seemed that they would be settling this with one final strike.


    "HYAHH!" The lightbearer yelled, leaping into the air and preparing to unleash all of his pent-up power. "Divine creator, bestow upon me your blessing, so that I may vanquish all shadows within your graceful domain of light-"


    Naturally, the shadowbearer returned this favor in kind.


    "Revered creator, grant me your power, so that I may devour all light within your endless domain of shadows-"


    "HOLY SUNDER!"


    "UNSANCTIFIED SLASH!"


    The two figures, along with their weapons, collided with one another, sending a shockwave powerful enough to shake the entire arena. The whole structure was blinded by a dazzling white light. However, unlike Xiang Peng''s Litehedron, this light was only able to blind anyone seeing the fight directly. The girls and I were still able to see, although barely.


    A loud explosion ensued, deafening all other sounds as a pir of energy surged upwards, breaking the ceiling of the arena''s cage and shooting high up into the sky towards Fragment.


    Luckily, an array was in ce to block it, otherwise things could have turned ugly.


    When the light atst faded away, both contestants were leftying down on the arena, knocked out cold. It was impossible to determine who was the winner.


    "Bothbatants are unconscious - and so, the results, I announce: both have lost! The winner of this bracket goes to Xiang Peng!" the announcer dered, much to our surprise.


    "Uh¡­ okay then," Xiang Peng murmured, blinking a few times in confusion at this sudden turn of events. "That was¡­ a bit too easy?"


    "Just ept it," I sighed. "This makes things easier for us."


    "Yeah¡­ I guess so."


    "Well, Obsidia, you''re up next," Feng Mian reminded calmly. "Let''s see here¡­ your opponent will be¡­ Shinrai Kazuomi, it seems."


    Saying this, she pulled up the person''s profile:


    Name: Shinrai Kazuomi


    Gender: Female


    Race: Demihuman


    Role: Fighter


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Shadow, Blessing, Gravity


    "I see," Obsidia responded briskly. "I can deal with her."


    "So confident¡­ what if you lose?" I teased, a faint smile on my face.


    "If I lose, I will call off our deal and leave you all be," she replied without any hesitation.


    I chuckled. "Sure. Show me you''re worth keeping around."


    Soon after, Obsidia was led by the IMF official to the arena, where she would face off against a wolfgirl named Shinrai Kazuomi.


    *****


    (Obsidia''s Perspective)


    When I got onto the stage, my opponent was already there, waiting for me. She was a wolf demihuman of small stature, but she had a confident grin on her face as she faced me.


    "I''ll beat you today, for sure!" she said, pointing at me.


    <em>Little kids¡­ so annoying.</em>


    I didn''t bother responding, and instead waited patiently for the announcer to signal the battle''s start. In all honesty, this child reminded me of ria - not a good thing. I was naturally cold to everyone, but I held a particr dislike for ria and all other little kids. Qing Yue¡­ she was questionable, but she could act mature at times. At¡­ rare times.


    "Alright, both contestants seem to be ready! Well then, without further ado¡­ let the battle begin!" the announcer dered, whistling as he signaled the start of our duel.


    My opponent immediately activated her mechanical ws, an extended form of her real ones to add higher damage output and reach. She then dashed towards me in an instant, moving on four limbs like a true animal.


    Calmly, I activated Flight to soar upwards into the sky, avoiding her attack with ease.


    "Hey! That''s not fair!" she cried down from below.


    "Hmph. Fairness? What a joke," I muttered, remembering Xuan Kai''s words from earlier. They had struck a chord within me.


    Then, aiming my palm downwards, I cast a spell. "Level Two Fire Magic - Twin Dragons."


    Of course, I chose Fire Magic and this particr spell since I was¡­ well, a dragon myself. My aptitude with Fire Magic was the highest.


    I sent down two ming orange dragons towards Shinrai Kazuomi. My Chaos energy was not as potent as Xuan Kai, so my spells did not change color or receive a power amplification as of right now. However, I could feel it - the Chaos in me getting stronger and stronger, the more time I spent with him. Strangely, it was a nice feeling.


    The wolfgirl dodged out of the way of my attack, but my two dragons followed her around, much to her annoyance. Twin Dragons was only a Level Two spell, but it sure was useful - one of the best out there for this level.


    Eventually, Shinrai got tired of running away, so she turned around and cast a spell of her own.


    "Grr¡­ Level Three Fire Magic - Engulfment!"


    Sending out a vortex of fire, her mes swallowed my dragons whole, before disappearing for good.


    "Heh¡­ you''re really pissing me off now!" she yelled, before suddenly jumping up to the reinforced ss walls and scaling them with her ws. My eyes widened slightly, impressed.


    When she got to my height, she jumped for me, ws outreached. Unfortunately for her, I simply dodged out of the way-


    -Or so I thought.


    Suddenly, her ws extended as my eyes widened. Quickly, I tilted my body and grabbed her wrist as hard as I could, using the might of my draconic strength to prevent her from budging a single inch. Making use of this muscle power that did not show on the outside, I flung her downwards towards the ground mercilessly.


    "Ahn!" she cried out from the impact, ws returning to their original size.


    "Tch¡­" I muttered. How shameful - actually nearly getting injured by a brat like this.


    Realizing it was about time to finish this fight, I prepared another attack while my opponent stilly on the ground, struggling to get back up.

 Chapter 316 - Opening Up

    (Obsidia''s Perspective)


    "Level Three Fire Magic - Congration Ray."


    Sending down a ray of pure fire hot enough to melt steel down towards Shinrai Kazuomi, I didn''t hold back a single bit. If she got hit, she would be incinerated right then and there, dying to immense pain. Though, that was none of my concern. I just needed to take this win. That was all - the consequences were not my problem.


    Unfortunately, at thest second, she used some sort of artifact to defend herself from my attack. It did not pierce through the blue shield that was erected, leaving Shinrai unharmed. However, that shield would not stay forever. Calmly, I sent out another attack.


    "Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux."


    Two thin beams of destruction shot out of my palms, one in each. I directed both towards the shield, ready to change my aim at a moment''s notice in case Shinrai attempted to escape. However, with a smirk on her face despite the injuries, she pointed at me and casually cast a spell of her own.


    "Gravity: Intensify."


    Making a downwards motion with her finger, I felt myself being forced to fall to the ground. An overbearing weight fell on my back as my entire body froze from the pressure, unable to budge an inch. Naturally, my Pyroflux spell was rendered useless as they shot directly into the ground. I quickly canceled the effect to avoid wasting mana.


    Shinrai then deactivated her shield and strode over to me, folding her arms.


    "Hmph. I originally wanted to just take you down using my physical abilities alone, but you were better than I expected. I underestimated you."


    I gritted my teeth in anger and shame. I was forced in a kneeling position before her - this demihuman who wasn''t human, wasn''t beast. A dragon, king of all beasts, was kneeling down to a mere wolfgirl. I could break out of this bond easily if I wanted to, but¡­ Xuan Kai would not be happy if I used my draconic strength too obviously here.


    "It''s time to finish this fight - I have tested my new weapons out enough."


    Saying this, Shinrai lifted a hand and directed it towards my lowered head.


    "Level Three Shadow Magic - Eternal Nightmare."


    Various dark purple phantoms, wailing and screeching, were sent flying towards me. Unable to move my muscles, I merely epted my fate.


    *****


    Or did I?


    No, I did not.


    As the nightmares entered my head, I felt visions creep into my mind. Visions of the past. Of the istion I suffered from back in my tribe. Of my mother and father, neglecting me and treating me as some sort of demonspawn. Memories of getting cast away from the vige. Living through the dark and lonely days again, eventually leading to my fateful encounter with Xuan Kai.


    However, in these nightmares, Xuan Kai did not ept my proposal. He too, saw me as some sort of oddity, some kind of mistake in this world. Just like the others, just like everyone else, he left me all alone once more. My hope shattered.


    Despite my cold appearance, I was genuinely grateful to Xuan Kai for epting me for who I was and even agreeing to the deal I proposed. Sure, I was certain he had his own interests, since he was just that kind of person, but the truth could not be changed.


    That''s right¡­ the truth could not be changed.


    Xuan Kai contained Chaos power himself. He was an oddity, an isted member of society, a victim of bullying and exclusion as well - just like me. How could he reject me, when others have done the same to him so many times? No - the weak bond together. They group up and form as one to be strong.


    Just like that one quote told to me by Qing Yue, who said it was from a manga series.


    "Humans are weak - pathetically weak. But that, is exactly what makes them strong."


    Weak people have the potential to grow - to forever improve. The already strong get caught up in their hubris and are unable to progress further. Eventually, one day, the weak will overtake the strong.


    That was my philosophy - that was Xuan Kai''s philosophy. He would never treat me like an outcast, when he is one himself.


    Sorry, Shinrai Kazuomi. You chose the wrong memory to manipte.


    I heard a faint voice outside the endless ckness all around me.


    "And now¡­ I dere the winner of this battle to be-"


    Slowly, my lips curved up into a faint smile.


    Light began to eat away at the shadows surrounding me and blocking my vision, before all the nightmares faded away along with my doubts.


    Shinrai had her back to me and had been about to walk off the stage when I suddenly broke out. Slowly, she turned her head around in shock, but it was toote.


    With speed worthy of a dragon, I dashed to her and grabbed her throat from behind immediately, before mming her into the arena''s ground and tightening my grip.


    "K-Kuh¡­ h-how¡­" she croaked, trying desperately to pry my hand off her throat. She was too weak to even cast a spell now - in fact, it was a miracle she was still alive. I was using about 25% of the power of my draconic strength to choke her.


    "¡­ I must say¡­ thank you for helping me realize just how weak I truly was," I said quietly, as Shinrai finally gave in.


    "I¡­ I-I forfeit¡­"


    Eyeing her, I decided not to kill her. She had educated me today, although inadvertently. I let go of her throat and walked off the stage.


    "I take back what I said earlier," the announcerughed boldly, as if happy at this sudden plot twist. "The winner of this fight is not Shinrai Kazuomi, but Miss Obsidia!"


    Back there, I could have avoided getting hit altogether using my draconic scales to break free from the gravitational force, then running away. However, this was a good opportunity for me to test my limits too. Through this experience, I realized that despite being a dragon, I still had many ws and weaknesses; plenty of room to improve. My kneeling towards Shinrai was solid proof of that.


    I would never forget this day.


    With that, I swore to never underestimate my opponents ever again, and instead focus on finding my own ws.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    When Obsidia returned to the room, she was as neutral as ever. But there was a different air to her than usual. She seemed¡­ less cold and up-high, mighty. Looks like getting utterly humiliated by that wolfgirl had been good for her.


    "Goodeback," I said nonchntly.


    "¡­ Thanks," she replied briskly.


    The girls'' eyes widened.


    "D-Did you hear that, An Xue?! Obsidia said ''thanks''!" Yu An Yan cried in shock.


    "Mm¡­!" Yu An Xue was stunned as well, ncing at Obsidia like she was some foreign object.


    Qing Yue leaped over to the dragon girl, then inspected her closely.


    "Hm¡­ this doesn''t seem to be a replica¡­ she doesn''t seem to be controlled either¡­"


    "¡­ Can you all rx?" I sighed, sensing Obsidia''s difort. "She expressed gratitude. Big deal."


    Hearing the heavy sarcasm in my voice, the girls all calmed down slightly.


    "W-Well, it''s just¡­ we''re not used to her being like that," Feng Mian argued softly.


    "Understandable. But people change - today just happened to be a rather sudden one¡­ due to certain events, of course. Am I right, Obsidia?"


    Slowly, she nodded, and I smirked.


    "The next battle is about to start," Lan Xiao Su interrupted, then turned to the dragon. "I''m happy for you, Obsidia! A little bit of warmth and kindness is always good. I can feel you opening up to us, and that''s great!"


    "You''ve opened up quite a bit toopared to back then," I remarked. "You used to be so nervous you could barely talk."


    "A-Ahahaha¡­" sheughed awkwardly at the memory. "Well, you helped me get past that, so¡­"


    "A-Ahem, the next battle is starting, isn''t it, Xiao Su?" Feng Mian cut in, possibly jealous of the slightly-flirty air between Lan Xiao Su and I.


    "Ah! That''s right, hehe," she giggled, then turned to the screen as Feng Mian switched to the livestream once more.


    This time, the fight was between a young man and a young woman, both who looked to be in their twenties or so. The man wore a evil and confident grin on his face, while the woman had a stern and serious expression, kind of like Obsidia. From the bracket table, I knew the man''s name was Xiao Zhan while the woman''s name was Ling Long.


    "Why hello there, beauty," Xiao Zhanughed, a handsome yet sinister smile on his face.


    "What do you want?" Ling Ling replied coldly, raising an eyebrow.


    "You see, I don''t want to hurt you, so I''m going to propose a slightly ''different'' way of fighting."


    "Huh?"


    "How about this. If you can withstand my mental attacks for ten seconds¡­ I''ll forfeit the match."


    Ling Long, along with the audience, widened their eyes.


    "¡­ You''ll what?"


    "You heard me. I''ll forfeit. All you gotta do is live through ten seconds. Seems simple enough, right?"


    Ling Long turned her head to the announcer. "Is this allowed?"


    "Why, yes it is! As long as both parties agree to the terms, that is," the announcer replied,ughing as usual.


    Ling Long, having confirmed the answer to her question, turned back to Xiao Zhan.


    "Very well - I ept your proposal. I just hope you do not go back on your word."


    Xiao Zhan snickered, as if he had already won.


    "Well then¡­ let the game begin, shall we?"

 Chapter 317 - Psychological Demon

    The battle began with a loud deration from the announcer. However, unlike previous battles fought on this same stage, neitherbatant moved from their original spot. Instead, calmly, the man - Xiao Zhan - took a seat on the tform.


    "Please, sit down. No need to be so anxious - my attack hasn''t begun yet."


    Ling Long, his opponent, held skepticism in her eyes, but she cautiously sat down anyway.


    "Now then¡­ are you ready?" the man asked, resting his chin on his two hands as he sat in a cross-legged position.


    The woman closed her eyes. "Go ahead. No matter what you try, after ten seconds, you will be the loser. Not once have I ever been affected by psychological attacks of any kind - you have sealed your own fate."


    "Oh, is that so?" Xiao Zhan chuckled, as if amused. "Well¡­ since you shared such information with me, I shall do the same in return - not once has someone ever resisted my mental attacks. epting this gamble will not only cost this match¡­ but also perhaps your life. Be ready."


    "Hmph¡­ enough with the big talk. I''m ready."


    "Very well. I like your confidence. Then, the timer starts¡­ now."


    The moment he said that, the woman''s eyes suddenly snapped open, her body frozen. Her calm demeanor from moments earlier was nowhere to be seen. It was as if she was being constricted by a python, squeezing the living life out of her. Slowly, her body began trembling, increasing in strength little by little.


    Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan seemed as calm as ever on the other end of the stage. His calm smile stered across his face, he stared into Ling Long''s eyes, as if greatly amused by the fear written in them.


    Three secondster, Ling Long was shaking violently, having lost all control over her own body. She spurted blood out from her mouth, then clutched her head in agony, hands trembling. Then, she suddenly started pulling her own hair out, screaming in agony. She even went so far as to choke herself, falling over to one side. Her originally proper and formal sitting posture was now nothing more than a crazy girl, mind broken by whatever she was seeing in her mind.


    Ling Long cried and screamed, but neither the announcer, judges present, nor anyone else made any move to help her.


    After all, the rules of thispetition were stated clearly beforehand already - killing was allowed. What Xiao Zhan was doing was simply killing her¡­ using torture.


    The perpetratorughed heartily as he watched his victim getting tormented further and further, as if this was no more than a daily urrence for him. The audience watched on in horror at the fight, but to them, all they were seeing was apletely one-sided disy of craziness and maniacal actions.


    And then, atst, at the nine second mark, Ling Long could not take it anymore. Taking out her own weapon, ced in a sheath strung over her back, she stabbed the long katana straight through her own body, before falling to the ground, dead. Her eyes, still wide open, were that of fear and utter terror.


    No one knew why she did this.


    No one knew how Xiao Zhan made her do this.


    No one knew what the poor girl had seen during those brief nine seconds of her life.


    ¡­ That is, thest nine seconds of her life.


    *****


    "¡­ That man. He''s dangerous," I said quietly as Xiao Zhan walked off the stage calmly, as carefree and confident as he had been whening on. Ling Long''s body was retrieved by staff soon after.


    "T-That was¡­ sickening¡­" Qing Yue whimpered, gulping in fear.


    I beckoned her over. Sheplied, falling into my arms. I patted her head gently.


    "Don''t be scared¡­ as long as you have a strong enough understanding of yourself, mental attacks cannot get to you."


    "Strong enough understanding¡­ but that girl, Ling Long. She seemed to be confident in her mental strength¡­" Feng Mian murmured in worry. "I don''t think what she said about no psychological attack ever working on her was a lie either."


    "Then that just means she has a fatal weakness even she herself has yet to grasp," I exined calmly. "The profile of that man - Xiao Zhan, right? It said he was an Advanced Mage, if I remember correctly. Can someone confirm?"


    Feng Mian quickly pulled up his profile in the database shown on the hologram, then nodded. "Yep, Advanced Mage. Says it right here."


    I fell into thought. "I''ve never heard of a Level Three or below spell being so powerful to be able to detect someone''s fatal weakness in a short few seconds¡­ a Magic Artifact, perhaps?"


    "You''re saying¡­ he''s using an artifact to do this?" Yu An Yan asked, folding her arms.


    I nodded. "That is the only exnation¡­ unless, of course, he is hiding his true strength. Though, I don''t think that''s likely, given the IMF are the ones overseeing this tournament. They aren''t that stupid."


    "Are there any limits to this artifact?" Obsidia asked - naturally, since she would have to face off against him soon.


    "Hell if I''m supposed to know," I chuckled. "Though¡­ no mental attacks are inescapable. All psychological assaults have a way to defend against them - it''s just a matter of who can, and the difficulty level to do so."


    "Just remember," I continued, ncing at Obsidia in the eyes. "Stay true to yourself, and don''t let the visions sway you."


    "Hmph. I will be fine," Obsidia snorted. "My previous opponent had tried using mental attacks on me as well - look how that turned out."


    "Xiao Zhan - or rather, his artifact - is on apletely different level," I sighed. "You say it like it''s so easy now, but¡­ when you really end up trapped in his mental mazes, will you be able to find your way out?"


    "¡­" Obsidia fell silent. Had it been the old her, she definitely would''ve argued back, saying she could with 100% certainty, but she had changed due to thest battle. She was genuinely contemting the possibility of her losing now, and how to minimize that probability.


    "H-Hold yon, awen''t we overthinking this a wittle?" Amane interjected. She usually didn''t participate in our conversations due to them being too advanced for her still young and innocent mind, but this time, she had to contribute her input. "I mean, can''t Obsidiwa just wefuse his proposal?"


    "It''s not that simple," Mei Gui cut in before the rest of us could answer. "Sure, she could, but do you think just because she refused, her opponent would respect her decision and really not try to use a mental attack on her? You are far too naive, catgirl."


    "Nya¡­" Amane scratched her cheek and tilted her head, pouting cutely. The other girls looked at her in pity, but there wasn''t much they could do. The truth was, she needed to mature ¡ª mentally, I mean. She was already, ahem, mature enough physically.


    "Miss Mei Gui," the IMF staff member''s voice called out from outside the door. "You will be fighting next. I will return in roughly 15 minutes, as usual, to lead you to the arena."


    None of us responded to his call, but he seemed to have just epted that we heard it, since he didn''t try repeating his message or anything like that. Instead, we heard the shuffling of footsteps, signaling that he was leaving.


    "Who''s Mei Gui fighting against?" I asked.


    Feng Mian pulled up the bracket, then switched to the profile database to search Mei Gui''s opponent up:


    Name: Rain


    Gender: Female


    Race: Elf


    Role: Fighter


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Earth, Water, Blessing, Light, Enchantment, Summoning


    "An elf¡­ if I remember correctly, aren''t they super talented in magicpared to humans?" Yu An Yan wondered aloud.


    Lan Xiao Su nodded. "Yes. Most are born with three innate elements."


    "Wow¡­ Mei Gui, can you win?" I teased.


    "Of course, Master," she replied stoically. Her expression didn''t change whatsoever, even after seeing her opponent''s profile.


    I snickered. "I would say ''good luck'', but you don''t really need it, do you? I have full confidence you can win."


    Mei Gui bowed to me, making a cute curtsy. "Thank you, Master. I will not let you down."


    "Hey now¡­ you never said anything that nice to us when we went up¡­" Xiang Pengined, rolling her eyes.


    "Too bad," Mei Gui replied before I could. "Master just likes me best. Deal with it."


    As the other girls erupted inebacks and whatnot, Iughed.


    "What a girl¡­"


    Soonter, the man returned to pick Mei Gui up. It was time. Could she defeat her opponent? Of course she could.


    My concern was whether or not she would be able to learn or improve anything from this fight. If she couldn''t, that was fine, but I was hoping her opponent would at least be able to teach her a thing or two through their fight.


    People grew from conflict - Mei Gui was no different.

 Chapter 318 - Bracket: Fighters V

    (Mei Gui''s Perspective)


    Slowly, I stepped onto the stage. Across from me was a beautiful elf girl who looked to be slightly older than Master. Upon spotting me, she smiled brightly.


    "I look forward to fighting you, Mei Gui!"


    "¡­ Likewise," I responded quietly. Since she greeted me, I would do the same in return, even though I did not want to. Master taught me that.


    "We''re running a bit low on time here, so without further ado, I''m just gonna start it, hahah!" the announcer suddenly cut into our conversation rudely. "Ready? 3, 2, 1, go!"


    "¡­" neither of us moved, mainly because of how casual the countdown was.


    "Hello? I said go! Go already! Shoot some stuff, swing some stuff, kill some stuff! Go go go!"


    "E-Er¡­ well, I suppose that means the battle has begun," the elf, Rain,ughed softly. "Then, here I go. Prepare yourself."


    I nodded, letting her have the first strike to test her skills out. Going in blindly would be a bad move.


    "Level One Earth Magic - Vines of Binding - Tier II!"


    A Tier II Level One spell¡­ so, essentially, a Level Two spell. She seemed to be testing the waters as well, not showing her full power just yet. This was an opponent worth fighting, it seemed.


    I nimbly dodged out of the way of her vines - a mere Level Two spell wasn''t enough of a threat to make me use my Chaos power or anything of the sort. Just avoiding it like this was perfectly fine and simple. They attempted to follow me, but I burnt all of them away with a quick me Lotus spell.


    Unfortunately, this meant she noticed the abnormality to my magic - the colors, in particr.


    "Hm¡­? Interesting¡­" she murmured to herself, before extending her hand andunching another spell at me to remain on the offensive.


    "Level Three Earth Magic - Enclose."


    Four solid walls shot out of the ground without warning, trapping me within. This was immediately followed by another attack.


    "Level Two Water Magic - Geyser."


    Below me, I could hear a slight rumbling. Sighing, I activated Flight and rose up into the air, flying out of the cage before the geyser could hit me.


    In the sky, I decided to begin attacking. Just defending was useless, after all.


    Calmly, I directed my hand towards my opponent.


    "Level Three Sky Magic - Prison of Lightning."


    Not chanting out loud had no demerits whatsoever to me, but in order to avoid attracting too much attention to myself ande off as extremely strong, I said the spell incantation out loud anyway.


    A dark ck cloud formed over Rain''s head. It sparked with ominous red electricity. Rain attempted to escape, but the cloud followed her wherever she went. This tracking skill was thanks to the amplification powers of Chaos - had it been a normal Prison of Lightning, she would have been able to escape.


    She seemed to realize that running around forever wasn''t going to do anything, so she instead made a sharp turn and began running towards me. At first, I thought she was nning on having my own spell hit me, but I was far too high up for that. Then, as a bow suddenly materialized in her hand without any warning, I realized what she was trying to do.


    "Trying to take me down before she gets caught? A brave gamble," I remarked, then dodged out of the way as an arrow sailed by my head.


    However, to my surprise, the arrow suddenly made a sharp U-turn after passing by me, then flew towards my body once more without losing any momentum. It seemed her arrow possessed a trait simr to my Prison of Lightning.


    Right before the arrow could hit me, I flew upwards, letting it fly by below me. But just as expected, the sharp projectile curved and began flying towards me once more. This time, however, I was ready.


    "Level One Fire Magic - me Lotus."


    My brilliant flower of fire collided with the arrow, sending a beautiful explosion in the air that looked extremely simr to the fireworks I had watched with Master on the ferris wheel that fateful night. The only difference was that right now was daytime, and back there it was nighttime.


    Unfortunately, my opponent hadn''t just been sitting still while I attempted to counter her first arrow. Before I knew it, there were five different arrows heading towards me, each equipped with their own tracking module.


    "¡­ How annoying," I muttered, quickly speeding away in the air.


    My opponent matched my movements on the ground as she continued to run away from my Prison of Lightning, still following her. At this rate, she wasn''t fighting me anymore - she was fighting against time. Would she hit me first, or would her energy run out first? That would decide the victor of this battle.


    At least, that''s what she thought.


    Suddenly, I dove downwards, straight towards her in a daring maneuver. The arrows she shot followed me, and her eyes widened as she saw what I was trying to do.


    Quickly, she raised her bow and shot out another arrow towards me, but unfortunately for her, I had another trick up my sleeve.


    "Level One Psychic Magic - Telekinesis."


    Using my mind, I stopped the arrow, then turned it around and made it fly the other way. Truly, a deadly power. Rain had not been expecting this, so she instinctively dodged backwards, out of the way. Unfortunately for her¡­ she dove straight under the dark cloud that I had sent out earlier. All in all, she had brilliantly fell directly into my trap.


    I quickly changed direction and swooped up into the air once again, the arrows she had sent following me. When I dove down, I had been anticipating her to shoot an arrow towards me in a panic, since she thought I was trying to hit her with her own arrows. While that could''ve worked, there was no guarantee she didn''t haveplete control over her projectile, so to be safe, I decided to rely on my own attack in the end to finish her off.


    The arrow she shot, which I then controlled and sent flying back towards her, was not even meant to actually defeat her. It was to only serve as a threat, forcing her to dodge out of the way - straight into my prison. Just like in chess, it is often not the first blunder that kills you, but the second.


    I observed below me as I flew gracefully through the air, the arrows following me. Rain tried to escape from beneath my cloud, realizing her mistake, but it was toote as lightning crashed down all around her. What a pity, too - had this trick of mine not worked just now, I would have canceled my Prison of Lightning and tried something else, since this was taking quite a bit of mana out of my reserves. I had future battles to consider, so I wanted to avoid using up too much mana here, if possible.


    Expressionlessly, I watched as thest and most powerful lightning bolt emerged from the center of the cloud, white and sparking with ominous red energy.


    "You were a worthy opponent, I suppose," I muttered faintly as the lightning struck dow-


    "Ngh!" Rain cried out all of a sudden, as my eyes widened.


    This crazy elf girl¡­ she cast protection magic on herself using Blessing Element spells, then made her escape directly through the prison of lightning''s fences of electricity.


    From her pained expression, it must''ve hurt a lot, but she could still fight. I narrowed my eyes as I continued flying.


    "It seems¡­ I have underestimated her," I whispered quietly to myself.


    The numerous arrows trailed after me as Rain recovered. I could simply control them all using my empowered Telekinesis, but that would definitely attract attention to myself, since normally the spell only allowed for the user to control one small object at once, unless upgraded using Upgrade Runes.


    Rain''s right arm appeared to be especially injured as I observed. She was unable to shoot her bow anymore, which was good news to me. She may have broken out of that cage and surprised me quite a bit, but the victor of this battle was still going to be me. I made a promise to Master, and I would never fail to honor it.


    "Level Three Sky Magic - Electric Lash."


    I summoned a crackling whip of electricity, then spun around and truck all of the arrows following me. They fell to the ground, one after another, turned to nothing but ashes.


    Then,nding on the ground, my whip still in hand, I prepared to finish off the panting Rain, clutching her right shoulder in pain.


    She raised her hand out and murmured something under her breath. I felt some rumbling going on beneath the ground, so I stopped walking. Mere moments after I did, a geyser suddenly shot out the ce I had been walking to. Had I not realized this in time, I would have actually gotten hit.


    "¡­ Heh¡­ welp, that was my final card. You got me, hehe," sheughed softly, but the look in her eyes portrayed sadness, contrary to whatughter usually meant.


    "¡­ I respect your courage and resolve," I said quietly as I got within striking range of my whip. "However¡­ I cannot lose, for the sake of Master."


    She smiled gently as I mercilessly swung my whip across. It struck her directly in the chest, sending her toppling backwards and copsing onto the ground.


    I turned around and walked off the stage, leaving one final message behind.


    "Thank you."

 Chapter 319 - Bracket: Fighters VI

    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    When Mei Gui returned to the room, she immediately walked over to me and curtsied.


    "Master, I havepleted my mission."


    "I saw. Good work," I replied, smiling. "Did you¡­ learn anything?"


    She nodded. "I was shown something new today, by my opponent. I used to look down on everyone else except Master as an inferior species, but now I havee to realize that even the weakest of lifeforms have the potential to do something great. I was impressed today by that elf, who was able to endure the pain and escape from my Prison of Lightning."


    I nodded. "It seems this battle has not gone to waste."


    "Yes¡­ even though she lost to me in the end, I respect her resolve."


    "Well then, regardless, you did great. It''ll be a while until you have to fight again, so just take a seat and watch the next fight about to begin," I said, turning back to the screen.


    "¡­ M-Master," she stuttered all of a sudden, which was a rarity. Thest time she did was that was from not knowing how to use the shower.


    I tilted my head then nced at her. "What is it?"


    "A-About the reward¡­"


    I blinked.


    "Oh¡­ yeah, sure,e here."


    I beckoned her over, to which sheplied giddily. I began gently patting her head as she held a warm, happy smile on her face that was never shown to outsiders. Then, mimicking what Xiang Peng had done earlier, she suddenly wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, to my surprise.


    Slowly, I smiled and continued patting her head. "You''re learning in <em>this</em> respect too, huh?"


    "A-Ahem," Feng Mian interrupted. "The next match is about to start, so¡­"


    Mei Gui sent her a death re, as if extremely annoyed about her interjection. Still, she refrained fromshing out, and reluctantly pulled away from me.


    "Master, we can continue this tonight," she said, then returned to her previous seat without waiting for my response.


    "The next match will be between Miss Lin Zhi and Aeson Sks!" the announcer dered, drawing all of our attentions to the screen. On the left side of the arena was a calm-looking girl with her eyes closed, while on the other was a short boy - by that, I mean very short. He appeared to be a dwarf.


    "Both contestants are ready! Then, let the battle begin!"


    The dwarf started the fight by leaping into the air and taking out his massive warhammer, which appeared far too big for someone of his stature to handle. Still, he was wielding it skillfully, crashing down with all of his might towards the girl. Unfortunately, Lin Zhi was far too quick, jumping backwards to avoid the strike. However, the impact of the hit was so strong that it send a shockwave effect all around the arena - even the audience was affected.


    Whether this was the skill of the hammer or simply generated from his raw muscle power was unknown, but either way, Lin Zhi, the closest recipient of the shockwave, fell back down to the ground immediately, clutching her eardrums in pain. The boy didn''t give her any time to rx as he charged towards her once again, this time swinging his hammer sideways.


    Lin Zhi recovered just before Aeson could strike her, ducking down and avoiding the hit. Then, she immediately jumped back up, before finally taking out her own weapons - a pair of twin daggers, ominously glowing purple.


    The two shed into one another once again, but it was clear now that the girl was winning. She was able to avoid all of the boy''s hammer attacks with ease, and at this close range, her two short daggers were far superior than the dwarf''s hammer, meant for sheer power.


    The battle seemed to be soon over, but suddenly, the dwarf''s hammer shrunk in size, allowing Aeson to wield it with only one hand. His other hand, now free, materialized a different weapon - a pistol.


    Lin Zhi immediately attempted to disarm him, but the dwarf shot immediately, hitting her in the hand. It was a lucky hit.


    "Ngh¡­" Lin Zhi backed off a short distance. She had tried to go in to get rid of one of Aeson''s weapons, but now she was the one left with only one weapon.


    "Hmph¡­ don''t look down on me," Aeson frowned, then pointed the gun at Lin Zhi''s head.


    However, Lin Zhi muttered something under her breath just as he pulled the trigger, and vanished in a purple smoke.


    "What¡­" The dwarf looked around, confused yet vignt, ready to intercept an attack from any direction.


    But the only orientation he did not expect¡­ above.


    With a bloodstained hand, Lin Zhi suddenly emerged from a portal above Aeson, dropping down on him with her remaining dagger held firmly in her uninjured hand.


    Aeson looked up, but it was toote.


    Lin Zhi''s dagger stabbed deep into Aeson''s forehead, bringing him to the ground. With that, the battle ended.


    *****


    "Miss Amane, you will be fighting next," a voice called out to us from outside the door.


    "Meowkay~" Amane responded cutely, before turning to look at me. "Nya, Xuwan Kwai, who am I facing?"


    Feng Mian pulled up the brackets, then swiched to the profile list after seeing Amane''s opponent''s name.


    "Here it is," she said.


    On screen disyed information:


    Name: Akira Shoujin


    Gender: Female


    Race: Demihuman (Dog)


    Role: Fighter


    Rank: Advanced Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Space, Enchantment, Blessing, Fire, Sound


    "Dog versus cat," Qing Yue giggled. "What a match-up."


    "Mm¡­! Cats nyare supwerior!" Amane pouted, frowning at the screen.


    "Prove that with your actions," I said. "Give your opponent hell out there."


    She nodded happily towards me.


    A whileter, she left the room to head to the arena, led by the IMF staff.


    *****


    (Amane''s Perspective)


    I strode up to the stage, weapons locked and ready. I was using a pair of ws simr to what the wolfgirl from earlier had been using, but I had confidence I could do better than she did. Not because of the weapons, but because of their users.


    My opponent, a doggirl, arrived shortly after. She appeared to be the same height as me, though her body was not nearly as developed. Heheh. She looked like she was nning on using magic to fight me, since she didn''t have any visible weapons. Naturally, this meant she was going to try and stay away from me and keep her distance to prevent me from getting close, but with my Space Magic, closing the gap was a piece of cake.


    "Grr¡­ why do catgirls have better bodies¡­" my opponent muttered in frustration, eyeing me with hate.


    I folded my arms and snorted. "Hmph. We''re just supwerior, nya~"


    "Don''t think you''ve won just because you have a better figure!" she yelled back. "I bet those bouncers of yours weigh you down when running, huh? Look at me, so light and nimb-"


    "And syo t," I cut in,ughing. "Nyahahaha, what a pity."


    "T-Tch¡­ I''ll make you eat those words today."


    "Bothbatants appear to be ready! Then, we shall start in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­" the announcer paused dramatically.


    "¡­ Go!"


    Immediately, Akira raised her hand and prepared to cast a spell, but-


    "Hold yon," I stopped her. "Before we styart, I just wyant to knyow¡­ why do our races hyate each other syo myuch anyways?"


    "Huh? You don''t know the story of our past?"


    I pursed my lips and shook my head. "I was cyast out of my tribe when I was nyoung. I''ve been wyondering for a while nyow, but¡­"


    "Well¡­" my opponent scratched her head, canceling her spell. "Apparently, our tribes used to be quite friendly with one another. Then, one generation, the Neko n matriarch and the Inu n matriarch fell in love with the same man a couple generations back. The two selfish matriarchs dered war on one another, dragging the whole race along with them¡­ that habit stuck for the future generations like you and me, I guess. Now, we just hate members of the opposite race, even though they''ve never done anything to us."


    I tilted my head curiously. "Hmm¡­ what happened to that man? Who did he choose?"


    Akira sighed, then shrugged. "He left, fled away. Chose some beautiful human over the two matriarchs."


    I blinked. "Wow¡­ what was his name, to be surrounded by pretty women?"


    "Eh¡­ I don''t exactly remember, but¡­ I think hisst name was Xuan? Ugh, that doesn''t matter, the story''s over. Let''s fight!"


    My eyes widened. Xuan¡­ Xuwan Kwai? Was the man in the story Xuwan Kwai''s ancestor?! Did the harem-attracting nature run in the family?!


    Nya¡­ I would need to confront him about this when I get back!


    But for now, Akira was preparing her attack once more, so I needed to deal with her first. Mm¡­ annoying!


    I extended my ws, then got into battle stance.


    "You''re going down today, damn neko!" Akira yelled, ready to shoot out her spell.


    I smirked. "Nya~ bring it nyon, inu!"

 Chapter 320 - Bracket: Defenders

    (Amane''s Perspective)


    "Level Three Fire Magic - Pyrotoxin re!"


    Akira sent a concentrated st of concentrated sma-imbued fire energy towards me, one that she could detonate at any given moment.


    I smiled and rushed directly towards the projectile, ready to meet it head-on.


    When I got close, Akira smirked and made a bomb-activating gesture with her hand, simr to the signature move of a certain character in a certain series. However, I was not so easily defeated.


    "Space - Eliminate."


    Right before the sphere of destruction detonated, I erased the space between myself and Akira. The spell could not erase space with objects inside them, but I purposely waited until thest second to use this spell just to avoid that.


    Her eyes widened as I closed in, but unfortunately, she too had Space Magic.


    "Space - Create."


    Distorting space in between us, before I knew it, I was back to my original position, and my ws swiped down at nothing.


    "Hm¡­ nyot bad," I wrinkled my nose, sniffing the air.


    "That was a risky move you did just now," Akira muttered. "One secondte, and you would''ve been incinerated."


    "Heh. It''s my turn nyow," I said, then began my attack phase. "Level Three Shadow Magic - Eternal Nyightmyare."


    Various phantoms flew towards Akira, who gritted her teeth and put up a defense. "Level Two Fire Magic - Wall of mes!"


    My nightmares began attacking her defense. They got burned away one by one, but they served their purpose of blocking Akira''s vision just fine.


    While she was dealing with my phantoms, I took this time to prepare my trump card. Around thirty secondster, my preparations wereplete. I had condensed enough mana to cast this spell - everything was in ce. All that was left was for me to actually cast it.


    "Level Three Time Magic¡­ Chronofreeze."


    Immediately, color drained away from the world, and everything stopped along with the flow of time.


    I only had a few seconds to work with here, so I didn''t waste any time and closed in on Akira immediately.


    "Space - Eliminate."


    Using this to speed up even further, I dashed directly through her curtain of fire - it did not harm me. Time was stopped, after all.


    Right as time began to flow again, I arrived at my target, my ws extended and at her neck. Her eyes widened in fear as she didn''t dare move an inch, even though time was flowing once more.


    "I¡­ I surrender," she said atst, and I giggled.


    "Looks nyike nekos are the supwerior tribe after all!"


    "AND the winner of the match is¡­ Miss Amane!"


    As I strode off the stage stylishly, Akira had no choice but to just watch and ept her defeat.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "That was pretty easy," I said once Amane got back. "The battle was pretty short. Nicely done."


    "Wee back," the other girls said in unison.


    "Hehe, she imed my ''bouncers'' weighed me dyown!" Amane giggled, then walked over to me and cupped her¡­ generous breasts.


    "Nya~ Xuwan Kwai, do you like them?"


    I blinked. "W-What kind of question is that?"


    "Hm¡­ well, if you nyike them, I''ll keep them. If nyot, I''ll get rid-"


    "N-No, don''t. Keep them. For the love of god, do not cut them off."


    "So¡­ that means you nyike them?"


    "That''s no- ugh, whatever, yeah, sure, I like them," I sighed, forgetting that Amane''s mental age was still low.


    "Yay! Nyow, headpat?" she tilted her head and wagged her tail cutely, kneeling down on the floor in front of me as she waited patiently for me to give her what she wanted.


    Iplied to her wishes, giving her the head pat. She meowed happily and suddenly began licking my hand. I quickly retracted it.


    She blinked. "Nya?"


    "Uh¡­ why are you licking it?"


    "It''s a way members of the Neko tribe show affection," Lan Xiao Su exined with a smile. "At least, that''s what I read off one of the books in the Library of Infinite Beginnings."


    "Mhm~" Amane nodded in confirmation as she sat, two hands ced at chest-level in a catgirl-like gesture.


    "I¡­ see. Well, the next battle is beginning soon, so¡­"


    Amane, realizing what I meant, returned to her seat. I sighed in relief.


    "Master, are you in to getting licked? I can do the sam-"


    "No thanks," I quickly cut Mei Gui off. "Do not copy what these girls do. They are all extremely bad influences. Especially Amane and Xiang Peng."


    "H-Hey! Why me?!" Xiang Peng cried, having just taken a bullet despite not even being in the war.


    No one bothered replying to her, and we all turned our gazes back to the screen, where the next match was about to begin.


    *****


    The next fight didn''t take long to end. The winner was a young human teen the same age as me or so. However, he was far more energetic and hot-headed than I was. I would say he was the exact opposite of me, in fact. Power-wise too. Amane should be able to deal with him just fine, especially since he just sustained injuries, so there was not much to worry about.


    "The nextbatant will be Miss Lan," the IMF employee called out from the other side of the door to the room. "Please get ready."


    By now, we were familiar with the process, so Feng Mian quickly took a look at the bracket, then searched Lan Xiao Su''s opponent''s name up in the profile database.


    Name: Tai Yuan


    Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Role: Defender


    Rank: Intermediate Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Earth, Enchantment, Water


    "Defender, huh¡­ looks like you were ced into this category as well," I remarked, looking at Lan Xiao Su.


    "Hm¡­ defender. I suppose that just means I protect the support and help out everywhere from time to time, depending on the needs in battle?" Lan Xiao Su murmured to herself thoughtfully. "Hm¡­ but I have one extra elementpared to my opponent. I should be able to win if it''s an all-out fight, especially since he''s a defender as well. His attack power shouldn''t be too high."


    "That''s logical. Don''t let your guard down, though," Feng Mian warned. "He may have an artifact or something that grants him an advantage."


    "Mm. Got it."


    *****


    (Lan Xiao Su''s Perspective)


    Roughly fifteen minutester, I found myself standing on the stage, facing off against a young boy ofrge stature. He was pretty tall and chubby, like a living human wall. He definitely gave off ''defender'' vibes. Still, it''s not like he was scary or anything. In fact, he seemed quite kind and friendly.


    Scratching the back of his head, heughed awkwardly. "H-Hello, miss. My name is Tai Yuan¡­ and, um, I look forward to the fight."


    I giggled softly. He reminded me of my old self, nervous and afraid.


    "Same here," I replied, loosening up to help him do the same. "No need to be nervous - it''s just apetition. You fail this time, there''s always the next."


    Tai Yuan smiled warmly, so much so that his eyes could barely be seen. "Hehe¡­ yes, I suppose you''re right. Thanks."


    "Now then, ARE both contestants READY?" the announcer asked loudly, voice''s pitch uneven.


    We both nodded, preparing our magic. I chose to refrain from using my gun here, since this was a good opportunity to practice my magic forbat.


    "Well then! Let the battle BEGIN!"


    Immediately, Tai Yuan smashed the ground.


    "Level Two Earth Magic - Rock Surge!"


    Sending three lines of underground rock pirs towards me, ready to jut out at any time, he looked at me intently, waiting to see what I would do. I couldn''t see his eyes, but I could tell.


    If he wanted a show, I would give him one. I needed to win this fight¡­ I can''t disappoint Xuan Kai!


    "Level Two Water Magic - Fountain!"


    Casting this spell on the ground below me, a sprout of water shot out from beneath the ground, lifting me upwards. I was able to stand and walk around at the top of this water fountain, far too high for the rock pirs Tai Yuan created to reach me.


    As expected, three torrents of rock shot out of the ground momentster, but they were nowhere close to reaching me. I now had the high ground, and decided to push the advantage.


    "Level Two Light Magic - Radiant Sphere!"


    Iunched an orb of light towards Tai Yuan, energy trailing behind it. This orb''s destructive power wasn''t big, but its true shine (literally)y within its ability to blind enemies.


    Tai Yuan frowned in concentration as he erected a barrier.


    "Mizu Shield!"


    Creating a dome of water around himself, my light orb crashed into his barrier and exploded. Since water reflected light, Tai Yuan was barely affected by my blinding attack. A good counter.


    However, I wasn''t quite done yet. The blind obviously didn''t affect me, since I was the creator of it. Tai Yuan was stuck in a defensive position now, and I was going to capitalize on that, never once letting him turn this situation around.


    Raising my palm out and directing it towards his water barrier, I smiled.

 Chapter 321 - Bracket: Leaders

    "Level Two Water Magic ¡ª Geyser!"


    I had observed another contestant use this spell against Mei Gui earlier, and managed to learn it, somehow. Tai Yuan''s Mizu Shield could block all around him in a dome shape, but he waspletely vulnerable below.


    I dropped back to the ground and mmed my hand into the arena''s floor, channeling my mana into it.


    Tai Yuan looked down as the floor below him began to stir. He was confused as to what it was, and frowned in puzzlement.


    But then, a crack appeared in the stage, and he realized as his eyes widened.


    However, it was far toote.


    A powerful torrent of water surged upwards from the crack, piercing through the floor and directly into Tai Yuan''srge body. It carried him upwards , flying high into the air, before instantly dissipating. Its victim fell heavily back onto the ground, knocked unconscious by the impact.


    The announcer whistled loudly. "Tai Yuan is unconscious! The winner is¡­ Lan Xiao Su!"


    I grinned and walked off the stage.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Nicely done," Iplimented as Lan Xiao Su walked into the room.


    "Hehe, thank you~" she giggled at my praise, then walked over closer. "U-Um¡­ the reward¡­?"


    I smiled and patted her head gently. She blushed happily. Together, we watched the next match in the defenders set - it came to a close rtively quickly, with both contestants being nowhere near Xiao Su''s level.


    "The final battle of the first set is here," Feng Mian said after the duel concluded. "It''s your turn next, Xuan Kai."


    I nodded. "I know. My opponent is¡­ Peng Yao, huh?"


    She nodded and pulled up a profile on the screen.


    Name: Peng Yao


    Gender: Male


    Race: Human


    Role: Leader


    Rank: Ancestral Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Fire, Water, Sky, Earth, Sound, Space


    "So? Can you beat him?" Xiang Peng taunted, smirking from a distance away.


    I rubbed my chin. "Who knows¡­"


    "When he says that, it usually means he''s certain he can beat them," Yu An Yan sighed.


    "Not true," I replied. "I don''t have much info on him apart from this extremely abstract and brief profile screen. He could have a trump card I don''t know about. Though¡­ if he''s really just a normal Ancestral Mage, I can take care of him."


    "Hm¡­ careful as always, I see," she muttered in reply.


    "Something''s just been bothering me in the back of my head," I exined. "It''s rted to the Midnight Syndicate¡­"


    "Hm? How so?" the girls asked in curiosity.


    "Back during the final fight at Shenzhen, I had faced off with this knight-like person, wearing full silver armor. At the time, I managed to defeat him, but not kill him. When he escaped, he left behind a few words that were quite¡­ disturbing."


    "What did he say?"


    "''We will meet again'' or something like that," I sighed, rubbing my nose bridge.


    "ssic evil viin line!" Qing Yue eximed, cackling.


    "Hm¡­ so you think he''s here, in Shanghai?" Feng Mian murmured thoughtfully.


    I nodded. "Precisely. Though, it doesn''t seem he''s made a move yet."


    "He''s from the Midnight Syndicate, you say?" Xiang Peng raised an eyebrow. "This ce is governed directly by the IMF. It would be difficult for a massive criminal organization like that to station themselves here."


    "On the surface, sure, that''s true, but¡­ perhaps they are hiding in in sight?" I suggested.


    "It''s possible¡­ but even then, I don''t think they''ll try anything at this tournament with this many people watching," Lan Xiao Su said, tilting her head. "Still, it''s a good idea to be on guard."


    I smirked. "Don''t worry. I''m always on guard."


    We ended up forgetting to watch the next match in the Defender bracket, but whatever. A short whileter, the IMF employee came to our room once more and called on me.


    "Mr. Xuan Kai, you''re going next."


    Sighing, I stood up from my chair and headed for the door, slipping my mask on.


    "Good luck~" the girls said collectively, smiling at me together.


    Beneath my mask, I grinned slightly. What a heartwarming scene this was.


    *****


    "Best of luck," the IMF employee said to me as the pitch ck walls opened up to reveal a pathway forward.


    "¡­ Thanks."


    With this brisk reply to his words, I walked forward and stepped onto the stage. My opponent, Peng Yao, did the same. For some reason, he had sweat on his forehead, despite the battle not even starting yet. Strike one.


    He kept ncing around, eyes never once meeting mine. Strike two.


    He had an ufortable smile on his face as he tried to appear nonchnt and confident, but his other two symptoms gave this away. Strike three.


    Conclusion: he was nervous. Not only this, he was definitely attempting to hide something from me.


    We''ve never even met before. I wonder¡­ what could he be trying to conceal?


    "The first sh between leaders is finally here!" the announcer shouted in excitement. "Undoubtedly, this will be the most exciting and intense fight yet, with both contestants being the strongest member of their respective teams! How will this battle turn out?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    I continued to stare at Peng Yao, who averted his gaze, seemingly nervous about me looking at him so intently.


    "Well, it seems both contestants are ready!" the announcer dered after seeing the two of us both remain silent, neither attempting to talk with the other. "Great ¡ª without further ado, the match will now¡­ BEGIN!"


    A loud buzzer sound filled the arena, signaling the match''s start.


    Without waiting for him to attack first, I took the initiative and went on the offense immediately.


    "Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Twin Dragons."


    Met with my two enormous beasts made of pure mana charging directly towards him, Peng Yao''s eyes widened at the color and size of them.


    Quickly, he brought his hands up and cast a spell of his own to defend against mine.


    "Level Three Water Magic ¡ª Water Reach!"


    He opened his palm, shooting a powerful jetstream of water out of it. It struck my dragons, and both spells evaporated into thin air.


    <em>Hm¡­ not bad. My spells are amplified by 8 times, but a Level Three spell''s mana density is equivalent to that of ten Level Two ones. Thus, he was able to counter my attack.</em>


    Peng Yao seemed to be surprised at his Level Three spell only managing to block my attack, which was a whole level lower, instead of outright piercing through it.


    "The hell¡­? Why''s your magic so weird?" he asked, frowning.


    I smirked, though he couldn''t see that from under my mask. "If you tell me what you''re trying to hide first, I''ll answer you."


    His eyes widened a bit, realizing he was already exposed.


    "Tch¡­ how''d you find out?"


    "Find out?" I scoffed. "Please, it was as clear as day. Your acting skills are far from perfected."


    "Well, it''s not like I''m trying to be an actor or something!" he yelled. "Wait, that''s not important¡­ anyway, it''s my turn now!"


    He sped his hands together and grinned.


    "I call this move¡­ Four Element Trap!"


    Saying this, he began chanting his first spell name.


    "Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª zing Trail!"


    Lobbing a massive rocket-shaped projectile of fire at me that had a trail of fire behind it, Peng Yao didn''t stop.


    "Level Two Space Magic ¡ª Blink!"


    He immediately appeared to my left, right after the fire attack left his hands.


    "Level Three Water Magic ¡ª Hydrones!"


    As heunched a plethora of tiny explosive water drones towards me, he quickly repositioned himself using Blink once more, this time behind me.


    "Again! Level Three Earth Magic ¡ª Sand Bomb!"


    I followed him with my eyes as he changed his position one final time, this time ¡ª quite predictably ¡ª to my right.


    I sighed.


    <em>Naive, thinking this is going to trap me.</em>


    "Level Three Sky Magic ¡ª Spear of Lightning!"


    As all four elemental attacks came flying towards me at the same time, I closed my eyes, opened them again, then slowly shifted my gaze to where Peng Yao was, standing triumphantly.


    "Ha! Take that!"


    "Space ¡ª Eliminate."


    I jumped up as I erased the space above me, causing me to end up high in the sky.


    "Flight."


    Right before I fell down, I activated flight mid-air, right as the four different elemental attacks crashed into one another below, generating a powerful and colorful explosion.


    I could kill my opponent easily right here, but I wanted to know what he was trying to hide. Putting my knife to his throat wouldn''t work either, since the judges would just call the match.


    Therefore, I dove downwards at immense speed, flying straight through the remnant smoke from the explosion and sinking my foot into Peng Yao''s stomach. He had not been expecting me toe at him from above, since the smoke had blocked his vision.


    His eyes bulged from the impact as he was sent flying backwards, crashing into the specially-reinforced ss walls of the arena.


    Not wasting any time, I made my hand into a de-like position and cut forward.


    "Level Two Space Magic ¡ª Reality Sever."


    A ck, crescent-shaped attack flew out of my fingers, slowly expanding as it traveled. This spell cut space itself, therefore nothing could block it. After all, this attack didn''t target the object itself ¡ª it targeted the space in which the object was located, hereby erasing it as it cut through.


    Peng Yao, faced with this slow-traveling but deadly attack, quickly fumbled out some kind of elixir from his cloak''s pocket.


    "D-Don''t look down on me!"


    And right before my space-severing cut hit him, he downed the mysterious liquid whole.

 Chapter 322 - Painful Memories

    I narrowed my eyes as my space-severing spell cut into Peng Yao.


    He staggered backwards a few steps from the impact, dropping the now-empty vial that had contained the elixir he just consumed. The ss container split and shattered into countless little pieces with a loud yet satisfying noise.


    Somehow, my attack, even amplified by my Chaos power, was not enough to kill him. I could see a massive cut on his body, but it healed up in the blink of an eye.


    "¡­ How troublesome."


    Peng Yao''s body became bigger, taller. His muscles bulged so much that it tore his shirt apart as he gazed down at his own body in wonder.


    "Wow¡­ that man did say this was good stuff, but I never expected it to be this strong¡­" he muttered, inspecting his own overly-ripped arms.


    <em>That man¡­ so, someone gave him this elixir...</em>


    <em>¡­ To target me specifically, perhaps?</em>


    I opened my palm once more, prepared to unleash another attack. "Level Three Light Magic ¡ª Holy Ray."


    A beam of red light shot out of my palm, sparking with ck energy. There was nearly no projectile travel time since this was literally a beam of light, so Peng Yao had no choice but to block it head-on.


    He made his arm into an X-shape in preparation to block the attack since he didn''t have time to cast a spell back, but both his own surprise and mine, my attack hit some kind of invisible force field around him. It was blue, but after getting hit by my attack, it began shing red, signaling it was almost broken.


    I quickly prepared to cast another spell, but obviously, Peng Yao wasn''t about to just let me do that.


    He immediately closed the distance between us two, thinking he had an advantage over me in close-distancebat.


    <em>Well¡­ that shield of his might have recharging capabilities anyway¡­ there''s no point to keep using magic here. If this guy wants to take it real up close and personal, then so be it.</em>


    To Peng Yao''s current form, I must''ve seemed just like a puny human, only able to cast spells from range and run away. Unfortunately for him¡­ I was a half-vampire, thanks to Count Draculus. My physical capabilities were far beyond that of a normal human being ¡ªparable to even this form of his.


    That''s precisely why he was so surprised when he saw that I blocked his punch with one hand.


    Although my figure was far smaller, my actual strength wasn''t any weaker. In fact, probably even the opposite.


    I tightened my grip on his fist as his eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, I threw him onto the ground with one hand, before quickly getting on top of him. Rearing my fist back, I threw it towards his face with all my strength, which he blocked with his arms.


    However, I was relentless. I kept pummeling his face over and over, giving him no chance to fight back.


    My goal? Stall out his time limit, of course. Very few elixirs gave permanent effects ¡ª I doubted the one he consumed just now was one of those few. Eventually, his time limit would run out, while my vampiric strength could not.


    But then, he suddenly grabbed my waist, letting me sink a hit into his face. I was then lifted up and tossed away with his superhuman strength.


    "Tch¡­!"


    I hit the back ss wall with my feet, beforending solidly back on the ground. Peng Yao''s face had bruises, but they quickly regenerated.


    "Heh¡­ did you use some kind of pill or elixir before this fight too?" he raised an eyebrow and asked. "For an Intermediate Mage, you''re holding up pretty well. Though¡­ I suppose I shouldn''t call you that, should I? After all, you just used a Level Three spell with seemingly no trouble at all."


    "Who knows?" I responded mysteriously, shrugging. "But who gave you that elixir? Seems pretty powerful."


    "Heh¡­ I''ll tell you if you can beat me!" he yelled, lunging towards me once more.


    I smirked from beneath my mask.


    "Sure¡­ I''ll be your guest."


    His fist met mine, sending a powerful shockwave all across the arena from the sheer impact. If the ss walls here weren''t reinforced ones, they probably would''ve cracked under this force.


    He then tried to hit me with a left hook aimed for my head, but I blocked that with my free hand and counterattacked him, sending a kick towards his stomach.


    Peng Yao was clearly not very good at hand-to-handbat as he was hit directly by my foot and sent tumbling backwards a few steps. I would''ve sent any normal person flying with that kick, but his defense capabilities had been boosted as well by the elixir.


    It also seemed that any damage I inflicted on his body was automatically regenerated after a short while¡­ this made things more difficult. I either had to continue with my current n, waiting for his time limit to run out, or alternatively¡­


    ¡­ I could kill him in one attack.


    Naturally, though, killing him here wouldn''t do me any good. I wanted to know about the person who gave him this elixir. Not only because I needed to know if someone was targeting me specifically and hiring Peng Yao to do it, but also because this whole fight reminded me of another one I participated in a while ago, back in Shenzhen.


    At the time, I had been facing off against my brother (cousin) ¡ª Xuan Kun. After nearly losing to me, he consumed a mysterious blue substance that transformed him into a monster, both physically and mentally.


    It had been against the rules at the time, but here, there were no rules against using elixirs and such. It was a free-for-all, anything-goes-type battle.


    It was a painful memory, having to fight against such an opponent again. Still, if the two events were truly connected¡­ that meant the Midnight Syndicate was also involved here. In other words, that knight guy I fought¡­ has began making his move.


    Peng Yao took a different approach this time, using magic himself.


    "Legendary Fire Magic ¡ª Sr Nova!"


    I''ve seen this spell in action many times before. Song Qian Long had used this against Mei Mo in the battle for Shenzhen. However¡­ despite only being an Ancestral Magepared to Song Qian Long''s Golden Monarch level cultivation, the sphere of pure destruction here appeared to be farrger and more powerful.


    It breathed fire, hissing and pulsating as the massive projectile headed towards me.


    Deciding to take a gamble, I raised my hand¡­


    ¡­ And activated the Chaos powerying dormant within my body.


    My eyes widened as the spell was actually showing resistance.


    <em>I was almost able to absorb Ling Xin''s Legendary spells¡­ but this¡­ this is showing an even higher resistance than hers?!</em>


    <em>Did that elixir¡­ boost magic power as well¡­?</em>


    Narrowing my eyes, I concentrated as hard as I could. In the end, I was unable to absorb it. It was toote to dodge, so I did the only thing I could and instacast one of my trump cards.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Chaos Mirror.</em>


    Everyone in the audience was blinded by the massive orange ball of fire, so I could cast this spell without any worry. As long as they didn''t see me casting it like a spell, it was fine. I could just say this was a special one-time use artifactter on.


    A translucent ck mirror opened up in front of me, seemingly dwarfed by the Sr Nova. But as the projectile made contact, it froze, the mana being sucked into the mirror.


    As the audience watched on in excitement and shock, the ball slowly got smaller and smaller until nothing remained left of it. Meanwhile, the ck mirror began pulsing with energy, heavier and heavier¡­


    Until atst, it <em>expanded.</em>


    It expanded to twice the size of the original Sr Nova, height nearly reaching the ceiling of the stage tform.


    And out came an enormous sphere of Chaos energy, slowly traveling in Peng Yao''s direction. The sphere was big enough to cover the whole width of the arena ¡ª he had nowhere to run.


    <em>Oh, shit¡­ this might kill him.</em>


    His eyes widened in horror as his mouth hang agape.


    "W-Wha¡­ n-no¡­ WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"


    Faced with the massive Chaos Nova that looked simr to a literal star in space, just scaled down, Peng Yao fell into despair, unable to budge a muscle. His smug and confident look from earlier was nowhere to be seen.


    "U-Uh, hey, guys? I think that thing''s gonna break the windows," the announcer said, forgetting he still had his microphone on.


    "You <em>think</em>?!" a burly male voice called out, also on thems that were broadcasted to everyone. <strong>"NO SHIT IT IS! ALL STAFF, ACTIVATE THE GODDAMN SHIELDS!"</strong>


    The moment my Chaos Nova hit Peng Yao''s frozen body, it exploded. The noise drowned out the screaming of both Peng Yao and the audience as everything was engulfed in ck mes. The ground split and the wholend began shaking violently, as if an earthquake was taking ce.


    Chunks of the arena flew everywhere, tossed around like tennis balls by the immense shockwave let out by the explosion. The ''reinforced'' ss shatteredpletely ¡ª it didn''t stand a chance against this astronomical impact.


    As I stood behind my Chaos Mirror,pletely unaffected by all this destructive damage going on around me, I whistled and ced my hand above my eyes.


    "Whew¡­ I think I went a little overboard this time."

 Chapter 323 - Slightly Overboard

    By the time everything settled down, the arena was in shambles. Luckily, a powerful barrier created by all IMF staff present protected the audience and the rest of the stadium from damage. I looked around at all the destruction I caused and scratched my head.


    "Ah¡­ not using that again."


    Peng Yao''s body was nowhere to be seen. It had literally gotten disintegrated, vaporized on an atomic level. I had wanted to get some information out of him, but¡­ too bad, I suppose.


    "U-Uh¡­ the winner is Xuan Kai! By a mile!" the announcer frantically dered, dutifully sticking to his job. Just kidding, he just didn''t want to help the other IMF staff clean up my mess.


    I headed off the stage nonchntly, the gaze of thousands following me. No doubt, they were all seeing me as some kind of monster. So much for staying inconspicuous and not attracting any attention to myself.


    When I got back to the room the girls were in, they all looked at me with awkward smiles on their faces.


    "Before you say anything, just listen ¡ª I wasn''t thinking ahead. I thought I would be able to absorb it, but like, clearly that didn''t work. So, uh, in a panic, I used Chaos Mirror."


    "Master, good work," Mei Gui said with a serious expression. "You finally showed them your power."


    "Unintentionally, yeah¡­" I muttered, sitting down in a chair and sighing. "I just attracted the attention of anyone and everyone who was there just now. And since my real name was used here, they know my identity. This is definitely going to spell troubleter down the line¡­ I can feel it."


    "Y-Yeah¡­ you think?" Feng Mian giggled. "I could see the ''oh crap'' expression on your face after the fact on the screen, even beneath your mask. That was hrious."


    "Had the IMF staff not been there, we would''ve died too," Yu An Yan sighed, shaking her head. "Being around you is really seeking death. But hey, I''ve already gone down the deep end."


    I took off my mask and stuffed it into my cloak pocket. "Yeah, uh¡­ my bad."


    "Sometimes, too much power is a problem in and of itself, right?" Xiang Pengughed. "Oh, how I wish I could say that about myself someday."


    "Still¡­ that was one hell of an explosion. I wonder if they can fix it for the next match," Lan Xiao Su murmured.


    "Time Magic exists," Obsidia said briskly.


    As if on cue, disyed on the screen, the arena was being pieced back together one step after another, as if all the damage was literally being reversed and mitigated.


    "Hm. Well, that works," I murmured, nodding in amusement. "It would be nice if I had an expert in Time Magic by my side. That way, they can reverse any idental damage I cause."


    "Worry not, Master. I can fulfill any role you wish," Mei Gui saluted confidently. "Even as a nighttime mai-"


    "Well, well, well¡­ the next match is about to begin, so shall we watch?" Feng Mian interrupted, an innocent smile on her face, before Mei Gui could finish her sentence.


    Mei Gui sent her a look of disdain but didn''t say anything further.


    However, then, we heard three knocks on our door.


    "X-Xuan Kai¡­ the judges wish to speak to you."


    "¡­ I see," I stood up and headed for the door.


    The girls looked at me in worry, but I waved off their concerns and slipped on my mask once again as I walked through the door.


    *****


    "I believe you have a good idea of what the judges are going to ask you," the man from the IMF said as we walked down the pitch-ck hallway.


    "Yeah. What else can it be?" I chuckled.


    "I would just like to advise you to answer¡­ truthfully."


    "Of course."


    We stopped as the walls suddenly slid open, revealing a lighted hallway for me to go through. It was bright yellow, and seemed to lead down, below the ground.


    "Just go down there ¡ª you''ll find them."


    Without any hesitation, I did as told. The opaque ck walls slid back close behind me as I stepped through, and I nced back for a brief moment before returning to walking normally, descending down the brightly illuminated staircase.


    When I finally arrived at the bottom, I found myself looking at three people - a male elf, a subus, and a male human.


    "Wee. We are the judges of this year''s ¡ª and every year''s ¡ª tournament to enter Fragment," the elf said. "My name is Tarron."


    "I''m Fyrsea, heya~" the subus smiled seductively.


    "And I am Wen Ke Yuan," the human concluded. "Time is short for the both of us before the next match begins, so I will keep this brief."


    He crossed his hands and rested his chin on them, staring deep into my eyes.


    "¡­ How did you do that?"


    Before I could even speak, the elf interrupted.


    "Do not try to lie or y dumb. You know exactly what we are talking about."


    I smiled calmly. "I never had the intention to."


    "d to see we are on the same page," Wen Ke Yuan said. "Now then, if you will?"


    I noticed Frysea''s eyes have a pink glint in them as she stared silently into mine, though I quickly averted my gaze from her.


    <em>Trying to read my mind? Hmph. Luckily, I prepared for this beforehand, and cast the Level Two Psychic Element spell, Mind Block, on myself. Pair that with my Chaos amplification abilities, and even a Holy Emperor won''t be able to see what I was thinking. I knew to do this after meeting Aluna.</em>


    I cleared my throat. "The massive damage I did back there was due to an artifact I have. Well, had."


    Wen Ke Yuan raised an eyebrow, prompting me to go on.


    "It''s called the Mirror of Reflections, something a deceased rtive of mine passed down to me. Unfortunately, it''s a one-time-use artifact, so now it''s gone."


    "The Mirror of Reflections¡­ I''ve never heard of such a thing," Wen Ke Yuan murmured, then turned to his fellow judges. "Have you?"


    Frysea and Tarron both shook their heads.


    "That''s probably because it''s a family artifact, passed down from generation to generation. It was meant to be used only in emergency situations, on the brink of death, for example, just like I was back there. Since my family''s always been in a ''safe'' city, more or less, there was never really a need to use this."


    I sighed, acting disappointed, then continued.


    "Honestly, over the years, it''s be more of an ornament of pride and honor rather than a real Magic Artifact."


    "Can you tell us about the abilities of this ''Mirror of Reflections?''" Tarron asked.


    I nodded. "Well, all I was told by my deceased father was that this mirror could reflect any attack directed at me. I had no idea it also made the attack more powerful and a¡­ weird color scheme."


    "The color scheme was ck and red, if I recall correctly," Frysea said. "In the battle, prior to using that artifact, your spells were still of the same color."


    I shrugged. "Maybe that''s a side effect of having the Magic Artifact on me. Either that, or it''s just a gics thing. I mean, my father also had ck and red magic."


    "¡­" the three judges turned to each other and began murmuring amongst themselves, far too quietly for me to hear.


    I couldn''t be sure if they were convinced by my utter bullshitting or not, and I didn''t dare to try and eavesdrop lest they caught me.


    "You may return," Wen Ke Yuan said after they were finished discussing with one another. "The next match is about to begin, I trust you will want to gather some intel on your future opponents."


    On the surface, I kept a neutral expression, but deep down, I smiled. "Thanks. That''s all, right?"


    He nodded. "That is all."


    "And, uh¡­ it still counts as my win, right?"


    Tarron sighed and rubbed his nose bridge in exasperation. "Yes¡­ it does. Now, go back. We have a match to judge."


    "Right, my bad," I murmured, quickly turning away and exiting the way Ie from, up the staircase.


    I purposely added thatst bit to make myself seem as transparent and simple-minded as possible. That way, they wouldn''t be suspicious of me lying. All in all, I think my bullshit worked. The three judges seemed utterly convinced.


    When I arrived at the top of the stairs, the walls automatically slid open. The IMF staff was waiting on the other side.


    "All done?" he asked.


    I nodded. "Yeah."


    "I see. Follow me, I will lead you back."


    "Uh¡­ sure."


    The hallway was literally just a hallway, leading straight back to our room. This meant it was physically impossible to get lost, but since he offered so kindly¡­ might as well, I guess.


    When I returned to my room, I once again scanned it for any sign of cameras or sound-monitoring devices. There weren''t any. When I first entered this room, I had discretely put up a sound barrier using Sound Magic as well, just to be safe,so there was zero chance of them exposing me.


    Besides, if they did hear everything I''ve said so far in this room, they would''ve shown it back down there, when they were talking to me. I was fully convinced they bought my lie.


    Well, in any case¡­ it looks like I managed to bullshit my way through yet another troublesome situation. The ability toe up with logical lies on the spot was truly a powerful one.

 Chapter 324 - Mid-Tournament Break

    The battle that took ce next was one hell of one to see.


    The arena was back in ce now, without a scratch. Time Magic was truly powerful.


    The two contestants that would finish off the first half of battles in this tournament were both leaders, just like Peng Yao and I. Their names? Lin Luo and Octavius, a young girl and boy respectively, both of which were only a year or two older than I was. Their profiles disyed the following information:


    Name: Lin Luo


    Gender: Female


    Race: Human (Half-Celesticus)


    Role: Leader


    Rank: Ancestral Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Sky, Space, Time, Poison, Curse, Sound


    -


    Name: Octavius


    Gender: Male


    Race: Demon


    Role: Leader


    Rank: Ancestral Mage


    Elemental Affinities: Fire, Metal, Earth, Blessing, Demon, Void


    Both had quite the troublesome elements. Lin Luo had Space and Time, a deadlybo, while Octavius had Demon and Blessing despite already being a demon. This would make him practically invincible if he buffs himself and uses the full body demonic transformation.


    To be honest, I didn''t want to face either one. Not because I didn''t have confidence I could beat them, but because I would have to show some of my cards in order to do so. I managed to BS my way through the judges this time around, but could I keep going? I wasn''t about to push my luck.


    So, the best oue here for me would be for the two of them to tie just like the lightbearer and shadowbearer pair of boys had done earlier, thus disqualifying both of them. I would automatically be made the leader of my bracket.


    Of course, the chances of this actually happening were quite low. So far, only Xiang Peng had a guaranteed ticket to Fragment. Ironic, considering even if she didn''t participate in this tournament, she would still be able to just waltz straight in. That''s where she was born, after all.


    The battle began soon after.


    Octavius didn''t waste anytime, striking first.


    "Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª Burning Maul!"


    He mmed his spiked gauntlets into the ground with a grin on his face, as several streams of fire began shooting out towards Lin Luo. There were three sets of them, each one continuously sending out a st of mes sliding on the ground.


    Unfortunately, it seems he didn''t do enough study on his opponent ¡ª Sky Magic was Lin Luo''s strongsuit.


    She ascended gracefully into the air, holding two swords, one sparking with blue lightning and the other one with blue. The burning ground did not affect her whatsoever.


    Then, two wings sprouted out of her back, pping gently. They were simr to that of Sigil''s, from the Library of Infinite Beginnings. It symbolized her other half ¡ª her Celesticus half.


    The wings were glorious, making her seem like a knight of heaven. She then narrowed her eyes and pointed one of her swords at Octavius. There was killing intent in her gaze ¡ª it seemed she was nning on finishing this battle as soon as possible.


    "Legendary Poison Magic ¡ª Asura Hell."


    Immediately, the battlefield turned ck, enveloping both contestants inside. Octavius looked around, trying to look for a way to escape this situation. He knew ¡ª this wouldn''t be good if he stayed here.


    Then, he froze, and quickly covered his nose. It seems there was poison in the air. He tried running in a random direction, but ended up being burned by some kind of faintly glowing green figure, which apparently had corrosive powers. As Octavius gritted his teeth and held his arm where he got hit in pain, the figures began closing in on him from all around.


    "Agh¡­ Legendary Metal Magic ¡ª Unbreakable Dome!" he yelled atst, forming an indestructible dome all around him.


    At least, that''s what he ¡ª and the rest of us ¡ª all thought.


    To our shock, the corrosive powers of Asura Hell began slowly wearing away at the metal, corroding it little by little. The metal was melted into liquid, slowly dripping onto the ground. The dome''s walls became thinner and thinner.


    To make matters worse for Octavius, Lin Luo hadn''t just been floating in the air doing nothing while he ran around trying to avoid the mysterious ''Asuras''.


    Shebined her two swords, blue and yellow, into one. Her eyes, along with her new,bined sword, both glowed a deadly and ominous green as she raised her weapon into the air.


    "Lord Raijin, I call upon your power."


    Clouds began to form above the pitch ck arena as green lightning began to strike down everywhere. Suddenly, Lin Luo''s sword shone even brighter than before, and all the lightning umted in one ce.


    The various lightning bolts all struck down on the tip of the sword, charging it with electricity. By this time, Octavius''s dome had melted. He emerged slowly, using his final resort.


    "Damn it¡­ I hate flying insects like you!" he yelled, roaring in fury and clutching his head. "LEGENDARY DEMON MAGIC ¡ª TRUE TRANSFORMATION!"


    His body, slowly, began changing. The two horns on his head elongated, and his ears turned sharp and pointy, almost like that of an elf. His nails extended into long ws, as his whole figure turned into nothing but a hazy ck shadow. His eyes became long, demonic white ones with no pupil as two massive wings sprouted out from his back.


    If Lin Luo''s wings were like that of a fallen angel, then Octavius''s were like that of a true demon.


    "RAH!" he hissed,unching himself into the air with his wings in an instant, ws outreached and ready to tear his opponent apart.


    "Nine Heavens¡­" Lin Luo narrowed her eyes, and brought down her charged sword.


    "¡­ Divine Lightning!"


    A massive lightning bolt shot out of the tip of her sword, directly towards Octavius. She had no choice but to do this, since her opponent in this form was far too fast for her to cast any other spells.


    Would Octavius''s demonic ws reach her, or would her divine lightning purge him first?


    A bright white sh ensued, blinding all cameras. We were unable to see what happened apart from a loud rumbling noiseing from outside that signaled a loud explosion. Still, it was nowhere as powerful as the explosion I had made with my Chaos Nova.


    "Who won¡­?" Qing Yue murmured,pletely engrossed in the fight as she sat on myp.


    The light faded away soon after, allowing us to see the aftermath of the fight. On the stage stood Lin Luo alone. Beside her was a pile of ash ¡ª what remained of Octavius.


    "Goddamn¡­" I muttered quietly.


    "Welp. There''s your opponent," Xiang Pengughed nonchntly, having been already guaranteed a spot in Fragment.


    I sighed. "Yeah¡­ she''s going to be a troublesome one. The most troublesome one I''ve faced yet."


    "Can you beat her?" Feng Mian asked.


    I snorted. "Hmph. Good question."


    She pouted at my refusal to answer her properly, but I ignored her pleas.


    "The winner of the match is¡­ Lin Luo!" the announcer dered, whistling loudly as Lin Luo walked off the stage. "And now¡­ it''s time for a lunch break!"


    I checked the time. 11:30 AM. Half an hour until noon. It was indeed about time to eat lunch.


    "The matches will resume at 1 PM in the afternoon ¡ª that''s in 1 hour and 30 minutes. I repeat, 1 hour 30 minutes! I sincerely hope none of you have thrown away your tickets, because you were explicitly told not to do so when you first came in this morning! If you lose your ticket, you must buy a new one, and you will not be guaranteed a spot!"


    The audience stood up and began shuffling away, heading for the exit to find somewhere to eat.


    "So, uh¡­ where do we go?" Yu An Yan asked, embarrassed as her stomach growled. "I-I''m kind of hungry too¡­"


    As if on cue, our door was knocked on.


    "Please open the door ¡ª I have brought your lunch."


    Qing Yue''s eyes lit up as she hurried over and pulled open the door immediately, letting the IMF employee in. He was pushing arge cart filled with all sorts of delicacies on it, perfect to open up a meal with.


    But that was not all.


    He then went out the door again and pushed in a second cart, this time filled with main courses, from steak to rotisserie chicken. The third cart was filled with vegetable appetizers and fruits, while the fourth was filled with side dishes such as spicymb skewers.


    And of course, finally, the fifth dish, filled with desserts and sweets along with drinks.


    The girls all began drolling at this scene, and even I gulped.


    "Please, enjoy your meal," the man said, smiling warmly before leaving us to ourselves.


    Immediately, the girls reached for the food, but I stopped them.


    "Hold on!" I shouted, causing all of them to freeze in the middle of their movements.


    "Jesus¡­ I never knew you all were such¡­ foodies."


    I sighed and swiped my hand.


    <em>Level One Poison Magic ¡ª Detect Poison.</em>


    Nothing came up, signaling the food and drinks were all safe to consume.


    The girls collectively looked at me with a pleading look in their eyes, like a bunch of sad puppies. Faced with this adorable scene, I gave up and waved my arm.


    "Fine, fine¡­ you can eat now."


    The girls cheered happily and immediately dug in, stuffing whatever they could into their mouths.


    I smiled warmly at this scene.


    <em>¡­ Heh. So much for theirdylike appearances.</em>

 Chapter 325 - What It Means To Be A Support

    "Whew," Xiang Peng whistled, leaning back on her chair. "That was one hell of a lunch."


    "Man, none of you even washed your hands before eating¡­" I muttered, shaking my head in disappointment. "There''s literally a built-in sink right here in this cart, and you aren''t using it."


    "Hehe, sorry~" Qing Yue winked and stuck out her tongue yfully. "I got too distracted."


    "Well, what''s done is done¡­ just wash your hands now, if you''re done eating," I sighed. "Qing Yue, you''ll be fighting first in the afternoon, so get ready."


    "Mkay~"


    The girls walked over one by one, taking turns cleaning their hands. When they were done, a knock came at our door.


    "Everyone, I hope you had a good lunch. Miss Qing Yue, please prepare for battle - it will be starting in approximately 5 minutes. Juste out whenever you are ready ¡ª I will be here waiting."


    "Can you fight right after eating so much?" I asked in concern.


    "She''s a support, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian sighed, shaking her head. "She doesn''t need to worry about cramps or anything like that, unlike us. We have to move around a lot in battle. She doesn''t."


    "Yep!" Qing Yue smiled happily and hugged me. "I''ll be fine, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    I grinned. "If you say so. Oh, by the way, take this¡­"


    Shortly after, she left the room, preparing to head onto the stage.


    "Do you think she can win?" Xiang Peng asked me, a smirk on her face. "I''ve heard of her opponent before ¡ª the Cullen family. They''re very highly ranked in the Vampire race, y''know?"


    I scoffed. "So? My little sister will win. There is no ''can'' or ''if''. She <em>will.</em>"


    *****


    (Qing Yue''s Perspective)


    "Heya~" I waved to my opponent, across from me.


    She had her eyes closed, her two fangs showing slightly on the corners of her mouth. Her arms were folded in an arrogant posture as she slowly opened one eye to nce at me.


    "¡­ I saw your first fight. Not bad¡­ but your speed was nowhere close to mine."


    "Hehe, maybe."


    "Your speed would be a lot closer to mine¡­ if you didn''t talk with every single one of your patients. Why bother? This is apetition of speed."


    "Apetition¡­ really? I don''t see it that way," I murmured thoughtfully. "To me, every patient, no matter the situation, is a patient of mine. I will treat them to the best of my abilities and with the utmost care.


    "Even if they are nothing but illusions?"


    "Even if they are nothing but illusions," I echoed, smiling.


    "¡­ That is a foolish way of thinking," she snorted, turning away.


    "Is that so?" I giggled. "To me¡­ that''s what being a support means."


    "Both contestants are ready!" the announcer interjected. "Now then, to kick off this afternoon''s battles, let''s start with determining the Support bracket''s winner! Who will it be ¡ª Miss Qing Yue, or Elena Cullen?!"


    I smirked and stared directly into her eyes. She averted them ufortably, asionally meeting my stare again to check if I was still looking.


    "Let the battle¡­ BEGIN!"


    A loud buzzing sound red out across the arena as the match began. Rectangr holes opened up in the tform we were standing on, bringing up a total of forty beds, each with a patientying on them. I would be responsible for twenty, and Elena would be responsible for the other twenty.


    Immediately, the two of us set to work, starting with the patient closest to us.


    "Where are you hurting?" I asked my patient with a smile on my face.


    "M-My leg¡­ right leg¡­"


    I flipped open the covers to check, and there was indeed a massive gash on her leg. The blood had dried and clotted, preventing any more from spilling out, but the cut was still open.


    "Hm¡­ I see. That must''ve hurt¡­ I''ll take care of it very soon."


    Then, raising my hand and hovering it about two inches away from her wound, I chanted.


    "Level Two Blessing Magic ¡ª Major Heal."


    The cut was far too big for Minor Heal to work, so I had to take the gamble and use a Level Two spell for this, costing more mana. Big Brother Xuan Kai gave me his mana elixir just now, which was an advantage I had against my opponent. She used her potion as well during the first match, so if my guess was correct, she had to be very careful about her mana.


    Unless, of course, she simrly received outside help.


    As I finished curing my first patient, I moved on to the next. I snuck a nce behind me and saw that she was already in the middle of treating her second patient ¡ª I was slightly behind. My mindset, however, was not easily affected. Despite her having the lead on me, I was as calm as ever and continued to treat my patients with a bright smile on my face.


    "Okay, sir, where are your injuries?"


    "It''s not an outside injury¡­ I was poisoned¡­"


    "By magic?" I asked.


    He nodded weakly, unable to speak any further.


    I ced my finger to my chin. "Hm¡­ I see."


    Then, hovering my hand above his chest, I chanted a different spell this time.


    "Level Two Blessing Magic ¡ª Purification."


    A white light emitted form my hand, enveloping the man''s body whole. Suddenly, his body began glowing white as well, before some kind of ck energy was expelled from it.


    "All done. Rest up for a few days and you should be good to go~" I smiled happily and moved on to the next patient.


    "T-Thank you¡­" the illusory patient muttered.


    By this time, Elena was already nearly finished her third. I was roughly a full patient behind. But still ¡ª that didn''t matter. I would just continue doing things the way I''ve been doing them.


    The battle progressed slowly after that. By the time Elena reached her twentieth and final patient, I was still on my sixteenth. Still, I didn''t lose hope.


    "And¡­ you''re all good¡­" I murmured, moving on to my seventeenth patient. Three more.


    <em>Hm? She''s not done yet?</em>


    I snuck a nce at the other side of the arena, where Elena stood, confused at the patientying before her. I didn''t pay it any mind and continued doing my own work.


    "Okay, next¡­" I whispered to myself as I finished treating my seventeenth patient, who had a bullet wound.


    Those were the easiest of treatments. Just as simple Minor Heal could heal them, as long as the bullet wasn''t in there body anymore. If it still was, that would be a bit troublesome, but that was called prating. In this case, it was mere perforating, where the bullet had pierced straight through his arm, not hitting any vitals.


    Elena still was not finished her treatment of the twentieth patient ¡ª interesting. So far, I haven''t encountered any patients who were difficult to treat. Since both sides had the same patients, just in a different order, that would mean the patient Elena was stuck on was one of these next three.


    The eighteenth patient of mine was fairly simple to treat as well. She had been afflicted with Curse Magic, but the Curse was already extremely weak anyway. A simple Purification spell did the job.


    The neenth was not it either. She was harder than the previous ones to treat, but even then, it should not have taken Elena this long. Speaking of, my opponent was still standing there, racking her brains out as she tried to think of a solution.


    "Hm¡­ there are some traces of ice energy in your body," I said to my neenth patient. "That must be why you are feeling cold. Did you fight anyone recently?"


    She nodded slowly. "Y-Yes¡­ he was an expert in Ice Magic¡­"


    "That exins it. Don''t worry, I should be able to get this out¡­" I ced my hand above her chest and chanted. "Level Two Blessing Magic ¡ª me of Healing."


    A spell dedicated to treating Ice-inflicted wounds. It took more mana the longer I held it for, so I was quickly running out.


    The ice energy in her body seemed to be resisting. Looks like I needed to amp up the power and continue going.


    With my free hand, I popped open my mana potion Big Brother Xuan Kai had given me and downed it all in one gulp. Tossing the bottle to the floor and wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I quickly continued with my spell, now feeling refreshed.


    "And¡­ there!" I let out a deep breath as the woman''s eyes snapped open.


    "This¡­ I feel perfectly fine now¡­"


    "The ice in your body has beenpletely dispelled," I said with a wink. "Still, you should get some rest before trying to do anything else."


    The woman nodded with tears in her eyes. "Thank you¡­ thank you."


    Despite being a mere illusion, they were still my patients and thought like real, intelligent beings. Their reactions now proved it.


    Each and every one of them were my patients, not just some mere imaginary figure. Even if they were to disappear right after this match concluded, I could still say I fulfilled my duty.


    That, is what it means to be a support.

 Chapter 326 - Merciless Assassin

    (Qing Yue''s Perspective)


    Finally, I stepped before thest bed. The twentieth and final patient of mine ¡ª the same one Elena was struggling on, presumably.


    I looked behind me, widening my eyes as I saw my opponent start to throw random spells at her poor patient. On the floor beside hery multiple mana potions ¡ª well, the containers that used to hold them, anyway. They were now empty; Elena consumed them all.


    "¡­ She''s not treating them as patients at all," I muttered, sighing. "She''s no better than my opponent in the first round. Her tactics may be different since she learned from watching the fight between me and that boy, but her mindset did not change at all."


    Turning back to face my twentieth patient, I smiled. The patient I would be treating was a young girl. The most concerning part? She had tears in her eyes.


    "¡­ What''s wrong?" I asked, quickly pulling the young girl into a hug and ruffling her hair. Big Brother Xuan Kai did the same for me when I cried, so I figured this was a good way offorting someone.


    "¡­" she didn''t respond, as if trying to hold her tears back in.


    "It''s okay¡­ you can tell me. I''m here to help."


    She nced up into my eyes, rubbing her tears away. "R-Really?"


    I smiled reassuringly back at her. "Really. Now then¡­ what happened?"


    The girl broke down in tears once more, hugging me tightly.


    "My mother¡­ she- she went away¡­!"


    "Went away? How so?"


    "She told me to hide¡­ saying she would distract the bad guys¡­" the girl sobbed. "But then, she never¡­ she never came back¡­"


    I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it again and instead pulled the girl closer, gently stroking her hair as she cried uncontrobly.


    "¡­ She''s just waiting for you, you see."


    "W-Waiting?"


    I nodded sadly. "Waiting for you to grow up. Once you do¡­ you''ll be able to find her again."


    "Really¡­?"


    "Yep. Don''t worry¡­ you''ll be able to see her again one day. Until then, you have to remain strong for her, okay?"


    "Remain strong¡­ okay!" she smiled after a while, wiping away her tears.


    Little children¡­ they were just this easy to convince. You just had to take the right approach.


    "The winner of the match is¡­ Miss Qing Yue!"


    Elena froze as all the patients and their beds vanished into thin air. I smiled at her.


    "Being a support means you treat all your patients with all you heart¡­ real or not."


    Leaving those words behind for her to think about, I walked off the stage.


    Sometimes, wounds were not physical. Sometimes, they could not be cured by medicine, Blessing Magic, or time.


    Sometimes¡­ the only cure someone needs is just a person to sit by them and tell them ''you''re okay''.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    "Wee back," I said to Qing Yue as she entered the room.


    "Mm! I''m officially a part of Fragment!" she eximed happily and dove into my arms.


    "Yeah¡­ good job," I smiled, patting her head. "What''s up with thatst patient, though? Your opponent took so long on it."


    "That''s because she still had the idea of this being apetition fixed into her head," Qing Yue exined. "Because of this, she thought it would be a pure test of Blessing Magic capabilities. She just couldn''t think outside the box andfort the patient emotionally ¡ª that''s all she really needed."


    "Huh¡­ interesting," I murmured.


    "The next match will begin in 5 minutes, Miss Feng Mian," the IMF staff who had brought Qing Yue back here then said.


    "W-What? Don''t we usually get a 15 minute break?" Feng Mian asked, a bit surprised.


    "Well, you should have already gathered info on them by now, from this morning''s matches. We are on a time limit here, so please, follow me."


    "Uh¡­ okay," she said, standing up. "I don''t think I''ll get any cramps, but¡­ hopefully not, anyway."


    "Good luck," the girls and I cheered her on.


    "Mhm. Thanks," she said with a flirtatious wink. "My opponent is that demon cria, right? I''ll take her down."


    <em>Hm¡­ from the match we saw cria fight in, she didn''t seem all too strong apart from her superhuman demonic physical prowess, but¡­</em>


    For some reason, I could not shake the feeling that she was not what she seemed on the surface.


    *****


    (Feng Mian''s Perspective)


    "Oh, it''s you. The girl who''s never made a kill before, huh?" cria grinned smugly as she saw me.


    I smiled calmly,pletely unaffected by her taunt. "That''s not true. I made my first kill this morning. And you¡­ will be the second."


    Sheughed. "Big words. You have confidence, girl. I like that. But¡­ confidence without true strength back it up is just pure arrogance."


    "Yeah, I''m sure you would know," I chuckled as she gritted her teeth.


    "Alllllrighty! Both contestants seem to be ready ¡ª in that case, let the battle begin!" the announcer dered hurriedly, as if on a time limit.


    A loud buzzer rang out in the arena, signaling the match''s start.


    Immediately, cria dashed towards me, dual daggers in hand. It seemed she was insistent on taking this fight close-ranged. Fine by me.


    I whipped out my shadow kunai and met her attack. She had two weapons and I had one, but that wouldn''t be the case for long. I quickly leaped back as she tried slicing my throat open with her other dagger, then pulled out one of my pistols ¡ª Gemini. I kept the other one stowed to use after this one ran out of ammo.


    Quickly firing off two shots at her, I used the recoil to help propel me backwards, safely avoiding her attacks. She crossed her des in an X-shape, deflecting my bullets.


    Taking advantage of this momentary vulnerability, I immediately closed in on her and went for her stomach with my shadow kunai, but she managed to dodge backwards in time.


    "Not bad, not bad¡­ my judgment of you was wrong, I guess," she smirked. "No hesitation at all when stabbing that dagger towards me¡­ I like it. But I wonder¡­ can you handle this?"


    She spun her knives around in her hand and looked downwards.


    "Level Three Demon Magic ¡ª Full Body Transformation!"


    <em>Wha- Demon Magic?! I thought it was rare for Demons to have Demon Magic, since they already had demonic powers by nature¡­ I never saw her use this in the fight earlier, and it didn''t show up on her profile either!</em>


    Immediately, I raised Gemini and unleashed my whole magazine into her, preventing her from finishing the transformation process. However, to my surprise, her two des jumped out of her hands of their own ord and blocked my bullets.


    "What the¡­"


    By the time I recovered my shock, she had finished her transformation. The horns on her head grew longer, her sharp teeth now more visible, and her eyes now had ck irises paired with red pupils. Swiftly, she used her wed hands to snatch her daggers out of mid-air and instantly dashed towards me, her feet barely even touching the floor.


    "Tch-!" I quickly pulled my Cloak of Invisibility over me and jumped away. If it wasn''t for the long distance between us, her tremendous speed in this form would''ve definitely gotten me.


    As my heart raced from the adrenaline, I attempted to remain as stealthy as possible, not making a single sound. If I could just wait out her transformation, then I could win. But in this form of hers, she surpassed me in all aspects.


    <em>Hm, wait¡­ I wonder¡­ would Curse Magic work here?</em>


    As I got behind her, I discretely raised my arm and let out a series of spells.


    "Maledictum - Segnis, Infirmis, Enervis!"


    cria immediately spun around and blocked with her arms on instinct, but unfortunately, the Maledictum spells worked on contact. She should''ve tried to dodge instead, not block.


    The dark purple essences flowed into her body as she lunged towards me in anger, but she was a lot slower now and easier to react to.


    I aimed Gemini at her head and shot. She may have been able to avoid this earlier, but under this slowed and weakened state, my bullet hit true.


    Unfortunately, it only went deep enough to draw a little bit blood, before ttering onto the floor.


    <em>Oh, c''mon, that''s unfair! Physical strength, speed, and even your skin is so hard?!</em>


    criaughed and leaped in my direction once more. I quickly dodged out of the way, sliding to my left. However, she suddenly twisted her head as if she could actually see me through my Cloak of Invisibility, and rapidly changed her course to head for me once more, suffering no loss of momentum whatsoever.


    "W-Wha-" I gasped in shock.


    However, it was toote.


    cria whipped out her two daggers mid-leap and smiled like a true devil as she prepared to cut my body into pieces.


    "Heheheh¡­ too bad¡­ looks like I won''t be your second kill after all."

 Chapter 327 - Its Not Over Till Its Over

    As cria''s des prepared to cleave me into pieces, time seemed to slow down.


    <em>Am I really¡­ going to die here?</em>


    <em>There''s no time to cast a spell. There''s no time to even dodge or block.</em>


    <em>Just a few months ago, I had been in a simr situation, staring death straight in the eyes. At the time, Xuan Kai had saved me from the fiery pits of hell. But this time¡­ there was no helping me.</em>


    <em>I was done for. This marked the end of my journey, my life.</em>


    <em>I closed my eyes and epted my fate.</em>


    <em>"But do you truly?"</em> a voice suddenly asked in my head. The voice¡­ it sounded like my own, yet different in a way as well.


    <em>"What¡­?"</em>


    <em>"Can you truly ept just dying like this?"</em>


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>"You''ve only lived for 14 years. Your love hasn''t even be requited yet, but here you are, ready to just give in?"</em>


    <em>"I¡­"</em>


    <em>"Can you truly ept that your life ising to an end, before your very eyes?"</em>


    <em>"I¡­ I can''t. But what can I do? There''s no escaping this situation."</em>


    <em>"What if I told you there was?"</em>


    <em>"H-Huh?"</em>


    <em>"If there was a way to escape this predicament¡­ would you be willing to pay any price for it?"</em>


    <em>"¡­"</em>


    <em>"For your life. For your happiness. But most importantly¡­ for your love. Are you willing to change, in order to obtain all that?"</em>


    <em>"¡­!"</em>


    <em>"Tell me, Feng Mian. Time is running out. Tick, tock. Tick, tock."</em>


    <em>"I''m willing¡­ I''m willing!"</em>


    <em>I could not see the owner of the mysterious voice, but I could feel her smiling.</em>


    <em>"Very well. My power¡­ take it. Embrace your other self¡­ and wield it. For when two halves meet ande together as a whole¡­"</em>


    A purple light enveloped me, blinding cria.


    <em>"¡­ We are unstoppable."</em>


    In a blinding shbang, I was brought back to reality, a brand new girl.


    Purple marks now lined the edges of my face. Two ck horns jutted out of my head, like that of a subus. On the back of my waist, a long ck tail emerged, with the tip being in the shape of a heart.


    My original clothes had been reced with a violet set of revealing armor, covering my whole body with the exception of my breasts. Instead of beingpletely covered, this tight armor set just barely hid the middle.


    My hand, d in purple armor and metal spikes as fingers, grabbed both of cria''s knives. Without any hesitation, I crushed them with ease, turning them into nothing but two empty handles without des.


    The poor demon''s eyes widened in shock as she quickly backed away, bewildered and confused.


    Tworge ck wings sprouted out of my back as I zoomed towards cria at hypersonic speed, glowing purple eyes filled with killing intent and sadism as I licked my lips.


    "N-No-!" she screamed, but I didn''t even give her a chance.


    I grabbed her throat and forced her body into the ground, dragging it along the floor as I flew.


    I reached the end of the arena in an instant, and I let go of her throat atst. Her face was unrecognizable,pletely mutted.


    Suddenly, my wings vanished, I snapped out of my killing rage, and looked down at myself.


    "W-W-W-Wha¡­?!"


    Realizing how revealing this armor was, I quickly covered up my chest and blushed in embarrassment, before rushing off the stage.


    "Well! That was one hell of a show!" the announcerughed. "But ultimately¡­ the winner is¡­ Miss Feng Mian!"


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Hesitantly, Feng Mian opened the door to our room.


    All of us collectively set our gazes on her, absolutely shocked at her change.


    Then, her eyesnded on me, and blushed even harder than before.


    "T-This isn''t what it looks like!"


    "Those horns, those wings from earlier, and your tail¡­" Xiang Peng murmured in thought. "Holy, you''re a subus!"


    "W-W-What?! I never heard about that from my mother!" Feng Mian cried.


    "How did you activate that power then¡­? It was incredible!" Yu An Yan asked excitedly.


    "I don''t know¡­ right before she could cut me, I heard this voice in my head, telling me to ept her power¡­ so I did¡­"


    I gulped. Not because of how ridiculous this change was, but because of how¡­ ahem, erotic Feng Mian looked right now. The metal parts of her armor were all gone, leaving only a tight purple skinsuit that highlighted all her perfect curves. Her blushing and trying to cover up her chest only made it cuter.


    "Hey! What are you staring at!" she suddenly yelled, noticing my gaze. "You perve- huh?"


    Suddenly, she clutched her head in pain, wobbling uncontrobly, on the verge of falling. I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly teleported behind her using Blink, catching her just in time before she fell.


    Her breast was now extremely revealed, her tits just barely being covered. It took everything I had not to get a nosebleed.


    Groaning, I lifted her body up and brought her back to a chair, letting her sit down as I sat beside her.


    "Mm¡­ ngh¡­" she murmured from beside me.


    My eyes widened as she wrapped her arms around my neck and shifted her body to straddle me. The other girls watching on dropped their jaws in shock,pletely frozen in astonishment.


    "¡­ F-Feng Mian?"


    "Mm¡­ Xuan Kai¡­ kiss¡­" she stuck out her tongue seductively and wrapped her legs around my body as well. Like a snake, shepletely entangled her body around mine, not ever giving me a chance to escape.


    I gritted my teeth as I tried to get her off, but to no avail. The softness of her body was making a certain part of my body turn rock solid inparison, much to my chagrin.


    "Feng Mian, the next fight is happening soon, stop messing aroun-"


    "Mmn~" she cut my words short, pressing her lips against mine.


    My eyes widened as I tried breaking free, but for some reason, my instincts as a healthy teenager caused my hands to move somewhere else instead ¡ª her sweet and ample bosom, of course.


    Her tongue made her way into my mouth like a tentacle, slippery and wet. I could not resist.


    "Mmmnf¡­ unnf¡­" she moaned as we kissed deeper and hotter.


    Caught in the moment, my hand slowly shifted to her plump ass and squeezed it.


    "Ahn!" she yelped from the sudden pressure and tried breaking away, but I wasn''t about to let her do that now.


    I pushed her down onto the other chair and leaned in to continue kissing her, giving in to the temptation. Slowly, I reached for her clothes, preparing to take it offpletely, but-


    "Master!" Mei Gui suddenly yelled, snapping me out of it.


    I quickly backed away, my saliva and hers both dripping out of my mouth.


    "S-Sorry¡­ I¡­ uh, lost it there," I muttered, wiping my mouth.


    Feng Mian fell unconscious, sleeping peacefully.


    "¡­ Xuan Kai," Yu An Yan said.


    "W-What?"


    "¡­ Are you going to do that with the rest of us too, if we win?" she tilted her head and blushed, averting her gaze as she pressed her two index fingers together repeatedly.


    "No," I denied immediately, closing my eyes.


    "Ungh¡­ but it''s not fair like that¡­" Qing Yue pouted angrily, folding her arms.


    "Listen, I don''t know what happened with Feng Mian there, but it should have something to do with her subus nature¡­" I sighed. "I don''t know, I''m confused as well. For now, can we just forget that ever happened?"


    "I don''t know, that''s going to be hard¡­" Xiang Peng smirked. "I''m a bit jealous too, y''know? You were kissing her so passionately there¡­"


    "¡­ Cut the bullshit. I''ll exin everything to you guys when I find out the answers myself. Until then, just pretend that never happened."


    "Fine, fine¡­ everyone else agree on this?"


    The girls all shrugged, signaling they were fine with whatever. I let out a sigh of relief.


    "Miss Yu An Xue? You are up next," the IMF staff knocked our door and said, letting us know.


    "¡­" she didn''t respond and instead merely stood up, heading for the door. She had a look of determination and cold fury in her eyes, probably due to jealousy from earlier.


    She walked out the door and closed it tight behind her.


    "Who''s her opponent again¡­?" Yu An Yan wondered, looking at the screen.


    "Nya, wasn''t it that Etherweal?" Amane asked, tilting her head.


    "Oh, that troublesome one¡­ right," Xiang Pengughed. "This is going to be a tough fight for our icy beauty."


    "Don''t worry, my sister can pull it off," Yu An Yan smirked smugly. "Even if she gets pulled into the void, she''ll still find a way to break out somehow. She always does."


    "There''s still a chance she can die, you know," Obsidia said coldly. "Best not to be so confident."


    "Why do you always have to put a damper on things?" Yu An Yan said furiously. "And don''t go cursing my sister!"


    Obsidia opened her mouth to try and defend herself, but then closed it again.


    <em>Damn¡­ just when she was finally starting to open up to us too.</em>


    "Nah, Obsidia''s right," I said. "I don''t think An Xue will, but there''s still a possibility that cannot be ruled out."


    "I know that¡­ but¡­ I just don''t want to believe it, y''know?" Yu An Yan smiled sadly and nced at the screen, where her sister just stepped onto the stage.


    <em>Good luck, An Xue.</em>

 Chapter 328 - Ice And Void

    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    When I stepped onto the stage, my opponent, an Ethereal named Sathona. did the same. Although she was wrapped tightly by her clothes all around her body, long bandages covering her mouth and forehead while only leaving her eyes out, I could still tell she was a girl from the traces of hair on either side of her face. It was light blue, simr to Lan Xiao Su''s.


    I took out my de, Frozen Fear. I haven''t been using actual spells too muchtely, since I have this. For the purpose of this battle, it seems I will be mainly using this de as well, given how my opponent was an Ethereal. Undoubtedly, she would try to either drag me into the Void with her, or go for surprise attacks on me from all angles. Either way, Frozen Fear would be my best bet.


    My spells would be have little to no effect in the Void, as I did not know any good Void Element ones. I recently awakened it as one of my affinities, but I never got a chance to actually learn any spells from it. The only ones I did know were Level Ones taught to me back in Shenzhen, at the school. I doubted they would be of much use here, given how weak they were.


    The Ethereal girl wordlessly stared into my eyes coldly, as I did the same back to her. A frosty aura surrounded us as our gazes shed ¡ª it was as if we were having a silent fight before the true battle even began.


    "Allllright! Both contestants seem to be ready!" the announcer dered loudly, his excited voice sting throughout the PA system. "The battle will now begin ¡ª 3, 2, 1, Go!"


    As soon as we heard the buzzing noise, we leaped into battle. I decided that ying aggressively and staying on the offensive was my best bet here, rather than wait for her to attack me. Therefore, I dashed forward and lunged at Sathona, but I cut nothing but thin air.


    In an instant, she had disappeared, turning into a mist of purple light and circling around me. My eyes widened as I immediately turned around and met her de, a weird-looking scimitar that had various cut-outs on the sharp edge of it, forming an unusual pattern weapon that had multiple ces on its de where other swords could get caught on.


    Realizing this, I quickly jumped away from her, but she quickly turned into a shimmer of purple light once again and streaked towards me.


    "Tch¡­" I leaped upwards as high as I could, then dropped back down on her with everything I had. My Divine Weapon, somehow, was unable to cut through hers.


    <em>Is her scimitar on the same level as the Six Divine Weapons¡­?</em>


    Fortunately, the impact still made Sathona reconsider directly confronting me. She leaped back a short distance and prepared for round two. I, however, was not about to let this opportunity go to waste.


    "Level One Ice Magic ¡ª Blizzard."


    I snapped my fingers as the entire battlefield transformed into one of ice, making it harder for Sathona to maneuver her body and mobilize herself to get behind me.


    At least, that''s what I thought.


    Unfortunately, her agility was not affected at all as she transformed into a shimmering, untargetable shower of light once more, flying straight towards me.


    I quickly put Frozen Fear up in defense, and our des shed once again.


    "Grr¡­." She growled, frustrated at not being able to cut through my sword.


    "Ngh¡­" I was the same, gritting my teeth and trying to hold her back.


    She then lost momentum, being forced to retreat a short distance away.


    I narrowed my eyes and tried using one my weapon''s built-in techniques on her, charging Frozen Fear with mana and slicing the air in front of me.


    "Fear this de mine, that will freeze your hearts and souls. Fear this wielder, who will then shatter them into endless oblivion. Frozen Fear ¡ª Rend!"


    Sending a cresecent-shaped st of concentrated Ice-inflicted energy towards Sathona, I discretely prepared to cut behind me, where I predicted she woulde.


    <em>And¡­ now!</em>


    Just as I expected, she turned into a purple mist and walked straight through my energy projectile, sneaking around me and trying to attack me from behind.


    However, I was ready.


    I immediately spun around and grabbed her weapon arm right before she could cut down. This also prevented her escape as I plunged my own sword into her body.


    However, to my surprise, her eyes did not change or show any reaction. I looked down, and saw that no blood wasing out of the wound where I stabbed her, even though her body felt warm where I held her arm.


    <em>What¡­ how could this be¡­</em>


    "¡­ Weak," she muttered, kicking me in the stomach.


    "Ngh-!" I fell backward onto the floor from the impact. Sathona quickly dashed over and prepared to bring her scimitar down on me, but I managed to block in time with Frozen Fear.


    She gritted her teeth and jumped back off, knowing we wouldn''t get anywhere like this. I took this opportunity to climb back to my feet and prepare for a new round.


    However, she then made some sort of ninja-style hand gesture in front of her chest with her left hand, and closed her eyes.


    A light purple energy began surrounding and enveloping her. Then, to my surprise, the circle of fluctuating power began to spread, slowly reaching me as well.


    As I felt myself being pulled in to this power, my eyes widened.


    I realized what she was about to do.


    Quickly, I leaped towards her, ready to cut her down before she could finish the process, but right before I could, her eyes snapped back open.


    They were thest thing I saw before we were both engulfed in a blinding white light.


    *****


    - ???, Void Realm -


    When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was a scimitar being pointed at my face from above. I froze.


    I then began to survey the situation. I wasying on the ground, Frozen Fearying a short distance away, out of reach. My opponent in the tournament, Sathona, stood in front of me, de pointed at my neck.


    ¡­ I had lost.


    I didn''t know where exactly I was, but I had a good guess ¡ª the Void Realm. There was nothing in this ce except a t, solid yet transparent surface we were on. The sky above was a mixture of light purple of milky white, while below the ground was the same color.


    It seemed¡­ Sathona had dragged me in here before I could take her down.


    <em>Damn it¡­ if only I weren''t just standing there, confused by her actions¡­ if only I were faster¡­</em>


    I stood no chance in this world. None at all. This was her domain, not mine.


    "Just¡­ finish me," I said quietly, closing my eyes and giving in.


    I had no way to face Xuan Kai ever again. Better to just die here instead.


    "¡­ As you wish."


    Sathona raised her scimitar and prepared to cut down, but-


    "Stop."


    My opponent froze as she slowly looked to her right, the direction where the sudden voice hade from. I followed her gaze.


    There, a woman with light purple eyes andvender hair stood. She was tall and had a well-endowed figure, beautiful and calm. She was like a yamato nadeshiko; the perfect example of what a housewife should be in demihuman culture. At least, that''s what I read in the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    Sathona''s voice quivered and eyes widened. "¡­ C-Creator¡­?"


    I frowned. <em>Creator¡­?</em>


    The woman who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere walked closer to us, her elegant violet robes dragging behind her.


    "Lower your weapon," shemanded, staring at Sathona. Her voice echoed and reverberated all around us, as if she was everywhere.


    "¡­!" Sathona, hands shaking, quickly stepped away from me and dropped her scimitar, before kneeling on the ground in a prostrating gesture in front of the neer.


    The woman then turned to me,pletely ignoring the poor girl. I rolled around on the ground once and immediately got to my feet in one swift motion, picking up Frozen Fear and adopting a defensive posture in the process.


    "¡­ What do¡­ you want?"


    The woman, to my surprise, smiled warmly. "There is no need to be scared. If I wanted to hurt you, I already would have long ago."


    "¡­" I narrowed my eyes, unconvinced. I knew better than to trust a stranger.


    Seeing my stubborn reaction, she sighed. "Ah¡­ well, I suppose this is fine, too. Whatever makes youfortable."


    "Who are¡­ you?" I immediately asked.


    The womanughed and covered her mouth, as if I had just asked something ridiculous.


    "¡­ What?"


    She nced at me, before sighing once more. "Mm¡­ I apologize. I forgot, you are not an Ethereal. After all¡­ they have been my only guests for the past billion years."


    <em>Billion of years¡­? The of Xenith had just been created back then¡­</em>


    "In any case¡­ you must be confused and have many questions. So, to answer the one you asked just now¡­"


    She smiled wryly and looked deeply into my eyes.


    "My name is Violet. Formally, I am the Realm Lord of the Void Realm, but to the Ethereals... I am their Creator."

 Chapter 329 - Realm Lords

    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    "Realm¡­ Lord¡­?" I echoed, confused. "Creator¡­?"


    The woman ¡ª Violet ¡ª sighed, for the third time in the past minute. "Perhaps, I should start from the beginning. But before I go any further¡­ I am going to need you to agree to something."


    "¡­?" I tilted my head, prompting her to continue.


    "One second."


    She turned to Sathona, a dark re in her eyes, and spoke quietly.


    "Do not move from this spot until Ie back."


    Then, she spun back to me and waved her arm. In an instant, the two of us were teleported elsewhere within the void¡­ though the different wasn''t much. In fact, the only reason I even knew we got teleported was the fact that Sathona wasn''t here anymore.


    "Now that we are alone¡­ be my disciple. That is my request."


    My eyes widened. "¡­ What?!"


    She turned away from me, staring out at the endless void.


    "You are wee to deny the offer, but¡­ My time is running out. If I were to die, this realm would cease to exist, fading away along with me. Once that happens, the Ethereals would be left without anything."


    "¡­" I fell silent, unsure if I should interrupt or not.


    "Ever since they first came across me and this realm of mine, they''ve followed me. They''ve practiced the art of wielding the powers the void. For years, they trained. For generations, they studied. All so that one day, they could be the Ethereals you see today ¡ª skillful masters of the Void Element."


    She smiled sadly. "Unfortunately¡­ there is a problem. Their powers, Void Magic, draws strength from the Void Realm ¡ª in other words, this ce. If this realm did not exist, Void Magic would not exist either. The very basis of the Ethereal''s lives would be gone, leaving them powerless, meaningless, and lifeless."


    "¡­ You wish to prevent that," I concluded, murmuring quietly.


    "Indeed. All lifeforms, apart from divine gods and immortal beings, have their expiration dates ¡ª mine ising up soon. In a mere fifty years, this realm, along with myself, will fade away. So, before then, I have to find a disciple to take in ¡ª someone who can fill my spot, bing the next sovereign of the Void Realm."


    She spun around to face me, determination set in her eyes.


    "Tell me, girl. Are you willing to take on that duty?"


    "¡­" I fell into thought.


    *A Realm Lord¡­ this woman seemed extremely powerful. If I were to be one¡­ would I also gain such strength¡­?


    When that happens¡­ would Xuan Kai acknowledge me more?*


    I stared back at Violet. "Can I obtain power¡­ by bing a Realm Lord¡­?"


    "That depends¡­ what do you want this power for? If it is for destruction, I cannot hand this position over to you."


    "I want the power¡­ so that someone will acknowledge me."


    She smiled faintly. "The boy you like, yes?"


    My cheeks turned red as I averted my gaze. "¡­ H-How did you know¡­?"


    "You are in my realm right now. Do not forget. I govern everything here. I control everything here. I see everything here. As long as you are in this realm, you can hide nothing from me. The question I asked just now¡­ it was merely to test your honesty."


    She thenughed, seeing my astounded expression. "You have the talent and physique to be the Realm Lord of the Void Realm ¡ª but do you have the righteous yet cold personality needed for the position? Yes, you do. I verified that just now."


    "¡­ Don''t read my thoughts without permission¡­" I muttered, pouting slightly. I felt so powerless in front of this character that my childish, immature side was slipping out.


    She reminded me of An Yan. She reminded me of my mother. Her warm smile¡­ it felt like family.


    "Hehe," she giggled, then stepped closer and ced her hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look up at her.


    "Yu An Xue. Are you ready?"


    And for the first time in a long while, I smiled faintly.


    "Yes¡­ I am."


    *****


    "There''s no going back on your word now," Violetughed. "What I''m about to tell you is all ssified information, for current and future Realm Lords only. You are forbidden from telling anyone else about anything that goes on here."


    I bit my lip. "¡­ Even *him*?"


    Naturally, she knew who I was talking about.


    "Hm¡­" she nced at me. "Fine. I''ll allow it this time, since I can guarantee he keeps his mouth shut. I know about his powers through reading your memories, after all¡­ how interesting. When you tell him the information, just say if he tells anyone else about the info, I will personally see to it that everyone will find out about his Chaos magic and whatnot."


    "¡­ Got it," I murmured, though I wasn''t exactly pleased with her threatening Xuan Kai.


    "Now then¡­ it is time I exin to you what Realms and Realm Lords truly are, yes?" she smiled. "Take a seat. This is going to take a while."


    "But¡­ the tournament outsi-"


    "Ah, worry not. Time here passes differently than the outside. A month here is akin to an hour in Xenith. You will be fine."


    "¡­ I see¡­"


    "Alright¡­ it''s about time to open up your eyes," Violet grinned as she sat down in front of me. "First off. The world you live in is not the only one. There are countless others, just like the Void Realm we are currently in."


    "All these worlds are connected," she continued. "And collectively, they are called ''Realms''. Xenith is known as a Life Realm, which is slightly different from other realms."


    "How so?"


    "The difference is that there are many Life Realms across the Dimensional Multiverse ¡ª the ce we all are in. While there is only one Void Realm, one Fire Realm, one Shadow Realm, et cetera, there are many different Life Realms. And quite fascinatingly, none of these Life Realms are connected to one another. In other words¡­ a Life Realm is connected to all realms except another Life Realm."


    Seeing my questioning face, she quickly added, "Don''t ask me why this is, because I don''t know either. You''ll have to ask the creator of the Dimensional Multiverse for that one."


    "¡­" I closed my eyes and patiently waited her to continue.


    "Now then, where was I¡­ ah, yes. Life Realms. These Realms, like their name suggests, sustain life."


    "And no other realms do?" I asked.


    "No, no. They do. It''s just¡­ the conditions are not great, and only certain people with talent and strength can actually survive within them. You caught my eye since you are a human who was not weakened at all, despite being dragged into the Void Realm against your own volition."


    "I¡­ have a Void Element affinity¡­"


    "Ah, but that''s different," Violet smiled. "You see, the Void Ethereals use and the Void any other race uses are not the same. Ethereals haveprehended the Law of Void since their race''s beginning. Naturally, they wield a higher order of Void Law than mere humans ¡ª I call it ''True Void''. Yet you, somehow, despite having only awakened the element recently, were able to handle yourself just fine."


    "So¡­ back to the topic¡­ realms are like different¡­ worlds?"


    Violet nodded. "Yes. Life Realms have the ability to draw power from these worlds, but these worlds cannot draw power from Life Realms or any other realm, for that matter. The main usage of most Realms apart from Life and Death ones are for drawing power from or cultivating in."


    My eyes widened slightly. "You can¡­ cultivate in these realms¡­?"


    "Of course. The speed at which you can cultivate here is incrediblepared to the outside. I know on Xenith, there are two ways to get stronger:bat, and cultivation ¡ª on top of actually gaining knowledge, of course."


    She winked. "Cultivating in the Void Realm will be especially useful to you, as you possess a special affinity for this realm. There will also be no one to bother you ¡ª I can guarantee that, since you will be meditating in a Void above even the one Ethereals use. I call it¡­ Ultimate Void. It''s where we are right now."


    My eyes sparkled. "And since¡­ a whole month here¡­ is only one hour on the outside¡­"


    "Bingo~" she smiled. "You will be able to cultivate here, then return home with a month''s worth of cultivation in a mere hour."


    "¡­" I bit my lip, trying to contain my excitement. "C-Can I bring¡­ others here too¡­?"


    "Hm¡­ as long as no one except that boy finds out about this Realm Lords and the like."


    Saying this, she pulled out a stack of ten purple talismans from seemingly nowhere.


    "Take these. They have infinite uses ¡ª pouring mana into them will bring you straight to the Ultimate Void. There''s ten here, enough for the boy and all the girls around him¡­ unless you want just one for the boy? That way, you get some alone time with him, y''know?" she teased. "Thepetition is fierce¡­ what a lucky boy he is."


    I quickly shook my head. "Give me all¡­ ten. Please."


    She smiled. "Whatever you say, my dear disciple. Just don''t lose to the other girls, okay? Don''t let Master down."


    I nodded firmly. "Mm. I won''t."


    "By the way, you can just tell your friends that girl earlier¡­ Sathona, was it? Yeah, tell them she gave these to you as a tribute to not kill her. It''s believable, since she''s an Ethereal. That way, they won''t be able to see through your lie, given how neutral your expressions are."


    "But¡­ I didn''t really beat¡­ her¡­" I gripped the talismans in my hand tightly.


    "If she had not pulled you into the Void Realm, you would have won," Violet said, patting my hand gently. It was a different kind of headpat from Xuan Kai''s. Both made me feel warm and fuzzy, but this one was familial while Xuan Kai''s was more romantic.


    "Now. It''s about time for you to head back, if you don''t have any more questions," she said, standing up. "You cane back here to cultivateter on. I will also be visiting you in your dreams ¡ª that''s when I will train you. Just be prepared for that."


    "Won''t I¡­ lose sleep¡­?"


    She sighed and wagged her finger. "Time duration difference, remember?"


    "Oh¡­" I blinked, looking down, disappointed with myself. "Yes¡­ sorry¡­"


    "Hey," she suddenly said, causing me to raise my head and look into her eyes.


    "Call me Master. I don''t think you''ve done that yet, have you?"


    My eyes lit up.


    "Master¡­ Master Violet."


    She smiled.


    "Out you go."


    A shimmer of white and purple light enclosed me as I closed my eyes, ready to be transported back into the real world ¡ª the Life Realm of Xenith.

 Chapter 330 - "Your Fly Is Open"

    (Yu An Xue''s Perspective)


    When I returned to the real world, Sathona was already there. She then, to my surprise, bowed down.


    "I have lost. I surrender."


    With these brisk words, she walked off the stage.


    <em>Master Violet¡­ thank you.</em>


    "By forfeit, the winner is Yu An Xue!" the announcer dered as I turned around and began heading back as well.


    The audience cheered for me ¡ª in their eyes, I had beaten Sathona at her own game, after being dragged into the Void. Unfortunately¡­ that was not the case. Violet had definitely told her to just surrender to me.


    I felt unsatisfied, but a win was a win. ording to Xuan Kai¡­ in a battle, the process didn''t matter. Only the results.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    As Yu An Xue returned from her fight, I couldn''t help nut notice something different in herplexion, though I couldn''t quite ce my finger on it. She seemed the same on the outside, but her eyes told me there was something on her mind. Call it instinct, I suppose.


    She hurriedly walked over to me, before bending down a slight bit and ncing into my eyes cutely.


    "Uh¡­ ah." For a second, I was confused at what she wanted, but then remembered the agreement from earlier. I just didn''t know it also applied to the second series of fights¡­


    Whatever. I patted her head gently just as she wanted, to which she smiled happily and returned to her own seat soon after. The other girls watched on awkwardly. As for Feng Mian¡­ she was still unconscious.


    "Ms. Yu An Yan ¡ª you are fighting next," the IMF staff suddenly said from the door. "Pleasee out whenever you are ready."


    "Well, looks like I''m up," she sighed and stood up from her chair. "Wish me luck, everyo-"


    "¡­ W-Wait!" Yu An Xue suddenly blurted out, then hurried over to her sister. "T-Take this."


    She handed a purple talisman of some sort over to her.


    "What is this¡­?" the elder sister asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I will¡­ exin¡­ once youe back¡­ so¡­ don''t die¡­"


    I grinned. So this was her way of showing care. Very interesting.


    Still¡­ I wonder what that talisman is¡­


    Yu An Yan left for her fight soon after, and little did I know, I would soon receive the answer to that question.


    But An Yan''s opponent¡­ he was not an easy one.


    *****


    (Yu An Yan''s Perspective)


    I stored the weird talisman An Xue gave to me in my pocket, and headed onto the stage. There, a boy with long blue robes and square sses stood, eyes closed. His name was Shui Xing, if I remember correctly.


    "¡­ Are you nning on beating me with your eyes closed?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "That''s just outright disrespect, you know."


    He pushed his sses up the bridge of his nose, but still did not open his eyes. "You misunderstand, miss. I am merely keeping my eyes closed so that I do not identally¡­ gaze at your body."


    I blinked. First time I''ve heard something like that. Quite the good little gentleman, huh? Too bad, I prefer the dark, cold types¡­ heh.


    "Oh¡­? I see. Just don''tin once I beat you~"


    "Worry not. I will go easy. After all, you are a gir-"


    "Huh? What about it?" I frowned, folding my arms. "Are girls just naturally worse or something?"


    "That is¡­" he fell silent, unable to continue.


    "Hmph."


    <em>Congrattions. You have sessfully pissed me off.</em>


    I took out ming Dance, my Axe of Fire, and waited for the battle to begin.


    "Both contestants are ready!" the announcer dered, stating the obvious. "Now then, the battle begins¡­ now!"


    "Level One Sky Magic¡­" I began muttering under my breath.


    A loud buzzer sounded, signaling the start of the match.


    Immediately, Shui Xing blinked out of existence for a brief moment, instantly appearing in front of me. He then unleashed a flurry of attacks, but luckily, I had anticipated this before hand.


    "¡­ Flight!"


    Right before he could hit me, I leaped up into the air, smirking condescendingly.


    "Let''s see you hit me now¡­"


    His eyes were still closed, but he knew I was now above him. Despite this, however, I still decided to try my luck and throw a spell at him.


    "Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª zing Trail," I said, as quietly as possible.


    A homing rocket of pure fire shot out towards Shui Xing below me. However, without even looking up, he adopted a perfect horse stance and moved his arms in a circr motion, forming a ball of water between his hands.


    Then, right before my ming projectile hit him, he pushed outward with both his hands.


    "Shaolin Five Element Stance: Aquatic Dome of the Horse!"


    The rocket of fire hit his dome of water and instantly vanished, evaporating into thin air while he remained unharmed.


    "Oh¡­ not a normal spell. Some kind of special training, huh?" I murmured to myself, deciding to test out his defensive capabilities more. However-


    Shui Xing suddenly smoothly transitioned his horse stance into a crane one, before calling out the following words loudly:


    "Shaolin Five Element Stance: Thunderous Flight of the Crane!"


    He suddenly took off from the ground, electricity sparking on and around his body as he converted into a literal missile ¡ªing straight for me.


    "Tch-!" I quickly began flying away, but his speed was tremendous. And somehow, he could track where I was going, despite his eyes being closed all this time.


    Gritting my teeth, I decided I had no choice but to face him head-on. I spun around and heaved ming Dance upwards, before swinging it down with all of might, increasing its weight to the heaviest possible in the process to maximize damage and power.


    The edge of my ming axe smashed directly into his head, but to my surprise, it didn''t melt straight through like I thought it would.


    Then, my eyes widened in horror and disgust as I stared at his frame.


    He was now ten times as buff as he was earlier, the muscles ripping his robe off, leaving nothing but a pair of ck pants. He contracted his body into a turtle stance ¡ª yes, in mid-air.


    "Shaolin Five Elements Stance: Golden Body of the Turtle!"


    I gritted my teeth as I continued pressing down on him with my axe, applying every ounce of my strength. Yet it was still not enough.


    He suddenly overpowered me, knocking my axe out of my hand and sending it crashing to the floor from the gravity and its heavy weight.


    In a panic, I lost control over my flight and fell to the ground as well,nding painfully on the ground.


    "Mmngh¡­" I groaned. The fire from the axe had singed my clothes a little when it fell out of my hand, thus burning some of the fabric off.


    I tried moving, but wielding the axe at max weight had drained all of my strength. Both my arms were dislocated, and the pain caused me to grit my teeth in pain, cheeks flushing red from the agony and embarrassment.


    Shui Xingnded back on the ground calmly, not a single sign of injury on him. He walked over to me slowly, still stark naked except for his pants and shoes.


    He reared his fist back, ready to finish the job.


    But then, I recalled something he said at the beginning of the match.


    ''To avoid gazing at your body,'' he said.


    Could it be¡­ that was his weakness?


    In a final, desperatest-ditch attempt to win this damn fight, I spoke the few words to make him snap open his eyes.


    "Hey¡­ your fly is open."


    At that, his eyes instantly snapped open. To tell a male his fly was open was the most embarrassing thing that could ever happen to them. Shui Xing was no different. Naturally, he would check.


    But when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was my body, clothes slightly torn and revealing my bare skin underneath. Because of my flushed expression, it only made the scene more alluring.


    He froze in his ce, eyes fixated on me. My chest, in particr.


    And to put the final nail in the coffin¡­ I licked my lips seductively.


    It was over.


    Arge stream of blood shot out of Shui Xing''s two nostrils, unable to take it any longer. He fell backwards, eyes rolled back, unconscious. His nose kept on bleeding, the red fluid dripping all over the ground.


    Iughed like a maniac and slowly pried myself up from the ground. It took time and effort, since I couldn''t use my arms, but I managed to somehow do it.


    "Oh¡­ I can''t believe it¡­" I giggled as I lumbered off the stage, slowly and heavily.


    To think this nearly invincible boy with incredible defense, offense, flight, and an indestructible body, would be beaten by nothing more than the killer line, ''your fly is open''.


    Call it cheating, call it a dirty method, but I smirk as I quote Xuan Kai¡­


    "A win is a win."

 Chapter 331 - No Escape

    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Yu An Yan stumbled into the room, weak and injured. Yu An Xue hurried over to support her sister, helping her sit down on a chair. The other girls all wore expressions of worry, minus Mei Gui and Obsidia.


    "Sis¡­ are you¡­ okay?"


    "Mm¡­ yeah¡­ I''m fine¡­ haha¡­" Yu An Yan whispered softly, in contrast to her heavy breathing.


    I turned to the IMF staff member, still waiting at the door. "Are you going to go call a medic, or just keep standing there?"


    "S-Straight away," he replied, a bit shocked by my cold and angry tone.


    He quickly escaped from the room as I followed him with a death re, eyes filled with nothing but in emptiness.


    I then turned to Qing Yue. "Can you heal her?"


    "Hm¡­ if it''s just dislocated arms, then yeah¡­ though it would still be better to get a professional to check her up," she said, hopping over to Yu An Yan.


    She immediately went to work, applying Blessing Magic on her. The IMF staff came back shortly after, a female doctor with him. I let the doctor in, while shutting out the IMF member.


    Qing Yue had done most of the work already, so the medic was essentially useless. Still, it was better just to be safe. She left the room straight away after she made sure Yu An Yan was okay, leaving us alone once more.


    I sighed and sat back down on my chair. "Very interesting way to beat that guy, but¡­ whatever. A win is a win. How are you feeling, An Yan?"


    "Much better," she grinned. "Thanks, Qing Yue, I owe you one."


    "Hehe~ in that case, why don''t you give your headpat privilege over to me?"


    "Sorry, can''t do that~"


    Both girls smiled at one another, allies one second, enemies the next.


    I shook my head in exasperation. "An Xue¡­ it''s time to tell her about the talisman."


    "Oh yeah¡­ the talisman. I nearly forgot that existed," Yu an Yan said, pulling the purple talisman out from her pocket. "So, An Xue, what does this do?"


    "It¡­" she turned to me for help. Since she was bad at talking, I figured she wanted someone else to do the exining. She already told all of us what it did, after all, when An Yan was having her fight.


    I looked at Feng Mian, who had now woken up.. "You''re the best teacher here, Feng Mian. Mind exining?"


    "N-N-No! Not now, please!" she yelped, covering her face with her hands and blushing furiously at me calling her name or even interacting with me in general.


    When she woke up, she had remembered everything that happened in her subus form, although barely. She had many questions, obviously, but she was more concerned about what she did with me.


    I already got over it, but it must be harder for her¡­ ah, whatever. Things were going to be awkward between us for a while.


    "In that case¡­ uh, Obsidia?"


    Obsidia shot me a look that said ''why me'', but I ignored it. She sighed butplied with my request.


    "Listen closely, for I will only be exining this once. ording to Yu An Xue, this talisma-"


    "E-Er, excuse me. The next contestant, Lady Obsid-"


    "Ugh¡­" Obsidia red at the door, then at me. I shrugged.


    She headed out the door, preparing for her fight. Theck of breaks between fights really sucked.


    "Well then, seems we need another person to do the exining. I volunteer," Lan Xiao Su said once Obsidia was gone, raising her hand.


    "Oh? Aren''t you usually ufortable with talking too?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "W-Well¡­ I won''t ever improve if I don''t try, haha¡­" she scratched the back of her head awkwardly with a smile. "So¡­ can I?"


    I snickered. "If only all the girls here had the same mindset as you¡­ no need to ask me for permission. Go ahead."


    And so, Lan Xiao Su ended up being the one to exin to Yu An Yan what the purple talismans were.


    Still¡­ cultivating in the Void, where a month was equivalent to one hour here, huh? Certainly, that would be awesome. We could spend a month in it, everyday before bed. That way, 12 days would be equivalent to a whole year of cultivation¡­ this was really amazing.


    But for some reason¡­ this felt a bit suspicious to me. If the Ethereal Yu An Xue fought really had ess to such an incredible cultivation site¡­ she should be a whole lot stronger¡­ but hey, you never know.


    For now, I was more concerned about something else ¡ª Obsidia''s fight. She would be facing against Xiao Zhan, the psychological demon who had tortured his opponent to death earlier using nothing but mental attacks.


    Obsidia was a dragon. She was incredibly durable and powerful on the outside and in terms of physical strength, but¡­ her mind was weak.


    How would she resist his attacks, and would she be able to at all?


    Strangely, however, I felt confident. Confident that Obsidia could push through.


    *****


    (Obsidia''s Perspective)


    I stepped onto the stage to see the human by the name of Xiao Zhan''s despicable face. Not a good start.


    He wore a confident sneer on his face as I walked closer to him, the arena''s doors shutting tight behind me.


    "Wow~" he whistled, scanning my body up and down lecherously. "You''re real hot, you know¡­ I wonder how that beautiful face of yours will look after being tortured."


    I smirked, unaffected by his taunts. "I wonder how that ugly sneer of yours will look after being burned to a crisp¡­ though that wouldn''t make much of a changepared to now, would it?"


    He grinned like a devil, but I''ve seen far worse. The look on Xuan Kai''s face when he''s killing someone¡­ it''s a lot scarier than this.


    This human¡­ he sees people as ves to torture for his own satisfaction. In other words, he''s nothing more than a slightly strong sadist.


    But Xuan Kai¡­ he''s a real monster. He doesn''t even see people as ves. He sees them as mere obstacles, mere objects to erase from this world, if they get in his way. He feels no emotion from killing ¡ª to him, it is apletely normal act, one he has done thousands of times before.


    I have traveled with the true devil already. Who is this human topare?


    "I''m sure you saw my previous fight," Xiao Zhan said, sitting down on the stage. "I will make you the same deal ¡ª if you can survive my mental attacks for ten seconds, I''ll forfeit the match. Now, the only question is¡­ are you up for the challenge?"


    Rather than be confused or worried at all, I kept a perfectly neutral face as I answered.


    "Do as you like. You will lose today either way."


    I stated it as a fact, nothing more.


    He cackled loudly, clutching his stomach. "HAHAHA! Oh, I''m liking you more and more, Obsidia¡­"


    I red at him. "It''s ''Lady'' Obsidia to you."


    He licked his lips. "Sure, sure¡­"


    "Are both contestants ready?! Cut the talking already!" the announcer cut in, annoyed.


    Both Xiao Zhang and I turned in the direction of the announcer''s seat, hovering above the audience, and nodded.


    "Perfect! Then let''s get this damn show on the damn road! The battle starts¡­ now!"


    I sat down on the ground as the buzzer sounded, with Xiao Zhan smiling fiendishly at me a few meters away.


    "Are you prepared yet, my sweet Lady Obsidia?"


    "Like I said¡­" I crossed my legs and closed my eyes calmly. "Do whatever you wish."


    "In that case¡­ the timer starts¡­" he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "¡­ now."


    I wasn''t really calm or confident I could beat him. But I had to try.


    Even if I went into dragon form here, Xiao Zhan could still attack my mind with that artifact of his. It was useless ¡ª to fight someone like him, I had to beat him at his own game.


    *****


    When I opened my eyes again, it was as if I hadn''t at all. All around me, only darknessy. I was shrouded in shadows, all alone.


    And then, suddenly, I was teleported to an open, green ins biome. I looked down at my body, and realized I was a lot shorter.


    *This is¡­ my younger self?*


    I looked around, and sawrge figures flying across the sky. Mountains stood all around, and other children yed in the ins.


    *This ce is¡­ Dragon territory. My old home¡­*


    Suddenly, I was struck by some kind of hard object on the backside of my head.


    "Ouch-" I let out, surprised by my childish-sounding voice, and immediately spun around to see which bastard was the perpetrator.


    There stood a group of boys, each holding pebbles in their hands. The one in the middle pointed at me.


    "Outcast! Weirdo! Monster!"


    Those words had been said to me before. Those same words¡­ those same boys¡­ those same pebbles¡­ they''ve all happened before.


    Once again, I was being forced to live through this. Once again, I was being forced to endure the suffering.


    "What¡­" I gasped in surprise at the realism of this scene. My memories, of the fight, of Xiao Zhan, of the challenge¡­ they were all wiped clean.


    Right now, I was nothing more than my younger, innocent self, reliving my torturous past.


    Dozens of pebbles began being flung at me from all sides. I quickly brought up my arms to shield myself, but while they could guard against the rocks, they could not protect my heart


    "Get out of this ce!"


    "Outsider!" they yelled.


    Soon, it wasn''t just other kids anymore. The adults¡­


    "You don''t deserve to be here, abomination!"


    The elders¡­


    "Leave, before you bring doom to all of us!"


    Even my own parents¡­


    "I don''t want anything to do with you! You''re a curse to our tribe, to our family!"


    Every line thrown at me hit deeper than thest. Every word that was spoken drove the invisible knife in my heart deeper and deeper, until it could take no more.


    There was no running.


    There was no fleeing.


    There was no escape.


    "AGHHH!" I screamed, clutching my head, and all went to ck.

 Chapter 332 - The Flames Of Determination

    <em>"How pitiful."</em>


    A voice that sounded suspiciously like my own sneered mockingly in my head.


    <em>"So high-and-mighty on the outside¡­ but deep down, you are nothing but a frail little girl, traumatized by being called a few names."</em>


    I gasped and panted heavily in the eternal darkness all around me, clutching my head in pain.


    <em>"Tell me, Obsidia. How does it feel, getting abandoned? Thrown away by your own tribe and seen as an abomination, a monster? Does it hurt, living through those memories again? Of course it does. After all¡­ that''s your biggest fear, isn''t it? Getting excluded and treated like a pile of trash that needs to be thrown out."</em>


    N-No¡­ this is fine¡­ I am okay¡­ I''m not alo-


    <em>"You''re not alone anymore, huh?"</em> the voiceughed. <em>"You think that you''ve found someone else like you to bond with? Another who was abandoned by everyone, neglected by the world?"</em>


    Yes¡­ that human¡­


    <em>"But is that really true? Look around you, fool."</em>


    The ckness around me faded away to reveal the front gates of a school ¡ª Shenzhen Magic High, where I had studied at for a short period of time. I had returned to my normal size, my normal age.


    Standing in front of me was Xuan Kai, surrounded by the other girls. Theyughed and giggled together happily, like arge circle of close friends. They looked so content¡­


    Before I knew it, I reached my hand out, wanting to join in. How much I longed forpanions¡­ how much I sought for that special someone I could rely on, no matter what¡­


    But then, they stoppedughing and turned to me all at once, a look of disgust on their faces.


    "Who are you¡­?" they asked collectively, voice filled with disdain.


    I froze, hand still outreached.


    "Hey, you''re blocking our way," Xuan Kai said with a contempt look on his face.


    But I wasn''t listening. A single tear streaked down my face subconsciously, my body beginning to tremble slightly.


    "I said¡­ you''re in our way!" he suddenly shouted, shoving me in the shoulder and causing me to fall onto the hard pavement.


    "Ngh¡­" I groaned in pain as they haughtily walked by me, purposely stepped on my hand in the process.


    "¡­ Monster," Xuan Kai spat as the girls brushed past behind him, before turning away and preparing to leave as well.


    But suddenly, I reached out and grabbed the hem of his jeans tightly, not letting him go.


    "W-Woah, hey, what are you-!"


    "¡­ You hypocrite." I gritted my teeth.


    His words had woken me up. I no longer felt sadness or shock, only anger. Pure, dark hatred, directed towards his betrayal.


    Slowly, I turned my head up, staring into his eyes. They were bright and full of life, nothing like the Xuan Kai I knew.


    "Do you really think you deserve to be living a happy life like this¡­?" I growled, pulling myself to my feet and grabbing his cor instead.


    "W-What¡­?" he stuttered nervously, frightful of my sudden violent actions.


    "Hey! Let go of him!" Feng Mian shouted, rushing over with the other girls to help their precious boyfriend out.


    But at that moment, I was so blinded by rage and indignation that I simply didn''t care about the consequences of my actions anymore.


    I turned my head slightly and red threateningly at Feng Mian, stopping her and the other girls in their tracks.


    "Do note any closer!"


    Venom dripped from every word I spat, my eyes filled with the dark mes of pure hatred. Before I knew it, I had used my dragonfire to form a ring of mes around Xuan Kai and I, preventing anyone else from getting inside. Then, I turned back to my initial target, tightening my grip on his cor as his arms fell limply at his sides.


    "You call me a monster¡­ but you are one too. In fact¡­ you are a monster far worse than me."


    "H-Huh?! What are you talking about, you crazy bitch?! Let me go, damn pest!"


    He finally acknowledged the situation and tried prying my hand off of his cor, but I used my other hand to grab his throat instead, tightening it and choking him.


    "K-Kah¡­" he gasped for air, trying to w at my hands, but to no avail.


    "What are you so panicked about? Scared I''ll kill you?" I scoffed darkly. "Well¡­ you''ve done the same thing to others countless times. You''ve murdered hundreds, ughtered entire families, and washed a city clean with a river of crimson blood. You, just like me, were ABANDONED by your family! You, just like me, were BULLIED, EXCLUDED by everyone you knew! That''s why¡­"


    I growled deeply and threw him down to the ground, straddling his body while never once letting go of his throat.


    <strong>"How DARE you, enjoy life like this in here as if you''re a normal person?!"</strong>


    I violently shook his head, smashing it against the hard, cold pavement.


    <strong>"How DARE you, call me a monster, when you are a far worse one?!"</strong>


    "N-Ngh¡­" he groaned as his consciousness began fading away, a pool of blood forming on the ground beneath his head.


    <strong>"How DARE YOU, ABANDON ME AS WELL, AND BECOME THE VERY THING YOU SWORE TO DESTROY?!"</strong>


    I lifted my right hand, shaking and bloodstained.


    "He would never¡­ Xuan Kai would NEVER do something like this¡­"


    His eyes were eternally empty, not full of life. His emotions were always neutral, neverughing out loud.


    And most importantly¡­ he would NEVER be so easily beaten by me.


    All of this was fake. Nothing more than a bad dream, formted to break my mind.


    Unfortunately¡­ they chose the wrong memory to turn into a nightmare.


    Opening my palm, I materialized a dark ck me of burning anger, and smashed it into this imposter''s face.


    <strong>"DIE, ILLUSION!"</strong>


    As the fake Xuan Kai screamed in agony, the ring of fire all around me expanded as well, burning higher and spreading wider¡­ until all was consumed by it.


    The scene around me slowly split up, shattering into pieces as it melt away. My memories of the battle, of the challenge, of everything ¡ª all returned.


    "W-Wha¡­ how is this possible¡­" Xiao Zhan whispered to himself, voice quivering as he hurriedly stood up and began to try and flee the battle.


    For once, his calm and condescending expression was contorted in fear.


    I stood up from the ground and closed my eyes Two dark wings of fire shot out on my back, a thick and pressuring ck-red energy surrounding me. I didn''t know how, I didn''t know why, but at that moment, I knew exactly what to do. My left hand shone a bright yellow while my right pulsed with demonic ck energy.


    And with that, I chanted, sping both hands, both powers, together.


    <strong>"I stand in the light of the heavens, tower before the gates of hell! Come forth, Chaosborn Fire ¡ª</strong><strong>THIS ENDS NOW!"</strong>


    My eyes snapped open, a deadly red gleam filling them.


    <strong>"Forbidden Dragon Magic ¡ª INDIGNATION!"</strong>


    An enormous burning beam of pure ck and red fire shot out of my hands, vaporizing anything that came into contact with it or even near it.


    Xiao Zhan exited the stage, the ss doors sliding shut behind him as he turned around andughed.


    "Ha¡­ HAHA! CAN''T HIT ME FROM THER-huh?"


    My ray of death tore directly through the frail ss, making it seem like nothing but a thin piece of paper, and swallowed Xiao Zhan whole.


    "AHHHHHHHH!"


    His screams of agony echoed across the entire arena as he was melted away into nothingness at an atomic level, not a single bit of his remains being left behind.


    I canceled my spell right before it caused any more destruction, and the energy around me dissipated. I copsed onto the ground, exhausted and worn out.


    "Alllright! That was a close one, but uh¡­" the announcer cleared his throat. "The winner of this match is without a doubt, Lady Obsidia!"


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    The IMF staff members responsible for our District had to go and pick Obsidia up manually from the stage, carrying her on a stretcher and bringing her to our room. She was unconscious, but I had many questions for her.


    1. What did she see in her ''nightmares'' and how did she break out?


    2. What the hell was that ultimate attack she unleashed just now that was about half as powerful as the Chaos Nova I used earlier?


    Still, as much as I wanted to get answers right now, I would have to wait until she was awake. Or, alternatively, I could ask Mei Gu-


    "Miss Mei Gui. You are fighting next," the IMF staff said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.


    "Master¡­" she turned to me, as if wanting to say something.


    I nodded and grinned slightly. "Mm. Good luck. You can tell me once you win, yeah?"


    She smiled happily and hugged me for a short while before setting off for her match.


    I sighed. "Damn¡­ she''s the only one who can tell me more about the power of Chaos¡­ and it''s not like I can get any answers from Obsidia right now either¡­"


    "What was that spell she used at the end though¡­" Yu An Yan murmured in thought. "I''m a bit jealous."


    "Mhm, I''m curious too," Xiang Peng chuckled. "Too bad I couldn''t witness the spell directly, otherwise I could''ve used my Manameter to check how powerful it exactly was¡­"


    I blinked. "Manameter?"

 Chapter 333 - Obsidias Awakening

    "What, you don''t know what a manameter is?" Xiang Peng asked, raising an eyebrow at my seemingly ridiculous question. "Wait, do you guys not have those outside of Fragment?"


    "Uh¡­ no?" I replied hesitantly, ncing at the other girls just for confirmation.


    "I have never heard of such a thing before," Yu An Yan shrugged.


    "Mm¡­ yeah, me neither," Lan Xiao Su added. "It may just be a Fragment-only technology."


    "Huh¡­ that''s interesting," Xiang Peng murmured to herself.


    "What about you, Feng Mian?" I asked, trying to ease up the atmosphere between her and I right now.


    "I-I haven''t!" she yelped, blushing furiously and unable to meet my gaze. I sighed.


    "Well, basically, a Manameter is a device used on spells and Magic Artifacts to determine the mana density of the spell ¡ª how powerful they are. This is measured in a unit called a ''manibel''," Xiang Peng exined. "Experiments are currently being conducted for version of the Manameter that can be used on people and Magic Beasts as well, since that would be extremely useful both inbat and for verification reasons, but I don''t know too much about that."


    <em>Mana and decibel¡­ clever. Kinda. It sounds a bit weird, but that''s alright I guess.</em>


    "So, hyow pyowerful is a Nyevel Thwee spell?" Amane asked, tilting her head.


    "Eh¡­ a Level Three spell would be roughly 1,000 manibels in terms of raw mana density," Xiang Peng replied thoughtfully. "There''s no way of exactly setting a standard for this, so what I said is not too precise, but most Level Three spells are within the 950 to 1,050 manibel range."


    "Hm¡­ let''s test out how powerful my spells are, in that case," I chuckled, then opened my hand.


    <em>Level One Light Magic ¡ª Illumination.</em>


    "Here," I said, walking closer to Xiang Peng, orb of light in my hand. "Measure this."


    She opened up her Space Locket, a ne, and took out a scanner-type device. She pressed a button on it and aimed the redser point that appeared towards the orb of light I created, hovering above my hand, then read the number disyed on the screen on the other side of the manameter.


    "Hm¡­ 80 manibels," she said. "For the record, most Level One spells are only 10 manibels, so¡­"


    "My magic is amplified eight times¡­ that makes sense with what Mei Gui told me back when I unlocked the Origin Chaos stage..."


    "Owigin Chaos?" Amane wagged her tail and blinked in confusion. "Nya, Xuwan Kwai, what is that?"


    "Er¡­ it''s a bitplicated to exin," I sighed. "Just think of it like an¡­ alternative cultivation system I alone have."


    "Hm¡­ I dyon''t weally get it, but mkay~"


    "That aside¡­" Yu An Yan interjected, looking at me. "Shouldn''t we be more concerned about what Obsidia said earlier, during her fight?"


    "¡­ Forbidden Magic, huh¡­" I sank into thought.


    "If they end up being suspicious of us because of this¡­"


    "Then let''s just hope they don''t," Qing Yue interrupted suddenly, stretching her arms. She had been taking a nap just now, exhausted from both her fight and healing Yu An Yan.


    "When did you wake up?" I snickered as she dove into my arms.


    "Just now, hehe. Does Obsidia need healing?"


    "Are you recovered yet?" I asked. "If so, then you could heal her and make her wake up, like, right now. That would be great."


    "Sure, I''m okay~" Qing Yue winked and hopped over to Obsidia giddily, ready to apply Blessing Magic on her. "Alright¡­ here we go. Level Three Blessing Magic ¡ª Cure All."


    A bright lime glow encased Obsidia''s body, shimmering and radiant. The glow faded away soon after, as Qing Yue let out a deep breath and returned to her seat (myp).


    "Was a Level Three spell really necessary for that¡­?" Yu An Yan asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know you said you''ve recovered, but it''s still best to use mana sparingly. You never know when you might need it, after all."


    "That''s true, but I just used it for some extra practice, hehe," Qing Yue sniffed her nose proudly. "Cure All will be really useful in the future, when we get into more battles. It can heal fatigue, wounds, psychological damage, poison, you name it! I''d like to get some practice in now so that I''ll be more familiar with the spell when we actually need it."


    "Oho, interesting," Xiang Peng smirked. "You seem pretty natural using it already, even though it''s a Level Three spell."


    "Hehe, thanks~"


    "Guys! I think Obsidia''s waking up!" Lan Xiao Su suddenly eximed, directing all of our attention to the dragon girl.


    "Mngh¡­" she groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, blocking the light with her hand. Yu An Yan and Qing Yue hurried over to help her sit up.


    "Finally awake, huh?" I folded my arms, staring at her.


    She met my gaze, but for some reason, I could feel anger being directed at me.


    Then, shaking off Yu An Yan and Qing Yue, she stood up and walked towards me. I blinked in surprise; the room was silent.


    In a fewrge strides with her long legs, she was here.


    "Uh¡­ hi," I said awkwardly.


    She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. Gritting her teeth as her body trembled, a single tear streaked down her right cheek.


    "H-Hey¡­" I began moving my hand tofort her, but quite awkwardly since I was unsure how to deal with this situation.


    Then, suddenly grabbing my cor, she heaved me up from my chair with her draconic strength, taking me by surprise. My eyes widened as I was pulled upwards against my own voilition, forced to stare into her beautiful red eyes, the same as my own.


    "Those eyes¡­ yes¡­ they are still the same."


    "Huh?"


    "N-Never mind," she said, letting go of my cor and letting me fall back to my seat, before turning around and wiping the tear off of her face.


    <em>T-The hell was that all about?</em>


    The other girls watched this exchange in confusion and curiosity, then directed their gazes at me, expecting answers.


    <em>Listen, I''m just as confused as you are¡­ don''t look at me.</em>


    It was then that the door swung open and Mei Gui walked inside, not a single scratch on her.


    "Master, I have returned."


    I blinked. "Finished already?"


    "Naturally. As Master''s partner, this is the least I must be able to do," she replied stoically, as if this were a simple fact. "I was able to conclude the fight in approximately two minutes and thirty-four seconds. I apologize, Master. This is not an ideal time."


    "It''s already far better than enough," I smiled, patting her head as she hugged me. "Now¡­ Obsidia, Mei Gui, I have some questions, but before that, Amane¡­"


    "Mhm~ it''s my turn nyow, isn''t it?" she smiled happily, leaping up from her chair and heading over to the door, tail wagging in excitement. I wasn''t too worried about this next fight of hers, since the boy she would be battling wasn''t all that strong, and was also the impatient, hot-headed type.


    Definitely, the easiest type of opponent to beat.


    At the door, the IMF employee was already waiting, apparently happy he didn''t have to say anything this time around. It seemed I really scared him, for whatever reason. He seemed fine this morning, though¡­ did something happen between these hours?


    As the door nked shut behind Amane, I turned to Obsidia.


    "Alright, Obsidia. Mind exining what happened in your fight against Xiao Zhan?"


    "You mean the final move I used, correct?" she bit her lip. "To be honest¡­ I am not certain what that was either."


    "¡­ How do you not know what your own attack was?" Yu An Yan asked, skeptical.


    Obsidia fell into thought. "The string of words I said¡­ they just suddenly appeared in my head. I was not really thinking when I cast that spell. At the time¡­ I was just consumed by fury and let all hell break loose."


    "Yeah, we could see that," Xiang Peng chuckled. "Honestly, I''m already grateful you didn''t outright turn into a dragon. That could''ve been¡­ troublesome."


    "But what caused that fury?" I asked curiously. "I mean, what did you see when he was using his mental attack artifact on you?"


    Obsidia red at me in an unexinable anger. "¡­ Tch."


    "Why that hateful look¡­?" I murmured to myself, confused. Deciding to read her mind to find out, I discretely used a tiny spell.


    <em>Level Three Psychic Magic ¡ª Mind Read.</em>


    I peeked into her soul ¡ª and there, I saw exactly what she said during her fight. The nightmares of her parents, of her past, and¡­ of me?


    <em>The hell is this?! Why the hell am I so weak?!</em>


    Those were my thoughts as I saw my dream self getting pinned down by Obsidia.


    <em>Shit, if that happened in real life, I would''ve Zero''d her by now¡­</em>


    Zero was my affectionate nickname for the Forbidden Magic of the same name that Mei Gui had taught me, of course.


    I continued watching the scene.


    <em>Man¡­ if only I had popcorn. Sitting here and watching through Obsidia''s memories is quite entertaining and infuriating at the same time, almost like a movie¡­</em>


    Unfortunately, a stone-cold female voice disrupted all of that.


    "¡­ Xuan Kai."


    "Huh?" I snapped out of it to see Obsidia ring into my eyes, brows furrowed and expression dark. The other girls were looking at me awkwardly as well.


    "¡­ Do you want to die?"

 Chapter 334 - Devil Vs. Angel

    Amane returned soon after, having concluded her battle.


    "Nya~ I''m bwack, everyone!" she announced, kicking the door open.


    "You won, I''m assuming?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "What, you weren''t watching?!" she cried in shock, on the verge of tears. "How could you, Xuwan Kwai¡­"


    "U-Uh, no, look. I was using the bathroom, that''s why," I said, making ame excuse.


    "Hmph¡­" she pouted, not buying my lie at all.


    She then walked over closer and tilted her head down, as if waiting for something. Her arms were folded as she nced at me silently, seeing if I would understand what she wants.


    I raised my hand and gently patted her head. The gesture she was making was too obvious to not understand what she wanted. At this, her lips curved up into a smile.


    "Meowkay, I forgive you~"


    I sighed in relief and moved my hand away. "Okay¡­ who''s next to fight?"


    "Me," Lan Xiao Su said, standing up and proactively heading for the door. "Wish me luck, everyone!"


    "You won''t need it," Yu An Yan chuckled confidently. "The guy you''re about to face is nowhere near your level. We spectated him together, remember?"


    "That''s true, but it''s still best to keep up my guard," Lan Xiao Su replied with a wink.


    "I like that mindset," I noted, a smug grin on my face.


    "Show them who''s boss, Xiao Su!" Xiang Peng cheered.


    Lan Xiao Su nodded, smiling at all of us, then left the room shortly after.


    "Now then¡­ it''s time to discuss the real problem," Obsidia said darkly, turning to me. "Xuan Kai¡­ how are you nning on dealing with that half-Celesticus girl?"


    "Lin Luo, huh?" I fell into thought. "She''s certainly a problem.''


    "Can you beat her?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Hard to say. In terms of raw power, she is nearly my equal. By the looks of it, she isn''t exactly stupid either. Outsmarting her won''t be easy."


    "So there are still people our age who can beat you, huh?"


    "Don''t get me wrong," I replied. "I won''t lose to her. At worst, it will be a tie. But since tieing here means both of us are disqualified¡­ that makes it slightly troublesome."


    "Master. You can nullify the spell she used on her previous opponent, with the help of Zero," Mei Gui reminded.


    I nodded. "I''m well aware. But you see¡­ after what I didst match, the judges have their eyes on me now. If this were a free-for-all battle, no restrictions, then I could easily beat her, but¡­"


    "¡­ Looks like your biggest obstacle in this tournament is not your actual opponents, but remaining inconspicuous, huh?" Xiang Pengughed. "Well, this is a nice challenge to help you get stronger anyway."


    "Well, if ites down to it, I can just use Zero and im it''s the power of another artifact I have, but¡­"


    "As if anyone''s going to believe that," Obsidia scoffed. "You already used the same excuse for Chaos Mirror."


    "Exactly¡­ which is why I would like to beat her without needing to use Zero. But I have no doubt the first thing she''s going to try to do as soon as the match begins is trap me inside her spell."


    "Then¡­ what if you do what the snakegirl I faced did?" Xiang Peng suggested. "Stop time as soon as the match starts, and end it in the brief window you have."


    I fell into thought. "I could do that, but¡­ what''s the spell called?"


    "If I remember correctly¡­ Chronofreeze," she replied. "I have a friend in Fragment who''s quite good with Time Magic. Every time I fought her, she would use the same move to beat me, over and over again."


    "Chronofreeze, huh? It''s Level Three magic, correct?"


    Xiang Peng shook her head. "Nope. Legendary Magic. There is a Level Three variant, but the duration of the time stop is really short¡­ and I''m not sure about the name either."


    "Legendary Magic¡­ Mei Gui, am I able to use that at my current level?"


    "Uncertain, Master. However, you are nearing the next stage of Chaos, so maybe¡­"


    I blinked. "I am?"


    She nodded. "Yes. The next stage is called Divine Chaos ¡ª one step closer to the Primordial form. By the time this tournament is over, you should be able to break through, Master. Good rewards await."


    "Alright," I replied, stretching my arms. "I''ll give Chronofreeze a try, I guess¡­ if it doesn''t work, then I have no other option but to use Zero to get rid of her Asura Hell ¡ª mere Level One to Three spells can''t do anything against a Legendary tier one."


    "She also needs time to charge up her lightning attack, so don''t let her to do that," Xiang Peng reminded. "I dunno what other cards she has up her sleeve, but those two should be her only extremely powerful ones."


    At that moment, the door swung open. It has been mere minutes since Lan Xiao Su left, yet here she was again.


    "Uh¡­ did you¡­ forget something?" I asked hesitantly, all of us staring at her in confusion.


    "Ah, no¡­ my opponent¡­ he forfeit the match," sheughed awkwardly, shutting the door behind her.


    "What? Why?"


    "I don''t know either," she said, sighing and taking a seat. "He saw me, blushed, and ran off the stage. The announcer counted that as a forfeit, so¡­"


    The rest of the girls exchanged nces knowingly, while I rubbed my forehead in stress. "Well¡­ I was hoping for a bit more time before I would have to face off against Lin Luo, but¡­"


    "Woah, <em>you</em>, getting worried?" Yu An Yan scoffed, folding her arms.


    "It''s not that¡­" I denied. "I just like to have a solid n, guaranteed to work, before doing anything. Oh, and also plenty of backup ns in case the original one doesn''t work."


    Taking a deep breath, I stood up from my chair and loosened up my muscles, preparing to fight.


    "Mr. Xuan¡­" the IMF staff called from the other side of the door.


    "I know, I know¡­ and don''t call me that."


    Walking over to the door, I strapped my mask around my face and adjusted my cloak. Slipping on my ck gloves, I gave the handle a good twist and stepped through the doorway.


    Right before I left, however, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned around and saw Feng Mian, still in that... attractive attire of hers. As soon as I saw that, I was reminded of the events that happened between the two of us earlier.


    Her face was blushed and she couldn''t meet my gaze when she said the following words, but her feelings reached me.


    "... G-Good luck."


    I smiled and nodded. She quickly let go of my sleeve and rushed back to her own seat, pretending that never happened.


    "See youter," I said briskly before nking the door shut behind me, drowning out the sound of the girls cheering me on.


    *****


    I stepped onto the stage, where Lin Luo was already waiting. Her wings weren''t active right now, but the same cold look in her eyes were. She looked at me as if I was no more than a mere maggot, but little did she know, the feeling was mutual.


    Silently, she took out her two swords, one in each hand, and got ready to fight.


    "You don''t want to have a little chat beforehand?" I taunted, shaking my head in disappointment. "How unfortunate¡­ why so serious all the time?"


    I had no doubt the girls, watching this fight right now from the screen, were saying things like ''you''re one to talk'' and whatnot. Still, this was part of my strategy to bait out some information from her, or at least get a better grasp on her personality.


    "¡­" Unfortunately, she didn''t buy it, remaining quiet. For a second, I contemted whether or not she was mute, but then remembered her chanting from her previous fight, so I quickly perished the thought.


    Sighing deeply, I opened my hands. "Too bad¡­ too bad indeed."


    <em>Come, Chaos Katanas.</em>


    Two obsidian-ck des releasing a dark, chaotic red energy, materalized in my hands. I swung them around to get a good grip, as it''s been some time since Ist used them.


    At this, the girl''s eyes widened slightly ¡ª the first sign of emotion I''ve seen her shown.


    "Those¡­ what are they?"


    I smirked. "Oh? Interested in my des?"


    "Don''t get me wrong, mortal. I sense an unusual yet highly dangerous powering from those two¡­ things. You best not use them for too long, lest they corrupt you. Though¡­ I guess that does not matter all that much, since you will be dying here today anyway."


    Saying this, she lifted one of her des pointed it at me. "Be grateful, human. I will release you from your suffering, returning you to eternal salvation. It is my duty to purify all evil from this world ¡ª and to aplish that, those des, and you along with them, must die."


    Human? This girl¡­ she kind of reminds me of Obsidia. Though in terms of strength¡­ Obsidia was probably stronger ¡ª in her dragon form. Still, Lin Luo''s words made me think.


    "Tsk, tsk¡­" I chuckled. "Lest they corrupt me, huh?" I turned one of my katanas up and nced at its crescent-shaped eye symbol located in the hilt of the de. "I''ve already been corrupted¡­ long ago."


    "All the more reason to exorcise you, sinner."


    She crossed her des as she activated her wings, two beautiful angel-like appendages sprouting out of her back.


    "You now face divine judgment ¡ª may it extend eternally."

 Chapter 335 - Seraphim Ascension

    A loud buzzing sound signaled the beginning of the match between Lin Luo and I. Immediately, both of us began casting our own spells.


    <em>Legendary Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze.</em>


    "Legendary Poison Magic ¡ª Asura Hell!"


    Naturally, mine was quicker because of my instacasting abilities. There was only one concern¡­ whether or not the spell was truly sessful.


    But my worries were quickly erased as the whole arena ¡ª no, the whole world ¡ª turned greyscale, the RGB of all objects disappearing for that duration. All movement ceased; all thoughts stopped.


    Lin Luo was still stuck in the middle of her casting movement as I flew up into the air and hovered before her.


    "So¡­ I can really use Legendary Magic, huh?" I chuckled out loud, snickering proudly. I hadn''t expected this to work, but it really did.


    "Now then¡­" I lifted up one of my katanas to Lin Luo''s neck, and prepared to sever her head. "Goodby-"


    Suddenly, her eyes lit up a golden yellow, unleashing a shockwave around her body that pushed me away a short distance.


    "Ngh-!" I groaned, shielding my eyes from the bright light that had enveloped her body.


    To my surprise, the color and radiance had returned to her body, now more so than ever, despite the greyness all around us.


    She lifted her sword and pointed it at me. "You possess some abilities¡­ for a demon."


    "Uh¡­ I''m not a demon though," I retorted, buying some time to try and figure out what the hell was going on.


    "Human¡­ demon¡­ it''s all the same to me."


    With those cold words, she lunged towards me, two des each emanating a different color of lightning ¡ª one yellow, one blue.


    <em>No Asura Hell this time¡­? Could it be¡­ she can''t use spells when time is stopped, but only her body?</em>


    I couldn''t help but wonder that as I evaded her attacks, flying backwards as she moved forward. I brought up my Chaos Katanas to block the strikes I couldn''t dodge, and Lin Luo''s eyes widened as she saw the lightning on her des slowly dissipate.


    She immediately backed off in caution, narrowing her eyes. "¡­ What did you do?"


    I nced down at my katanas, now radiating lightning ¡ª one of them sparked with red static, while the other sparked with ck.


    "Well, well, well¡­ this is quite the interesting power you have," I murmured, inspecting my des. "Divine Lightning? Powerful indeed. However¡­"


    I smirked and shed the air in front of me with one of my katanas, sending forward a crescent barrage of red lightning. Lin Luo hurriedly made her des into an X to defend against my attack, but she was still pushed back a short distance.


    Gritting her teeth, she red at me in anger. "How dare you¡­ stain that power with your dirty hands!"


    It was then that the Chronofreeze effect finally wore out, allowing her to finally use spells again.


    She flew upwards and thrust one of her swords into the air as thunderclouds began forming above, and I mimicked her actions just to spite her.


    "Holy Raijin, I summon you! Be my de; cleanse this world of sin and purge all evil! Come, Divine Lightning!"


    "Primordial Chaos, I summon you. Be my de; cleanse this world of my enemies and purge all creation! Come, Chaotic Lightning!"


    It was apletely made-up chant, meant to do nothing more than to piss her off, but to both my own surprise and hers, a ck cloud sparking with red energy began forming above me.


    As a bright yellow lightning bolt struck down on Lin Luo''s sword, a bigger, far more powerful red one struck down on mine. Under normal circumstances, one would end up paralyzed if struck by lightning, but not this time.


    Rather than being shocked to death, I felt empowered by this lightning. It coursed through my veins, charging up every blood cell, every atom with its dark and phenomenal power. My body began emitting a dangerous crimson glow that matched the color of my eyes as Lin Luo''s figure radiated yellow, and the two of us thrust forward at the exact same time.


    A powerful golden lightning bolt shot out of her sword while a red one shot out of mine. They shed together, causing an enormous explosion and shockwave that followed. The ss walls that surrounded the arena ended up shattering for the second time today, this time simply from the pressure ¡ª our attacks didn''t even touch the panels.


    At first, both of our strikes seemed to be of equal power, continuously shing against one another.


    But I knew ¡ª Chaos empowered my abilities. It took the original, amplified it, and made it my own.


    After several seconds, my lightning began to push back Lin Luo''s ¡ª but it wasn''t just as simple as overpowering it.


    Chaos had one other attribute ¡ª it devoured all.


    Slowly, my lightning was <em>consuming</em> hers, making it harder and harder for her to fight back. She realized this as well, and gritted her teeth desperately.


    I grinned. <em>As if that''s going to make you stronger.</em>


    Eventually, the beam of conflict between her and I became nearlypletely red. She could not hold on any longer.


    "It''s over," I said.


    "N-Not¡­ yet¡­!"


    "The moment you lose your focus and try doing something else, my lightning will turn you to ashes. The only thing you can do is patiently is await death. It won''t be long now. How does it feel, losing to your own power? Betrayal, perhaps? Hatred?"


    "What do you know¡­ ABOUT BETRAYAL!" she yelled in anger.


    Suddenly, a second pair of wings grew out of her back, right below the first. She flew up even higher into the air, then opened all four of her wings, unleashing a violent wind all around her. The four white wings now had glowing golden symbols on them, drawn by a liquid that looked like ichor ¡ª a god''s blood.


    The IMF staff who had attempted to fix the ss panels in the middle of the battle were blown away by this sudden shockwave, blinded by the light. The ss they had just finished repairing was shattered once more, much to their dismay.


    A blinding sh ensued as both of our lightning bolts dissipated into nothingness. Sensing danger, I quickly dropped back down to the ground. When I could finally see again, Lin Luo had changed ¡ª insurmountably.


    Her eyes were set on fire, golden and divine. Her hair turned from silver into a youthful golden, and her white robes became a heavenly gown, fit for an empress.


    Her two des were nowbined into one, a white and golden broadsword that matched the rest of her new appearance.


    As she hovered in the air above me, she looked down at me as if I was some pest. Her eyes held godlike indignation, determined and full of fury.


    "Woah! The final battle of today¡­ it is truly intense! Lin Luo¡­ she appears to have awakened her final form during the fight! To think I would get to witness a Seraphim Ascension with my own two eyes¡­" the announcer shook his head in wonder. "Everyone, this is a once-in-a-lifetime sight!"


    The audience should''ve been excited, but they were far too scared to do anything. The defenses preventing them from getting hurt had all been destroyed, exposing them directly to the holy power of Lin Luo.


    She, however, had no one else in her eyes except me ¡ª not in a good way. She raised her sword with both hands, holding it above her head, de turned downwards as if preparing to stab down.


    "I said divine judgment, didn''t I?" she whispered softly, but her voice boomed across the arena and beyond. "Prepare yourself ¡ª salvation is near."


    But¡­ there was just one problem. All this time, my eyes had been glued to one part of her and one part only. Since she was hovering directly above me¡­


    I ced my hand over my eyes to block the sun and get a better view.


    "Whew," I whistled. "So they''re that color, huh?"


    At this, everyone ¡ª the announcer, the audience, probably all the other contestants watching this fight right now, and most importantly, Lin Luo ¡ª all froze.


    "¡­ What did you just say?" she asked quietly but menacingly. Under the dead silent atmosphere, her voice seemed to be loud.


    "Polka-dots? Huh, so you''re into that¡­" I murmured, continuing to analyze her panties. It was truly a shame I didn''t have a notebook with me, otherwise I would''ve wrote everything down and even included a professional drawing.


    Lin Luo''s entire body began trembling after hearing my words, on the verge of imploding from anger.


    "YOU¡­ BASTARD¡­ DIE!"


    She swung her sword down, sending a golden lightning bolt so bright it was almost white towards me. The pressure it emitted was enough to root anyone in their ce, and as I stared at the bright light it was giving off, it was as if I really faced salvation.


    But I knew.


    Deep down, I knew.


    I had already gone too far for salvation.


    <em>Legendary Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze.</em>


    I used this spell Xiang Peng taught me once more, returning the world to greyscale. However, her stop did not stop.


    <em>Oh¡­ she has transcended thews of time, it seems.</em>


    But so what?


    Even if she was a god, she could not beat the creator of everything ¡ª the primordial Chaos I wielded.


    And so, within the frozen time, I confidently cast a single spell.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Chaos Mirror.</em>

 Chapter 336 - The Thiefs Hand

    Lin Luo''s truly divine lightning struck down towards me from above, hitting the direct center of the extremely thin and seemingly fragile screen between my hands ¡ª my Chaos Mirror.


    She had a look of contempt in her eyes, but so did I. To her, this was just a final defense I was putting up out of desperation. After all, it seemed like someone could punch through this thing ¡ª that''s how weak it was, on the surface.


    Little did she know¡­ this ck and translucent screen would prove to be her downfall.


    The lightning torrent flew directly through the Chaos Mirror, as if it were a hole that led to a different dimension. At this, Lin Luo''s perfect, divine features frowned slightly.


    "¡­" she narrowed her eyes, her confusion evident.


    I wasn''t nning on answering any of her questions, however, and she didn''t seem to be nning on asking either. She waited patiently as holy lightning continued to pour out of the tip of her charged broadsword, traveling through the air before entering my Chaos Mirror.


    Luckily, she wasn''t making any other moves, as if she wanted to see the oue of this. This bought me some time to request assistance.


    [Mei Gui.] I suddenly asked in my mind, attempting tomunicate with my best partner as Lin Luo''s lightning continued flowing into my spell.


    [Yes, Master?] The reply was immediate and smooth. As expected of her.


    [Is there any Forbidden Magic that can¡­ <em>steal</em> someone''s powers?]


    [Steal someone''s powers¡­] Mei Gui echoed, trailing off.


    [I mean, isn''t one of Chaos''s properties to consume, replicate, and enhance? I''d assume there was a spell that allowed me to take someone''s unique power, replicate it as my own, and turn it even stronger for myself.]


    [There is indeed a spell that does exactly what you are talking about, Master. However¡­ I strongly advise against using it before you break through to the Divine Chaos realm.]


    [Why? Will my body not be able to handle it or something?]


    [That is part of it, but¡­ also because you have not reached that level yet, the memories I have of this spell are limited, and there may be certain pieces of critical information I am still missing. However, I can try teaching you it. Are you certain you wish to try this, Master?]


    [It''s necessary for¡­ something. Worstes to worst, the spell doesn''t work, and I just beat Lin Luo normally. But if this does work, my body will have to be prepared to suffer the bacsh. If I can survive said bacsh¡­ I will have gained myself another powerful new ally I can use to my will. That is worth suffering a little bit of pain for.]


    [Understood, Master.] Mei Gui replied briskly. She didn''t question my intentions, she was loyal, and didn''t pry about what I was trying to do either. That was precisely what separated her from the other girls, and also why she was my best partner.


    But as I turned up to look at Lin Luo, I saw her getting impatient. Very soon, she was going to try a different attack after seeing this one not working. Sure, she would want to know why it wasn''t working, but she could also just torture me for the answer after bringing me to my knees.


    [Time''s running out, Mei Gui¡­ hurry and tell me what I need to do.]


    Immediately, she replied, noticing the urgency in my voice and obeying my orders perfectly.


    [The name of the spell is The Thief''s Hand. However¡­ beware, Master. In order to use this spell, you must touch your target with your hand and say the spell name in the process.]


    [I can say it in my head though, right?]


    [Yes. But the more difficult part will be touchin-]


    [Got it, thanks.]


    I quickly shut off the telepathic connection since I needed to focus on the battle. Lin Luo dashed towards me, attempting to cleave my Chaos Mirror in half with her sword.


    <em>C''mon, Chaos¡­ hurry up and shoot it back!</em>


    In an instant, Lin Luo was directly in front of me as she swung her de down from above.


    However, in the same moment she raised her sword, the lightning at the tip of it stopped connecting to my Chaos Mirror, finally allowing it to fire back in turn.


    Right before she could cleave down, a hellish lightning bolt the size of arge metal pir shot out of my Chaos Mirror, shaking the entire arena and apanied by a loud, thunderous roar.


    "Wha-"


    She quickly turned her de to the t side and held it in front of her body, blocking the lightning bolt. Supporting the de with her other hand, she used her whole body''s strength to try and fight back against this beam of pure death.


    But s, even with all four wings pping rapidly, the golden symbols on them glowing brighter than ever, Lin Luo was not able to withstand the demonic power known as Chaos.


    "What¡­ is this¡­ monstrous¡­ power?!" she gritted her teeth and desperately fought back as cracks began emerging in her sword.


    Meanwhile, I was getting nervous too. If my Chronofreeze were to run out here¡­ I would have lots of exining to do for the judges¡­


    "Come on¡­" I muttered, using all of my strength to hold the mirror in ce despite the surging energy coursing out of it, causing the whole arena to shake like an earthquake.


    "Ngh¡­!"


    The two of our eyes met as we shed against one another. Hers held infinite hatred, while mine held fiery determination.


    And as the cracks on her de became bigger and bigger, blinding white light peeking out of them, I cackled withughter.


    "You''re¡­ mine!"


    "NGH!"


    Three things happened right then and there.


    One, Luo Lin''s de shattered into a billion pieces of light, sending her toppling backward from the pressure.


    Two, I closed my Chaos Mirror just in time before I identally disintegrated my precious future pawn into ashes;


    And three, my Chronofreeze ran out, returning color and the flow of time to the world around us.


    Luckily, those three things happened in sequential order, meaning I was able to avoid letting anyone get a glimpse of my Chaos Mirror again ¡ª that is, except for Lin Luo.


    Lin Luo groaned on the ground, surprisingly not unconscious.


    Quickly, I initiated the next phase of my n before she could recover.


    <em>Space ¡ª Eliminate.</em>


    In an instant, I appeared directly in front of her, then grabbed her head and smashed it into the ground ruthlessly.


    For one, this was to knock her unconscious, securing my victory, and for two¡­


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª The Thief''s Hand.</em>


    Lin Luo offered no resistance as she fainted from the concussion,pletely cking out. She had no idea that at this moment, I was draining the divine power she valued oh-so-much out of her body.


    I felt some kind of warm, soothing liquid flow into my body through my contact with her forehead, and I guessed it was the same godly ichor that had been on her wings.


    I felt empowered, more so than ever before.


    It was simr to back then, when I had consumed Count Draculus''s blood and became a half-vampire, except this time, there was no pain and the strength I was receiving was amplified thousandfold.


    Apanying it was a thrilling shock that seemed like electricity, though it was not painful or startling in any way. Instead, it felt warm and chilling at the same time, providing an interesting sensation I''ve never felt before.


    But just when I was drowning myself in the pleasure that seemed to reach all the nooks and crannies of my body, my eyes snapped wide open as I felt a sudden rush of liquid up my throat.


    I quickly twisted my head away from Lin Luo instinctively to avoid coughing on her, and widened my eyes as blood spilled out of my mouth.


    Slowly, I felt my eyelids get heavy, my vision get hazy, and my consciousness fading away.


    I tried shaking my head to get rid of the nausea and tried biting my tongue to wake up using pain, but the blood in my mouth was too thick.


    Before I knew it, I had copsed onto the ground beside Lin Luo, an indescribable paining from the deepest parts of my body.


    Thest thought that I had before giving in to the drowsiness, surrounded by all the debris as a result of the chaos we caused, was <em>''it''s worth it.''</em>


    "Wow¡­ I have no idea what just happened, but contestant Lin Luo fell unconscious first! Therefore, Sir Xuan Kai is the winner of this match¡­" the announcer paused dramatically, then continued. "¡­ And of the whole tournament!"


    The audience was far too stunned to say anything, however. They were all still recovering from the shock, the magnitude of the epic battle they just saw unfold before them.


    It was as if they had witnessed a fight to the death between an angel and a devil, one divine and almighty; one demonic and undefeated.


    I may have fallen unconscious, on the brink of death, but at least, the spell was sessful.


    Now¡­ it was just a matter of whether or not I could recover to see tomorrow''s dawn.

 Chapter 337 - Tomorrows Dawn

    <em>There once was a boy of fate untold,</em>


    <em>With the heavens watching his tale unfold.</em>


    <em>Through storms and fires he shall fight,</em>


    <em>To live, to see another night.</em>


    <em>Chaotic inside he may be,</em>


    <em>But cold and quiet as the eye can see.</em>


    <em>He drowns his enemies in rivers of blood,</em>


    <em>Flowing and flowing until it bes a flood.</em>


    <em>He lives for revenge, kills for vengeance,</em>


    <em>All so that one day, he may reach transcendence.</em>


    <em>Dark yet strong, hollow yet bold,</em>


    <em>That is the power this boy holds.</em>


    <em>Stars and shadows may block his path,</em>


    <em>But they cannot withstand his vengeful wrath.</em>


    <em>He lives by the shadows yet protects the light,</em>


    <em>Forever remembered, his name: Xuan Kai.</em>


    *****


    "Master. Master!"


    Slowly, I blinked my eyes open, still feeling groggy and drowsy.


    <em>What was that weird dream I had just now¡­ it was as if a prophecy was being told to me¡­ about myself.</em>


    It was then that I realized Mei Gui''s worried face as she sat on my body, shaking my head back and forth.


    "M-Mei Gui¡­?"


    Her eyes widened in joy. "Master! You''re alive!"


    "Y-Yeah, but not for long if you keep shaking me like that¡­"


    At this, she froze and quickly let go of me. "I-I apologize, Master¡­ when I saw you unconscious after using that spell, I¡­ I could not hold back my emotions."


    As she moved to get off of me, I grabbed her hand and stopped her, pulling her closer to me. Her eyes widened a bit as she fell against my chest, the only thing separating us a thin nket.


    I patted her head gently, embracing her as if she was the most important person in the world to me.


    "It''s fine, Mei Gui¡­ it''s okay to show your emotions. Even if you don''t do it often¡­ just you showing them in front of me is enough."


    "Master¡­" a tear streaked out of her right eye, and I quickly wiped it off her beautiful face.


    "How long was I out for?"


    "A full day¡­ I was on the verge of giving up¡­ I did not know what I would do without you, Master¡­"


    I smiled warmly as she continued.


    "You gave me a name¡­ you gave me purpose¡­ you gave me life. Without you, I¡­"


    "Stupid," I reprimanded harshly, finger-flicking her forehead.


    "A-Ah!" she yelped cutely, which was rare. Her face was blushed as red as a tomato, and her eyes wet from crying.


    Such a scene¡­ I never thought I would see one from Mei Gui.


    "Even if I die¡­ you''ve still got to keep living," I whispered, gently kissing the spot where I had just flicked her. "You''ve got to finish what I set out to do ¡ª revenge. Until then¡­ you''re not allowed to die. That''s an order."


    "Master¡­" she sniffed her nose, looking into my eyes tearfully.


    "Where''s the usual ''understood, master''?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "Promise me, Mei Gui." I stared into her eyes sternly. "Even if I die¡­ you will live on."


    "I¡­"


    Faced with my serious expression, she had no choice but toply.


    "Understood, Master¡­ I promise."


    I grinned. "Good."


    "After all¡­ I cannot find ways to revive you if I am dead as well."


    "That''s the spirit," I chuckled. I had not be meaning for her to go that far, but if that serves as motivation for her, then by all means. It might actually be possible ¡ª Necromancy Magic was a thing.


    "However!" she suddenly sat up, straddling me with a fierce expression on her face. "Master, you are forbidden from doing anything this dangerous ever again!"


    "Uh¡­ are you ordering me right now?" Iughed. "Who''s the master here, really?"


    "T-That''s¡­ y-you are, but¡­" her face turned red as she was at a loss of what to do. She wanted to tell me not to take such risks again, but couldn''t say so directly withouting off as acting out of ce.


    "I get it, I get it¡­" I sighed, stroking her long silver hair. "I won''t do anything this dangerous again, alright?"


    Hearing my words, Mei Gui snuggled closer to me tightly, wrapping her arms around me to the best of her abilities. I smiled faintly.


    "Where are the others?" I asked after she calmed down, looking around the room. We seemed to be¡­ back in our inn?


    "They are currently in a different room, Master. I refused to let anyone else enter this one¡­"


    "I see," I murmured, thinking.


    "Should I¡­ call them over, Master? They are extremely worried as well¡­ I was too selfish in keeping you to myself."


    "Well, I''m sure you just told them to leave since they didn''t even know why I was in this state. I fell unconscious as a result of the bacsh from using Chaos¡­ not like they would know anything about the n we discussed, or help out either."


    Mei Gui nodded. "But¡­ I was not able to help either. However, Master, I have good news."


    "Oh? Let''s hear it," I said, sitting up in my bed with Mei Gui still straddling me.


    "You have broken through to the Divine Chaos Stage. When I tried checking the Chaos in you for impurities, I discovered this."


    "Sweet," I grinned. "So? What benefits did I gain?"


    "For one, our normal spells are now amplified by 10 times of their original strength," Mei Gui replied. "In addition, you can now cast a variety of new Forbidden Magic spells that I remembered due to you breaking through. Whenever we have time, I can teach you, Master."


    "10 times¡­ that''s equivalent to a spell of the next rank. And new Forbidden Magic too? I like the sound of that," I chuckled. "Anything else?"


    After a short hesitance, Mei Gui spoke. "Yes¡­ and it is rted to that ring on your finger."


    I raised an eyebrow and nced at my left hand, where a ring was ced on my index finger. It was mainly silver, with arge red gemstone embedded on top.


    "Song Qian Long gave me this¡­" I murmured quietly, remembering something I didn''t want to remember.


    "Just as expected, it has a connection with the Primordial Chaos. It has remained dormant until now due to Master''s understanding of Chaos still being too low, but since you have now broken through to the Divine Chaos realm, it has activated."


    "Huh¡­ so what does it do?"


    Mei Gui''s expression turned serious. "Before that¡­ I believe it would be wise to have Yu An Xue present here as well."


    "An Xue? Why her in particr?"


    "Because I believe she knows what I am speaking of."


    "Interesting. Well, you said they were quite worried, right?" I grinned.


    Mei Gui nodded. "Yes, Master."


    "Then¡­ who do you think was the <em>least</em> worried?" I asked childishly, an evil sneer on my face. All signs of sleepiness had gone away.


    However, Mei Gui seemed to have taken my question seriously. She fell into deep thought, narrowing her eyes.


    "Hm¡­ ording to my observations and variousplex calctions, it has been determined that subject Xiang Peng cared the least."


    I blinked. "You''re serious, aren''t you?"


    "Yes. Subject Obsidia seemed to care the least on the surface, but after further analysis of her personality and mentality, I have determined she is of the more extreme ''tsundere'' archetype as seen in various anime series."


    "Woah, woah¡­ since when did you get into anime?" I frowned. "It was Qing Yue, wasn''t it? That damn girl¡­"


    "Indeed. Speaking of her, I have concluded that she cared the most about your condition, Master. Excluding myself, of course, for I am obviously the one who cared the most."


    "Yes, yes¡­ you''re number one, all that," I sighed and looked towards the door. "Qing Yue¡­"


    "Can you call them over? My legs still feel weak¡­ I don''t think I can walk right now."


    Mei Gui nodded and hopped off my bed, before exiting the room.


    I sighed and nced down at the ring on my finger. I could see it was pulsating faintly with energy, unlike before where it waspletely just a ring for decorative purposes. Well, a ring that could turn my eyes red, but that was about the only use it had.


    But now¡­ although the energy signature was weak, I could feel some Chaos energying from this ring. The gemstone part of it, in particr.


    However, my thoughts were quickly interrupted by the loud shouting from the other side of the wall in front of me.


    "What? He''s awake?! Why didn''t you tell us sooner?!"


    "Calm down-"


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai!!!"


    I froze, waiting for the door to my room to be kicked open. And indeed it did, by none other than my cute little sister Qing Yue herself.


    Immediately, she leaped onto the bed as I caught her within my arms. She was quite light, so it didn''t hurt or anything. The rest of the girls entered the room as well, all with tears in their eyes except Obsidia and Xiang Peng.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ wahh¡­" she cried, rubbing her face against my chest. "You left me¡­ you left me¡­!"


    "I didn''t¡­ I''m here now, aren''t I?"


    "But¡­ but¡­ I thought you were never going to wake up again¡­!"


    "Hey! You''re too loud!" a voice shouted from the wall behind me, possibly from another guest at this inn.


    "Shut up!" Feng Mian interrupted, tears in her eyes as she shouted back at the wall before I could even apologize.


    "Huh?! The hell you just tell me to do?!" the man boomed from the other side. Seems like he was getting angry.


    By this point, Mei Gui had a murderous gleam in her eyes as she silently moved away from the rest of the girls.


    [Uh¡­ you can do whatever you want, just don''t kill him.] I said via our telepathic connection as I stroked Qing Yue''s head.


    [¡­ No promises, Master.]


    I gulped in fear for that man. Sure, he deserved it, but¡­ the wrath of Mei Gui was not a light one.

 Chapter 338 - Lin Luo

    A few minutester, after I had exined everything to the girls ¡ª what happened, why I fell unconscious, etc. ¡ª they all settled down. Mei Gui returned to the room soon after, a satisfied expression on her face.


    Never again will that manin.


    She locked the door and cast a Sound Element spell to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, then crawled onto my bed and slipped under the covers beside me, with Qing Yue on the other side. Both hugged me tightly, as if fighting over my body. Amane rested near my feet, wagging her tail happily.


    There was no more space on the bed, much to the other girls'' dismay. Any more people and the whole bed frame would break down.


    "Now then¡­ Mei Gui, mind exining to me what this ring really is?"


    She nodded. "Master, you know what a Realm is, correct?"


    "Yeah. That''s the thing An Xue was talking about earlier, right?" I asked, and Yu An Xue nodded.


    "The talismans I gave you all¡­ they act as a token¡­ to the Void Realm¡­ where we can cultivate."


    "Precisely," Mei Gui said. "The ring on your finger, Master¡­ serves in a simr manner."


    "What? You mean¡­ it''s also a token to enter some realm?" Yu An Yan asked.


    Mei Gui''s eyes narrowed. "Indeed¡­ the Chaos realm."


    At this, all of us were shocked.


    "The Chaos realm¡­ that''s got to be incredibly useful right?" Feng Mian blinked. Luckily, the rtionship between her and I was back to normal¡­ there wasn''t that awkward air between the two of us anymore.


    "To Master, Obsidia, ria, and I ¡ª yes," Mei Gui replied. "To the rest of you¡­ no."


    "So only people afflicted with Chaos can enter, is that it?" I asked, rubbing my chin.


    "Correct. The secrets of the universe lie within¡­ and so does the Primordial Chaos."


    My eyes widened. "The Primordial Chaos¡­ the creator of everything, and the origin of all existence¡­"


    "To fully activate the ring, you must reach the second-highest achievable rank, Master. And then¡­ to break through once more, you have to venture deep into the Chaos Realm and locate the Primordial Chaos. Then, and only then, will you have mastered the power you have. By that time, no existence will be able to match your strength."


    "I see¡­ but with my current strength, I''m already doing fine. This is not an urgent matter."


    "Yeah, but¡­ the Midnight Syndicate may start sending the big guns after you now," Xiang Peng chuckled. "I mean, they tried to kill you at the tournament and ultimately failed, right? They''ll know just how dangerous you are now. They won''t underestimate you again."


    I sighed. "That''s true. But we''re entering Fragment soon, so we can afford to rx a little. The Midnight Syndicate will have a difficult time trying to reach me there."


    "Fragment is the true headquarters of the IMF," Xiang Peng exined. "The Midnight Syndicate won''t be able to infiltrate."


    "I wouldn''t be too sure¡­ but speaking of, we should tell Xuan Kai about what''s going to happen next," Yu An Yan said, turning to the other girls.


    I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"


    "It''s about Fragment ¡ª we''ll be entering on April 2nd, exactly three days from now. All of us managed to make it in, but until then¡­ what do you want to do?"


    "Hm¡­ why don''t we give the Void Realm thing An Xue has a try?" I suggested. "Three days¡­ that''s 72 hours, and if one hour here is equivalent to a month in the Void Realm¡­ that''s 6 years of cultivation."


    "We can''t stay in there forever though," Qing Yue noted. "We still need to sleep, eat, drink, all that."


    "Assuming we take 8 hours of sleep and 3 hours of mealtime everyday for those three days¡­ that''s a total of 39 hours still, equivalent to 39 months in the Void Realm. That''s over three years!" Lan Xiao Su eximed.


    "So we''ll essentially be over 18 by the time these 3 days are over¡­?" Xiang Pengughed evilly. "Which means, we can do naughty-naughy things, heheh~"


    At this, most of the other girls'' faces turned red.


    "N-Now hold on a minute!" ria interjected, her tiny figure shorter than everyone else making it difficult to take her words seriously. "You guys will all go in there ande out over 18, but what about me?!"


    "¡­ How old are you anyway, ria?" I asked.


    "856!" ria replied confidently.


    All of us were knocked speechless.


    "D-Did you just blurt out a random number, or is that your real age?" Yu An Yan confirmed hesitantly.


    "That is my real age!" ria snorted, leaving all of us unsure of how to feel about this.


    Luckily, Obsidia was there to exin.


    "Phoenixes mature quite slowly. Roughly, every 100 human years is equivalent to 1 phoenix year. In other words¡­ ria is 8 and a half, for a phoenix."


    "W-Wha, you damn lizard! Why did you have to tell them that!"


    Obsidia snorted and didn''t bother replying, closing her eyes calmly.


    "I¡­ don''t have another¡­ talisman for her," Yu An Xue murmured faintly, as if apologetic.


    "Yeah. So, uh¡­ ria, sorry, but you''re going to be staying out here. You can hang out with Old Man Leng or something."


    "Not him again!" ria pouted like a little child. "He''s so boring, always going ''back in my day'' and stuff like that!"


    I chuckled. "Well, it''ll only be for three days. Once the timees, you can enter Fragment with me as my ''pet''. Oh, but speaking of Old Man Leng¡­ did they hear the news about us already or no?"


    "The winners were announced to all of Shanghai, so yeah, I''m assuming he did. They probably just haven''t visited because you were still unconscious."


    "I see¡­ let''s pay him a visitter then," I replied. "But for now¡­ Mei Gui, do you know where Lin Luo is?"


    "The half-Celesticus is resting at the same inn we are in right now, Master. I know the room number. Shall we go?"


    I nodded. "Is she alone?"


    Mei Gui replied. "She should be."


    "Alright. Then¡­ let''s go."


    Slowly, I got off of my bed, body still feeling weak. Still, I was somewhat able to walk, with Mei Gui and Qing Yue supporting me on both sides.


    The rest of the girls followed us out, confused, but they didn''t pry.


    *****


    Mei Gui led me towards a room further down the hallway, not too far away from my own. She prepared to knock, but I stopped her.


    "There''s¡­ voices¡­?" I murmured quietly, then used Blessing Magic to enhance my hearing abilities and leaned in closer to the door. I could hear a faint male voice on the inside¡­ who appeared to be talking to himself.


    "S-Should I do it¡­ she''s unconscious¡­ this is my chance¡­ once she wakes up, I''ll never get to have my way with her ever again¡­"


    At this, I narrowed my eyes.


    <em>Just what are you nning on doing, you sick bastard¡­?</em>


    I didn''t care about Lin Luo as a person one way or another, but she was now my pawn. And no one harms my pawns.


    "Mei Gui," I ordered. "Kick open the door."


    "Understood, Master."


    Immediately, she sent a powerful front kick into the door, smashing it straight open.


    Inside, a boy had crawled onto a bed, Lin Luo resting peacefully on it. His hands were on her cor, as if preparing to take her clothes off. I recognized him as being one of the contestants from Lin Luo''s team, who had gotten utterly destroyed by Amane in the second set of battles.


    "Wha¡­" his eyes widened and seized in fear after seeing us.


    Mei Gui immediately jumped in and went straight for the man''s throat, throwing him off the bed and back onto the ground in one swift motion. She continued choking him as I calmly walked in.


    "Now, now¡­ what were you nning on doing just now, I wonder?"


    Faced with a look of disdaining from all the other girls and a neutral expression from me, the man began to panic.


    "W-Who are you guys?!"


    "Woah, woah¡­ rx. If you''re that loud, you''ll wake Lin Luo up. Once that happens¡­ you won''t get to force yourself on her anymore, will you? She''s far stronger than you, after all."


    "W-What are you talking about?! I wasn''t trying to force myself on her- I was, I was cleaning her body!"


    I whistled. "Cleaning her body, eh? So you could jack off while doing it? Are there no girls on your team who could do this?"


    "T-That''s¡­ not the point! I wasn''t- KUH!"


    He coughed loudly as Mei Gui tightened her grip on his throat, threatening to choke him alive. He tried prying her hand off using his own, but it did not work.


    However, the loud noises <em>did</em> make a certain someone on the bed open her eyes slowly.


    "What is¡­ going¡­"


    She turned her head¡­ and the first thing she saw, was me.

 Chapter 339 - Void Realm Cultivation

    "So that ck screen¡­ it took in my Divine Lightning and made it even more powerful?" Lin Luo had a shocked expression on her face, as if not believing any of of this. "


    I nodded. "You''re lucky I managed to close my Chaos Mirror in time¡­ otherwise, you would''ve gotten disintegrated."


    "¡­ I hope you are not expecting a ''thank you''."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not. I''m just saying, you owe me your life, whether you like it or not."


    "Tch¡­" she gritted her teeth and turned away. "I used to think the power I hold was unmatched. Even among Celestici, awakening the Divine Lightning was extremely rare. But now that I''ve seen your power in action¡­"


    "I haven''t even explored the abilities of Chaos fully yet," I said, ncing down at my ring. "I have no doubt¡­ it carries with it a lot more mysteries."


    Then, turning to Mei Gui, I continued. "Oh yeah, by the way, you can do it now, Mei Gui."


    "¡­?" The other girls tilted their heads in confusion, but Mei Gui mere nodded and walked over to Lin Luo.


    "Hey-! What are you-"


    However, she was powerless as Mei Gui ced her hand a few inches above her chest, a red energy flowing out of it.


    After a few seconds, she moved away and turned back to me. "It has been done, Master."


    "Good. Now, Lin Luo¡­ if you ever betray me, not only will I take the power away from you, I''ll also kill myself ¡ª and you will die too."


    Her eyes widened in shock. "What?!"


    As if to demonstrate, I gently cut my finger open with the Chaotic Lightning de.


    "Ngh!" Lin Luo cried out, her finger splitting openpletely as blood flew out of it in a gruesome river. She fell out of her chair, clutching her finger in agony.


    I blinked. "Wow¡­ wasn''t expecting the effects to be so powerful."


    "Master, a light injury to you, as long as you will it, will be transmitted as a wound of the same spot to the tethered target, just amplified hundredfold."


    "K-Kuh¡­" Lin Luo panted as she red at me with hatred. "¡­ Will this effect¡­ trigger whenever you get hurt¡­?"


    "Only when Master chooses to," Mei Gui replied in my stead.


    "Huh, if the effects are this powerful, I don''t even have to kill myself to get you killed," I chuckled. "All I have to do is make a slightlyrge cut somewhere on my body¡­ and you''ll die from blood loss."


    "Tch¡­!"


    I stood up, wiping my cut finger on my pants. "Alright. Now that that''s over with¡­ let''s get some food, shall we? Qing Yue, patch her up."


    "Okay~" she replied, before going to work on Lin Luo as the rest of us departed from the room.


    *****


    After grabbing some lunch at a restaurant, we paid Old Man Leng a visit, then headed back to the inn.


    "Alright, everyone. I think it''s about time we enter the Void Realm," I announced as all the girls gathered around me.


    "The Void Realm?" Lin Luo frowned in confusion.


    "Don''t worry about it," I quickly replied, not wanting to exin anything right now.


    "We just ate, so¡­ yeah, we can give it a try," Feng Mian replied. "But¡­ what about using the bathroom and all that¡­?"


    "You¡­ can just¡­ pick a private spot¡­ and go," Yu An Xue replied. "It''s¡­ the void. Anything¡­ will disappear."


    "Huh, I see, that''s fair," Yu An Yan mused. "We could sleep inside the Void Realm too, you know. That could give us more cultivation time¡­"


    "You sure you want to sleep there? It''s not going to befortable, I guarantee that," Xiang Pengughed. "I think 3 years are enough of cultivation time, don''t you think?"


    "True¡­ anyway, An Xue, how do we activate this thing?"


    "Just¡­ pour mana¡­ into it."


    "I see¡­" I closed my eyes and prepared to channel my mana into the talisman in my hand, but then, I felt someone hug me from behind.


    "Master¡­ you''re leaving again?!" ria sobbed, rubbing her face against my back. "And for three whole years¡­"


    "Rx¡­ it''ll only be three days for you," I sighed, patting her head. "Besides, we''ll be back to eat and sleep."


    We were nning on eating twice everyday, once before we go in, and once before bed. The rest of the time would be spent cultivating. Time was spent differently in the Void Realm, but our bodies were still ustomed to the original world''s flow of time. Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.


    "Hmph¡­" ria pouted angrily, not wanting to let me go.


    "I''ll let you sleep with me every night for the next three days, whenever I return from the Void Realm. How about that?" I proposed, a gentle smile on my face.


    "If that''s the case then¡­ f-fine," she reluctantly let me go, face blushed.


    "She''s like your daughter, hehe," Lan Xiao Su giggled.


    "Who''s the mother?" Xiang Peng cackled evilly.


    "A-Ahem¡­ let''s get going," I said, closing my eyes before the girls started fighting.


    I began channeling mana into the talisman¡­ and suddenly, I felt like I was being sucked into something. Before I could even open my eyes, however, the feeling was over, and I found myself in a beautiful purple realm of¡­ nothingness.


    The sky was light violet, like the color of wisteria except more pink. I seemed to be standing on apletely transparent floor, and there was nothing underneath me except a mirror world of the sky.


    Beside me, the girls stood, gazing in wonder at the scenery all around us. The only one who wasn''t that impressed was Yu An Xue, who had already been here once before.


    "Here we are, it seems," I mused, looking around. "Mei Gui, I''ll have you on call-out duty. Whenever it''s time to head back to sleep every year, just wake us up and let us know."


    She nodded in return. "Understood, Master."


    And so, the ten of us sat down and began meditating, beginning our three-year long cultivation.


    *****


    - Three Years Later -


    "Master."


    "Hm¡­?"


    "It is time. We should exit now ¡ª we are to enter Fragment in an hour."


    "I see¡­ it''s been so long, I almost forgot about that¡­"


    "Three years¡­ they passed by in the blink of an eye," Feng Mian said, waking up beside me. "We''re all technically 18 now, huh?"


    "Well, I''m older, but yeah," Xiang Peng chimed in.


    One by one, the other girls came out of meditation.


    "So? How was it, everyone?" I asked around.


    "My mana¡­ it feels a lot¡­ stronger and purer," Yu An Xue noted, ncing down at her own two hands. "Hm¡­ Legendary Ice Magic ¡ª Freezing Point."


    She smashed into the ground, causing the ground as far as the eye can see to turn into ice. I shuddered as I felt my feet be frozen in the ground, the ice slowly making its way up our bodies.


    "W-Woah, hey-"


    "Don''t worry, heh!" Yu An Yan called out as a me appeared in her hands. "Legendary Fire Magic ¡ª meburst!"


    The concentrated singrity in her hand suddenly exploded, encasing the whole Void Realm in fire. The ice on us was melted away, and strangely, the fire didn''t hurt at all.


    "Woah¡­ what is this¡­?" Feng Mian murmured, touching the mes with her hand. "It feels¡­ nice and warm¡­"


    "This is a spell I learned back in my family''s library, just like the Freezing Point An Xue cast just now," Yu An Yan exined. "To allies, it grants empowerment, while to enemies, it scorches them to death."


    "Wow¡­ too bad I don''t know any Legendary spells¡­" Feng Mian sighed, pursing her lips.


    "In any case¡­ all of us can now cast Legendary spells, huh?" I chuckled. "Looks like those three years of cultivation was quite worth it. We can be called¡­ Ancestral Mages now, I guess."


    "Not me," Xiang Peng suddenly butt in, a smirk on her face.


    As all of us turned to her, her eyes suddenly shed a bright white-blue, electricity stemming from them.


    "Behold, everyone ¡ª my Battle Soul."


    Above her, a white lightning icon formed with a purple outline, thunderclouds forming around it and striking down at the floor.


    "This is¡­ an Element Battle Soul," Lan Xiao Su remarked, mouth open in awe.


    "We have a Golden Monarch among our ranks now, it seems," Obsidia noted. "Quite an increase to our fighting power."


    I smiled. "Congrats, Xiang Peng."


    "Hm¡­ but technically, we didn''t take any Advancement Exams to prove that we could use these higher rank spells¡­ we can''t im any rewards from the IMF, can we?" Qing Yue asked, raising her hand.


    "That''s true, but all of us already have plenty of elements," I exined. "There''s no need to awaken anymore, honestly. Advancement Exams are a hassle, and having too many elements may be a downside too ¡ª you may end up losing focus on your best element."


    "Says you," Feng Mian rolled her eyes. "Anyway, let''s head back."


    We all nodded in return, then took out our talismans once more and poured our mana into them.


    We felt the same suction force, and when we opened our eyes again, we were back in the real world.


    There, Lin Luo and ria were waiting.


    "Master! Wee back!"


    ria dove into my arms as I caught her and lifted her into the air. She yelped in surprise.


    "¡­ You all seem¡­ older," Lin Luo noted, quite obviously.


    "How old are you?" I asked.


    "Xuan Kai!" the girls yelled, reprimanding me for asking ady for their age as Lin Luo turned away awkwardly.


    "Uh¡­ my bad," I cleared my throat, then turned to Mei Gui. "Now then¡­ where''s the ce to enter Fragment?"


    "It will be quicker to ride someone''s vehicle, Master," she replied.


    "Alright¡­" I pulled out my phone and gave Old Man Leng a call. As soon as he picked up, I got to business.


    "Hey, Old Man-"


    "Need a ride?" he interrupted, already knowing what I was going to ask.


    I smirked. "Yeah. ASAP."


    "On my way, kid."


    With that, he hung up.

 Chapter 340 - Fragment

    Old Man Leng arrived in his hovercar soon after our conversation over the phone ended. When he saw us, he was quite surprised.


    "Well¡­ ya seem to have¡­ matured quite a bit since thest time I saw ya," he murmured, then noticed Lin Luo behind me. "Oh? Ain''t this the Celesticus ya faced in the final fight? She can''t enter Fragment, can she? Granted, she''s pretty, but ya already got so many girls ''round ya, takin'' in any more ain''t a good idea."


    "I have my ways," I replied casually and cryptically, then turned to the other girls. "Everyone who has Sky Magic, we''re just going to fly. Anyone who doesn''t, ride Old Man Leng''s car."


    "Alright, kid. Ya managed to really get into Fragment¡­ I have no ce to be tellin'' ya what ta do," Old Man Lengughed as the girls who didn''t have Sky Magic boarded his car. "Where are we goin'' to?"


    "The same ce we fought in the tournament," Feng Mian replied. "That''s the meet-up ce."


    "People who are flying, follow me," Xiang Peng smirked. "I know the way."


    And so, Yu An Yan, Obsidia, ria, Xiang Peng, Lin Luo, Mei Gui, and I rose up into the air using Flight, while the rest took off in Old Man Leng''s car.


    *****


    "We''re really entering Fragment, huh?" Yu An Yan smiled as she gazed down at the retrofuturist city below. "The dream of every young, aspiring mage¡­"


    "Once you get there, you''ll be attending an university for the next four years," Xiang Peng exined. "There''s only one in all of Fragment, and it could be said to be the best one in the entire world."


    "Let me guess¡­ it''s name is Shanghai Magic Academy?"


    Xiang Peng blinked. "Uh¡­ how did you know?"


    I snorted. "I have a¡­ history with the headmaster of that school."


    "Well, even if you two have some sort of conflict, I still rmend joining, as long as they don''t reject you. I doubt they will, since you entering Fragment via the yearlypetition looks good on your profile. The resources and opportunities at that university are unparalleled. You get to travel the world."


    "That''s great and all, but only if you make it there," a voice suddenly said from behind us.


    I immediately spun around, surprised this individual managed to sneak up on me. I didn''t have my Third Eye active, so perhaps that was why, but¡­ she was like a ghost that didn''t make a sound.


    "¡­ Melvia."


    "Why yes indeed, that is me!" the womanughed. "So? About my Starflower¡­"


    I sighed. "Don''t worry, I haven''t forgotten. There just isn''t any here in the Fortress. I''ll get you what you want once I get into Fragment. They have everything there, ording to Xiang Peng."


    "Well, not <em>everything</em>, but close."


    "Hm¡­? But you know, I can''t reach you inside Fragment. How can I be sure you will uphold your promise?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "You''ll just have to trust me."


    At this, a deep green aura surrounded Melvia, even though her expression did not change. "Or, I can just ce a Curse on you right now to make you obey¡­"


    Simrly, a ck and red aura formed around my body, rivaling hers. "¡­ You can try."


    At this, the other girls also prepared forbat, and Melvia soon realized she was outnumbered and diminished her aura.


    "Oh~ you all seem to have grown a lot stronger in the span of just a few days¡­ tell me, how?"


    "If I tell you, will you drop the whole matter with the Starflower?" I smiled deviously.


    "Hm¡­ you know what, sure. I''m not particrly in need of one anyway, as that olddy friend of yours is already getting me one. As long as you tell me the truth¡­"


    At this, I realized she definitely had Psychic Magic to read my mind, and quickly put up a Mind Block mental defense. She snickered.


    "My, my, so on guard. Just tell me already, eh? I have things to do after this."


    "Fine," I replied. "Come closer."


    "There aren''t any others listening in," she smiled.


    "Just to be safe."


    "Fine, fine¡­ so cautious."


    Melvia flew closer to me, and I leaned into her ear.


    "Go to hell."


    Materializing my katana in an instant and stabbing it straight through her stomach, I grinned devilishly.


    Melvia''s eyes widened as she tilted her head up towards me and tried fighting back, but the Chaos properties of the de sucked her entire body dry. She fell limp, dead. I flung her body away onto the roof of a nearby building, spilling blood below.


    "¡­ Was that really necessary?" Xiang Peng asked.


    "The less possible enemies¡­ the better."


    I demateralized my katana and thrust my hands back in my pockets calmly, as if nothing had happened.


    "Lead the way."


    Lin Luo red at me. "You are a¡­ monster."


    "The same one you are working with," I smirked. "Who''s going to get you into Fragment, I wonder?"


    "Hmph. I still have my doubts ¡ª you may be strong individually, but are you able to influence the organization that governs the world? I think not."


    "Just rx¡­ I know what I''m doing."


    Several minutester, we arrived at the coliseum below the massive diamond in the sky. This was where we had battled a few days ago ¡ª the fight to enter Fragment.


    "Here we are," Xiang Peng said, a smile on her face.


    Below, we could see that the others on Old Man Leng''s car still had not arrived. It made sense, considering us in the sky didn''t have to worry about following the roads or anything.


    "You guys can head down first. I''ll be right back," I said, before turning around and flying away.


    "W-Wha- hey!" Yu An Yan cried out. "Where are you going?"


    I didn''t respond, leaving them to wonder.


    *****


    Very soon, I reached my destination ¡ª the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    Strolling on in, I spotted Mrs. Fang working away at the desk. She waved towards me, but I ignored her. Now that I had be one of the Founders of the Library, there was no point currying favor with an employee there. I no longer had any use for her, basically.


    Still, I took care of Melvia for her, so she didn''t need to get the Starflower anymore. She would find that out soon enough though, so there was no need to tell her.


    She seemed surprised at me ignoring her, but I didn''t really care and just continued upwards, heading for the door.


    On the way, I received numerous nces.


    "Hey¡­ isn''t that the guy who won the tournament to enter Fragment?"


    "Don''t mess with him¡­ he nearly blew up the whole arena with one spell¡­"


    I heard these fearful murmurs, but I ignored them as well. Racing up the stairs one level at a time, I couldn''t help but groan to myself.


    <em>Man¡­ isn''t there an easier way to ess the Infinite Realm where I can talk to the other Founders¡­?</em>


    But as soon as I thought this, my world went white.


    *****


    When I opened my eyes again, I was in the familiar Infinite Realm, exactly where I had wanted to go. All sixteen Founders were sitting there, as if they had been waiting for me.


    "Wee back, Kai Kai~" Aluna smiled gently and waved to me. The gesture was so innocent that I couldn''t bring myself to tell her not to call me by that name.


    Besides, things were urgent, so I decided to get right to the point.


    "Founder Tian," I said, looking to the human Founder. "I have a question."


    "Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "The favor I owe you has already been repaid though."


    "Hehe~ don''t be so stingy," Fiona giggled.


    I sighed. "The question''s nothing too secret. I just want to know¡­ is it possible for a Council member to forcefully admit someone into Fragment?"


    "Yes, but¡­ I will not help you out."


    I smiled and shook my head. "Don''t worry, I''m aware. I have a different candidate in mind already. Thanks for answering my question."


    With that, I prepared to leave, but someone grabbed my arm and stopped me.


    "Xuan Kai."


    "Hm?" I turned to the one who had done this. "What''s up, Sylvie?"


    At this, she blushed. "D-Don''t call me that in front of others, idiot!"


    "Oh, my bad," I cackled internally. "Did you need something?"


    "I just thought you should know¡­ the Midnight Syndicate is everywhere ¡ª even within Fragment. The International Magic Foundation holds a deep secret ¡ª one I cannot ascertain just yet. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but I cannot tell you where I obtained this information without revealing my spies'' identities. Forgive me."


    "You have no reason to lie to me," I replied. "Thanks for the warning."


    With that, I left, chuckling as the other Founders began poking fun at Sylvoir''s nickname I came up with for her.


    After exiting the Infinite Realm, I immediately returned to where the girls were. The others on Old Man Leng''s car arrived just as I got back.


    "Perfect timing," Xiang Peng noted as I descended. "Where did you go? Ah, not like you''re going to tell us anyway. That aside¡­ it seems like we''re about to go in."


    [Mei Gui. Send Ling Xin a message ¡ª tell her to forcefully allow Lin Luo to enter Fragment as well.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    An IMF staff stepped up onto the stage and faced us.


    "Wee back, winners."

 Chapter 341 - University

    "All ten of you have earned the privilege to enter Fragment, Heart of Xenith and the Pinnacle of Arcane Mysteries. Congrattions," the IMF staff member said with a smile.


    The girls and I exchanged nces, grinning at one another. ria had transformed into her bird form, resting in my pocket.


    "However¡­ she cannot enter," the employee eyed Lin Luo. "While she is quite the powerful talent, the truth is, she lost. Therefore, she is not eligible."


    "Oh? Would you like to confirm that with your higher-ups?" I challenged, a triumphant smirk on my face.


    "The rules are set in steel, set by the Council of Arcanity themselves. Unless a Council Member directly says she can enter, no one can help you."


    "She can enter."


    As if on cue, my good ally and pawn arrived.


    "She''s¡­ the examiner we fought¡­" Feng Mian''s eyes widened.


    "S-Shadow Empress?" the IMF staff trembled in fear, kneeling down. "If I may ask¡­ why is your honor here?"


    The Shadow Empress ¡ª Ling Xin ¡ª however, ignored the man''s words and descended towards me, cupping my face. I didn''t bother trying to avoid it.


    "My, my, Xuan Kai~ you got some guts, asking me for a favor as trivial as this, you know~?"


    "If it''s trivial, you shouldn''t mind doing it, right?" I shot back, snorting in unamusement.


    "You little rascal~" she giggled and embraced me. I didn''t try to resist, since I wanted to show the IMF staff how close she was with me. That would make things a lot easier.


    The girls, however, were a different story.


    "Back off," Mei Gui said coldly, eyes filled with killing intent. Her Chaos spear was already materialized, ced above Ling Xin''s head. Despite being on the verge of death, Ling Xin didn''t even look.


    I nced sideways at Mei Gui and shook my head slowly. The other girls who were about to join in were also stopped by my look.


    "Is that enough hugging me?" I sighed.


    Ling Xin backed off a short distance, then stepped forward once again, purposely rubbing her soft and bouncy assets against my chest as she winked seductively.


    "Hm¡­ was this all you had to ask of me?"


    "For now, yes."


    "Really? You don''t want me to spend a night with you or anything~?" she stuck out her tongue and licked her lips. "I''d be more than willing¡­ even multiple nights is fine~ after all¡­"


    She leaned in and whispered by my ear. "You''re 18 now, aren''t you?"


    "That makes me older than you, huh?" I chuckled.


    "Heh. Not for long," she said cryptically, before turning around and walking away. Then, turning back to me once more, she winked and tugged on her robe''s chest portion a little bit, letting me get a glimpse of her cleavage.


    "Let me know if you ever need something again, mkay~?"


    The IMF staff watched on in shock as Ling Xin disappeared into a Shadow portal, and I stepped up to him, bending down as he continued to kneel on the floor.


    "So¡­ can my friend here enter or not?"


    "S-She can. By all means."


    I turned to Lin Luo and shed a thumbs-up, to which she snorted in somewhat disgust.


    I stood back up as the massive 3D hexagonal diamond shaped structure hovering above all of us suddenly began glowing orange. A rectangr portion of the walls suddenly slid downwards, revealing a bright glowing orange light shining from within, as a long staircase began sliding down from the opening.


    "Wow¡­" the girlspletely forgot about Ling Xin''s questionable interaction with me from earlier after witnessing this awe-inspiring scene.


    Everyone present in the Fortress all turned their heads in that moment to look at the enormous gem-like structure levitating in the air known as Fragment, radiating a bright yellow energy that seemed like the sun itself.


    The staircase soon extended down to directly in front of us, sending a gush of dust in all directions as itnded on the arena''s grounds.


    "Please, head up," the IMF staff said respectfully, gesturing us to head upwards like some sort of butler. The difference in attitude from before Ling Xin showed up to after was truly amusing.


    The staircase was pure ck, outlined by an orange glow to match the rest of the structure. On the sides were invisible barriers to prevent us from falling off, and the gate high up in the sky seemed to be beckoning us closer.


    As we ascended the staircase, Xiang Peng let out a deep breath and nced lovingly at Fragment.


    "To think¡­ one day, I would be re-entering my home in this way¡­"


    "Are you going to be attending the university with us, once we get in?" Feng Mian asked curiously.


    "Sure, why not. I''ll be a year above you, but there''s no helping that. Also, I''ll have to leave from time to time whenever trouble stirs, since that''s my job, but it should be quite a bit of time before that happens ¡ª after all, I just returned from a dangerous mission."


    "What''s the school like?" I asked, focusing on the more important question.


    "Well¡­ for one, it''s verypetitive," Xiang Peng murmured in thought. "sses are made of 16 people, and are made topete with other sses. The stronger you are, the better rewards you can get in sspetitions. I''ve never attended it myself, but from what I''ve heard, there''s also this points system-"


    "Wait," Yu An Yan interrupted. "Doesn''t this sound¡­"


    "Kind of like our old school, huh?" Qing Yue smirked as she finished her sentence. "I think Shenzhen Magic High was influenced by Shanghai Magic Academy. That exins why the headmaster here was present at the Advancement Exams back then as well."


    "How much do you want to bet, he''s affiliated with the Midnight Syndicate?" I chuckled as we neared the gate.


    "W-What? Where did thate from?" Feng Mian asked, confused.


    "Don''t worry about it," I replied cryptically, even though I already was 90% certain my guess was on the point.


    Liu Jian had an unhealthy interest in me ¡ª if he was merely curious about my magic''s weird colorbinations, he wouldn''t go so far. After all, anyone could manipte their own magic''s colorbinations with either illusion magic or certain artifacts.


    The only exnation was that he already knew about me beforehand¡­ and the mysterious power dwelling inside my body. He couldn''t be sure what exactly it was, but he was probably told by his superiors in the Syndicate that I was a target of interest.


    Pair that with the words Sylvoir said to me¡­


    ¡­ Yeah. I can''t be 100% sure without any evidence, but I was almost certain Liu Jian had some sort of rtionship with the Syndicate, even if he wasn''t one of their direct members.


    Soon after, the eleven of us arrived at the glowing orange gate. Beyond it was a corridor of simrly-colored light, leading into Fragment.


    I took a deep breath and took the lead, with the rest of the girls following. Xiang Peng took up the rear end.


    At the end of the corridor was a spiral staircase leading down, the scenery changing abruptly from a neon tunnel into a old-fashioned, medieval castle.


    "Where is this¡­?" Lan Xiao Su asked as we all collectively turned to Xiang Peng for help.


    "Hey, don''t look at me. I''ve never been here before either," she shrugged,pletely useless as usual.


    "There''s no other way but to go down," I stated the obvious as the gates nked shut behind us, not allowing anyone else to enter.


    As we descended the dim stairwell, lit only by a few torches, however, a mysterious voice suddenly spoke to us, reverberating across the narrow halls of the staircase.


    "Greetings, everyone."


    "Who''s speaking?" I asked as we continued walking down the seemingly endless stairs, eyeing the walls in suspicion.


    "You currently have two options, given your age range," the voice continued,pletely ignoring my question. "One, freely explore Fragment on your own, and make your own fate. And two¡­ enter the Shanghai Magic Academy, the top university in the world. Which will it be?"


    "Can you borate on the first option?" I asked, wanting to see exactly what he meant by ''make your own fate''.


    "Making a name for yourself. There are many means to do this, but none are easy. It will be difficult, but should you seed, you will be one of the most recognized individuals of the arcane world."


    "Sounds like too much of a hassle," I smirked. "Besides, I don''t like attention. If there was a more discrete way to enter Fragment, I would''ve done that. So, I choose the second option."


    "Acknowledged. And the rest?"


    The girls all chose the same option as me, without any doubt.


    "Acknowledged," the machine-like voice said once more, as we suddenly found ourselves facing a door right as our conversation ended. It was as if the staircase was meant to drag on infinitely until we answered the questions ¡ª such was the power of magic.


    The door then swung open of its own ord as the girls and I were blinded by a bright white light. As we covered our eyes, the voice left behind one final message, sending shivers up our spines.


    "Wee, everyone, to Fragment."

 Chapter 342 - Campuses & Dormitories

    The scene that unfolded before us could only be described as ''perfect''.


    The townid out all around us was lively and pristine, with kids and adults alikeughing happily on the streets. Luxurious houses and facilities were ced all around ¡ª there was no sign of poverty anywhere, and the quality of life here in Fragment, no matter rich or poor, was all the same ¡ª top-tier.


    Soon after walking down the main road, ncing at all the stores and passerby in wonder, we arrived at a massive institution of some sort. There were people close to our own age walking around on the campus, holding textbooks and conversing with friends.


    The building was enormous and had a grandfather clock at the very center of it, rising above the rest of the structure. I noticed there were also some more buildings further away, linked together to this one via sidewalks lined by green bushes.


    Under the clear blue sky with signs of nature everywhere, this ce was like a royal garden, a dreame true. The faint fragrance of flowers could be smelled in the air, and rose petals flew by gently from time to time, piling on the floor in front of us.


    "Wow¡­" the girls sighed in awe, bewildered by all this beauty around them. I too was somewhat entranced, having never been to such a ce before in my life.


    This ce,pared to the Fortress where we had stayed at for the past few months, was like the difference between heaven and earth.


    "What is this ce?" Feng Mian asked, spinning around and letting herself be enveloped by the gently falling rose petals that disappeared after a short dy on the ground.


    "This is Shanghai Magic Academy," Xiang Peng said with a smirk. "I know, it doesn''t seem like a school, but it is. Also, the outside may seem a bit ssical and old-fashioned, but trust me, the technology inside is far superior to any other school on the face of this."


    "This¡­ this is where we''ll be spending the next four years of our lives?" Qing Yue''s eyes widened, sparkling in excitement.


    "Why yes indeed," a woman said.


    As we all turned to her, she stepped out of the shadows of the roof of the massive building before us and walked closer. She wore a tight and formal office suit, giving her a secretary feel.


    "You¡­ eleven must be the new recruits of this year, yes?" she swept her gaze over us, hesitating when she said ''eleven'' due to the presence of Lin Luo. Still, she didn''t question, considering if Lin Luo was in here, that must mean someone of a high caliber had let her in.


    I nodded. "We are. Nice to meet you."


    The woman removed her sses and smiled. "My name is Qi Fan. You can just call me Ms. Qi."


    She raised her hand out, proposing a handshake.


    I took it and shook it firmly. "Xuan Kai."


    "I take it you are the leader of this group?"


    "Yeah, I guess."


    "I see. Self-introductions take too long, and I''m sure you are all eager to see what your new school will be like, so I will just omit that part. Just knowing the leader''s name is enough, the rest of you I can familiarize myself with in due time. Now then, follow me."


    She spun around and walked into the school''s building once more as we trailed behind, eager and nervous at the same time.


    *****


    The interior of the building, like Xiang Peng had said, was vastly different from the outside. It was very clean and polished, like what one would expect from a urban, mainstream university despite having such a Romantic-era feel to it.


    The first room right past the main entrance was arge, open foyer, with ssrooms spread all around.


    "This is the main campus," Ms. Qi exined. "It is where you will be spending the majority of your time, and also where you will take your courses. You are all 18, correct?"


    "I''m 19," Xiang Peng spoke up. "But the rest of them are 18."


    "I see. That means your sses will be on the 2nd floor of this building, while your friends here will take theirs here on the 1st. That is really all for this campus ¡ª just your normal ssrooms, nothing more. Now, would you like to take a look at the 2nd floor, or move on to the next campus? We have a lot to cover."


    "Let''s just go to the next one," Xiang Peng said. "I mean, theyout of the second floor is simr to this one, right?"


    "Correct," Ms. Qi replied with a nod. "In fact, they arepletely identical and parallel to one another."


    "Great, there''s no need to go there then."


    "Very well. Follow me, we will be visiting the Facilities Campus next."


    Saying this, she turned and headed for the next campus as we followed.


    *****


    By the time we were done looking at all the different campuses here at Shanghai Magic Academy, the sun had already set. There were quite a few that were a littleplex, so we ended up spending a lot of time on those ones.


    Because the academy wasid out in a square format neatly divided into nine smaller squares, all in all, there were nine different campuses, each taking up a smaller square.


    These include the Main Campus, the Facilities Campus (e.g. cafeteria, gyms,puterbs, etc.), the Outdoor Campus (variety of uses ¡ª school-wide events when necessary, but usually just for recreation like sports and hanging out), the Auditorium (used for special events only), the Administrative Campus (faculty), the Club Campus (self-exnatory), the Training Campus (for cultivation and battles among students), and even a Recreation Campus made just for the students and staff to rx whenever they need to.


    There was just one final campus left, and it was the dormitories.


    Directly across from the Main Campus, crossing over the Outdoor Campus in the middle of therge square, four massive apartmentsy. Those were our dormitories.


    "Each year of students have their own dormitory building," Ms. Qi exined. "The first years'' is the one directly in front of us, while the second years'' is right behind it. Follow me, I will give you a brief tour of your home for the next four years."


    "I have a question," Xiang Peng raised her hand.


    "Yes?"


    "Are we allowed to stay in our own homes off-campus?"


    Ms. Qi shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Once you enter this school, you are not allowed to leave campus under any circumstances, as there are plenty of restaurants, stores, and such in the Recreational Campus. The only times you can leave campus will be on holidays and in events organized by the school."


    "Damn, I was hoping to visit my family first¡­" Xiang Peng sighed, shaking her head.


    "You can still go after I finish the tour of the school. You technically start tomorrow, after all."


    "So the school year starts in the middle of April? Pretty odd, if you ask me," Feng Mian murmured.


    "Yes, as the school was founded in the middle of April. It has just been like this ever since."


    "Huh¡­"


    "The students you see here right now are just those who chose to remain on campus for the one month break between school years. That is all."


    Ms. Qi then spun around and entered the dormitory, which waspletely empty.


    "Now, the dormitory system in this school is nothing like the system you are used to," she said as we boarded an elevator heading up. "For one, we allow students, no matter gender, to stay in the same room should they wish. Our school promotes freedom ¡ª as long as both parties agree willingly, they will be allowed to stay in the same room."


    "W-What?" At this, the girls'' jaws dropped.


    "Hm¡­ are there enough rooms for every student to get their own?" I asked calmly,pletely unfazed by this shocking news.


    "Unfortunately not," Ms. Qi said with a sigh. "That is another reason why this freedom of grouping policy is in ce. The sheer amount of students in this school prevents every student from getting their own room. We have been looking to expand the dormitories, but¡­"


    "How many people can one room fit?" I asked.


    "Four at most. However, rooms right next to each other can be connected with one another on the inside, if the eleven of you wish to stay together."


    "Hm, I see," I rubbed my chin in thought as we reached the topmost floor and stepped out of the elevator. "In that case, I would like¡­ my own room, please."


    "H-Huh?!" the girls eximed.


    "What?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "H-Hold on, if you were nning on staying in your own room, why even ask about how many people one can fit¡­?" Feng Mian asked, confused.


    "Oh, that. You guys can stay together."


    "Well, I''ll let you sort it out. Let me know when you have decided," Ms. Qi said as her phone began ringing, and she stepped away to the other end of the corridor to answer it.


    The girls and I were left alone, at a loss for what to do next.

 Chapter 343 - Xiang Pengs Home

    "My apologies, Master, but I require to stay with you at night to replenish my energy," Mei Gui interjected, grabbing my arm.


    I fell into thought. "Hm, that''s a good point¡­"


    "I need to stay with Big Brother Xuan Kai at night as well, to make sure Mei Gui doesn''t try anything!" Qing Yue added, grabbing my other arm as she red at Mei Gui dangerously. Thetter returned her gaze as sparks flew between them.


    Immediately, the rest of the girls also began joining in the fight, wanting to stay with me as well.


    "Okay, time out!" I yelled, my voice echoing across the halls.


    "Quiet!" Ms. Qi''s voice came back from the other end as we all froze.


    "A-Ahem¡­" I lowered my volume. "You guys¡­"


    Sighing, I made my decision. "Fine, fine¡­ we''ll all have connected rooms. Happy?"


    "I do not really care one way or another, but sure," Obsidia shrugged, averting her gaze.


    "I would like a private room," Lin Luo interrupted. "It sickens me to have to live with lowlifes such as yourself."


    "Sorry, but I need to keep an eye on you," I smirked, teasing her.


    Her eyes widened. "W-What?! But you already have that curse ced on m-"


    "Yes I do. And that''s exactly why you can''t refuse."


    "¡­ You bastard. You''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you?"


    "Perhaps. You did quite a bit of damage to me during our fight, you know. This is payback."


    She sighed. "Fine¡­ you win."


    "There''s still one problem though," Yu An Yan cut in. "Although the rooms will all be connected¡­ who''s going to be staying with Xuan Kai?"


    "I have already called dibs," Mei Gui closed her eyes and said calmly.


    "Same," Qing Yue giggled. "That leaves onest spot¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai, why don''t you pick?"


    "Uh¡­"


    I nced at all the pairs of pleading eyes looking towards me right now, adorable and tugging at my heart strings, as I gulped in nervousness at who to choose.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ y-you have to take responsibility for what you did to me a few days ago¡­" Feng Mian murmured, blushing deeply.


    <em>That card is not allowed!</em>


    "Xuwan Kwai, you said that you nyiked these, didn''t you?" Amane pouted and pushed her bosom up with her hands, as if tempting me.


    "X-Xuan Kai! I''m fine with anything, b-but¡­ I would l-like it if¡­ we could¡­ um, stay together," Lan Xiao Su whispered softly, voice barely audible.


    "Pick me¡­ Xuan Kai¡­" Yu An Xue murmured, tugging at my hand with a flushed expression.


    "No, me¡­" Yu An Yan joined in, pulling my other arm.


    Obsidia didn''t say anything, but nced at me for a brief moment before quickly turning away.


    "Xuan Kai~ if you want big sister here, I can sleep with you too, you know~" Xiang Pengughed sinisterly.


    <em>You''re not even in this dormitory¡­</em>


    "O-Okay, I''ve made my decision," I said atst, finding my way to cleverly escape this situation.


    The girls all focused their eyes on me in anticipation, seeing who I would pick.


    "My choice is¡­"


    I pointed behind all of them, where a lone girl was standing.


    "¡­ Lin Luo!"


    At this, everyone, including the person herself, dropped their jaws in shock.


    <em>Ha! If I can''t satisfy all of them equally, I might as well displease them all equally!</em>


    "W-What? No! There are tons of girls for you to choose from right in front of you, and all of them are superior to me in terms of body or looks. Why me?" she frowned in anger and unwillingness.


    "Because payback, remember? The more you don''t want to, the more I''m going to do it," Iughed, using this as my cover-up excuse. "Now, it''s settled."


    Ms. Qi returned to us soon after, and we reported our room distributions to her. We used three rooms in total, as we had ten people excluding ria.


    "Since you are all already here, you can take these three rooms right next to each other. I will register them for you ¡ª Room 3001, 3002, and 3003. Now, you may stay here for the night if you so wish, or elsewhere. It is up to you."


    "Hm¡­ do you guys want to visit my house?" Xiang Peng smiled. "I think my father would love to meet the boy I''ve fallen for."


    "Uh¡­ sure, I guess," I said.


    "I agree, it would be a nice way to explore Fragment too, before the school year starts tomorrow," Feng Mian said, still slightly disappointed at not being chosen by me.


    And so, it was decided that we would pay Xiang Peng''s family a visit¡­ though whether that would be good or bad news for me was a different matter.


    *****


    After leaving the campus, we followed Xiang Peng out of the school grounds and headed in the direction of a tall tower in the distance. It was the biggest structure as far as the eye could see, though it didn''t seem like a residential building.


    However, as we neared it, we soon realized there were eight mansions surrounding it, which did indeed look like the type of ce someone of high standing would live in.


    "What is this ce¡­" Yu An Yan asked, looking around.


    I feel like I''ve heard that exact same question not too long ago, but it was understandable considering even I was a bit impressed.


    "This is the heart of Fragment," Xiang Peng exined. "The Garden of Salvation, they call it. The eight mansions here each belong to one of the major families in Fragment and of the world ¡ª mine is one of them."


    "So you''re some bigshot, huh?" I chuckled.


    "Eh, not really," she shrugged. "The Xiang Family is huge ¡ª there are plenty of talents in it. I pale inparison."


    "What about that massive sci-fi looking tower in the middle?" Qing Yue asked, pointing at the tall tower directly ahead of us.


    "That''s the headquarters of the IMF. Looks very different from the rest of ce, doesn''t it?"


    "Yeah¡­ white and blue, hovering circr lines flying around it¡­ it''s giving me futuristic vibes," Feng Mian murmured.


    "This is only the bottom portion of it, where citizens are allowed to enter," Xiang Peng continued with a grin. "At the top of this tower, a portal lies. It connects to the true core of the IMF, located high up in the sky, In the Celestici domain. And the name of this ''core''¡­ is the Council of Arcanity, of course."


    "The Council, huh?" I couldn''t help but be reminded of Founder Tian and Ling Xin when hearing those words.


    <em>Just what kind of monsters does the Council hold¡­?</em>


    "Come on. The Xiang Family''s residency is this one right here."


    She headed for the manor furthest away from the tower, on the left. At the gates, two armed guards with powerful auras surrounding them bowed down after seeing Xiang Peng.


    "Wee home, Third Young Lady. The patriarch and your mother have been worried sick about you, until they saw you participating in this year''s Fragment tournament."


    The two guards seemed like they wanted to question ''why she did this'', but it wasn''t exactly their ce to ask, so they just kept quiet.


    "Where''s my mother and father?" Xiang Peng asked, ncing at the two guards.


    "They are at their residence. Shall I let them know you are here?"


    "Nope, no need," Xiang Pengughed. "I''ll give them a little surprise."


    "Understood, Third Young Lady. Please, enter."


    The guards swung open the metal gates and allowed Xiang Peng to walk through, but stopped us when the rest of us tried entering.


    "By orders of the patriarch, you outsiders are not allowed to enter¡­ instead, you shall be captured."


    Xiang Peng immediately spun around in shock to see the rest of us immediately surrounded by the family''s guards, on the ground and from above. "W-What?! What are you doing-"


    "Third Young Lady. Please, go in," the guard said, tone dropping dangerously low.


    "X-Xuan Kai!" she shouted as she was escorted inside by the two guards,pletely unable to fight back. "I-I don''t know what''s happening either¡­ it wasn''t supposed to be like this!"


    I sighed deeply. I was expecting the patriarch ¡ª Xiang Peng''s father ¡ª to be somewhat suspicious of me, but I never thought it would be too extent.


    "What do we do, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, pressing her back against mine. "If we fight here¡­"


    "Calcting probability of sess: 70%," Mei Gui said as she summoned her Chaos katana and prepared for battle. The guards narrowed their gazes, ready to draw blood, but I stopped everyone, raising a hand.


    "Enough. The patriarch wants to talk to us, I''m assuming? Let''s go then."


    The girls all looked at me in surprise. "X-Xuan Kai? We aren''t fighting?"


    I snorted. "I don''t fight unnecessary battles that yield no profit. Now, lead the way, dear guards of the Xiang Family."


    The horde of soldiers exchanged nces, as if not expecting us to surrender so easily.


    "Capture them," a deep male voice, evidently old, suddenly reverberated from inside the mansion.


    "Yes, patriarch!" the guards yelled simultaneously as they immediately put handcuffs on us and shoved us into the house.


    I did, however, notice they weren''t mana-restricting. Underestimating me? We''ll see how that will turn out.


    <em>Now then¡­ let''s see. What benefits can I reap from this encounter?</em>

 Chapter 344 - Unexpected Conflict

    As we were brought into the building, we noticed Xiang Peng was nowhere to be seen. Instead, in her ce was a young man standing before us with crimson red hair and a haughty expression on his face, as if filled with disdain for us¡­ or rather, more particrly, me. Towards the girls all he felt was lust ¡ª anyone could tell from the droll in his mouth and hearts in his eyes.


    However, he soon shifted his gaze back to me and walked closer.


    "So, you''re the one who stole Big Sister Xiang Peng from me, huh?"


    "Hm? Stole?" I smiled innocently. "Whatever could you mean?"


    "Don''t y dumb!" he yelled, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth in anger. "I don''t know what kind of spell you ced on her, but you''re clearly only using her for her body!"


    "Hm, saying that right after looking at my women with those lustful eyes?" Iughed. "What a hypocrite."


    "Y-Your women?" he was taken aback, cleverly avoiding my provocation. "All of these beauties¡­"


    "What are you looking at, you bastard?" Yu An Yan narrowed her eyes as she red at the boy in disgust.


    "S-Silence!" he demanded, trying to appear cool. "Did I give you permission to talk?"


    "Oh¡­?" Yu An Yan''s temper was boiling at this point as a powerful me surrounded her, pushing back even the guards holding her back. "Did I ask for your permission¡­?"


    "W-Wha¡­"


    "An Yan," I reprimanded, shooting her a look.


    "¡­!" she quickly averted her gaze in embarrassment. "S-Sorry¡­ I got heated."


    The guards who she had forced away were afraid to go back to contain her after seeing what she could do, and the other guards guarding the rest of us all felt sweat trinkle down their faces.


    I turned back to the boy, who had a bewildered expression on his face. Quickly fumbling out a gun of some sort, he backed away a few steps before aiming it right at my head after meeting my eyes.


    "Oh¡­?" I tilted my head curiously as the two guards holding me tightened their grip on my body. "Go on¡­ shoot."


    "Wha¡­" the boy''s hands trembled as he heard my words, the revolver shaking violently in his hands.


    "What''s the matter? Can''t bring yourself to pull the trigger?" Iughed, continuing to taunt him. I was genuinely enjoying toying with this immature brat ¡ª if he really did shoot, I would have a valid excuse to hurt him back.


    "S-Silence, insolent prisoner!"


    "Oh¡­ nice cliche line," Obsidia murmured, observing this scene from one side. The two guards who were supposed to hold her had already been scared off, unable to do a thing.


    "Come on¡­ shoot already. All it takes is one gentle pull," I smirked fearlessly faced with gunpoint.


    "I-I''ll really do it, bastard!"


    "Will you now? Go ahead."


    "Tch¡­ AH!"


    He yelled and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying to my head.


    And at that same moment, right before I was about to stop time and avoid it, a spear suddenly flew across my line of sight, hitting the traveling bullet perfectly and knocking it off-course as the spear pierced into one of the room''s walls.


    "How dare you¡­ shoot at Master¡­" Mei Gui, with a dark aura around her, raised her hand as her spear flew back into her hands, taking out arge chunk of the wall with it. The two guards who had been protecting her had been thrown off instantly ¡ª they didn''t stand a chance with our new cultivation.


    Simrly, the other girls all knocked out their guards cold, having received the signal. After all, this was ''self-defense''. They shot first. Even if the patriarch himself came, I would have a valid excuse to fight back.


    Seeing as how I couldn''t be left behind, I quickly threw off my own guards as well:


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Burning Body.</em>


    "AHHH!" the guards screamed in agony as I used one of the spells I had learned back in the Yu Family library but never really got to use.


    As I was enveloped in ck mes, protected by the fire, the two guards who were originally touching my shoulders immediately disintegrated away to ashes, piling on the floor.


    The boy who had shot the attack cowered in fear as Mei Gui slowly walked towards him, one dangerous step at a time.


    His knees buckled and he copsed onto the floor, dropping his gun in the process.


    "W-Wait¡­ no¡­"


    Mei Gui, naturally, did not listen. She didn''t listen to anyone except for me¡­ which was why, right before she could lop the boy''s head straight off, I stopped her.


    "Mei Gui." I grabbed her shoulder. As she turned around, I shook my head, signaling now was not the time.


    "B-But Master¡­ he tried to hurt you¡­"


    I smiled. "Sure he did¡­ and we acted purely out of self-defense. Isn''t that right, Patriarch Xiang?"


    As the girls all looked around in confusion, I alone smirked while looking directly at the invisible figure of the patriarch.


    A shroud of ck energy suddenly appeared and dispersed in less than the blink of an eye, revealing the patriarch who had been observing from the shadows all this time.


    "Boy¡­ how did you find me?"


    "I have my ways. But before that¡­ you were waiting for us to kill this boy here, correct? That way¡­ you would have a valid excuse to kill us as well."


    "W-Wha¡­ Patriarch Xiang¡­ you were here and you didn''t step in to help?!" the boy cried in shock, as if this was his first time realizing this news. "My father won''t forgive this!"


    Saying this, the boy quickly got to his feet and tried to flee from the scene, but the patriarch suddenly sent a spike of ck energy towards him. The poor kid didn''t even have time to respond before it pierced straight through his heart, ripping his chest apart and causing him to fall to the floor, dead.


    I whistled. "Quite the ruthless old geezer."


    "It would spell trouble for me if he informed his father of this¡­ incident," he replied, then turned to one of the still-alive guards. "You, go tell the Xu Family that their Fifth Young Master died trying to enter my family''s forbidden grounds."


    The guard quickly nodded. "U-Understood!"


    As he rushed away, the patriarch turned back to us and narrowed his eyes. "Your strength¡­ it is far greater than what I witnessed in the tournament."


    "Oh? Your own daughter''s power has significantly increased too, no?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Indeed it has¡­ which I am both impressed and suspicious about. Tell me, boy¡­ what have you done to suddenly raise your power by so much in the span of a few days?"


    "And how do you know I wasn''t just this strong all along? I could''ve merely been hiding my true strength during the tournament, you know," I said, avoiding his question by asking one of my own.


    "Hmph. Even if that is so¡­ that does not exin how my daughter also gained such an exponential leap in powerpared to when she left for Shenzhen on her mission just a few months ago. Besides, your age is so young¡­ perhaps 17, 18, at best? Those guards were all Advanced Mages. To shake them off so easily¡­"


    "So you noticed the power level increase, but not the age difference?" Iughed. "You''re quite amusing, Patriarch Xiang."


    "Hmph! No one has ever had the guts to call me that since I was 12, boy¡­ of course I have noticed the age differences as well. But what is agepared to strength? It is clear which is more important ¡ª but that is not the point here. Tell me, boy¡­ how did you aplish this?"


    "I don''t know, old geezer. You didn''t exactly give me a warm wee ¡ª why should I tell you?"


    "That cannot be med on me," he said shamelessly, looking me in the eyes. "The Fifth Young Master of the Su Family ¡ª the boy just now ¡ª has had a crush on my Peng''Er ever since they were kids. After seeing how close you were to her, he couldn''t help but be jealous ¡ª especially with all these other fine youngdies around you."


    I snorted. "Not a bad excuse, Patriarch, pinning the me all on someone else. Unfortunately, there are many logical loopholes in your lie. For one, I am superior to that boy in every way ¡ª shouldn''t you be happy someone better is willing to take your daughter?"


    I said these words as if they were simple facts, without an ounce of arrogance or pride in them.


    "Hmph¡­ and what of it?" the patriarch furrowed his brows. "You are in mynd. What you do here is decided by me and me alone."


    "Oh? Is that so?"


    I opened my palm, an ominous ck me burning in them as I ced my other hand on my belt where Ace was hidden.


    "You are arrogant, brat¡­ you may have defeated those guards, but I have thousands more¡­ not to mention myself ¡ª a Holy Emperor."


    Saying this, his eyes shone a bright golden as he activated his own mana and Battle Soul, immediately encasing the room in a brilliant orange hue.


    The girls and I all prepared to fight as well, as I smirked.


    "A Holy Emperor, huh? What if I told you¡­ I''ve faced one before already, and survived? That was with my cultivation back then, mind you, before the tournament. Are you certain you can take on all of us?"


    "¡­ Mere pests. I have ways of making you talk."


    He raised his hands as a Phoenix suddenly appeared hovering above him.


    "Face my fiery wrath, puny brats. The Phoenix Battle Soul ¡ª hotter than any fire, brighter than any light. This is yourst chance ¡ª surrender and tell me all your secrets."


    However, instead of being intimidated like he had expected, Iughed.


    "A Phoenix Battle Soul? What the hell is that?"


    "Pfft¡­" From inside my pocket, my little pet could not wait any longer either. "Master, master! Let me out! I''ll show that old geezer what a real Phoenix looks like¡­"


    "You may have a Phoenix Battle Soul, but¡­"


    I held ria up in my hand as an even hotter orange enveloped the room, signaling her transformationplete.


    "¡­ I have a real Phoenix."

 Chapter 345 - A Test

    "What¡­ my Battle Soul¡­ it''s cowering¡­?!" the patriarch shouted in a panic, then red at me as he took a few steps back. "Boy¡­ what trickery is this? You cannot possibly control a real Phoenix¡­"


    "Oh? Whether this Phoenix is real or not¡­ you''ll find out soon enough," I smirked. "Show him, ria."


    "You don''t need to tell me, Master!" she cawed in triumph and spread her ming wings, made of raw fire hot enough to melt the toughest of metal. "Bear witness and face the wrath of a Golden Phoenix, old man!"


    <em>Uh¡­ that part was unnecessary.</em>


    Still, at her words, Patriarch Xiang''s eyes widened in shock. "G-Golden Phoenix?! The legendary Golden Phoenix Bloodline¡­ lies! I did a background check on you, boy¡­ you were nothing but a magicless trash just a few months ago! How is it possible for you to have a Golden Phoenix by your side?!"


    ria, in her unleashed phoenix form, narrowed her eyes in anger. "Doubting me is already enough¡­ but to insult Master¡­ "


    She opened her mouth and prepared to unleash a torrent of devastating hellfire towards the patriarch, but he wasn''t about to just stand there and let himself get hit.


    "Come on, Battle Soul¡­ that''s nothing but a fake!" he yelled, encouraging his own Phoenix Battle Soul to regain its fighting spirit. It worked, and the fiery translucent insignia of a phoenix cawed in response before preparing its own attack using its ming wings.


    But as the patriarch''s Battle Soul and ria prepared to face off against one another, setting mes to everything in between them, a voice suddenly interjected.


    "That''s enough!"


    A powerful lightning strike struck directly down the middle of the room, cleanly in between ria and the patriarch. We all turned to look at the neer, who was panting heavily and had a deep aura surrounding her. Above her figure was a massive lightning bolt, sparking purple energy and encased by thunderclouds pulsing with power.


    "Oh¡­?"


    "Peng''Er! What are you doing here?!" the patriarch yelled, affectionately addressing his daughter with that nickname.


    Two guards quickly rushed up behind Xiang Peng, panting even harder. "F-Forgive us, patriarch! The Third Young Lady said she was going to use the bathroom, and¡­"


    "Tch¡­ useless donkeys! Get out! And take Peng''Er with you!"


    "Y-Yes sir!"


    The two guards frantically tried to reach for Xiang Peng''s arms to guide her out of this room, but she suddenly caused a purple lightning bolt to strike down right in front of the guards.


    "I''d like to see who dares to touch me!"


    As thunder crashed down all around her, the two guards were at a loss for what to do.


    "Master, shall I¡­" ria, still in her ming bird form, turned to me for help.


    I shook my head, signaling for her to just chill and change back to her human form. She did as instructed, standing by my side as she red at the patriarch across from us.


    "Peng''Er¡­ go back!" he yelled, frustrated. "These pests¡­ they''re dangerous!"


    "No¡­ you are the only thing dangerous here, father!" Xiang Peng shouted in return, slowly walking towards him. "These people¡­ my friends¡­ they originally didn''t hold any hostile intention. But you went and captured them like prisoners ¡ª can you me them for fighting back?"


    "That''s¡­ I cannot be certain whether or not that is true," the patriarch gritted his teeth and muttered. "They could be just getting close to you in order to infiltrate our family¡­"


    "Father¡­ they are survivors from Shenzhen," Xiang Peng averted her gaze and said. "I led them here in hopes of showing them a new future¡­ not for them to get treated like this! They didn''t even know our family was so big until literally ten minutes ago!"


    "Even so¡­ I cannot trust them. Boy, and the rest of you as well¡­ I will let you go this time. But from now on, stay away from this family ¡ª and my daughter!"


    "W-What?! Father!"


    "There is no room for argument! Until he can prove himself to me¡­ I will never trust him enough to let him close to you, Peng''Er."


    "Oh? Prove myself to you?" I raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you want me to do that?"


    "Xuan Kai¡­" Xiang Peng nced at me in worry, tears in her eyes.


    "You will be attending Shanghai Magic Academy starting tomorrow, correct?"


    I nodded. "What of it?"


    "Hmph¡­ listen closely, boy. If you can manage to enter the Student Council there, I''ll consider you trustworthy enough."


    "Father!" Xiang Peng cried in surprise. "You know that is impossible for a first year-"


    "Silence! Did I ask for you to speak?" the patriarch red at his own daughter briefly, before turning back to me. "Well? Do you ept the challenge, boy?"


    "Before that, I have one question," I said, raising my hand. "What benefits does joining the Student Council yield me?"


    "What¡­?" the patriarch was evidently confused, but he answered my question anyway. "I do not see how this rtes to the matter at hand, but¡­ by joining the Student Council, you can ess top resources even among all the exquisite assets in Fragment. You also gain special power and influence in the school, cing you above all the other students. It is a dream upation every student wishes for, but close to none can actually obtain it."


    "I see. That''s all I need to know."


    Saying this, I turned around and prepared to leave, much to the patriarch''s surprise.


    "Boy! You have not answered my question yet ¡ª are you running away?"


    "Huh?" I scoffed. "No. To sum it up, being in the Student Council helps me get stronger, right? If that''s the case¡­ I''m going to go for the spot anyway, whether this test of yours exists or not. That''s all."


    With that, I left, heading out of the mansion the same way we came in from as the other girls trailed after me. None of us bothered sparing Xiang Peng a single nce.


    *****


    When we exited the mansion, the guards at the gates were extremely confused and tried to stop us, but ria sted them away with a single swing of her arm. She hadn''t got to take out her anger on the patriarch, so now she was using these guards as punching bags.


    Still, I made sure she didn''t go too far and kill anyone, since that could be troublesome.


    The ten of us returned to the dormitories of Shanghai Magic Academy, and headed for the cafeteria to eat.


    Even though it was summer and the cafeteria was closed, the various restaurants and stores of the university were still open and active since there were plenty of students who just remained on campus even though there wasn''t school. Fragment had more than enough resources to support this.


    However, as we were on our way to the Recreation Campus of the school where the restaurants were, we ended up passing by the Administrative Campus. And of course, byplete coincidence, a man just happened to walk out the door at the exact same time we passed by.


    "Well, well, well¡­ if it isn''t the boy who led his team to victory in the Advancement Exams in Shenzhen just a few months ago."


    The girls and I stopped to turn to the man, who wore an obviously-fake smile on his face. He wore a clean, formal suit, but his gruff appearance made him seem anything but that.


    "¡­ Liu Jian."


    "That''s Principal Liu to you, student," heughed boldly. "I will let it slip this time since the school year has not begun yet, but you ought to start showing some more respect from tomorrow on."


    "¡­ Understood, Principal Liu," I said, giving in seeing as how this was his domain. Purposely resisting here would only be stupid, not brave.


    "Good. That attitude of yours is certainlymendable," he said, pping his hands. "Now¡­ back then, I already sensed something off about you. But in the span of a couple of months¡­ that abnormality has grown insurmountably. I was watching the tournament this year, you know. In a mere few days, you and yourpanions'' strengths leaped insurmountably. How¡­ peculiar."


    "Please, you overestimate us, Principal," I closed my eyes and bowed. "I am truly ttered, but I am really not as strong as you think."


    He clicked his tongue. "Not as strong, is it?"


    "Yes. I am only an Advanced Mage, nothing more."


    "An Advanced Mage¡­ with quite a lot of exceptionally powerful artifacts even I have never seen before, hm?"


    He seemed like he was utterly convinced there was something off about me. That was to be expected, but¡­ this wasn''t good news for me. If it''s like this, he''ll definitely try to make my life here at this school as hard as possible to try and force me to use my real power.


    "What can I say? I had some fortuitous encounters," I replied, ming everything on luck. That was my best bet, at this point.


    At this, Liu Jian smiled mysteriously and stared into my eyes for a few seconds. I met his gaze, and after a short silence, he turned away and began walking in the other direction.


    "Well, I certainly hope you can bring that ''luck'' of yours to this school as well. See you tomorrow at the wee ceremony ¡ª have a good day¡­ student Xuan Kai."


    The girls and I watched his disappearing figure, and I narrowed my eyes.


    "¡­ Same to you, Principal Liu."

 Chapter 346 - Settling In

    After the encounter with Liu Jian, the girls and I entered the Recreation Campus as nned. The Yu sisters both had plenty of money in their Space Locket, so there was no big deal there.


    As we ate, we discussed various topics, but mainly focused on our new life here at this university starting tomorrow. None of us here have actually been to an university before, so naturally we were both clueless and curious. I imagined it would be quite different from high school, given how we were all technically formal adults now.


    Naturally, while it gave us a lot more freedom, with it came certain strict rules you cannot break. That was contradictory, but the truth was, I had no doubt this school was quite unforgiving. Although there weren''t many rules, if you broke one, there was a high chance you would be instantly expelled.


    I wasn''t too worried about this, however, since I had a feeling Liu Jian would try and keep me in the school. The same, however, could not be said for the girls. If anything, he will try to get them kicked out to lessen the amount of allies I have and make it easier for him to target me directly.


    That said, I could always threaten him, saying that if any of the girls drop out, I will as well, but¡­ this was ast resort n. Liu Jian was a problem, but this university was good ¡ª I didn''t want to give this opportunity up. The amount of high-quality spells and cultivation resources here were unparalleled, so in a sense, entering this school was both a blessing and a curse ¡ª it was just up to me which one it ended up being in the end.


    After returning from lunch, we headed for the dormitories. The receptionist there recognized us and stood up, waving over to us to get our attention. We noticed this, obviously, and walked over to see what she wanted.


    "Good evening," she said, smiling warmly.


    "Likewise," I replied. "Anything you need?"


    "Ms. Qi registered you all already earlier today," she exined. "I just wanted to let you know your rooms can be unlocked by simply pouring mana into the doors."


    "Wait, what?" Feng Mian interjected. "When did you get our mana signatures?"


    "They were recorded from the moment you set foot in this ce," the receptionist exined. "You just didn''t realize it."


    <em>Well¡­ this was quite problematic. If Liu Jian got to inspect my mana¡­ shit.</em>


    "It''s fine," I quickly put an end to the conversation. "Thank you for letting us know."


    "No problem. Don''t go wandering around at night, okay? It''s not strictly forbidden, but good rest is required for consistent good grades. Besides, I''m sure you don''t want to bete on your first day of school tomorrow."


    I nodded. "Mhm. One more thing ¡ª is there any form of¡­ uh, surveince in the rooms?"


    I made an act of scratching my head awkwardly and averting my gaze, hinting at something embarrassing. This way, the receptionist would think I was asking this question because I wanted to do certain things with the girls with me.


    Qing Yue, noticing my intentions, yed the part perfectly. She blushed and clutched my arm, hiding herself behind me.


    The receptionist blinked, then giggled. "Hehehe, that was cute. No, no, no¡­ as long as both parties agree¡­ you can go at it all you want. The walls are alsopletely soundproof, so feel free to¡­ you know, let out all your passionate cries."


    "I-I see, thank you!" Qing Yue yelped as she turned as red as a tomato, acting out her role perfectly.


    The receptionistughed as we walked away, leaving behind the final message of:


    "Don''t forget to use protection!"


    *****


    - Inside the Dormitory Room -


    I sat down on the couch, deep in thought.


    "Uh¡­ Xuan Kai, was that little act downstairs really necessary?" Feng Mian asked, sitting down beside me.


    "Of course," I replied. "If I didn''t ask using that as context, I couldn''t be sure whether or not she was telling the truth."


    "Hehe, Big Brother Xuan Kai, how did you like my performance?" Qing Yue smirked smugly and snuggled up closer to me.


    "It was praiseworthy," I replied. "Normally, Mei Gui would be the only one who can understand my intentions without me saying anything, but it seems you are all improving."


    I patted Qing Yue''s head as she smiled happily, hugging me back.


    "Master," Mei Gui interjected.


    "Yes?"


    "I have used Third Eye to scan every inch of the room. No hidden surveince equipment were found."


    I blinked. "It can do that?"


    "Yes. I may have just forgotten to mention it before, but¡­ I apologize, Master."


    "No, no, there''s no need, it''s just¡­" I sighed. "Now I feel stupid, you know? That whole act downstairs was utterly pointless."


    "It was a little amusing, at the very least," Yu An Yanughed. "You know, you have surprisingly good acting skills for being so cold and neutral all the time, Xuan Kai. I don''t think I''ve ever seen you trulyugh out loud, only chuckles and snickers from time to time."


    "Well, I just have yet to see anything that can truly make meugh that hard," I replied, stretching my arms. "Still¡­ I''m slightly worried about Liu Jian."


    "Why?" Feng Mian asked, then quickly added, "Apart from the obvious, of course."


    "It''s about what that receptionist said downstairs," I muttered. "If all of our mana signatures were recorded without us even knowing, then what if Liu Jian gets his hands on mine, Obsidia''s, Mei Gui''s, or ria''s? He''ll definitely be suspicious about the Chaos power inside it."


    "He may be suspicious, but he cannot ascertain just what kind of energy it is, no?" Obsidia raised an eyebrow as she leaned against the wall. "Although, like you said, this will definitely make him suspicious of us, it''s not like he isn''t already. I don''t think this is all too big of a deal."


    "That would be true¡­ if he only looked at mine. Don''t you see the problem here?" I sighed. "Your mana signature has Draconic energy in it. The same theory could be applied to ria, who has the Golden Phoenix Bloodline within her. If words gets out that there''s a Dragon and Phoenix here in Fragment¡­ we would be hunted down. Thus, Liu Jian can use this as ckmail to threaten us."


    "I see¡­ I didn''t consider it that far. However, the solution to that is simple," Obsidia closed her eyes calmly. "Bird. You can do it too, correct?"


    ria transformed into her human form from her tiny bird form and red at Obsidia. "What, hide our beast blood? Yeah. But call me ''bird'' again and I''ll fry you, lizard."


    "Hmph. You can try."


    "You¡­!"


    "Okay, okay, break it apart," I sighed, intervening before things got out of hand. "What is this about hiding your beast blood?"


    "Us high-tier Magic Beasts who possess intelligence can hide the beast side of us," Obsidia exined. "Changing into human appearance is just one part of that. We can also hide it from our mana signature, our blood, and even our scent for those with special nose tracking abilities."


    "I see¡­ then hurry up and do that. Liu Jian probably already knows you are a Dragon and ria is a Phoenix, but you can test your own mana signature in front of the public when the timees to disprove his im."


    Obsidia and ria both nodded and went to work, closing their eyes. After a few seconds, they opened them again.


    The other girls and I blinked in surprise.


    "D-Done already?"


    "Yeah," ria snorted. "What, were you expecting a full-on transformation?"


    "No, I just¡­ ah, whatever. That''s not the point." I cleared my throat. "Let''s just get ready to sleep early¡­ ording to Ms. Qi, the wee ceremony will be at 7 AM tomorrow."


    "I''m still notpletely used to adjusting back to the normal time zone after spending so long in the Fortress¡­" Lan Xiao Suined. "I''ll try my best to sleep though!"


    "Nya, what abyout the beds?" Amane tilted her head and asked. "Are they all set nyup alweady?"


    Qing Yue hopped off myp and checked this room''s bedroom, where four bedsy, one in each corner.


    "Yep! They''re all already set up," she called out to let us all know.


    "Sweet. Then, everyone go to their respective dorm rooms for now to use the bathroom there to shower," I instructed. "The three rooms are all connected as we requested, so just split up evenly. We have ten people ¡ªthree in one room, three in another, and four in the final one."


    But suddenly, we heard a knock on our door. Everyone froze.


    "Who could it be, at this time¡­?" Lan Xiao Su wondered aloud.


    Narrowing my eyes, I got up and headed for the door. There was no peekhole, unfortunately, so I had to actually open it to see who it was.


    And when I did, I saw a girl that definitely should not have been here, after what happened earlier.


    "¡­ Xiang Peng?"

 Chapter 347 - School Life, Once More

    "Xiang Peng¡­ what are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.


    "¡­ C-Can Ie in?" She stuttered, averting her gaze, which was rare for her.


    I sighed and peeked my head out the door, ncing both ways to make sure no one was watching, then moved out of the way and beckoned her to enter.


    After closing the door behind her, she immediately became the center of attention to everyone present.


    "Do you have business with Master?" Mei Gui asked coldly, standing between Xiang Peng and I.


    "L-Listen¡­ what happened earlier today¡­ I had no idea it would turn out like that¡­"


    "Oh? I find it quite hard to believe you didn''t know about your father''s strictness," Lin Luo snorted emotionlessly. "He is your parent. You should know him better than anyone, and what he will do given a certain situation ¡ª and yet, you still brought us there. Now, you stand here begging forgiveness?"


    "I''m not asking for forgiveness," Xiang Peng said sternly, then turned away. "I just¡­ wanted to say my part. That''s all. I-I''ll leave now, sorry for distu-"


    But as she tried brushing past me and leaving, I suddenly grabbed her arm and stopped her.


    Her beautiful green eyes, lined with tears, widened a bit as she looked up at me in confusion.


    Slowly, I turned to her. "Are you really just going to leave like this?"


    "I¡­ I''ve said my part. Since you don''t believe me, which is perfectly understandable¡­ there''s nothing more to be done, really. Me being here is just wasting your time."


    "I believe you," Lan Xiao Su said firmly, walking over and patting her shoulder. "Back at the mansion¡­ you seemed pretty shocked this was happening as well. Besides, if you wanted to betray us, you had many opportunities to do so already. You''re not a bad person, Xiang Peng. I''m convinced of that."


    "Xiao Su¡­" Xiang Peng murmured, shocked that someone was willing to stand up for her here.


    "I believe you as well," Yu An Yan said, folding her arms. "You went to the point of breaking past your own family''s guards to try and intervene in the battle between Xuan Kai and your father. If you were truly trying to lure us into a trap, doing that wouldn''t make sense."


    "Oh? She could very well have done that in order to save her own father," Obsidia scoffed, leaning against the wall haughtily. "After all¡­ she knows about Xuan Kai''s abilities quite well."


    "I didn''t want either side to be harmed," Xiang Peng replied, gritting her teeth. "I realize my words are hard to believe given what happened, but¡­"


    "It doesn''t matter who''s telling the truth here," I cut in, tired of the arguing, taking sides and whatnot. "Either way¡­ you have to stay away from us for the time being. Since Liu Jian is here, I have enough to deal with as it is. I don''t want any more trouble from your family."


    "I¡­ I understand."


    Xiang Peng wiped her eyes and quickly dashed out the door. I didn''t stop her this time.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ that was a bit harsh, no?" Feng Mian shifted ufortably.


    "Sorry, I don''t sugarcoat my words. And if I''m being honest¡­ what happened earlier today left me quite the feeling of distrust for her, even if she didn''t betray us. That''s just how the human heart works. From now on, us and her are strangers. We have no connection whatsoever ¡ª everyone got that?"


    Girls like Lin Luo, Obsidia, and Mei Gui epted easily, while the others were a bit hesitant.


    "I don''t care if you remain friends with her deep down ¡ª just don''t show it on the surface."


    Leaving behind that final message, I headed back to the couch.


    *****


    - The Next Morning -


    I opened my eyes slowly after hearing the familiar ringtone of my phone''s rm. Mei Gui and Qing Yue slept cozily on either side of me, wrapping their bodies around mine, which I wasn''t too surprised about. Sighing, I gently tore my arm out of their tight grip and rubbed both of their heads.


    "Come on. Time to wake up."


    "Mm¡­ Master¡­" Mei Gui shook her head unwillingly and reached for my body once more, but I quickly jumped out of the bed. "It''s time for our first day at this university. Wouldn''t want to bete, now would you?"


    "En¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ just a bit longer, please¡­" Qing Yue moaned inint, still refusing to snap her eyes open.


    I shrugged. "If you want to keep sleeping, go ahead. But just saying, you''re going to have to deal with that spider beside you on your own¡­"


    "E-Eek! Spider?!" Qing Yue immediately leaped off the bed and hid behind me, ncing at the sheets in worry. "Where?!"


    I chuckled. "Mei Gui¡­ you aren''t going to get off as well?"


    Sighing, Mei Gui sat up, rubbing her eyes cutely. "I do not care about any spiders, but¡­ I shall follow Master''s instructions."


    Smiling, I patted Qing Yue''s head gently, who had tears in her eyes.


    "Rx, Qing Yue¡­ there wasn''t actually a spider."


    "Wha-!" Her eyes widened, then she hugged me tightly. "Mou¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai, you meanie¡­"


    *****


    Apparently, Qing Yue''s yelp was loud enough that it woke the other girls. Or it was just their rms, but that wasn''t important. The ten of us soon got ready for the day and headed out together. Plenty of other students were already down in the dormitory lobbies when we got there, heading out, so we just followed where the majority of the students were going.


    It didn''t take us long to realize that we were heading to the Auditorium. I had thought we were going to go directly to our ssrooms in the Main Campus, but the thought of a wee ceremonypletely slipped my mind. I found them pretty pointless, but perhaps I could obtain some useful information here.


    On the campus''s sidewalks were dozens of students, some of which returning and somepletely new, just like us. Upon entering the Auditorium, arge majority of the hundreds of seats had already been taken. I spotted a few open spots near the top right of the massive audience chamber and headed there without any hesitation.


    However, a male student who eyed us as we walked past him suddenly got out of his seat and jumped over it to take the spot I had been nning on, shooting me a smug grin.


    "Sorry, bud. This seat''s taken. And so is the rest of this row, for my friends."


    "You have friends?" Yu An Yan scoffed, annoyed with the boy''s actions. "Sorry, doesn''t seem like it."


    Unlike the other arrogant young masters we''ve seen before, however, this guy managed to keep his cool and merely smiled.


    "Oh, but of course. People of your caliber are so restrained by your limited imagination and low-level thinking. Even talking to you right now is a waste of time."


    "If that''s the case, then may I ask why you bothered to switch your seat to back here?" I raised an eyebrow. "How hypocritical."


    "I switched back here because I wanted to. Is there a problem?" He asked right back,pletely shameless. "You lot overvalue yourselves, thinking I would do something because of you. How naive."


    I chuckled. "Keep lying to yourself¡­ we''ll be off."


    "Uh-uh, wait," the student said, getting out of his one-legged crossed gesture. "Did I say you could leave?"


    However, we merely ignored him and continued walking upwards, before finding a few seats at the topmost row.


    But right as we settled down, the same student got out of his seat and walked up to us.


    "You dare ignore my instructions, mongrel?"


    I sighed deeply. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"


    "Who gave you permission to talk?"


    "Who gave <em>you</em> permission to talk?" Qing Yue shot back, unable to take it anymore. "You''re so annoying¡­ just leave already."


    "Leave? But this is my seat."


    "But¡­ your seat''s down there¡­" Lan Xiao Su pointed out hesitantly. "Um, do you have really short memory, perhaps?"


    "No," the student replied with ease. "My memory is perfect, thank you."


    "If that''s the case, then the same can''t be said about your intelligence," Obsidia snorted. "It''s one or the other, human."


    "Oh? You speak with such a condescending tone towards your superior?"


    "Hey," I interjected, ring at the student as my eyes shed a dangerous gleam of red. "Do you want to have a taste of death?"


    His eyes stared into mine, as if drawn to them, but right before I could make him back off by releasing my killing intent, someone else interjected.


    "Xiang Tian!" A familiar female voice called out, walking up behind the student, a re in her eyes.


    The student spun around, surprised to see her, and smiled. "Why, it''s Big Sister Xiang Peng. How are you doing? Shall we eat together for lunch today?"


    "Leave," she said coldly, pointing down.


    "Ah, but my seat is here-"


    "I said <em>leave</em>."


    And after a few seconds of silence, Xiang Tian gave in atst.


    "¡­ Whatever you want, Big Sister."

 Chapter 348 - Welcome Ceremony

    After Xiang Tian left, Xiang Peng looked at us awkwardly and bowed.


    "S-Sorry about him¡­ he''s a bit¡­ troublesome."


    With those brisk words, she walked away, unable to face us any longer.


    "Xiang Tian¡­ guess he''s her little brother, huh?" Feng Mian murmured.


    "He will most likely be in the same year as us, then," Yu An Yan sighed. "I just hope we don''t end up in the same ss as him ¡ª that would be a pain."


    "I don''t think he''s all that bad¡­" Qing Yue shrugged. "Just annoying. At least, he doesn''t actually try anything apart from calling us a few names, hehe."


    "That''s true, but it''ll still be problematic to have to deal with him¡­ oh, wait, I think the ceremony''s starting."


    As more and more students settled in, Liu Jian ¡ª the principal of this university ¡ª walked up onto the stage, wearing a formal and luxurious ck suit. cing his hands on either side of the pedestal on the stage, he smiled and spoke through the microphone attached to it.


    "Good morning, students and staff of Shanghai Magic Academy."


    In an instant, everyone quieted down, prepared to listen to his speech.


    "My name is Liu Jian, the headmaster or principal of this university. Today marks the beginning of a new school year. For some of you, this is a mere continuation of your legacies¡­ but for others, this is a beginning."


    He swept his gaze through the audience, pausing briefly when he saw me.


    "Every student gathered here today is a talent ¡ª only the best of the best, from all across the world. Within this school, there will be no racism, no sexism, no discrimination. There is only one factor by which you are all judged ¡ª strength."


    Raising his hands to his sides, he continued. "The world out there is a ce where dog eat dog, and I''m certain none of you here came to this ce just to spend a few years of your life carefreely. Thus, allow me to make one thing clear to all you new students, and reinforce the idea for returning ones:petition here at this university will be fierce. The number of new students sitting here right now¡­ only 5% will make it to graduation."


    There was well over a thousand students in this audience chamber right now, but 5% was still a meager amount.


    "Allow me to exin," Liu Jian cleared his throat, sensing the new students'' confusion. "In this school, you will be divided into 60 different sses, 15 different sets. There are exactly 1,500 of you right now ¡ª you will all be ced into a ss of 25 students,beled ss A to D. Every four sses, A to D, is a set. There will be 15 different sets of sses in total."


    "60 different sses¡­ this campus is big, but not big enough to amodate all these students¡­" Feng Mian murmured from beside me.


    "I''m sure you are all wondering: this campus is so small, how can it amodate 1,500 students getting around at the same time? The answer is simple ¡ª there are 14 parallel dimensions to the current one you are in, created by highly-advanced Space Magic. Each set of sses will take one dimension, thus avoiding interference with other students."


    "Parallel dimensions, eh?" Yu An Yan fell into thought. "Is that like Realms, in a way?"


    "No," Mei Gui replied. "Realms are their own existence, separate form ours. These ''parallel dimensions'' are mere copies of this one, and do not expand infinitely like all Realms do."


    "Huh, I see."


    "In every parallel dimension, there is a headmaster responsible for it ¡ª and unless you are expelled from the school or choose to drop out of your own volition, you cannot return to this current dimension," Liu Jian exined. "Students who stay here in this dimension also cannot leave the campus, and contact with the outside world is forbidden."


    This caused the crowd to shift ufortably, but they didn''te all the way here to this prestigious university just to back out now. After seeing their reactions, Liu Jian smiled.


    "Further details will be exined by your respective homeroom teachers, and you can ask them if you have any questions. As for the ss distribution¡­ look up."


    Suddenly, a sound like fireworks resounded across the audience chamber as thousands of pieces of paper flew down from the ceiling, much to the surprise of everyone.


    "The sheets of paper falling down right now will contain your name on it. Remain seated, as the papers falling down in different areas have different names on them," Liu Jian said.


    "Wait¡­ if the pieces of paper have names based on where everyone is in the audience¡­" Lan Xiao Su gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.


    I narrowed my eyes, noticing that a portion of the audience did not have any paper fall down on them ¡ª that''s where the returning students were sitting. They were probably told to do so by staff.


    "Yeah¡­ the sses were determined based on where we''re currently sitting."


    "Ehhhhh?!" Qing Yue cried. "Isn''t that kind of¡­ er, rash?!"


    "No¡­" I fell into thought. "This is actually quite smart, despite how it seems on the surface."


    "Indeed¡­" Obsidia agreed, rubbing her chin. "Friends ¡ª in other words, people with good synergy ¡ª are almost guaranteed to be sitting together in the audience right now. By cing them into the same ss, it can not only make them happy, but also grant the ss a group with great teamwork together."


    Catching a piece of paper, Feng Mian immediately scanned over it. "Hm¡­ oh, we''re ss 1-D, Series 1, apparently."


    "ss 1-D¡­ wasn''t that our ss back at Shenzhen Magic High School as well?" Qing Yue asked, tilting her head as she also skimmed over the sheet of paper.


    "It was," I confirmed. "Now then¡­ is that Xiang Tian guy in our ss?"


    "Thank the heavens, he''s not!" Yu An Yan dered, letting out a deep sigh of relief as she finished reading through the name list of our ss.


    Obsidia narrowed her eyes. "Now the only question is¡­ will we stay in this dimension, or be sent to a parallel one?"


    As if on cue, Liu Jian began speaking once more on the stage.


    "Alright, hopefully everyone has found out which ss they are in already. I''m certain many of you noticed the ''Series'' number on your sheet of paper, right beside the ssbel. That will determine whether you go in a parallel dimension or stay here. So, without further ado¡­"


    He cleared his throat, furthering adoing the news.


    "¡­ Those of you in Series 1, you will be staying here. Series 2 through 15, you will be entering a parallel dimension. Remain seated after this wee ceremony over, and I will instruct you on where to go."


    The girls let out a collective sigh of relief as many of the other new students groaned in dissatisfaction.


    "Alright, everyone. Those of you in Series 1, you may leave now. I wish all of you luck in your journey here at the Shanghai Magic Academy, and hope you find your destiny here. Remember, this is not a mere school ¡ª it is a ce for you to forge your own legend. Keep fighting, Mages."


    *****


    After leaving the Auditorium, the ten of us followed the crowd towards the entrance of the school, where the Main Campus sat. There, four adults awaited, two male, two female.


    "ss 1-A, form a straight line in front of me," a middle-aged man with sses said through his megaphone, iling his arm around like a traffic officer.


    "ss 1-B, over here~" A woman of short stature and appeared quite young waved, smiling happily.


    "Everyone in ss 1-C, stand before me in an orderly manner," a young man with sses and a stern look on his face said formally.


    All three adults but thest one said something about their ss¡­ and thest one just happened to be the one responsible for my ss, ss 1-D.


    The girls and I exchanged looks, but refrained from saying anything and just lined ourselves up in front of thest teacher to the right. The other students who were part of our ss did the same awkwardly.


    "¡­ Follow me," the woman before us said, eyes drowsy and figure slouched. Turning around, she began walking towards the building slowly, as if this was thest ce she wanted to be.


    The other three sses also were led into the Main Campus, but we went our separate ways from there. Our homeroom was at the very left side of the first floor ¡ª quite far from pretty much anything else, but I didn''t mind.


    "Just find a random seat and sit down¡­" the woman said, shutting the door tight after thest student had entered.


    I took the desk at the very back, near the right side of the room. The girls took up the rest of the seats in the back row, but since there wasn''t enough space, Amane and Lin Luo had to go closer one row.


    "Okay¡­ everyone''s here¡­ uh, I''m your homeroom teacher¡­ you can call me-"


    She yawned, before continuing.


    "-Ms. Cai¡­ yeah, that''s all. Any questions¡­ before I continue¡­?"


    She nced around the ssroom, the ck bags under her eyes as clear as day.


    <em>Well¡­ this is definitely not a good start to my university life.</em>

 Chapter 349 - Exam Already?!

    As Ms. Cai, our sleepy homeroom teacher, nced around the ssroom, she was met with twenty-five pairs of awkward gazes.


    "Okay¡­ I''ll take that as a no¡­ so I''ll continue¡­"


    "W-Wait," a guy sitting near the front couldn''t hold it back anymore. "Er¡­ Ms. Cai, are you¡­ sleep-deprived, perhaps?"


    <em>Well, that was blunt. Though I don''t see a better way of putting it, if I''m being honest.</em>


    "Huh¡­? No¡­ it''s this technique I cultivate¡­ but you wouldn''t get it¡­"


    "A-Ah, I see," the student replied before instantly cowering away.


    "Are there any more questions¡­?" She nced around once more, as if exhausted and slightly annoyed, even.


    No one spoke up this time, so Ms. Cai continued.


    "Alright¡­ so how this school is going to work¡­ is apetition between sses. Each ''Series'' has their own interss contests, so you won''t have to face against any ss from any other Series¡­ in fact, you won''t even see their faces again until graduation. You also won''t bepeting against students from other school years, so essentially¡­ the only ones you have as opponents are ss 1-C, 1-B, and 1-A¡­"


    A boy at the very front, sitting right next to the guy who had asked the first question, raised his hand.


    "Yes¡­?" Ms. Cai raised an eyebrow, eyes slim to the point it was like she was asleep.


    "How will we pete'' against them, exactly? And what rewards do we stand to gain from ''beating'' them?"


    "I will get to your first question in a second¡­ but as for the rewards¡­ every month, the four sses will be distributed money to spend on-campus¡­ and the more CP we have, the more good stuff everyone in this ss will receive every month¡­ oh, also, at the end of every school year, the ss with the highest spot will receive additional rewards¡­ Upgrade Runes, Awakening Stones, even Soul Catalysts¡­ stuff like that."


    At this, everybody''s eyes lit up.


    "Soul Catalysts¡­ those are the things that can help you awaken a Battle Soul, right?" Lan Xiao Su asked quietly.


    "Yes," Lin Luo, who was sitting beside her, replied with her eyes closed and arms folded. "They are an extremely rare resource, and even the IMF doesn''t have an abundance of them."


    I chuckled softly. "Goes to show just how prestigious and powerful this school is."


    "Okay¡­ now, as for how exactly you''ll bepeting against the other sse-"


    "Hold on, miss," the same boy raised his hands once more and interrupted. "You mentioned ''CP'' just now¡­ whwat is that?"


    Ms. Cai sighed deeply. "CP stands for ss points¡­ they are what determines the ss rankings¡­ the more you have, the better."


    "So how do you gain th-"


    "I SAID I WOULD GET TO THAT IN A SECOND!" Ms. Cai suddenly yelled loudly, her voice reverberating through the entire ssroom. Everyone, especially the boy, who was on the receiving end of this angry shout, fell dead silent. "God¡­ kids these days¡­ so impatient¡­"


    "I-I''m sorry, Ms. Cai¡­" the boy murmured quietly. His friend shot him a pitiful gaze.


    "Ugh¡­ it''s fine, it''s fine¡­ basically, I get pissed off quickly, so like¡­ just behave," she rolled her eyes and said. "Anyways¡­ as I was saying¡­ you will bepeting against the other sses in special, unique exams you''ve never seen at any other school before."


    The poor boy looked like he wanted to ask yet another question, but remembered what happened just now and refrained from doing so.


    "I''m not allowed to give you any details, but just keep in mind¡­ these exams will not just be your average multiple-choice tests. Oh, also¡­ there''s oneing up next week, exactly seven days from now¡­ better prepare."


    "Wait, what?!" Yu An Yan blurted out, quickly covering her mouth as everyone turned their gazes to her. "A-Ah, sorry¡­ I just didn''t expect there to be one so soon, right after starting the school year¡­"


    "No need to worry so much¡­ this one is just a¡­ little trial, if you will. There is still a risk of being expelled, but this exam won''t have any ''guaranteed'' spots for expulsion, unlike others¡­"


    I narrowed my eyes. "Guaranteed spots for expulsion, huh¡­"


    Raising my hand, I decided to ask a question.


    "Yes¡­?" Ms. Cai looked over at me with a tired expression on her face.


    "This may seem like a dumb question, but¡­" I stared straight into her eyes, searching for an answer. "What happens to expelled students?"


    At this, Ms. Cai didn''t respond instantly. That was the first time she hesitated before answering a question ¡ª and I knew I had hit the spot.


    "¡­ What makes you ask that question?"


    For the first time, she didn''t appear sleepy or tired when speaking.


    "Oh, for no reason in particr¡­ I was just curious, that''s all," I replied, unable to think of a good excuse on the spot.


    "I see¡­ well. Expelled students¡­ are expelled. There''s nothing more to it."


    <em>Ah, but what is the definition of ''expelled'' here at this school?</em>


    She purposely avoided saying that. Clearly, there was more to this university than the prestigious and prodigal front it has. However, I didn''t see a point in saying anything further here, with other oblivious students here. If I continued prying, that could end up making me a target, which I didn''t want. I mean, I already was one for Liu Jian¡­ I didn''t want to amplify it further.


    "I see. Thank you," I said briskly, putting my hand back down.


    "¡­ Any more questions¡­?"


    The boy who kept asking questions earlier raised his hand once more, after seeing me ask mine. "Ms. Cai, when can we get a tour of the school? I''m new here, and-"


    "We''re all new here, dumbass!" His friend whispered sharply from beside him.


    "Ugh¡­ I don''t do tours¡­" our homeroom teacher rolled her eyes. "If you want one, you''ll have to ask one of the older students on a weekend or something¡­ though they probably won''t help you, given it''s their weekend, but¡­ if you were here yesterday or something, the secretary could''ve given you a tour. Too bad."


    "Ah, okay. That''s no problem. I will ask a senior."


    "¡­ Just be careful not to make any enemies right after entering the academy," Ms. Cai chuckled softly, giving him this friendly reminder.


    After that, ss proceeded normally. The material wasn''t all too hard, despite being a prestigious school. Even after being out of any type of educational facilities for so long, I was still able to understand everything Ms. Cai was talking about using the knowledge I had from previous years at Shenzhen Magic High. It was mainly textbook subjects like mathematics and science ¡ª magic sses would probably beter on in the day.


    Lan Xiao Su in particr seemed to be quite the academic student, which didn''t surprise me at all, to be honest. She quit school at a young age to work part-time jobs in an attempt to save enough money to cure her mother, but even amidst all the work, she was still studying whenever she could, reading books and doing research on the inte. I admired her for that.


    A few hourster, it was lunchtime. The girls and I decided to head for the Recreation Campus rather than the cafeteria since thetter would definitely be stacked with people. Yu An Yan had way too much money on her hands, so we might as well spend it. While eating, we ended up running into Xiang Peng, but she quickly ran away upon seeing us. I didn''t feel bad for turning her awayst night, but it would be a lie if I said her current situation wasn''t somewhat pitiful.


    Still, given the attitude of the Xiang family Patriarch, it would hardly be a good idea to keep interacting with her. I had no doubt he had eyes inside of this school, being one of the major families of not just Fragment but of the whole arcane world. And as for the test he gave me¡­


    ¡­ Hm, I should probably start working towards that. He didn''t specify a time limit if I recall correctly, but the earlier I entered the Student Council, the better. If my guess wasn''t wrong¡­ the Council has some sort of influence over the school ¡ª to the point where it can even fight back against the teachers and principal, somewhat. That would provide me with a little protection from Liu Jian''s moves.


    Soon after, we finished eating and headed back to the Main Campus. Our lunch break started at 11:30 AM and ended at 1 PM, and we turned out to be 15 minutes early. Ms. Cai, unsurprisingly, was asleep at her desk, face nted on her table and snoring gently.


    The girls and I tip-toed quietly across to avoid waking her up, but as soon as we opened the door, she woke up ¡ª even though we were careful not to make any noise.


    "GAH! WHO DISTURBS MY SLEE- oh, it''s you guys¡­"


    I decided not to point out how quickly her attitude changed there and instead wave awkwardly.


    "Er¡­ good afternoon."


    "Good after-"


    But then, she nced up at the clock, then back at us, then back at the clock again.


    "WHY ARE YOU HERE ALREADY?! THERE''S STILL FIFTEEN MINUTES! FIFTEEN! SOLID! MINUTES! OF SLEEP! GET OUT, GET OUT!"


    "U-Uh, okay, okay-"


    As we were stormed out of the room by our monster of a teacher, the door was mmed shut tight in our faces and locked from the inside.


    "Well then¡­" I murmured, unsure of what else to say.


    Feng Mian sighed. "I can already tell¡­ this is going to be quite the eventful year."

 Chapter 350 - Magic Class

    Fifteen minutester, Ms. Cai opened the door again to see the girls and I standing there, waiting awkwardly.


    "Uh¡­e in."


    We did as told, heading into the room. The other students who were waiting with us did the same.


    After sitting back down in her chair, Ms. Cai rubbed her eyes, which didn''t seem any better despite the nap she took.


    "Ugh¡­ sorry about earlier¡­ I get really pissed when people disturb my rest¡­ what''s your name again?"


    She looked towards me, and I saw no reason to lie.


    "Xuan Kai," I replied briskly.


    "Oh yeah¡­ we haven''t done self-introductions yet, right¡­?" Ms. Cai sighed. "Ah, whatever¡­ screw that. Okay, ss, this afternoon, we''re going to be doing¡­ uh¡­ magic training. I say that, but it''s really just cultivation¡­ follow me."


    She stood up from her chair and headed for the door. All the students had returned from lunch already, so we just followed after her, walking through the halls.


    "Where are we going, Ms. Cai?" The same boy who always seemed to have a question asked, first in line.


    "Nothing special¡­ just a ce rich in mana so you can cultivate¡­"


    "Like the Magic Training Room back at Shenzhen Magic High¡­?" Feng Mian whispered from behind me.


    "Most likely," I replied. <em>Just far better.</em>


    We exited the Main Campus and headed for the Facilities Campus, where the cafeteria,puterbs, and such were. Clearly, this ''cultivation room'' we were heading to was also there.


    Then, heading down the stairs, we came to a stop before two white doors at the very bottom floor. It sat right at the foot of the stairs, and there was no other way to go other than through these doors ¡ª unless, of course, we backtracked and climbed the stairs upwards.


    Ms. Cai pushed open the doors and our eyes widened at what was beyond them.


    We entered arge, wide open room, with 21 gates within it. Ten on the left wall, ten on the right, and one directly across from us. Each one was marked with a symbol that represented the element the gate was correspondent to, and also color-coded as well.


    "I don''t need to exin anything, do I¡­? Just pick an element you have and go into the respective room¡­ not hard."


    Immediately, the ss disbanded, each diving into the different gates. Before long, the girls and I were the only ones remaining outside.


    "Not going to go in?" Ms. Cai raised an eyebrow and asked.


    "No no, we are¡­ just figuring out which gate we want to go into," I replied, then turned to the girls. "Let''s split into pairs based on elemental affinity. Mei Gui, you can stay with me¡­ the rest of you figure it out."


    "Understood," Mei Gui replied as the rest of the girls nodded in confirmation. "Master, which room are we going in?"


    "Hm¡­ how about¡­ Curse."


    And so, the two of us headed into the gate marked with a dark purple spiral insignia, while the others formed their duos and went into their respective gates.


    *****


    Immediately after entering the Curse room, I could feel an incredible mana denseness wrap me up.


    "Mm¡­ this is indeed a lot better than Shenzhen Magic High."


    "Master, you should-"


    "Don''t worry, Mei Gui¡­ I know. I''m just looking for the right opportunity."


    Naturally, I knew what she was talking about ¡ª absorbing this room''s mana. I wasn''t particrly low, but it was a good idea to always keep my storage filled to the brim, just in case.


    Mei Gui and I found somewhere far away from everyone else in the room. There looked to be about a dozen or so students, ranging in school year and ss. Still, given how immensely huge the room was, it''s not like it was crowded or anything. They paid the two of us no mind, since they were all too busy cultivating and enjoying the richness of the mana in here.


    Sitting down, I closed my eyes for a few seconds, then slowly opened one of them to see if anyone was watching. Since they weren''t, I discretely opened one palm and began using my Chaos power to absorb the mana in this room. It felt nice and warm, far better than any other kind of mana I''ve absorbed before.


    "Master," Mei Gui suddenly said, snapping me out of my euphoria. I quickly closed my palm and stopped the absorption process, even though I was nowhere near full.


    [There''s someone watch us, behind you, Master.]


    [Got it. Keep your eyes closed.]


    [Understood.]


    [Who is it?]


    [Ms. Cai ¡ª our homeroom teacher.]


    [¡­ Hm. I don''t think this is as simple as just checking on her students.]


    [Indeed, she seems exhausted all the time. ording to pattern analysis, this behavior of hers is abnormal and does not align with my expectations.]


    I smiled. [In that case¡­ there is only one answer.]


    [You think someone instructed her to do this, Master?]


    [There''s no other exnation, is there? And besides¡­ I have a good idea on who that ''someone'' is ¡ª Liu Jian.]


    [I see. That is a logical conclusion.]


    Unfortunately, with her watching us like this, Mei Gui and I were unable to absorb the mana in this room. Quite unfortunate, but not too big of a deal as we could always just ask the other girls if we are running low ¡ª which we aren''t. I decided to just cultivate properly here, but then I realized¡­


    [Master¡­]


    [Yeah, you feel it too?]


    [Yes¡­ like I can''t enter a state of meditation¡­]


    [I''m guessing this is a side effect of cultivating in the Void Realm ¡ª this ce may be among the best there is in this Realm, but it cannotpare to the Void Realm''s state of utter nothingness. After spending three years there, we''ve be ustomed to such silence¡­ and now that we''re out here, we''re unable to enjoy the benefits.]


    And so, the two of us spent the remainder of the time we had sitting still and doing absolutely nothing, pretending to be cultivating. Ms. Cai also stood there for the whole time, nearly about to fall asleep on the spot, but managed to somehow miraculously hang in there. I was almost impressed. She must really listen to Liu Jian''s orders¡­ or she just wants to keep her job. Probably both.


    *****


    In the end, we spent the whole afternoon just cultivating there. The other students seemed to all have very much enjoyed the time and begged for more, to which Ms. Cai responded with ''more toe''. Meanwhile, however, the girls and I just felt awkward. To avoid arousing suspicion, we joined in on the cheering for more opportunities like this, but really, we would just be sitting perfectly still, doing absolutely nothing whenever another time like this came around.


    We


    Too bad traveling to the Void Realm made you physically disappear from this Realm¡­ I wonder if there was a way to just send my consciousness inside and cultivate from there.


    In any case, the ten of us soon returned to our own dormitories after picking up our uniforms as per instructed by our teacher.


    It was decided that we would be entering the Void Realm tonight for 8 months ¡ª 8 hours in the real world ¡ª to advance our cultivation even further. Now that we were at the Ancestral Mage stage, cultivation didn''t do much for us anymore and we had to physically do battles, but it could still help us stabilize our foundation since we just broke through.


    "About the examing up¡­ what do you think it''s going to be?" Feng Mian asked me, right before we prepared to head into the Void Realm.


    "Most likely some sort of¡­ diagnostic test," I replied. "They don''t know about our capabilities yet ¡ª they obviously need to get a grasp on our skill level before introducing any actual exams."


    "I see¡­ that makes sense."


    The ten of us entered the Void Realm after that¡­pletely unaware that at this moment, our secrets were about to be exposed.


    *****


    - ??? -


    "What were the results?" a male voice asked over the phone. It belonged to the principal of Shanghai Magic Academy ¡ª Liu Jian.


    The person holding the phone was one of his employees ¡ª the homeroom teacher of ss 1-D, Series 1.


    "You were right," she said, sighing deeply. "The mana sensors¡­ they were all over the ce for him."


    "But of course¡­ that boy holds secrets we have yet to even begin toprehend. Did you record and save all the data from the sensors?"


    "All in a USB, just as you requested. I''ll deliver them to you¡­ uh, tomorrow."


    "Good, good¡­ I will take them to my good friend Professor Lang for further experimentation and analysis. I will let you know if I need something done again, Ms. Cai."


    "¡­ Yes. Of course."


    As the other party hung up the phone, Cai Shuang Yi gripped her phone tightly in her hands, gritting her teeth tightly to force down the anger rising up in her heart.


    "You bastard, Liu Jian¡­ if it wasn''t for my brother being in your hands¡­ I would never¡­!"


    She then nced down at her other hand, where not one, but two USBsy.


    "Luckily¡­ there''s another half of the story I didn''t tell him. That girl¡­ she''s also a variable to be examined."


    Closing her fist around the two disks tightly, she swore to herself.


    "Perhaps... I can use these two to fight back against Liu Jian once and for all... after seven long years."

 Chapter 351 - The First Special Exam

    The next morning, school proceeded as usual. In the morning, we had academic courses like calculus and chemistry, while in the afternoon, we had cultivation time in the special mana-filled room from yesterday. The same process urred for the whole week, without any major incidents.


    Liu Jian didn''t make any moves just yet, but Mei Gui and I did notice that Ms. Cai continued to observe us whenever we sat in the cultivation chamber. It was quite annoying, frankly, but there was not much I could do about it other than just grit my teeth and endure, pretending she wasn''t there.


    By the time Friday rolled around, I was starting to getfortable in this school. Slowly familiarizing myself with theyout and hallways, slowly getting to know the names of my ssmates and even some students from other sses. I didn''t interact with them much, but from what I could see, they didn''t like me very much. It seems that jealousy was truly everywhere.


    Still, being a university, everyone here was more or less matured. They didn''t try and openly flirt with the girls, but instead just admired them from far away and waited for an opportunity to show itself.


    I was quite looking forward to the weekend, as I could use that as an opportunity to ask some seniors about the Student Council and how to enter. Any tips they had for new students would also be quite helpful. However¡­ this morning, the ssroom''s aura was different from usual.


    Ms. Cai, who was always half-asleep, seemed wide awake this morning. That was the first sign something was up. And the next¡­ was the words that came out of her mouth.


    "Good morning, ss. I hope you all still remember the special exam I mentioned on the first day of school."


    At this, the ss froze.


    Timidly, the always-questioning boy in the front raised his hand. His name was Da Bao.


    "Uh¡­ Ms. Cai, you mean the one with the risk of expulsion¡­? I-It''s happening today?"


    "No, but I will be exining it today," the teacher responded. "This way, you will have the weekend to think over it and strategize. The actual exam will be taking ce on Monday."


    At this, the majority of the ss sighed in relief. This meant they would at least some time to prepare, rather than something like a pop quiz.


    "The first special exam of the year ¡ª it will be quite simple. You are toplete an obstacle course that tests all your different abilities, from stamina to agility, to magic as well. All 100 students in Year 1 of Series 1 will be taking the course at the same time, in an virtual dimension that feels exactly like the real world. All your exact capabilities will be transferred over to the virtual world, so measures are urate."


    "So almost like a VR game?" Another boy asked ¡ª his name was Long Lu, and he seemed to be quite the studious type.


    "You could describe it like that, yes. But your body will physically be transported, so it''s not exactly like a game."


    "How long will the obstacle course be?" someone else asked.


    "That depends on the person ¡ª the record in all the years since the Academy was established is 1 minute and 34 seconds," Ms. Cai exined. "However, no one has ever evene close to that record since it was made. And the person who made it¡­ is our current principal, Liu Jian."


    <em>Oh¡­ now this I wasn''t expecting.</em>


    "So if we beat that record, we can also be the next principal of the Academy?" A girl sitting across from me in the row ahead asked. She had grey hair and different-colored eyes, one orange, one blue ¡ª quite the rarity.


    "It is not that simple, but a start, yes. I''m sure, if you are able to truly achieve that¡­ you will be quite the well-known figure around the school."


    And then, Ms. Cai dropped some information I never knew I needed.


    "The first step to bing a future faculty member here is to join the Student Council, so if you are truly looking forward to bing the next principal of this Academy, you will have to constantly excel far beyond your peers andpetitors to win the attention of the current Student Council and get recruited."


    <em>I see¡­ in that case, there''s no point holding back, is there?</em>


    Naturally, I couldn''t disy my Chaos abilities out in the open, but using enhanced Blessing Magic to improve my physical capabilities was still well within the scopes of my powers. The only problem was¡­ I didn''t know what the obstacle course contained.


    Ms. Cai cleared her throat as the ss settled down from the murmuring, and continued.


    "Now, there is one final part of this exam: finding a partner."


    "A partner¡­?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes ¡ª however, your partner will not be from this ss," Ms. Cai exined, a neutral expression on her face. "You will have to find someone from a different ss to pair up with for this exam, andpete against them. In the end, whichever ss has the most ''winners'' from their respective partnerships will be the ultimate champions of this first examination, cing them in first ce."


    "Partnering with a different ss¡­ huh, I see. This is moreplex than it seems on the surface," Long Lu muttered, having understood the core rules of this exam.


    "You will have to work together as a ss to ovee this exam ¡ª heed my words: the method to winning thispetition is not how good one of you are, but the strategy you employ in the formation of your partnerships.


    "That''s all, you are dismissed ¡ª you may stay in the ssroom however long you want to discuss, and you will have the weekend as well. But those of you who don''t want to participate in the discussion, you can leave as well. Best of luck, ss 1-D."


    Saying this, Ms. Cai walked out of the room, without even giving us a chance to ask any more questions we may have. I figured she probably wasn''t allowed to answer anything.


    As the door nked shut, the ssroom was sent into utter silence ¡ª until atst, one student decided to stand up. It was Long Lu.


    "Everyone, I have a n to take on this exam. Please stay here and listen to me, it won''t take long."


    "Sorry, I gotta go!" a boy who was friends with Da Bao immediately got up and rushed out the door, dragging his belongings behind him. "Got a date today!"


    "Wait-!"


    But before Long Lu could even tell him to stop, many of the other students also got up and left. In the end, only Da Bao, the girls, and I remained with him.


    "This¡­" he sighed in frustration, punching the wall. "Bunch of good-for-nothings¡­"


    "U-Uh¡­ it''s fine, we can just hold the discussion without them. I''ll find a way to get in touch with them over the weekend to ry the n, somehow¡­" Da Bao murmured faintly.


    Long Lu nced at him for a brief moment condescendingly, then turned away and sat back down in his seat. "Alright¡­ ignoring those idiots who left¡­ allow me to exin how this exam truly works-"


    "Oh no, we get it," I quickly interrupted to avoid wasting time. "Just tell us your n. Don''t need another exnation."


    "You¡­ understood the true test of this exam?"


    The girls rolled their eyes as if annoyed, and I just nodded.


    "Come on, it wasn''t all that hard to figure out."


    "I¡­ suppose so. Then, I shall say what I think we should do," Long Lu said, clearing his throat. "Essentially, we need to pair our weakest students with their strongest ones, and our strongest ones against their strong ones. That way, we will have our strong ones against their weak ones, leading to a near wless victory."


    "Indeed, indeed, that is the obvious strategy¡­" I sighed. "But don''t you think the other sses will be trying the exact same thing?"


    At this, Long Lu fell silent.


    "I¡­ considered that, but in the end, I was unable toe up with any better n that guarantees a win. How about you? Do you have any ideas?"


    "In my opinion¡­ we should treat thispetition as a real partnership between sses, not a contest to win. I feel like that, is the true point of this first special exam."


    "¡­ Come again?" Long Lu narrowed his eyes. "You''re saying we shouldn''t try to win?"


    "Not for this exam, at the very least," I replied. "Notice how this cross-ss exam is the first one of the year, and so early in the year as well? The point of it is to form partnerships and allies for the uing exams toe. The school is trying to teach us that long-term allies are more important than a temporary victory. There''s still plenty of time left in the year to catch up¡­ what''s the rush?"


    "I agree," Feng Mian said firmly. "Taking first so early in the year is not a good idea, either. That would only make us the primary target for the other three sses going forward ¡ª that wouldn''t be ideal."


    I smiled. "As long as we have thestugh¡­ sacrifices need to be made."

 Chapter 352 - The Return Of An Old Friend

    "I¡­ somewhat understand your way of thinking now," Long Lu said atst after some careful consideration. "However, while I am okay with doing things your way, the rest of the ss¡­"


    "I leave that up to you," I replied, chuckling. "I''m not very good at being a leader, so you will have to take on that role for me and assemble the ss together. Convincing them will be left to you as well. As long as you can do that, we will be able to seed in this exam."


    "That''s a pretty difficult thing to ask, but¡­ I''ll try," Long Lu sighed. "Which ss are you thinking of teaming up with?"


    I smiled. "Haven''t decided yet. Before anything else¡­ I need to do some research over the weekend."


    "I see. What''s your phone number?" He asked, pulling out his cellphone. "I''ll add you for quickmunication."


    I took out mine as well and exchanged numbers with him, then left the room followed by the girls. Da Bao said he would try and contact the ones who left, but it probably wouldn''t be of any use. I wasn''t all that concerned though, as Long Lu could definitely rally them together ¡ª he had the air of a leader in him.


    Worstes to worst¡­ I abandon the rest of the ss and just go for a personal achievement in order to enter the Student Council. That meant our ss might not be first by the time this year is over, butpared to the benefits I could gain from being in the Council, that was of little consequence.


    *****


    After grabbing a quick lunch at the Recreation Campus, we headed for our dormitories. Upon getting there, however, I saw a post-it note on the door, apparently directed towards me.


    "¡­ Meet me alone tomorrow at 8 AM, 1st Floor Men''s Bathroom, Main Campus," I read aloud.


    "Hm?" The girls looked at me in confusion.


    "What? Do you not see the note?"


    "No¡­ what note?"


    "Uh¡­ the one that''s right on the door."


    "I don''t see anything¡­" Lan Xiao Su murmured. "Wait."


    A white glow enveloped her body as she closed her eyes and opened them again. "Level One Enchantment Magic ¡ª Inspect."


    She ced her hand on the door, right where the note was, and her eyes widened. "There''s really something here¡­ it''s been enchanted to make it invisible to anyone who''s not a specific set person¡­ in other words, you, Xuan Kai."


    "Huh¡­ but who would do such a thing?" Feng Mian murmured in thought. "Xiang Peng? No¡­ she wouldn''t try to talk to us after being told to stay away¡­"


    As I racked my brains out, I finally found the answer after several minutes of silence. Chuckling, I shook my head.


    "Ipletely forgot about you, you bastard¡­ to think you would reach out to me on your own."


    "What¡­?" the girls nced at me in confusion, but I just waved their puzzlement off.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll go meet this old friend tomorrow by myself, you guys just do whatever."


    "Um¡­" the girls exchanged nces, but eventually agreed.


    That night, we spent another 8 months in the Void Realm cultivating. It didn''t do much, and quite frankly, it was getting boring. We needed some realbat experience before cultivating would start helping again. To be honest, I was kind of excited to see what kind of Battle Soul I would awaken¡­ a Human-type, perhaps, or some kind of Chaos Element one?


    But putting all those thoughts aside for now¡­ I had someone to meet tomorrow ¡ª and they could very well be tied to the exam on Monday.


    *****


    - The Next Morning -


    I walked through the empty hallways of the Main Campus, alone and silent. It was the weekend and quite early in the morning, so it made sense that no one else was here. The Recreation Campus, on the other hand, was blooming with people ¡ª no surprise there.


    It didn''t take me long to locate the 1st floor men''s bathroom, where the note had said to be at 8 AM today. I pulled out my phone and checked the time ¡ª it read 7:55. I was 5 minutes before the stated time still, but normally, you''d think one would arrive early¡­


    Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me and immediately spun around to see the person I had been waiting for ¡ª or rather, had been waiting for me.


    "Geez¡­ did you have to sneak up on me like that?" I chuckled.


    The boyughed. "It was hardly sneaking up if you found me anyway. As sharp as ever, Xuan Kai."


    I smiled. "As tricky as ever¡­ Ming Hao."


    "Woah, you still remember my name?" He blinked in surprise.


    "Think about it. It may have felt like a long time, but really, it''s only been¡­ what, four months since west met?"


    In reality, it was over four years for me thanks to all the time spent in the Void Realm, but he didn''t need to know that.


    "I suppose that makes sense," he said with a shrug.


    "So? What did you want to talk to me about? With you, I doubt it''s just wanting to see me again."


    "Haha, that''s part of it, but you''re right ¡ª it''s not all."


    I raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.


    "It''s about the special exam on Monday¡­"


    Iughed darkly. "¡­ As expected. You want to team up?"


    "Like, the two of us? That would be¡­ detrimental to both of us ¡ª the essence of this exam is to form allianc-"


    "Yes, yes, I know," I cut in. "I''m talking about our sses. What ss are you in?"


    "1-A," he replied.


    "I see. And do you have a grasp on the rest of your ss?"


    "I do ¡ª I''ve managed to secure myself a position as leader, more or less."


    "Hm, why am I not surprised?" I smirked.


    "Heh, being Vice-President at Shenzhen Magic High''s Student Council is reallying in clutch now, experience-wise."


    "So, how about it? We can form a long-term rtionship between our two sses ¡ª I''m even willing to let 1-A win this one for free."


    At this, Ming Hao folded his arms and looked into my eyes knowingly.


    "You damn rascal, you think I don''t know what you''re thinking? If we ce first, we''ll be targeted by the other two sses ¡ª of course you don''t want to end up first."


    "Well, we''ll be supporting you, so it''ll be a 2v2 ¡ª 1-A and 1-D against 1-B and 1-C. Unless, of course, those two sses don''t form an alliance, in which case that would be even better for us."


    "That''s true, but how do I know you won''t¡­ say, betray me?"


    "Do I seem like the kind of guy who would do that?"


    "Yes. Absolutely yes."


    "¡­" I fell silent and gazed at him awkwardly. I had been expecting him to say ''no'', but¡­ the certainty in his voice¡­


    "But," he then continued, a wry smile on his face. "I do think that an opportunity to coborate with you is hard toe by, so I''ll ept your offer."


    "You''re willing to ce the rest of your ss''s interests at risk just to fulfill your own satisfaction of wanting to work with me?"


    "Of course. I only respect those stronger than I am, like yourself. Anyone who is weaker, I spare no consideration for. That''s what my father taught me."


    "Don''t tell me¡­ you''re still holding a grudge over that time I beat you in the Advancement Exams?" I sighed. "Get over it¡­ it''s been such a long time."


    "Only four months, no? In your own words," he cackled. "But no, jokes aside¡­ it''s not because I''m unable to take that defeat. It''s because¡­ well, let''s just say there''s something special about you, and I want to figure out what exactly it is. Ever since that time I dispelled your mana using my special ability and gathered it for further research¡­ I''ve been confused. Lost. Even with all the resources of the Ming Family, I have yet to find a single scientist who is able to decrypt the mysteries within your mana energy."


    "Well, I don''t particrly care if you try to investigate me, but¡­" my tone dropped and turned dark. "If you get in my way, or leak any false information about me to anyone else, derived from your so-called ''research''¡­"


    "You''ll kill me? Yeah, yeah, all that edgy dark protagonist stuff," heughed. "Lighten up, man! Rx! Think of this as just a personal hobby of mine. I won''t tell anyone else about my findings ¡ª after all, I hope to remain in a friendly rtionship with you. You''re far scarier and strong than what most people can tell."


    "Hobby? More like obsession," I scoffed. "Well, I won''t try and stop you as long as you don''t interrupt any ns I have. But regarding the special exam on Monday¡­ I leave that to you."


    "Of course," he chuckled. "What''s your phone number? I''ll text you information on all of my ssmatester to help you decide who to pair up with who."


    I nodded and exchanged contact info with him, then parted ways as there was still others things I wanted to do today ¡ª namely, get in touch with some senior students. I asked Ming Hao to see if he knew anything about how to enter the Student Council here, but he said that he was just a first year here as well. Despite being from one of the major families of Fragment just like Xiang Peng, even he didn''t have that info.


    So, I was left with no other choice but to try and interact with some older students.


    Knowledge was power, after all. With it, my chances of entering the Student Council and obtaining those rewards would increase dramatically ¡ª there was no reason not to do this.

 Chapter 353 - Upperclassmen

    After going our separate ways with Ming Hong, I headed for the Recreation Campus, where I assumed most students would be at as it was the weekend.


    When I arrived there, I wasn''t surprised at all to see the streets flooded with people. Interestingly enough, however, 1st-years took up the majority of the poption here. That was probably because there weren''t all that many students in the upper years anyway, given how frequently expulsions urred.


    This school was resourceful, the perfectly ce to get stronger, fast. Even if the principal of it and I have a personal conflict, I would like to remain here until graduation if possible. But since I was somewhat greedy when it came to things like this, I wanted the best of the best ¡ª hence why I was going to ask about the Student Council. The whole matter with the challenge Xiang Peng''s father gave me and whatnot was just a side bonus.


    Since upperssmen had different-colored uniforms (blue rather than the usual red given to 1st years like myself), it wasn''t too difficult to locate them. I noticed some students not wearing any uniforms at all as well, but they were few. I did, however, recognize many of said few from ss 1-D ¡ª my ss.


    I spotted a gentle-looking senior who was walking with a girl of the same year and thought they would definitely be able to provide me some answers, but then changed my mind. They seemed to be on a date ¡ª it wouldn''t be very nice if I were to disturb them.


    Another group of upperssmen were hanging out in an arcade, but they seemed like the arrogant, young master type that I didn''t want to deal with.


    Then, after a few minutes of searching, I finally found a suitable upperssman, walking alone¡­ but after talking to her, I found out she was just wearing her older sisters uniform for fun.


    Dejected and exhausted, I sat down on an empty bench nearby and stared up at the wide blue sky.


    "Why do I feel like the hardest part about getting in¡­ is to find out how to get in?"


    "Hm? A 1st year¡­?" A girl who passed by suddenly murmured, ncing at me curiously. "Hey, you seem lost. Are you okay?"


    "Huh? Uh¡­" I trailed off. Putting her stunning beauty aside, this girl was exactly who I needed ¡ª an upperssman who wasn''t already with other friends. The only thing was¡­ she wore a green uniform ¡ª the first one I''ve seen all morning.


    Scratching my hair, I chuckled awkwardly. "I''m¡­ just curious about something, but can''t seem to find any seniors to ask."


    "Oh, yeah¡­ it''s hard toe by someone walking alone in weekends, isn''t it?"


    "Apart from you, I guess."


    The girl giggled. "Fufu, I can''t promise I can answer your question, but if it''s anything I know, I''ll help you out."


    "It''s no big deal, really¡­ I just wanted to know how I can enter the Student Council."


    At this, the girl''s smile was reced by a calcting smirk.


    "Oh¡­? The Student Council, you say?"


    I nodded. "I heard you have to be quite prestigious to do it, but I was wondering if there was any specific requirements or whatnot¡­"


    "Ah, but you are only a first year. The Student Council can''t ept someone like you, who is still new to the school."


    "Can''t¡­ or won''t?" I challenged, sending the girl a meaningful look with eyes that seemed to see through everything.


    The two of us stared one another in silence, but she finally gave in and smiled wryly.


    "¡­ You''re sharp, you know that? Follow me."


    Saying this, she turned around and began heading out of the Recreation Campus. I quickly stood up and followed. This was an important lead I stumbled across by chance ¡ª I wasn''t about to let it go now.


    I was soon led to a building within the Administrative Campus, which I hadn''t been inside before. Ms. Qi, the secretary who gave us the tour of the school, had just told us the name of this campus and that was it ¡ª we didn''t go in to visit or anything, which wasn''t all that unreasonable given that it was off-limits to students anyway.


    Or so I had thought.


    "Uh¡­ are we supposed to be in here?" I asked, looking around. There didn''t seem to be any university faculty around, but for some reason I was still uneasy to see what would happen if we got caught.


    "Don''t worry. My council is part of the school''s administration, so naturally our headquarters would be stationed in the Administrative Campus."


    I stopped walking. "Wait¡­ <em>your</em> council?"


    Sheughed softly then turned around to face me, a bright smile on her face.


    "Why yes indeed¡­ my name is Qian Hua, and I am the student council president of this university."


    *****


    "You''re the student council president?" I asked, more skeptical than surprised.


    "What, don''t believe me?"


    "Uh¡­ somehow, I imagined the president to be more¡­ cold and strict?"


    "Hmph!" Qian Hua snorted, folding her arms. "Am I not allowed to take a leisure walk on the weekend? Do all student council presidents have to be stacked with work?"


    "Er, no, but-"


    "Yes, they do!" She suddenly cut me off, cackling inughter as she clutched her stomach. "You''re lucky I came across you today, junior. I was in fact on my way here to start my day of work anyway, so I just dragged you along because I figured ''why not''. That aside¡­ you''re new here, aren''t you?"


    "Of course. I''m a first year," I replied.


    "No, no, I''m not talking about that. I''m talking about¡­ Fragment. If my guess is correct¡­ you''re one of the students who entered this university through the annual tournament in the Fortress, right?"


    "I''m sure you already knew that, being the student council president and all¡­"


    "Actually, no. I have enough to deal with as it is ¡ª I don''t pay attention to small things like the background of every new student here. My brain would explode." Qian Hua rolled her eyes. "I could tell simply from the way you acted around me ¡ª and of course, the question you asked too. That''s why I took you here in the first ce."


    "What¡­?" I tilted my head, confused.


    "You see, there''s no student here who doesn''t know who I am. I''m not trying to brag, but every family will tell their child before entering this school about me, the student council president. They called me¡­ the Child of Prophecies ¡ª a prodigy born every one thousand years."


    "Yeah, you really sound like you''re bragging right now. I don''t particrly care though."


    "Heh. Point is, everyone in this school knows who I am ¡ª except for those who arrived here outside of Fragment. That''s what led to my conclusion. Oh, and the fact that you asked how to join the student council, despite being only a 1st year. Normally, I would''ve justughed and thought of it as a joke. But your eyes told me you were serious, confident. That''s why I brought you here."


    "Huh, I see. Well, I got to observe the student council''s headquarters, at least. Very helpful, thank you."


    Qian Huaughed at my sarcastic tone.


    "Rx, junior brother. This isn''t just the student council''s headquarters ¡ª very soon, it will be your home. Something tells me you are different from the rest. Call it a woman''s instinct, I suppose. But I''ve never quite felt the same way about anyone else, so I can''t tell you whether or not it''s urate."


    "I''m ttered," I replied in the same monotone voice as always. "But what are the requirements to enter?"


    "Well, normally, no 1st year would even have a shot at entering, but I can make an exception for you. The challenge won''t be easy, however. Are you ready?"


    She stared into my eyes, determination and confidence in them.


    "Sure," I replied casually, expression indifferent. "I expected something like this anyway."


    "Good, good¡­ alright then. Tell you what ¡ª if you can ce your ss in first by the end of the school year with a gap of at least 300 points with the ss in second, I''ll ept you into the council. But just keep in mind... you don''t have to win everything."


    "300 points¡­"


    "When I was in my 1st year at this school, I aplished that. So if you can do the same, I''ll consider you worthy of being by my side. I know it sounds difficult¡­ but for some reason, I believe you can do it. Once again, call it instincts. Best of luck, junior."


    Saying these, she set off into the building. Naturally, I didn''t follow her, and instead turned on my heel and left the Administrative Campus.


    <em>300 points¡­ hm. I''ll have to first get past the special exam on Monday to calcte how many I have to win in order to create a gap that big¡­ after all, right now, I don''t even know how much taking first in one special exam will earn the ss.</em>


    At least, with this, I forged a connection with the student council president, Qian Hua, and earned myself a surefire way to enter the council. I would much rather have an impossible challenge than a shroud of uncertainty.


    But still...

 Chapter 354 - Class Meeting

    After the chance encounter with Qian Hua, whose name meant Thousand Flowers, I suddenly received a ding notification from my phone. I immediately pulled it open to see a message from Feng Mian.


    [Long Lu wants the whole ss to meet up right now, should we go?]??


    After some hesitation and thought, I quickly typed a reply.


    [Sure. Send me the time and ce.]


    *****


    Several minutester, I found myself sitting inside arge and luxurious private room within a restaurant. Around the massive table in the middle was exactly 25 seats, but only half of them had been filled.


    "I don''t care how you do it, just make theme!" Long Lu shouted into his phone then furiously tapped on the screen to hung up. "God¡­ I can''t with this useless ss¡­"


    "Calm down," I said, unfazed. "It doesn''t matter if they don''t cooperate with us today. Sooner orter, they''lle crawling to us."


    "What? How can you be so sure?"


    "It''s simple. I''ve already formed an alliance with ss A, and the other two sses aren''t stupid either. Most likely, they''ve formed a partnership as well. Our ssmates will have no choice but to follow our ideas if they want to stay in the school."


    "I see¡­ that makes sense, but how did you form an alliance with them¡­?"


    "We are to help them take 1st ce in this first special exam, purposely letting them win all the matches."


    At this, the girls and Long Lu both widened their eyes in shock.


    "P-Purposely lose all of our matches? Won''t that ce us inst¡­?"


    I sighed. "Don''t you see yet? The year has just begun. At this time, 1st ce is nothing but a bait, a position that will make the other sses target you. Why would we want that?"


    "But shouldn''t we go for 2nd or 3rd then, if that''s the case?" Feng Mian asked, confused.


    "No. The teams in 2nd and 3rd ¡ª in other words, ss B and C ¡ª will be allied. This makes it perfect for them to join hands once more and take down ss A together. The three sses will sh, causing them to develop hatred and resentment towards one another. The deeper their emotions conflict, the better for us ¡ª this way, we can just reap the benefits while they fight."


    "But¡­ we need to end up first sometime eventually, right?" Yu An Yan murmured. "I mean, if we don''t, we''ll just stayst all the way until the end of the school year¡­"


    "No," I replied. "In the special exams toe, we should aim for third or even second, but never first. This way, we can steadily close the gap between us and the other sses, so that by the end of the year, the difference between us and the higher sses are minimal, despite us still being inst. That way¡­ when the final exam rolls around¡­ we can catch them all by surprise."


    "There is no guarantee this strategy will work, though¡­" Lin Luo sighed. "Then again, with how irresponsible our ssmates are being, this is the only method we can use, I suppose. Aiming for 1st in a special exam with how we are right now is nothing but a lost cause. We can only hope that by the end of the year, our ss will mature up."


    "They will," I dered. "Us being inst ce means less resources for us. Eventually, they will be fed up with jealousy and the condescending attitudes from those ced in higher sses, and want to fight back. There is no stronger motivation than revenge."


    <em>I know that all too well.</em>


    Of course, this wasn''t the true reason I was suggesting this strategy. What Qian Hua said earlier was in fact a hint:


    "You don''t have to win everything."


    The only exnation for this was that even if we don''t get first ce in many exams, there is still a chance toe back in the end. I doubted that''s how she herself did it, being the Child of the Future and all, but her saying this definitely meant something.


    As for how the exams really work¡­ I can''t be too sure as of right now, but I had a feeling the final exam of the year will provide bonus ss points ¡ª enough to let the ss inst turn the tables and be first. The only problem was the 300 point gap¡­ but if my n goes well and the four sses'' points stay rtively close by the end of the year, I should be able to aplish it.


    "I¡­ I don''t really get it, but you seem to know what you''re talking about, so¡­" Long Lu trailed off. I ced a hand on his shoulder and shook it firmly.


    "Can''t have you with an attitude like that. You see, I''m not the best at rallying people together. You, however, are. So on the surface, you''ll be the leader of our ss, the one who nned all of this. I will just be a normal student, nothing more. So shake off that half-assed attitude¡­ and be more confident in yourself. Otherwise, this won''t work."


    "¡­ Yeah. I got it. I just have to y leader, right? You bet. My favorite job is telling other people what to do."


    "d to hear it. Now then¡­ are we going to eat, or what?" I raised an eyebrow. "We''re here already. Might as well."


    "Yay! Food!" Qing Yue cheered, clearly tired of all the serious talk.


    "Fwah..." Amane, on the other hand, was already drooling from smelling the airing from the outside. I had to admit, it did smell good.


    We all ordered whatever we wanted after that and ate like kings and queens. The restaurant was truly high-ss. Perhaps if Long Lu told everyone in the ss he was going to be treating them to eat here¡­ they would''ve came. Too bad, I suppose.


    In any case, he did indeed pay for the meal. It couldn''t have been cheap, but he waved it off like it was nothing. Poverty didn''t exist in Fragment, after all. In this ce, everyone was rich ¡ª to the point where it wasn''t even considered rich anymore.


    After lunch, the girls decided to explore the Recreation Campus a bit more, while I sent Ming Hao a message to meet up to inform him of what I want to do for this uing exam on Monday.


    *****


    - About Fifteen Minutes Later -


    In the same ce we had met up this morning, Ming Hao and I now stood once again, facing one another.


    "Long time no see!" He joked, a bright smile on his face.


    "You responded quite¡­ quickly," I replied, as nonchnt as ever.


    "Yeah, well, it''s not like I''m particrly busy today. The school year''s just started ¡ª we should take advantage of this stress-free time while we can."


    "I suppose that''s fair."


    "Did you get the list of profiles I sent you for everyone in my ss?" He asked.


    I nodded. "Sure, but I didn''t bother reading them. They''re not important anyway."


    "Oh? Sounds like you have a good idea on what to do for this exam."


    "Mhm. All you have to do is pair your weakest ss members with twelve people from our ss ¡ª we''ll lost on purpose. But are the rest in your ss all strong?"


    "Hm¡­ in all honesty, there''s only about ten people in my ss I''m particrly worried about. The rest are all extremely strong, almost at my level. Oh, by the way, I''m ate-stage Advanced Mage now, heh."


    I just smirked, unable to tell him I was in fact an Ancestral Mage already. Didn''t want to ruin his moment there.


    "Even better," I replied. "You see, my ss is somewhat¡­ disoriented. I can control 12 of our members, but the rest I can''t. Though from what I can see¡­ they aren''t all too strong."


    "Ha! It''s fine, it''s fine. I did a bit of research into your ss ¡ª most of your ssmates I recognize, and I''m confident my ssmates can beat them. The only troublesome ones are your harem and you, of course."


    <em>Harem¡­ hah.</em>


    He then leaned in closer and whispered, despite there being no one else around.


    "I see you got some new members in there since thest time I checked as well¡­ nine girls? Seriously? How can you handle them at night?"


    I pushed him away and scoffed. "Secret strategies I can''t share."


    "Come on, man! I want a harem too!" Heined. "This isn''t fair¡­"


    "A lot of things in life aren''t fair, buddy," I replied with a chuckle. "But if it''s a harem you want¡­ actually, yeah, no, I don''t have any advice. Actually, why are you even looking for a harem? That''s just unloyal."


    "HAH!" He nearly doubled over fromughter. "YOU''RE ONE TO TALK!"


    "W-Well, I didn''t exactly go searching for one¡­ anyway," I shook my head, bringing the conversation back on course as Ming Hao continued to giggle. "Do you know how the teams are decided?"


    "I''m pretty sure it has something to do with ss leaders, from what I''ve heard from upperssmen¡­ but you know, we haven''t even chosen our leader yet. We did hold a discussion about it though, and everyone said they would choose me, which is good for our alliance."


    "Did you tell them about this alliance already?"


    "Of course. And they agreed."


    "Even to bing first right at the beginning of the school year?"


    "Yep. My ss, they''re a confident bunch. Said you''d be doing us a favor, and they can take on ss B and C no problem."


    I snorted. "Well, d to have such a¡­ reliable ally, at least. I can probably be the ss leader of my ss as well ¡ª or rather, nominate someone else to be it. We''ll talk again."


    Ming Hao nodded and prepared to head out. "See ya."


    Just like that, our deal was formed, and the first special exam of the school year was right around the corner.

 Chapter 355 - Class Rep

    That night, every 1st year student received a letter in their mailboxes.


    Just when we were about to head back into our joined rooms after a long afternoon of wandering around the Recreation Campus, an automated message of some sort suddenly yed from the mailboxes beside our doors.??


    [You have: 1 new message in your mailbox. Marked as urgent. Check: mandatory.]


    <em>Mandatory¡­? So the doors won''t open until we check the message, or what?</em>


    Confused and hesitant, I reached for the mailbox and felt inside. Indeed, there was an envelope of some sort. Well, more specifically, there were ten. I took one of them out and read it over.


    "¡­ ss Rep Vote¡­?" Feng Mian murmured, peeking over my shoulder like a bunny.


    "I guess this is the ss leader thing Ming Hao was talking about earlier, huh¡­" I murmured.


    "The what?" The girls looked at me in confusion.


    "Uh¡­ I''ll exin more inside."


    Saying this, I took out the other nine envelopes who contained the exact same thing, then headed into our room.


    *****


    I handed each of the girls an envelope ¡ª each one had a different name on it, one for each of us. After they all scanned over the documents, they understood.


    "So, this has to do with the special exam on Monday," Yu An Yan concluded.


    I nodded. "Correct. I still don''t have any idea how the school will determine who faces off against who, but the ss reps will most likely y some sort of a role in it."


    "In other words, we should make Long Lu the ss rep, since he listens to you," Feng Mian grinned.


    "Yep. It doesn''t mention that being ss rep grants any additional rewards other than authority, so I don''t mind giving it away."


    "But¡­ this is a vote-style election," Lan Xiao Su pursed her lips. "Even if all 10 of us here voted for him, there''s no guarantee someone else won''t end up with more votes."


    "No, we''re safe," I replied confidently. "For one, I noticed various friend groups had already been formed in our ss over the past week. They aren''t collective enough to vote for one person, and the ten of us hold the majority of the votes so far. And besides¡­ I doubt anyone else will want to be ss rep anyway. I mean, like I said, the form here doesn''t mention any additional benefits. Being ss rep will give you nothing but responsibility, and given how much those ssmates of ours like ying around¡­"


    "How unfortunate tond in this ss¡­" Lin Luo muttered in disdain.


    "You should be grateful you are here at all, half-spawn," Mei Gui red condescendingly at her. "If it wasn''t for Master, you would never have made it into Fragment. Actually, if it wasn''t for him showing mercy, you would''ve been dead already."


    "Hmph. I didn''t ask for him to help me."


    "¡­ Master. Permission to p this ungrateful insect?"


    I sighed. "Calm down¡­ Lin Luo''s just like that. I''m sure in your heart¡­ you''re grateful to me, right?"


    Smirking suggestively, I nced at her, to which she grit her teeth and red daggers at me, almost on the same level as that of Mei Gui. Teasing her was quite fun.


    "Anyway¡­" I turned back to the others. "It goes without saying, but I''d just like to state this one more time ¡ª all of us here, vote for Long Lu."


    The girls nodded and picked out writing utensils from the pen holder on the table, before hurriedly writing in their chosen candidate names into the forms. After they were done, they showed me their forms for approval, even though I said there was no need.


    "Now¡­ how do we send this back¡­" I murmured, scanning the form for any hints.


    "Look here, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said, pointing at the back of the envelope that once contained the form. On it was a little string of text that read ''ce back into mailbox afterpletion''.


    "I guess¡­ it just automatically sends itself if we ce it back into the mailbox?" Lan Xiao Su suggested hesitantly.


    "Probably. It''s not like we have any better options other than to just do what the envelope says," Yu An Yan said with a shrug.


    We ced our filled forms back into our own respective envelopes and put them all back in the mailbox. Thankfully, we didn''t throw the envelopes away, or else that would''ve been problematic.


    With that settled, we decided to just head to sleep. Cultivating in the Void Realm was not improving our strength anymore, as we had hit a bottleneck. In order to progress further, we needed to experience realbat.


    *****


    - The Next Day -


    [Meet me in half an hour, same ce. Need to discuss something with you.]


    I sent that message to Ming Hao at approximately 8 in the morning, then headed for the men''s bathroom in the Main Campus. The other girls weren''t even awake yet, as it was the weekend. It took some trouble to get out of bed gently, as both Qing Yue and Mei Gui weretched onto me like parasites, but I managed to pull it off. Mei Gui still ended up waking up since she could detect me (somehow even when she was asleep) but I told her to just go back to sleep.


    Obedient as she was, she listened to my orders without an utter ofint.


    Ming Hao responded to my message nearly instantly, being an early riser as well.


    [Got it. I wanted to talk to you too¡­ and I have a feeling I know what the topic is going to be.]


    And indeed, he did.


    "I''m assuming this is about the ss rep thing, right?"


    I nodded. "Naturally. Did you get chosen?"


    He smirked. "What do you think?"


    Then, after seeing me shrug, he opened his phone and pulled up his messages, before turning it to me so I could see the screen clearly. On it disyed a text from ''School Admins'':


    [Congrattions, you have been chosen as the ss representative of ss 1-A, Series 1.]


    "Huh, so they send it to you via text?"


    Ming Hao nodded. "It kinda surprised me as well¡­ I mean, I expected something formal like this to be announced in-ss, but I guess not."


    "It''s probably to give you time to prepare for tomorrow''s exam, as ss rep," I replied. "nning and such. But not that much time, since this is part of the test."


    "That makes sense, yeah. What about you? Did you end up as your ss rep?"


    "No, but¡­" I opened my phone and showed Ming Hao a message someone else sent me ¡ª Long Lu.


    The message was a screenshot of his own texts, which read the same thing Ming Hao''s had.


    "This is¡­ your puppet, I presume?"


    "Sounds about right, yeah," I replied, then stuffed my phone back in my pocket. "In any case, with this, our n is pretty much already a sess. The only problem is¡­"


    "¡­ How the teams will be matched, huh?" Ming Hao chuckled. "It would be great if we could just be matched against one another, but if ss B and C challenge US instead of each other¡­"


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if they did, if I''m being honest," I sighed. "The method we''re using is passive confrontation ¡ª they may very well go for direct confrontation."


    "Well, we don''t know how the teams will be matched yet anyway. Maybe the school just chooses them, or maybe there''s some sort of preliminarypetition to decide who gets to pick. Personally, I hope thetter. That way, we have the best chance of setting our n in motion."


    I nodded. "Agreed."


    "Man¡­" Ming Hao leaned on the wall and stared up at the ceiling. "If the first special exam of the year is already thisplicated¡­ how will we fare in the future?"


    "The exam seems simple on the surface, but is actually quiteplex," I replied. "By the way¡­ how are you even in this school?"


    "Kinda surprised you didn''t ask earlier, but family rmended me in here," Ming Hao replied. "I''m technically not the right age yet, but I mean, neither are you. But here we both are. This university doesn''t care about age ¡ª only strength."


    "¡­ Right."


    <em>Yeah¡­ he doesn''t know that I actually am the right age, since I spent all those years in the Void Realm, but¡­ whatever.</em>


    After this short exchange, we parted ways, waiting for some more information to be revealed to us tomorrow about the exam. I just realized that us meeting up in person was so pointless ¡ª most of these conversations could just be had over text, but I guess for privacy reasons¡­ and, of course, Ming Hao just wanted to see me. He said he wanted a harem, but give his weird, creepy obsession with me, I couldn''t help but wonder if he swung <em>that</em> way.


    Shaking my head, I headed back to my room to see if the girls had woke up yet. If they had, I wanted to check out a certain ce¡­


    ¡­ The school library.

 Chapter 356 - Another Library?

    After meeting up with Ming Hao, on the way back to the dormitories, he sent me a list of the weak people in his ss ¡ª the ones I should try and pair with the girls and I, in case I have the selection privilege. Simrly, I sent him a list of names with all the girls and I on it, plus Long Lu and Da Bao. ¡ª the ones I could control in the ss.


    When I got back to the dorms, all the girls were up already.??


    "Oh, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian waved with her toothbrush still in her mouth. She quickly spat out the foam in the sink and turned back to me. "Where have you been?"


    "Just figuring out our n of action for tomorrow''s exam," I replied truthfully. "Where''s everyone else?"


    "They''re just getting ready," she said, eyeing the bathroom a short distance away, where the door was shut and the sound of the shower could be heard. "What are we doing today?"


    "I want to visit the school library in the Facilities Campus. Actually, I wanted to explore it ever since the tour we were given, but decided to hold off until the weekend to get the maximum amount of time possible."


    "Oh yeah¡­ I''m sure Xiao Su would love that," Feng Mian giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "I''ll go change and let the others know."


    "Can Ie too?"


    "H-Huh?" She froze, cheeks flushed.


    "I mean, to tell them myself, so you can change faster¡­"


    "O-Oh, uh, yeah, of course."


    <em>That was close¡­</em>


    Soon, everyone was ready, having changed into their uniforms. And so, we set out.


    *****


    After grabbing a quick breakfast at a restaurant in the Recreation Campus, we backtracked to the Facilities Campus, where the library was located. As it was still the weekend, plenty of people were out and about, though there would probably be more in the afternoon given howte people tended to wake up.


    "Hm¡­ there''s so many people walking around without a uniform¡­ do we even have to wear them on weekends?" Lan Xiao Su asked, speaking more actively than usual today since she was eager to go to the library.


    "They were selling casual clothes in the Recreation Campus, so I''m guessing not," Yu An Yan said thoughtfully. "Though at our old school, we were required to wear our school uniforms at all times."


    "Do you want to go shoppingter? We spent all of yesterday in the arcade, so we never really got to actually explore the shops that much¡­" Feng Mian trailed off,ughing awkwardly.


    "Hm¡­ personally, I would much rather just say in the library, but it''s up to you," Lan Xiao Su said with a shrug. "Some casual clothes would be nice, but books are more important to me."


    "No surprise there," Qing Yue chuckled. "How about this? We spend the day at the library today, then once this special exam is over, we can rx by shopping all we want next weekend!"


    "Nya¡­ I don''t wannya read¡­" Amane pouted, lightly hitting my arm repeatedly.


    "Qing Yue used to dislike reading as well," I told her, ruffling her hair with a gentle smile on my face. "But then she got into anime and manga¡­ and now she''s an addict to them. I doubt this enormous library will only have non-fiction, magic-rted books, so you and her can just read whatever you want."


    "You''ll enjoy them, I''m sure!" Qing Yue cackled with a toothy grin.


    Several minutes, we arrived at the Facilities Campus. It was split into several different buildings, from theputerb to the gym. But the most impressive one of them all¡­ was a massive three-story circr structure in the middle ¡ª the school library.


    Through the transparent windows, dozens ofrge bookshelves could be seen, ced neatly in parallel with one another. Students sat within it, diligently reading books and studying within the private rooms. A nice, peaceful atmosphere enveloped the library, harmonious and tranquil.


    "Wow¡­" Lan Xiao Su breathed in the air and exhaled deeply, taking in the very essence of this ce.


    "This feels¡­ different from the Library of Infinite Beginnings, somehow," Feng Mian murmured.


    "Yeah¡­ this feels more like a real library, if that makes any sense," Yu An Yan added.


    "¡­!" Yu An Xue suddenly spotted a book in the distance and hurried over to get it. I noticed that her footsteps were pretty much inaudible, despite the fact that she wasn''t particrly trying to get that effect.


    <em>This ce¡­ it must be enchanted with some sort of spell to automatically lower voices¡­ I wonder¡­</em>


    "Ah." I opened my mouth and tried to yell, but it came out as nothing more than a soft whisper, proving my theory correct.


    Yu An Xue soon returned with a book in her hands. She excitedly handed it to me, and I realized what she was so hyped up about.


    The book''s title read:


    ''The Primordial Chaos: Legends of the Universe''.


    *****


    After finding a private room for Mei Gui and I, we sat down and began flipping through the book Yu An Xue found. The other girls also found private rooms to go in themselves, agreeing to meet back at lunchtime.


    About an hourter, we finished reading through the book. Snapping it tight, I turned to Mei Gui.


    "What do you think? Did that help you recover your memories a bit?"


    But contrary to my expectations, she shook her head. "The tales in this book are nothing but legends and myths. Blinding believing in the information told in them is not rmended, Master."


    "That''s true, but legends and myths aren''t just created out of thin air," I argued. "They all are based on something in real life. In all such tales, there is a sliver of truth in them. It''s just that most of the time, no one is able to locate it."


    "Then¡­ what do you think, Master? To me, this book is quite unrealistic, as for one, the Primordial Chaos is not just a paracausal entity with no thought. I am a living counterexample of that. The Chaos possesses its own consciousness ¡ª that''s how I am able to think, and it is also what led me to finding you, the chosen one."


    "¡­ I don''t know about all that, but one thing mentioned in this book does intrigue me quite a bit," I replied with a wry smile. "That is¡­ the theory of there being worlds other than this one."


    "Are you¡­ referring to realms, Master?"


    I shook my head. "No. I''m talking about the theory that our universe, may in fact be a multiverse, and the ce we are in right now is but one of many, with the Primordial Chaos at the center of it all."


    "That is¡­" Mei Gui trailed off, genuinely considering the possibility. After a short silence, she continued.


    "I can''t deny, that is possible. Given the Chaos''s intrinsic trait to bloom endless creation, there is in fact a high chance in the existence of worlds other than our own. But one thing is for certain ¡ª even among all those worlds, you are the only one who can master the Chaos''s power."


    "How can you be so sure? How do you know you don''t have any ''siblings'' of sorts, also connected to the Primordial Chaos, and are helping other individuals right now, as we speak?"


    "Because if I did, I would be able to detect them," Mei Gui replied tly. "If they really do exist, they share the same source of power as me ¡ª the Primordial Chaos. Thus, I would be able to feel their connection, yet I do not. That is what leads to my conclusion. Besides ¡ª there can only be one ruler of the Chaos. Having multiple would only lead to¡­ chaos."


    "I suppose that''s true," I murmured, stretching my arms. "Well, unfortunately, we didn''t find any actually useful information regarding the Chaos Realm and whatnot, but at least we learned some interesting theories that could be true."


    Mei Gui nodded and took the book from me, before heading out of the private room in search of more. She soon returned with various new ones, but their titles somewhat surprised me.


    "Pyromancy: The Art of Fire¡­? Cryomancy: Whisper of Ice¡­ Mei Gui, what are these?"


    "I flipped through them, Master. There are Legendary-Tier spells inside, based on their respective element. Since I found a whole series of them, I just brought them all here."


    "Legendary-Tier spells, you say?" I grinned and immediately flipped the Pyromancy (fire) book open. Luckily, there was a table of contents, which saved me some time. Skipping to the Legendary spells section, I browsed through the various ones listed.


    "Well, well, well¡­ Mei Gui, where did you find these?"


    "The third floor, Master."


    I raised an eyebrow. "It wasn''t locked or anything?"


    She shook her head. "It was open to all students, Master. Though¡­ most of the people up there wore ck uniforms. There were also some green ones, and the number of blue ones there could be counted on one hand. I didn''t see anyone wearing red."


    <em>Huh¡­ how nice. The school doesn''t limit the higher-tier resources to the upper years only. This is good for younger students with talent, who have already polished their magic far beyond their age.</em>


    <em>Man¡­ I''m liking this school more and more.</em>

 Chapter 357 - The Exam Begins

    By the time I finished all four books Mei Gui had brought over, from Pyromancy, Cryomancy, Aeromancy, to Geomancy, it was already lunchtime. I picked up quite a few useful Legendary spells¡­ can''t wait to use them in actualbat.


    <em>Oh, wait¡­ there''s a training room right here in the Facilities Campus, isn''t there? I could go there to try out my newfound spells, but¡­ actually, nah. </em>??


    <em>I should just spend the afternoon learning more ones ¡ª I can just try out the spells tonight, if I can make it into the Infinite Realm. Alternatively, the Void Realm could also work, though cultivating in there is useless now. I really needed to fight someone soon to start advancing again¡­</em>


    Nothing much happened for the rest of that day. After eating lunch, we returned to the library and stayed there all the way until dinnertime. Then, we headed for the dorms. All of us were exhausted from the day of studying, after all¡­


    ¡­ Well, all of us except Lan Xiao Su, who loved books more than anything, and Qing Yue and Amane who just spent the whole time reading manga. No wonder they weren''t tired.


    That night, before falling asleep, I pictured the Infinite Realm''s clear, water-like ground and wide open sky. The tranquil ripples that were created every time I took a step, and the beautiful fluid-like reflections that appeared beneath my feet.


    At first, I thought it didn''t work, but then, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring at the familiar glowing sixteen rock pirs surrounding the one in the middle ¡ª mine. Each one was a different color, while mine was ck and red.


    "Long time no see," a voice said from behind me.


    I quickly spun around to see Sylvoir with her arms folded and mask tilted to one side on her head, revealing her perfect face beneath. She held a faint smile on her face, which was rare.


    Slowly walking towards me, she joined me in staring out at the pirs and ced her hands behind her back.


    "I thought you had forgotten all about us."


    "Sorry, I don''t forget unimed benefits that easily. You can rx ¡ª before I use up all my favors from you and the rest of the Founders, there''s no way in hell I''ll forget."


    "What about after?" She asked, looking up at me. "Are you just going to abandon us after using up the favors?"


    I met her beautiful silver eyes and chuckled softly. "Well. Since I''ve be a Founder, my life is tied to this ce. Even if I wanted to just abandon it, I can''t."


    Sylvoir''s smile widened a bit. "As long as you know."


    Then, turning back to the wondrous sight of the pirs, she took a deep breath. "So? What is it this time?"


    "It''s no big deal. I just wanted to know where the entrance to the Library of Infinite Beginnings is inside Fragment," I replied.


    "You cannot ess it while you are in the university, unfortunately¡­"


    "Yeah, that''s what I figured."


    "However," she continued, catching me off-guard. "If you are in search of some particr information that is contained within the Library''s walls, I can help you out. Juste here every night whenever you have questions."


    I blinked in surprise. "¡­ You''re willing to do that? Didn''t think you had it in you, given how cold you are to me all the time¡­"


    She scoffed. "What kind of person do you think I am? Don''t get me wrong, I still despise you, but this is simply me showing some care for a younger Founder. It is my responsibility, as the creator of this all."


    "¡­ I see. I''ll be counting on you then, Sylvie."


    At this, she flinched and clenched her fists.


    "Tch¡­ maybe I shouldn''t help you out after all¡­"


    "Hey now, no going back on your word."


    "I know, I know¡­ is that all? If that''s all, get out."


    "Hold on," I interrupted before she could kick me out. "I just wanted to ask¡­ can I cultivate in the Infinite Realm?"


    "¡­ Yes, but the Void Realm would be far superior in terms of that. This ce is not meant to be a cultivation haven ¡ª it''s the core of the Library of Infinite Beginnings, made to store knowledge about everything and anything. Nothing more, nothing less."


    "You''ve been monitoring my movements, huh?" I chuckled. "Care that much about me? I''m ttered."


    "Had I know you were this obnoxious, I wouldn''t have chosen you to be the Seventeenth Founder. Now, I can do nothing but endure it. If I could restart everything again, I would definitely not make the same mistake."


    "Alright, fine¡­ but if I need a favor from any of the other Founders, I''ll be counting on you to call them."


    "Worry not. Even if they don''te immediately, I will be sure to ry the message."


    I nodded in satisfaction. "Thanks. By the way, Sylvie¡­ do you live in this ce?"


    She fell silent and closed her eyes, letting the gentle breeze wash over her.


    "¡­ I suppose you can say that. My physical body is still in Eden, guiding newborn Elementals, but my spiritual form is bound to this realm. Anytime you need me, I will be here."


    "Good to know. Oh, and one more thing... can I test out some spells in here?"


    Sylvoir raised an eyebrow. "Er¡­ sure? Just don''t shoot them at the pirs. They''re invincible, but still."


    "Copy that."


    Having been granted permission, I quickly used my entire arsenal of Legendary spells I picked up at the school library earlier today, one after another.


    When I was doneunching explosions and earthquakes everywhere, Sylvoir nodded in satisfaction.


    "You''ve gotten far stronger in such a short time. Choosing you was the right decision."


    <em>Didn''t you just say you wouldn''t have chosen me if given the chance to restart again, though¡­?</em>


    I shook my head and prepared to leave, having sessfully confirmed I could use all the Legendary spells I learned, but the Elemental Founder suddenly grabbed my arm.


    "Wait."


    "¡­?" I tilted my head in confusion.


    "U-Um¡­" she averted her gaze, as if forgetting what she was about to say. "G-Good luck on your exam tomorrow. Just know that¡­ even if all else fails you, the Infinite Realm will always be here for you. No matter what happens out there, this ce will forever be your home, and I will forever be your family."


    "¡­" I stared at her earnest face, genuinely shocked at the motivational speech she just gave.


    "¡­ What?" She snapped, noticing my gaze, and quickly let go of my arm, blushing and turning away from me.


    After a few seconds, I burst outughing.


    "Ha¡­ I didn''t think you had that in you."


    "S-Shut it!"


    "But¡­" I smiled gently and ced a hand on her head, much to her surprise. However, she didn''t push it away.


    "Thank you, Sylvie. From now on¡­ this is my home."


    *****


    The next morning, it was time for the exams. The girls and I arrived at the ssroom early, but made sure not to knock until it was the right time. We didn''t want to be screamed at by Ms. Cai again, afterst time.


    By the time the bell rang, signaling the beginning of sses, about a quarter of our ss still had not arrived. They probably hung out tootest night and overslept today, or they just couldn''t adjust their sleep schedules in time after sleeping in for the weekend.


    Ms. Cai swept her gaze over the ssroom, but there was no noticeable change in her expression even after seeing many seats empty. Instead, she merely began ss as if there was nothing different.


    "Good morning, ss."


    "Good morning, Ms. Cai," the students all responded halfheartedly. None of us were excited for the exam toe, and some weren''t even fully awake yet. Had it been any other homeroom teacher, we probably would''ve been criticized for this, but since this was Ms. Cai we were talking about, she couldn''t exactlyin about us.


    "As you all know¡­ the first special exam of the year is happening today. Stand up, everyone, and follow me¡­"


    We did as instructed as several students hurriedly entered the room, sweating and panting heavily.


    "S-Sorry, Ms. Cai! Won''t happen again!"


    "Ugh¡­ it''s fine, it''s fine¡­ just get in line."


    She seemed like she didn''t even care as she marked something down on her attendance list, then walked on casually out of the room. The rest of us followed.


    We were led to arge stadium of some sort within the Main Campus building, right at the heart of everything. It was mainly ck with glowing blue outlines, giving it a futuristic feel.


    "Wee, ss¡­ to the Arena," Ms. Cai said as all the students gawked in wonder. "Usually, this ce is reserved for duels between students and tournaments, but this exam will be taking ce here as well."


    She continued down the stairs of the audience seatings to arrive at the actual stage in the middle, before turning to one of the four gates and walking in one of them. On it was abel that read ''D''. The rest of us followed.


    But suddenly, she stopped walking in the dark hallway, illuminated by nothing but the same glowing blue outlines.


    "Before we go any further¡­ tell me this, ss. Are you ready?"


    An arrogant kid in the ss rubbed his nose and cackled. "It''s just beating whoever my opponent is in an obstacle course, right? No problem. We got this!"


    "¡­" Ms. Cai fell silent, as the rest of the ss cheered, other than those under mymand.


    It seemed that she, while casual and sleepy all the time, wanted to win as well. The silence she held¡­ it was enough to show her disappointment and defeat.


    <em>Don''t worry, Ms. Cai¡­ the oue of this exam may not live up to your expectations, but our ss will end up in first by the end of the year. I''m not doing this to make you happy, but you can enjoy it as a side benefit.</em>

 Chapter 358 - The First Step

    The hallway led us into a bright room, lit by an electronic light panel on the ceiling. It appeared to be a locker room of some sort.


    Ms. Cai looked around. "Take a seat anywhere¡­ this exnation won''t be short."??


    I immediately went over to a corner and sat in it, with the girls all gathering around me like a human fort. The rest of our ssmates sat on the other end, too nervous to sit beside the beauties.


    Once we all settled down, Ms. Cai cleared her throat and began exining the rules and contents of this special exam.


    "First of all, there will be a short four-way duel between the ss representatives of each ss to determine who gets to choose their opponent. Killing and crippling is not allowed in the duel."


    <em>Oh? I expected it to be allowed¡­ then again, there may be some students who just aren''t apt at directbat but are extremely talented in other areas. It makes sense for the school to want to protect them.</em>


    "Next, every ss rep will need to fill in a form with rowsbeled from 1 to 25. In each row, you are to fill in the name of one of your ss members. There cannot be any duplicates. The number the ss member receives will be correspondent with their opponent from the other ss. Simple enough, correct?"


    "You guys don''t have to worry about anything," Long Lu spoke up. "I''m the ss representative, so this is all my job. You guys just have to focus on your matches."


    "Indeed," Ms. Cai said. "Speaking of¡­ listen closely. I will now exin the contents of the obstacle courses."


    As she turned around to operate the digital whiteboard in the room, I took advantage of this time to send Ming Hao a message.


    [Numbers: Weakest = 1.]


    I kept the message as simplistic as possible since there wasn''t much of a time window for me. Hurriedly stuffing my phone back into my pocket, I managed to seed right before Ms. Cai turned back around.


    "Now, as you can see¡­ the obstacle course will be split into three main sections: physical, intelligence, and magic. The physical portion wille first ¡ª this will just be a normal obstacle course, involving jumping, sliding, hand-eye coordination, and speed. It is the easiest part of the course, so you should try to beat this part as fast as possible."


    The screen disyed the silhouette of a long, jagged rod of some sort, outlined in pink. As Ms. Cai said this, the first portion of the ''rod'' was revealed, depicting various obstacles we had to jump over.


    "I cannot tell you the specifics on what you will be facing in this portion of the exam, as your adaptability and quick reaction skills are part of what''s being tested, but the school has judged the average speed ofpletion on this part to be 1 minute and 33 seconds ¡ª no magic is allowed."


    <em>Ha¡­ there goes the happiness on so many faces.</em>


    She then tapped on the next section of the rod.


    "The second portion of this obstacle course will be testing your intelligence and mental skills. It involves a puzzle you will have to solve to get past. Again, the specifics won''t be revealed at this time, but uh¡­ good luck. There''s a dumb way to solve it, and a smart way to solve it. The dumb way takes a lot of time, so if you can spot the smart method, you''re in luck."


    Da Bao, as usual, raised his hand. "What subject will the puzzle be in? Mathematics? Science?"


    Ms. Cai sighed in exhaustion. "Like I said¡­ I''m not allowed to tell you the specifics right now. Just know that anyone who paid attention to academics in elementary school should know how to solve it."


    <em>So it''s an easy problem¡­ just that 99% of students are too focused on their magic to actually pay attention in any other ss.</em>


    "And finally, the magic portion. This will require you to break a series of barriers set in ce, one by one. The barriers will be escting in strength ¡ª the final one will require five Level Three spells to break. Every time you break one barrier, the rest will be invulnerable for five seconds. However, you can break multiple with one spell ¡ª as long as you have the strength to do so."


    After seeing all of us remain silent, gazing at the screen, she closed it up and folded her arms.


    "Now¡­ any questions?"


    For a second, she looked like she was a proper teacher. But the ck circles underneath her eyes ruined that image near instantly.


    "Alright¡­ I''ll take that as a no. You have five minutes to discuss your tactics. ss Rep¡­ uh, Long Lu, was it? Come out and find me when you are done."


    Saying this, she exited out of the locker room, leaving us alone. Long Lu immediately turned to me, and I stood up, walking over to him.


    As our ssmates made idle chatter,pletely unworried about this exam, I leaned in to Long Lu''s ear.


    "For the battle in a second, do everything in your power to help ss A''s leader win. His name is Ming Hao."


    "Got it¡­ what about the numbers¡­?"


    "Put me, you, Da Bao, and the girls with me as numbers 1 through 12."


    "Alright, understood."


    After confirming he had received my instructions clearly, I backed away and waited patiently for the exam to begin. Long Lu put up an act of rallying the ss together, cheering them on and encouraging them to win their battles.


    Soon after, he left to go see Ms. Cai outside, and the doors to the locker room shut tight. Neither the teacher nor him came back. The screen, however, flickered back to life, and now disyed the Arena in astonishing 4k quality.


    Within it stood four students, all wearing red uniforms. Long Lu, Ming Hao, another dude, and a girl. They looked ready to fight, each standing in a corner of the stage.


    The buzzer buzzed three short times, then a long time to signal the beginning of the fight.


    The dude I didn''t know the name of struck first, smashing the ground and sending a earthquake in Ming Hao''s direction. However, he simply jumped up into the air and hovered there, before preparing for his next attack.


    <em>If I remember correctly¡­ he had Gravity Magic¡­</em>


    As if on cue, he pressed down seemingly at nothing but thin air, but immediately, both the dude who attacked first and the girl who was allied with him were forced to kneel, unable to withstand the crushing weight of the gravity.


    <em>He''s grown stronger since thest time I saw him¡­ by quite a bit. He can probably beat any Advanced Mage I''ve met in the past, if I''m being honest. Even my mother and father may be beaten by him¡­ not that it mattered now.</em>


    Long Lu didn''t let this perfect opportunity go to waste, leaping up into the air and performing a sideways 360-degree rotation as a circle of fire formed around him and his reared-back fist.


    "Level Three Fire Magic¡­ Fist of the Coiled Dragon!"


    He smashed down in the ground right between the two suppressed targets, with Ming Hao letting go of his gravity control right as the impact hit them to send the two flying away, out of the Arena.


    Long Lu then turned back to face Ming Hao and lunged upwards. Even though I told him to let Ming Hao win, putting up an act like this was still necessary. I mean¡­ just look at our ssmates.


    "Go, ss rep! You got this, you got this!"


    "Take him down!"


    "Get that triple! Get it!"


    They had no idea of our n, and there wasn''t any time to exin it to them now anyway. So, we were left with no choice but to still put up a fake yet believable fight. Ming Hao was somewhat surprised by this, but he soon realized Long Lu wasn''t using his full strength. Casting his Gravity Magic once more while remaining in the air, Ming Hao forced Long Lu to the ground and finished him off by stepping on him lightly.


    Long Lu yed along and acted as if the weight of Ming Hao''s foot was crushing, copsing onto the floor.


    [Winner: ss 1-A]


    The text was broadcasted by an unknown AI system and also disyed on the screen.


    "Aw¡­ so close¡­"


    "Man, if it was me, I could''ve won that!"


    "Shut up already, you arrogant bastard. You ain''t gonna do shit!"


    As our teammatesined in disappointment, Long Lu lumbered back to the locker room after taking a healing elixir. Qing Yue could''ve healed him, but this was better as this way, we didn''t have to use her limited mana.


    Ms. Cai returned to the room soon after that and handed the healed Long Lu a sheet of paper along with a pen.


    "You ced second in the four-way duel. Not bad," she said briskly, before exiting again. "Come back to me when you are done with that form. Don''t forget the pen too, that''s my favorite one."


    Long Lu nodded in confirmation and went to work, ignoring the looks our ssmates were giving him ¡ª some of pity, some of condescension, and some of encouragement.

 Chapter 359 - Watched

    Not even a minuteter, Long Lu finished filling the form and went out to hand it to Ms. Cai. Then, he returned, with the teacher still nowhere to be seen. She probably went to submit the form to the higher-ups, or whoever is overlooking this exam.


    But to my surprise, when the screen flickered back to life, I saw a familiar face.??


    "Wee, 1st years, to Shanghai Magic Academy. This is your first special exam here at this school, and it will also be the easiest one. But don''t let your guard down! All the challenges you will be facing here at this school will be nothing like any other."


    "¡­ Qian Hua?" I murmured faintly, but the girls heard me.


    "Hm? You know her?" Feng Mian asked, confused.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ have you been courting more girls behind our backs?!" Qing Yue whispered sharply, and I quickly shook my head.


    "No, no, I just¡­ ran into her by chance."


    The girls were skeptical, but they turned their attentions back to the screen.


    "My name is Qian Hua, and I am your student council president. I am a 3rd year at this school, and perhaps some of you may know me as the Child of the Future, an unparalleled genius and prodigy in magic, academics, and the arts. But believe me ¡ª all of you have the potential to reach where I''m at today, given the right motivation and attitude. As a famous man once said ¡ª genius is 1% talent, 99% hard work."


    <em>Hm¡­ certainly, hard work can make up for deficiencies in talent, but it still cannot be denied that those who are born talented will always have an advantage over those who aren''t.</em>


    "Usually, the teachers are the supervisors for special exams, but this year, I requested a change. I feel that you all can perform better if another student is the one supervising you, rather than a teacher. Therefore ¡ª do your best, everyone. Those who exceed their limits and my expectations¡­ a seat in the student council may be waiting."


    <em>Hmph¡­ what a bullshit excuse. You just want to witness how I''m going to win our bet, don''t you?</em>


    <em>Well¡­ it''s fine, I suppose. If it''s a show she wants, a show she won''t get. I''ll remain perfectly normal and blend in, making it impossible for her to gauge my true ability.</em>


    Her speech seemed to have motivated many students, however, as our ssmates immediately got rowdy ¡ª especially the boys.


    "It''s Senior Qian! It''s really her!"


    "Where is she?! I want an autograph¡­!"


    "¡­ Well. She''s certainly popr," Feng Mian blinked a few times in surprise. "Though from what I heard just now¡­ I guess it makes sense. An unbeatable talent in every aspect, and that beautiful as well¡­"


    "Really? I don''t think she''s any more beautiful than you," I said casually, keeping a neutral expression on my face.


    "E-Eh?" Feng Mian blushed and look away, burying her face in her knees. "M-Mou~¡­ don''t say something like that so suddenly¡­"


    "What about the rest of us?" Yu An Yan asked, a smirk on her face.


    "I''d say you''re all about the same as her, appearance-wise," I replied calmly. "Though in terms of strength, it''s undeniable she''s stronger than you all ¡ª right now, anyway. I believe you can surpass her one day."


    "Hehe, we definitely will!" Qing Yue cheered.


    "Now then¡­" Qian Hua continued, on the screen. "In a moment, the lockers to your sides will open up to reveal simtion capsules just big enough to fit one person in. All 25 members of a ss, step into one capsule each. Don''t worry about order or anything, as the system will figure that out on its own based on the forms your ss representatives submitted."


    <em>Lockers? Oh¡­ now that she mentions it¡­ these lockers do look bigger than usua-</em>


    As if on cue, the locker doors suddenly slid open on their own, revealing a tall socket of some sort that looked somewhat like the seat inside a spaceship you would find in manga and anime. I climbed into the one right in front of me, and the girls did the same with their own.


    It was quitefortable, and I found myself in a half-lying down position. But s, my peacefulness was quickly disturbed by a female AI whispering into my ear and various holograms disying information suddenly appearing in front of me.


    [Simtion ZERXY: Start.]


    [Host number: 07]


    [Host name: Xuan Kai]


    [Elemental Affinities: E???R?R?O?R?? ]


    [Calibration process: Start.]


    Suddenly, metal locks closed around my ankles, preventing me from moving.


    [Leg calibration: Complete.]


    My wrists were next, bound by the same thick metal cuffs that somehow feltfortable.


    [Arm calibration: Complete.]


    Andstly, my neck.


    [Head calibration: Complete.]


    [Calibration process: Complete.]


    [Host, please close your eyes. The simtion will now begin.]


    Left without any other choice, I did as told and rxed my mind.


    [3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­]


    Breathing in deeply, I exhaled as the capsule''s ss screen slid down before me and enclosed me within the socket.


    [Simtion ZERXY: Initiated.]


    My eyes snapped back open, and I found myself staring at apletely white room. The walls, floor, and the ceiling were all made of the same glowing white material, as if they were lights. The locks on my wrists, ankles, and neck were gone, allowing me to move freely.


    I wore a white jumpsuit that covered my entire body, paired with purple lines for decoration. But despite not wearing real shoes, my feet weren''t slippery at all. It was as if I had beenpletely freed from all burdens, enabling me to put up my best performance.


    "Alright!" Qian Hua''s familiar voice rang out from all around me, but I couldn''t see a screen or speakers anywhere. "If you are ready, raise your hand high up into the air and make a thumbs-up gesture!"


    <em>So she can see what''s going on in the simtion¡­ not that I''m surprised. I just had a sliver of hope I wouldn''t have to put up an act¡­ ugh, whatever.</em>


    I casually raised my hand, forming a thumbs-up gesture. Several secondster, Qian Hua''s voice spoke once more.


    "Perfect ¡ª it seems everyone is ready. Now, when I finish my countdown, the wall directly in front of you right now will open. When that happens, the timer will begin. Remember, although all of you are doing this obstacle course at the same time, you only need to beat your chosen opponent to score a point for your ss. On your left wall, you can see your opponent''s current progress in the course."


    I looked to my left to see that the white wall now disyed a map of the obstacle course, along with a red pinpoint marker of some sort at the very left end. Above this little diagram was a string of text along with an image of my opponent.


    "Oh¡­ what a coincidence," I murmured as I stared at the disyed name and picture.


    [Name: Xiang Tian]


    [Current Progress: 0%]


    "On your right, you can see your current stopwatch," Qian Hua continued, and I turned to my right wall, where a timer was disyed.


    [00:00:00]


    "When I say go, that timer will start, and the exam will officially begin. Now ¡ª is everyone ready? Same gesture, please."


    I raised my hand once again and made a thumbs-up, tired of all these formalities. Several secondster, she spoke once more.


    "Good, it seems everyone is good to go. Now then¡­ I deem the start of the first special exam of the 1st years ¡ª 3, 2, 1-"


    I got into a running position, ready to take off.


    "-Go!"


    The wall before me slid open to reveal the first portion of the exam ¡ª physical obstacle course. I immediately dashed towards it.


    The first obstacle was simple ¡ª hurdles. I kept an average speed throughout them, even though I could''ve went much faster. The next stage showed a narrower passageway, with a fluid that looked likeva below. Three pendulum-like things swung left to right in front of me, one after the other. Another ssic.


    Right after the closest pendulum passed by me, I sprinted across, making it past two. However, I stopped at the final one, waiting to let it pass before continuing onwards. With my true speed, I could''ve easily made it across all three at once, but to remain consistent with my performance from before, I had to do this.


    The next part was monkey bars. Once again, below was a pit of steamingva. I didn''t know if it would hurt if I fell into it as this was just a simtion, but I wasn''t eager to check either.


    Immediately hopping onto the first bar, I slowly made my way across, one at a time. If I wasn''t being watched right now, I would''ve simply grabbed onto the first bar and swung all the way across using my core strength or climbed up on top for an easier journey, but I had to do this the more tedious way.


    Screw you, Qian Hua.

 Chapter 360 - Obstacle Course

    After crossing the monkey bars, the next section seemed to just been an open path for about 100 whole meters ¡ª or so I thought.


    <em>Just in running? Yeah, right.</em>??


    I knew it wasn''t just going to be this easy, so I hesitantly stepped forward with just one foot, Immediately, spikes dropped down on from above, stopping mere inches away from the ground.


    <em>Hm¡­ I can make it across easily with my enhanced Blessing Magic, but this is still part of the physical portion of the obstacle course. No magic is allowed here, so¡­ aha.</em>


    I got into a crawling position and slowly edging forward. As soon as I poked my head close, the spikes dropped down, stopping a few centimeters away from my body. I kept my head low, gulping nervously, and continue to crawl towards the light.


    Every time I passed a block of spikes, a new one dropped down in front of me, not giving me any time to breathe.


    <em>Come on¡­ almost there¡­</em>


    After some intense struggle, I managed toe out unharmed on the other side. I nced to my left to check my opponent''s progress, and saw that Xiang Tian was ahead by roughly 8%.


    <em>Good¡­ everything''s going to n.</em>


    Directly in front of me was arge wall of some sort that didn''t allow me to see what was ahead. Within the wall was a door, which I had to jump high to crawl into. It wasn''t easy by any means, but definitely achievable without magic.


    I also noticed that the elevation of the tform I was on was steadily getting higher over time, which meant people who can''t reach the door at this height would eventually be able to, just at the cost of time.


    I took a few steps back for a running start, then dashed towards the wall at full speed. Once I was at it, I used my momentum to scale my body upwards. My fingertips could''ve wrapped around the ledge easily, then pull the rest of my body up, but I refrained from doing so to purposely waste some more time and fell back down.


    That was a fairly believable fail, so I could make myself appear even weaker. I took a few steps back again and leaped up, this time grabbing the ledge and sessfully making it through the door. If I did the same thing a second time, it would be suspicious ¡ª especially given how close I was the first time.


    [Stage Two.] A familiar AI spoke gently as a walked through the door into a ck corridor,ing out on the other side.


    This, was the intelligence part of the obstacle course. I nced at the progress bar to my left and saw that Xiang Tian was still stuck on this part, then turned back to the puzzleid out in front of me.


    It was a square frame, fixed on a podium. Within the frame were 15 square tiles all of the same size, ced by side with four in each row. The fourth and final row only had three tiles in it, leaving the bottom-right slot empty.


    The tiles werebeled from 1 to 15, but scrambled in a random order. This test was basically the famous 15 puzzle, which I''ve never actually done before but have heard about and know what the objective of the puzzle is.


    Essentially, we had to arrange the numbered tiles in a way that 1 would be in the top left corner, then just count up from left to right first, then up to down. The end position should have 1 2 3 4 in the first row, 5 6 7 8 in the second, and so on.


    It wasn''t all that difficult, but can be time consuming for people who have never tried this before. However¡­


    <em>¡­ I wonder. If I get disqualified from this exam¡­ that means an automatic victory for the other side, right?</em>


    With this in mind, I hesitantly picked up the tilebeled ''1'' and reced it with ''14'', which was originally in the top-left slot, thus switching their positions instantly without having to do the actual puzzle.


    After waiting for a few seconds to get disqualified, however, I heard nothing, and frowned in confusion.


    <em>Well, I''ll just keep going, I guess¡­</em>


    In 30 seconds, I finished the whole puzzle by simply picking up the pieces and fitting them into their right slots without bothering to do any actual sliding. As soon as I fit 15 into the final slot, the wall ahead of me opened up to reveal another ck corridor, leading to the next stage of the exam.


    <em>¡­ No way that just worked. You''re kidding.</em>


    <em>Was this why Ms. Cai said there was a smart way and a dumb way to do this¡­? The ''smart'' way is just outright cheating?</em>


    <em>I mean, to be fair, neither the teacher nor the student council mentioned you weren''t allowed to do what I just did, but¡­</em>


    I nced at the progress bar to my left and saw that Xiang Tian was still stuck, much to my dismay.


    <em>¡­ Damn. If I stand around here wasting time, it''ll seem suspicious. I have no choice but to keep going¡­</em>


    I quickly passed through the corridor and arrived on the other side. I couldn''t afford to breeze through this again, and there wasn''t any way I could get disqualified in this section as it was just a test of magic and no rules were existent.


    [Stage Three.]


    Before me, arge, translucent barriery. Well, to be particr, it was a series of barriers, but that made it all the better for me.


    I rushed towards the barrier and sank my fist into it, pretending to have used Blessing Magic on myself to enhance my physical strength. Naturally, the barrier remained unbroken. I smirked deep down, until-


    "My, my, I see many students using Blessing Magic to try and break through the barriers," Qian Hua''s voice echoed across the chamber, and I grit my teeth in annoyance. "All of you here have more than one element, so use those other ones if you want to break through these barriers. Summoning and Enchantment won''t work either!"


    <em>Well. This is¡­ a bit of a problem.</em>


    This way, she was essentially telling me explicitly that if I continued to use Blessing Magic, she would be suspicious. Naturally, I wanted to avoid that, but I also had the deal with Ming Hao to worry about.


    I turned to my left and saw that Xiang Tian had finally gotten past the puzzle part and was now on the same stage as me. That was good and all, but the thing was¡­ even if I used the weakest offensive spell in my arsenal, it would still break through these first three barriers at the very least.


    Besides, I couldn''t exactly use a Level One spell either, since on the surface, I was an university student, an Advanced Mage. Using basic magic like that would hardly be convincing. I might as well write ''I''m holding back'' on my face.


    Gulping in nervousness, I cursed under my breath and just did the only thing I could and hoped for the best.


    <em>Level Three Poison Magic ¡ª Corrosive Aura.</em>


    Casting a dark ck dome of poison around the barrier, I hoped it would take some time to melt it away, but it did it instantly.


    <em>Ugh¡­</em>


    My n was originally to use Poison Magic so that rather than one-shotting the barrier, it would take some time, but apparently my spells were far too strong for that.


    To make matters even worse, my poison bubble destroying the barrier instantly was all caught on tape for Qian Hua to see. The color of my magic wasn''t too big of a problem since people could do that using certain Magic Artifacts as well, but I couldn''t hide the strength of my attack.


    I sighed. <em>To think there would be a day when I wish to be weaker again¡­</em>


    Without letting my disappointment show on my face, I quickly moved onto the next barrier and did the same thing after the five-second cooldown timer. Since it workedst time, there was no logical reason for me to switch to a different spell, hence why I was stuck using this one.


    Just like with the first, the second barrier broke instantly as well.


    <em>Goddammit¡­</em>


    I turned to the left wall again to check on Xiang Tian''s progress. The good news was, with all my hesitation and my failed first attempt with Blessing Magic, he was slightly ahead of me right now, having already broken the next barrier. But when he reaches theter ones¡­ he''ll have a tough time for sure.


    Narrowing my eyes, I used the same spell on the third barrier. As expected, it broke instantly once more.


    This is going to be the first and only time I''ll cheer my own opponent on, but¡­


    <em>You got this, Xiang Tian. Beat me in this battle.</em>

 Chapter 361 - A Loss Is A Victory

    As I continued to breeze past barrier to barrier with the exact same move, I noticed Xiang Tian''s speed visibly slow down as he reached theter ones which were thicker and harder to break.


    I looked ahead of me. There were only two barriers left I had to break, and currently, I was tied with Xiang Tian in terms of progress.??


    I held up my hand and broke the secondst barrier in an instant with my poison cloud, which was supposed to be the weakest damage-per-second attack in my arsenal. Walking up to the final barrier standing between me and defeat disguised as victory, I narrowed my eyes.


    <em>I have to do something¡­ what can I do¡­ oh, wait.</em>


    I raised up my hand, then purposely cast a different spell than what was intended.


    <em>Level One Psychic Magic ¡ª Mind Seize.</em>


    Casting this on myself, I let my mental defenses down and allowed my own mental attack to take control of me. In an instant, I cked out and fainted, copsing onto the ground.


    <em>Sometimes¡­ a temporary loss is a victory in reality, no matter the sacrifices that need to be made.</em>


    *****


    - Hours Later -


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai!" Qing Yue called out as I blinked my eyes open. "You''re awake¡­ finally¡­"


    She had tears in her eyes as she hugged me tightly, having crawled into the infirmary bed I was given.


    "What happened¡­?" Feng Mian asked, confused. "They said you fainted in the simtion and had to be brought here. All of us hurriedly came over to check, but you''ve been unconscious for the past three hours¡­"


    "Ah¡­ that was longer than I expected," I said, scratching my head awkwardly. "Sorry to waste your time."


    "No no," Yu An Yan shook her head. "You had us worried sick, but that''s not the point. We just want to know what happened and how you fainted."


    "About that¡­ it''s from MDS," I said, hoping to make them get the hint with my eyes.


    "Mana Deficiency Syndrome?" Lan Xiao Su tilted her head curiously. "But¡­ your mana signatures seem-"


    "I''ll exin more when we get back to the dorm, okay?" I quickly cut in before she could go any further.


    Clearly, she had <em>not</em> gotten the hint.


    *****


    Once they got back to the dorms, I finally told them what really happened.


    "¡­ So in other words, you pretended to try and cast the poison cloud, but in reality hit yourself with a faint attack instead, thus making it seem like you were struck by MDS," Lin Luo concluded.


    "Yeah, that''s about right."


    "¡­ You''re crazy, you know that?" Feng Mian said with a sigh, smiling wryly.


    "I''ll do whatever it takes to win. Or rather, in this case, lose."


    "I suppose¡­" Yu An Yan looked away. "Only you would be able toe up with such¡­ stupid yet effective strategies."


    "As long as it works, I don''t care how dumb or underhanded it is," I replied with a chuckle. "Now then¡­ are the results of the exam out yet? Which ss is in first?"


    "Not yet," Obsidia said, ncing down at her phone. "I''ve been waiting since the exam ended. No sign."


    I fell into thought. "Hm¡­ does it really take that long to tally up scores, as the best university in the world¡­?"


    As if on cue, all of our phones suddenly beeped simultaneously, signaling we all got sent a message.


    "That should be it," Qing Yue murmured, quickly pulling out her phone to check.


    "Nya! It is!" Amane eximed, practically shoving her phone screen in my face. "Nyook, Xuwan Kwai!"


    "U-Uh, I have my own phone¡­" I muttered ufortably, but was kind of forced to look at hers instead.


    "Huh¡­ seems everything went¡­ mostly within expectations?" Feng Mian murmured hesitantly.


    On Amane''s (and everyone else''s) phone disyed the following information via text message:


    [CLASS POINT RANKINGS]


    [ss A: 25 points]


    [ss C: 13 points]


    [ss B: 12 points]


    [ss D: 0 points]


    "We have 0, huh?" I chuckled.


    "You seem awfully unconcerned for such a number," Lin Luo scoffed, folding her arms.


    "It''s only 25 points," Mei Gui analyzed calmly. "The exams from here on out are bound to award more. This is no big deal."


    "Indeed. Us having 0 is in fact better this early in the year, since it''ll make the other two sses think we''re extremely weak and aren''t even worth fighting against," I added. "But speaking of the other two sses¡­"


    "They¡­ decided to split the points¡­ up?" Yu An Xue tilted her head and frowned in confusion.


    "Yeah¡­ it seems they too are going for a long-term rtionship by doing this," Yu An Yan sighed. "It seems that, if no other incidents happen, this whole year will just be ss B and ss C against ss A and us."


    "Hopefully, with this, our ssmates realize just how weak they are and actually start cooperating with one another," Feng Mian said with a shrug, shaking her head in disappointment. "Working together is just not my cup of tea."


    "Me neither," I said. "But it''s an important skill to have. Either way¡­ things are going just as nned so far. All we have to do is wait until the next special exam rolls around, then aim for third or so then, slowly minimizing the gap between the sses."


    "But to do that, we''ll need to make sure no same ss ces first for many exams in a row," Lan Xiao Su added helpfully.


    I nodded. "Naturally. With the help of ss A, doing that is simple."


    "You are saying that as if they are really your allies," Lin Luo snorted from a short distance away. "They are nothing but your tools. Once the final exam rolls around, you will just stab them in the back and take first ce."


    "Why are you evenining, mortal?" Mei Gui challenged, walking up to her. "Master is carrying your useless self to take first ce, yet you are not only ungrateful, but also reprimanding his actions? How pitiful."


    "I hate him. It''s that simple."


    "¡­" Mei Gui held a killing gleam in her eyes, but I intervened before any blood could be shed.


    "Mei Gui, no."


    "¡­ But Master¡­"


    I firmly shook my head. "Just leave her be. When the time reallyes, she still has no choice but to follow my orders. That''s all I care about."


    "Tch¡­" Lin Luo sent me a disgusted re, then stormed off deeper into the dorm room.


    "Well¡­ what do you say we get some dinner?" Qing Yue raised her hand hesitantly, disrupting the tense atmosphere. "I''m kinda hungry, ehehe¡­"


    I smiled and patted her head.


    "Sure... oh, and nobody call Lin Luo."


    As we prepared to set off, however, I received another message on my phone. This time, it was for me only.


    "Who could it be...?" I wondered aloud, opening my messages app. I had been expecting Ming Hao, but to my surprise, it was someone else, requesting a meet-up in person.


    "... Sorry, you guys. It seems someone wants to have a little talk with me, and I don''t exactly have the option to refuse."


    "W-What? Who is it, to be able to force even you to do something?" Feng Mian asked curiously.


    "Oh no, she''s not forcing me to do anything. I''m just going because this seems interesting."


    "... So you do have the option to refuse, you just don''t want to spend time with us," Qing Yue pouted, folding her arms. "Meanie!"


    "Uh... I''ll make it up to you all sometime. But for now... gotta go."


    I dashed out of the room before they could react.


    "Hey!"


    *****


    "Okay... now then, where''s the meet-up location..." I murmured, ncing both ways and scanning for a restaurant by the name of ''Dragon Cutlery''.


    Before long, I found it, deep within the Recreation Campus. It was near the very border of the university grounds, where not many people ventured to since the main attractions were all closer to the middle of the school.


    Inside, only one customer was sitting ¡ª the person who wanted to speak with me.


    I entered the restaurant and casually strolled up to her, before pulling out the chair across from her and sitting down.


    "Wow~ no manners, just sitting down in a seat without even asking, when it''s clearly already upied by another person."


    "Well, should I leave then?" I taunted, raising an eyebrow.


    "No, no... I was just teasing you," the girlughed softly.


    I shrugged. "So was I."


    She stoppedughing and stared into my eyes, a calcting smile on her face.


    "... I was watching you today, you know."


    "Really? I''m ttered."


    "You seemed to have fainted in the simtion due to... Mana Deficiency Syndrome, yes?" She said, taking a bite out of her steak. "Yet here you are, talking to me,pletely fine."


    "What can I say? If there''s one thing that stands out about me, it''s my fast recovery skills from any kind of injury or sickness."


    "Fufu... you have many things that stand out about you, as much as you try to hide them, Xuan Kai. I can feel them... I just haven''t witnessed them with my own two eyes yet. But s, the school year is long. I have plenty of time to watch you, heheh."


    "Sorry, but I''m afraid I''ll be a letdown," I replied nonchntly, shrugging. "Though I will make it into your student council. You don''t need to worry about that."


    "Oh? And just how are you nning to get into my council without showing any of your true abilities?"


    I chuckled. "You said you''ll keep watching me, right? Have fun with that... Qian Hua."

 Chapter 362 - Making Moves (18+)

    [Disimer: 18+ bit starts at the end of the chapter and continues to the next one. Read at your own discretion and try not to nut too hard.]


    *****??


    "Have fun watching me, Qian Hua," I said, before standing up and preparing to leave, but her next words stopped me in my tracks.


    "I will, Xuan Kai. But¡­ 4th is not a good ce to start. When I was in your year, I ced first in this exam."


    "Commendable. Unfortunately, you had a functioning ss. I don''t."


    "You''re afraid of being targeted by the other sses, yes?" Qian Huaughed. "I suppose that is logical. If it were an individualpetition, you could probably beat any other student in the 1st year, but as a member of the student council, teamwork and leadership skills are vital. Best of luck, Xuan Kai¡­ and let me know if you need any advice."


    "It''s not like you''ll tell me even if I did ask," I snorted.


    "Hm¡­ but how do you know that?" She said with a wry smile.


    I raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh, is that so? Then¡­ what''s the next special exam going to be?"


    She giggled. "You''ll find out tomorrow."


    I froze. "That quick¡­? We just finished this one!"


    "The one you did today can hardly even be counted," she exined. "It was more of a¡­ diagnosis, to gauge the overall ability of the four sses. The real thing starts tomorrow."


    "I see¡­" I muttered. This changes things. Long Lu would need to rally the ss together quick, given the short amount of time we have. "Thanks for the info. I''ll be taking my leave. See you next year, in the student council."


    "Fufu~ see you."


    As I left, Qian Hua stared at my disappearing figure and rested her cheek on her hand with a smirk on her face.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ can he really surpass me and challenge Liu Jian, I wonder?"


    *****


    After the short meeting with Student Council President Qian Hua, I headed for the restaurant where the girls were all eating. When I arrived there, however, I spotted a second year student sitting in what was supposed to be my spot, while the girls wore expressions like they were trying to hide in theirughter.


    <em>What is going on¡­?</em>


    With a raised an eyebrow, I headed over to see what was happening.


    "Oh, Big Brother Xuan Kai, you''re here," Qing Yue said as she noticed me.


    "Uh¡­ yeah. Who is this¡­?"


    "Ah, are you these fine beauties'' friend? I apologize, they just seemed so unhappy that I had toe over and see what was troubling them," the student said, standing up with a warm smile on his face, then turned back to the girls. "If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, you can call me. Here''s my number."


    He left a name card of some sort on the table, then quickly turned tail and headed out of the restaurant, satisfaction evident in his footsteps. As soon as he was out of earshot, however, the girls burst out inughter.


    "¡­ What was that all about?" I asked, confused as I sat down in his ce.


    Mei Gui sighed. "He tried using a charm spell to make us fall in love with him, but¡­ being around you for so long has made us all immune to mental attacks like that, Master. Since you progressed in your Chaos cultivation once more, it has spread to the rest of us as well. Our minds are essentially protected by a barrier made of Chaos energy, stemming from you."


    "So, you guys yed along, I''m assuming?" I chuckled, shaking my head.


    "Yep!" Qing Yue eximed, giggling happily. "I can''t believe he actually thought it worked¡­"


    I picked up the name card he left on the table. "Liu Yuan¡­ 2nd year student, ss 2-B."


    <em>Liu Yuan? Is he rted to Liu Jian, somehow?</em>


    Lin Luo scoffed. "He''s even more disgusting than you are, Xuan Kai. And that''s hard to achieve."


    "You shouldn''t have even let him take my seat in the first ce," I rolled my eyes.


    "What, jealous?" Qing Yue teased, smirking suggestively.


    "No, I just feel kinda disgusted, sitting in the seat he was just in. Hell, it''s still warm," I cringed.


    "It''s fine, Xuan Kai¡­ we all know you''re just jealous," Yu An Yan joined in, poking fun at me.


    I sighed. "Maybe I should''ve just eaten with Qian Hua¡­"


    "Q-Qian Hua?!" Lan Xiao Su yelped in surprise. "The student council president?! Y-You''re on full-name basis with her?!"


    I nodded. "Mhm."


    "H-Hmph¡­ we aren''t jealous at all, if that''s what you were trying to do," Feng Mian pouted and averted her gaze, folding her arms.


    "Yep. Definitely not." Yu An Yan hurriedly nodded in agreement.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai likes me best!" Qing Yue eximed happily, clutching my arm. Luckily, the restaurant was so loud that we didn''t attract much attention apart from the girls'' beauty.


    "We can order nyow, right? Xuwan Kwai is here¡­" Amane suddenly interrupted, raising her hand and rubbing her stomach. "I''m syo hungry¡­"


    "Mm¡­ me¡­ too¡­" Yu An Xue added timidly.


    "Uh, you could''ve just ordered without me, you know?" I said awkwardly.


    "But then that clown would''ve ended up eating with us," Yu An Yan replied. "That''s thest thing I want."


    "I suppose¡­ that''s fair."


    Obsidia, Mei Gui, and Lin Luo merely sighed in discouragement, disappointed by the childish actions and mindsets of the other girls.


    *****


    After eating, we returned to the dorms. I let the girls take showers first, then went in myself. When Feng Mian, who was thest one to go before me exited the bathroom, however, I noticed a flushed expression on her face and her heavy panting. She also hadn''t talked all that much recently, which was unusual.


    <em>That''s¡­ not normal. Is she on her period, maybe?</em>


    I didn''t know much about girls, so I had no idea what was going on and just headed into the bathroom. Mei Gui was who I always consulted first when it came to questions, but since she was an Elemental, I didn''t know if she knew much about periods either.


    I turned on the tap and let the water wash over me after stripping all my clothes off. I nced down at the muscles on my arms and abdomen, ripped yet not bulky. They were proof of all that happened since my awakening, every battle, every training session.


    I finished bathing soon after that, excited to see what these new ss standings would mean starting tomorrow. But just as I was about to close the shower¡­


    I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and a few soft footsteps that sounded like they were very near. I furrowed my brows.


    <em>Did someone just¡­ enter the bathroom while I''m showering?</em>


    Perplexed, I hesitated before turning off the water, but suddenly, the shower curtains were pulled open as a familiar girl stepped over the ledge and ran into my arms, hugging me tightly.


    <em>What the¡­</em>


    I stood shocked,pletely unable to do a thing as I tried to wrap my head about what just happened. The bouncy, soft feeling of her body pressed against mine wasn''t exactly helping either.


    "Feng Mian¡­? What are you doing-"


    "X-Xuan Kai¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I can''t¡­ I can''t hold back anymore¡­"


    She suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a deep kiss.


    My eyes widened at this sudden attack, and my first instincts were to push her away. Breaking free from her grasp, I backed away a few steps until I reached the wall of the tiny shower space.


    "Feng Mian, what''s going on? Why are you¡­"


    It was then that I realized the tail that had sprouted from her waist, the two long purple horns on her neck, and the small violet wings on her back. Immediately, I knew what had happened.


    <em>Her subus side¡­ no way¡­</em>


    She stepped forward, closing the distance between us in a second as the bath towel surrounding her voluptuous body dropped down to the floor. I gulped in nervousness as I stared at her beautiful and ample breasts, tracing my eyes down to her abdomen and atstnding on her virgin pink pussy, which was soaking wet. Whether that was from the shower or simply her body''s natural love juices, I had no way to tell.


    Immediately, she pressed her body against mine, and the softness and warmth I felt at that time were indescribable. Her sexy figure, paired with the wetness and hotness of the shower, made my mind nearly nk out.


    "F-Feng Mian, wait-" I began, trying to calm her down somehow, but she suddenly grabbed my lifeline, which had subconsciously turned hard from this scene.


    "Wait?" She echoed, licking her lips. "Your dick here doesn''t seem to want to wait, though~"


    <em>Ah¡­ this is bad, her subus side haspletely taken over¡­</em>


    Slowly, she began stroking my member. It truly felt like heaven, her soft hand tracing the skin of my dick.


    She then brought her face closer to mine, and invaded my mouth with her tongue. I met hers, lips fighting each other for domination and saliva entangling between our tongues as she continued stroking.


    After god knows how long, she finally pulled away with her tongue still stuck out, letting our shared saliva drop to the floor. By this time, my dick felt like it was ready to burst already from the pleasure, and I tried desperately to hold it in.


    "You''re about to cum, aren''t you~?" She licked her lips seductively, before speeding up her strokes.


    "Ngh¡­"


    "It''s okay, Xuan Kai~ shoot it all out¡­ right onto my tits~"

 Chapter 363 - Irresistible Succubus (18+)

    [Disimer: Read at your own discretion. Feel free to skip this chapter if you don''t want to read it, it won''t impact the plot too much. If you are going to read it, however, get some napkins ready.]


    *****??


    "F-Feng Mian¡­ ngh¡­" I gritted my teeth, trying desperately to hold it in.


    Feng Mian, with hearts in her dazzling purple eyes, licked her lips as she continued stroking my dick, faster than ever.


    "Come on, Xuan Kai¡­ give me all of it¡­ all of your cum~!"


    "Ngh-!"


    I couldn''t hold back any longer, and ended up spraying my entire load right out,nding all over Feng Mian''srge round breasts. Some got onto her face as well, which she licked off seductively.


    "Hehe~ your cum is delicious, Xuan Kai¡­"


    She then got on her knees, cupping my still-hard dick with her two hands.


    "F-Feng Mian?"


    "Fufu¡­ you can''t expect me to just stop after getting a taste, can you~?" She murmured lovingly, inspecting my cock up and down. "It''s still so hard and big, even after cumming once already¡­ I wonder if it can fit in my¡­"


    "G-Guh¡­ fine, I got it. I just have to satisfy your subus needs, right?" I panted heavily, closing my eyes. "Go ahead."


    Feng Mian licked her lips and opened her mouth wide, before stuffing my whole dick into it, right up to the base.


    "¡­!" Her eyes widened in shock from the size of it. I savored this heavenly feeling of warmth and wetness,pletely enveloping my dick in pleasure. I couldn''t pull it back out now.


    I moved my hands to the back of Feng Mian''s head, running my fingers through her elegant long blonde hair and arriving at the back of her neck. I then pulled her towards me, shoving my dick even deeper in her throat.


    "Mmn~!" She bulged her eyes even further, but didn''t offer any resistance. Instead, she began moving of her own ord, sliding her mouth back and forth on my rock-hard cock.


    "Ah¡­ Feng Mian¡­"


    "Slurp~ mmn~" She moaned softly as she continued sucking my dick, wet titties bouncing sexily every time she moved.


    She wrapped her tongue around my dick, coating itpletely with her hot saliva. Before long, I couldn''t take it anymore, and began thrusting as well.


    "Engh~" she moaned as I roughly pushed my dick deeper down her throat, but rather than back away, she threw one arm around my waist and pulled me tighter, as if embracing this feeling. With her other hand, she began fingering herself, stimted from giving me a blowjob.


    Under the hot shower water, I sped up my thrusting as I continued roughly fucking her in the mouth. She sped up as well to match my pace, like the perfect sex partner.


    "Feng Mian, I''m going to cum soon¡­"


    "Yesh~ do it¡­ give me all of your delishoush cum, Xuan Kai¡­!"


    "Feng Mian¡­!"


    "MMN~?!"


    I shoved my dick as deep as it could possibly go for the final thrust, shooting all my cum straight down her throat. Her eyes widened in shock as she took all of it in, cheeks puffed out and flushed. At the same time, she came as well, spraying her love juices from her pussy and onto the wet floor.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­"


    "Ah¡­" Feng Mian opened her mouth as I finally pulled my cock out, leaving some remaining semen behind to drip on the rest of her body.


    The inside of her mouth was filled with my cum, hot and sticky. She breathed heavily, steaming out of her mouth due to the high temperatures in the shower.


    "¡­ You''re fine now, right?" I asked in concern, but she merely smiled and stood up from her crouched position, before closing in on my body once more.


    "Wait¡­ don''t tell me¡­"


    "Hehe~ that was just the warm-up~"


    She suddenly straddled my dick,pletely pressing her body against mine. She then began moving her hip and back and forth to rub her voluptuous and soft thighs against the sides of my cock.


    "See? It''s still ready for more~" she whispered seductively. I could feel her hot breath on my face, and before I knew it, I had pulled her into a kiss once more.


    "Mmn~" she moaned softly, entangling her tongue with mine. I gave in to the pleasure.


    The forey was over; and she grabbed my dick with one hand before rubbing it on the entrance to her pussy. I reached up and wrapped my hand around one of her ample tits, before squeezing it tight.


    "Nya~!" She yelped cutely, almost like a catgirl.


    The stimtion was too much.


    I shoved my dick into her pussy, and she flicked her head up in shock.


    "AH~!" She moaned from the sudden impact as blood came out of her womb, signaling it was her first time. Then, slowly, she turned her head back to me, licking her lips as the pain faded away.


    "Hah¡­ Xuan Kai¡­ how naughty~"


    "It''s your fault¡­!"


    I moved my dick out and shoved it in once more, and again, and again.


    "Anh~"


    She tried moaning out loud, but I silenced her with a kiss, bringing her mouth to mine once more. I grabbed herrge and soft ass with my hands, lifting her up as I continued thrusting my cock deep into her womb.


    I recall reading somewhere that subi be like this on their ''safe days''. I didn''t know the science behind that, but I did know safe days meant no protection was necessary. I''ve never experienced sex myself until now, but I''ve read enough of Qing Yue''s hidden manga stash to know what it was and how to do it.


    "Engh~ harder, Xuan Kai!" Feng Mian moaned in ecstasy, breaking away from my kiss for a brief moment. Iplied, applying more force into my thrusts.


    She locked her legs around my waist to make her pussy even tighter as I continued groping her ass while keeping her lifted up, savoring the heavenly feeling in my hands and the divine pleasure around my dick.


    "MMN~! Ahn, ahn, engh~"


    Every time I thrust, she would moan cutely in ecstasy, further stimting me. Her beautiful breasts shook up and down every time I pumped my dick into her, and I couldn''t stand it after a while. Lifting her up even further, I closed my mouth around her right tit, sucking on it vigorously.


    "E-Eh? Xuan Kai, wai- ahn~!"


    With my hands groping her soft ass, my mouth sucking her gorgeous tits, and my dick thrusting into her tight, wet pussy, I held Feng Mian closely, as she did the same with me.


    "Hah¡­ Feng Mian, I''m going to cum soon!" I said, gritting my teeth and thrusting faster than before.


    "Ahn, yes, fuck¡­ I''m going to as well¡­ let''s do it together~!"


    "You want my cum, right?" I smiled like a devil, squeezing her ample butt.


    "Oh, yes~ please give me all your cum, Xuan Kai~ Fill my pussy up with your hot baby seeds~!"


    "Alright¡­ since you want it so much¡­ here¡­ you¡­ GO!"


    "AHN~!"


    With one final thrust, I pumped my entire load into her womb as both of us froze in that position, letting all my semen flow into her pussy.


    For a second, I thought she had moaned too loudly, but then realized the walls in this dorm were sound-proof. We were safe.


    Slowly, I pulled my dick out of her dripping wet pussy, then marveled as all my cum began flowing out.


    "There''s¡­ so much¡­" Feng Mian panted, tongue stuck out and eyes rolled up in an ahegao-like expression.


    "You''re not done yet, are you?" I suddenly asked, smiling suggestively.


    "Eh¡­?" Feng Mian was confused, then she nced down at my dick, which was still hard even after cumming three times. "Oh my¡­"


    "You started this¡­ now it''s time for you to finish it."


    I grabbed her arms and spun her body around so that her ass was facing me, then pressed her up against the wall.


    "You''re being so rough, Xuan Kai~" she grinned seductively, before cing her hands on her own buttcheeks and spreading them.


    "But this time¡­ I want them in this hole~ I''ve already cleaned it, so don''t worry~"


    <em>Anal¡­? But we need lube¡­ ah, wait.</em>


    I rested my bulging cock between her ass cheeks, right in the crack. "Shake your hips. I''ll prepare something."


    "Hehe~" Feng Mian giggled, before twerking up and down like an obedient little subus. My dick rubbed against the inside of her butt cheeks, which held an unexinable pleasure.


    With my hands, I pumped out some perfume-free soap and coated my dick with it, then held Feng Mian steady.


    "I''m putting it in."


    "Oka- ENGN~!"


    She didn''t even get to finish her sentence before I slid my dick inside the tight entrance of her ass. It felt¡­ way different from earlier. Her pussy coated my dickpletely and felt very tight, but here, only the entrance was while the inside was a lot looser. With the lube, however, it felt amazing.


    "Fuck¡­ Feng Mian¡­"


    "Mmn~ c''mon¡­ thrust it¡­"


    I tightened my grip on her butt cheeks and began moving, sliding my dick in and out of her tight asshole.


    "Ahn~ yes~"


    Every time she moaned like that, I felt the urge to go even faster, even rougher. Before I knew it, I was speeding up.


    "Oh~! Mmfn~ pound my ass more, Xuan Kai~ yes~!"


    "You like that, huh?" I challenged, tearing her asshole wider with my massive cock every time I thrust.


    "Fuck yes~ spank me with those big hands of yours~"


    I licked my lips and smacked her ass as hard as I could.


    "Engh~! Harder!"


    Holding her waist with one hand to help her move to my movements, I used the other to continuously spank her every time I thrust in, just as she wanted. Every time a loud pping sound rang out, it was apanied by a high-pitched, lust-filled moan of ecstasy worthy of a subus.


    I continued pounding her ass as hard as I could, with her cute groans ringing out by my ear. We switched between many different sex positions, and even after getting out of the shower, we continued on the bed, fucking and fucking until she was satisfied.


    By the time we were finally done, I lost track of how many times I came inside of her amazing, sexy body.

 Chapter 364 - Curse Of Chaos

    - The Next Morning -


    I was roused from my sleep by the feeling of something warm, moving in my arms.??


    Slowly blinking my eyes open, the first thing I saw was¡­ Feng Mian''s sleeping face, resting on my naked chest. It was then that I realized <em>she</em> waspletely naked as well, and all the subus features she hadst night were gone. My morning wood wasn''t particrly helping either.


    In an instant, everything that happenedst night came back to me. I quickly got out of bed to try and put on some clothes, careful to avoid waking Feng Mian up. But s¡­ as soon as I budged an inch, I stirred her awake. What a light sleeper.


    "Eh¡­? Xuan Kai¡­ ah-!"


    She realized she waspletely naked as well and wanted to yelp in surprise, but I quickly covered her mouth with one hand and pushed her down on the bed, not letting her make a sound. My hard cock hung above her pussy that I had ravaged the night before, but unlikest night, I had no intention of having sex with her right now.


    Slowly, I raised a hand to my mouth, signaling for her to be quiet, the pointed around the room. There were other girls sleeping right across from us, and if they saw us in this position, there was no telling what would happen. One thing was for sure though ¡ª it wouldn''t be good.


    Therefore, Feng Mian and I slowly got out of bed together, tip-toeing our way to retrieve our clothes. Feng Mian''s was right in this room, sincest night, after getting out of the shower, we had came in here to continue our¡­ session. My school uniform, on the other hand was in my room, where Mei Gui, Qing Yue, and Ling Luo were.


    All three of them were extremely sensitive girls, in the sense that they would easily wake up from any kind of noise or movement. That was why we didn''t go therest night, and chose Feng Mian''s room instead.


    That said, we certainly got lucky¡­ I had no idea how the girls staying with Feng Mian didn''t notice she was gone for way too longst night, but I suppose it was because by the time I went to shower, most of the girls had fallen asleep already given thete hour and the fact that we had to wake up early tomorrow.


    Once I arrived at my room of the three interconnected ones, I took a deep breath.


    <em>Legendary Shadow Magic ¡ª Invisibility.</em>


    I slipped out from behind the corner and tip-toed my way towards the closet, where my uniform was.


    <em>Man¡­ I can''t believe I''m using a Legendary-Tier spell for something like this¡­</em>


    Speaking of, I was low on mana reserves again, but that wasn''t too important right now.


    I gently opened the closet door, careful to make as little noise as possible. Luckily, these furnitures weren''t creaky and old, so no sound was made when opening and closing them. From the hinges, at least.


    I slipped on my underwear and the rest of my uniform, then let out a deep breath just as I canceled my Invisibility.


    "Alright, mission sessful¡­ not."


    I spun around to see Mei Gui staring straight at me, eyes filled with skepticism and concern.


    "Master, why are you sneaking around like this, and even using Invisibility?"


    "Uh¡­ you see, it''s a long story. One that I don''t really have time to exin right now, since I have to go check on some things. So, if you''ll excuse me¡­"


    I hurriedly ran away and headed back into Feng Mian''s room after making sure Mei Gui wasn''t following. She definitely wanted to, but since I didn''t want her to, she stayed. She was so obedient that I feel bad, at this point¡­


    "Feng Mian," I whispered sharply. "I just realized something. Shouldn''t you probably take a shower first¡­?"


    "E-Eh? Uh¡­"


    She had been in the middle of putting on her uniform when I brought this up, so I hurriedly exined my intentions.


    "I-I mean, I kind of came a lot on youst night, so the stench¡­"


    "A-Ah, right!" Feng Mian blushed furiously and ran into the bathroom, refusing to meet my gaze. I can''t really me her, given what happened.


    <em>Well¡­ at least I''m not a virgin anymore.</em>


    *****


    After Feng Mian took her bath, I took mine as well. Turns out, we had left the bath towel she droppedst night in the tub too, so us showering before the others even woke up allowed us to get rid of it.


    While the others got ready for the day, Feng Mian and I sat alone on the couch, having already prepared everything. Both of us sat in silence, neither knowing how to properly start a conversation now.


    After a while, I decided to finally break the ice.


    "So aboutst nigh-"


    "About what happenedst nigh- oh."


    Apparently, we had both tried talking at the same time, leading to an even more awkward atmosphere than it already was. We quickly looked away from one another, biting our lips nervously.


    "Y-You go first," she said atst, prompting me to continue.


    "Ah, okay¡­ so aboutst night¡­ sorry. I couldn''t hold myself back."


    "No, it''s not your fault¡­" Feng Mian sighed, blushing deeply. "I¡­ I tried holding back my subus urges, to prevent that side from taking over me. But¡­ in the end, I was unable to."


    "Was that why you''ve been pretty quiet recently as well?"


    She nodded. "Sorry¡­ this is my fault."


    "I mean¡­ you don''t have to apologize. It felt¡­ good."


    "E-Eh? Really?" Her eyes widened, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.


    "Yeah¡­ I mean, your body is gorgeous. No one can deny that."


    At this, she smiled. "Since you admitted it already¡­ I''ll say it as well. It felt amazing for me too¡­"


    We both trailed off after that, the silence sinking in once more.


    "S-So uh, about your subus side," I suddenly said, starting the conversation once more on a new topic.


    "Yes?"


    "What happens if it triggers when I''m not around¡­? Do you just have to find some random guy and do it with them¡­?"


    Feng Mian furiously shook her head. "No. For some reason¡­ my subus side only seems to trigger around you. It''s like that side of me is attracted to you sexually, somehow, just like how the normal side of me is attracted to you romantical- wait, what am I saying?!"


    "I see¡­"


    Without any warning, I threw an arm around Feng Mian and pulled her body close.


    Her eyes widened. "X-Xuan Kai?"


    "¡­ You''re mine. Heart and body both."


    "¡­ Xuan Kai¡­" she murmured faintly, smiling like the happiest girl in the world as she rested in my arms.


    Then, the romantic atmosphere was disturbed.


    "Master."


    Feng Mian and I immediately broke apart from one another. After seeing who the neer was, I sighed in relief.


    "Mei Gui¡­ you have to stop sneaking up on me like that."


    "My apologies, Master," she said politely with a bow. "But I have an answer as to why you are only aroused around Master."


    "Really?" Feng Mian asked eagerly.


    Mei Gui modded. "Master, do you remember what I said yesterday about your Chaos power influencing by the rest of us now, who have stayed by your side for a little while?"


    I nodded. "Did my Chaos corrode her subus form, somehow...?"


    "Correct. Corrode is not exactly the right word, but your Chaos is certainly the reason why Feng Mian''s subus side only awakens around you."


    "I see..." I sank into though. "That''s a good thing, I suppose. This means Feng Mian won''t got crazy in public or when I''m not around..."


    "Hehe, yep," Feng Mian giggled in response.


    "Perhaps." Mei Gui sat down on the other side of me on the couch. "But this can be a bad thing too, overall."


    I narrowed my eyes. "How so?"


    "Your Chaos has not only affected Feng Mian, Master. The other girls are also bound to you in a simr way now, though they do not possess a subus form."


    "In other words... if I were to abandon them, they would never be able to be with someone else?"


    "Correct. Their heart will be left in a tormented state, never able to love anyone else. If they attempt any kind of sexual activity with anyone but you, they will die, and so will the person they performed such activities with. Such is the curse of Chaos."


    "Well, I never had any intention of abandoning them in the first ce, so..." I sighed. "Each and every one of them has helped me, though in different ways. Since they are in love with me, I will naturally requite... as long as they don''t mind sharing."


    "I don''t think the will," Feng Mian stated confidently. "We''re like a big family, at this point."


    "Oh wait..." I furrowed my brows, remembering someone.


    "What is it, Master?"


    "... Xiang Peng. Has she been affected by my Chaos as well...?"

 Chapter 365 - The Next Exam

    After the girls and I were all ready, we set off for school. We weren''t exactlyte, but we were nowhere near early either.


    On the way, Feng Mian and I kept our distance, refraining from participating in the other girls'' conversations. This was normal for me, but Feng Mian was different. The other girls noticed her unusual quietness, but chose not to bring it up.??


    Once we got into ss, we settled down in our respective seats. We arrived just in time before Ms. Cai began her lesson.


    "Good morning, ss¡­"


    "Good morning, Ms. Cai¡­"


    "So today, I have a few announcements¡­" she said, ncing down at a sheet of paper in her hands and rubbing her eyes. "Firstly¡­ congrattions on cing 4th in the first special exam of the year."


    She said this with her usual monotone voice, making it sound extremely sarcastic. She probably intended this, in all honesty. 4th wasst, after all.


    "W-We know already," a boy sitting near the front muttered in annoyance. "You don''t have to rub it in our faces like that."


    I recognized him to be Da Bao''s friend, the same annoying one who seemed to always have a head-strong attitude and never recognized his own mistakes.


    "But if I don''t rub it in your faces¡­ I''m afraid you won''t ever improve," Ms. Cai chuckled condescendingly, sweeping her gaze over the ss as if we were a bunch of vermin.


    "Me? I don''t need to improve," the boy said, scoffing arrogantly. "If our ss rep had chosen the teams better, we would''ve easily won. I dunno how that dumbass ended up as ss rep, but if you ask me, I''m much better. I could''ve led us to victory."


    Qing Yue nearly choked on her ownughter as she heard this, hiding her face behind her hands.


    "¡­ You lost against your opponent too, did you not?" Long Lu spoke up, raising an eyebrow angrily. "If you are so good, howe you still lost?


    "Hmph. It''s called hiding my strength," he snorted, folding his arms and looking away. "Since I knew this was lost anyway, I chose not to reveal my real power and remain in the shadows. Otherwise, this ss''s only trump card ¡ª me ¡ª will also be exposed, and we''ll have no chance of winning at all. I want to carry y''all, but we have this dimwit as ss rep instead of me, so¡­"


    "This guy¡­!" Long Lu grit his teeth and looked like he was ready to explode, but then he noticed me looking at him. I faintly shook my head, and he rxed, averting his gaze.


    "Now, now¡­ you still have a chance to redeem yourselves," Ms. Cai interrupted, catching all of our attention. "The exam yesterday was but a diagnosis¡­ an introductory cement of the four sses. But in order to make you all try your hardest, none of the teachers told you this. The real first special exam of the school year¡­ starts tomorrow."


    "W-What?!" the ss erupted in shock, but I kept a neutral expression, having already heard this news from Qian Hua.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ you don''t seem surprised at all," Yu An Yan blinked in wonder. "Did you¡­ already predict this?"


    "Predict? No," I snickered. "I was pretty shocked when I first heard it too."


    "When you first heard it¡­" Lin Luo narrowed her eyes. "Someone told you this information beforehand already, then?"


    "Perhaps."


    "Calm down, ss¡­" Ms. Cai sighed in exasperation. "Here at this school, you''re going to have to get used to being alerted to things on extremely short notice¡­ it''s part of your adaptability and reflexive skills. Now then, regarding the actual exam¡­"


    "Wait," Long Lu interrupted, a smirk creeping up his face. "Since our friend here thinks I am unfit for ss rep¡­ how about he take the lead for this exam?"


    He turned to the arrogant boy from earlier, who blinked in shock.


    "E-Eh? Uh¡­"


    "Come on. Where did all your confidence from earlier go?"


    "T-Tch¡­ fine. I''ll lead us to first ce, just watch."


    Long Lu smiled. "I will."


    <em>¡­ Well, I suppose this works too. I can tell that guy is actually pretty strong, but he''s the type to not bow down until someone forces him to. If I can crush him through this experience¡­ I''ll have the opportunity to rebuild him once more, my way. Without a doubt, he wille in useful as an obedient pawn.</em>


    "Alright, ss¡­ tomorrow morning, meet at the front gates of the Main Entrance at exactly 8 AM," Ms. Cai said quietly. "If you''rete, you''re automatically disqualified from the exam, and this ss will be at a disadvantage. That''s all. Remember, never let your guard down in this school. There''s no telling when you might suddenly alerted of a new special exam. Speaking of¡­ we''re having a pop quiz today. Pencils and papers, out!"


    "WHAT?!"


    *****


    <em>Disadvantage, huh?</em>


    As we walked back to the dorms after school that evening, I couldn''t help but recall Ms. Cai''s casual words from earlier today. She had said that if someone were to get disqualified, it would ce their ss at a disadvantage.


    On the surface, this seems obvious ¡ª of course, having one person downpared to other sses won''t be good manpower and brute force wise. But for some reason¡­ I couldn''t shake the feeling that Ms. Cai''s words meant something more. Perhaps¡­ the judging of this special exam happening tomorrow was based on the number of people we had remaining by the end of it or something like that.


    But to meet at the front gates¡­ just what were we doing?


    I doubted it was going to be another individualpetition like the obstacle courses. Rather than a series of 1v1s, I had a feeling this next one would be more about coborating and truly working together as a team. But with that arrogant guy as our leader this time around ¡ª his name was Han Xiao Bing, by the way ¡ª I didn''t know how well that was going to go.


    Still, as long as we managed to gain some points this time, it was fine. We were still early in the year, after all. If my guess was correct and the points we earned from each exam were increased for every exam that passes, evening inst again was no big deal, as long as we got <em>some</em> points at the very least.


    While I was deep in my thoughts, before I knew it, we were back in our dorms. All the girls went to take showers, but one stayed behind.


    "¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai," she said, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    "Uh¡­ yeah?"


    "What happenedst night~?"


    I froze. "¡­ What?"


    "Hehe~ don''t pretend you don''t know what I''m talking about. I heard the noises, y''know. Or should I call them¡­ moans?"


    I quickly covered her mouth and nced around to see if any of the other girls came back for whatever reason. Luckily, the coast was clear, and I removed my hand from her mouth once more.


    "¡­ If you heard everything, why bother asking?"


    "I want to know¡­ why? How long have you two been doing this behind the rest of our backs?"


    "That was the first time," I replied truthfully. "And it was because of her¡­ subus side. ording to Mei Gui, it''s something like the Curse of Chaos. Her subus side only gets stimted around me, and she can only have sex with me. I couldn''t just leave her in that state for school today, so I had no choice but to do that with her."


    "Oh¡­? You sounded like you were having quite a bit of fun, though~"


    "W-Well, yeah. She''s gorgeous, and her body''s amazing," I answered with a chuckle. "There''s no way I can''t feel good from doing it with her."


    "Hm~" Qing Yue giggled and suddenly twisted her body around on the couch to straddle me, looking at me lustfully.


    "¡­ What are you trying to do?"


    She smiled seductively and leaned in close to my ear.


    "I can make you feel even better~"


    It was tempting, but¡­


    I ced my hands around her thin waist and lifted her off me.


    "¡­ Not now, Qing Yue."


    "¡­ Eh?" Her voice was surprised and held a hint of sadness in it, but I couldn''t afford to be doing this right now.


    "There''s a special exam happening tomorrow. If I start doing that with you right now¡­ I probably won''t be able to get a good night''s sleep."


    "Oh~? You canst that long?"


    "You heard usst night, didn''t you?" I scoffed. "The question is¡­ can you?"


    Qing Yue smiled and nted a kiss on my cheek. "You''ll find the answer to that once this exam is over~"


    She left, having came to an agreement with me, and I sighed.


    Since we were all 18 now, doing things like this wasn''t out of the ordinary, but¡­


    ¡­ You know what? Screw it. I have all these beauties around me, and they are all in love with me as well. Why don''t I just admit the truth and make them truly mine?


    I think¡­ that way, it''ll be better for our¡­ ahem,bat efficiency too.

 Chapter 366 - Capture The Flag

    - The Next Morning -


    It was 8 AM. All the students in the first year had gathered at the front entrance of the Main Campus, where their respective ss teachers stood. But all of our gazes were drawn to one thing and one thing only:??


    The massive portal behind them.


    It was like a rift in reality; arge, spinning blue circle of energy. The vortex generated plenty of wind, causing the trees and bushes to sway side to side. I didn''t know who created this portal, but whoever it was, they were definitely quite strong.


    I had traveled through a Space Magic portal before, back during the invasion of the Midnight Syndicate on Shenzhen. The mayor had created a portal for us to go through, cutting the monsters off before they could reach any more of the city. But back then, the portal was small and could only fit one person at a time. This one, however, was enormous, able to teleport everyone here in the matter of a few seconds.


    "All students, follow your respective teachers," the ss 1-A teacher said once he had finished taking attendance for his own ss. "ss A, follow me through the portal."


    The students were confused, but they had no choice but to listen and obey for now. Perhaps the exam would be exined on the other side. ss B was next to go, then C. Ms. Caizily took attendance for us, then led us through the portalst.


    Once we were on the other end of the portal, we found ourselves staring at an immense temple, big and luxurious. It was surrounded by a vast bamboo forest for as far as the eye could see, which gave this ce a natural and Asian feel. The roofs of the buildings were nted and curved up at the very end, confirming my suspicions.


    "Woah¡­" Qing Yue murmured from beside me, eyes dazzling with excitement and awe.


    "Wee, everyone, to the first proper special exam of the school year," a voice suddenly said from above, and we all turned up to see who it was.


    There, the student council president ¡ª Qian Hua ¡ª hovered, levitating in the air above a cloud with a smile on her face.


    "Yo! It''s really her! Senior Sister Qian!"


    "Senior Sister!"


    "Student Council President!"


    "The Child of the Future, huh?" I muttered, shaking my head in exasperation at her fame.


    "I will now be exining the rules and contents of this exam, so listen carefully," she said, expression turning serious. "Save all questions for the end, since we don''t have much time."


    After making sure everyone had settled down and were paying attention, she continued.


    "The way this exam will work is as follows: each ss will possess their own Base, and they have to attack other sses'' Bases while protecting their own. Pretty simple, right?"


    The crowd stirred a bit as they tried to figure out if it were really that easy. I had no doubt what she just said was the core of the exam, but there was definitely a lot more to it.


    "The temple before you right now is a Base. ss A''s Base, in particr. Three more just like this will be stationed around the forest, one covering each of the four cardinal directions. This one, is North," she exined, pointing at the temple. "Within these temples are five collectibles each to be guarded by the Base''s owner. For the sake of this exam, we''ll be calling them gs. To earn points, you have to steal these gs from other sses and bring them to your own Base. Now then¡­ any questions?"


    "So, it''s essentially like a four-way capture the g?" Ming Hao asked, raising his hand.


    Qian Hua nodded. "Correct. You are free tounch sneak attacks at night or outright siege other Bases, and forming alliances between sses is perfectly fair y as well. The only thing that is forbidden in this exam is killing. This is to prevent a ss from being wiped out, as¡­ er, that would be troublesome."


    "How long will this examst?" Someone else asked, and it wasn''t anyone I recognized.


    "Exactly one week, starting today," Qian Hua replied. "Anything else?"


    "Will these gs respawn after being taken away?"


    "They will. Every night, at exactly 12 AM, is the daily reset. All Bases will be resupplemented with any gs they are missing, to a maximum of five."


    Her words triggered something in my mind, and I daringly raised a hand.


    She spotted me as her eyes widened a bit, but the surprise on her face left as quickly as it came. "Yes?"


    "¡­ Can you steal back stolen gs?"


    At this, Qian Hua hesitated, whereas she had answered all the other questions immediately. And after a long, ufortable silence, she finally spoke.


    "The only rules to this exam are that you can''t kill other students, and you must keep your Base''s gs within the Base. That''s all."


    <em>Your Base''s gs? Oh ho ho¡­ that changes things.</em>


    She purposely avoided answering my question directly, but in her negligence, she provided some even more useful information to me. Other people may miss this little detail, but I wouldn''t.


    <em>This will be quite interesting, though¡­ if it''s an exam like this, we can take first without making all the other sses target us. And if that''s the case¡­ why not?</em>


    I smiled devilishly as a n already began to form in my head.


    *****


    After the exnation was over, we were all given maps of the enormous bamboo forest, where the locations of the four Bases were marked. The map holder''s current location was also tracked by a moving cursor on the map, which had, of course, been enchanted with magic.


    Our ss was led to our temple, which was directly across from ss A''s. In other words, they were the Northern Temple, so we were the Southern one, right at the very bottom of the map.


    Currently, our whole ss was gathered in the temple''s main ''living room'', which was essentially a ce for us to hold meetings. A long wooden table was set in the middle of the room, with 25 seats all around it. Afterst time''s defeat, all of our ssmates are now actually trying to work together.


    Unbeknownst to everyone else here, however¡­ I had made some arrangements and sent some messages to certain individuals before this meeting began. So, I essentially already knew how this discussion was going to turn out.


    "So, what''s the n, O great leader?" Long Lu snorted mockingly, ncing at Han Xiao Bing coldly.


    "Uh¡­ we defend our gs, of course. We gotta set up night watch duty, so you guys just figure that out amongst yourselves, and-"


    "How are we supposed to get any points if we just defend?" Yu An Yan cut in after I whispered to her to do so. "You said you would lead us to victory, no?"


    Faced with Yu An Yan''s meaningful gaze, Han Xiao Bing froze as he was charmed by her beauty.


    "Look how useless our ''leader'' is," I scoffed, crossing one knee over the other. "He can''t even talk properly after looking a girl in the eyes¡­ who''s to say he won''t betray our ss for a chance to hold hands with his crush?"


    Long Lu, taking this as the right moment, spoke up in agreement. "Yeah, yeah. I may have failedst time, but that was just purely bad luck. At least I''m better than a pervert like this guy."


    "H-Huh? Who''re you calling a pervert?!" Han Xiao Bing stood up from his chair in fury, but it was toote. Everyone was already on our side after seeing that short yet disgusting disy.


    Yu An Yan smirked and sat back down, shooting me a wink. I smiled in response.


    "Listen, Han Xiao Bing," Long Lu said, standing up as well. He was a lot taller and buffer, dwarfing his opponent instantly. "I''ll take first this time. Just you watch."


    "Heh. After your shameful disyst time? I don''t think so."


    "Want to bet?" Long Lu challenged, refusing to back down. I instructed him to do this, since I knew Han Xiao Bing wouldn''t back down either, being the stubborn, arrogant person he is.


    "Sure. What are we betting, loser?"


    "If I don''t take first, I''ll¡­ drop out of the school." He was hesitant when he said this, because he didn''t really want to make this bet at all. But s, he still followed my instructions, since they turned out perfectlyst time.


    "Oh? You''re willing to go that far?"


    "However! If I do get first for our ss¡­ you have to tone down that ego of yours and respect me as the ss rep. Understand?"


    Han Xiao Bing smirked. "Sure. I respect anyone who is stronger than me, and I acknowledge those with ability. As long as you can convince me you''re fit to be the ss rep, I''ll dly follow your lead."


    Long Lu smiled. "Good. But in order for this n of mine to seed, I''ll need your cooperation as well."


    "Sure, I''ll do whatever you want me to do in this exam, just for the sake of our bet," Han Xiao Bing said, shrugging. "As long as it''s within the range of my abilities, of course. I mean, I want to win too, after all."


    The two shook hands, sealing their deal.


    As I watched, a hidden smirk took over my face.


    <em>Okay¡­ that''s step one,plete.</em>

 Chapter 367 - Outside The Box

    "And the rest of you?" Long Lu asked the ss. "Surely you''ve seen how horribly we lost in the previous exam. Luckily, that was just a diagnosis and wasn''t worth all that many points, but with this, we now know just how weak we arepared to the other sses. If we want to have a shot at winning, we have to work together. There''s no way out of this."


    All the ssmates gathered around nodded in response, a serious look on their faces.??


    "We''ll all listen to your instructions, ss rep."


    Long Lu smiled. "Good. Now that I''ve made sure everyone is on the same page here, we can begin actually preparing for the exam. The gs are being sent out tonight, ording to Ms. Cai, so we have now until then to familiarize ourselves with this forest. The more advantageous locations we know about, the better. It''ll give us an edge when the exam actually begins."


    "What about the actual battle n?" Han Xiao Bing asked impatiently.


    "Give me some time," Long Lu replied. "I have something in mind, but I need to work out the details still. I want everyone to group back here at 7 PM tonight. I''ll have everything figured out by then. For now though, just split into groups of four and explore the forest. Combat is forbidden until they announce the start of the test tonight, so you needn''t worry about anything."


    "Alright, whatever, man." Han Xiao Bing snorted and headed off, dragging Da Bao with him. The other ssmates hurried off as well, now more motivated than before to actually give these exams their best shot.


    Withst time''s defeat, they now knew remaining in this school wasn''t going to be an easy task. I had no doubt there were still hidden rules to this exam yet to be revealed, such as those concerning expulsion. Ms. Cai herself had said at the beginning of the school year that expulsions were going to be frequent in the special exams, apart from the first one which was a mere diagnosis.


    I doubt the school would just expel whichever ss that camest, but there had to be some sort of way of determining who would be kicked out.


    Once everyone else had left, it was just Long Lu, the girls, and I left in the room.


    "Okay¡­ I hope you have a n, Xuan Kai," he nced at me briefly, raising an eyebrow.


    I closed my eyes. "Rx. I have a general idea of how to win this."


    "E-Eh? Win? Aren''t we going for third or second at most?" Feng Mian asked, confused.


    I smiled wryly. "I have a way to win thispetition with the other sses unable to believe the results when they are announced. In the end, the number of gs we''ll have will seem impossible."


    "But¡­ how?" The girls were still perplexed, so I sighed and put it in a simpler way.


    "Essentially, what we''ll do in this exam is not all that different from thest. Wepletely give up on winning and use all our efforts to help ss A instead ¡ª at least, on the surface."


    "¡­?"


    "We willpletely abandon this temple, and lodge at ss A''s instead. We''ll essentially merge sses with them, helping them gain as many gs as possible. With the power of two sses together, we can raid any of the two other ones, who won''t stack up together like us. After getting the gs, we will then move them all to ss A''s temple. But on the final day¡­"


    "¡­ We''ll take them back to our abandoned base, is that it?" Obsidia finished.


    I shrugged. "Kind of. Rather than physically bringing them back, all we have to do is touch them. Don''t ask how I know that, because I don''t want to exin it at the moment. Given our performance in the previous exam, ss B and C will both think we are once again just helping ss A win this one as well. They won''t even consider the gs to belong to ss D in the end."


    "But¡­ even if we abandon the Base, every night, gs will still spawn in there. Wouldn''t that just be free points for the other sses¡­?" Lan Xiao Su asked, raising her hand.


    I nodded. "That''s why I asked whether or not we could steal back stolen gs. We will have ss A take all of our gs as soon as they spawn in. That way, the other two sses can''t get them. It''ll also help contribute to the whole act of us supporting ss A with everything we have."


    "I see¡­ but will ss A agree to this? They''ll most likely fall inst because of this," Yu An Yan analyzed.


    "They will," I chuckled. "In fact, they''ll even be grateful, most likely. This is still only the second exam of the school year ¡ª it won''t be worth all that many points. Them not being first by the end of the exam will make ss B and C so shocked that they''ll think it''s some sort of miscalction on the school''s side. Naturally, I''ll have Ming Hao cooperate with me to make shocked expressions when they announce the results. As for the rest of our ssmates and ss A''s students, well¡­ they don''t need to pretend."


    "So¡­ you don''t want me to tell the ss of the full n?" Long Lu asked.


    I nodded firmly. "Now that you have their full support, they can''t back out now. Even if your n seems like a total mistake, they have no choice but to go with it. All you have to do is insist they see it through to the end. As for how much you''ll be able to convince them, well¡­ that''s up to your charisma."


    "But when we turn out as first in the end¡­ they''ll think I''m some sort of genius¡­"


    "That''s the point," I replied with a chuckle. "As long as all the credit goes to you, I can remain inconspicuous. Sorry, I have my reasons."


    "¡­ Right. I won''t ask. The whole n still seems a bit hazy to me, but I''ll do my best to ry it to the others when they get back."


    "Good." I stood up from my chair and began heading for the door. "The rest of you can go explore the forest as well, since more information on thend could never hurt for the raids we''ll beunching. As for me¡­ I have some preparations to make."


    *****


    - Several Minutes Later -


    "You alone right now?" I asked through the phone.


    "Yeah. Wussup?"


    "I want to discuss our strategy for this exam. Can we talk in-person to make sure there aren''t any¡­ eavesdroppers?"


    "Sure! When and where?"


    "Now. Come to my ss''s Base. No one else is around at the moment."


    "Got it. On my way."


    He hung up after that, and I lowered my phone.


    Back there in the meeting room, I hadn''t told the girls and Long Lu everything. Mei Gui probably understood thanks to our telepathic connection, but that was fine since I knew she wasn''t going to tell anyone else without my permission anyway.


    For one, Qian Hua had specifically said your ss''s own gs had to be ced inside the Base ¡ª not the ones stolen. In other words, the stolen ones could be ced anywhere on the map. Because of this, I assumed the school calcted the ownerships of the gs based on who touched themst ¡ª hence why I said earlier that we didn''t even need to bring the gs back to our Base.


    I also predicted ss B and C to join forces sometime during the exam andunch a full-scale attack on ss A''s Base, but given the results of the short four-way duel between the four ss repsst week, I wasn''t too worried about that. No matter the oue, victory or defeat, I would still win in the end.


    Even if ss A''s defenses fail, it was fine ¡ª because of a few certain moves I would be making behind everyone''s back.


    *****


    Soon after, Ming Hao met up with me by ss D''s Base, within a sound barrier I put up.


    "Alright. I''m here. I''m assuming you''ve already thought of something, huh?"


    I nodded. "This exam, ss D will take first."


    At this, he blinked in surprise. "H-Huh? Woah, back up. I wasn''t expecting that at all."


    Clearing my throat, I continued. "The n is this: on the surface, ss D will abandon our Basepletely and join your ss in wholeheartedly defending ss A. But on thest day, I will turn all of the gs into ss D''s."


    "How¡­? By moving them back to your Base discretely?"


    I scanned our surroundings, then looked at him in the eyes. "Before that¡­ can other people read your mind?"


    Ming Haoughed boldly. "Ha! You''re so overly cautious, Xuan Kai. Though I guess that''s part of who you are. But to answer your question, my family gifted me a little Magic Artifact that prevents any and all mental attacks from affecting me ¡ª including mind reading. Maybe a Divine God or something could break past this Artifact and invade my mind, but our fellow schoolmates? Heh. No shot."


    I sighed in relief. "Good¡­ this saves some trouble. In that case¡­ I''ll tell you the most essential part of my n ¡ª the hidden detail to this exam no one else caught."

 Chapter 368 - Inner Conflict

    After I told Ming Hao about the method the school was really using to determine which ss a g belonged to, I exined the n in detail, then parted ways after earning his agreement. Step one was alreadyplete, gaining the ss''s united strength ¡ª and now, step two was also done. Step three, however, was about tomence ¡ª and it would probably be the hardest part of this whole n, in all honesty.


    Reason being, this step was out of my control. It was all up to Long Lu''s charisma and leadership skills. If he could convince the ss to wholeheartedly go through with this n of mine, everything would flow smoothly from there. But s¡­ the chances of that happening are slim. They might ept it in the end, but they won''t be that confident in it, thereby losing faith and devotion.


    Even so, however, there was no panic. As long as the ss cooperated and no one betrayed us ¡ª which wasn''t likely since we were all on the same boat here ¡ª we shoulde out on top.


    Soon, 7 PM rolled around. Everyone gathered back in the meeting room, and Long Lu began his speech after making eye contact with me.


    "Alright, folks. So, I''vee up with a n ¡ª one that might not be rewarding a first nce, but definitely brilliant in the long run."


    Our ssmates all listened intently, waiting to see what kind of ''brilliant'' n their representative hade up with.


    "Essentially, we are topletely abandon this Base of ours and put our all into helping ss A get as many gs as possible, then defending against ss B and C."


    "¡­"


    The entire ss just stared at him, expressions frozen on their faces. I sighed.


    <em>That really wasn''t the right way to do this¡­</em>


    Han Xiao Bing was the first to react.


    "Oi¡­ what are you talking about?" He demanded furiously. "You said we could win. How are we supposed to win if we abandon our Base and help a different ss?!"


    "Yeah, yeah!"


    "What the hell?!"


    Long Lu hurriedly stood up and attempted to calm everyone down. "Guys! Listen to me!"


    After everyone reluctantly quieted down again, he took a deep breath and continued.


    "¡­ I formed an alliance with ss A. This was part of the terms. I know you all are wondering how this will work, but for fear of someone betraying the ss, I cannot tell you the details of this n. I only ask for everyone to trust me ¡ª just this once."


    "We trusted youst time, and we ced deadst," a student snorted in contempt. "Why should we trust you again?"


    Long Lu sighed. "You all agreed, no? Believe me ¡ª all you have to do is follow this n of mine, and victory will be ours. If it isn''t, well¡­ I will drop out, just like I promised."


    "Hmph¡­ what good is you dropping out going to do? Sure, we lose a burden to the ss, but it doesn''t cover for therge gap of points created from losing two special exams in a row," another added, clearly done with this ss rep.


    Long Lu clenched his fists and suddenly mmed them down on the table furiously, which caught everyone ¡ª including myself ¡ª off guard.


    "¡­ Fine. You don''t believe in me, huh? Well then¡­ how about this ¡ª my family is one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment. Should we not ce first in this exam, I will offer you all money, high-quality resources, and a job when you graduate. I swear this in the name of my ancestors."


    <em>Oh¡­? Long Lu is also from one of the Eight Great Families? Interesting¡­</em>


    "This¡­" The students exchanged nces.


    "Hoho¡­" Han Xiao Bing chuckled, pping his hands. "Now that''s manly. I like that."


    "Obviously, the rewards offered to you won''t be nearly as good as if wee in first by the end of the school year, but it can at least guarantee a future for you," Long Lu continued. "So, how about it, everyone?"


    The girls and I immediately agreed, and the rest of our ssmates did as well.


    Han Xiao Bing grinned and pped the table. "Well¡­ if you''re willing to sacrifice so much, I can tell this isn''t just a whim of yours. I''ll y along."


    <em>Couldn''t you already tell it''s not a whim judging from him willing to drop out¡­? Ah, but I guess people are greedy and just want rewards. Makes sense.</em>


    The other students reluctantly agreed as well, having been offered a deal they had no reason to refuse. Long Lu sighed, as if he already regretted his decision.


    "Alright¡­ since everyone has agreed, nothing else needs to be said. Right after the exam begins, we''ll move out for ss A''s Bas-"


    "Good evening, underssmen," Qian Hua''s familiar gentle voice suddenly resounded across the entire forest, reaching everyone''s ears. "I hope you all took the time given to familiarize yourselves with the forest and formte ns. The exam will begin shortly, but before then, there are a few rules I purposely did not mention this morning to let you all explore with open minds."


    <em>Here ites¡­ how students will be expelled.</em>


    "While this exam is a ss-vs-ss fight, individual strength and contribution will also be evaluated. Look at your left wrists."


    I nced down, only to see a wristband of some sort suddenly materializing on it.


    "Woah¡­" the students were all shocked, some even frightened at the sudden appearance of these bands. On it was a screen, making it seem like a smartwatch.


    "On your wrists right now are special devices that will track your score for this exam. Everyone and anyone who falls below a score of 60 will be expelled at the end of the exam."


    "What?!" Our ssmates erupted in bewilderment at this sudden announcement, though I wasn''t all too surprised. No doubt, however, the other sses were also panicking right about now.


    "There are three ways to gain points ¡ª stealing gs, taking down enemies, and overall ss cement. For every g you still, it will be worth 2 points. Every enemy takedown will be worth 1. The students in the ss ced inst by the end of this exam will get 20 points, 3rd will get 30 points, 2nd will get 40, and 1st will get 50. In other words, the ss in 1st ce is essentially guaranteed not to have any expelled members."


    <em>Huh¡­ does stealing a g from someone else deduct their points¡­? If so, that would ruin my npletely¡­</em>


    If that was really the case, when I took the gs from ss Ast-minute, the students in that ss would all find out. I couldn''t just take the gs from the beginning either, since they would realize they didn''t gain any points¡­


    "In addition, individual points will be updated every hour," Qian Hua continued, which surprised me. "That''s all. gs will be sent out in 10 minutes, and the exam will begin then."


    <em>Oh¡­ updated every hour, you say? That provides some leeway for me. I could let the ss A members take all the gs, then make my move an hour before the exam ends. That is quite the tight schedule, and honestly, I''m not sure if I could make it or not, but this was better than nothing.</em>


    As her broadcast ended, the students quickly began panicking.


    "C-ss rep!" A girl in our ss raised her hand with a worried expression on her face. "What do we do¡­ if we only help ss A, we won''t get any points!"


    Long Lu sighed. "Calm down. We will be ying extremely aggressive in the first part of this exam, and we''ll be responsible for taking out the other sses'' forces while ss A infiltrates their Base and steals the gs. This will earn us plenty of takedown points. In the second half, the other sses will start ying aggressive themselves, once again giving us an opportunity to get more takedown points. And besides, we''ll be taking first anyway, so there''s no need to worry."


    "Erm¡­ but in case we don''t get first and end up expelled¡­"


    "Don''t worry about it," Long Lu cut in, tired of all this panicking. "Even if we are all expelled, I already guaranteed you all futures, no? Just believe in me ¡ª trust."


    "¡­ O-Okay."


    The girl fell silent, but she appeared to still not be convinced.


    <em>Well¡­ this is the best possible oue. Long Lu''s thoughts aligned with mine, letting ss A do the infiltrating, but to the rest of our ssmates who didn''t understand the details of my n, this seemed pretty unrealistic.</em>


    Soon after, five ck gs suddenly appeared on the table between us, surprising us all.


    "Well¡­ seems like the test has begun," Long Lu chuckled. "Everyone, begin heading in ss A''s direction ¡ª you''ll be safe, since no other ss will be out this quickly."


    The girls and Long Lu all set out along with the rest of my ssmates, while I sucked all the gs on the table into my Space Locket, preparing to hand them over to Ming Hao.


    It was time to employ the core of my n, a special new Legendary Tier Shadow Element spell ¡ª Infinite Illusions.

 Chapter 369 - A-D Alliance

    Upon arriving at ss A''s Base, Ming Hao was waiting at the front door, ready to receive us.


    "Wee," he said, briefly meeting my gaze before quickly breezing over it to avoid rousing any suspicion. "Brother Long, pleasee in."


    He weed Long Lu into his meeting room while the rest of our ss was led inside the temple by the other ss A students, who had been informed of this ''alliance'' beforehand by Ming Hao. Naturally, they, just like the rest of the ss D students, were not told the full story.


    I slipped away discretely to head for the meeting room as well. The girls, who were surrounding me, noticed this, but didn''t question. After all, they knew what I was going to do and that the true partnership Ming Hao had was with me, not Long Lu.


    When I knocked on the door, Ming Hao''s voice answered.


    "Come in."


    I did as told, closing the door behind me as I did so and grabbing a seat without being offered.


    "Alright¡­ now that the real leader is here, I can go, right?" Long Lu joked with a chuckle.


    "No," I replied in full seriousness. "You have to tell the other students what we''re going to do next, so you have to stay here and listen."


    "Yeah, I know¡­"


    "So? What do you say we do, Xuan Kai?" Ming Hao asked, resting his face on his handzily. "You''re the leader here."


    "Weunch an attack. Tonight."


    At this, both Ming Hao and Long Lu blinked a few times in surprise.


    "E-Eh? This quickly?"


    I snorted. "When else? I hope you remember, this exam onlysts for a week ¡ª that''s not a lot of time for us to pull ahead. Right now, ss B and C are both still busy strategizing and setting up their defenses. They''ll be assuming we are doing the same. We should attack now and earn a preemptive first strike."


    "I see¡­ but how exactly will we do it?"


    "It''s simple. Leave behind about 5 people to guard just in case ¡ª even though I doubt they''ll think of counterattacking ¡ª then send the rest of your ss with us on the assault. ss D will attack them head-on, while ss A supports from the sides and slips in to get the gs. It will be an overwhelming 45 to 25 numbers advantage."


    "I see¡­ got it," Ming Hao nodded firmly, standing up. "Alrighty! There''s no time to waste ¡ª let''s get this show on the road!"


    *****


    After that, our conversation ended. I gave Ming Hao the five gs stored in my Space Locket, allowing him to ce them in a secure room in the exact center of the temple, right at the very top floor. It was directly above the meeting room where we had talked moments earlier.


    The temple was big, but there were only a few buildings and the gs stood out quite a lot. Rather than hiding it somewhere, it was much better to just ce it in the most secure location possible. The five guards who were appointed to stay behind were stationed all around the top floor, right next to where the gs are. They weren''t at the bottom, since enemies who had Sky Magic could fly in from the air and leave the same way without them even noticing.


    The other students, having been alerted by surprise of this sudden attack we''reunching, were still trying to prepare their mind for what''s toe as we walked through the dark bamboo forest in the direction of ss C''s Base, on the western side of the map.


    The students were all quite nervous, as this would be their first time fighting together with these ssmates of theirs. ss A and ss D also didn''t trust one anotherpletely yet, so there was that to worry about as well. And of course, the creepy dark silhouettes of the bamboo shoots which looked like sharp pikes in the night didn''t help either.


    Luckily, the journey didn''t take all that long. Before we knew it, we had crept up to ss C''s Base. By that, I mean literally right next to it. The gates had two guards standing at it, but that was about it. The temple walls didn''t have anyone standing on top of them, so we could''ve easily slipped through there, but we needed takedown points.


    Why? Because I had a feeling the individual points we got would contribute to the total amount of CP (ss points) we receive at the end of the exam.


    [Mei Gui.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    I didn''t even need to tell her what to do ¡ª just calling her name was enough.


    She leaped out from beside me and, like an invisible assassin, used Vanishing Shadows to creep up behind the two guards and knock them both out cold with a sweeping kick that bumped their heads together.


    "Ugh¡­" The two guards copsed to the floor with a soft thud, blood leaking out of their heads.


    [Mei Gui, did you¡­?]


    [Worry not, Master. They are not dead¡­ though they may wake up with a heavy concussion and lifelong amnesia.]


    [¡­ Right. Good work, regardless.]


    Mei Gui backed off as our whole squad infiltrated the Base, unbeknownst to the students inside.


    I praised Mei Gui because her ruthless actions reminded me of something important ¡ª the exam rules only stated that you couldn''t kill other students¡­ it said nothing about torturing them or using cruel, underhanded methods to force them to do certain things. Perhaps, now was a good time for me to use that Legendary-Tier Poison Element spell I learned from the library the other day¡­


    Of course, I would have to do this discretely without revealing my identity just to be safe, but it was certainly a tactic.


    In any case, our group of 45 spotted lightsing from a room deeper inside, along with various faint silhouettes inside. I counted there to be about five in total.


    "What''s the n?" Long Lu asked.


    Ming Hao was the one to respond, since I couldn''t interject here with all these people around.


    "We take these buildings one by one and search them. This way, we''ll be able to find the gs, and also earn 25 takedown points for free. I think only final hits count towards your points, so don''t bother trying to share targets or anything. Remember the creed of ss A ¡ª ns organized, execution swift."


    We all raided the building closest to us first. The lights were off on this one, and it seemed to be two stories tall. Just when we were about to get up from the bushes ¡ª our cover ¡ª however, two female students who seemed to be chatting happily walked over in our direction.


    To prevent them from alerting the whole ss, we all retreated back into the tall bushes and awaited the perfect opportunity. When they passed, I tapped on Feng Mian''s shoulder, who flinched a bit in response but understood immediately what I wanted her to do.


    She seemed to have grown quite a bit stronger in the Void Realm, as she was able to cast spells without chanting out loud just fine now.


    ''Vanishing Shadows.''


    She turned into a shade of darkness and appeared behind the two girls, striking them on the neck lightly. She was being exceptionally gentle, perhaps because they reminded her of her past self, but the chops were enough to make both of them faint and fall to the ground. Feng Mian dragged their unconscious bodies into the tall grass on the other side of the pathway and hid them well, before returning to her original spot by my side.


    I patted her head affectionately, to which she blushed in return. It was dark, but because of how close she was to me, I could still see it.


    Because sending all 45 of us into that small building would be overkill, we decided to just send 5 in. They were all from ss A, naturally, while the rest of us stayed out here to watch for any other oblivious students.


    A few minutester, our teammates came back out from the building.


    "Nothing in there," one said. "It''s just a storage room for food and water. We checked every shelf, every corner, every fridge. Didn''t find anything."


    "I see. Let''s keep going, then."


    "Wait," I interjected. "Have two people stay here in this patch of grass, in case theye hide the gs hereter. There''s a chance they haven''t decided on a hiding location yet, after all."


    "He''s got a point," Long Lu agreed. "Two of the five of you who just went in, stay behind. The rest, follow us and keep going."


    The group swiftly made their adjustments, two people staying behind while the remaining 43 of us kept going.


    Ming Hao turned back onest time before heading out of the grass. "If they to put the gs here and station guards, send me a message. If there aren''t any guards, still send me a message to let me know, then just take the gs and get the hell out of here."


    The two staying behind nodded. "Understood, ss rep."

 Chapter 370 - Midnight Raid

    The same process was repeated several times.


    Every building we came across, we sent 5 ss A members in to investigate, then left behind 2 to stay there and watch. Every ss C student we encountered, I had either Mei Gui, Feng Mian, or Amane take them down, since the three of them had ess to Shadow Magic. I made sure to let them get the takedown points, just to be safe. I wasn''t too worried about myself, since getting points was no problem should I ever feel the need to do it, but I wasn''t about to hand over these points to someone I didn''t even care about either.


    Naturally, the girls were the only option.


    In any case¡­ I''ve been counting, and we have taken out exactly 20 ss B students already. There was only one building remaining that had yet to be explored ¡ª the one with the lights on and the five silhouettes inside.


    We had been purposely avoiding that room, saving it forst. Reason being, if we rushed in there first, the whole ss would be easily alerted. Secret infiltration into a room filled with people and lights just didn''t work. We had been hoping the gs wouldn''t be there, but it seems my guess earlier had been on the mark after all. They have yet to decide where to put the gs.


    Because theyouts of the temples were identical, I could tell the room with lights turned on was the meeting room, and we began making our way to it. By now, we still had all our ss D students, but there were only 3 ss A students left, since we went through 11 buildings so far. Of those 3, Ming Hao was one of them.


    Right when I was going to eavesdrop on what was going on inside the room, however, I heard a noise a ways off on my left, seeminglying from behind a tree.


    "Please, just go out with me!"


    "No, I already told you, I have someone I lik-"


    "Gah¡­ I''ll take you by force, then!"


    "Ngh-! No-!"


    The rest of our group seemed to have heard it as well, which wasn''t a surprise given how loud they were being. With a deep sigh, I snapped my fingers.


    [Mei Gui.]


    [Understood, Master.]


    In an instant, Mei Guibined Space Magic, Blessing Magic, and Shadow Magic to teleport directly by the tree in an instant, saving the girl from being assaulted. She sank a fist into the boy''s face, and before he could react, she kicked upwards ¡ª directly into his lifeline. He flopped over, unconscious. White foam guzzled out of his mouth, disgusting and repulsive.


    "¡­ Who are¡­ you¡­?" The girl asked frightfully, not sure if she should be thankful or scared.


    Mei Gui nced at her, before wrapping around her in the blink of an eye and knocking her out cold with a swift chop to the neck. The girl, in a simr fashion to the boy, fell over, the only difference being there was no foaming out of her mouth.


    I whistled softly. [No holding back, huh?]


    [If possible, I would''ve killed him. Scum don''t deserve to live, Master.]


    [I agree¡­ but I''m sure he''ll be dealt with sooner orter. That girl will definitely report him, and that''s the end of that.]


    Mei Gui returned to me after dragging the two unconscious bodies into a patch of tall grass just like she had done in the past, and we turned our focus back to the main task at hand. Our ssmates, however, seemed to have a different opinion and chose to admire my partner instead. Said ssmates were predominantly male.


    "Wow¡­ so strong¡­"


    "And beautiful too¡­"


    "¡­ Master, permission to kill?"


    "Denied. Just ignore them for now," I quickly replied before she started any unwanted trouble. Others may think she was just joking, but I knew better. Mei Gui was the type to really do it, as long as I gave her permission.


    "¡­" She fell silent, clearly unsatisfied, but I couldn''t afford to let her let loose and kill anyone that upset her here. I figured I''ll make it up to her sometime in the future.


    ''Level Three Shadow Magic ¡ª Invisibility.''


    Turning invisible, I signaled for everyone else to wait in the bushes while I alone went up to the final building in the center of the temple, tall and enormous.


    Pressing my ear against the door without applying too much force, I tried to eavesdrop on the conversation happening inside.


    If the students Mei Gui knocked out just now were ss C''s¡­ that would mean there are two more people in this room not from ss C.


    "¡­ I think we should just keep a neutral rtionship for this exam, Xu Lian."


    "What? I thought we were going for a long-term alliance, kukuku¡­"


    "Perhaps. But just because we are allied, doesn''t mean I have to give everything to you to help you win this exam."


    The boy named Xu Lian sighed. "I already said it, did I not? I would help you win the next one with everything ss B has."


    "¡­ Sorry. I don''t think our trust level has reached such a stage yet where I can believe you unconditionally."


    "Yeah, yeah! What if you turn traitor on us?" A third voice chimed in, high-pitched and aggressive.


    "¡­ Brother Xu, this is a waste of time. They won''t listen," a fourth voice said, seeming to be on Xu Lian''s side. "We should leave."


    "Indeed you should," the fifth and final voice said harshly, deep and demanding. "You have taken up far too much of our time with your bullshit strategies. You expect us to risk our whole ss''s future based on the flimsy trust we have for you, developed after one short partnership? I think not."


    "¡­ Please, Xu Lian. Leave. And take your right-hand-man with you," the girl who spoke first said, sounding exasperated. "For this exam, I won''t show you any hostile intention. But at the same time, don''t expect me to help if you are attacked."


    Xu Lian sighed as I heard the sound of a chair being pushed back, scraping against the ground. "Well¡­ what a shame. Then, farewell, Si Ye¡­ although I can''t promise I will do the same for you."


    With a heartyugh, he left, stepping out of the building. I quickly backed away¡­ but for some reason, he nced in my direction briefly, shed a smile as if deeply intrigued, thenughed even louder and walked away with his right-hand man in tow.


    <em>¡­ He''s dangerous.</em>


    I had no doubt he saw me there, through my invisibility, but just chose not to inform the girl ¡ª Si Ye ¡ª of the impending danger she was about to face.


    How did he do it? I don''t know. But one thing is for sure¡­ I should not underestimate him. Unfortunately, however, him being here in fact helped me out quite a bit¡­ though he didn''t seem to realize that.


    This way, I could push the me all onto him¡­ and have ss B and C start fighting. Now wouldn''t that be perfect?


    Meanwhile, inside the room, Si Ye and her two ssmates had no idea what was going on. Instead, they carried on talking, having no idea that the rest of their ss had been knocked out by mine.


    "Where should we keep the gs?" The boy asked, folding his arms.


    "¡­ Let''s just leave them in this room for now. Where is everyone else? Gather them here," Si Ye replied after some hesitation.


    "I''ll go get them," the other girl chimed in, before heading out the door as well. She, however, didn''t notice me.


    Realizing it was only a matter of time before they found out about their ssmates all being unconscious, I quickly slipped into the room and suddenly grabbed the pile of gs off the table.


    "Wha-" The two''s eyes widened, but I was already on my way out.


    Dashing away, I discretely put the gs into my Space Locket.


    [Mei Gui, get everyone out!]


    [Understood, Master!]


    I watched herbine forces with Amane and Yu An Yan to form a massive warp gate to fit everyone inside. Right before Si Ye and the boy could see them, they disappeared. I, on the other hand, was still invisible. Because I had put the gs into my Space Locket, they were naturally nowhere to be seen ¡ª they had no way of tracking me.


    "What just happened¡­"


    "It must be him, that bastard¡­ XU LIAN!" The boy roared in fury as I smirked and leaped over the wall.


    <em>That''s right¡­ me Xu Lian. Go on, fight¡­ the fiercer, the better. Then, ss A will swoop in to reap the rewards¡­ and ss D will steal the crown at thest moment.</em>


    <em>Sure, this may be a wless n, on paper. This sudden opportunity, turning ss B against ss C, was something I hadn''t even expected. But just as fortunate events could happen like this¡­ so could tragedies.</em>


    <em>And as for me¡­ I had to be prepared to counter every possible situation when the timees.</em>

 Chapter 371 - Service For All

    After returning to our own Base ¡ª or rather, ss A''s ¡ª that night, I met up with Ming Hao and Long Lu once more in the meeting room.


    cing the gs I had stolen on the table, I prompted for Ming Hao to take them. He did, gratefully.


    "Good work, Xuan Kai," Long Lu praised. "I thought you just had a good head on your shoulders, but your magic is no joke either, huh? Normally, other people, even Shadow Magic specialists, can only hold Invisibility for a minute at most. But you stood there for nearly two."


    "Ah¡­ about that, I have a Magic Artifact that helped me, that''s why," I replied.


    "Oh¡­ is that so?" Ming Hao smirked suggestively, and I shot him a re.


    "Haha, I see, I see¡­ but that really was brilliant. I saw the whole thing happening¡­ it seems ss C thinks ss B stole their gs, huh?"


    I nodded. "We just got lucky, really. If those two sses hadn''t fallen apart at that exact moment, it might not have worked out this well."


    "Tomorrow, a big battle is bound to happen," Ming Hao analyzed. "What do we do, Xuan Kai?"


    I scoffed. "Is that even a question? We third-party it, of course. While they are busy fighting one another¡­ we''ll sneak in from behind and steal the gs of both teams. ss B''s gs should be resetting in a few hours at midnight, after all."


    "I see¡­ that will indeed put us at a huge advantage."


    "Oh yeah, don''t forget to send someone over to ss D''s Base to retrieve the 5 gs that will be spawning at the same time," I reminded.


    "Don''t worry about that," Long Lu interjected. "I''ll head over right now and wait for them to spawn, then bring them over once they do. I''m not really needed here anymore anyway, haha¡­"


    Saying this, he left the room, leaving Ming Hao and I alone. I quickly put up a sound barrier so I could speak to him privately, in case anyone was trying to eavesdrop from the outside. Seeing me do this, Ming Haoughed.


    "What, Xuan Kai, want to talk to me more?"


    "Mhm." I nodded. "I just want to know¡­ why are you helping me like this?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''m sure some people in your ss will be unhappy with you after the results of this exam. You''ll be cedst, and some people will possibly even be expelled. Is it really worth it?"


    "You helped ss A in the previous exam. It''s only natural we help you in return here. And if someone does end up getting expelled, well¡­ there''s nothing I can do about that. I''ve already made up my mind to help you, but¡­"


    "¡­ But?"


    "There are some in this ss that don''t listen to me still. If I were to tell them the truth about letting you take all our gs right before the exam ends, someone ¡ª or rather, most people ¡ª will try to interfere."


    "I don''t me them. They want to win ¡ª it''s only natural."


    "Yeah, but you can''t just throw away your morals just because of that. You helped us get first ¡ª we''ll help you do the same."


    I scoffed. "Morals¡­ what even are they, in this world where dog eats dog, and the onlyw is strength?"


    "Well, there is an alternative, if you really feel bad about someone from ss A getting expelled," Ming Hao said with a evil chuckle.


    "I don''t feel bad about anything, but I''ll hear you out," I said with a neutral expression stered over my face like some sort of statue.


    Ming Hao smirked. "Think about it. If we take so many gs from the other two teams and make sure they don''t make aeback when the exam''s about to end¡­ you can take just enough gs so that ss D wins, while still letting ss A stay in second. How about it?"


    "Sorry, not happening."


    "Yeah, thought so. Ha!"


    "¡­ The amount of ss points we receive is based on the score we get in the exam, not the final cements. I deduced this from the previous exam. And besides¡­ if I take just enough to win, there won''t be that ''shock'' factor there. Remember, my goal is to make everyone think it was just some kind of bug in the system; a miscalction on the school''s part. That''s how ridiculous the final standings have to be, and how overwhelmingly ss D must win. Otherwise, we''ll start to get targeted."


    "I see¡­ that makes sense."


    "¡­"


    We both fell into a tranquil silence. It wasn''t awkward by any means, but actually rather peaceful. The air in the room was gentle and calm, allowing the two of us to just sit there and appreciate the quietness.


    But as usual, peaceful moments like this could neverst long with me around.


    "Hey, Xuan Kai. Wanna fight?"


    I slowly turned my head up to stare at him. "¡­ Come again?"


    "I''m not kidding. Thest time we fought, you won. I''ve always wanted to get back at you for that. Now that we''re both stronger, let''spete once more. Who will reign victor this time?"


    I sighed and stood up, before turning around so that I was facing away from him.


    "¡­ Sorry, not interested."


    "Aw, c''mon!" He pouted. "F-Fine, how about this ¡ª if I lose my virginity before you, you have to fight me. How about that?"


    <em>¡­ I don''t think this guy realizes I already lost mine, and I have about ten girls surrounding me¡­</em>


    As I stared at him awkwardly, he realized his mistake.


    "Oh, man! What am I thinking! I just challenged a harem god in the art of losing virginity!" He wed at his head, mming it against his desk.


    Seeing this pitiful state of his, I couldn''t help but chuckle lightly.


    "Alright, alright¡­ tell you what. If you find a girlfriend before this school year ends, I''ll fight you again."


    "R-Really? No holding back?"


    I scoffed. "What are you, a masochist? I won''t hold back."


    "Hell yeah! Just you wait, Xuan Kai, I''ll snag myself a girlfriend before you even know it, hahahah!"


    "¡­ Sure. But don''t just find a random girl to call your girlfriend just because you want to fight me. Find someone who you genuinely love¡­"


    "Pfft¡­" Ming Hao did his best to stifle hisughter.


    I narrowed my gaze. "What?"


    "N-Nothing, it''s just¡­ you, of all people, out here giving love advice? I''m sorry, I just can''t¡­"


    Rolling my eyes, I headed out the door after canceling my sound barrier.


    "Good night!" Ming Hao hollered from inside the room.


    "¡­ Good night."


    *****


    After taking a shower in the bathroom building, I headed over to the building where all the ss Ds were supposed to stay every night. Inside, beds wereid out across the three floors, but apparently, the girls had saved the topmost floor for themselves and me.


    Usually, this building was supposed to be a training dojo and ce to meditate or cultivate, but it wasn''t too necessary at the moment.


    "¡­ What''s the meaning of this?" I asked as I stared at the scene unfolded before me.


    Eight individual beds had been neatly ced side by side, forming onerge bed, essentially. A ninth bed was ced off in the corner, which I automatically assumed was for Obsidia, and the tenth bed was on the opposite side. Lin Luo, of course.


    "Heehee, Big Brother Xuan Kai,e here~" Qing Yue giggled seductively, pulling me down onto the bed so that I was lying right beside her. Then, she leaned in by my ear and whispered softly.


    "You said you would do it with me too, didn''t you~?"


    "¡­ That''s after we return," I quickly replied, pulling away from her.


    Qing Yue smiled and turned to the others. "C''mon, everyone. Feng Mian and Mei Gui both have already kissed Big Brother Xuan Kai on the lips already, getting ahead of the rest of us. I think it''s about time we do the same. Isn''t that right?"


    The girls, apart from Mei Gui and Feng Mian, all blushed and looked away (save for Lin Luo and Obsidia, who just snorted in response and did their best to sleep despite the noise).


    Qing Yue shed a dazzling smile and turned back to me. "See? C''mon, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ it''s not fair if you only do it to two of us."


    "Uh¡­"


    "Unless¡­" Qing Yue leaned in once more so only I could hear what she was saying. "¡­ You want me to tell them about what happened on that night?"


    I stared at her in response. "Are you¡­ threatening me?"


    Qing Yue smiled seductively. "Perhaps."


    "¡­"


    <em>This girl¡­ she''s really grown from that innocent little sister, huh?</em>


    <em>Well¡­ I''ve already made up my mind to just ept all these girls around me anyway. No more running away. No more of that ''dragging them into my mess'' bullshit. They''re already in far too deep to leave now, anyway.</em>


    I suddenly pulled Qing Yue closer, bringing my mouth to hers. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn''t resist and instead wrapped her arms around me.


    I forced her mouth open and slipped inside using my tongue, exploring every slippery nook and warm cranny of the wet interior. Her tongue entangled around mine, and we practically fought to see whose would be on top.


    After a long while of deep kissing, I finally pulled away. I had gotten hard, but I wasn''t going to go all the way with them today. It just wasn''t the time.


    "You''re surprisingly good at this, Qing Yue."


    "Hehe~" She giggled evilly. "You are too, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"

 Chapter 372 - The Tears Of A Phoenix

    After Qing Yue and I finally pulled away from one another, we noticed the stares directed at us from all directions. Even Lin Luo and Obsidia, who had not been expecting me to do this, were gawking in shock.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ me too¡­" Yu An Xue murmured, before pouncing on me like a tiger.


    "H-Huh?! An Xue?!" Yu An Yan turned to her sister in surprise. "Since when did you get so aggressive?!"


    "Mmn¡­"


    Yu An Xue, ignoring her sister, leaned in and gently pecked her lips against mine. It wasn''t as hot or deep as Feng Mian or Qing Yue''s kisses, but this was nice for a change. Her lips tasted sweet, and her scent was that of a violet. Slowly, she pulled away, blushing deeply.


    "How¡­ was it?" She asked faintly for my opinion.


    "Uh¡­ good?" I replied, unsure of what to say.


    "Mm¡­"


    "X-Xuan Kai!" Yu An Yan interjected, before flushing red as soon as I turned to look at her.


    "What¡­?"


    "M-Me too¡­"


    "Huh?"


    "Ah, mou~e here!"


    She promptly closed the distance between herself and I, pulling on my cor and smashing our lips together. Then, she quickly backed off without trying anything else, wiping her mouth.


    "T-There¡­ now we''re even, An Xue."


    Yu An Xue smiled at her sister''s actions, then embraced her tightly.


    "Xuwan Kwai! What about me?" Amaneined, taking the open spot left behind by Yu An Xue and riding on top of me.


    "Fufu, everyone''s joining in," Qing Yue giggled as she surveyed the scene.


    "Qing Yue¡­ why¡­?" Feng Mian asked. "You know what I did with Xuan Kai wasn''t intentional¡­ there''s no point in forcing this to happen. The others will do it when they are ready."


    "Really now? I think they''re more than ready. They just needed a little push on their backs to take that final step." Qing Yue smiled as I tried to exin to Amane what a kiss was.


    "¡­ You don''t mind this?" Feng Mian asked quietly.


    "Mind what?"


    "This¡­ sharing Xuan Kai with so many other girls."


    "Hm¡­ sure, I want Big Brother Xuan Kai all to myself, but I don''t want to lose any of you guys either. I mean, I think we can call each other close friends by now, yeah?"


    Feng Mian smiled sadly. "Yes¡­ but I can''t help but still feel jealous. I''m really selfish, aren''t I?"


    "I''m sure all of us here secretly want Big Brother Xuan Kai to themselves," Qing Yue said with a sigh. "Yet, no one is strictly trying to push the other girls away from him. You''re not selfish just because you feel jealous, Feng Mian. That''s natural."


    "¡­ I see. Thanks, Qing Yue."


    "No problem." Qing Yue chuckled and leaned in close to Feng Mian''s ear. "Next¡­ is the real thing. But I won''t let the other girls get a taste of that just yet, hehe~"


    Feng Mian''s eyes widened. "You mean¡­"


    "Why are you so surprised? You''ve already done it, no?"


    "W-Wha¡­ you heard us¡­?"


    Qing Yue merely cackled mischievously, without ever providing an answer.


    *****


    After kissing Lan Xiao Sust, we all fell asleep one after another. Obsidia and Lin Luo pretended not to have seen anything, while the girls didn''t speak to me again out of embarrassment.


    The following morning, I oddly felt that I was hugging a warm figure. After opening my eyes, I saw Feng Mian''s face directly across from me, but quickly realized she was not the one I was embracing. I looked down to see ria, in her human form, snoring gently against my chest.


    <em>This little¡­ when did she¡­</em>


    ria suddenly turned around in her sleep, hitting her hand on Feng Mian, who was on the other side of her.


    "Mmn¡­?" Feng Mian woke up slowly from the impact, before realizing what was going on.


    She looked at me, then at ria, then back at me. I shook my head, signaling I didn''t know what was going on either. That is, until¡­


    "Mommy¡­ daddy¡­"


    ria tugged on both of our clothes and pulled us closer, surrounding her on both sides. She was still asleep, but there were tearsing out of her eyes.


    <em>Ah¡­ I get it now.</em>


    Feng Mian seemed to have understood as well, and smiled sadly in response before gently slipping her hands around ria and hugging her tightly. I did the same, from the other side. It was already morning, but no one else was awake yet. I decided to just remain like this for a while, until ria herself woke up.


    I didn''t know why she was in her human form, but maybe, whenever she had a nightmare, she automatically switched forms. And since she was seeking for her lost parents, she just happened to pull the two closest people to her together ¡ª namely, Feng Mian and I.


    I wasn''t exactly prepared to be a father this early in life, but I guess I could y the role for ria, in this moment. I haven''t been devoting much attention to her recently, and that was my fault. Perhaps it was because she was a phoenix even older than I was, but I kept forgetting she was still but a child.


    *****


    ria wasst to wake up that morning. When the other girls slowly got up, they saw Feng Mian and I being practically held hostage by the little phoenix, andughed lightly. Still, they remained as quiet as they could to avoid waking her up ,which I was grateful for.


    When she finally did, she nced at the two of us, then down at herself.


    "Wha¡­ why am I here¡­ in my human form¡­?"


    "I should be asking you that," I replied. "If someone apart from the girls or myself saw you, we would be in big trouble."


    "S-Sorry¡­" ria whimpered quietly and returned to her bird form in the blink of an eye.


    <em>She''s being more obedient than usual today¡­ maybe it''s because of the dream?</em>


    Putting this matter aside for now, there were bigger things to be worrying about. Today was extremely important ¡ª ss A (ss D, really) had gained a significant advantage in gs over the other sses already, but we needed more if we want to secure a victory.


    After the incidents ofst night, there was no doubt ss C would confront ss B. Whether this would be in the daytime or night, I had no idea ¡ª but most likely, it would be at night. After all, we did knock out most of ss C''s members when infiltrating yesterday. They needed time to recover.


    So what are going to do during the day? It''s simple ¡ª train.


    I spoke to Ming Hao and asked him to give us a good ce to practice, where no one else could disturb us. He ended up leading us to the little area behind the actual temple, at the very north of the bamboo forest.


    "This is a spot no one else in the ss even knows of," he had said. "You''ll be fine training here."


    And so, here we were, after taking showers, brushing our teeth, eating breakfast, and setting up a sound barrier.


    "So, Xuan Kai. How are we going to do this?" Yu An Yan asked, her embarrassment fromst night nowhere to be seen. "Do we all just take you on together?"


    I shook my head. "No. You will face one another in one-on-one fights, while the people not fighting will spectate and give pointers at the end of the fight."


    Qing Yue leaned in close to my ear. "What, Big Brother Xuan Kai? Scared you''ll lose?"


    I scoffed. "No. I''m scared it wouldn''t be much of a fight ¡ª I can absorb whatever you throw at me, and turn it back against you. There''s no winning against that, given your current strength¡­ evenbined."


    "Okay, okay, we get it, Chaos is overpowered." Feng Mian rolled her eyes, then turned to Mei Gui. "Hey, Mei Gui, didn''t you mention something about Xuan Kai''s Chaos affecting the rest of us as well now? Does that mean we''re going to get powers just like his?"


    Mei Gui shook her head. "Not at this current stage. The absorption power of Chaoses from the core itself, which is resting inside Master''s body. The rest of you have just been affected by the aura it emits. While you will feel enhanced agility and magical strength, your base abilities won''t be altered."


    "Not at this current stage¡­ so you mean, it''s possible in the future?" Lan Xiao Su asked curiously.


    "Perhaps. I would need to recover more of my memories to say for sure, but it certainly is possible."


    "¡­ It would be quite nice if I could grant you the power I have as well," I murmured, then nced at Lin Luo. "Actually, on second thought, no. Just in case one of you decides to betray me one day."


    "Hey. Why are you looking at me when you say that? Our souls are connected ¡ª I can''t betray you even if I wanted to, unless I wish to kill myself as well."


    I shrugged. "I just trust the other girls here far more than you. End of story."


    "Tch¡­"


    "Master, can you ce her and I into the same bracket?" Mei Gui asked coldly. "She requires a beating."


    I chuckled. "No, no. I''ll be choosing the matchups based on elemental affinities and power level, which means¡­"


    I patted her head gently with a wide smirk on my face.


    "¡­ Mei Gui, you''ll be fighting against me."

 Chapter 373 - Nostalgic Battle

    "Master¡­ are you sure?" Mei Gui asked, appearing slightly ufortable.


    "Of course. Out of everyone here, you''re the only suitable opponent for me, as we both possess Chaos powers. I mean, if you don''t want to, it''s fine, but¡­ why?"


    "It''s just¡­ I don''t like fighting against Master. It makes us feel like enemies," Mei Gui murmured almost inaudibly, looking away.


    <em>Man¡­ I really shouldn''t beining about this, but I feel like she is</em> too <em>loyal.</em>


    "C''mon, Mei Gui. We already fought once, remember?"


    "That¡­" She trailed off, recalling the memory.


    "Wait, you mean when she first appeared¡­?" Feng Mian asked. "That feels like so long ago¡­"


    "Perhaps. But I won''t forget," I chuckled. "Never will I forget. The first defeat I''ve suffered since acquiring my powers¡­ was to you, Mei Gui. I think it''s about time for a little revenge."


    "Master¡­" Mei Gui trailed off for a brief moment, but then made up her mind. "¡­ Very well. Come at me again, Master. We shall see who is stronger this time."


    "Don''t hold back."


    "Understood."


    I smirked as the two of us broke away from the rest of the group to stand facing each other a short distance away. I did some stretches to loosen up my body, then cracked my knuckles.


    "Alright, Mei Gui. You ready?"


    She narrowed her eyes and conjured her Chaos spear. "Yes, Master."


    I summoned my two katanas as well, twirling them around in my hands. "Great¡­ then, let''s begin."


    I made the first move. Quickly dashing towards her, I pretended to slice down at her front, but in thest second, I changed my mind.


    ''Space ¡ª Eliminate.''


    I teleported behind her and tried to finish the fight, but to my surprise, she had the exact same idea as me and teleported behind ME instead.


    "Wha¡­"


    I quickly spun around and met her spear attack with my two katanas formed in an X-shape, before backing away a few meters as she did the same.


    Realizing she was probably superior in meleebat, I decided to try a different approach this time. Raising up my hand, I cast a spell.


    ''Legendary Poison Magic ¡ª Asura Hell.''


    Lin Luo''s eyes widened as she saw me use this attack. "Wait, that''s my¡­"


    "Yeah, uh, he does that," Yu An Yanughed. "Quite a lot, actually. Whatever spell you use, he''ll learn it one way or another and use it for his own gain."


    As a shroud of darkness enclosed around Mei Gui, I went up into the sky using the golden wings I had stolen from Lin Luo. This scene was not unlike the fight she had against Octavius.


    "That bastard¡­ he stole that too?!" Lin Luo muttered in frustration.


    "I guess¡­ he counts as a Celesticus now?" Feng Mian wondered aloud as she gazed in awe at my tworge, white, beautiful wings with symbols etched with golden blood on them.


    Ignoring their remarks, I concentrated on the ck shroud of darkness before me. This fight was difficult, since I couldn''t use destructive spells like Fire or Sky. That would destroy this forest and possibly even the temple as well. I could replicate Lin Luo''s divine lightning, but not here.


    After a few seconds, my ck shroud, Asura Hell, was suddenlypletely erased by Mei Gui.


    "Forbidden Magic ¡ª Zero."


    She calmly stood up from the ground and spun her spear around in her hands, before leaping up towards me.


    "Yeah¡­ now I know just how frustrating it is to fight against someone with Chaos powers," I muttered to myself, before flying out of the way.


    She too activated her Flight and followed me, turning the ground battle into an aerial one. Up here though, she had the advantage with her range, so I had to beat that with even further range ¡ª magic.


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Twin Dragons.</em>


    Unleashing two violent dragons born of pure fire towards Mei Gui, I quickly backed away and let them do their job. Unfortunately, although that attack could''ve handled practically anyone our age group, Mei Gui was no easy enemy. She easily countered it with her own spell.


    <em>Level Two Water Magic ¡ª Coiling Serpents.</em>


    The four entities, equal in power, shed in the air, emitting an explosion that could''ve probably alerted the whole temple had there not been a sound barrier.


    <em>Level Three Light Magic ¡ª Holy Ray!</em>


    Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, I quickly shot a beam of light towards Mei Gui, thinking she wouldn''t be able to see it because of the mixture of fire and water in the air.


    Oh how wrong I was.


    Not only did she predict it, she utilized the blinding factor of the Holy Ray against me, sneaking up directly below me.


    "Tch¡­!" I quickly canceled my spell and dodged out of the way just in time. Mei Gui emotionlessly followed.


    ''Space ¡ª Eliminate.''


    I attempted to make some space for myself with that spell, but she was relentless and copied me, essentially rendering my attempt useless.


    Little did she know, however¡­ this was my n all along.


    ''Legendary Shadow Magic ¡ª One Thousand Clones.''


    ''Level Three Shadow Magic ¡ª Invisibility.''


    I first generated multiple copies of myself to surround Mei Gui, then turned my real body invisible to sneak up on her when she expected it least. While she was busy trying to find the real me amongst the many copies, my invisible self would attack from behind. With this, she had no way of-


    "¡­!"


    My eyes widened as she suddenly spun around and thrust her spear towards me, stopping right before it pierced my neck. I gulped and tried moving away, but her next words stopped me in my tracks.


    "Master, it''s over. I know you are there."


    Sighing, I canceled my invisibility and raised my hands into the air.


    "Okay, I lost. How did you know I wasing from there?"


    "¡­ Don''t y dumb, Master." Mei Gui closed her eyes, lowering her weapon. "It was Third Eye, obviously, but I know you let me win."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I''m afraid I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "You lost to me again so you could have another excuse to fight me once more, no? I am well aware, Master. There is no need to hide it."


    "¡­" I fell silent, feeling kinda bummed my true intentions were ratted out that easily.


    Meanwhile, the other girls just watched on, ck-jawed. They couldn''t hear our conversation, so to them, it just seemed like Mei Gui knew I wasing and absolutely destroyed me.


    Mei Gui flew closer and hugged me tightly after dematerializing her spear. "Master¡­ I know friendly battles are a good way to get stronger. But even so¡­ I do not wish to fight against you."


    I sighed and patted her head. "Alright, alright¡­ fine. You beat me, so I have noints."


    "Mm¡­" Mei Gui smiled faintly and rubbed her head against my chest.


    We descended soon after, making sure to put up a good act.


    "Welp, I lost again," I said with a chuckle.


    "Wow¡­" Feng Mian murmured. "Mei Gui''s probably the only student in this school who can actually beat you."


    "Hm, I don''t know about that," Yu An Yan said doubtfully. "The student council president¡­ Qian Hua, I think? She seems to be really strong, given how everyone''s worshipping her like some sort of genius deity."


    "Master is far stronger than her," Mei Gui said confidently. "She may be talented, but she does not have the destiny-defying power of Chaos. I can sense her strength level, and I''m certain Master can as well ¡ª she is but an early-stage Golden Monarch."


    Lin Luo frowned. "Wait¡­ you mean to say he has beaten Golden Monarchs before?"


    I shrugged. "Perhaps."


    "Yeah," Feng Mianughed. "When he was only an Intermediate Mage, no less."


    "Wha¡­ how is that even possible¡­" Lin Luo frowned in confusion.


    "If you''re wondering about how I managed to deal with their Battle Souls, it''s not too hard, really. There''s a certain spell forged of Chaos that I can use to essentially¡­ steal their Battle Soul."


    "Right¡­ you''re all about stealing other people''s abilities, huh?" Lin Luo snorted in dissatisfaction.


    "Hey, why are you so mad? I gave you enough of it back so that you can use it as well. I just have main control over the power, that''s all."


    "That''s the point¡­ do you have any idea how hard I worked to finally acquire my golden blood? Yet you just take it all away, leaving behind a meager few drops for me to ''use''."


    "Hm¡­ do you want a few more drops?"


    "No- ugh, never mind¡­ talking to you is a waste of time."


    Saying this, she prepared to leave, but I caught her arm before she could.


    "Where are you going?"


    "¡­ Huh?"


    "You''re up next, Lin Luo. And as for your opponent¡­" I smirked and turned to Obsidia, the other problem child. "Obsidia, if you will?"


    "¡­ Why do I have to participate too?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was dark and clearly annoyed.


    "This is part of our deal."


    "I don''t remember ever agreeing to this."


    "The stronger all of us are, the sooner we can fulfill your goal."


    "¡­ Fine." She turned to Lin Luo with a re, cold and serious. Lin Luo shared her look. Both wordlessly stepped away from the rest of us to where Mei Gui and I just fought.


    "Now then¡­ this should be interesting," I chuckled.

 Chapter 374 - Dragon Vs Angel

    "3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ go!" I announced, a wide smirk on my face.


    These two, Lin Luo and Obsidia, were the strongest girls by my side right now, excluding Mei Gui. Not only this, but they are also both quitepetitive. By pitting them against each other like this, a rivalry was bound to be formed. Since neither of them were the type to use underhanded methods, a rivalry between the two would cause both of them to continuously get stronger rapidly.


    Lin Luo struck first, summoning her two swords of Divine Lightning and rising into the air. They were not all that strong since I controlled most of the power, but it was still powerful enough to match Obsidia''s Chaosbourne Dragonfire. At least, when she''s in her human form.


    "¡­ I''ll finish this quickly." Lin Luo crossed her two des and merged them into one, before thrusting it towards the sky and calling upon the heavens.


    Immediately, thunderclouds began forming above her, paired with lightning and thunder all around. I hurriedly set up an Illusion spell to prevent anyone within the temple from seeing this scene.


    The lightning bolts converged around her de, striking down and empowering it. The lightning, for whatever reason, was red ¡ª which would''ve made sense if I was the one summoning it, but¡­


    <em>Perhaps¡­ my Chaos has already begun to affect her? But she''s only been with me for about two weeks¡­</em>


    "Holy Raijin, I summon you! Be my de; cleanse this world of sin and purge all evil! Come, Divine Lightning!"


    Obsidia snorted, as if this was nothing impressive. She opened her right palm, letting an evil ck me burn within it.


    "Who needs chants¡­?" She smirked smugly, then shot a beam of fire out of her hand, ck yet lined with red strands of energy.


    Lightning met fire, and the two waves of energy collided with one another. Neither seemed to be stronger, and a loud explosion ensued.


    Neither Lin Luo nor Obsidia let this opportunity go, immediately dashing into meleebat range. Lin Luo wielded her greatsword, while Obsidia empowered herself with draconic strength and let the Dragonfirepletely envelop her body as she dashed in.


    Lin Luo swung down as hard as she could, but Obsidia caught the de with her bare hands. Well, her hands were technically wrapped in ck fire, but she had no weapons nheless.


    "Heh¡­"


    "Tch¡­"


    Lin Luo sprang away from Obsidia and dove downwards once more, but Obsidia had enough of staying on the ground. She spread her burning arms wide, creating two massive wings of fire that sprouted elegantly from her back, and pped them to fly up into the air and thereby causing Lin Luo to miss her swing.


    "She can do that too?" I mused, a bit surprised.


    "Yeah," a voice suddenly said from beside me. I turned to see who it was, and blinked.


    "ria¡­? When did you¡­"


    "I sensed a high-tier Magic Beast fighting nearby, and decided to check it out. Who knew, it was this lizard."


    "Ah."


    "As much as I want to deny it, dragons are quite powerful, even in their human form. Of course, Phoenixfire is a thousand times better than Dragonfire, but they possess one advantage we don''t ¡ª versatility."


    "How so?" I asked.


    "Phoenixes can''t do what she''s doing right now," ria exined. "When in our human forms, us phoenixes are pretty weakpared to a dragon in their human form. They can control their Dragonfirepletely even not as a dragon, but we have to be in our original forms to wield Phoenixfire."


    "Huh, I see¡­"


    I wanted to ask about what happened this morning and what she dreamed aboutst night to turn into her human form and hug me so tightly like that, but I figured now wasn''t really the right time, and turned back to the battle.


    Obsidia beganunching small fireballs towards Lin Luo, who used the blunt side of her charged sword to deflect them away. When she finally got close enough to Obsidia, she cleaved in front of her, sending a crescent-shaped barrage of energy out of her de.


    Obsidia''s eyes widened slightly, but she was able to just barely dodge it. It seems that charged attack was too powerful even for her to block.


    "¡­ That wasn''t a normal attack. How did you do it?" Obsidia asked, narrowing her eyes.


    Lin Luo scoffed. "It''s an ability I discovered recently. As for who gave it to me¡­"


    She suddenly spun her head around to look at me, and curved her lips upwards into an evil smile.


    "¡­ You can ask him."


    <em>What? What did I do?</em>


    "Master, her Divine Lightning has been corrupted by your Chaos, making it Chaotic Lightning," Mei Gui exined helpfully. "Because of this, her sword has gained the same attributes as Chaos ¡ª the ability to consume, enhance, and replicate."


    "Oh¡­?" Obsidia smirked. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but¡­ you''re not the only one who has been affected by that bastard."


    <em>I can hear you, y''know¡­</em>


    Obsidia suddenly thrust her hand out towards Lin Luo. For some reason, Lin Luo''s body froze and her eyes widened in shock, unable to do a thing.


    "What is she¡­" I murmured.


    Obsidia, keeping a perfectly neutral expression on her face, waited patiently as Lin Luo began to slowly float towards her helplessly.


    "My Chaos¡­ is stronger than yours."


    "What is that¡­?" I wondered aloud, stunned.


    "My guess? A variation on a special Draconic technique," ria replied. "Dragons have a special power to drain the ''bravery'' of people, but that usually is triggered by a roar in their normal form. When paired with the consumption ability of Chaos, however¡­ this is the result."


    "Rather than ''draining bravery'', perhaps a better term is ''injecting fear''," Lan Xiao Su added. "At least, that''s what I read in a book¡­"


    "Huh¡­"


    Lin Luo''s teeth were gritted, but she had no way of fighting back. Her body wouldn''t listen to hermand, and she fell helplessly into Obsidia''s clutches.


    "That''s enough," I interjected as Obsidia held Lin Luo''s throat in her hand.


    Obsidia shot me a sideways nce, as if dissatisfied, but she let go regardless. Lin Luo fell back to the ground, but I teleported in an instant and caught her before she could.


    "¡­ Hmph," Obsidia snorted, before turning away and heading off victorious ¡ª but someone hadn''t had enough yet, it seems.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ if this bastard didn''t take 90% of my power¡­ I would''ve crushed you¡­"


    Obsidia stopped, turning back around to face Lin Luo. "I hope you realize¡­ this isn''t my full power either. I could be¡­ a lot scarier."


    As if to show, her eyes transformed into that of a dragon''s for a second, but quickly reverted back to normal.


    "Heh¡­ so? Nothing in this world is a match for an Ascended Seraphim."


    <em>Uh¡­ really? Because I clearly remember beating you, but whatever.</em>


    "¡­ Do you want to die, human?" Obsidia asked menacingly, ring at Lin Luo, who climbed back to her feet and picking up her sword, pushing my hands away as she charged herself with lightning.


    "¡­ You''re weak, dragon. If you have guts,e at me again."


    "¡­!" Obsidia''s body was engulfed in ck mes once more, and the battle between the two was suddenly ignited again.


    "Hey¡­ you two¡­ I already said the match is ove-"


    "Stay out of this!" Both of them yelled towards me at the same time, which surprised me a bit at first, but then¡­


    "Heh¡­ heheh," I scoffed darkly, clenching my fists. "You two¡­ need to be disciplined."


    In an instant, I vanished, first grabbing Obsidia''s neck and lifting her up into the air, then Lin Luo''s the same way.


    "Wha-!"


    "Tch¡­ damn human¡­ let go of me!"


    My Chaos energy absorbed both their lightning and fire. They didn''t stand a chance.


    "I''d rmend carefully considering your attitude towards me," I said coldly. "I y nice most of the time, but don''t forget your positions. Obsidia, you need me, and Lin Luo¡­ you''re nothing but a disposable pawn I can throw away at any time. Your power is in my hands."


    "¡­!"


    The two pulled on my hands to try and free themselves, but I responded by tightening my grip.


    "¡­ Do you understand?"


    After a while, they finally tapped on my hand, signaling that it was too much. I let go, and the two of them both fell to the dirt, coughing and panting. Both of them red at me in hatred, but I didn''t care. I just wanted to keep them in check ¡ª make sure they knew that I was stronger than them both. That way, they would think twice before acting against me.


    Spinning around, I headed back to the other girls without sparing a single nce behind.


    <em>Still¡­ it seems like Obsidia in her human form is still stronger than the current Lin Luo¡­ should I give her a little more of her power back? Hm¡­</em>


    I stopped walking and nced back at Lin Luo briefly, who met my gaze with a hateful look.


    "¡­ Lin Luo. Come here for a sec."

 Chapter 375 - Reap The Benefits

    "What¡­? Why?" She asked, still trying to get her breath back.


    "Juste."


    She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but after what I just did to her, she obeyed and walked over to me. The other girls were confused to see what I was going to do as well.


    Calmly, I ced my hand on her forehead.


    "¡­! What are you-"


    "Can you shut up for one moment?" I cut in before she could finish. "Thanks."


    Closing my eyes, I felt the Chaotic Lightning and ichor flowing through my bloodstreams and directed it all to my hand. Lin Luo''s eyes widened as I began to inject the energy into her body, and after a few seconds, I stopped, opening my eyes and turning around.


    Lin Luo stared at my figure in surprise. "You¡­"


    "You seemed a bit weak and pitiful, so I decided to give you a little more of your power back. Don''t overthink it."


    "Tch¡­" She averted her gaze, pissed off at me for calling her pitiful, but her cheeks were flushed at the same time. Qing Yue, noticing this,tched onto my arm as the rest of us left and giggled.


    "Fufu~ Big Brother Xuan Kai, you''re really good at charming girls, do you know that?"


    "¡­ I thought I told her not to overthink it," I muttered, ncing back.


    "As if that''s going to help," Yu An Yan said, rolling her eyes. "You''re absolutely clueless about the hearts of girls, yet you so easily make them fall in love with you, somehow¡­"


    "Isn''t that right?" A voice suddenly interrupted from ahead of us, causing us to all stop in surprise.


    "Ming Hao?" I raised an eyebrow. "I thought I asked for no one to disturb us, yourself included."


    "Yeah, well. I just got notified of some news I think you would be interested in hearing."


    "Oh?"


    "It''s about ss C. They''veunched an attack against ss B."


    *****


    - Several Minutes Later -


    I sat on top of a tree, Ming Hao beside me. The girls and everyone else in ss D and A were still back at the base, waiting for further instructions. Long Lu was also here, on my other side.


    I looked through a telescope that I had borrowed from Ming Hao, who apparently had all kinds of random items in his Space Locket. Within the telescope, I saw ss C''s entire ss standing in front of ss B''s front doors. I counted 25 heads, meaning there was quite literally no one at their Base to guard the 5 gs that had been re-supplemented at midnightst night. Either that, or they were just carrying them, but that wouldn''t be too ideal if they were nning on raiding a different ss''s base.


    The male student I had seen by Si Ye''s sidest night seemed to barking something at the gates of the temple, but we were too far away to hear.


    "Hm. I didn''t think they''d do it this early in the morning," I muttered thoughtfully.


    "They''re either very confident or very stupid," Long Lu said.


    "Perhaps, they''re trying to risk it all andpletely wipe out ss B to gain their gs while also scoring a bunch of takedown points in the process," Ming Hao analyzed. "That will be hard to pull off, but I know the leader of ss C. Si Ye¡­ she''s a lot stronger than she shows on the outside."


    "So¡­ like Xuan Kai here?" Long Lu chuckled.


    "Mm¡­ somewhat. Xuan Kai''s still far stronger though."


    "You two seem to know each other from in the past. I''ve realized this for a while now, but never had the chance to bring it up."


    "He''s just a random acquaintance I met by chance, that''s all," I said quietly.


    "Oh yeah, we''re best bros!" Ming Hao replied at the exact same time.


    The two of us exchanged nces, then turned away awkwardly.


    "Haha! Xuan Kai''s just shy, that''s all," Ming Haoughed, scratching the back of his head.


    "Ahem¡­ anyway." I put the telescope down and hopped down from the tree. "Alert everyone else. There''s no time to lose."


    "What are we gonna do?" Long Lu asked.


    I scoffed. "What else? Steal their gs, of course."


    *****


    Soon, all of ss D and ss A''s members had gathered in the forest, in front of Ming Hao and Long Lu. I sat amongst the crowd to avoid drawing attention to myself, and naturally, the girls sat by my side closely. Feng Mian leaned on my arm, while Mei Gui clutched my other. Qing Yue sat in myp, as usual.


    "Alright, everyone. Ahead of us is ss C''s Base. What we''re going to do is break inside and steal the 5 gs that respawned therest night," Long Lu said confidently, pointing straight behind him. "They are currently battling against ss B, so no one is left behind to guard. We need to take advantage of this opportunity and go in."


    "Right," Ming Hao agreed. "So here''s the deal ¡ª I want ten ss A students to go into their base and locate the gs, then bring them back. The rest, stay behind to guard our own base, in case someone tries stealing from ours. As for ss D¡­"


    "All ss D students will score takedown points by third-partying ss C and B''s fight," Long Lu finished. "I have a n for this, so don''t worry. Everyone got that?"


    The students all nodded in unison. I''m sure many of them were wondering why the hell ss C wouldunch an attack under broad daylight like this and leave their basepletely undefended, but since this was beneficial to them, none of them wereining. Humans were just such disgusting creatures.


    "Great. Then, let''s move out!"


    Just like that, the n was set into motion. Ming Hao left behind the strongest members of his ss, himself included, back at our base to defend, while sending the weaker members into ss C''s undefended base since that didn''t require strength. As for us, ss D, we followed Long Lu onto the hill I had been on earlier to spy on the two sses and stationed ourselves there in preparation for the fight to begin.


    Once the battle started, we were to throw magic attacks at the battlefield, just strong enough to knock people unconscious but not kill them. For Advanced Mages and above, this level of control over their own spells wasn''t difficult at all.


    The only problem was¡­ why weren''t they starting yet?


    *****


    "XU LIAN! WE KNOW YOU''RE IN THERE!" A male disciple yelled towards the temple''s gates, furious and impatient. "WE KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO STOLE OUR FLAGS LAST NIGHT. BE A MAN AND GET OUT HERE!"


    After a few seconds, a student calmly walked out of the temple gates. It was the same person who had apanied Xu Lianst night.


    "¡­ What are you out here yelling about? We did no such thing."


    "Bastard¡­ you and him were the only ones who knew where our gs werest night. All those times your shameless leader asked Si Ye to reconsider even after she already said no countless times¡­ was just to buy time for your ssmates to knock out mine, huh?"


    "Like I said, it wasn''t us. There are still two other sses that are in this exam, don''t you think it''s a bit too hasty to pin the me on ss B without any evidence?"


    "Yesterday was the first day of the exam ¡ª ss A and D would never invade us this early, as they need to set up themselves first," the male student from ss C shot back. "There''s no point trying to convince us. We already know what you did ¡ª that''s why we''re here in the first ce. Now, I''ll repeat myself once more. You either give us back the gs you stole and we part peacefully¡­ or we raid your base, right here and now."


    After a deep sigh, the ss B student shrugged. "¡­ We don''t have any gs to give you."


    "Tch¡­" Therge, bulky student from ss C twitched an eyebrow. "¡­ You''ll regret this."


    Leaving those words behind, he turned around and returned to his ss rep.


    *****


    "¡­ Si Ye. That bastard is still denying it," the male disciple said, gritting his teeth.


    Si Ye, the representative of ss C, sighed softly. "Would you admit it if you were the culprit instead of him?"


    "Er¡­ that¡­ no."


    "Exactly. This has been a waste of time."


    "So¡­ do weunch the attack?"


    "¡­ There''s hardly any other choice left, is there?"


    "But the other two sses¡­ what if they invade our base¡­" A different girl murmured quietly, joining in the discussion.


    "Then so be it," Si Ye dered firmly. "This exam, I only have one enemy ¡ª ss B. I originally wanted to part ways peacefully with Xu Lian, but that clearly didn''t work. If they want to harm us¡­ we''ll show them why ss C is a ss to be feared."


    "¡­ We have no bottom line."


    "That''s right. Even if it means not even going for first ce in this exam¡­ we''ll make sure to drag ss B down with us."


    Standing up from the ice chair she had conjured, now melting away, Si Ye narrowed her eyes at the walls of ss B''s temple.


    "¡­ Launch the attack."

 Chapter 376 - Outplayed

    "Oh, it''s starting," Feng Mian pointed out, causing all of our gazes to focus on the temple below and the horde of students about to charge into it.


    "YOU''RE DONE FOR TODAY, CLASS B!" The male student by Si Ye''s side roared and led the rest of his ss into battle.


    Out from the gates of temple came ss B''s own students, firing spells and wielding sharp weapons. Of course, the sharpness of these weapons would hardly be useful considering killing was prohibited, but they could still be used as a threat, I suppose.


    "Prepare your spells," Long Lumanded as the two forces shed down below. "Remember, no lethal ones, unless you want to get expelled from the school! And target ss C only!"


    <em>The part about no lethal ones is a bit of a tall order. For me and Mei Gui, anyway.</em>


    Luckily, the two of us managed to slip by without casting any spells, since everyone else was too focused on trying to score takedown points.


    "Ha! This is the best feeling ever!" A student cheered as heunched a torrent of water downhill, crashing into the students down below. The look of surprise on their faces when they were swept away was priceless.


    The students from ss C, who had just been fighting ss B, didn''t even consider looking up, and instead just assumed the attack was from ss B. This only served to spur them onto fight even fiercer, and the war grew more intense by the second.


    "They don''t even know they''re getting third-partied¡­" Feng Mian murmured pitifully as she aimed her hand down below and cast a poison bubble of some sort that surrounded ss C''s forces. Most managed to get out due to the spell being purposely weak, but some still fell unconscious in it. I eyed Feng Mian''s wristwatch and saw the numbers go up.


    "¡­ Hold on," I murmured as the other students of our ss continued tounch attacks down below.


    "What''s wrong, Xuan Kai?" Yu An Yan asked in concern, having just created a mini-thunderstorm that could paralyze but not kill.


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but¡­ ss B''s leader hasn''t even shown his face yet, has he?"


    "Nope. I haven''t seen him," Qing Yue replied.


    "Me neither," Lan Xiao Su added. "Only hisckey."


    I sighed. "¡­ As expected. That guy¡­ he''s dangerous."


    "What¡­?" The girls turned to me in confusion, but there was no time to exin right now.


    "You guys stay here, continue to do your thing. I have something I need to check on."


    "Eh? Xuwan Kwai, where are you gowing??" Amane asked innocently, throwing a rock down below for fun and actually knocking someone out.


    "¡­ Don''t worry about it."


    *****


    After discretely leaving the rest of the ss, I headed to ss D''s abandoned base with my dark cloak worn over my uniform, hood over my head, and mask over my face ¡ª the same setup I hadst night when infiltrating ss C''s Base. I looked up and decided to climb onto a tree in front of the temple''s entrance, silently awaiting my prey.


    It didn''t take long for him toe.


    "¡­ Xu Lian."


    Hearing my voice, the boy stopped in his tracks and looked up at me.


    "Ah. It''s you, fromst night."


    Jumping down from the tree andnding directly in front of him, I adjusted my hood and mask so he had no idea who I was.


    "How did you see me back then?"


    "Hm¡­ let''s just say I''ve been blessed with a special power. Any more information will cost you, friend."


    "How much?"


    His smile darkened. "An arm and a leg, of course."


    "¡­ What are you doing here?"


    "My, so many questions¡­ shouldn''t you remove your mask before asking me all these? It''s hardly polite to be interrogating me without even revealing your own identity. I know you''re also a fellow student at this school, but¡­ who?"


    "I''m a ss D student," I replied calmly. "Names are hardly important. You''re here to steal my ss''s gs, I presume?"


    "As a matter of fact, no. I mean, <em>clearly</em>, this ce is so well-guarded, why would I ever dream of stealing from you just by myself?" He taunted, spreading his arms. He already realized something was off with ss D, hence why he came here to investigate. And indeed, his guess had been on the mark ¡ª no one was here to defend.


    He was being sarcastic, of course, but I decided to y along.


    "In that case, what''s your reason ining here?"


    "To propose a deal."


    "A deal? With me? I''m not the ss rep, just so you know."


    "Oh, I''m aware. But sometimes¡­ the leader on the surface isn''t really the leader. You know what I mean."


    <em>Tch¡­ this guy is annoying to deal with.</em>


    "Sorry, but I''m afraid I have no idea what you''re talking about."


    "Is that so? Well, fine. Ry this message to your ss rep for me, then." He cleared his throat formally before continuing. "I know you were allied with ss A for the first exam, but now that they''ve taken first, continuing to help them in this one would create too big of a gap between the sses. Your ss, ss D, will be dumped sooner orter. That''s why¡­ I propose you work with ss B instead."


    <em>So¡­ he deduced we''re working with ss A. Not bad, not bad at all. But unfortunately¡­ he still wasn''t able to see my true n.</em>


    "I see. I''ll be sure to let the ss rep know¡­"


    <em>Space ¡ª Eliminate.</em>


    "¡­ After getting rid of you."


    In an instant, I appeared behind Xu Lian, Chaos katanas summoned and rested on the back of his neck. The ominous ck and red energy radiating from it burned on his skin, but he didn''t move.


    "¡­ What are you trying to do?" He asked calmly, which surprised me a bit. He wasn''t frightened in the least, despite the situation.


    "If you think just because killing is disallowed in this exam, I won''t do it¡­ you''re horribly wrong," I threatened.


    "Oh, is that so? Well then, go ahead."


    Iughed. "Sure. But just so you know¡­ there are plenty of things worse than death out there."


    I lifted my katana up and prepared to slice down. Xu Lian realized what I was trying to do, but it was toote.


    I brought the de down¡­ and struck the back his neck with the hilt.


    Xu Lian was knocked out cold, falling to the floor. I took off my hood and mask.


    "¡­ Hm. That was easier than expected¡­ almost¡­ too easy."


    "Bravo, bravo!" Xu Lian''s familiar voice suddenlyughed. But the most ominous thing¡­ was that it came from the clearly unconscious body in front of me.


    "¡­ What in the world¡­"


    "So this is who the mastermind controlling ss D is, huh? I will take great note."


    And as the body began to fade away, I realized ¡ª it was an illusion.


    "Consider my proposal carefully¡­ Xuan Kai."


    My eyes widened.


    <em>He knows my name¡­? How? Did he memorize the entire list of students in every ss paired with face, or did he just overhear someone else calling me that back on campus¡­?</em>


    I dematerialized my Chaos katanas and took a deep breath. I gotpletely outyed.


    This could''ve been easily avoided if I just used Third Eye, but I never thought he was a Shadow Magic user ¡ª after all, he didn''t use Shadow Magic during the four-way duel between ss reps before the first exam.


    <em>¡­ I need to eliminate him before this exam ends. Otherwise, he could prove to be troublesome once we head back. Obviously, I can''t kill him, so there''s only one other option: control.</em>


    I headed back to the rest of the ss after that. Once I arrived, the battle had already ended with a tie. ss B''s defenses were just about to break, but ss C didn''t have enough people left to charge in. Therefore, both sides retreated, but the male student barked something about being back tonight to finish this.


    Luckily, the ss A students we sent in to ss C''s Base already returned with gs in hand. Little did Xu Lian know, him going to ss D''s base to investigate in fact yed right into my hand. This way, ss C will hate ss B even more ¡ª they''ll think it was Xu Lian who stole the gs, since he hadn''t shown up at all during the battle.


    I may have miscalcted a little and let him discover my true identity, but the fight wasn''t over yet. In the end, victory would be mine, and Xu Lian would be another one of my pawns. ss B¡­ would also fall under my control.


    <em>I wonder¡­ should I wipe his memory as well, just in case he ever tries fighting back? Yeah, I think that would be good.</em>


    ss A was now in the lead in terms of gs, with 25 in total ¡ª 10 from ss D, 10 from ss C, and 5 from themselves. Meanwhile, ss D and C both had none, and ss B had their meager 5. We were on a direct course to victory, but there was still plenty of time left in this exam.


    Anything could happen ¡ª and we needed to be ready.

 Chapter 377 - The Final Stretch

    After returning from the battle, I had the rest of the girls spar one another for training. Nothing really eventful happened ¡ª at about 1 in the morning, ss C decided it was a good idea to raid ss B again, but it ended up in a tie once more. ss A''s students were sent in to steal the gs just like earlier, bringing ss A''s total g count up to 30.


    Add that to the 5 from ss D that had respawned, and we get 35 total.


    That same night, however, just when I was trying to go to sleep, I was summoned into a ce I never thought I would be forcefully summoned into ¡ª the Infinite Realm.


    "¡­ Sylvie." I sighed. "Did you need something from me?"


    "Yes," she replied, shooting me a sideways nce. "What, do you not want to see me?"


    "No no. You''re very cute, how can I not want to see you?" I teased, knowing she hates it when I did that. To my surprise, however, rather than shooting me down like usual, she blushed and looked away.


    "A-Ahem¡­ anyway. I want to speak to you about something."


    Sensing the change in atmosphere, I got serious.


    "¡­ What''s the matter?"


    "Because I was a bit curious, I ran a little scan of your body. Can you believe what I found?"


    I gulped. <em>Did she find out something more about Chaos¡­?</em>


    "What did you find?"


    "The angel-blood you received from that girl, Lin Luo. But that''s not all."


    She turned to me and walked closer, staring into my eyes threateningly. "I also found traces of¡­ vampire blood. It was nearlypletely covered up by the scent of the angel blood, but I could still sense it. Tell me, where did thate from?"


    "Uh¡­"


    I recalled the deal I made with Count Draculus a while back. I would have to pay thend of the Vampires a visit sooner orter, but that was a secret mission the other Founders weren''t supposed to know about.


    "I rmend you to be honest with me," Sylvoir said dangerously. "I may not be able to kill you, but I have plenty of ways to make you suffer."


    After some careful consideration, I sighed.


    "The vampire blood¡­ it came from Count Draculus."


    Hearing this, Sylvoir snorted. "Looks like you still have some respect for me."


    "¡­ You knew?"


    "Of course. He''s the first person I would go to when matters about vampires came up. I was just testing you to see whether you would be honest with me or not."


    <em>Actually, I was nning on making up a lie, but this works too.</em>


    "He gave me a mission," I replied. "But as of right now, I still don''t know what that mission is. Do you have any idea, Sylvie?"


    "Hm¡­ a mission, huh? If he hasn''t told you the details already, it must mean you aren''t strong enough yet. The only issue within Vampire territory I can think of on that caliber would be the battle for the throne¡­"


    "Battle for the throne¡­?"


    Sylvoir nced at me briefly, before looking away and folding her arms. "I''ve told you everything I can. I don''t want to mislead you, so that''s all I''m going to say. Take my words with a grain of salt ¡ª I''m no expert on the Vampire race. The details, you''ll still have to find out from Count Draculus himself."


    "I see¡­"


    "However," Sylvoir continued, catching me off-guard. "I will say this: the battle for the throne in the Vampire race ising up in a year or so. If you want to fulfill the mission Count Draculus gave you¡­ get strong enough before then."


    "¡­ Got it. Thanks."


    "Don''t thank me. I''m merely performing my duty as the leader of the Founders."


    "Then¡­ I''m going to leave now, if that''s alright with you?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "¡­ Sure. Sleep well."


    "Yeah¡­ you too."


    I turned around as she opened the portal to let me leave, but right before I stepped through¡­


    "Hey, Xuan Kai-"


    She smiled faintly.


    "-Stay safe."


    I blinked. "You''re¡­ worrying about me?"


    "N-No!" Sylvoir immediately denied, blushing red and turning away. "It''s just¡­ if you die, the Library will be inevitably damaged as well. That''s all ¡ª don''t overestimate yourself!"


    I chuckled. "Right¡­"


    I walked over and pulled her into an embrace, catching her by surprise. Her short body felt soft and warm in my arms, and I couldn''t resist patting her head.


    "¡­!" She flinched cutely in my embrace, but didn''t pull away.


    "For some reason, whenever Ie in here and talk with you, I can always feelforted and at home. For that¡­"


    I pulled away and smiled at her stunned face.


    "¡­ Thank you, Sylvie."


    But to my surprise, she suddenly pped me across the face.


    "I-Idiot!"


    "Ouch- what was that for?!" I yelled, clutching my cheek in pain.


    "A-Ah! I''m sorry¡­" Sylvoir hurriedly rushed over to see if I was okay, and I smirked.


    "Got you."


    "Wha¡­!" She realized she''d been yed, and sank a deep punch into my stomach.


    "Ngh¡­ okay, that one actually hurt¡­"


    "Hmph! I''m never believing you again!" She snorted and turned away, closing her eyes defiantly.


    I smiled gently and looked at her. She opened one eye to look at me, and the corners of her lip slowly curved up into a grin as well.


    "¡­ Until next time, Sylvie."


    "Mm¡­ until next time, Xuan Kai."


    *****


    The remainder of that week was practically just a repeat of yesterday.


    ss C wouldunch attacks on ss B as soon as they got the chance, and the result would always end in a tie. Meanwhile, ss D continued to score takedown points for free, and ss A continued receiving 10 gs for every day that passed. To kill time, the girls and I fought against one another to gain experience, then meditated in the Void Realm at night to advance our cultivation.


    I was currently an Ancestral Mage, able to use Legendary-Tier spells, but even with all this battle experience, I have yet to feel the formation of a Battle Soul in my body. Unfortunately, the only person still alive I could ask regarding that was Xiang Peng, but she and I were separated at the moment.


    "Man¡­ I can''t believe how stupid they are," Ming Hao chuckled lightly. I currently sat in his office with Long Lu, who wasughing boldly.


    "Hey, you said that Si Ye girl was strong, right? Seems like she isn''t the brightest," heughed out loud.


    "Hm¡­ she''s usually better than this. I''m assuming this has something to do with that guy by her side."


    I smirked, sipping on a cup of warm tea. "Jealous?"


    "Huh? You''re kidding," Ming Hao scoffed. "Why would I be jealous of some rando hanging around Si Ye? I don''t even like her."


    "Yeah, that was what I told myself regarding all the girls around me as well in the past." I shrugged, setting the cup of tea down. "Don''t forget about that bet you and I made."


    "Yeah, well, you''re the same one who told me to find a girl I actually liked, or else it wouldn''t count," he shot back. "I''m telling you, Si Ye and I may have grown up together, but we''re like siblings, not lovers."


    "If they aren''t blood rted, they''re free to be dated." I smirked.


    "Ha! Good one!" Long Lu chuckled. "Wise indeed."


    "I mean, I guess that''s true¡­ you and that short girl¡­ ah, I forgot her name."


    "Qing Yue?"


    "Yeah, that''s it!"


    I scoffed. "She would kill you if she knew you referred to her as ''short girl'', you know."


    "Heh, even you won''t be able to beat me as I am right now ¡ª you think she can?"


    "Better not to be so confident," I replied calmly. "By the way, do you know anyone who''s a Golden Monarch or above?"


    "Uh¡­ yeah, I do, but why?" Ming Hao tilted his head curiously.


    "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if I could get some¡­ pointers from them."


    "Pointers¡­?" He frowned, then widened his eyes as he realized. "Wait, don''t tell me, are you already at that stage?!"


    "What are you talking about?" I snorted. "Of course not. But better to get advice now than when the time actuallyes, no?"


    I didn''t want to reveal my true strength, but at the same time wanted to use these two''s connections to see if there was anyone willing to help me awaken my Battle Soul, so this was the only method I could use.


    "Well¡­ if it''s a Golden Monarch teacher you need, I do have someone," Long Lu chimed in. "But we''ll have to wait until summer break, which is in about a month, starting in June. He''s an elder in my family ¡ª watched me grow up and everything, real nice person. I''m sure he would love to help."


    I nodded firmly. "I see. Then, I''ll thank you in advance."


    He smiled friendlily. "No problem, Brother Xuan. You''re practically carrying the ss to victory right now and letting me get all the credit to top it off ¡ª this is the least I can do to repay you."

 Chapter 378 - Turn Of Events

    - One Day, After ss D had Retreated -


    "S-Si Ye!" The male student from ss C yelled.


    "Calm down, Lei Pao¡­" Si Ye sighed in exasperation but continued reading her book. "What is it this time?"


    "It''s Xu Lian¡­ he¡­ wants to speak with you."


    At this, Si Ye set down her novel and nced at the male student ¡ª Lei Pao.


    "¡­ And you didn''t reject him outright?"


    "S-Sorry¡­ he seemed like he had actually important business to talk about," Lei Pao replied timidly. "Apparently¡­ if you don''t listen to him now, all hope of winning this exam will be lost, even if we do break into ss B''s Base."


    "¡­ Fine. I''ll see him. Where is he?"


    "Right here, miss."


    The intruder who had said this pushed past Lei Pao casually with a fake innocent smile so wide his eyes were thin lines. He bowed, smile never once leaving his face.


    "Hello, Ice Princess."


    "¡­ Don''t call me by that name. You''re not fit."


    "Of course ¡ª I apologize. But Ie here today with purpose."


    "Oh?" Si Ye stood up from her ice chair and folded her arms. "Let''s hear it then. What ''purpose''?"


    "Come on now, princess. It''s been a week since we started fighting pointlessly like this. Haven''t you realized yet?"


    Si Ye narrowed her eyes. "I thought I told you not to call me that. But¡­ realize what?"


    "We''re getting yed," Xu Lian replied with a soft chuckle. "By none other than ss A¡­ or should I say, ss D?"


    "¡­ What?"


    "It''s about time you notice. Do you think the other two sses have just been sitting idly while we fought like fools for the past seven days? They formed an alliance a long time ago ¡ª and are seeking to take advantage of our conflict."


    "¡­ Hm." Si Ye folded her arms. "borate."


    "The gs that you left behind in your base defenselessly¡­ the various attacks that seem toe out of nowhere when our forces are inbat¡­ they are all the work of ss A and D. In fact, I''ve been trying to tell you this since the beginning, but the whole reason you started attacking us was because of them too."


    Lei Pao''s eyes widened. "You mean¡­ that night¡­ they infiltrated our base and stole the gs, somehow?"


    "Naturally. You may think it was me since I am most proficient in Shadow Magic, but don''t you think it''s a bit weird that ss A and D have seemingly done nothing all this time?"


    "¡­ What are you trying to say?" Si Ye asked, cutting to the point.


    "I''m proposing we form an alliance once more, Ice Princess," Xu Lian replied, spreading his arms wide while continuing to smile in that creepy manner of his. "There is only one day left in the exam, after today. If you don''t believe me¡­ you can raid ss A''s Base for yourself. If my calctions are not wrong¡­ they should have 135 gs stored."


    Lei Pao and another girl beside Si Ye widened their eyes in shock.


    "A-A hundred and thirty-five?!"


    "Of course, should you choose to deny my offer and insist it was me who stole your gs, then I have no choice but to retreat," Xu Lian continued with a light shrug. "You may even capture me right here and now, if so you wish. But the fact that I am willing toe here defenselessly right now proves my sincerity, no? If you decide to attack ss A, ss B will support you with everything we have. How about it?"


    Si Ye red at Xu Lian like he was a piece of trash. "¡­ Don''t take me for a fool. I know full well the you here right now is not your real body. I''ve done my research, Xu Lian¡­ or should I say, Puppet Master?"


    At this, Xu Lian ¡ª or rather, Xu Lian''s puppet ¡ª froze his movements, smile stered over his face like a creepy tattoo.


    "That said¡­" Si Ye continued, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "It is clear that our two sses have equal strength. Continuing to battle like this will yield no benefit to either of us. I still don''t believe you one bit, but since the exam is about to be over anyway, we might as well take this risk."


    "S-Si Ye¡­ are you sure¡­?"


    "Yes," she replied firmly. "And besides¡­ ss A is led by <em>him</em>. I think¡­ it''s about time I get my vengeance."


    *****


    - Meanwhile, ss A''s Base -


    "Man¡­" I sighed, sitting on top of the roof of the tallest building in the temple and staring out at the bamboo forest''s scenery that I had gotten used to by now.


    <em>What am I going to do about Xu Lian¡­? There''s only one day left in the exam, excluding today¡­</em>


    <em>Looks like I have no choice but to just infiltrate ss B''s Base myself and take him out, huh?</em>


    "Xuan Kai, what you thinking about?" Feng Mian asked, climbing up onto the roof as well and plopping down beside me.


    "Hm? Oh, nothing. Just someone I need to get rid of."


    "Do you want me to help?" She offered, eyes sparkling with excitement.


    "Nah, I''m good. I can handle him on my own."


    "Heh, I see." Feng Mian smirked suggestively and drew closer to me on the roof, slowly easing my body into aid-down position and pressing herrge and soft breasts against my chest.


    "By the way¡­ when was thest time we kissed~?"


    "Uh¡­ justst night?" I said hesitantly.


    "Eh, too long ago. I want to kiss right now."


    "¡­ Feng Mian."


    "Hm~?"


    "Your subus side hasn''t taken over, right?"


    "Nope, not yet. It happens only once a month, I''m pretty sure," she replied. "What, I can''t do naughty things with you unless I''m in my subus form?"


    "Uh¡­ no. I was just wondering, since it would be troublesome if you let that side of you take over while we''re still in the exam."


    "Don''t worry~ as long as you satisfy my needs whenever I ask, that won''t happen. Just like right now¡­ I want you to kiss me. Yeah?"


    She licked her lips and slowly brought them closer to mine. I met her mouth and threw my arms around her warm body. Our tongues wrapped around one another, coated by our saliva. My fingers slid down to grab her sexy ass, soft and round.


    "Mmn~" she moaned gently as I caressed her lower lip with my mouth, tracing my fingertips back and forth on her ample butt. Luckily, she still had clothes on, otherwise I may have lost self-control and did it with her right then and there.


    "So, this is where you two were, huh?"


    Immediately, Feng Mian and I tore away from one another and looked at the owner of the voice ¡ª Yu An Yan. She did not look happy.


    "Er¡­ what brings you here?" I asked hesitantly.


    "The leader of ss A wanted to talk to you, Xuan Kai. Since I happened to pass by, he sought out my help in looking for you. Since searching from the air would be easier, that''s exactly what I did ¡ª but to think you would be up here¡­ with Feng Mian, no less."


    "Uh¡­ my bad. I''ll go see what he wants. Thanks," I quickly replied before promptly fucking off, since staying there definitely wasn''t a good idea.


    Sorry, Feng Mian, but I''ll let you deal with An Yan''s wrath. I have¡­ more important business to attend to.


    *****


    - Within the Meeting Room -


    "Oh, you''re finally here," Ming Hao said upon spotting me enter and shutting the door behind me.


    "¡­ An Yan said you wanted to talk to me. What for?"


    "I just wanted to let you know something," he replied. "Just waiting for Long Lu toe as well."


    A few minutester, Long Lu arrived.


    "Sorry, I was in the shower¡­ didn''t know you two wanted to discuss something important," he apologized deeply.


    "Don''t worry about it," Ming Hao replied coolly. "Now that we''re all here, I can finally begin."


    I set up a sound barrier to prevent any eavesdroppers, then leaned in close. Ming Hao''s expression turned serious, which was a rarity for him.


    "ording to one of my ssmates¡­ Xu Lian was seen speaking with Si Ye. The two seemed to havee to an agreement of some sort, and I don''t like it."


    Long Lu blinked. "I don''t get it. What''s there to be worried about? They just finally realized fighting like that is pointless when they''re both on the same strength level, that''s all."


    "No¡­ there''s a major problem," I muttered, frowning in thought and narrowing my eyes. "Knowing Xu Lian, he must''ve said something to Si Ye to forcefully make her change her mind ¡ª or should I say¡­ change her target."


    "Yep," Ming Hao agreed, nodding firmly. "My guess? They''reing for us tomorrow. Two whole sses, 50 people, raiding this temple."


    "Then¡­ they realized the truth," Long Lu cursed. "Fuck."


    "Don''t worry," I said, cing a hand on his shoulder. "This is within expectations. Things were going to a bit too smoothly, after all. I knew they were going to realize it eventually ¡ª but it happening thiste is good for us, since they''ll only have time for one good invasion."


    "I doubt they''lle tonight, since they have to do reconnaissance and such," Ming Hao added. "But tomorrow¡­ we need to be ready."


    Long Lu nodded, having taken this news better than expected.


    "I''ll let my ss know. You let yours."

 Chapter 379 - Temple Defense

    <em>I was just wondering how I would get rid of him¡­ to think he woulde running straight to me.</em>


    <em>Well then, don''t me me for this, Xu Lian.</em>


    *****


    - The Next Day -


    "¡­ They''re here," Ming Hao said, ncing through his telescope.


    "They''re here!" Long Lu yelled, transmitting his message to everyone. "Battle stations!"


    Immediately, the students all got into the formation they had practicedst night in preparation for this. Those who specialized in long-range, precision spells and weapons were ced on top of the temple''s walls, while those with melee/close-range weapons or specialized in physicalbat with their magic were stationed behind the entrance of the temple, ready to charge out at any minute. Behind them were the area-of-effect mages, who specialized in using highly-destructive magic that could affect a group of enemies at once.


    Meanwhile, assassin-types like Feng Mian were ced around where the gs were, but hidden. This way, any flying troops may get past our defenses and think that there''s no one guarding the gs, but they''ll be caught off guard and in with ease by our assassins.


    Lastly, proficient Sky Magic users would be our aerialbat force to rain down hell from above.


    I was ced into the meleebat group, but I wouldn''t actually be doing any fighting unless it was absolutely necessary. I didn''t think that would happen though, since the girls alone were more than capable enough of defending against this army, since they are now able to use Legendary-Tier spells.


    In this final battle, I had one goal and one goal only ¡ª finding Xu Lian''s real body and turning him into one of my chess pieces.


    *****


    "OPEN UP!" Lei Pao demanded loudly, taking the lead in front of the fifty-student army.


    "So noisy¡­" Ming Hao smirked from atop the temple walls and nced out at the enemy forcesid out ahead. "Oh, Si Si, you''re here too?"


    Lei Pao frowned in confusion. "Si Si¡­?"


    Si Ye narrowed her eyes at Ming Hao and clenched her fists tightly. "You¡­ don''t deserve¡­ to call me that¡­!"


    "Huh, I see you''re wearing that ne I bought you all those years ago as well," Ming Hao chuckled. "It still fits?"


    "It''s adjustable, you dimwit¡­"


    "Oh, didn''t know that. But what''s the meaning of this? You want a round two after I pped you so hard all those years ago?"


    "Don''t bring that up!" Si Ye yelled in fury. "You knew full well I was weaker than you at the time¡­ which was exactly why you challenged me to that fight. And you said if you won, you would¡­ ugh!"


    As I listened to this exchange from behind the temple''s doors, I couldn''t help but wonder¡­ what''s Ming Hao''s history with this girl? They seem to have a sort of¡­ love-hate rtionship? Kind of like Lin Luo and I at the moment.


    "Man¡­ you''re still mad about that?" Ming Hao chuckled. "Listen, I had no choice at the time. You were getting too attached to me, and my family kinda maybe perhaps possibly didn''t like that. And since you were sopetitive, I figured beating you in a fight was the best way to break you off from me."


    <em>What is this? A tragic love story? I thought he said he didn''t like her¡­</em>


    "Shut up! Who''s attached to you?!" Si Ye snarled as everyone around her watched in shock. The Ice Princess they knew had broken said ice and wasshing out in fury at this boy in front of them with no care of her image.


    "Well¡­" Ming Hao shrugged. "If you want to do this, go ahead. Just know I won''t show any mercy, and I have help of my own."


    As if on cue, Long Lu stepped forward. "sses B and C against sses D and A¡­ what a show indeed. We''re ready. Are you?"


    Si Ye pointed at Ming Hao arrogantly. "Ming Hao! If I seed in this attack, you are obliged to talk to me whenever I wish. Is that clear?"


    Ming Hao picked his ear. "Huh? What was that? Sorry, gettin'' old."


    "¡­" Si Ye gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly in anger. "I know full well you heard it, so I won''t repeat it again. But if I lose, I won''t bother you for the rest of my life. How''s that for a deal?"


    Ming Hao smirked. "Sure. Let''s get this show on the road. My guys are itching for some punching bags."


    Si Ye lifted her hand up into the air in preparation. "Everyone¡­ go!"


    The horde of fifty students immediately charged forward as our precision shooters went to work, picking off the easy targets. Meanwhile, the temple''s gates were opened as well, letting our own forces meet theirs. As soon as this happened, however, I turned invisible and went off to one side to spectate the fight.


    I saw Xu Lian''s bodyying unconscious on the dirt with a poisoned arrow stabbed into his shoulder, but that obviously wasn''t his real body. This was confirmed by it disappearing shortly after.


    <em>Xu Lian¡­ where the hell are you?</em>


    And then, as I nced in the direction of ss C''s Base, I instinctively knew.


    <em>Of course¡­ he''s the type to backstab his own allies.</em>


    As fiery explosions went off everywhere and more students fell unconscious by the second, I flew towards ss C''s base in search of Xu Lian. He should be there, grabbing their gs right now.


    As for back at the temple¡­ I wasn''t particrly worried about ss A''s defenses.


    After all, even if they did break down, my preparations were already set in cest night.


    *****


    - The Night Before -


    While everyone was sound asleep, I had secretly woke up Ming Hao.


    "Hm¡­? Xuan Kai? What''s up?"


    "¡­ Come with me."


    "What¡­? Dude, it''s, like, 2 AM¡­"


    "That''s the point. Get up."


    "Ugh, fine¡­"


    After forcing him to wake up, I took him to where the gs were stored in ss A.


    "Why did you bring me here for?" He asked, rubbing his eyes in confusion.


    I snorted. "There''s a traitor in your ss who seems to disagree with your ns."


    At this, he stopped. "¡­ What?"


    "Try opening it."


    Ming Hao ced his hands on the doors and tried to push it open, but it wouldn''t budge.


    "Ngh¡­! What the hell¡­?"


    "It''s been locked by an array ¡ª no simple one, either," I replied. Mei Gui had told me about that. "Think, Ming Hao. Who in your ss is good at setting up magic arrays?"


    "Uh¡­ I''ve only met them for like a week, I don''t know everything about them¡­"


    "Well, if you ever find out who it was in the future, just bear this exam," I said nonchntly, before walking away.


    "W-Wait! What about the gs inside? If it''s like this, you won''t be able to make them ss Ds-"


    "Rx," I cut him off. "I knew this was going to happen a long time ago. This array was made fairly recently, just earlier tonight ¡ª otherwise, no one would be able to put the 5 gs from ss D in. Before this happened, I already transferred all the gs inside to ss D. The ones in there right now are just illusions conjured by me."


    The spell I had used was, of course, Infinite Illusions, the Legendary-Tier Shadow Element spell. But when I said I transferred them to ss D, that was only half-truth. The reality was, they were all stored in my Space Locket, safe and sound. They still belonged to ss D now since I touched themst, but I purposely didn''t tell Ming Hao the full truth here because of a certain someone.


    I noticed said someone''s figure disappearing, then leaned in close to Ming Hao''s ear.


    "Go to ss D''s Base right now. You''ll catch the culprit."


    His eyes widened as he realized all of this was nned by me. Calling him out here tonight, purposely not setting up a sound barrier, and saying only half the truth to mislead the eavesdropper¡­ all of that was nned.


    Leaving these words behind, I left to go back to sleep. Ming Hao stared at my disappearing figure, shaking his head in awe.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ I''m not sure to call you a genius or a monster."


    *****


    - Present Time -


    After arriving at ss C''s Base, I immediately headed for the meeting room ¡ª that''s where the gs werest time. And as expected, when I opened the door, I saw Xu Lian''s figure, who had just picked up the gs.


    "Ah¡­ you again."


    "I predicted you to be here."


    "I can see that. So? What now? Are you going to try and knock me unconscious again, likest time?"


    I nodded tantly. "Yeah. This is the real you, since your copy already disappeared back there in the battlefield. Witnessed it myself."


    "I see. Well¡­ what can I say? You caught me."


    Xu Lian turned around and lifted his hands up into the air as a symbol of surrender, but his creepy smile never once left his face. I calmly strode closer to him and prepared to strike his neck with my hand, but-


    "Heh¡­ too bad¡­ I predicted you to predict meing here."


    I heard his voice ovep and the presence of another figure assaulting me from behind. But instead of panicking like he thought I would, the corners of my lips curved up into a devious smirk.


    "¡­ Heh."


    I sent a swift elbow behind me, striking the real Xu Lian directly in the chest, as if I had known he would be there all along.


    "Ngh-!" He fell to the floor, wooden rod falling out of his hand. He had been nning on bashing me in the head with that thing, but unfortunately¡­


    As his copy disappeared, I walked closer to his figure, crawling away in fear.


    "W-Wha¡­ H-How did you¡­"


    "Shh shh shh. Too bad¡­" I made a shushing gesture and stepped on his foot as hard as I could.


    "GAH!"


    "¡­ I predicted you predicting me predicting youing here."


    His body seized up in fear as I smiled like a devil.


    Before he knew it, everything around him went ck.

 Chapter 380 - Under My Control

    - A Few Minutes Later -


    Xu Lian slowly blinked his eyes open after I used Soul Shackle on him, sitting up groggily.


    "Where am¡­ I¡­?"


    Then, he spotted me, and immediately looked struggled to his feet before preparing tounch a spell. However, after seeing me not budging an inch, he hesitated.


    "I would think twice about trying to harm me," I said calmly, sending him a condescending look. "Of course, you''re wee to try. See what happens if you do."


    "¡­ What did you do to me?"


    "I purposely didn''t hit you too hard so you wouldn''t take too long to wake up," I chuckled. "To think it would actually work."


    "Answer the question," he demanded coldly, his usual smile nowhere to be seen. He knew he had lost. And now he wanted to know what the consequences were.


    "Well-"


    I hopped off the walls of the temple and stood in front of him with a triumphant grin on my face.


    "-Put simply, you''re under my control now."


    "¡­ What?"


    I smirked and summoned one of my Chaos katanas before very gently cutting open a slit on my fingertips.


    "GAH!"


    Immediately, Xu Lian fell to the floor in agony, clutching his hand as blood spouted out of it like a fountain.


    "Tch¡­ you bastard¡­ what the hell is this¡­?"


    "Are you really stupid or just pretending to be?" I taunted, dematerializing my katana. "Whatever injuries I receive¡­ you''ll receive them too ¡ª just amplified thousandfold. So ¡ª think twice before trying to hurt me. And remember, I can kill you anytime I want."


    "The exam doesn''t allow this¡­!" Xu Lian gritted his teeth andughed to the best of his ability despite his agonizing finger. "Heh¡­ you may have won now, but let''s see you grin when you''re kicked out from the school!"


    "Oh?" I leaned in close to his face. "The rules only said no killing in this exam. I can kill you outside of it at any given moment. And besides¡­ how will you report me when I can easily get rid of your tongue?"


    With a light scratch of mine, I can easily silence him forever. I expected him to shudder in fear when I told him this, but instead¡­ he merelyughed darkly.


    "Ahaha¡­ how I''ve been yed. I always thought no one could match me in terms of scheming and intelligence, among the students of this school. Yet here I am, defeated. Just end my life, you damn bastard. I lost. I have no more purpose in living. Hell, if you won''t do it, I''ll do it myself."


    "You lost once," I replied. "Is that really enough to shut you down already? Is that all you amount to?"


    "¡­ No matter how long it takes, I won''t be able to exceed you."


    "Is that so?" I scoffed. "What if I told you¡­ I used to be a talentless waste without any magic, up until justst year?"


    He snorted. "No way that''s possible. You awakened your magic thiste, yet managed to enter the top university in the world in a matter of months? If that''s true, then it only proves my point ¡ª I can''t surpass you. You win."


    Tired of his whining, I walked closer to him and sank a punch straight into his face.


    "Ngh-!" He fell back onto the floor,ying down. I straddled on top of him, before bringing my fist down again.


    "How about this? Don''t you feel the burning desire for revenge in your heart?"


    "Don''t¡­ bother¡­ gah! I know what you''re trying to do," he spat with venom. "I''d rather¡­ die¡­ than be your ve!"


    Hearing this, I stopped.


    "Oh¡­ you have some backbone. Unfortunately, I don''t care."


    With these cold words, I bashed his head in once again, just barely keeping him conscious and alive.


    "Gah¡­"


    "Ugh!"


    "AH!"


    I continued punching him until his face waspletely bruised, and I finally got up from his body.


    "¡­ Hopefully, that should teach you what fear is. After all, there are things in this world worse than death."


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ this won''t stop me¡­ from killing myself¡­"


    "Hm. In that case, go ahead." I turned around and casually began walking away, leaving his battered body behind. "I have plenty of Necromancy Magic up my sleeve."


    At this, he froze. "¡­ You''re bluffing."


    I smirked. This was the moment I had been waiting for.


    "Is that so?"


    Without even bothering to turn around, I pointed the palm of my head at the ground and cast a spell I had learned from the university''s library just a while ago. It was also the same spell a certain now-deceased enemy of mine had once used against me.


    <em>Level Three Necromancy Magic ¡ª Acolyte Summon.</em>


    An ominous green light shone out of my hand and into the dirt, where a rock golem of some sort suddenly rose out of the ground. It was humanoid, but had a single glowing green eye in the center of its oddly shaped head. Its body was made out of y, judging from appearances, but its ws were exceptionally long and sharp that made it the perfect killing machine.


    The figure knelt down to me obediently, hissing quietly.


    "Sssss¡­ Greeeeeeetings, Masssssster¡­"


    <em>¡­ Hm. Okay, that''s kind of weird. I prefer Mei Gui or ria, thanks.</em>


    Slowly, I nced back at Xu Lian, who held a shocked expression in his eyes.


    "Do you want to see more? I still have a few cards up my sleeve, you know."


    "¡­ Tch. Fine¡­ I''ll serve you for the time being. Since I''m going to be made into your pawn either way, better do it while living than dead. Just know this¡­ the moment I find a way to break this curse¡­ I''ming for your head."


    "Ah, so the beating worked after all," I chuckled lightly. <em>Too bad¡­ you''ll never be able to break this curse.</em>


    "¡­" Xu Lian fell silent, preparing to walk away, but I grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.


    "Where are you going? I haven''t given you your first mission yet."


    *****


    After carefully instructing Xu Lian on what to do, I returned to ss A''s Base to check on how the war went. The first mission I gave him wasn''t all too difficult ¡ª basically, keep his mouth shut about me and convince his ss of a certain oue.


    When I arrived back at the base, the battle had just about ended. ss B and C''s forcesy scattered within the forest,pletely defeated. The only one remaining standing was Si Ye, who had wounds all over her yet still red at Ming Hao with hatred.


    "¡­ Si Ye. Give up," he said quietly, the usual carefree attitude to him nowhere to be seen.


    "No¡­ I''ll make you pay¡­!"


    Ming Hao sighed and shook his head, but in doing so, he spotted me hiding in the shadows of a tree. Knowing that I noticed him as well, he made a slight nodding gesture to me. I immediately understood what he meant.


    <em>Man¡­ handle your woman yourself, moron.</em>


    <em>Level Three Shadow Magic ¡ª Invisibility.</em>


    <em>Level One Psychic Magic ¡ª Conceal Presence.</em>


    Discretely, I snuck up behind Si Ye, before decisively striking down on her neck with the side of my palm. Her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious into my arms. I canceled my invisibility and looked up at Ming Hao who smiled in response.


    "Hey. Thanks."


    "¡­ You gonnae get her or what? I''m not sending her back to their base."


    "C''mon, dude! She''s already in your arms, just do it!"


    I snorted, before setting her down in the dirt without any hesitation.


    "It''s your woman. I don''t care what happens to her."


    "She''s not my woman, but okay¡­"


    Ming Hao hopped off from the wall of the temple and picked Si Ye up in her arms.


    "By the way, where were you during the battle?" He asked me before he left.


    "I had some business to take care of. You didn''t need me to be here, did you?"


    "No, but¡­ eh, whatever. Asking you to tell me your ns is like telling an elephant to y piano. Well, see ya in a bit."


    I nodded firmly as he set off, then headed into the temple.


    *****


    - Later That Night -


    "Congrattions," Sylvoir said as the two of us stared out at the beautifulndscape of the Infinite Realm.


    "You''ve been watching me?"


    "D-Don''t overthink it. I just¡­ was bored, that''s all."


    "I see. In that case, let me ask you a question."


    "¡­ Hm?"


    "Do you think¡­ what I did was evil?"


    After a short silence, Sylvoir responded.


    "Well. Judging from an outsider''s perspective, yes. If someone were to take your actions out of context ¡ª beating your own schoolmate, cursing him and using him as a pawn ¡ª then they would naturally consider you as a viin: evil. But personally¡­ I don''t particrly feel what you did was ''wrong''."


    "So¡­ you support my methods?" I chuckled softly. "That''s a first."


    "I wouldn''t go as far as to say I ''support'' them ¡ª I just believe it''s necessary to achieve what you want. There are plenty of better methods to go about it, but yours is the most surefire and certain way that leaves no room for error or ¡ª in this case ¡ª betrayal. I may be biased since you''re my family, but-"


    "Hold on. Did you just call me¡­ your family?"


    At this, she tensed up, before averting her gaze. "I¡­ meant that girl by your side. Mei Gui."


    "¡­ Right. Of course."


    "A-Ahem¡­ anyway. The school you''re currently in is good. But in the end, the knowledge they can teach you is limited. The Library of Infinite Beginnings holds many more secrets and mysteries to be unraveled, waiting for you."


    "So¡­ can I ess the library from this Infinite Realm?" I asked.


    "Normally, I would say no, but¡­" She sighed. "Because you are in a somewhat special situation where you can''t enter the physical library, I''ll allow you to do it this way."


    "Allow me¡­? So it''s possible, but you don''t let the other Founders do this?"


    "Yes ¡ª because of the risk of someone using Dream Magic to discover our existence."


    "I see¡­"


    "Your school doesn''t have many strong mages who can use Dream Magic. And if they do try, I am powerful enough to prevent them from doing that. The other Founders, however¡­ have quite a few enemies that are only slightly below my power level if not the same ¡ª which is why I cannot protect them like I''m doing with you."


    "Huh, thank you then, I guess."


    "Do you want to begin today?" She asked, folding her arms.


    I shook my head. "Nah. Today, I just want to sleep peacefully and rx. I''lle in whenever I have time though."


    Sylvoir snorted. "''Whenever you have time¡­'' I can see everything you do, Xuan Kai ¡ª including what you do at night, in bed."


    I leaned in close to her ear. "What. Jealous?"


    She immediately swiped her leg up in an attempt to kick me, but I evaded out of the way with ease. She punched mest time I did this already ¡ª I wasn''t about to fall for it again.


    "¡­ Shameless," she spat, cheeks turning red.


    "Well, well, I''m just teasing. Rx." I turned away. "But in any case¡­ I''m going to leave now. Thanks again."


    She nodded. "Come back soon."


    I smiled. There''s so much knowledge in the Library of Infinite Beginnings ¡ª how can I note back soon?


    "I will."

 Chapter 381 - Return To The School

    The clock struck midnight and the exam was officially over.


    The next morning, it was time for results. ss B and C were both in low spirits, having wasted most of their time fighting one another instead of actually doing something meaningful. ss A was also happy, thinking they conquered this exam by an overwhelming amount, and ss D was discretely happy without letting it show on the surface.


    All the sses were instructed to gather in the middle of the forest at 8 AM, right after they woke up. Soon, everyone had arrived. The four sses'' instructors were all here along with Qian Hua, the student council president. Beside her was a young man who appeared to be around the same age as her and a short girl who didn''t look like she should even be in university.


    "Atst, the exam has concluded," Qian Hua said with a warm smile as she hovered in the air above everyone else. "I''m sure all of you already have a good idea on the final rankings, but I will announce them anyway. So, without further ado¡­"


    Clearing her throat for a dramatic effect, she dered the results.


    "Inst ce ¡ª ss C and B are tied for 3rd, both with zero gs."


    No surprise there.


    "And in second ce, ss A, with one g."


    "WHAT?!"


    Immediately, the crowd roared in confusion. Discretely, I smiled.


    "And in first ce ¡ª ss D, with an overwhelming 134 gs. Congrattions to ss D."


    "WOOHOO!" ss D''s students cheered in excitement. All the secret contempt they were holding in¡­ it could finally be all let out now.


    "H-Hold on!" A ss A student interrupted, hurriedly stepping forward. It was the one who locked up the room with a magical array to prevent me from getting in. Luckily, I had foreseen that happening beforehand ¡ª so his actions were quite literally meaningless ¡ª but naturally, he didn''t know that.


    "Yes?" Qian Hua raised an eyebrow curiously.


    "T-That can''t be right," the student argued. "The gs were all clearly stored in our base, so-"


    "Ah, but are they?" Qian Hua giggled slightly before setting her gaze on me. "Because to me¡­ it seems like the gs are within a certain someone''s Space Locket."


    <em>You''re kidding me¡­ why would you expose me like th-</em>


    "Indeed they are in my Space Locket," Long Lu suddenly stepped forward from beside me and took all the attention. "Sorry, ss A, but you can take this up with your leader."


    "Our leader¡­ wait, Ming Hao, you knew about this?!"


    Ming Hao shrugged. "Yeah. They helped us for the first exam, so I took it upon myself to repay that debt. Sorry to not tell you guys about this, but I knew you wouldn''t agree ¡ª that''s why."


    "It''s all thanks to Ming Hao," Long Lu chuckled. "All ss D had to do was sit back and do nothing. In fact, it was him who suggested this n in the first ce."


    <em>Good, good¡­ keep pushing all the responsibility onto Ming Hao. This way, ss A will be the ones getting the spotlight, not us.</em>


    Ming Hao sighed and acted ording to n. "With this, we''re even now, right?"


    "Indeed," Long Lu replied. "Thank you. I never would''ve thought you were the type of person to proactively seek me out to pay back your debt."


    "I just don''t like oweing people stuff, that''s all," Ming Hao chuckled.


    "You¡­" The majority of the students of ss A were clearly dissatisfied, especially the ''traitor'', but there was little they could do now.


    "Woah, woah, hey, don''t look at me with those eyes, guys," Ming Hao hurriedly tried to make peace with his ss. "You saw what happened on the final day. If ss D were to join forces with ss B and C to invade us, we would be left with absolutely nothing, cing deadst. At least with this, I guaranteed us second."


    At this, his ssmates began to slowly understand his thought process. Naturally, I was the one who thought up this whole speech and plethora of excuses for him, but he executed them perfectly as if they were his own.


    "That guy, Long Lu ¡ª he says he didn''t think I would proactively seek him out, but you were really testing me, right?"


    Long Lu snorted. "So you knew."


    "Of course. You wanted to know if I was a trustworthy person, someone who repaid his debts. If I wasn''t, you would''ve teamed up with the other two sses to target ss A, no?"


    "Perhaps," Long Lu answered mysteriously.


    "So¡­ sorry about hiding this from you all, but this was really the best way I could resolve this," Ming Hao said, bowing deeply and apologetically.


    This way, ss Des out on top in this exam, the rtionship between A and D is still decent, ss A''s students still follow Ming Hao, and in ss C and B''s eyes, Ming Hao was the one who orchestrated this brilliant n ¡ª ss D just went along with it, doing practically nothing. This way, Ming Hao''s ss A would remain their top priority target, not ss D who took first in this exam.


    My n was absolutely wless.


    Sure, the incident with Xu Lian may have been a miscalction, but all''s well that ends well. I even earned myself a new pawn for my trouble.


    "Alright, now that the results have been announced, let''s head back to the school," Qian Hua said friendlily. "You all get the rest of today off as a break, and sses will resume tomorrow. As for the new ss rankings, they will be sent to you via text message once the calctions have been inputted and processed in the system. With that said, have a great day, underssmen!"


    *****


    After returning to the school via a portal made from Space Magic, the girls decided to just take the day off easy and spend it in the Recreation Campus. Naturally, Iplied and went with them¡­ or at least, that''s what I wanted to say.


    "Sorry, you guys, but uh¡­ there''s someone I have to meet," I said, ncing down at my phone where a certain individual had just sent me a text message.


    "¡­ You''re kidding, right?" Yu An Yan folded her arms coldly. "Last time you said this as well¡­ who are you meeting, I wonder?"


    "A¡­ fellow student," I replied broadly. It wasn''t a lie, but it wasn''t the exact truth either.


    "Oh, really now~?" Feng Mian giggled sadistically. "Male or female?"


    "Er¡­ female."


    "Okay, it''s decided!" Qing Yue cheered as soon as she heard my response andtched onto my arm. "We''re going with you, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    "No, she didn''t say anything about allowing me to bring anyone else-"


    "Too bad~" Feng Mian cut in, hugging my other arm. "We''reing with, whether you like it or not."


    "Nya nya! Nyo way I''m letting Xuwan Kwai go on a date with a girl I don''t even knyow!" Amane dered stubbornly, leaping onto my back.


    In an instant, I waspletely dragged down by the girls, unable to move a muscle. I mean, yeah, I could''ve easily blown them away with my strength, but that would get them hurt, which I didn''t want.


    "O-Okay, okay, fine¡­" I agreed atst. "I just thought you guys would much rather have fun in the Recreation Campus than sit with a boring person and eat a boring dinner while having a boring conversation."


    "You really think they''ll be able to have fun knowing you''re over here eating with a different girl?" Lin Luo scoffed.


    "It''s just a meal, not a date or anything¡­" I sighed, but realized it was probably futile to try and exin. With this decided, we headed for the restaurant the individual had called me to.


    *****


    It was the same ce asst time.


    Not many students were here ¡ª in fact, the person I was supposed to meet was the <em>only</em> student here. She sat in the corner of the room, staring out the window at the cloudy weather. The only employee that could be seen was an old woman behind the counter, diligently working away.


    As we entered the restaurant, she noticed us immediately and stood up with a warm smile.


    "Ah, you''re here, Xuan Kai¡­ and it seems you''ve brought quite the entourage as well, hm~?"


    "So it''s her¡­" Obsidia murmured quietly.


    "The student council president has fallen for Big Brother Xuan Kai as well?!" Qing Yue whispered sharply. "This is getting too out of hand!"


    "Uh¡­ hi, Qian Hua," I said awkwardly, ignoring the girls'' cautious and skeptical expressions. "They forced me into letting theme along. There was really nothing I could do about it without hurting them."


    "Well, that''s fine, I suppose. This ce is pretty empty anyway. Take a seat anywhere."


    Cautiously, the girls escorted me to a seat in the center of the room and forced me to sit down, before all grabbing chairs and cing them as close to mine as possible, like dedicated bodyguards.


    "Fufu~ you seem to have quite the devoted harem," Qian Hua giggled as she brought her chair over to face me.


    "What do you want with Xuan Kai?" Yu An Yan asked, a skeptical and cautious expression on her face.


    "Look," I cut in before Qian Hua could answer. "Can you let me do the talking? Enough is enough."


    "E-Eh? But¡­" Yu An Yan looked shaken by my rough tone, but I was done being pushed around.


    "She called me here to talk to <em>me</em>, not you. I already let you guys tag along, so at least let me have my own conversation."


    "¡­ You''re right. Sorry."


    Sighing, I turned back to Qian Hua.


    "Now then. Why did you call me here?"

 Chapter 382 - Skepticism & The Promise (18+)

    "Are you asking me that because you really don''t know¡­ or just ying dumb?" Qian Hua smiled suggestively, narrowing her eyes a bit.


    "¡­ Sorry, I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "I see. Then¡­ how about now?"


    She waved her hand and erected a sound barrier around us ¡ª exactly what I had been waiting for.


    "¡­ That''s better."


    "I thought so. Then¡­ can you tell me how you did it?"


    "What, take first ce?" I snorted. "You already heard the n. Everyone thinks Ming Hao thought of it all, but it was really me."


    "No no. I mean¡­ you nned this from the very beginning, didn''t you?" She taunted. "Ever since you heard about the first exam, you knew it was a mere diagnostic one, so losing it didn''t hurt all that much. By using the favor you obtained from ss A in the first proper exam¡­ you''re able to secure an edge on the other sses. Not only that, but you also managed to keep ss D from the spotlight, huh?"


    "What of it?"


    "You''re¡­ better than I expected, I''ll admit that," she said. "At this rate, you might actually aplish the same thing I did."


    "Of course. I just hope you don''t forget the deal we made."


    "Oh, I won''t," she replied casually. "But keep this in mind¡­ your school year contains many hidden talents just like yourself. People who don''t like to attract attention to themselves on the surface, but are actually incredibly powerful deep down. There are also extremely cunning students who may not be too strong physically, but have wits to outsmart even an experienced elder."


    "You mean the ss representative of ss C?" I chuckled. "You needn''t worry about him for me. I have it under control."


    "This¡­" Qian Hua looked dubious, but sighed in eptance nheless. "¡­ Whatever you say. But just be careful."


    "He''s always careful," Feng Mian interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Almost¡­ <em>too</em> careful, sometimes."


    "Is that so? In my eyes, there is no such thing as being too careful, here at this school," Qian Hua replied with a faint, mysterious smile. "In any case, that''s all I wanted to ask. You may leave now."


    "You couldn''t have just asked me this through text messages?" I asked in confusion. "Why bother calling me all the way here?"


    "Hm¡­ would you believe it if I said I wanted to see your face?" Sheughed teasingly.


    I sighed, ignoring her joke, before standing up and preparing to leave. The girls followed, but right before we went out of earshot, Qian Hua decided to leave onest message for us.


    "Oh, right. The next special exam will be happening next month. I suggest¡­ ying some board games."


    I stopped. "Should you really be leaving such important hints for me? If anyone finds out, they''ll im you''re biased, you know."


    "So don''t let anyone find out~"


    "You trust me this much?"


    "Yes. After all, if I am removed from the student council, our deal will be rendered void. You can kiss all your dreams of entering the council goodbye."


    <em>¡­ Hm. Well, I suppose that''s a fair argument.</em>


    Silently, I left the restaurant, the girls tagging behind me.


    *****


    After a long day of ying around in the Recreation Campus with the girls, the new ss standings were sent to all Year 1 students via text message, just as Qian Hua had stated earlier. ss A was still first and ss D followed as second. ss C fell in third, and ss B wasst. The exact points were as follows:


    ss A: 45 points (+20)


    ss D: 40 points (+40)


    ss C: 23 points (+10)


    ss B: 17 points (+5)


    ss C and B were pretty far behind at the moment, but the school year was still in its early stages. They could definitely make aeback in the future. ss B I could keep in check since the life of their ss rep was in my hands, but ss C I couldn''t control yet.


    As for expulsions, no one was expelled from the school this time. It seems that the students in ss C and B both scored enough takedown points due to all the fighting they did with one another, and ss A and D were both safe due to their final cements.


    After returning to our dorms, I was quite exhausted. The girls seemed to have enjoyed their day for the most part, but Lan Xiao Su and I would''ve much preferred to just sit in a library and read quietly. Still, I couldn''t deny that spending time with the girls was fun ¡ª especially the jealous gazes from the other male students.


    A couple months ago, I never would''ve thought other people would be jealous of me. It was always the other day around. But here I am, in the best magic academy of Xenith, with countless beauties by my side and an insurmountable power to wield.


    I decided to shower firs tthis time. Now that I think about it, however¡­


    <em>Last time I was in this bathtub, Feng Mian had snuck in and we ended up having sex for the whole night¡­ if that happens again, I''ll probably faint. I''m way too tired right now to do anything¡­</em>


    Luckily, her subus side only came on once a month as she said, so I should be safe.


    <em>Should be.</em>


    With these thoughts in mind and a clear goal to go to sleep as soon as I got out of the shower, I turned off the water and stepped out of the bathroom, heading for my bed. But what awaited me there was both a blessing and a curse.


    "Fufu~ why hello there, Big Brother Xuan Kai~" Qing Yue smiled seductively, gently resting her chin on her hand. She wore nothing but a bath towel, and she had one leg over the other, small and beautiful feet dangling invitingly. From what I could see despite the dim lights, her skin still had water droplets on it, signaling she just got out of the shower as well.


    "Qing Yue¡­ what are you doing on my bed?"


    "What? Don''t tell me you forgot about the promise you made before the exam started~" She uncrossed her legs and spread them a bit, letting me get a glimpse of what was underneath. My eyes widened.


    "Where are your panties¡­?"


    "Shhh¡­" She got up from the bed and threw her arms around my neck, pulling me closer so she could whisper into my ear. "If you''re too loud, the others will hear¡­"


    "H-Hold on, Qing Yue," I said, pushing her away. "Mei Gui and Lin Luo are both staying in this room as well. You realize that, right?"


    "Exactly¡­ and they''re in the shower right now still," she giggled mischievously, closing in on me once more. "Which is why¡­ we have to do this fast, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    She lifted her naked left leg up and rubbed it against my body seductively, smiling like a little devil.


    <em>Well¡­ to be fair, I did promise her. And if we''re doing it quick, then¡­ it shouldn''t require that much energy.</em>


    I slid my hand down underneath her thigh and lifted her up through there. Her skin felt soft and smooth, like silk.


    "Ah~" she gasped slightly from my rough touch. Even though she had held my hand plenty of times before, this was the first time she was feeling it on a sensitive part of her body like this.


    I reached down and lifted her other thigh as well, before carrying her over to my bed and setting her down gently. She giggled and crossed her feet, rubbing them on my nose yfully.


    "How do my feet smell, Big Brother Xuan Kai~?"


    "Well¡­ you just got out of the shower, so¡­ good."


    "Fufu~ in that case..."


    She traced her feet down my bare chest and onto my boxers, where my dick was. It immediately got erect from the touch, since I wasn''t used to being in this position.


    "Ngh¡­ what is this feeling¡­?"


    "Ara~ Big Brother Xuan Kai, you like my feet this much? What a pervert~"


    "Tch¡­ if you think you can beat me at this, Qing Yue, you''re going to be mistaken."


    Saying this, I tore off her bath towel and tossed it to one side, revealing her beautiful bare skin underneath. It was as white as snow, pure and attractive. She had underdeveloped breasts that didn''t exactly suit my tastes, but I won''t lie, her pussy looked delicious. I gently caressed her clitoris, tracing my fingertips over it lightly.


    "Ahn~" she moaned softly, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Her feet flinched a little from the pleasure, which in turn stimted my cock as well to make it ergen even more.


    "Mou~ Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ you''re fingers feel so nice¡­ put them inside~"


    Qing Yue licked her lips in ecstasy and reached down with her hands to spread her pussy wide, inviting my fingers inside. Iplied, slipping into her wet mess of a womb and fingering it greedily.


    "Oh~! Yes~ you''re so good at this, big brother~"


    I snickered. "I told you, you can''t beat m- ah-"


    "Hehe~ I''m not¡­ mmn~¡­ so easily defeated~"


    She pulled down my boxers with only her feet, quite impressively. My 8-inch dick sprang out of its cage, erect and stimted.


    "Fufufu~ now, it''s time for thepetition to begin¡­ ahn~ will you make me cum first, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ or will I make you~?"

 Chapter 383 - Qing Yues Techniques (18+)

    Qing Yue, sticking her tongue out yfully, began slowly stroking my hard dick with her two feet. My hand froze momentarily in her pussy from the unexpected feeling, and couldn''t help but gasp a little in surprise.


    The sensation was simr to when Feng Mian stroked my cock with her hand in the shower, but¡­ also different, at the same time. Qing Yue''s feet felt softer, more yful, and more seductive.


    "Fufu~ you like this, don''t you, Big Brother Xuan Kai~?" She smirked smugly and began speeding up, licking her lips.


    "Ah¡­ fuck¡­" I cursed under my breath, which brought me back to reality. Sure, her feet felt amazing, and I wasn''t sure where she learned this technique, but I wasn''t about to lose to this girl who thinks she already won!


    I began moving my fingers in her wet and warm pussy once more, making a scooping movement that tickled her a bit.


    "Mmn~ that''s the spot~" she moaned softly, but didn''t stop moving her feet. Not wanting to lose either, she began using her toes like fingers, gripping my cock tightly and stroking it up and down. It felt a lot better than just the soles of her feet.


    In a way¡­ I have to say, this felt better than the handjob Feng Mian gave me. Qing Yue may not have a well-developed body like her, but these techniques were too good to not enjoy.


    She traced her feet upwards, squeezing the tip of my dick a little.


    "Ngh¡­" I let out a little groan from the initial pain as that was a sensitive spot, but it quickly turned into pleasure as she slipped the head of my cock between her big and index toes, shifting her foot up and down gently. With her other foot, she tickled my balls yfully, as if my entire dick was her precious toy.


    The stimtion was too much, and subconsciously, I ended up speeding up with my finger inside her as well.


    "Ahn~!" She gasped in ecstasy as I reached deeper with my fingers, savoring the wetness of her womb and the look of desire on her face.


    <em>Shit¡­ I''m about to cum¡­ but it looks like she''s almost there too¡­</em>


    Qing Yue daringly sped up her strokes even further,pletely encasing my big, erect dick with her two beautiful feet.


    A killer move.


    "Oh, fuck¡­!"


    "Mmn~! You''re about to cum¡­ right~?! Give it all to me¡­ cum all over my dirty feet~!"


    "Ngh¡­!"


    "Ahn~!"


    In an instant, I let out my entire load, painting her beautiful feet white with my cum. It was the best and most satisfying ejaction I''ve had yet, even more so than inside Feng Mian.


    At the same time, I thrust with my fingers as deep as I could possibly go, which in turn made Qing Yue cum as well. She closed one eye as some of my semen sttered onto her face, before licking it off eagerly while panting for air.


    "Looks like I won¡­ Big Brother¡­ Xuan Kai~"


    "Just barely¡­" I muttered, sitting down from my kneeling position in defeat.


    "But a win is a win¡­ so as my reward¡­ you have to be the one on top today~"


    Saying this, she smiled seductively and spread her legs wide, showcasing her soaking wet pussy that already came once.


    "You just came¡­ you sure you want to do this?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Of course~ you just came too, but¡­" She pointed at my still-hard cock with her feet. "¡­ It looks like you''re still more than ready to go, no~?"


    I snickered. "Well¡­ I can''t deny that. Besides¡­ I wanted to be on top anyway."


    Without any warning, I moved closer and thrust my still hard dick straight into her sloppy pussy, reaching all the way inside.


    "Oh~!" Her eyes widened from the sudden force, rolling back a bit from pleasure. "Ah~ so this is¡­ what sex feels like~"


    "¡­" I put my hands on either side of her waist and held her tightly in that position as blood leaked out of her womb. Evidently, this was her first time. The extreme tightness here was also proof of that.


    Feng Mian''s pussy was already tight enough, but Qing Yue''s was even more so. Perhaps it was because of her body, but looking at her spreaded legs like this, feet trembling a little, I couldn''t help but feel like I was practically tearing her insides apart with my massive cock.


    And I won''t deny¡­ this felt good.


    I can''t say whose pussy was better between the two of them, since each had their unique feeling to them, but they were on the same level overall.


    "Qing Yue¡­ I''m going to start moving."


    "Yes~ it''s my safe day today, so fill me up with everything you have, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    I moved my cock out slightly before mming it back in, making Qing Yue moan loudly again in ecstasy. Before long, I had adopted a steady rhythm of thrusting, and each time I went deep, she would let out an incredibly soft and seductive moan that made me want to go even harder.


    "Oh~ yes, Big brother Xuan Kai~ it''s hitting all the ces your finger didn''t~ ahn¡­ mmn¡­ ahn!"


    "Heh¡­ where''s all the seductive energy you had earlier, huh?" I taunted, chuckling in a low tone. "How does my dick feel?"


    "It''s¡­ amazing¡­ mmf~! Give me¡­ more~"


    "Alright¡­ as you wish."


    I circled my arms below her thighs and scooped them up so that I could pound her pussy harder, and she in turn thrust her two feet in my face.


    "Fufu~ ahn¡­ you like my feet, right, Big Brother Xuan Kai~? Well then¡­ here you go~"


    The smell of my cum was still lingering on her feet, mixed with the body wash smell that was originally on it. Thebination of the two gave it an erotic smell that turned me on, and before I knew it, I had begun licking the soles of her feet tenderly.


    "Mmn~ ahn~ that tickles, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­"


    Her soft moans only served to make me more lustful, thrusting harder and licking more eagerly.


    "Oh~! Mmf~ so good~!" Qing Yue''s eyes rolled backpletely from the pleasure and stuck her tongue out as I continued pumping my cock into her. In fact, I was doing it so hard that I was shaking the bunk bed, but both of us were so lost in the moment that neither of us noticed.


    Something else, however, we did notice.


    The sound of the shower suddenly turned off, and both of us instinctively knew.


    "Shit¡­" I stopped moving and hurriedly tried to pull out, but Qing Yue suddenly threw her feet around my neck and pulled me closer, smiling seductively.


    "You can''t possibly be thinking of pulling out now, are you~?"


    Saying this, she rolled her body around on the bed so that her tiny and soft butt was pointing against me, without taking my dick out of her pussy. The feeling of her womb''s walls rotating around my cock felt amazing, and it ergened my dick even further.


    Then, she spanked herself harshly, the sound of a p ringing out in the air.


    "Come on, Big Brother Xuan Kai~ finish me off in this position~"


    I gulped a little, but the stimtion was too much, The view of her beautiful, pearl-like buttcheeks, snow-like feet, and bare, attractive back¡­ made me lose all reason.


    ''Fine¡­ let''s just end this quickly.''


    Grabbing her waist, I began thrusting my cock into her once more while also pulling her body towards me to match my movements, resulting in my dick nearly prating the end of her womb.


    "Oh~! Mmn~ this position~ it feels so good~"


    I lifted one hand and spanked down hard on her right buttcheek, causing her to gasp in surprise.


    "A-Ah?!"


    "You like it when I spank you like this, don''t you? Huh?"


    I spanked her again, leaving arge red handprint on her snow-white asscheek.


    "Answer me."


    "Oh yes~ I do! I love it when you spank me with those big hands of yours, Big Brother Xuan Kai~!" She cried in rapture, delighted by the feeling of getting dominated like this.


    She copsed on the bed and gripped her pillow tightly, letting me ravage her ass and pussy to my content. I sped up as fast as I could, smacking the front of my thighs against her butt while continuing to spank her on both sides.


    "Qing Yue, I''m going to cum¡­!"


    "Mmn~ let it all out inside me, Big Brother Xuan Kai~!"


    "Qing Yue¡­!"


    With one final thrust, the deepest I''ve ever gone, I let out my load. Qing Yue''s body spasmed in ecstasy, and the two of us remained in that exact position for a few seconds as my cum flowed into her womb.


    Atst, Qing Yue''s body copsed once more and I slipped my dick out of her body, quickly pulling my pants back up and tossing the nket over her. If the others saw my cum dripping out of her naked pussy, we would be exposed, after all.

 Chapter 384 - Daily Life

    Just as I finished covering Qing Yue''s naked figure, Mei Gui stepped out of the shower. The first thing she spotted was me, who made a good act of pretending to put Qing Yue to sleep.


    "¡­ Master."


    "Hm?" I turned to her, pretended to not have known she was there. "Oh, Mei Gui. What''s up?"


    "¡­ Why are you pretty much naked?"


    "Oh, this? Qing Yue was having a nightmare, so I had to calm her down and put her back to sleep," I exined. "Didn''t have time to put on any clothes other than underwear."


    "¡­ Hm. I see."


    Mei Gui, with a perfectly neutral expression, walked over to the bed I sat on.


    "W-Woah, hey. What are you doing?"


    She sniffed the air. "Just making sure if¡­ she is alright."


    Saying this, she flung off the nkets, where a naked Qing Yuey underneath.


    "Ah, seems we''ve been caught, hehe~" She giggled as if this was no biggie.


    Mei Gui narrowed her eyes and turned to me skeptically. "¡­ Master?"


    I sighed. "Yeah, yeah¡­ we were having sex. I made her a promise before the exam happened, so¡­"


    "I see." Mei Gui let go of the nket and went over to her own bed, lying down in it silently and pulling the sheets over her body.


    I blinked. <em>Wait¡­ that''s it?</em>


    I had expected more of a lecture, but Mei Gui just¡­


    <em>Something isn''t right.</em>


    "Mei Gui?" I said quietly, looking at herid down figure.


    "¡­" She didn''t respond and rather rolled her body around so that she was facing the wall, refusing to even look at me.


    <em>¡­ You''re kidding, right? Since when did she get this emotional and start ignoring me like this? I suppose she is bing more and more human through staying with the girls and me, but¡­</em>


    I walked over and sat down on Mei Gui''s bed, beside her body. I could feel her warmth from here, despite not touching.


    "Mei Gui¡­ if you''re dissatisfied, just say something. Don''t hold it in and pout like that."


    "¡­" She still remained silent. I took a deep breath.


    "Look¡­ if you don''t like me having sex with these girls, just say so clearly. I can''t guess what you''re trying to say by being angry and ignoring me like this."


    "¡­ I''m not angry," Mei Gui replied quietly. "It''s more¡­ disappointment, Master."


    "Disappointment¡­? In me?"


    "No¡­ in myself."


    "What¡­?"


    "I thought I had be close enough to Master that you wouldn''t hide anything from me, but it seems I was wrong. If even my own Master lies to me¡­ what kind of failure am I?"


    <em>¡­ Wow. Here I was, thinking she was mad at me, but¡­</em>


    "That''s not it, Mei Gui¡­" I quickly corrected her train of thought, slipping into her bed and wrapping my arms around her body. "The reason I lied back there¡­ it was¡­ well, I suppose it was because I thought you wouldn''t be happy about it."


    "Master¡­ who you have sex with is not any of my concern. That is your choice and yours alone ¡ª I have no right to intervene," she said quietly, hugging my arms tightly. "I only ask that Master does not hide anything from me."


    "I¡­ can''t promise that," I replied truthfully. "If telling you something will end up hurting you, then there''s no way I''m going to tell you it. But anything else¡­ I''ll agree to those terms of yours."


    "I suppose¡­ that''s fair," she sighed after some thought. "Thank you, Master."


    "It''s fine. That was my bad."


    "Also¡­" She turned around to face me, wrapping her body around mine tightly and burying her face against my naked chest. "I know I said who you have sex with is not any of my concern, but¡­ can you¡­ do it with me sometime as well, Master¡­?"


    I blinked. "H-Huh?"


    "I don''t ask that you do it with me frequently. I just wish to experience what having sex with Master feels like. Seeing the other girls do it one by one¡­ it makes me feel this strange, ufortable feeling in my heart that creates negative emotion."


    "I think¡­ what you''re feeling is jealousy~" Qing Yue dered, hopping over and sitting down on the bed as well. She had finally pulled on her clothes, and now wore proper pajamas. "Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ you won''t turn down her request, will you?"


    <em>Damn it, Qing Yue¡­ stop giving me pressure like that!</em>


    Taking a deep breath, Iplied, unable to withstand those pleading eyes of hers.


    "¡­ Fine, fine. I''ll do it with you sometime, Mei Gui," I said, stroking her beautiful silver hair. "Just not today, since I''mpletely worn out."


    "Hm~? Worn out, you say?" Qing Yue giggled. "Guaranteed, if I stimte you a bit with my feet, you''ll be ready for more in no time, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    "A-Ahem¡­" I cleared my throat, shooting her a re as she smirked smugly.


    "Anyway¡­ we should go to sleep. There''s still school tomorrow."


    "M-Master," Mei Gui suddenly said as I moved to leave, pulling me back down.


    "Yes?"


    "Could you¡­ sleep with me tonight?"


    "Uh¡­"


    "When you held me just now¡­ it felt nice. I want more."


    I was a bit stunned at first, but then chuckled and eased myself into her bed again, enjoying the warmth of herpany. Giving her a light flick on the forehead, I then pulled her into a wholesome embrace.


    "You''re getting greedy, huh?"


    "Yes¡­ I apologize, Master."


    "Don''t worry about it. All of the girls here are greedy. If you want don''t want me to be taken by them, you''ll have to start being more aggressive as well."


    "I see¡­ understood, Master."


    "Fufu~ in that case¡­" Qing Yue cackled like a devil and shoved me inwards on the bed, making space for herself as she slipped in beside me.


    "Q-Qing Yue¡­?"


    "What? You can''t expect me to just obediently go back to my bed while you two are all cozy here together, can you?" She licked her lips and hugged me from behind.


    With a sigh, I shifted my body so that I was facing straight up, with an extremely cute girl in each of my arms.


    <em>Heh¡­ I wonder what my parents would say if they saw me in this position.</em>


    *****


    The next few weeks after that night weren''t eventful at all. No special exams came up, so it was pretty much just regr school. On our free time, we would go to the library to learn some powerful new spells, but before long, I had learned everything there was to learn in there with my monstrous spell learning abilities.


    Unfortunately, there wasn''t a single book in there that contained info on how to awaken a Battle Soul, but the good news was, June was right around the corner. When the break started, students would be able to leave campus, which meant I could meet that master above Golden Monarch realm Long Lu knew.


    But regarding what happens at night... every night after <em>that</em> one, Qing Yue would find some way to rope me into having sex with her. Feng Mian would onlye to me when her subus urges were too much, since she wasn''t the aggressive type, but Qing Yue was the exact opposite. She knew I liked her feet, so she used that against me and stimted me into having sex with her.


    Of course, when it wasn''t her safe day, we used condoms she bought from the Recreation Campus. She said she didn''t mind bing pregnant with my child since we were going to get married in the future anyway, but I minded. If she became pregnant, I would have a lot to answer for with the other girls since we''ve been doing it in secret, and she also wouldn''t be able to participate in special exams for 9 months.


    I wanted to have as many people working in the ss as possible, so her having my kid right now really wasn''t a bright idea. Besides, I was nowhere near ready to be a father yet. Hell, I was still trying to get revenge for my own.


    But back to the original topic¡­ no, I didn''t forget my promise to Mei Gui. It''s just¡­ every time we tried doing it, Qing Yue also wanted to join in, which in turn made Mei Gui leave since she didn''t want to share me. I felt very bad about it, but I couldn''t exactly expect Qing Yue to sit off to one side while Mei Gui and I had sex either. The opposite wasn''t true, since Mei Gui was the patient type.


    Every night, Qing Yue and I did it all the way up to midnight, pretty much. It starts once both of us have showered, then we stop while Lin Luo and Mei Gui fall asleep, then once they have, I set up a sound barrier and we continue.


    Counting the number of times I cummed inside her¡­ it''s probably well above 100 by now, honestly. Yet neither of us was tired of it in the least. We explored countless sex positions and determined the best ones, and even tried out anal. Qing Yue was a big fan of that, since it meant I could do it with her without the condom.


    Life went on like this for a while. Quite frankly, it was pretty enjoyable.


    Finally, however, May was nearing its end, and there was just one final test toplete before the first break of the school year came around:


    The first set of normal, year-wide exams.

 Chapter 385 - Study Group

    - In ss, May 24th -


    "Okay ss¡­ today, I have some important news," Ms. Cai said, aszily and unexcitedly as usual. "As you all know already, in June, you''ll have a two week long break. But before that, there''s onest event that will happen¡­"


    The students all tittered nervously in their seats, awaiting what was toe.


    "And that is¡­ exams!" She cheered sarcastically in a perfectly monotone voice, raising her hands into the air. "Yay¡­"


    "Aw¡­" The ss collectively groaned in pain apart from the girls and I, who were okay with this.


    "Don''tin¡­" Ms, Cai rolled her eyes. "If anything, I should be the oneining¡­ you guys just have to do one test¡­ I have to mark twenty-five!"


    "Just to rify, this is a normal exam, not a special exam, correct?" Long Lu asked, raising his hand.


    Ms. Cai nodded. "Yeah¡­ but if you fail, you''ll get expelled from the school."


    By now, the students have gotten used to hearing the term ''expelled'' thrown around so casually, so they didn''t panic like the first time they heard it. Still, their hearts tightened and nervousness filled their minds.


    "The structure of the exams will be simple¡­" Ms. Cai continued, rubbing her forehead exhaustedly. "There will be a separate test for each subject: Math, Language, Science, History, Geography, and Magic. Of them, Magic will be the only one that isn''t done on paper, but it''s also the easiest one. All you have to do is prove that your magic prowess exceeds the bare minimum standards, and you should be fine¡­"


    "Ms. Cai!" Da Bao raised his hand eagerly. "When is this exam happening?"


    "In a week from now¡­ right on thest day of school before June break, May 31st¡­ anything else?"


    The students fell silent, signaling that there weren''t any more questions.


    "Okay, good¡­" Ms. Cai sighed and sat down in her chair. "Anyway¡­ some of you may be confident in your academics, but others my not¡­ as a ss, you should work together and help each other out. After all¡­ when a special exames around again¡­ you''ll want to have everyone still here, no?"


    "In that case¡­" Long Lu stood up from his chair. "I propose we form study groups."


    Ms. Cai smiled. "That''s the way to go¡­ in any case, you are dismissed. Feel free to leave at anytime. That''s all ¡ª and enjoy your weekend."


    *****


    After the teacher left, no one else did.


    Had it been the first day of school, everyone would''ve departed, thinking there was no need to host meetings. But now, the ss was far more cooperative and worked as one. Afterst time''s victory, everyone''s faith in Long Lu had also increased dramatically, meaning they were willing to listen to his instructions.


    "Alright, to begin, can I have those who are confident in their academic ability gather on this side of the ssroom, beside me?" Long Lu asked. "By ''confident'', I mean those who consistently get above 90 in quizzes and tests."


    Immediately, a few students stepped forward and headed for Long Lu''s side of the ssroom. There were about four people in total, counting Lan Xiao Su.


    Long Lu blinked. "Seriously¡­? Only 4? Well, we''re in deeper trouble than I imagined. Counting me, that''s 5¡­ and since there are 25 students, I suppose each of the five people here right now will have to take on four other students to teach."


    In reality, I had scores above 90 as well, as did the other girls with me. We already discussed beforehand to let Lan Xiao Su be a leader, and the remainder of us will form a tiny study group on our own.


    "Actually," I interrupted. "Feng Mian, An Yan, An Xue, Qing Yue, Obsidia, Amane, Lin Luo, Mei Gui, and I won''t need to be taught. We can all consistently get scores of above 80, meaning we''re at no risk of being expelled."


    "I see," Long Lu replied with a nod. "In that case, there are only 11 people who need to be taught¡­ okay. You four, each take on two students. I''ll take three."


    The four study group leaders nodded as the 11 students who needed to be taught each went behind one of them, forming four group of three and one group of four. Lan Xiao Su had two boys with her, who probably chose her out of looks in all honesty.


    "Okay¡­ with this decided, you all can schedule study times using group chats," Long Lu dered. "I know a lot of you have club responsibilities on weekends and after school, so make sure tomunicate with the other people in your group. As for the location of meet-ups¡­ the library will probably be best, since in case the study leader doesn''t know the answer to something, there''s bound to be a book in there that does."


    With all this settled, everyone left the ssroom. It was decided that study sessions would begin tomorrow, allowing everyone to just take the day off easy for today in preparation for a long week''s worth of hard working up ahead.


    *****


    - Saturday Morning -


    "Hm¡­ it seems those two are free this morning," Lan Xiao Su murmured as we ate breakfast at a restaurant.


    "For the study group?" I asked curiously.


    "Yeah. I told them to meet at the library in about fifteen minutes."


    "Hm¡­ want us toe along as well?"


    "Eh? Well, if you want, sure¡­ but your academics are more than okay, no?" She asked, giggling slightly.


    "I suppose, but¡­ hm, how do I say this¡­ I don''t like you spending time alone with two guys."


    At this, she blushed a bit and averted her gaze.


    "You care that much¡­ about me?"


    "Ara~ what''s this?" Qing Yue smirked. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, getting jealous? Couldn''t be~"


    "Shut it," I cut in, rolling my eyes. "Those two just rub me the wrong way. Call it instincts."


    "Me too," Yu An Yan added. "I can tell¡­ they only chose Xiao Su because of her good looks. I suppose that''s fair, but given the perverted look in their eyes yesterday, I doubt they''re gonna actually try to study."


    "Well then¡­ u-um¡­ Xuan Kai."


    "Hm?"


    "C-Can you¡­e along¡­ to protect me?"


    Seeing her bashful expression, fidgeting with her hair nervously, I chuckled and patted her head.


    "Sure. We''ll just be off to one side though, in case we judged them wrong and they actually only wish to study."


    Lan Xiao Su smiled happily with pink cheeks. "Mm!"


    *****


    Soon, we arrived at the library. We had Lan Xiao Su go in by herself first, then the rest of us would enterter once she had gathered the two students'' attention. This was just so they wouldn''t know they were being observed by us in the dark, thus allowing them to show their true nature.


    "Looks like she''s met up with them," Feng Mian said, peering through the ss.


    "Well then, let''s head in," I replied, entering the library. The others followed closely behind.


    We seated ourselves a few tables away from where they were. Close enough to hear what they''re saying, but far enough to not seem suspicious.


    "Good morning, Xiao Su!" The boys said excitedly, waving at her like they were close friends.


    "E-Er¡­ good morning," she replied, slightly ufortably. "Also, please don''t call me that. Only those close to me are allowed to address me by that nickname."


    "A-Ah, okay," the boys murmured awkwardly, probably having not expected to get shot down like that.


    "Now then¡­ can you begin by telling me which subjects you feel like you need the most work on?" Lan Xiao Su continued, eager to get this study session done and over with. "If you aren''t sure, that''s okay, we can do a little practice test."


    "Actually, before that¡­" One of the boys began, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "Do you mind if we¡­ go into a private room? It feels weird studying out here, haha¡­"


    "¡­ Disgusting," Yu An Yan spat from where we were sitting. "There''s barely anyone around this early in the day, and he says it feels weird studying out here? What a joke."


    "Rx," I said calmly. "Let''s hear Xiao Su''s response. I''m kind of curious to see how she''s going to face situations like this."


    "Erm¡­" Lan Xiao Su looked around. "I don''t think there''s any need to, is there? There aren''t many people around, and out here, grabbing any books we need is a lot easier ¡ª just in case we run into any problems even I can''t solve."


    "A-Ah, yeah, I suppose you''re right," the boy replied,ughing awkwardly. If he tried to force the matter, it would only make him suspicious and assertive ¡ª after all, he was supposed to be the one following instructions here, not the one giving them.


    No one else noticed it, but I did. The boy sent hispanion a nce ¡ª very brief, but still there. His partner received the message and hurriedly proposed something.


    "I can''t really study without coffee, but there''s a shop nearby that sells them. I''ll be right back."


    Saying this, he stood up and left.


    "Ah, wait, I don''t really need-" Lan Xiao Su began, but he was already gone.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine," the other boy hurriedly added, cing an unwanted hand on her shoulder in fort''. "You''re doing this to help us ¡ª just think of this as repayment. It''s the least we can do."


    "U-Um¡­ thanks," Lan Xiao Su murmured quietly, shifting her body away from his touch.


    "¡­ Coffee, huh?" I chuckled darkly.


    "Master, do you want me to¡­"


    "Go ahead. Take this," I said, tossing Mei Gui my phone. "Record it all, yeah?"


    She nodded firmly. "Understood, Master."

 Chapter 386 - Lan Xiao Sus Courage

    Soon after, Mei Gui returned to me, my phone in hand.


    "Master, I captured everything."


    "Did he really try to pull a stunt like that¡­?" Feng Mian asked in surprise.


    I chuckled. "Humans are greedy, desperate, and foolish creatures. When theye across something or someone they really want, they''ll do anything they need to obtain it."


    "He purposely chose a ce where the security cameras couldn''t reach too," Mei Gui added. "It seems he familiarized himself with this ce beforehand."


    "So¡­ they were nning this since¡­ yesterday," Yu An Xue said, gritting her teeth. "Despicable."


    "How did they even get their hands on the drug in the first ce¡­?" Lin Luo asked, utterly perplexed. "The school doesn''t sell them, obviously. So¡­"


    "Drug?" Mei Gui snorted. "It wasn''t a drug. It was poison. More specifically, Poison Magic."


    "N-Nya¡­ then isn''t Lan Xiao Su in grave dyanger?!" Amane whispered sharply.


    "Nah." I smiled. "She knows."


    *****


    Secondster, the boy returned with three drinks in a carton. It appeared to be coffee. After arriving at the table, he set down the drinks, one for each person. Naturally, Lan Xiao Su''s was the one that he made ''adjustments'' to.


    She epted it awkwardly, but didn''t take a sip. She knew better than to drink something given to her by people she didn''t know well, especially after the foreshadowing I gave her while eating together earlier this morning. The two boys sipped on their drinks in the hopes of getting her to do the same, but it clearly wasn''t working.


    "Okay¡­ so, tell me which subjects you are worst at," Lan Xiao Su said, still trying to keep this study session going despite already knowing these two guys weren''t up to any good.


    "Mm, this coffee is pretty good!" One of the boys said,pletely ignoring her statement.


    "Yeah, yeah," the other added. "Hey, Xiao Su, you should try it out!"


    Lan Xiao Su stared at them awkwardly, at a loss for what to do next. She never was one who could speak up for herself, so faced with pressure like this, how would she react?


    "X-Xuan Kai," Feng Mian murmured. "Shouldn''t we step in now¡­?"


    But to all the girls'' surprise, I shook my head.


    "Nah. Just watch. This is Xiao Su''s moment."


    "C''mon, Xiao Su! I handpicked this coffee myself, I won''t be able to study properly if you don''t tell me whether or not it fits your tastes."


    "Yeah, he worked <em>sooo</em> hard for it. I''m pretty sure that''s the expensive one too, right?"


    "Yep, it was almost sold out when I got there¡­ I had to go into a bit of an auction to finally get it, haha!"


    Lan Xiao Su trembled a bit from the pressure, but then, she looked at me and met my reassuring gaze.


    <em>You got this.</em>


    Slowly, she smiled faintly, having made her decision.


    "¡­ That''s enough."


    mming the table loudly, she stood up from her chair and red at the two boys, catching them by surprise and silencing them immediately.


    "H-Huh?"


    "Do you think I''m stupid? You never joined this study group to study in the first ce¡­ you just wanted to trick me into drinking this poisoned drink of yours, no?" Lan Xiao Su lifted the cup of coffee up and sshed it all over the face of the boy who had purchased it.


    "GYAHHH! HOT HOT HOT!"


    "Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!" The other boy yelled, hurriedly rushing to his friend''s side.


    "I tried to let it slip¡­ hoping you two would take the hint and actually change your mind to actually study¡­ but some people are just beyond saving, I think."


    "What are you on about?! We didn''t poison you, we didn''t do shit! Yet you just poured a whole cup of boiling coffee on my friend, who bought it for you out of respect and gratitude!"


    "You¡­ BITCH¡­" The boy who got burned spat, gritting his teeth.


    Lan Xiao Su, however, was unaffected. "A whole cup, you say? Hmph. Don''t worry, I left a little behind."


    Saying this, she tilted the cup in her hands to show the two that there was still indeed about 10% of coffee inside.


    "Now¡­ you im that you didn''t poison this, but if that''s the case, then¡­ surely you won''t mind drinking it to prove your point?"


    "Ngh¡­" The boys fell silent, having been hit right where it hurts.


    Suddenly, however, another person intervened ¡ª the librarian.


    "What''s going over here?" She asked ¡ª an olddy who appeared to be in her sixties. "This early in the morning¡­ and I already have to deal with such drama?"


    "I apologize for the ruckus," Lan Xiao Su replied politely with a bow. "But as for exactly what happened¡­ do you two want to exin it, or do you want me to do it?"


    "M-Ma''am!" The boy''s friend struck first. "This girl here, she sshed hot coffee all over my friend. Look, his face ispletely burnt!"


    "¡­ This girl here is a frequent visitor here, and I know her quite well. I find it hard to believe she would ssh coffee on your friend like this without any reason, given how peaceful and quiet she usually is," the library said wisely, then turned to Lan Xiao Su. "Tell me, girl. What''s the other side of this story?"


    Lan Xiao Su bowed politely out of respect. "Yes, ma''am. You see, our ss is hosting study sessions to help those in need in preparation for the examsing up next week. These two here joined my study group, but I''m afraid it wasn''t to study."


    "That''s bullshit!" The boys yelled. "Why would we join a study group if not to study?"


    "That''s what I would like to ask you," Lan Xiao Su shot back, narrowing her eyes. "Why would you try and poison me if you came here to study?"


    "Who are you using?" The boy grit his teeth, covering his burnt face. "I didn''t poison you whatsoever."


    "Then go ahead. Drink what''s left of this coffee you gave me to prove your point."


    Lan Xiao Su slid the coffee cup over the table to the boys, then crossed her arms in triumph.


    "Tch¡­"


    The librarian, sensing the two boys'' hesitance, closed her eyes and sighed.


    "There is no need to argue any longer. The truth is clear. Lan Xiao Su, was it? I apologize for not interfering sooner. As for you two¡­"


    She narrowed her eyes in disgust at the two boys.


    "¡­ You''reing with me."


    "E-Eek!"


    "Listen carefully," Lan Xiao Su said as the two were dragged away. "I may seem frail and weak on the surface, but even I have a bottom line. Cross it, and you''ll regret it for the rest of your life. There''s already someone I like, so don''t even think about getting close to me."


    "Ara~ thatst part was a bit unexpected, fufu~" Qing Yue giggled, nudging my elbow.


    "¡­ Actually, this whole outburst from her was unexpected," Feng Mian corrected. "I never thought she had it in her to do something like this."


    "True," Yu An Yan agreed. "Though I suppose she''s right. Even she has a bottom line, huh?"


    "Nya, bwut she turned into apletely diffurent person!" Amane eximed.


    "I¡­ used to be apletely different¡­ person as well," Yu An Xue added quietly.


    I chuckled. "That much is true. Can confirm."


    After the two boys were dragged away by the librarian, Lan Xiao Su spotted us looking at her and smiled faintly before walking over.


    "You were really cool back there, Xiao Su!" Yu An Yan cheered, patting her back. "You impressed all of us."


    "Well, I expected her to fight back on her own, since it was about time she grew," I replied. "But still, it was impressive."


    "Ahh, but I bet you didn''t expect thatst part, hm?" Feng Mian giggled mischievously.


    At this, Lan Xiao Su blushed deeply and looked away.


    "U-Um¡­ about that¡­ d-don''t think too much about it!"


    "Annnnd there she goes, back to her usual personality," Qing Yue remarked. "Hey, Xiao Su, if you don''t act soon, Big Brother Xuan Kai will end up getting taken~"


    <em>I mean¡­ I''ve already had sex with two girls here, but I do care about all of them. It''s just a matter of time¡­ and I don''t want to make the first move because I want to be absolutely certain they are ready for it first. Though with people like Lan Xiao Su and Yu An Xue¡­ asking them to be proactive about something like this is hardly sensible.</em>


    After that incident, we ended up spending the majority of the day at the library, studying together. It was quite enjoyable, and we had more fun than actual studying.


    But in the end, those two boys from this morning were still part of our ss. I doubt they would get expelled for this, but¡­ well, at least I certainly hope they didn''t. As much scum as they were, they were still an addition to the total power level of our ss, no matter how tiny that addition was.


    I could only hope that what happened today didn''t effect future special exams.

 Chapter 387 - Critical Blow

    On Monday morning, only 23 students showed up.


    "Xuan Kai¡­" Feng Mian whispered beside me in worry. "It''s those two from Saturday¡­"


    I narrowed my eyes and frowned in thought. "¡­ So they did get expelled, huh?"


    "E-Eh?! Doesn''t thyat mean our ss is nyow at a disadvyantage against the others?!" Amane cried in shock.


    "A-Ah¡­ I''m sorry¡­" Lan Xiao Su whimpered quietly like a poor lost kitten, thinking it was her fault they got expelled, thus resulting in our ss''s disadvantage.


    "Don''t worry about it," I quickly said. "It''s not your fault¡­ and besides, this isn''t all that bad."


    "Huh? How so?" Yu An Yan asked in confusion.


    But before I could exin, Ms. Cai walked into the room, expression as neutral as ever.


    "Okay¡­ good morning, ss¡­ I''m toozy to do attendance since everyone appears to be here, so I''ll just announce some news¡­"


    The ss was evidently confused. There was only 23 people in the room excluding the teacher, so how in the world was ''everyone here''? But Ms. Cai''s next words silenced all their questions ¡ª then raised countless more.


    "¡­ Over the weekend, two of your ssmates, Dai Yun Hong and Zhang Kang, were expelled from the school."


    Immediately, the students descended into chaos.


    "WHAT?! WHY?"


    "THE HELL?"


    Long Lu was the only one who remained calm and tried his best to keep the ss the same way.


    "Hold on, everyone!" He yelled loudly above everyone else''s cries of bewilderment. "Let Ms. Cai exin."


    "Well¡­ I''m not allowed to disclose the details, but let''s just say they got into a bit of trouble concerning a female student and ended up expelled for it."


    Long Lu clenched his fists. "Those bastards¡­ what the hell are they thinking?!"


    "¡­ Ms. Cai," I asked, raising my hand. Her gaze fell on me for a second, then on Lan Xiao Su, then back on me.


    "Yes¡­?"


    "There is no sense in crying over spilt milk. What''s done is done. All I want to know is¡­ what disadvantages will this bring to the ss in the future?"


    "Well¡­ you''ll have two less people than other sses, which will make your overall fighting strength lower unless all of you are exceptionally strong ¡ª which you aren''t," she said coldly and brutally. "In most special exams, the more people you have in your ss, the better it will be for you, so there''s that as well¡­"


    <em>There are advantages too¡­ but she''s purposely not talking about them?</em>


    <em>What could this mean¡­ is Ms. Cai testing us to see how we will handle a dire situation like this? Or¡­ is this just part of the school''s n to build the students'' mental fortitude?</em>


    "Now¡­ here are some review quizzes to help you prepare for the exam this Friday. Best of luck."


    *****


    After ss, the girls and I headed back to the dorms.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry!" Lan Xiao Su immediately blurted out, tears in her eyes as she bowed deeply.


    "What for¡­?" I asked, slightly surprised.


    "A-All those disadvantages Ms. Cai mentioned earlier today¡­ it''s all my fault¡­"


    "Hey, hey," Feng Mian interrupted, cing aforting hand on her shoulder. "Don''t me yourself. This is so much better than you getting harassed by them, no?"


    "Rx, Xiao Su," I added, closing my eyes calmly. "I know Ms. Cai said all those things earlier today, but¡­ she only mentioned the cons on purpose."


    "Only the cons¡­ wait, you mean there are actually pros to this situation?" Yu An Yan blinked in surprise.


    "Of course," I chuckled.


    "In fact¡­ this happening is of great benefit to Master''s long-term n for ss D," Mei Gui added.


    "¡­ Oho," Obsidia murmured, realizing what I was getting at. "I didn''t even think of that. Clever, human."


    "Thank you for the praise," I replied. "But as much as I''d like to say I orchestrated this whole thing, I didn''t. In which case ¡ª the credit goes all to you, Xiao Su."


    "E-Eh? Me¡­?"


    "S-Sorry, I still don''t get it," Lin Luo cut in. "In what way is this beneficial to our ss? I don''t particrly care if we''re at a disadvantage to the other sses, but I would still like to know what you are talking about."


    I sighed. "It''s simple. The core of my n for ss D is to slowly climb the ranks without being targeted by the other sses, correct?"


    The girls nodded in unison.


    "Exactly. Think about it ¡ª if you were the leader of a different ss, would you go for a ss with only 23 people in special exams?"


    At this, the girls'' eyes all widened.


    "Ah, so that''s what it is¡­" Feng Mian murmured. "Obsidia''s right¡­ I didn''t even think of that either."


    "Mhm¡­" Qing Yue rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "As expected of Big Brother Xuan Kai."


    "And that''s not all," I continued. "Earlier, Ms. Cai used the term ''most'' when referring to special exams where having more people meant more benefits. But that means there are still <em>some</em> exams where having more is not necessarily better."


    The girls all looked up to me like students listening to a teacher, so I exined it in a clearer way.


    "Let''s suppose there was an exam where defeating opponents from different sses would score your ss points, and getting defeated would lose your ss points. In that case¡­ wouldn''t having less people in your ss mean there were less possibilities to losing points?"


    "Ah¡­" The girls nodded in agreement.


    "Yes, overall, you''ll have less people to go on the offensive with, but the advantage makes up for this."


    Just in case they weren''t convinced, I tossed them another example.


    "Also, say we''re having a 1v1 tournament between sses, where everyone has to go once. This means the other sses would need to have all of their students participate, whereas we can choose two of our strongest fighters to go again. Do you see now?"


    "Oh¡­"


    I sighed. "Now, stop oohing and ahhing, and go shower. Xiao Su¡­ you''re not at fault here. Remember that."


    "Mm! Hearing that made me feel a lot better, thanks~" She replied with a bright smile, nodding happily.


    "Eh¡­ you didn''t react like that when <em>I</em> told you it wasn''t your fault¡­" Feng Mian pouted a bit, ncing at Lan Xiao Su in dismay.


    "Fufu~ just the difference between lover and friend," Qing Yue giggled.


    *****


    For the next week, study groupsmenced as usual. In the school day, Ms. Cai would give us review quizzes and material, while in our free time, we would spend at the library. Sure, none of us were at any risk of failing the exam as long as the school doesn''t suddenly escte the difficulty, but it was still better to be prepared.


    Of course, Qing Yue and Amane spent all their time reading manga instead, but that was besides the point.


    Before we knew it, Friday rolled around and it was time for the exams to begin.


    *****


    - The Morning Of -


    "How are you guys all feeling?" I asked the girls on the way to the Main Campus.


    "Hm¡­ I mean, I feel okay, I guess?" Yu An Yan was the first to respond. "I don''t think I''ll get expelled for this, but I can''t be sure I''ll get a good score either."


    "Really?" Lan Xiao Su asked. "Your scores on normal tests are quite good though."


    "This has¡­ always been¡­ a habit¡­ of sis¡­" Yu An Xue exined, murmuring quietly. "Whenever¡­ a big exam¡­es around¡­ she bes very¡­ unconfident¡­ and hesitant¡­"


    "H-Hey!" Yu An Yan whispered sharply at her sister. "You didn''t have to tell them that¡­"


    "Ara~ you were hoping for somefort from Big brother Xuan Kai, weren''t you?" Qing Yue snickered.


    "H-Huh? What are you talking about?" She cried, blushing and looking away.


    I chuckled. "Well¡­ if you aren''t feeling confident, just keep in mind I''ve only barely managed to pass my high school years."


    "Wow, way to encourage someone," Feng Mianughed.


    "Master," Mei Gui suddenly said, having taken my words seriously and now had a burning fire in her eyes.


    "Uh¡­ yes?"


    "You got this!" She said in an unusually determined tone, looking up into my face and pumping her fist down in a cheering gesture.


    "¡­"


    An awkward silence ensued as we stopped walking, but after a while, Iughed heartily.


    "M-Master¡­?"


    "Mei Gui¡­ thank you."


    "¡­ Mm." She smiled happily, hugging my arm. Lately, she''s be a lot more attached and aggressive¡­ probably thanks to Qing Yue taunting her all the time.


    At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the other girls started doing the same. One day, I''m going to get torn apart between these girls¡­


    Soon after, we arrived at the Main Campus and walked into our ssroom. There, all our other ssmates had all gathered already. Even Ms. Cai was here earlier than usual¡­ though she was as drowsy and dreamy as always.


    "Okay, ss¡­ it''s time to begin. If you cheat, you will be immediately expelled. There are security cameras covering every angle of this room, so don''t even think about it¡­ anyway, here are your test papers¡­ Imma go sleep."


    "¡­ What a teacher," Yu An Yan mused.


    I chuckled.


    "What a teacher indeed."

 Chapter 388 - Academic Exams

    Once we received our papers, we immediately turned them over and began working on them. The first subject would be math.


    <em>Hm¡­ this isn''t all that hard. Just some advanced functions and calculus here and there¡­</em>


    I was able to breeze through it with ease, since it was actually easier than I had originally expected. Hell, Lan Xiao Su gave the other girls and I harder practice quizzes than this. Still, I made sure to double-check all my answers and nearly exhausting my time before finally handing it in.


    The papers were quite long, so just like that, half our morning was gone. We were given a five minute break to do whatever we wanted ¡ªst-minute cramming for the next subject''s exam, use the bathroom, discuss answers for the previous exam¡­ whatever. Speaking of, through our discussion, we discovered that none of the girls nor I had gotten different answers from one another, which meant we either all got everything right or we all got everything wrong. Hopefully, the former.


    The next subject to be tested on was Language. That was slightly harder than math for me since I''ve never really talked much until recently, but I could still guarantee a 90 or higher.


    After Language came lunch break. It was about as long as any other normal school day, but upon returning to the ssroom, we would be faced with more exams. We decided to just eat in the cafeteria for today to make it easier to return to the ssrooms and avoid beingte.


    During lunch, however, a certain someone came to see us ¡ª me, in particr.


    "Heya~ Xuan Kai~"


    "¡­ Qian Hua."


    Immediately, the girls around me went on guard, staring at the neer skeptically. Her presence also attracted the attention of pretty much the whole cafeteria, causing them to direct their gazes at me even more so than they already were what with the girls and all.


    "Do you mind if I¡­ join you?" She asked, smiling innocently.


    "If you really need to talk to me, sure," I replied calmly. "But if not, then I have exams to get ready for."


    "Hm." Qian Hua nced around for a bit, then pulled a chair from a nearby table and dragged it to ours so that she was sitting facing me. Sighing internally, I discretely put up a sound barrier around us to prevent anyone from hearing the contents of our conversation.


    "I just want to know¡­" She began, resting her chin on her hand. "How you will y going forward, having lost two members of your ss."


    "¡­ Do you have to check in with me every time something like this happens?" I challenged. "Why can''t you just sit back and spectate quietly?"


    "Hm¡­ let''s just say you interest me, Xuan Kai. I''ve never met someone like you before, and I''m eager to know more about you."


    "Please stop. That can be taken the wrong way," Feng Mian interrupted coldly.


    "We don''t need another girl fighting over him¡­" Yu An Yan muttered quietly.


    "Fufu~ but I am genuinely curious," Qian Hua argued. "I am a very stubborn girl. When I want to find out about something ¡ª or someone ¡ª nobody can stop me."


    She seemed to be hinting at something far more lethal behind her words, something enough to make me cautious.


    "¡­ Is that a threat?" I asked darkly.


    "Nope~" She responded in a carefree tone. "Just a mere statement."


    "Well¡­ you can try to pry at me more, but I won''t tell you anything," I replied, closing my eyes. "I will fulfill my side of our deal, no matter the odds. When we made the agreement, you never said anything about me having to tell you every move I make. Thus, I have no obligation to tell you anything. We are strangers who formed a simple deal. Nothing more."


    "¡­ That''s fair, I suppose. But when I''m curious about something, I won''t stop until I find the answer. So¡­ you''ll have to be prepared for a <em>lot</em> of nagging from me."


    "Go for it. But you''ll just get ignored."


    "Fufu~ we''ll see about that."


    With a soft giggle, she left, the scent of her perfume still tickling my nose.


    <em>How much did she use¡­? I can smell the other girls'' as well, but they aren''t half as prominent¡­</em>


    *****


    After lunch, we returned to our ssrooms to continue writing exams. First came Science, then History, and finally Geography. Rather than two hours like Math and Language, we were only given one for each of these subjects due to the shorter length of the tests.


    None of them were too hard, but now, it was time for the final subject test ¡ª Magic.


    "ss¡­ put your pens away and follow me to the courtyard¡­" Ms. Cai muttered,zily getting up from her chair and heading for the door. "It''s time for the final exam¡­ yawn¡­"


    Everyone got up from their seats and followed after the teacher, who led the ss out through the main entrance of the campus and arrived at the front yard, where a massive ck obelisky.


    "Uh¡­ what is this?" Han Xiao Bing, the arrogant kid, immediately asked in confusion.


    "Sigh¡­ basically, you hit that thing with everything you have¡­ if it reaches a green level, which should be around the middle¡­ you pass. If you score below that, you fail¡­ and if you get higher, congrattions, you are a talent¡­"


    The other sses had also gathered here, having finished the rest of their exams. But there was only one obelisk, so everyone had to go one at a time.


    "An Ting!" ss A''s teacher shouted as a timid girl got out of line and stepped forward. "ording to alphabetical order, you are going first. You can hit that obelisk with any spell you want, just give it everything you have."


    It seems like ss A would be going first, then B, then C, and finally D. That made sense.


    The timid girl, An Ting, walked up to the towering obelisk and closed her eyes. Going first couldn''t have been easy, especially with everyone watching. She took a few deep breaths, then snapped open her eyes.


    "Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª Crimson Scorch!"


    She swung her arms in front of her as two crescent-shaped barrages of mes shot out of her hands, striking the obelisk.


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion ensued, causing smoke to rise up into the air.


    "¡­" The girl bit her lip anxiously, then finally sighed in relief as the smoke dispersed.


    Before her, the obelisk had lit up from the bottom up to the middle. The bottom was red, to orange, to yellow, to finally green. She had passed.


    After that, she returned to the line and the next person went, also seeding. From this, I judged the threshold to not be too hard to reach. But that said¡­ there was yet to be someone to pass the green section and be considered ''a talent''.


    That is, until Ming Hao came along.


    He walked up to the obelisk calmly, then raised his hand into the air with a smirk on his face.


    "Legendary Gravity Magic ¡ª Moonfall!"


    A crescent moon appeared above the obelisk, then sent a pummel of light down as Ming Hao mmed his palm into the ground.


    The entire earth shook as the moon''s energy hit the ck b of rock with a loud, explosive noise. Immediately, the various levels of the obelisk lit up, starting from red, to orange, to yellow, to green.


    He had already passed with ease, but the lights continued to going.


    The stage above green slowly lit up ¡ª blue. And then¡­ one stage higher, just barely, purple.


    "Hm¡­" Ming Hao rose up and nced at his results, as if dissatisfied. "It would''ve been more powerful at night¡­ oh well."


    On his way back, he shot me a meaningful nce, then chuckled and turned away. Multiple gazes followed him, impressed.


    <em>He never told me he could use Legendary Magic too¡­ looks like that was a little surprise he had for me.</em>


    After him, no one else managed to reach that result. Both Xu Lian from ss B and Si Ye from ss C reached the Blue rank, but not purple.


    And finally, it was our ss''s turn.


    Amane, whose name was higher up on the alphabetical list, went first. Since she was empowered by my Chaos, her results were nothing short of extraordinary.


    "Legendwary Space Magic ¡ª Weality Wend!"


    Her pronunciation was somewhat scuffed, but the cast worked nheless. An invisible sh able to tear space itself shot out of her hand and struck the obelisk. Unfortunately, it wasn''t able to break through, but it did reach a power level of purple just like Ming Hao.


    In my opinion, she should''ve used a different spell if she wanted to score as high as possible, but it''s not like there were extra rewards or anything.


    In the end, I made up my mind to just hit green and leave it be to not attract any unwanted attention.

 Chapter 389 - Im Too Strong

    After Amane returned to the line, she immediately dove into my arms while the next person went up.


    "Heehee~ did I do good, Xuwan Kwai?"


    I smiled and patted her head gently. "Better than good, actually. It would''ve been better if you just got green, to be honest. This is fine though."


    "Hey, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian suddenly said with a smirk on her face. "Wanna make a bet?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "A bet?"


    "If I can reach the topmost level of that obelisk with my attack¡­ you have to go on a date with me," she replied with a wink. "How about it?"


    "I mean, the holidays areing up anyway. Sure," I replied easily. "But what if you don''t?"


    "Hm¡­ if I don''t, then I''ll let you take me out on a date. How''s that?"


    "¡­ So either way, I have to go on a date with you," I muttered, then sighed. "I''m down. But if you don''t do it, I have one more request ¡ª you have to tell me about those shadow daggers you used against that girl back during the tournament to enter Fragment."


    "Oh, those? Sure. It''s a deal, then, hehe~"


    Soon, it was her turn to go up. So far, only Amane and Ming Hao had reached the purple level, but there were two more above that, visually speaking. It was just a matter of whether or not she could reach the top.


    Feng Mian closed her eyes and gently ced her hand on the surface of the obelisk.


    "Legendary Shadow Magic ¡ª Shattered Hope."


    Immediately, from the palm of her hand, unleashed a deadly sh of ck-purple energy. It crackled like electricity as it ran up the surface of the obelisk and chained it up. Then, the chains began glowing bright, and finally shattered.


    In an instant, the entire obelisk lit up, all the way to the very top where a ck glow stood. Everyone who witnessed the scene gasped in shock, including the teachers. Even Ms. Cai, who was usually half-asleep, widened her eyes at this.


    "T-The top rank¡­" One student muttered.


    "There''s only ever been one other student who has managed to aplish this on their first year¡­" The ss B teacher muttered. "And her name is Qian Hua, Child of the Future."


    "Whew¡­" Feng Mian whistled and turned back around, shooting me a seductive wink. The crowd immediately cheered in response, thinking the wink was for them.


    After returning to my side, Feng Mian smirked triumphantly. "So, Xuan Kai. Impressed?"


    "Eh. I kind of expected that to happen. Not really surprised."


    "Hmph¡­" Feng Mian pouted, as if dissatisfied. I sighed and began stroking her hair, much to her surprise.


    "E-Eh? Xuan Kai, what are you¡­"


    "Rx," I replied. "I''m not saying you didn''t do good. I''m just saying I knew you were going to do good all along."


    "¡­" She fell silent and blushed, then suddenly hugged me tightly.


    "Hehe~ when did you learn to say such nice things?"


    "It''s not that," Yu An Yan interjected. "It''s just¡­ he always knows what to say at what time in order to make a girl like him. Unintentionally, too. Speaking of¡­ if I manage to do the same thing as Feng Mian, will you go on a date with me too?"


    "Woah, no no no," I quickly denied. "I don''t want to have to spend my entire holidays going on dates with you guys, sorry. Feng Mian asked first, so¡­"


    "Mmph¡­" Yu An Yan pouted slightly, but there was nothing I could do about that. If I epted her deal, then all the other girls would jump in as well, and I would end up with no time to myself for the entire break.


    "Ah¡­ Feng Mian got the jump on us, it seems~" Lan Xiao Suughed softly. "Then¡­ how about this? If we can reach purple, you give a headpat. If we can reach brown, you give a kiss."


    "What about if we can reach ck?" Qing Yue suddenly interjected, a devious smile on her face.


    "U-Um¡­ if we can reach ck¡­" Lan Xiao Su trailed off, cheeks as red as tomatoes.


    "Heheh¡­" Qing Yue snickered evilly, having reached her goal.


    <em>Oh shit¡­</em>


    "A-Ahem, anyway," I interrupted, cutting the awkwardness short. "Lan Xiao Su, it''s your turn to go up."


    "Hm? Oh! Right!"


    Flustered, she hurriedly went up to the obelisk, which now had scars on it thanks to Feng Mian''s incredibly powerful attack, enhanced by Chaos. She was always introverted and somewhat socially awkward, so being watched by a whole crowd like this definitely wasn''t helping.


    Still, with the Legendary Water Element spell, Hydrovortex, she was able to reach the purple rank on the obelisk. Not quite as strong as Feng Mian, but raw power wasn''t where Lan Xiao Su shined anyway. Her strengthy in her extensive knowledge.


    "Wuwu¡­" She sobbed a bit as she returned to me. "I didn''t do as good as I was hoping to¡­"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine," Iforted, patting her head gently. "I know you''re not good with crowds, and¡­ well, this is the exact definition of a crowd."


    "Mm¡­" She nodded slowly and threw her arms around my back.


    Next to go was Lin Luo, who I had high expectations for. She didn''t fail to deliver, making good use of the extra power I gave back to her to obtain the highest rank of ck. She didn''t even need to enter her Ascended form.


    "Fufu~ Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ she got the highest rank," Qing Yue giggled evilly. "Does that mean¡­"


    "NO," Lin Luo immediately cut in, shooting both Qing Yue and I a cold re.


    "Yeah¡­ not happening," I added. "She''s different from the rest of you. Just here as my tool, nothing more."


    "Tch¡­ you don''t have to rub it in like that, you know?" Lin Luo muttered in disdain.


    "Heh," I snickered as the next member of our ss went up ¡ª Long Lu. He achieved a score of blue, which surprised me a bit. I had expected him to just get green, but I guess everyone held their secrets.


    Next was Mei Gui. She strode up to the obelisk calmly, a ferocious look in her eyes.


    [Mei Gui¡­ don''t overdo it.]


    [Understood, Master. I will try my best.]


    She ced her hand on the obelisk and used a simple Level Three spell, Holy Ray.


    BOOM!


    The obelisk instantly lit up to ck faced with the pummeling beam of light, but thankfully, that was it. I had been expecting the obelisk to shatter, but this was better than expected. She couldn''t use Level One or Two spells since that would rouse suspicion that she''s holding back, so this was really the best she could do.


    Returning to me, she bowed her head slightly. "Apologies, Master¡­"


    I shook my head and smiled. "You did good, Mei Gui. Don''t worry about it."


    After a few other students went up, it was Obsidia''s turn. With some simple Fire Magic, she scored a ck rank. Everyone watched in awe as more and more ck ranks emerged from ss D, but there was nothing they could do but admire in wonder.


    Next was Qing Yue, a support type character. Thus, she was forced to use a Level Two spell to do this test, but with the help of Chaos, she was still able to score blue with ease.


    "Fufu~ Big Brother Xuan Kai, since I am a support¡­ does getting blue still count for the highest-tier reward?" She asked, licking her lips and winking seductively.


    "Hm¡­ sure, whatever," I replied. She had a fair point.


    "Hehe~ Big Brother Xuan Kai is the best!" She yelped and dove into my arms happily.


    After a few more students took their turns, it was finally time¡­


    "Xuan Kai¡­" Ms. Cai announcedzily, shooting me a look.


    I nodded and went up to the obelisk, furrowing my brows in thought.


    <em>Hm¡­ what spell should I use? I guess I''ll just use the same thing Mei Gui did, just to be safe¡­</em>


    Unbeknownst to me, there were three people who watched me intently. Ming Hao, Ms. Cai, and Qian Hua, all for different reasons. Qian Hua was spectating from far away, where no one could see her, but she held a faint smile on her face as she waited to see what I would do.


    <em>Alright¡­ here we go.</em>


    Hovering my hand right in front of the obelisk''s surface, I chanted in my head to decrease the power output.


    <em>Level Three Light Magic ¡ª Holy Ray.</em>


    A shining beam of light suddenly shot out of my palm, and-


    BOOM!


    Theser pierced straight through the obelisk, shattering it instantly and tearing through the front gates of the school as well. Everyone who was watching dropped their jaws in shock, frozen in ce.


    "¡­!"


    I quickly canceled the spell and turned my palms up to face me.


    <em>What the hell¡­</em>


    "X-Xuan Kai¡­" Ming Hao muttered. "You never cease to amaze me¡­"


    "This boy¡­" Ms. Cai whispered softly, stunned and impressed.


    "Fufufu~ that''s the first time someone has managed to <em>break</em> the obelisk¡­" Qian Hua giggled, narrowing her eyes.


    "My father told me there will always be skies greater than this one, and there will always be someone greater than me. Perhaps¡­ you are that someone, Xuan Kai¡­"

 Chapter 390 - June Break

    After what I did, Ms. Cai used Time Magic to reverse the damage on the obelisk so that the exam could continue. I returned to the line, the gazes of all the other students and teachers following me.


    "Um¡­ I''m guessing you didn''t mean to do that?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly.


    "Is that even a question?" Feng Mian said with a sigh. "Judging from the awkward look on his face¡­"


    "Ahem¡­ Mei Gui," I interjected, clearing my throat and putting up a small sound barrier around us. "Any idea on why that happened? I used the exact same spell as you."


    "Hm¡­ it may be because of the ichor you obtained from Lin Luo, Master."


    "What¡­?" I turned to Lin Luo, who closed her eyes with arms folded.


    "Why are you surprised?" She scoffed coldly. "You stole a lot of my blood, essentially bing an Ascendant Seraphim yourself without even being a Celesticus. That will greatly enhance your magic prowess, on top of that Chaos thing which already boosts your power level by a lot."


    "¡­ I see¡­" I fell silent, realizing she had a point.


    <em>That said, I wonder if me being a half-vampire has anything to do with this as well¡­ or does vampire blood only give physical enhancements?</em>


    I pondered this as Yu An Xue and Yu An Yan went up for their test one after another. Both scored the highest rank with ease, which also meant I would have to¡­ ahem, with them.


    After that, everyone had finished. All in all, there were only a few people who managed to score above green, and the vast majority of them came from ss D. As for expulsions, no one fell under the threshold, which I wasn''t too surprised about.


    This was, after all, a prestige university. Everyone who came here should be powerful enough to pass a simple exam like this.


    Once the test was over, all the students were told to return to their dorms and pack up their things if they are nning on leaving campus for the break. Staying was an option as well, but I wanted to go meet the Golden Monarch Long Lu knew so that I could possibly awaken a Battle Soul.


    I told the girls about this as well, and naturally they wanted to follow me. While I was far stronger than them in terms of strength, we were technically all Ancestral Mages at the moment, capable of using Legendary-Tier Magic. The only thing stopping us from bing a Golden Monarch was the awakening of a Battle Soul.


    And so, it was decided that when tomorrow morning came around, we would meet Long Lu at the main gates, where he would then take us to his house.


    *****


    Later that night, after we all took baths and prepared for bed, we all received a notification at the same time on our phones. There was no doubt about it; the results of the exams were announced.


    Everyone passed the Magic Test, of course, but the other subjects seemed to be okay as well. Personally, I managed to score above 90 on all the subjects, and the girls did the same. As for Lan Xiao Su¡­ she aced every single one.


    "Heheh~ Big Brother Xuan Kai, when are you giving out the rewards, I wonder?" Qing Yue asked suggestively, climbing onto my shoulders and dangling her feet over them.


    "Over the break¡­ I''m sure everyone is tired today, so let''s just rest," I said with a deep sigh.


    "Fufu~ mkay~"


    "What time are we meeting Long Lu again?" Feng Mian asked, just to confirm.


    "8 AM," I replied. "So don''t stay up toote."


    "Got it~" The girls replied before all heading off to their respective beds. I did the same, but then felt a tug on my sleeve.


    "Master¡­ will we finally be able to¡­ do it?" Mei Gui asked softly, looking up at me with sparkling eyes filled with anticipation.


    I smiled awkwardly. "Uh¡­ yeah. Soon."


    <em>I don''t know why you look so curious and excited, but sure¡­</em>


    *****


    - The Next Morning, 8 AM -


    The girls and I gathered at the front gates of the school, where Long Lu already was waiting. Other students flooded out of the entrance and left campus one by one; very few chose to stay in the school for this break.


    "Yo," Long Lu waved, to which I waved back.


    "You guys got everything ready?" He asked. "Once we head out, there''s noing back until the break''s over."


    The girls and I all nodded.


    "We already sorted everything outst night, don''t worry about it."


    "I see. Let''s go, then. I''ll show you the hospitality of the Long family, heh!"


    "Waiiiit!" A boy suddenly shouted from behind us, panting heavily.


    "¡­ Ming Hao?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­ can I¡­e along¡­ hah?"


    "Uh¡­" Long Lu nced at me for an answer. Ming Hao looked to me as well, a pleading look in his eyes.


    "H-Hey, Xuan Kai, you''ll let mee along, right? Y''know, since we''re such good buddies and al-"


    "No."


    "Not even an ounce of hesitation?!"


    "Why are youing along, anyway?" I shot back. "Do you want to know about Battle Souls too?"


    "No, I just want to follo- I mean, yes, I do! A lot!"


    "¡­" The girls and I exchanged dubious nces, then shook our heads.


    "Yeah, no, you''re noting."


    Turning our backs on him, we prepared to set off, but-


    "Waiiiit! I promise, if you let mee along, you''ll be rewarded handsomely!" He begged, kneeling down and clutching to my pants without caring that all the other students were watching right now.


    "¡­ You sound a lot like a desperate young master," I noted.


    "That''s probably because he is one," Long Lu interjected as we all turned our gazes to him. "The Ming family is the most powerful out of the Eight Great Families of Fragment. If he says we''ll be rewarded handsomely, we definitely will."


    "¡­" I looked back at Ming Hao, who had a hopeful smile on his face.


    "¡­ Fine."


    "Yes! I knew you woulde through for me, Xuan Kai!" He cheered, getting up from the floor and patting me harshly on the back.


    "I only let youe for the rewards," I replied truthfully. "They better be worth it if I have to deal with you on my holiday."


    "Heheh, don''t worry, you won''t regret this decision," he chuckled, throwing his arm across my shoulder like we were best friends or something.


    "So¡­ we''re going now, right?" Long Lu asked, just to be sure.


    I sighed. "Yes¡­ there shouldn''t be any more disturban-"


    "Hold it right there!" A girl''s voice suddenly rang out.


    We collectively spun around to see Si Ye pointing at us, along with her ''bodyguard'' of sorts, Lei Pao.


    "Si Si?" Ming Hao''s eyes widened a bit. "What are you doing here?"


    "You have the audacity to ask me that¡­ you areing with me!"


    Saying this, she forcefully stepped in between Ming Hao and I and tried pulling him away, but he pulled on my shirt as well.


    "H-Hey! Let go!"


    "I-It''s not my fault!" Ming Hao cried. "Si Si, let go of me-!"


    "You''re eithering with me¡­ or I''ming with you!"


    "Tch¡­" I gritted my teeth. "I knew epting to take you along was not a good idea¡­"


    "Young Lady Si," Long Lu suddenly said, stepping in to resolve the conflict. "Please, calm down. You cane with us, so stop tearing his poor shirt apart."


    Si Ye shot him a re, but reluctantly let go. "Hmph!"


    I pushed Ming Hao''s hand off my cloak and readjusted it. "Ming Hao¡­ you''re nothing but trouble."


    "L-Listen, it''s not my fault. Si Si, I thought we agreedst time that if you failed to attack my ss''s base ¡ª which you did ¡ª you would stop bothering me."


    "Too bad!" She yelled and immediately began strangling Ming Hao once more.


    "E-Eek! Help me, Xuan Kai!!!"


    I sighed and walked away. I knew when to interfere and when to not. Whatever happened between those two in the past¡­ I don''t want to get dragged into it.


    So, while those two fought in the back, I walked up front with Long Lu, the girls surrounding me.


    "Oh right," Long Lu suddenly said. "I nearly forgot¡­ I should probably tell you this now."


    "Hm?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "The Golden Monarch I''m taking you to meet¡­ he''s the butler of my family. But he''s somewhat¡­ unique. He''s really polite and friendly most of the time, until you say hi to him."


    "W-What?" Feng Mian blinked in surprise, wondering if what she just heard was right.


    "I''m not sure why either, just roll with it," Long Lu replied with a sigh. "Don''t say the words hi, hello, or any kind of greeting to him when you see him."


    "Er¡­ okay then¡­"


    "What happens if we do?" Qing Yue asked, the troublemaker as always.


    "Uh¡­" Long Lu scratched his cheek. "Let''s just say you won''t like it."

 Chapter 391 - The Long Family

    After a while of walking through Fragment, the group found themselves in the same ring of mansions they had been in before when visiting Xiang Peng''s house.


    Given howrge the ring was, there was a good distance of about 500 meters from the Long Family''s manor to the Xiang Family''s, which was good since I didn''t want to run into that old patriarch again.


    "Here we are," Long Lu announced, stopping before the front gates of the Long Family mansion. It was enormous and themed like an ancient Chinese temple, with curved roofs and painted wooden walls.


    The outside was surrounded by a thick concrete wall, but there were also invisible magic barriers that reached world limit above the walls to prevent anyone from sneaking in from the air. Even though this was Fragment, danger still loomed at every corner in this harsh world where strength is justice.


    After several seconds, the gates swung open of their own ord and an old man wearing a butler suit stepped out from behind them, bowing politely.


    "Wee home, second young master."


    <em>Is this the butler we were warned about¡­?</em>


    "Are mother and father here?" Long Lu asked, careful not to greet him in any way.


    "Yes, second young master. They are waiting for you inside, but¡­"


    The butler nced at the girls and I.


    "¡­ These are all your friends, I''m assuming?"


    "Is there a problem?"


    "No, not at all¡­" The butler quickly said, a warm smile on his face. "To think our second young master managed to be friends with the third young master of the Ming Family and first youngdy of the Si Family¡­ I''m sure the patriarch and matriarch would be impressed. Please,e in."


    Ming Hao and Si Ye, who had been fighting in the back as usual, stopped and quickly gathered themselves. They were in the presence of another one of the Eight Great Families; they must act ordingly as to not embarrass their own respective families.


    The butler led us into the mansion. The inside was heavily Chinese-themed, just like the outside. We were taken to arge hall with a long red carpet in it and two thrones at the other end, where the patriarch and matriarch of the Long Family sat.


    The butler motioned for us to go inside, and we did as told. He shut the door after we entered, leaving us alone with the leaders of the family.


    Long Lu stepped forward and bowed his head. "Mother, father, I have returned."


    "Good. How is the university going for you so far?" The patriarch asked. He was a man with arge mustache and deep voice, wearing an emperor''s robes and crown.


    "It is fine, father. My ss is currently in the lead."


    "Hahaha! I knew my Lu''Er woulde through!" Heughed boldly. "Great work, keep it up."


    "Yes, father."


    "Hm¡­ but who are all these people you brought?" The matriarch asked in a soft, gentle tone, wearing an empress''s gown as expected. She was quite beautiful, but not nearly on the level of the girls around me. "So many girls¡­ fufu~ Lu''Er, you are this popr with thedies?"


    "Ha! Of course he is!" The patriarch chuckled. "He takes after me, after all."


    "Um, actually, we¡­" Feng Mian began, wanting to say I was the one they liked, but I quickly covered her mouth. Speaking out of turn here was thest thing we wanted to do.


    "You misunderstand, mother, father," Long Lu said in our stead. "These people are fellow students of mine. Apart from the third young master of the Ming Family and first youngdy of the Si Family, the rest are all in my ss. I have became friends with them, so I offered to take them here for the holidays."


    "Ah¡­ but the girls¡­?" The matriarch continued, eyebrow raised suggestively.


    Long Lu sighed. "As a matter of fact¡­ these girls all already have someone they like, and it is not me."


    "Hm? I know Hao Hao and Si Si are childhood friends and lovebirds, but the rest-"


    "Uh, I''m afraid I have to interrupt there," Ming Hao suddenly interjected. "Si Si and I are childhood friends, yes, but not lovebirds. Just wanted to make that known."


    "Ahaha¡­ so cute, youngsters nowadays~" The matriarch giggled. "But if all these truly stunning beauties don''t like you, Lu''Er, then¡­"


    Her gaze fell on me, who was in the center of all the girls. I quickly looked away, not wanting to meet her gaze, but it was toote. Their interest was focused on me now.


    "Hoho¡­" The patriarch rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Who is this boy to have so many beauties surrounding him?"


    "I''m just a nobody from a backwater citypared to Fragment," I replied calmly. "These girls and I are just together due to various events and coincidences. Please think nothing of it."


    "Hm¡­ is that so?" The patriarch smirked and suddenly stood up, unleashing a wave of magic energy all around him.


    "Ngh-!" Long Lu, Ming Hao, and Si Ye all raised their arms in front of their faces to protect from the energy, but the girls and I weren''t affected at all. The patriarch noticed this and smiled wryly.


    "Kid, you have some guts, lying to me, but I''ll forgive you since you are Lu''Er''s friend."


    "Lying¡­?" Long Lu questioned, ncing at me then back at his father. "What do you mean, father?"


    The patriarch sat back down on his seat andughed. "That attack I did just now¡­ it was a mild test. Only Ancestral Mages and above are able to withstand the pressure I emit without budging an inch. Which means¡­"


    "H-Hey! Xuan Kai, you''re an Ancestral Mage?!" Ming Hao cried in shock. "And all the girls too?!"


    "Uh¡­ no," I replied briskly, still trying to worm my way out of this somehow. Remainingpletely unaffected was a blunder ¡ª I should''ve made a move to act like I was blown away as well¡­


    "Ha¡­ so that''s how you want to y it, kid? Fine, I''llply," the patriarch chuckled under his breath, then raised his voice so all of us could hear. "Rx, that was a joke. An Ancestral Mage at his age? Not happening."


    "O-Oh¡­" Ming Hao let out a sigh of relief as I sent the patriarch a look of gratitude, lowering my head slightly. He noticed this and smirked.


    "Well ¡ª I won''t keep you here any longer," the patriarch said. "You kids can go have fun. It is the holidays, after all."


    The matriarch nodded in agreement. "Indeed¡­ but Lu''Er, try to get a girlfriend soon, okay?"


    "G-Geh¡­" Long Lu groaned. "Y-Yes, mother."


    With that, they left the main hall, where the butler was waiting for them outside.


    "Butler, my friends here would like to seek your assistance for something," Long Lu said, getting to the main purpose of using here. "Do you mind?"


    The butler shook his head. "No, not at all. Whatever the young master wishes."


    With that, we headed off for a different sector of the Long Family residency, while the patriarch and matriarch stared after us.


    "¡­ Dear, why did you help that boy cover up his lie?" The matriarch asked quietly, eyeing her husband in curiosity.


    "Heh. He''s an interesting one. Him and those girls around him are all Ancestral Mages, and I sense an even higher order of power from some of them, the boy included. I''m not sure what that power is, but¡­ it tells me bing allies with this boy will prove to be helpful in the future."


    "Us, one of the Eight Great Families, forming an ally with one single boy¡­" The matriarch sighed. "To think we would have a day like this."


    "That single boy will go far," the patriarch replied. "He may seem quiet and indifferent on the surface, but in reality, that is coldness and ruthlessness. But he is not a monster, either. I can see it in his eyes ¡ª there is warmth in them when he looks at those girls. He genuinely cares about them, and they will be the lock that prevents him from drowning in darkness."


    "So¡­ doing that was to get him to owe us a favor?"


    "Exactly. Lu''Er mentioned his ss was in the lead earlier. But as much as I hate to say it, he does not have the strategical and tactical skills needed to beat the other ss''s leaders, such as Ming Hao and Si Ye. In other words, there is a mastermind in Lu''Er''s ss, telling him what to do."


    "And you think that mastermind is this boy?"


    "I''m not certain yet, but perhaps. It is also possible this boy is nothing but a pawn to the mastermind as well, but I find that unlikely given his power."


    "Hm¡­ shall I try and find out more about him, then?" The matriarch asked.


    "¡­ No. If he finds out we are trying to discover more about him, he will see us as enemies," the patriarch replied after some hesitation. "We don''t need to know where his powerse from ¡ª only that it is on our side."

 Chapter 392 - Battle Souls, Awaken

    The butler led us to the library of the mansion, where they could speak undisturbed in a quiet environment. After everyone took a seat, he spoke.


    "So, second young master¡­ what is it your friends wished to ask?"


    "It''s regarding Battle Souls," I cut in, taking this conversation into my own hands. "I want to know more about them."


    Faced with my serious expression, the butler smiled, ever-so-slightly.


    "Mm, that is quite the advanced topic. If I may ask, you are not an Ancestral Mage yet, yes? Why do you want to know about them now?"


    <em>Tch¡­ Long Lu asked me the same question.</em>


    "This is a good opportunity and I don''t know when I''ll get to meet another experienced Golden Monarch to teach us about them," I replied. "Besides, if I learn about them now, I can pretty much skip the Ancestral Mage stage and go directly to Golden Monarch when the timees."


    "¡­ Hm. While that is a good mindset¡­ I''m afraid it is not possible," the butler replied quietly.


    I raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "You see, a Battle Soul is not something that can be just ''obtained'' after performing a series of gestures or set chanting," he exined. "It is a physical manifestation of one''s soul, the very essence of their being. They are not made of mana but something called Soulpower."


    "Soulpower¡­" The girls and I echoed in unison, craving for more knowledge.


    "The first awakening of your Battle Soul will be the hardest one. After you aplish that, you can call on it whenever you wish."


    "How do we gain Soulpower?" I asked.


    "Through various ''experiences,''" the butler responded broadly. "Combat, knowledge, even something as simple as fishing can allow you to reach a state of enlightenment and gain Soulpower. The amount and experiences needed for various people is different, but as a general rule of thumb, if you are gaining a lot of Soulpower and still hasn''t awakened your Battle Soul, chances are it''s quite a rare one."


    From what I read in a library a while back, Battle Souls were split into several categories, with Human-types being the strongest and rarest. Naturally, this meant they would need the most Soulpower to call upon for the first time.


    "So there''s no way to target farm Soulpower?" Ming Hao asked, using video game terminology that the butler somehow understood and shook his head.


    "No, there are methods ¡ª you just need to find the experience you are most passionate about. For everyone, this is different. It can be video games, making friends, fighting someone who''s stronger than you, and perhaps even sex with the person you love. It all depends on the person and what they care about most."


    "In other words, we can test out all of these activities and see which one gives us Soulpower¡­?" Lin Luo muttered. "How will we know?"


    "When you obtain Soulpower, you will know. Your body will entire a state of pure euphoria and transcendence, of blissfulness and fleeting tranquility. It is a feeling that otherwise cannot be described by words, but your heart will feel ''fulfilled'' inside."


    "I see¡­ what about awakening our Battle Souls? How will we know when we have enough, and how do we summon them?" I asked.


    The butler shook his head. "You don''t have to summon them. When you have enough, your Battle Soul will appear for the first time automatically, right after you finish performing thest ''experience'' you needed to meet the Soulpower threshold."


    "Huh, that''s neat¡­ what about the different Battle Soul types? Is that predetermined by talent and luck?" Yu An Yan questioned after some thought.


    "I''m afraid so, yes," the butler replied sadly. "Personally, I was hoping for at least a Mythical Beast Battle Soul, but all I got was a normal animal one."


    "Ha, with Xuan Kai''s luck, he''ll definitely get a Human one!" Ming Hao chuckled, to which I sent him a re.


    "Don''t jinx it."


    "Yeah, yeah¡­" He shrugged nonchntly,pletely disregarding myment.


    After that, we decided to grab lunch, then explore Fragment on our own. The girls would follow me, of course, while Si Ye forcefully dragged Ming Hao along with her. Long Lu spent his time catching up with his parents.


    Of course, the girls and I weren''t actually just exploring. We were trying out different activities to see what could help us gain Soulpower as quick as possible.


    "So¡­ let''s start with you, Feng Mian," I said. "What do you like doing?"


    "Hm¡­ I guess I like shopping?" She suggested after some thought.


    "Oh yeah, I love shopping as well," Qing Yue added.


    "I think all of us hear like shopping, to be honest¡­" Yu An Yan muttered.


    "Mm¡­" Yu An Xue confirmed with a nod.


    "Nya~ I''ve nwever tried before, but I would nyove to!" Amane giggled happily.


    "Not me," Obsidia hurriedly denied. "I will sit this one out."


    "Likewise," Lin Luo agreed, folding her arms defiantly.


    "Um¡­ I would rather read as well¡­" Lan Xiao Su murmured quietly.


    "Oh,e on~" Qing Yue said, pulling the three together. "Doesn''t hurt to try, does it?"


    "No, I really-"


    "Obsidia, Lin Luo," I cut in. "Neither of you have any new clothes, do you? It''s time to get some¡­ unless you want to wear the same thing forever."


    "These get cleaned automatically, so I''m fine," Obsidia replied.


    "Same," Lin Luo added. "I could care less about something as artificial as fashion."


    "Hm¡­ well let me put it this way," I suddenly said as an idea formted in my mind. "I''m getting sick of seeing you two wear the same thing everyday, so go get some new clothes."


    "You¡­!" Lin Luo gritted her teeth at me in anger while Obsidia shot me a cold gaze, but I was unaffected by either.


    "Human¡­ you are pushing the line."


    "Consider this part of our deal."


    "Tch¡­ fine. I don''t particrly have anything to do anyway¡­"


    "U-Um¡­ Xuan Kai," Lan Xiao Su whispered, tugging on my sleeve lightly.


    "Hm?"


    "D-Do you get tired of seeing me as well¡­? I-I''m really nd, so I pretty much only have two outfits¡­"


    "No no," I hurriedly said, shaking my head and smiling at her, before eyeing Obsidia and Lin Luo to make sure they were out of earshot. "I just said that as an excuse to force them to go shopping. Though I wouldn''t mind seeing you in different clothes sometime, you''re all already stunning beauties that look good no matter what you wear¡­ I couldn''t get tired of seeing you all even if I wanted to."


    She blushed at this and widened her eyes a bit.


    "A-Ah! T-Thank you¡­"


    I grinned and took her hand, leading her to follow the other girls as we set off to find a mall. She smiled warmly with a flushed face as she let me take her, both embarrassed and happy at the same time.


    The other girls shot nces back at us, jealous, but didn''t interrupt the nice atmosphere.


    While they were love rivals, they were still good friends, after all.


    *****


    It didn''t take long for them to arrive at Fragment''s biggest, best shopping mall. While the structure, with eight legs spiraling outwards and three floors with a massive ball in the middle, was quite impressive, the name was somewhat nd. It was literally just called Fragment Central Shopping Mall.


    Our guide for Fragment, Xiang Peng, may not be here anymore, but the signs were more than enough to tell us this info.


    "This is bigger than Coastal City in Shenzhen, right?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Pretty sure," Yu An Yan replied. "By quite a lot, actually."


    "What are we waiting for? Let''s head in already!!" Qing Yue yelled excitedly, skipping into the building with those light footsteps of hers. As she went, she waved at the passerby, bringing smiles to everyone''s faces. She was like a living ray of sunlight, bringing joy to anyone who passed by her.


    "Ooh, this store seems good!" She shouted, waving for us toe over. The store''s name was Arcane Outfitters, with loads of clothes inside. Since the size of the shop was so big, I figured it''d be a while before they finished.


    "Whew¡­ go on, join them," I said to Lan Xiao Su, who tilted her head at me.


    "Eh? You''re noting?"


    "Uh¡­ no?"


    "Sorry, but that''s not happening~" Feng Mian smiled innocently and clung onto my arm, dragging me into the store.


    "W-Woah! Hey!"


    "Heh¡­ you wanted to force me into joining this little excursion, didn''t you? It''s only fit you see it through to the end¡­" Lin Luo smirked sadistically, craving for some revenge.


    She normally wouldn''t even touch me, but now, she was full on hugging me and practically throwing me into the store.


    "Ngh¡­ damn it, you guys-"


    I tried resisting to the best of my abilities without using magic and identally hurting them, but the nine girls quickly overpowered me with ease.


    "M-Mei Gui! Help me out here!"


    "Apologies, Master¡­ but I wish for Master to judge whether clothes look good on me."


    "Anything looks good on you, please, I hate shopping!"


    My pleads were ignored, and all passerby thought the girls were too beautiful to be actually doing anything evil to me.


    "U-Um¡­ Xuan Kai," Lan Xiao Su said suddenly.


    <em>Y-Yes! My savior, Xiao Su-</em>


    "Y-You look good to me no matter what you wear, but I would like to see you in some new clothes as well¡­"


    <em>Noooo!</em>

 Chapter 393 - Shopping Spree (18+)

    "Hey, Xuan Kai, how do I look?" Feng Mian asked, twirling around in front of me. She had just tried on one of the ck dresses that caught her eye and was now showing it to me.


    "Good¡­ good¡­" I muttered, barely shooting her a nce.


    Not because she didn''t look stunning, but because I''ve been sitting here for the past hour doing the same exact thing. Every time the girls found something cute to try, they would show it to me to seek my approval. While I appreciated that, it also got tiresome¡­


    ¡­ Yet they seemed no sign of getting bored yet.


    "Hmph¡­" Feng Mian pouted slightly, hearing the ignorance in my voice. "If you don''t like it, just say so."


    "No, that''s not it," I quickly said, not wanting her to misunderstand. "It''s just¡­"


    "Fufu~ I think Big Brother Xuan Kai just needs some more¡­ stimtion~" Qing Yue giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning into my ear. I could feel her warm breath tingling my skin.


    "S-Stimtion?" Yu An Yan echoed, a bit startled. "What do you mean¡­"


    "I mean¡­ this," Qing Yue said, gesturing towards her own t chest.


    "W-Wait, you don''t mean¡­" Lan Xiao Su trailed off, cheeks turning as red as tomatoes.


    "Yes, that''s right~! Let''s go to a lingerie store!"


    *****


    "Okay, no," I said as Qing Yue tugged on my arm. "I don''t care what you say, I''m not going in there."


    Before us, a women''s lingerie storey, filled with¡­ well, lingerie. There was no way in hell I, an 18 year old boy, would go in there. I would just be called a pervert and kicked out immediately.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine, you have Invisibility that canst pretty much forever, no?" Qing Yue giggled. "Let''s go~ everyone, help me out!"


    "N-No, hey!"


    <em>Ah, shit¡­ Level Three Shadow Magic ¡ª Invisibility!</em>


    I turned invisible so that no one would see me, but Qing Yue still held my hand tightly to prevent me from escaping. Of course, on the outside, it would look like she was walking normally, so there was no big deal¡­


    ¡­ Except for the fact that I was suddenly shoved into one of the empty changing rooms.


    "Hey!" I whispered sharply. "What are you-"


    "Shhh¡­" She quickly shushed me, a yful smile on her lips. "Just sit here quietly and wait, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    "¡­" I fell silent, not wanting to be identally overheard by anyone. Qing Yue giggled and went back out, leaving me trapped inside here.


    <em>Could I escape, somehow¡­?</em>


    But just as this thought surfaced in my head, a girl walked in ¡ª Yu An Xue. She had a flushed expression on her face and held some kind of lingerie in her hand. Locking the door behind her, she took several deep breaths and began¡­ undressing.


    My eyes widened a bit as I canceled my Invisibility, as there was no more reason to keep it active now that the door was locked tight.


    "A-An Xue, what are you nning on doing?"


    "C-Close your eyes¡­"


    <em>What the hell?! Shees in here, starts undressing of her own ord, then tells me to close my eyes?!</em>


    "Uh¡­ how about this? You cover for me while I escape, and-"


    "Close your eyes¡­!"


    She said in a more defiant tone this time, ring at me with a hint of anger. I gulped and did as told, realizing she was not about to let me go scot-free. I waspletely at the mercy of these girls right now, since if I disobeyed, they would just expose I was in here the whole time, thuspletely ruining my reputation.


    Back in Shenzhen, I wouldn''t have cared, but this was a new ce, a new beginning. I wasn''t about to let my reputation get tarnished again.


    Several secondster, Yu An Xue was finished.


    "Okay¡­ you can open your eyes now."


    Hesitantly, Iplied.


    "¡­ Wow."


    I gulped in wonder, eyes widened at the sightid out in front of me.


    Yu An Xue had slipped on a beautiful ck night gown that highlighted all her curves while at the same time greatly contrasting with her bright pink hair color. Her cheeks were flushed deeply, hugging herself from embarrassment.


    "How¡­ how do I look¡­?"


    "¡­ Amazing."


    That was the only word I could use to describe her. Those pure white arms and legs were highlighted by the ckness of the fabric, as if inviting me to feel them.


    "O-Okay, close your eyes again¡­"


    <em>Whew¡­ okay, deep breaths, Xuan Kai¡­</em>


    I did as told and shut my eyes tightly, which was good, because if I went on watching any longer I probably would''ve gotten a nosebleed, and my little brother here definitely wouldn''t have been able to resist.


    I heard the sound of the door opening and closing again, so I sighed in relief and prepared to make my escap-


    "Where are you going?"


    I opened my eyes and found myself staring at Yu An Yan, who had her arms folded.


    "Uh¡­"


    <em>You''ve got to be kidding me¡­ they are chaining like this?!</em>


    <em>But still¡­ witnessing the two sisters in lingerie, back to back¡­? I can''t help but feel a bit excited, as a healthy young man.</em>


    "I need your opinion on how I look in this," she said. "S-So, um¡­ shut your eyes already while I change."


    I quickly closed my eyes, doing my best to calm down and try not to imagine anything sexual.


    <em>¡­ Yeah, right, how is that possible when discussing lingerie?!</em>


    "O-Okay, you can¡­ um, open your eyes now¡­"


    I gulped and slowly lifted my eyelids. Immediately, my member hardened which I hurriedly blocked with my hands to the best of my ability.


    "W-Well? How do I look¡­?"


    Unlike her sister, Yu An Yan wore something far more revealing and exposing ¡ª a whitece teddy that barely covered anything. Her enormous breasts were practically on full disy, the nipples just barely being covered, and her beautiful light skin shone under the brightmp above.


    She had a flushed expression looking away and folded her arms beneath her chest, as if resting her breasts on them.


    "Uh, how do I say this¡­" I muttered, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "Y-You look really good."


    "Ahaha¡­ r-really?" She asked quietly,ughing awkwardly in the process.


    "Yeah. So much so that I¡­ ahem, never mind."


    Yu An Yan nced down at where my hands were covering and blinked.


    "W-Well¡­ if you''re like that, then¡­"


    She bit her lips before suddenly kneeling down in front of me obediently. The angle let me see even more of her cleavage. Strangely, this felt more erotic than seeing it bare.


    "Wha-!" My eyes widened as I whispered sharply. "An Yan, what are you trying to do?"


    "Q-Qing Yue told me if you got like this, I had to help you take care of it¡­"


    She gently undid my jeans'' zipper and ced her hand on my hard member.


    "I-It''s so big and hard¡­"


    <em>Ah, damn it, Qing Yue!</em>


    Yu An Yan gulped slightly and prepared to pull down my underwear as well, but then-


    "Ah~!" An Xue was suddenly shoved in to the room by someone, causing An Yan and I to both freeze.


    "A-An Xue¡­?"


    "Sis¡­ I won''t¡­ lose¡­!"


    She locked the door behind her and began stripping, changing into the same lingerie she had on earlier.


    "W-Wait, won''t they get suspicious outside to see two people enter the same changing room?!" I whispered sharply.


    "Don''t¡­ worry¡­ the others are¡­ guarding the door¡­" Yu An Xue murmured as she finished changing, bending down as well and kneeling beside An Yan, staring up at me with excitement in her eyes.


    <em>W-What is this situation¡­</em>


    Faced with two stunning beauties in lingerie, kneeling in front of me, my dick felt like it was ready to burst in anticipation.


    "An Xue¡­ you''re not going to beat me in this¡­" An Yan said fiercely, shooting her sister a smug look. "My breasts are far bigger than yours¡­"


    "Maybe¡­ but¡­ I have¡­ this¡­"


    Saying this, she suddenly reached into my underwear and grabbed my dick, pulling it out of its cell. Her eyes widened a bit as it sprang out like a thick meat rod, nearly whacking her in the face.


    "It''s¡­ hot¡­"


    She closed her eyes and moved closer, before suddenly leaning down and taking my entire cock into her mouth.


    "Ngh¡­" I groaned a bit. She was not experienced at this, clearly, given how her teeth were shing with cock, but the warmness and wetness inside her mouth was enough to cover up for that.


    Her eyes bulged a bit from the size and quickly backed away a bit, panting heavily.


    "I-It doesn''t¡­ fit¡­ Qing Yue¡­ lied¡­"


    "Heh¡­" Yu An Yan chuckled in triumph and scooted closer. "Watch closely, An Xue¡­ this is how to do it the proper way."


    *****


    - Meanwhile, Outside the Door -


    "Q-Qing Yue¡­ are you sure we should be doing this?" Feng Mian asked. "What if we get caught¡­"


    "Heheh, don''t worry about it," Qing Yue replied, leaning on the door. "You''re just jealous, aren''t you?"


    "Hmph¡­ you say that like you aren''t¡­"


    "Well, I am, but¡­ it''s time to let them have a turn, no?"


    Given how the two of them have already done it with Xuan Kai, it was time to let the other girls who haven''t yet give it a try.


    "U-Um¡­ what exactly are they doing in there¡­?" Lan Xiao Su asked.


    "Are they asking for Xuan Kai''s opwinions?" Amane added innocently, a look of excitement on her face. "I want to as well!"


    "Don''t worry, you guys~" Qing Yue giggled mischieviously. "You''ll all get your turn¡­ soon enough."

 Chapter 394 - Lingerie Shop (18+)

    Yu An Yan slowly wrapped my cock, lined with An Xue''s hot saliva, between her two massive breasts. She still had lingerie on, but that only made it more erotic. My dick waspletely surrounded by softness minus the tip, which she tenderly licked with her tongue.


    "Ah¡­" I moaned in pleasure as she began moving her breasts, shifting them up and down.


    "How does it feel, Xuan Kai?" She asked with flushed cheeks, unable to meet my gaze. "I''ve seen this done in¡­ ahem, the research I did¡­ I think it''s called a titjob¡­?"


    "It feels amazing, An Yan¡­" I gasped as precum leaked out of the tip of my dick.


    I had never experienced such a feeling around my dick before. Pussy, asshole, hands, mouth, feet¡­ name it. But this was different. It was as if tworge and soft marshmallows had enveloped my cock, stroking it up and down.


    "Qing Yue never told me¡­ about this¡­" Yu An Xue pouted, frowning a bit.


    "Heh, that''s because yours aren''t big enough~" An Yan replied smugly.


    "Mm¡­ sis, let me¡­" An Xueined, not wanting to lose.


    She leaned in and used her tongue to lick the tip of my dick together with her older sister, tenderly coating it in her saliva. She couldn''t fit the whole thing in her mouth earlier, but just the tip she could handle.


    Together, the two sisters cared for my cock, their saliva and tongues intertwining at the tip of it. An Xue undid her lingerie and used her breasts to help with the action. Even though they weren''t as big as An Yan''s, they were more than enough to cover the other side of my dick. The two pairs of breasts rubbed against one another with my long shaft in the center of it all, squirming in pleasure.


    "You two¡­ are pretty good at this, y''know?" I chuckled lightly, letting myself be dragged into the situation. Since there was no use resisting, might as well enjoy this as much as I can.


    I reached down and gently stroked their heads, causing them to close their eyes and enjoy the feeling while licking my cock more aggressively.


    But after a while, An Yan stopped and got up.


    "Hmph¡­ it''s no use if you only feel good by yourself¡­"


    "You have to¡­ make us¡­ feel good too¡­" An Xue added, changing her position to a doggystyle position with her butt pointed towards me.


    "Now then¡­" They said together as An Yan moved beside her and got into a simr position, then seductively pulled her panties to the side so that her pussy was on full disy.


    "¡­ Which hole do you want first¡­?"


    "Hm¡­" I fell into thought, dick still unsatisfied. "An Yan, since you took the initiative first¡­ I think I''ll give you a little reward."


    Saying this, I ced my hands on her ample buttcheeks, as white as pearls, and shoved my dick inside her virgin pussy. It felt tight, but went in smoothly despite that fact. It seems that from giving me a titjob, she had gotten really wet in anticipation. No doubt, An Xue was the same.


    "Ah~!" An Yan cried in shock at getting prated for the first time, blood leaking out of her womb.


    "¡­ You okay?" I asked in concern.


    "Y-Yeah, but your thing¡­ it''s¡­ getting even bigger¡­"


    I smiled. "Of course¡­ that''s how good it feels inside you."


    Saying this, I began moving, slowly at first.


    "Oh~ mmf~!"


    "Does it hurt?"


    "Y-Yeah, a little, but¡­ the pain''s starting to go away¡­" She whispered quietly. "You can go faster if you want¡­"


    "Then¡­" I smirked. "Don''t mind if I do."


    I tightened my grip on her butt and began thrusting harder and faster, hitting the deepest parts of her womb that made her feel best.


    "OH~! Eungh~! Ah~~"


    With every thrust, she moaned in ecstasy ¡ª high-pitched, cute yelps that didn''t suit her usual self. As for me, this felt wonderful as well. Her pussy had her own unique taste to it, different from Feng Mian and Qing Yue''s. In terms of the tightness scale, An Yan''s was somewhere in between those two, but a lot slipperier.


    I leaned forward a bit and slid my hands around her armpits, arriving at her voluptuous chest and squeezing them a bit.


    "Oh~! X-Xuan Kai¡­!"


    I smirked. "You like this, don''t you?"


    I taunted as I continued pounding her wet pussy while groping and fondling her breasts however I wanted. I teased her nipples, pinching them tightly, as she moaned loudly.


    I hurriedly put up a Sound Barrier lest I forget. Yu An Yan''s breasts felt amazing, like tworge round water balloons with the texture and warmth of young, pure skin. Her body felt like it was on fire with how hot it was, but that only made me want to tease her further.


    "Ah~ h-harder, Xuan Kai¡­"


    "You sure?" I whispered in her ear, shifting my cock in and out of her pussy.


    "Y-Yes~! My breasts and pussy are your personal property, so you can do whatever you want to them¡­"


    "An Yan¡­!"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t resist anymore and went faster.


    "Ahn~! It''s getting even bigger¡­!"


    But as I thrust my cock into An Yan, her sister, who had been just watching on the sidelines, couldn''t take it anymore either.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ X-Xuan Kai¡­ me¡­ too¡­"


    With a deeply flushed face and her saliva practically dripping out of her mouth, she used her own fingers to spread her pussy wide open.


    I grinned. "Don''t worry, I''ll get to you in a second¡­ but for now¡­"


    I leaned back, returning to my original position, and inserted my left hand''s fingers into An Xue''s pussy, causing her eyes to bulge in shock.


    "Mmn~!"


    "Woah¡­ it''s already soaking wet, huh?" I chuckled as I began moving my fingers deep inside her. "You naughty girl, An Xue¡­"


    "I¡­ I couldn''t¡­ help it¡­ my body started feeling weird¡­ after seeing you¡­ and sis¡­"


    "X-Xuan Kai¡­ don''t forget me too¡­" An Yan pleaded for my cock, tongue stuck out in ecstasy.


    "Yeah¡­ don''t worry."


    I began thrusting into her once more, matching the rhythm of my fingers inside An Xue''s pussy. The two sisters moaned at once, giving me a different sense of euphoria. I used my other hand''s thumb, on An Yan''s ass, to enter her other hole while prating her pussy.


    "¡­ Ah~! W-What are you- oh~!"


    "You two are such dirty girls¡­" I chuckled deeply. "¡­ And I like it, I won''t lie."


    "Oh~ yes~ Xuan Kai¡­ pound your private cocksleeve while fingering my asshole more~"


    Yu An Yan moaned in pleasure,pletely losing all sense of reason and giving in to my cock.


    "X-Xuan Kai¡­ me too¡­" An Xue added softly, butt shaking back and forth as she longed for my dick as well.


    I used my thumb to enter her asshole just like I did with An Yan, taking care of four holes all at once. Both sisters yelped in pleasure as I sped up with my thrusting.


    "An Xue, I''ll get to you in a second¡­ and An Yan, I''m about to cum¡­!"


    I gritted my teeth and moved my hips back and forth faster, thrusting my massive cock as deep into her womb as it could possibly go.


    "Mmf~! Oh, yes~! I-It''s not my safe day, so I''ll help you finish with my mouth~!"


    "Me too¡­!" An Xue joined in.


    "Ah¡­!"


    Just as I was about to cum, I pulled out of An Yan''s pussy. The two sisters immediately spun around andtched onto my cock as my baby seeds shot out. Their two tongues coated my dick in an instant, fighting over the white, sticky semen.


    "Mmn¡­ it''s still so hard¡­" An Xue murmured.


    "Of course¡­" I grinned and made her go back to doggystyle. "There''s no way just one time would be enough when you two are serving me like this. It''s your turn now, An Xue."


    "Ah~!"


    I thrust my still-hard cock into her dripping pussy, but then froze at the feeling. This tightness¡­ it was even more than Qing Yue?


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­" An Xue panted, body trembling at my dick entering her. She bit her lip, trying her best not to moan out loud, as blood leaked out of her pussy just like her sister minutes earlier.


    "Wow¡­ you''re so tight, An Xue¡­!"


    It was as if her pussy walls were dozens of small hands, gripping my cock as hard as they could. They were like starfish on the seabed, tightlytching onto my dick and not letting go.


    "Mmn¡­!" She groaned slightly, neither of us moving. "X-Xuan Kai¡­ you can move¡­"


    I gulped. With this tightness, if I moved, it would undoubtedly hurt for her.


    "¡­ Are you sure?"


    "Y-Yes¡­ I want you to feel good using me¡­"


    "Alright then¡­ here I go."


    I pushed deeper inside, gritting my teeth.


    "Ahn~!" She moaned loudly. I pulled out slightly, then thrust my dick back in slowly.


    "Oh¡­ this feels amazing, even just slowly¡­"


    "Heh¡­" An Xue looked at her sister, who watched us in jealousy. "Xuan Kai¡­ likes my pussy¡­ better¡­"


    "H-Hmph!" An Yan pouted, averting her gaze. "That may be so, but he definitely likes my breasts better, right?"


    She scooted closer so she was right up against me, and lifted one of my hands before cing it on one of her massive breasts. I groped them fondly ¡ª this sensation would never get old for me; I could do this all day.


    I leaned in to kiss her, to which she met with her own tongue. Our saliva entangled with one another''s as I continued fondling her breasts as much as I wanted. They were my personal property as she said, after all. They were mine to y around with and no one else''s.


    Of course, I didn''t forget about the other sister either. I gently moved my cock back and forth inside of her, thoroughly enjoying the incredible tightness of her womb. Although tight, however, it also felt smooth at the same time due to the wetness of her pussy.


    "Mmn~!"


    "Ah~"


    Having sex with two such beautiful sisters at the same time¡­ it felt absolutely amazing.

 Chapter 395 - You Get Soulpower From... What?

    After having sex with both sisters, they changed back into their normal clothes. But right after they did so, they stopped, eyes widening slightly.


    I tilted my head, noticing this. "What''s wrong?"


    "This feeling¡­" Yu An Yan muttered, ncing down at her hands in wonder. "My body¡­ it feels a lot lighter and¡­ somehow more powerful than before."


    "I feel it¡­ too¡­" Yu An Xue added, furrowing her brows. "It feels like¡­ a new power is manifesting in my body¡­"


    "Wait¡­" I cut in. "This can''t be¡­ Soulpower?"


    "W-Wha-?!" Yu An Yan gasped. "Soulpower? Then that means, w-what we did, was¡­"


    "Ahem¡­" I averted my gaze. "You two are surprisingly¡­ er, what I mean to say is, I didn''t expect <em>that</em> to be your favorite thing to do. How long have you been waiting for this¡­?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about!" Yu An Yan shrieked in embarrassment and looked away, her sister doing the same.


    I sighed and shook my head. <em>But still¡­ if having sex with me is the trigger for these two, then what about the other girls who are in love with me? Do I need to keep doing this with all of them to awaken their Battle Souls? I don''t think my body will be able to handle that¡­</em>


    In any case, the sisters exited one at a time as to not cause any suspicion, and I slipped out behind them using the guise of invisibility. The girls purchased the lingerie they picked out and exited the store as well, meeting back up with me a short distance away.


    "Fufu~ how was the ''experience'', Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, giggling suggestively.


    "Yeah¡­ you nned all of this, didn''t you?" I muttered, patting her head softly as she hugged me.


    "Hehe~ of course. The other girls didn''t say it on the surface, but I could tell they wanted to do it¡­ so I just lent them a hand. In fact, it would''ve been a lot easier if all the girls could take turn going in the changing room and doing it with you, but we could only stand around in one ce for so long, unfortunately~"


    "A-All of them?" I echoed, ncing at the nine other girls, none of them able to meet my gaze.


    <em>Yeah¡­ I only have so much stamina¡­</em>


    "About that, actually," I continued, ncing at the two sisters. "Apparently¡­ doing it with me helped those two get their Soulpower up."


    At this, their eyes widened at me. "X-Xuan Kai!"


    "S-Soulpower¡­ so then, that was their favorite thing to do?" Lan Xiao Su murmured hesitantly, blushing from second-hand embarrassment.


    "That would be the logical assumption, yes," Mei Gui confirmed. "However, it is uncertain whether this applies to everyone here. I, for one, am applicable to this, but Obsidia and Lin Luo are not."


    "U-Um¡­" Feng Mian looked at me, then at the ground. "C-Considering my subus form¡­ it would be safe to say the same applies to me¡­"


    "If it''s for awakening the Battle Soul¡­" Lan Xiao Su took a deep breath. "I-I wouldn''t mind giving it a try¡­"


    "We''re in no rush to awaken the Battle Souls," I cut in before this escted any further. "There''s no need to rush. And Xiao Su¡­ I think reading books would be your best bet, considering how much you love them ¡ª just saying."


    "Ah¡­ that is true, but¡­" She bit her lip, falling silent.


    "Fufu~ I know I <em>looooove</em> having sex with Big Brother Xuan Kai, so-"


    I quickly covered up Qing Yue''s mouth to prevent her from loudly saying anything further, silencing her with a re.


    "¡­ We''re in public, Qing Yue¡­!"


    But she merely closed her eyes and licked my hand, causing me to retreat in a panic.


    "Hehe, don''t worry, I was just teasing~"


    I sighed and pulled out my phone to check the time, then saw an unread message from¡­ Ming Hao.


    [Hey, I got a great opportunity to talk to you about. When can we meet?]


    The message was from roughly 10 minutes ago¡­ when I had been too busy pounding the two sisters to notice.


    Narrowing my eyes, I hurriedly texted back a reply.


    [Now. Where do you want to rendezvous?]


    *****


    - About an hourter -


    Soon, Ming Hao and the girls and I met up in a cafe. It was grand and luxurious, just as one would expect from a restaurant inside Fragment.


    "So¡­ what was this ''opportunity'' you spoke of in the text?" I asked hesitantly.


    Ming Hao chuckled from the other side of the table and took a sip of his tea. "Patience, my friend. Before that, can you answer me why you didn''t respond to my text earlier¡­?"


    Saying this, he eyed the girls around me, then looked back into my eyes. It was clear he thought something was fishy, but I wasn''t about to tell him anything unnecessary.


    "¡­ Do you expect me to respond to your texts instantly?"


    "No, but you usually are quick with them, so¡­" Ming Hao shrugged, kicking back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other.


    "Well, unfortunately, I can''t do that every time," I replied coldly. "Now, tell me about the opportunity you called me out here for."


    "Fine, fine¡­" He sighed and folded his arms. "Well, my family just informed me of a little¡­ concerning matter. It''s about a corruption that''s been spreading in Africa recently. Apparently, it started with a simple abandoned city, then spread from there, polluting and poisoning anynd it touches."


    "¡­ So?" I raised an eyebrow. "What do I get out of this?"


    "Well¡­ my family offered to let the person with the most contribution on this mission obtain any 3 Magic Artifacts from our treasury. And trust me, there''s a lotta good stuff in there that even I''m not allowed to touch without permission."


    "¡­ And who will be judging this ''contribution''? You?"


    "Nope! I''ll bepeting with you," Ming Hao exined. "The one who decides the winner in the end will be one of the elders I''m particrly close with. Oh, but don''t worry, he''ll judge fairly and not be biased towards me."


    "¡­" I sank into thought, considering this offer.


    Undoubtedly, investigating this ''corruption'' would be dangerous. It would involve us actually going to the ce and seeing what is going on, and since right now we knew pretty much nothing about the area except for the fact that there''s something odd happening, that came with a great risk.


    However, at the same time¡­ any 3 artifacts from one of the top families in Fragment ¡ª and the world? That was a reward too good to resist. Just thinking about all the different powers I could obtain, amplified by the nature of Chaos, has me excited.


    "¡­ Sure. I ept."


    "Sweet. There will also be other people participating on this mission, of course, all around our age. Some you should already recognize since they''re in the same year as us at the university, but others are older."


    "Is Long Lu and that girl¡­ Si Ye, was it?"


    "Yeah, they''re participating as well. Most of the next generation of the Eight Great Families of Fragment are participating, unless they have long graduated from the university already."


    "Hm¡­ I see. But just so we''re clear¡­ is this invitation for me alone or all the girls?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Because if it you''re asking me to leave them behind for this¡­ it''s not happening."


    "Xuan Kai¡­" The girls looked at me in admiration, blushing slightly.


    "Geez, so that''s how you get girls to like you, huh?" Ming Hao chuckled. "You don''t need to worry, pal. I got it all sorted for you guys. All of you will be able to go, no problem."


    "In that case, is this an individualpetition or can we work together?" Feng Mian asked.


    "Nah, there aren''t any rules against working together," Ming Hao replied. "You''re free to do whatever you want, but I''ll have my own team as well, so just keep that in mind, heh."


    "¡­ I see. And when is this happening?" I asked.


    "Oh, tomorrow."


    "¡­ Come again?"


    *****


    - The Next Morning -


    "¡­ Well, this is problematic." I muttered.


    "What happened?" Feng Mian asked, confused as she walked over.


    "Okay, listen, I only got this news just now as well, but thepetition will be done in teams, apparently, and each team can only have five people¡­" Ming Hao exined.


    "So¡­ only five of us can go?" Feng Mian tilted her head.


    "Seems like it," I replied. "And since the people there will recognize us, we can''t go in as separate teams either since they''ll definitely think we''ll work together."


    "So then¡­ are we still doing this?" Yu An Yan asked hesitantly.


    I took a deep breath and leaned back on the pir nearby.


    "Honestly, if it''s like this, then I don''t feel like going anymore. I don''t want to leave any of you behind."


    "This¡­" The girls all fell silent, at a loss for what to do now.

 Chapter 396 - New Mission

    "It''s okay, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said with an innocent smile that I haven''t seen on her face in a while. "This is a great opportunity that we definitely shouldn''t miss. You don''t need to be held back by us¡­ oh, but make sure you take me along as part of your team, fufu~"


    "After that encouraging speech, really all you wanted was to go with him¡­" Lin Luo muttered in disdain.


    "But jokes aside," Lan Xiao Su interrupted seriously. "Xuan Kai¡­ I agree with Qing Yue. I want to be taken along and stay by your side, but I realize my strength level is the weakest out of everyone here, so that wouldn''t be ideal. You should just take four of us here with you while leaving the rest behind for the time being. No hard feelings."


    "¡­ You guys sure?" I asked quietly. "This mission could take quite a while, you know."


    The girls all smiled warmly at me, though the smile carried a hint of sadness that couldn''t be missed.


    "Although we all want to be taken along¡­ the decision is up to you, Xuan Kai," Yu An Yan said, cing a hand on her hips. "Go on, choose any four of us."


    "Nya~ Xuwan Kwai, pick me, pick me!" Amane cried,tching onto my arm.


    I smiled, patting her head, but gently pushed her away.


    "Sorry, but¡­ I already have my four candidates in mind."


    "Aw¡­"


    "First off, Mei Gui," I announced.


    "Yes, Master."


    "It''s undeniable that she is the strongest of all of you, so it makes sense for me to take her along. We also make the bestbat partners, adding on to her worth."


    The girls all exchanged nces and shrugged.


    "Yeah, that''s fair."


    "Next¡­ Feng Mian."


    "E-Eh? Me?"


    "Yes. You''re the most proficient at Shadow Magic out of any of us here, and stealth could prove to be very useful in a mission like this."


    "Ah, you''re right," she said, blushing happily. "Hehe~ guess the goddess of luck is on my side."


    "Thirdly¡­" I continued, rubbing my chin. "Lin Luo."


    At this, she raised an eyebrow in skepticism.


    "You''re really going to pick me, despite the looks of anticipation on all these other girls'' faces? I may find a way to break this curse and stab you in the back, you know."


    "I trust you won''t," I said. "Because you can''t break that curse. As an Ascended Seraphim, your power is second only to Obsidia and Mei Gui, excluding me. Your natural control over flight is also useful."


    "Tch¡­ fine. This may be a good opportunity for me to get stronger anyway¡­ but you''re going to regret letting me having this chance, Xuan Kai."


    "Heh, you can try," I scoffed, closing my eyes. "And now¡­ finally¡­ Obsidia."


    "¡­ Of course you pick me, human. Such a hassle¡­ when are you going to finally fulfill your end of our deal?"


    "You tell me," I shot back. "You know how strong I am right now. Is that enough? Tell me."


    "Hmph. Nowhere even close, if you want to challenge the Elder Dragons of the tribe. But¡­ you are getting closer. A few more years should do it."


    "Then you will be my ally for a few more years," I concluded. "And with this¡­ all four members have been chosen. As for the rest of you¡­ I''m sorry."


    "Hehe, don''t worry about it, Big Brother Xuan Kai! We''ll be fine ¡ª juste back soon, okay~?" Qing Yue said in a seemingly happy, carefree tone, but¡­ the tears on the corner of her eyes couldn''t be missed.


    "Qing Yue¡­" I smiled sadly and expanded my arms for a group hug. "Bring it in, you guys."


    The girls, apart from Lin Luo and Obsidia, all fell into my arms, stacking on my body one after another. Although it won''t be long before we meet again, this was still the first time I would be parting ways with them considering how closely we''ve stuck by one another''s sides all the time.


    Ming Hao and the girls who weren''t getting left behind saw this scene and walked away, leaving us to ourselves.


    "I''ll be back soon," I said quietly.


    "You better be¡­" Yu An Yan muttered, clutching my cloak tightly.


    "Mm¡­ we''ll¡­ miss you¡­" Yu An Xue added.


    "Xuwan Kwai¡­ I''ll be so lyonely without you¡­ wahh¡­"


    I chuckled lightly and patted Amane''s head. "Don''t worry¡­ it won''t be long."


    "Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue suddenly said, causing the group hug to disband.


    "What is it?" I asked curiously, raising an eyebrow, but-


    "¡­!"


    She suddenly grabbed my cor and pulled my head down as she went on her tippy-toes, bringing our lips together. Her tongue slipped into my mouth as we shared a deep kiss, exchanging saliva passionately.


    After several seconds, she backed away and wiped the excess fluid off her mouth, then smiled happily.


    "Stay safe, mkay~? Qing Yue will be waiting for you here~"


    I blinked a couple of times, still in a daze, then finally regained my senses and smiled warmly.


    "Got it."


    With that, I turned around and left, heading for where the other girls and Ming Hao were. But little did I know¡­


    "Hey, Xiao Su. Are you really just going to hide there like that?" Qing Yue asked once I was out of earshot.


    "¡­" Lan Xiao Su slowly came out from behind the pir, wiping the tears off her face. "I-I don''t want Xuan Kai to see me like this¡­ I can''t control my tears¡­ he''ll think I''m weak¡­"


    Yu An Yan folded her arms and sighed. "You''re not weak, Xiao Su. You just have to embrace the strength inside of you. Go on, prove to Xuan Kai that you can do the same thing Qing Yue did, even better."


    "The same thing Qing Yue did¡­!"


    "There''s not much time left¡­" Qing Yue taunted, shrugging nonchntly to spur her on.


    "¡­" Lan Xiao Su looked down at the ground and clenched her fists, then finally nced up to look at my shadow, determination in her eyes.


    In a sh, she dashed from the pir to me and hugged me from behind right before I rounded the corner to leave, stumbling me forward a bit from the harsh impact.


    "¡­ Xiao Su?" I blinked in surprise.


    "Xuan Kai¡­"


    She let go of me and forced me to spin my body around, then nted a firm kiss on my lips just like Qing Yue had done moments before. I was stunned at first, but then eased myself into the feeling. Since she was inexperienced with this, I decided to guide her ¡ª using my tongue.


    Her kiss was more gentle than Qing Yue''s erotic ones, leaving a strange sweet taste behind in my mouth after we parted lips.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ I love you."


    Although her cheeks were deeply flushed, she said these words firmly, showing me her devotion and dedication.


    It was only right for me to return the favor.


    "I love you too, Xiao Su. I''ll be back soon."


    "Mm¡­" She nodded happily, waving goodbye at me. A long distance behind her, I could see Qing Yue and the other girls join in with the waving, having encouraged Xiao Su to do this.


    I turned around and mirrored their wave as I rounded the corner, finally disappearing from sight.


    *****


    "Ah, there you are," Ming Hao said after spotting me. "Took you a while to say goodbye, huh?"


    "Don''t worry, Brother Xuan," Long Lu said, patting my shoulder. "Your wives will be treated like queens under the roof of the Long Family."


    "Uh, please don''t call them my wives," I replied. "We haven''t married yet."


    "Keyword: yet," Ming Hao added with a chuckle, which caused Feng Mian to blush slightly.


    "Ahem¡­ are we going to go, or what?" I cut in.


    "Rx, we''re just waiting on a few more people to arrive," Ming Hao replied. "Si Si''s team is still not here, and Long Lu, you''re missing one person, right?"


    "Yeah," Long Lu replied. "She''s one year older than us."


    "Oho? What''s this?" Ming Hao immediately wrapped his arm around Long Lu''s neck and pulled him close, whispering into his ear. "Hey, hey, tell us more. What''s she like? Is she human? Elf?"


    "C-Calm down," Long Lu said, pushing Ming Hao away. "She''s my sister."


    "She- oh."


    "¡­ Well, things got awkward real quick, didn''t it?" I scoffed.


    "Y-Yeah¡­ my bad, man," Ming Hao muttered, scratching his head, then suddenly looked at me. "But wait¡­ doesn''t that short girl call herself your little sister too? If that''s the case, then-"


    "That''s different," I interrupted before anyone developed a misunderstanding. "For one, she has a name ¡ª Qing Yue ¡ª and for two, we aren''t blood rted; just childhood friends, pretty much."


    "Hm, I see¡­ then, what about you, Long Lu?" Ming Hao asked, absolutely insistent to the point where he was being a pest. "Is your ''sister'' blood-rted with you?"


    But rather than Long Lu himself responding, the voice who answered Ming Hao''s question was that of a young woman.


    "Yes, we are, third young master of the Ming Family."


    Immediately, we all turned to look at the neer, a tall young woman with a voluptuous figureparable to that of Obsidia''s, along with long velvet hair and simrly-colored eyes. She had an icy look on her face, clearly disappointed with Ming Hao''s remarks.


    "My name is Long Yi. Nice to meet you all."

 Chapter 397 - Setting Off

    "A-Ah¡­ junior greets senior sister Long," Ming Hao said, immediately bing obedient and respectful all of a sudden.


    Long Yi, wearing a long, eastern-themed robe, shot him a cold look then turned to her brother. "Little brother¡­ I hope you remember our deal."


    Hearing this, Long Lu bowed and gulped in fear. "Y-Yes, big sister. Don''t worry, after this time, I won''t ever trouble you again."


    "Good. And¡­" She turned her icy stare on me. "¡­ Who is this?"


    "A friend," Long Lu replied briskly, tone quiet and meek in front of his sister''s pressuring aura.


    "Hm¡­ a friend? You don''t usually make friends, little brother. This boy must be quite special, for you to befriend him."


    "You tter me," I said calmly, refusing to bow or tremble in her presence like the other two. "I am just a normal person trying to get stronger like anybody else."


    "A normal person, hm?" She narrowed her eyes. "Only certain people were allowed to participate in this operation, much less have their own team. I find it hard to believe you are just a ''normal person'' if you managed to obtain a personal invitation from one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment."


    "¡­ Sister, please," Long Lu begged.


    Long Yi, after staring at me for a few seconds more, finally averted her gaze and folded her arms.


    "Very well, I won''t pry any further. It is not any of my concern anyway ¡ª I was merely curious, that''s all."


    I was relieved deep down since I really didn''t want to have to deal with this girl. By the aura she was giving off, I assumed she was an Ancestral Mage, the same rank I currently was. If we were to fight, I would obviously win with my Chaos abilities, but it still wouldn''t be a walk in the park.


    As the elder from Ming Hao''s family announced everyone was here and thus they would be setting off soon, I had a feeling this wouldn''t be thest time I interacted with Long Yi.


    *****


    "Greetings, young mages and warlocks," the elder said, sweeping his gaze over the crowd that had gathered.


    "I trust that everyone here knows what this mission is about, so I will not go into detail. Currently, there are 8 teams here, each with five people, making a total of 40. Everyone gathered right now are aplished individuals who are far stronger than the norm, so I expect you all to hold your own once we cross over. Any questions?"


    "Yes," Long Lu said, raising his hand. "How will you be evaluating our ''contribution'', exactly?"


    "It is exactly what the word means," the elder replied calmly. "Contribution ¡ª how much you contributed to the solution of this issue. Do not be too selfish and try to hoard everything to yourself ¡ª keep in mind, if this issue is not resolved before your school starts again in a month, none of you will receive rewards."


    Since no one else had any questions, the elder waved his hand and conjured an enormous portal, swirling with energy.


    "Once you are ready, step through. I will brief you further on the other side."


    Ming Hao''s team, consisting of himself and four other students from ss A, headed in first. Long Lu, along with his sister and three other boys around my own age who I didn''t recognize, probably from a different school.


    The teams piled into the portal one after another, and we were no exception. Obsidia, Lin Luo, Mei Gui, Feng Mian, and I stepped through, followed by the elder himself.


    <em>To think even during a break from school, we would have to interact with other students in our sses¡­ the Shanghai Magic Academy is truly influential. As for the other schools¡­ hell, I didn''t even know they existed until today, after seeing several students in uniforms I didn''t recognize.</em>


    After exiting the portal, we found ourselves within a wooden house that looked very poor andcklusterpared to the buildings and structures in Fragment. It was, however,rge enough to fit everyone.


    The elder stepped through and closed the portal behind him before walking up to a man who was staring at the group of young mages that suddenly arrived in wonder.


    "Mr. Demitrius. You pleaded for help, and we shall deliver. We are from Fragment, Heart of Magic and Headquarters of the IMF."


    "O-Oh, thank the heavens¡­ you''re finally here¡­" The man immediately knelt down in front of the elder, begging for help. "Saviors, please¡­ the Grey Scourge is about to reach us¡­"


    Ming Hao, who was in front, raised an eyebrow. "The Grey Scourge?"


    "Please, stand up first," the elder pleaded, bending down and helping to raise the man up to his feet. The man did as told, slowly getting back up and wiping the tears of joy from his face.


    "Now¡­ we have received reports of a deadly corruption spreading from an abandoned city not far from here," the elder continued, a serious expression on his aged face. "Is that the ''Grey Scourge'' you are referring to?"


    "Y-Yes¡­" the man stuttered faintly. "That city¡­ it is ¡ª or was ¡ª called Titania. But just a couple of years ago, they were suddenly wiped out by a mysterious power. The chieftains of the other viges around here and Ibined our forces together to erect a barrier around the city, hoping to contain whatever it was that caused this disaster inside it. But who knew¡­ just yesterday, I received word of the viges being wiped out, one by one."


    "¡­ How far away from Titania is this ce?" The elder asked.


    "We are lucky to be the furthest away from it. But apart from us, the only other vige remaining is the Haria Vige up the hill from here¡­"


    The man pointed to his left, which was our right. The elder followed the direction with his eyes, then looked back at the man once more.


    "I see. Thank you for the information, and do your best to calm both yourself and the vigers here. We will investigate the matter and put an end to this."


    "Thank you¡­ truly, thank you¡­"


    The elder turned around and exited the house. The rest of us followed after him and began heading up the hill.


    "We are heading to Haria Vige, I''m assuming?" Long Yi asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yes. They are at the most risk currently. If we cane into contact with this mysterious power, we should be able to figure out how to stop it," the elder exined. "Stay in formation and do not use Sky Magic to fly up ahead. We do not know what might be lying in our path."


    "That is, if it doesn''t wipe us out like it did with all the other viges¡­" Lin Luo muttered quietly from beside me so that only I could hear.


    I smirked and suddenly wrapped my arm around her shoulder teasingly. "What, scared?"


    Immediately, she flinched and whipped her head around to re at me furiously. "You¡­! Get your hand off of me this instant!"


    I chuckled lightly and let go of her, enjoying her reddened expression and defiant attitude. Luckily, she had been whispering sharply rather than outright yelling, which meant my reputation didn''t go down the drain.


    *****


    The vige chieftain down there had said ''hill'', but this was more a mountain than anything.


    After a long while of walking, it was already midday. The sun was at its highest point right now, which meant it was practically scorching hot.


    Luckily, Feng Mian kept the five of us all cool by using her Ice Magic. Obsidia also contributed by using her Sky Magic to be a living fan ¡ªbine that with some chilling effects of Feng Mian''s spells and we get a portable mana air conditioner.


    Those who didn''t have any Ice or Sky Magic users in their team, however, were out of luck.


    Halfway up the mountain, there was a forest region that allowed each team to hunt their own wildlife and eat that for lunch. Many of the mages here, however, were the typical young master types, spoiled all their life. Eating game with barely any seasoning and vor or preparation? They weren''t ready for that at all and spent the majority of their timeining.


    On the contrary, the girls on my team ate peacefully. They didn''tin about anything ¡ª even Lin Luo, who I had expected to find some excuse tosh out at me, just ate her meal in silence. The food wasn''t much, but it would keep us on our feet until nighttime.


    After eating, we set off once more. The forest''s trees provided nice cover against the sunlight, but the humidity and heat didn''t go away by much. Such was the climate of Africa, near the equator of the.


    There was still quite the distance to go to reach the top of the mountain by the looks of it¡­ we might not even make it by the time the sun falls.

 Chapter 398 - Haria Village

    Several hourster, we found ourselves staring at the wooden gates of a vige, guarded by watchtowers on either sides and surrounded by a spiky wooden fence. It was very old-fashioned and these defenses would barely do anything in this world of magic, but it is what it is.


    By now, the sun had set, but there was one strange thing about the area. It was shrouded in a dense coat of fog¡­ despite there being no build-up on the way up here. It was very sudden, but everyone was tired enough to fall asleep on the spot and couldn''t be bothered to notice. The excitement of finally arriving at their destination did little to cheer them up.


    It was just for a brief moment too, as right after stepping into the fog, it dissipated as if it hadn''t been there at all. The girls on my team and I noticed this, and by the looks of it, Long Yi did as well. Everyone else, however¡­


    The elder slowly lumbered over to the front gates of the vige, where two guards stood on the watchtowers respectively, bows drawn in their hands.


    "Lower your weapons," a voice suddenly said from within the gates just as they swung open. The two guards were confused at first, but did as told.


    As the gates were pushed open, an old woman was revealed behind them, back arched and using a walking stick to help support herself.


    "Wee¡­ to Haria Vige. You are the ones Demitrius informed me about, yes¡­? Come on in. We can speak properly there."


    The elder nodded to her and walked into the vige, the rest of us following behind. It could just be my eyes, but the old woman''s warm, inviting smile¡­ didn''t seem so warm at all. Rather, it gave me the creeps.


    As soon as all of us entered, the gates mmed shut on their own, but everyone was too tired to notice. Strangely, I felt my own senses began dulling as well, which made me wonder¡­


    <em>Was it just us all being tired, or¡­ was it the fog?</em>


    The old woman sat down on a stool as the other vigers gathered around her, staring at us. Their eyes were¡­ lifeless.


    "Now then¡­ you came here to seek knowledge about the Grey Scourge, yes?"


    The elder nodded. "What can you tell us about it?"


    "Hm¡­ well¡­ I have heard stories of where its rampage started ¡ª the city of Titania. It is a ck mist that kills everything ites across and does not leave any trace behind."


    "In other words, its a paracausal entity that can''t be destroyed by physical means?" The elder muttered.


    "Yes¡­" The old woman said, a smile creeping on her face. "It is not as simple as a Monster or Magic Beast¡­ it feeds on life itself, not flesh or blood. But that is about the extent of my knowledge on the matter. I am old¡­ I forget many things."


    "¡­ Where is the closest vige that has been affected by it already?" The elder asked, taking a different approach.


    "Taelis Vige, not too far away from here. But if you are nning on facing the Scourge directly, I rmend getting rested first."


    "Rest¡­" The elder looked behind him at all the dozing off young mages and took a deep breath. "Yes¡­ we will camp outside, then."


    "No worries¡­ you can stay right here in this vige," the old woman said kindly, but her voice carried a twinge of evil, so minimal one could barely notice it.


    "No no, that won''t do," the elder hurriedly refused. "Your vige is small enough as it is, and you have your own vigers to take care o-"


    "Please," the old woman insisted. "You are our saviors, risking your lives here¡­ this is the least we can do to pay back."


    "This¡­"


    "Elder¡­ just ept her proposal¡­" Ming Hao muttered, already half-asleep. "I''m so beat¡­"


    "Third young master¡­ I see. In that case, we will take you up on your offer."


    "Yes¡­" The old woman smiled suggestively, opening one eye that carried an inhuman darkness within them.


    "¡­ Follow me."


    *****


    The old woman led the group to thergest building of the vige ¡ª an inn. It seemed that this vige was a frequent tourism spot for people who came here to admire this mountain, so they had this inn built nice andrge, able to amodate all of us.


    Each team got their own room just to make things easy, and the elder received his own as well. After arriving in ours, the girls and I couldn''t help but be slightly impressed.


    "Wow¡­ this is better¡­ than expected¡­" Feng Mian murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Ah¡­ I''m too tired to take a shower¡­ I think I''m going to just¡­ sleep¡­"


    She fell over on her bed, immediately going unconscious. The remaining four of us, however, stayed awake ¡ª or at least, tried to.


    "¡­ You guys all felt it too, huh?" I asked, putting up a sound barrier while blinking rapidly to try and fight back against the urge to sleep.


    "Yes¡­ if it wasn''t for dragons having extreme resistance to drowsiness, I would not have been able to withstand it," Obsidia said. "That fog¡­ it was weird."


    "I can''t be sure of anything just yet, but I agree," Lin Luo added. "The fog felt very sudden and disappeared the moment we stepped through¡­ nature doesn''t work like that."


    "At this point¡­ I''m not really even sure anymore," I said with a sigh. "I just feel too tired¡­ and want to¡­ sleep¡­"


    "Xuan Kai, you can''t!" Lin Luo called out, rushing over and shaking my body. "I don''t know what it is, but there''s definitely something going on with this vige. Until we find out what that something is, you ca-"


    "Zzz¡­"


    "¡­ Forget it," Obsidia spat. "He''s already asleep. No matter his power, he is but a mere human in the end. The resistances we dragons and Celestici have are built in to our bodies."


    "Then¡­ what should we do?"


    "¡­ You two can go to sleep," Mei Gui suggested. "I am an Elemental and thus do not require sleep at all. I can stay up all night and watch."


    "¡­ Are you sure?"


    "Yes. Although you have sleep resistance, you still need sleep in the end, correct?"


    "That is true¡­"


    "Then go. Leave this to me."


    "¡­ Alright, then."


    The two girls took showers then went to bed, drifting off to sleep. Mei Gui was the only one left still conscious, sitting closely by my side like a guardian angel.


    *****


    - Several Hours Later, 00:00 -


    "¡­ They should be asleep by now, yes¡­.?" The old woman giggled sinisterly, tapping her walking stick on the ground impatiently.


    "I¡­ can''t wait¡­ any longer¡­" One of the vigers croaked, clutching his forehead before tumbling onto the ground. "Grah¡­. GRAHHH!"


    "ARGH¡­!"


    "GRRR¡­"


    "BLEH¡­"


    All around the old woman, the vigers of Haria Vige transformed into disgusting molds of flesh one by one. Their intestines turned inside-out, their bodies deformed into a mush of meat. They became horrifying creatures that looked nothing like humans despite having the same organs.


    "Heh¡­ it''s¡­ time¡­ to FEED."


    The old woman herself''s body began contorting as well, bending and twisting in impossible positions before finally bing a skinny monster made of red muscle and blood with two eyes on the sides of its body and four long scythe-like tendrils that were ready to cut up its prey.


    And then, one by one, the army of distorted creatures lumbered towards the inn, where their food slept peacefully, having no idea they were about to get devoured alive.


    *****


    Mei Gui, who had her Third Eye active, suddenly snapped open her eyes and turned to me, who was still sleeping at the time.


    "Master! Wake up!"


    But I would not. Within my sleep, I couldn''t even hear her words. Biting her lip, she tried someone else, Obsidia and Lin Luo, who imed to have resistance against sleep. But s, they didn''t wake up either.


    It seemed that this fog made anyone who fell victim to it not able to wake up unless triggered by extreme stimtion. If that was the case, then¡­


    Mei Gui hurried to the washroom as she detected those creatures going into the room where the elder was in and stopping for a brief moment beforeing back out and going into the next room. Only one more until ours.


    It would be safe to assume had already been consumed.


    "¡­!" Mei Gui quickly grabbed a bucket and filled it up to the brim with cold water before shutting it off and rushing back to me and sshing it all over my face.


    "B-Bwah!" I immediately woke up, startled. "M-Mei Gui¡­?"


    "Master, your prediction was right ¡ª the vigers¡­ they''ve turned into murderous heaps of flesh."


    "Murderous heaps of fl- woah!"


    I leaped backwards off the bed as the wooden door was suddenly torn open by a muscle-color red tentacle curved in the shape of a scythe, sting it straight open.


    Mei Gui immediately summoned her spear and I tried to do the same, but my eyes widened in surprise as nothing happened.


    <em>What?! I don''t have mana¡­?!</em>

 Chapter 399 - The White Flames Of Death

    <em>My mana¡­ it''s not working?!</em>


    Mei Gui, sensing my panic, hurriedly sent out a crescent-shaped barrage of Chaos energy with her spear to knock the monsters back out a bit, then sent me a telepathic message.


    [Master ¡ª listen closely, I am going to teach you a new ability ¡ª the power to absorb mana from the environment.]


    [I''m listening.] I replied, clenching my fists.


    [This ce has an overwhelming amount of Necromancy mana. Take advantage of that and use the power of Chaos to absorb it all. Close your eyes, focus, and feel the invisible strands of energy around you, Master.]


    [¡­]


    I closed my eyes despite the situation and did my best to remain calm, desperately searching for the strands of mana in the air.


    <em>C''mon¡­ where are they¡­</em>


    [Master, calm your mind. Take as long as you need to¡­ I will cover you.]


    Hearing this, I was able to rx a bit as Mei Gui continued tounch attacks at the creatures outside the door, preventing them from getting inside. However, her mana was also limited¡­


    On the other hand, Lin Luo, Feng Mian, and Obsidia were still sleeping like logs, afflicted by the fog.


    <em>¡­ There!</em>


    Suddenly, I found a strand of grey energy to my right. It was as thin as hair, but I found it within the darkness of my closed eyes.


    Immediately, I turned and directed my hand at the strand of power, sucking it into my body. It felt no different from absorbing someone else''s spell, but there was definitely less mana concentrated. Of course, that was only natural.


    After sucking in the first strand, however, countless more appeared behind it, as if being pulled along.


    <em>This¡­!</em>


    The energy was all absorbed into my body, empowering me immediately. A necromantic aura ¡ª the aura of death ¡ª appeared around my figure, glowing white.


    "¡­ Mei Gui, move aside."


    Mei Gui, seeing that I had seeded, leaped back and let me face the abominations that had gathered by the door, wing their way inside.


    "Trying to murder me in my sleep¡­ good try."


    I raised my hand calmly and chanted a spell''s name within my mind.


    <em>Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª Thermite Lane.</em>


    I smashed the ground, setting the entire distance between the door and I aze with white, purgatory mes. The heaps of killer flesh outside were scorched immediately, shrieking in pain.


    "White¡­ mes¡­" Mei Gui muttered, eyes widening in surprise. "Master, you learned how to use different elemental mana already?"


    I could keep this wall of fire going on forever, given how much mana I just absorbed. I just sat back, rxed, and watched the monsters burn.


    "Elemental mana¡­ is that what this is?"


    "Yes¡­ this is the core concept of dual-element spells."


    At this, I blinked. "Dual-element?"


    "Yes, Master. I was nning on waiting until you achieved the Golden Monarch stage to tell you about this, but¡­"


    "I see¡­ you can tell me moreter. For now, wake those two up. I''m going to check on the other teams."


    Mei Gui nodded. "Understood, Master. I will rendezvous with you as soon as I can."


    *****


    Using my death-empowered white mes to burn through everything in my path, I noticed there were three rooms before mine that had already been broken through. Within them were several molds of flesh, greedily feeding on the mutted bodies of what was once a young and aspiring mage.


    The humps of flesh noticed me and turned their two detached eyeballs to me together, before lunging at me.


    "GRAH¡­!"


    "¡­ Hmph."


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Abomination re.</em>


    sting all of the creatures away with my white, explosive bomb, they were incinerated to a crisp and began decaying on the ground.


    I stepped past what remained of their disgusting, split apart bodies to look at the human corpsesying on the beds, but didn''t recognize any of them.


    Or, if I once did, I couldn''t now given the mutted state they were in.


    After stepping on one of the eyeballs of the heaps of flesh and crushing it beneath my feet, I headed out and went to inspect the other rooms.


    Once again, I found the same scene. What remained of the mages'' corpses was far too mangled to identify them, but¡­ the next and final room that had been attacked already, I did recognize.


    There was only one human corpse inside,ying on the bloodstained bed. Its face had beenpletely eaten out, but judging from the long grey hair and tall figure along with its attire, it was safe to assume this was the elder.


    <em>¡­ Poor old man.</em>


    I closed my eyes and left behind a little prayer for him, but little did I know, while I was doing this, the remaining body parts of the flesh monsters I killed ¡ª or thought I killed ¡ª earlier began converging into one big heap, crawling across the bloodstained ground like ants.


    "RAHHHH¡­!"


    Suddenly, a growl came from behind me at the doorway ¡ª the new monster had finished its own creation. My eyes snapped open and I immediately sent a fireball towards it, but it used its tentacles to block the attack. Naturally, my fire ate away at the tendrils, but the massive creature grew new ones back near immediately and slid into the room, morphing shape like a pile of slime.


    "Tch¡­!"


    I turned around and spotted a window, then back at the creature again. This one seemed to be far stronger than the other ones I''ve taken out. In a desperate attack, I formed my Chaos katanas and crossed them before unleashing an X-shaped sword energy attack towards the creature using my mana, but the monster split itself before my attack could hit and promptly regrouped back together.


    <em>Damn¡­</em>


    Fighting in an enclosed space like this worked against me and to the monster''s advantage, so I needed to get out of here if I wanted to eliminate this thing. The problem was, if I jumped out that window here, who knew how many more of those monsters would be waiting outside¡­


    "Ah¡­ fuck it!"


    With no other option, I shoulder charged out through the window, knocking the vase down and leaping into the air.


    <em>Level One Sky Magic ¡ª Flight.</em>


    I immediately soared into the air right before one of flesh monsters could grab me. It had been waiting right outside the window, having merged with its peers to form a long and tall dder'' of flesh creatures.


    "Shit¡­ luckily I expected that¡­"


    Fortunately, at least all the monsters were focused on me alone now. That meant the others were safe. And now that I was out here¡­


    Just as expected, the creature that had been inside the inn followed me out the window and merged with thedder organism, forming one massive monster of flesh.


    "Alright¡­ now, I can finally use my full power," I said, grinning like a maniac as I held a white me in my hands.


    Mei Gui and the others, who had just arrived at the window, realized my intentions and put up a Water Barrier to protect the inn itself.


    Looking at the grotesque lifeform in front of me, made of red, bloodstained flesh, and organs, I couldn''t help but want to vomit. Eyes, mouths, noses, and ears protruded from the being''s skin, extruding utter horror from every pore of the organism.


    "It''s time¡­ for you to burn."


    Lifting my hand into the air, I decided to chant loudly for maximum power. Now that Mei Gui was there with a barrier, I could safely use everything I had.


    "Legendary Fire Magic ¡ª Sr Nova."


    As the creature attempted to be as tall as possible and reach me in the air, I formed an incredibly enormous burning white sphere of raw fire andunched it downwards towards the monster.


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion ensued, setting the entire organism aze.


    "GRAHHHHHH!"


    It roared in pain and fell over, smashing into another building and sending it tumbling into pieces. However, the burn remained on its body, slowly turning it into ashes. But I wasn''t done just yet.


    <em>Legendary Fire Magic ¡ª Pirs of me.</em>


    This was a spell I learned from the university''s library ¡ª and now, it was time to test it out in realbat.


    Spreading my arms, I conjured eight pirs of blinding white fire, surrounding the creature and caging it inside to prevent it from doing any more damage. And then, beneath the monster, arge white circle appeared.


    The creature squirmed and writhed from my previous attack''s burn, having zero idea of what was below it. And by the time it felt the heating from beneath its grotesque body, it was toote.


    "BRAWWWR!"


    The ground split open, revealing a ray of light.


    And then, chaos.


    The earth shook as a blinding surge of fire shot out of from the ground, piercing the monster''s body in an instant, directly through the middle. Like a geyser, it pushed the monster into the air and kept it there, piercing through the heavens and acting like a beacon of light.


    The white fire from this central pir of fire connected with the mes from my Sr Nova and encased the monster''s entire body, burning it from both the outside and inside.


    As I snapped my fingers, with one final, dying scream, the creature burst into ashes, purged by the white mes of death.

 Chapter 400 - Secret Eavesdropper

    "Hah¡­ hah¡­" I panted heavily as I dropped to the ground, having expended nearly all of the mana I just absorbed from the environment. The death energy in them made me fire even more powerful than usual, which was quite frankly what allowed me to take down this monster of an organism.


    Now, however, the only sign of it ever existing was the enormous pile of ck ash thaty on the floor.


    Mei Gui and the other three hurriedly ran out of the window and arrived by my side.


    "Xuan Kai, are you okay?" Feng Mian asked in concern, patting my back.


    "Yeah¡­ but my mana''s pretty much depleted again¡­"


    "Well¡­ my mana is still recharging," Feng Mian said. "Once it has a decent amount, I''ll give some to you."


    "There''s no need," Mei Gui cut in. "Master¡­ just now, you absorbed all the Necromancy energy in this vige and used it all up, turning your fire exceptionally powerful evenpared to the normal Chaos-enhanced spells. However, there is more mana to be found elsewhere ¡ª just not in this vige."


    "Absorbing mana from the environment¡­" Feng Mian murmured. "In other words, once you master this skill, you won''t need to rely on us for mana anymore?"


    I nodded. "That would be the case, yes."


    "Master, we should head out and collect mana before the others awaken," Mei Gui prompted. "My mana ispletely out as well ¡ª creating that barrier and holding it just now took everything I had left."


    "Geez¡­ they''re still not awake, even after all that¡­?" Lin Luo muttered. "So much for being the best of the best."


    "If it wasn''t for Mei Gui, you would still be sleeping like a log," Obsidia snorted.


    "As if you''re any better¡­" Lin Luo shot back, folding her arms.


    "Stop bickering," I cut in coldly. "You guys should go back to the inn and recover. Mei Gui and I will be back soon."


    The three girls didn''t argue and did as told, since they all really needed to regain their energy. It was hard arguing in their current state.


    Mei Gui and I turned around and left through the other entrance of the vige, heading into a deep forest.


    And unbeknownst to either of us, one lone girl had seen the entire battle unfold from beneath the shadow of a building. Naturally, she had also overheard our conversation.


    "Chaos¡­? Absorbing mana from the environment¡­?"


    With determination in her eyes, she decided to follow Mei Gui and I and get to the end of this.


    *****


    - Within the Forest, After a While of Walking -


    "Master¡­ can you sense it?"


    "What, the mana in the air?" I asked, scratching my head. "Hm¡­ not unless I really concentrate. But I should be able to just identify when some ce is rich in mana and also know what element that mana is, correct?"


    Mei Gui nodded. "Worry not, Master. You just learned this skill, so it will take time to practice and perfect. For now¡­ this forest is indeed rich in Earth Mana, so we can take advantage of that."


    "I see."


    After looking around for a good spot, I sat down underneath the green canopy of a tree, illuminated by the moonlight. Mei Gui did the same beside me, close enough for our shoulders to touch.


    "Be careful to not absorb too much, Master," she said, closing her eyes.


    "Hm? Why?"


    "Mana is not only an energy source for mages, but also the power behind all life. The Earth Mana in this forest keeps it alive and sustainable. If we were to deplete it of its mana, it will be barren and die. Of course, if Master wants, we can still use up this entire forest. It is up to you, Master."


    "Nah. We should keep this forest ¡ª the wildlife and such in here is essential for food if we want to keep going with this mission. And, if we ever run out of mana again, we cane back to regain some that its reproduced."


    Mei Gui nodded. "A wise decision, Master."


    With a smile, I closed my eyes and concentrated.


    <em>Strands of energy¡­ c''mon, where are you?</em>


    [Master, expand your senses. Don''t focus on just around you; detect the entire forest.]


    I did as told, easening up a bit and trying to sense the whole forest. It was as if I had zoomed out on a minimap in a game, allowing me to see further even though my eyes were actually closed.


    <em>Aha¡­ there!</em>


    I could sense waves of green and yellow strands of energy all around us. I was just too focused on my nearby surroundings that I missed the bigger picture.


    I held up my hands and began absorbing the strands of energy into my body. Mei Gui did the same, and I could see the strands diminishing further and further.


    After several seconds, I stopped and opened my eyes, letting out a deep breath.


    "Okay¡­ that should be enough."


    Mei Gui inhaled deeply and opened her eyes as well, exhaling the air she just took in.


    "Master, how do you feel?"


    "Hm¡­ empowered, if that''s the right word," I replied, frowning in thought. "It definitely feels different from absorbing other people''s mana ¡ª this energy feels more pure and thus powerful."


    "Yes ¡ª that is the beauty of natural manapared to human mana." Mei Gui stood up from the ground and brushed the dust off her clothes, then looked at me. "Let''s head back, Master."


    I took her hand and let her pull me up, then began walking in the direction of the vige. But suddenly, Mei Gui stopped, whipping her head around to our left.


    "Who''s there?!"


    Both her and I immediately drew our Chaos weapons, ready for a fight. But no one came out from the shadows of the trees Mei Gui was staring at.


    [Mei Gui¡­ what''s happening?] I asked in my mind.


    [I just activated my Third Eye, now that I have mana again, Master.] She replied cautiously. [And right now, it''s telling me there is someone hiding within those trees. However, they do not appear to be hostile or friendly. Just neutral.]


    [I see¡­]


    Narrowing my eyes, I took the initiative to investigate. I cautiously stepped into the shadows of the trees, but-


    [Master, they''re running!] Mei Gui called out in my head.


    "Tch¡­!"


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Third Eye.</em>


    Activating my own radar, I immediately picked up on the presence of the target Mei Gui was talking about and began following it. Mei Gui trailed after me, pursuing the unknown individual in the forest.


    I''ve never been much of a negotiator, so rather than try and yell at the person to stop running, I did something more proactive and likely to seed.


    <em>Potentia Excitant: Celeritas.</em>


    "Wha-!" I heard a girl''s voice yelp, not expecting my sudden speed-up, and I zoomed in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.


    Unfortunately, the root of a tree just happened to be jutting out of the ground there, and I ended up tripping over it. The girl, unable to stop herself in time, crashed into me and also fell over.


    "Mmn¡­" She moaned in pain, shaking her head as she got up.


    My eyes widened when I saw who she was.


    "¡­ Long Yi?"


    Noticing that I had realized who she was, she blushed and hurriedly got off me, pointing at me in rage.


    "Y-Y-Y-You! Trying to take advantage of my body, huh?!"


    "What?!" I cried, getting to my feet as well. "You''re the one who crashed into me!"


    "Master, you are missing the point," Mei Gui said helpfully, suddenly setting her spear by Long Yi''s neck.


    "¡­!" She seized up a bit, gulping in fear.


    "Right¡­" I furrowed my brows and dematerialized my two Chaos katanas. "I have a few questions for you."


    "¡­ And you think I will answer them?" She challenged, smiling defiantly.


    "I''m afraid you don''t have a choice," Mei Gui cut in, edging her spear closer. "You may think this is a bluff and we won''t really kill you, but¡­ Master and I have taken countless lives before. You are but one of many."


    Long Yi, staring into Mei Gui''s cold eyes that surpassed even her own, knew she wasn''t merely bluffing. Still, however, she didn''t give in and agree to answer my questions.


    So, I took the initiative and began asking anyway.


    "First off¡­ how did you survive the fog, back at the vige? My team did our best to resist it, but in the end, only Mei Gui was able to."


    "¡­ I have a special physique called the Sleepless Body. In other words, I never sleep."


    "Hm, interesting," I said, brushing off her response and getting to the main point. "Next¡­ how much do you know? About me."


    "¡­ I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "Is that so? Well, let me put it in a simpler way, then¡­"


    I walked up closer to her and stared into her eyes, searching for her truth.


    "¡­ You heard about the power of Chaos, didn''t you?"

 Chapter 401 - Without A Leader

    "¡­ C-Chaos? What are you talking about?" Long Yi asked, still trying to y dumb.


    I sighed and folded my arms. "I hope you realize¡­ ying dumb isn''t going to work. There is no other reason you would''ve followed Mei Gui and I out here. You wanted to find out more about my power, didn''t you?"


    "¡­" Long Yi gritted her teeth and red at me. "So what if I did?"


    "Then¡­ I''m going to leave you with two choices," I said calmly, holding up two fingers. "One, I kill you right here and now, since I don''t want to risk you telling anyone of my power, and two¡­"


    I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You be bound to me."


    "¡­!" Her face reddened as I backed away, and she looked at me in fury. "Y-You¡­ what do you mean, bound?!"


    "It''s simple, really. I ce a spell on you ¡ª if I get hurt, you do too, but on a far greater scale. In other words, if I take a pretty heavy injury, you''ll end up dying."


    "Hah¡­ I''ve never heard of such a spell before. You''re bluffing."


    "Just because you haven''t heard of something means it doesn''t exist?" I scoffed. "You haven''t heard of Chaos either until today, no?"


    At this, she fell silent once again, contemting.


    "¡­ You wouldn''t dare to actually kill me," she said after a while, ring at me. "If I die, Long Lu, as my brother, will hunt down the killer."


    "Don''t forget, the big pile of ash is still back at the vige, along with the mutted bodies. I can simply say you were killed by that flesh monster ¡ª which I''m sure you saw as well."


    "¡­"


    "I''ll give you three seconds to think," I said, drawing my Chaos katana and holding it up in front of her chest.


    "1¡­"


    Long Yi clenched her fists tightly, still trying to think of a method to worm her way out of this situation.


    "2¡­"


    "O-Okay, fine!" She blurted out, to which I smiled.


    "A wise choice. Now then¡­"


    I strode closer and ced my hand on her forehead, closing my eyes. But to my surprise-


    "Come, Battle Soul!"


    An energy field suddenly exploded around Long Yi, blowing both Mei Gui and I backwards.


    "Ngh-!" I crashed into a tree, falling to the ground. Mei Gui managed to stabilize herself by dragging her spear across the dirt to slow herself down.


    "A Golden Monarch¡­? Well, this is surprising¡­" I muttered.


    "Hmph¡­ you''ve underestimated me, junior."


    Long Yi, with a dark purple aura around her, lightning crashing down on both sides, red at me with hatred. Her Battle Soul was a lightning beast of sorts that took on the form of a lion, whose roar shook the entire forest. Leaves fell to the ground in its presence, and trees trembled in fear.


    "Too bad¡­" I muttered.


    "¡­ It''s good that you know when you''ve lost, at least," she chuckled, folding her arms. "Now¡­ in return for threatening me-"


    "No no, you misunderstand," I said, crawling to my feet. "I wasn''t saying too bad for me. I was saying it¡­ for you."


    With a triumphant smirk on my face, I snapped my fingers.


    "Wha-!"


    In an instant, Long Yi''s body froze. Several metal chains radiating ck and red energy suddenly shot out of the ground and locked the lightning beast in ce, causing it to roar in fury.


    "Y-You¡­ what is this¡­?!"


    Long Yi was forced to kneel as her Battle Soul was brought to the ground. Her body refusing to move. After all, her soul was being held captive ¡ª her body naturally was as well.


    I grinned and bent down in front of her. "You almost had me¡­ but unfortunately for you, I can cast spells instantly. By the time you blew me away using your Battle Soul''s aura, I had already ced my curse on you."


    "Ngh¡­ but how¡­ my Battle Soul¡­"


    "The spell''s name is Soul Shackle. In other words¡­"


    I raised my hand and absorbed the lightning beast whole, sucking it into my body along with the chains.


    "¡­ Your soul is bound with mine now."


    Long Yi fell to the ground, breathing heavily.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­"


    "C''mon, Mei Gui," I said, straightening up. "Let''s head back."


    "Yes, Master."


    "Oh, and¡­ if you ever expose me, just remember¡­ I can kill you at any time I want without a trace."


    Leaving these threatening words behind, Mei Gui and I prepared to leave, but-


    "Wait!"


    I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned my head. "¡­ What?"


    "¡­ I''ming with you."


    "Back to the vige?"


    "No, I mean¡­ until I can get this curse removed."


    "¡­"


    After a while, Iughed in response. "You''re kidding, right? I''m never going to remove that curse."


    "Which is why¡­ I have to protect you, even though I feel like vomiting from the idea alone. I don''t feel safe if I''m not there by your side¡­ I won''t let you get injured one bit."


    "¡­ Is this a love confession or something?" I scoffed. "Look, you''re noting with me. I have enough people surrounding me, and-"


    "Too bad. You put this ridiculous curse on me. It''s only natural I have toe along to make sure you don''t get hurt."


    I turned around and walked closer to her, which surprised her quite a bit.


    "What if I told you¡­" I suddenly wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her close, causing her cheeks to redden in response.


    "¡­ The cost for following me is your body?"


    "You pervert¡­" She muttered, but didn''t push away. "F-Fine. If that''s what it takes¡­ I''ll do it."


    I blinked several times as we stared into each other''s eyes.


    "W-What?" She snapped, biting her lip nervously.


    "Uh¡­ I just wasn''t expecting that answer," I said, still not letting go of her.


    "Well¡­ my will to live is quite strong. And¡­ um, you aren''t particrly bad looking, either."


    "I see. But¡­"


    I suddenly moved my hand from her waist and smacked her on the back of her neck instead, hoping to get her to faint.


    "¡­ Sorry, I still can''t let you-"


    "Good try," she cut in, which caught me off guard.


    "Wha¡­ you aren''t fainted¡­?"


    "Master, she has the Sleepless Body¡­" Mei Gui exined helpfully.


    "O-Oh, right¡­ hm."


    "We can tie her up somewhere," Mei Gui suggested.


    "Nah, that''s too dangerous for her¡­"


    "You''re actually worrying about me?" Long Yi asked, taken aback.


    "Well, I don''t want to treat you too harshly since you are under mymand now anyway. You are still Long Lu''s sister, and I would like to keep a good rtionship with him if possible."


    "¡­ So you proceed to sexually harass his sister and force yourself on her?" She challenged.


    "Oh, that was a joke," I chuckled. "I have enough women around me."


    "Hmph¡­ you''re saying I am not as good as them?"


    "Ha! Nowhere even close."


    "Grr¡­"


    "Why do you care so much about my opinion anyway?" I asked, walking away. "You''re well respected by pretty much everyone. Isn''t that enough?"


    "¡­ It''s all fake. Artificial."


    She said this under her breath, quietly, but I heard it. Still, I had no intention of responding.


    The three of us headed back for the vige after that. I had gained a new ally, for better or worse.


    *****


    A few hours of restter, everyone who wasn''t murdered finally woke up.


    "AHHHH! WHAT IS THAT?!"


    Several high-pitched screams came from within the inn, which I wasn''t too surprised about.


    "Yep¡­ as expected," I muttered with a sigh. Mei Gui, Long Yi, Obsidia, Lin Luo, and I were currently out right in front of the inn, waiting for everyone to gather so we could tell them what happened.


    Soon, all the young mages had gathered before us, confused and shocked.


    "Xuan Kai¡­ what''s going on here?" Ming Hao asked cautiously.


    "While you all were asleep, a gigantic monster of flesh murdered some of us," I replied calmly. "Would you believe that?"


    "I can confirm his words," Long Yi added helpfully.


    "I see¡­ if my sister is speaking up for him, then¡­" Long Lu shook his head. "I''m sorry, Brother Xuan. I was suspecting you to have been the one who murdered them, but I should have known better."


    "Yeah¡­ I won''t lie, I thought you were suspicious too," Ming Hao agreed. "I mean, you were already out here when everyone had just woken up."


    "It was a spell ced on all of us by the fog surrounding this vige when we arrivedst night," I exined. "Not that I expect any of you to have noticed."


    "So¡­ we were all deceived¡­ even the elder?" One guy muttered.


    "Then how did you manage to survive?" Another asked curiously.


    "It''s simple," I replied. "Long Yi here has the Sleepless Body which renders her invincible to any type of sleep-inducing spell. When she noticed something off, my team just happened to be the closest ones to her, so she told us what she knew and well ¡ª here we are."


    "You defeated the flesh monster on your own?" Ming Hao asked, raising an eyebrow. "Heheh, that''s my good friend Xuan Kai."


    "Actually, it was all Long Yi," I said briskly.


    She turned to me like, ''this wasn''t part of the script!'' but I ignored her and continued.


    "You see, she''s actually a Golden Monarch. But even so, she needed some help distracting the monster while she prepared her attack, so¡­"


    "Wha¡­ elder sister, you never told me¡­" Long Lu muttered, blinking in surprise.


    <em>That''s because it was supposed to be a secret!</em>


    That must be what Long Yi was thinking in her head right now. She red at me furiously, clenching her fists.


    But s, there was little she could do against me now that our souls were bound together.


    yfully, a smile tugged on the corners of my lips.

 Chapter 402 - The Grey Scourge

    "So¡­ what''s the n from here on out?" Ming Hao asked everyone. "We lost our leader already¡­ do we still keep going?"


    "That wouldn''t be very wise, would it?" Si Ye said, folding her arms. "It is clear the Grey Scourge has already reached here. If we were so easily tricked and trapped by just the beginning of it, if we were to go deeper¡­"


    "But if we fled now, our families'' honor would be tainted," Long Lu argued.


    "We are all young mages," someone else added ¡ª a boy with a pretty cool looking purple armor set. "If even the Ming Family''s elder was killed, they won''t me us for running away from an unwinnable fight."


    "That sounds good and all, but¡­" I stood up from the ground. "Do we even have an escape route?"


    At this, everyone fell silent, so I continued.


    "The spell that the elder used to bring us all here was a Level Three one, but it had been upgraded twice using Upgrade Runes ¡ª meaning its power was on par with a Mythic-Tier spell. None of us here are able to do that."


    "We could make many small portals, I suppose¡­?" A girl suggested timidly.


    "No, that won''t work," Obsidia cut in. "Warp gates are based on the theory of ley lines ¡ª hidden connections beneath the''s surface that link the world together. However, if we use portals in one ce too many times, it will cause the ley lines there to be unstable, thus rendering it unusable for a long time."


    "In conclusion," I continued, taking it from there. "If we all want to go home, that''s a no go."


    "What about a Conjoined Release¡­?" Si Ye said. "That could work, no?"


    "Theory-wise, yes," Mei Gui said thoughtfully. "However¡­"


    "How many of us here actually have a Space Element affinity?" I asked everyone. "Raise up your hand if you do."


    As expected, only a couple hands went up ¡ª 3 or 4 at most.


    "Yeah¡­ that''s definitely not enough for a Conjoined Release," Ming Haoughed, slightly self-depreciatingly. "So we''re essentially stuck here, huh? There''s no signal out here in the wild, and no sylphjays either."


    "If we try to run, the Grey Scourge will most likely outrun us," Feng Mian added. "In other words, we''re really left with only one chance ¡ª to fight it."


    "¡­" The crowd fell silent, knowing what this meant. However, no oneined and threw a tantrum, which saved me quite the headache. It seemed these ''young masters'' were different from the ones in Shenzhen. These ones were far more mature.


    "Well, in that case, there''s no time to waste," Ming Hao dered, standing up straight. "We should start by investigating the next vige¡­ ah, what''s it called again?"


    "Taelis," Long Yi said. "It is not far from here."


    Since she hadn''t been affected by the fog, she was able to remember the name clearly.


    "Alright, anyone with Sky Magic, go ahead and see if you can spot it from up there," Ming Hao continued.


    "Obsidia, Lin Luo, go," I instructed quietly. The two didn''t like obeying my orders like this, but did so anyway.


    *****


    Shortly after, our scouts returned. Everyone gathered in the middle of the vige again to discuss their findings.


    "So? What did you find?" Long Lu asked.


    Ming Hao, who had been leading the scout party in the sky, scratched his head a bit.


    "Hm¡­ well, it''splicated."


    "Complicated?"


    "Yeah. There''s a nice forest right outside this vige, but as we went further, the forest became deste and barren. We saw another mountain beyond this one, and that should be where Taelis Vige is, but I have no idea how we''re going to get across the canyon in between."


    "The viges must be able to ess one another somehow," Feng Mian analyzed. "Are you sure there was nothing to connect them?"


    "Maybe there was, but we couldn''t see it even if there was," Ming Hao replied. "There was this thick nket of fog preventing us from getting an exact view on what was below. We tried descending below the fog, but that ended up taking us right at tree-height, which rendered a bird''s eye view useless."


    <em>Hm¡­ but when Mei Gui and I were in the forest, we didn''t see any fog above us¡­ is this entire area an illusion, perhaps?</em>


    [Not quite,] Mei Gui interrupted in my mind.


    [Woah¡­ scared me there.]


    [My apologies, Master, but my assumption is that this ce is a fake ''oasis'' of sorts.]


    [An oasis¡­?]


    [Yes. Imagine this mountain as a desert ¡ª the dead trees, destend, and such. This vige and the forest surrounding it would be akin to an oasis ¡ª except that it is fake.]


    [But if it''s fake, how did we absorb mana from the forest¡­?]


    [Like I said, it is notpletely an illusion either. Think of it as if all the lifeforce this ''Grey Scourge'' took away has been put into this oasis, providing it life within this wastnd.]


    [I see¡­ so this ''Grey Scourge'' has powers over life and death?]


    [It would seem so.]


    "Well¡­ if we can''t see it from the sky, looks like we''ll have to go investigate ourselves," Long Lu said, standing up. "Let''s go."


    In everyone''s mind, thepetition of who could ''contribute'' the most was long gone. They weren''t separate teams anymore. They were onerge group with onemon goal:


    Survival.


    *****


    It didn''t take long for us to reach the border of the ''living'' forest. Beyond it was a destend of waste and ash. Burnt treesy charred, blown away by the harsh wind, and the temperature evidently dropped by about 10 degrees.


    The harsh wind blew against our faces, cold and stingy. Everywhere we looked, we could only find greyness, made hazy by the thick fog. Whatever the hell this thing was¡­ it was truly worthy of the name ''Grey Scourge''.


    It was like two separate worlds, the vige and this. It was hard to believe such two different biomes could exist side by side; one of life and one of death.


    "Well¡­ I don''t know about you, but that doesn''t exactly look weing," Ming Hao said with an awkwardugh.


    "It doesn''t, but¡­ we have to go through this if we want to survive," Si Ye muttered.


    "So it''s either death now or wait for death, huh?" The boy with purple armor from earlier chuckled. "I''m in."


    "Calm down," Long Lu said. "Just stick together and watch all directions. But first¡­ sister-"


    "I know."


    Long Yi raised her hand and tenderly edged closer to the border of the living forest, then reached out just enough so that her hand was in the grey world outside.


    After closing her eyes for several seconds, she rxed her hand and opened them again.


    "No poison."


    <em>Ah, so that''s what she was doing¡­ she has a Poison Element affinity too, huh?</em>


    Long Lu nodded and stepped out first with his team. Ming Hao was second, Si Ye third, and the other teams steadily followed. As for my team, we tookst as usual.


    Stepping outside the forest, we were all immediately washed over by a horrible sense of dread. A deep, utterly terrifying coldness, seeping through our skins. It was as if many bony hands had wormed their ways into our bodies and were now gripping our skeletons ¡ª that kind of bone-chilling feeling.


    "Based on what you saw in the sky¡­ how long do we have to walk until we reach the next mountain?" Long Lu asked.


    "WHAT?" Ming Hao asked back in a loud tone. Because the wind was so strong, whizzing past our ears, we could barely hear one another even though we were practically right next to each other.


    "HE SAID, HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO WALK?" The purple-armored boy exined helpfully.


    "OH, UH¡­ LIKE, A COUPLE OF KILOMETERS?"


    "A couple of kilometers in this environment¡­" Long Lu muttered.


    <em>Are you guys doing okay?</em> I asked the girls using telepathy. It has been scientically proven that women are more sensitive to the cold than men, hence why I was asking this.


    <em>Yeah¡­ feels a bit cold and creepy, but that''s about it¡­</em> Feng Mian replied.


    <em>I''m okay, Master.</em>


    The other two didn''t respond, but they probably would''ve said something along the same lines.


    "¡­"


    After some thought, I wrapped my arm around Feng Mian and Mei Gui, who flinched and stared up at me in surprise. I hurriedly exined.


    <em>If we do this, it''ll feel better for all of us. Might as well.</em>


    Feng Mian blushed and epted my embrace, hugging me back. Mei Gui did the same, clutching onto me tightly.


    On the other hand¡­ Obsidia and Lin Luo just looked at me with an inexinable emotion, so I decided to tease them a bit.


    <em>What? Jealous?</em>


    Rather than immediately deny it like I expected them to, however, they merely snorted and looked away, not even bothering to give me a response.


    <em>Well, that''s cold. But not as cold as this harsh environment¡­</em>


    After some debate, I took off my cloak and tossed it over to Lin Luo, who caught it by surprise and looked at me in confusion.


    <em>Dragons don''t need to worry about being cold since they are literal living furnaces, but you''re different. Wrap my cloak around you if you don''t want to freeze.</em>


    <em>¡­ Why would I want to wrap your clothes around me? Disgusting,</em> Lin Luo shot back, eyeing me in disdain.


    <em>Take it or leave it. It''s your health, not mine.</em>


    "¡­" Lin Luo nced at the cloak in her hands, then blushed and turned away from me before reluctantly slipping it on.


    I smirked. <em>Couldn''t resist in the end, huh?</em>


    <em>S-Shut up.</em>

 Chapter 403 - Dangers Of The Wild

    "Man¡­ it hasn''t even been 5 minutes, yet I''m already starting to feel worn out¡­" Ming Haoined as we dragged our bodies forward in this endless sea of grey and death.


    One of us had erected a protective sound barrier around us so that we could hear each other properly without having to scream, which was certainly useful.


    "Stopining," Si Ye muttered, smacking Ming Hao on the back of his neck.


    "O-Ow!"


    "Hmph."


    "You two¡­ settle do-" Long Lu began, but suddenly stopped as he saw what wasing up ahead.


    "Everyone, DODGE!"


    "Wha-!"


    Immediately, The girls and I leaped to the right, just as arge grey tumbleweed tore through our group at an insane speed.


    Others, however, were not so lucky.


    Five people ¡ª an entire team ¡ª ended up being crushed by it, too fast to even react. Their corpses immediately decayed into nothing but bones, then swallowed by the ash-greynd.


    "What the hell¡­" Ming Hao muttered in shock, frozen still.


    "Tch, it''s not done yet!" Long Lu roared as he used his Earth Magic and mmed the floor. "Level Three Earth Magic ¡ª Mountain of Prometheus!"


    Faced with several more angry tumbleweeds charging at us at full force, Long Lu created arge mountain of rock before us to block them off. But-


    "Brother Long, they''re going around!" One guy in his team yelled. "Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Celestial Fire!"


    Thin bolts of mes shot out of his hand and struck the tumbleweed, lighting it ame. Within seconds, it had burnt to a crisp ¡ª being made out of wood and all. However, there were more to deal with, and killing them like this wasn''t the way to go.


    I stepped in and mimicked Long Lu''s actions.


    <em>Level Three Earth Magic ¡ª Mountain of Prometheus.</em>


    Creating a massive mountain even bigger than his on the left side, the tumbleweeds were forced to go in a different direction. However, I continued and formed mountains all around us so that we were trapped inside a square of sorts. That said, although we were trapped, it also meant the tumbleweed couldn''t get in.


    "So quick¡­" Long Lu muttered, looking at me in surprise. "Brother Xuan, how did you¡­"


    I shot him a look that implied ''don''t ask further'', and he did as told obediently.


    Now that we were protected on all four sides, we could afford to rx a bit.


    "What were those things¡­?" Ming Hao muttered in disgust. "The Xing Family''s¡­ they were wiped out in an instant¡­"


    "They looked like tumbleweeds, but we''re in a forest biome¡­" Si Ye murmured. "Well, what''s left of one, anyway."


    "The moment these mountains fall, those things will be all over us. We can''t keep going like this," Long Lu said. "Therefore, I propose we take the high road."


    "The high road¡­ but not all of us can fly here," Long Yi said.


    "That''s fine," I interjected. "We can use Ice and Earth Magic to build our way across while letting those with Sky Magic carry one person each."


    And so, that was exactly what we did. Feng Mian, Mei Gui, Obsidia, and I all worked on building a path across along with a few others, while Ming Hao and the air scouts from earlier each carried one other person.


    We could spot the tumbleweed below us, still ramming up against the mountains we had made, having no idea we were passing through high up above them.


    The ''building'' team took turns creating a bridge of ice and earth, slowly making our way through this greynd of death. Although the ''sky'' team could technically go a lot faster than us, they still stuck close to us out of fear of what mighty ahead. We wanted to stick together; there was no telling what other surprises might being for us.


    Hell, there might even be man-eating bird-


    "CA-CAWWWW!"


    "Woah- look out!"


    Just as I was thinking this, an enormous shadow swooped down at us, donned with two evil red eyes and an all-ck body that blended in with the dark environment. Everyone ducked just barely in time as the creature flew by, deadly sharp ws grasping nothing but thin air.


    "CAWWWW!"


    It screamed in rage at its own failure, before immediately turning around and diving in for another attack. However, this time, we were ready.


    "Level Three Ice Magic ¡ª Frostbourne Needle!"


    Feng Mianunched a barrage of ice needles towards the bird, piercing through it instantly.


    "SKREEEE!"


    The creature shrieked in pain as green blood spilt out of its body where the needles struck them.


    Feng Mian then balled her hand into a fist, causing the frozen needles to shatter within the monster''s body in a beautiful crystal explosion. With one final cry of pain, the red light in the creature''s eyes died out, and the rest of the body fell to the ground dead, serving as nothing more than a stepping stone for the tumbleweeds down below.


    Unfortunately, there was no time to rest as more creatures of the same type appeared out of nowhere, some going for us and some going for the sky group.


    "Tch-!" Ming Hao swerved up, just barely avoiding the ws of one of the birds. Si Ye, who he was carrying, hurriedlyunched a Water-Element attack that exploded on the creature and knocked it away, but wasn''t enough to kill it directly.


    Mei Gui and I leaped into battle as well, each taking down two of the creatures instantly without our Chaos weapons. Conserving mana was important, so I refrained from using actual magic. I cut directly through the neck of another bird who tried charging straight at me ¡ª not the best idea. But suddenly-


    "CAWW!"


    I heard an ear-splitting crying from behind me, and it was toote to turn. My eyes widened a bit and hurriedly tried to cower behind my des.


    BOOM!


    "Huh¡­?"


    Hesitantly, I opened my eyes again and saw the creature that had been nning on biting my head off dead on the bridge we had built. On the other end of the body was Long Yi, with her hand still outreached and a fiery purple energy rising out of it ¡ª Void Magic.


    "Thanks," I said awkwardly, scratching my head. "Uh¡­ I owe you one."


    "Hmph," she snorted and turned away, clearly unamused. My shameful disy just now served to prove her point on why she had to follow me, so now it was difficult for me to reject her.


    A blunder on my part, but she was quite strong anyway, so I''ll dly take the trade-off.


    The battle against the flock of monstrous man-eating birds concluded soon after that. Corpsesy littered on the bridge and down below on the ground ¡ª all bird ones, thankfully. But that didn''t mean none of us died ¡ª the ones who did just ended up in the birds'' stomachs, and in pieces.


    Overall, we lost ten people. Two whole teams'' worth of people, gone. Minus the five we lostst night and the five earlier from the tumbleweeds, we were now down to only half of what we left Fragment with.


    By now, some people were starting to panic and fall into states of trauma ¡ª not that I could me them. After witnessing the dangers out here and their allies fall one by one, dying horrible deaths, it is only natural that they would be scared.


    Still, it was in these situations that remaining calm was absolutely essential if they wanted to survive.


    "Everyone¡­ I''d like you to stay vignt," Long Lu said, taking on the role of leader and calming the minds of those who needed it. "I know it must be hard, witnessing the deaths of your friends and family, but¡­ if you want to get through this, we have to keep a level head and think clearly."


    "Basically," Ming Hao cut in rudely. "What he''s saying is, save the mourning crap forter. Let''s get the hell out of here before we end up bing the ones who need to be mourned for."


    <em>Well, that was insensitive.</em>


    Strangely, however, it seemed to have actually worked. The ones who were on the verge of tears wiped their eyes and shook their feelings of sadness off, forged anew with determination. Those who had been about to have a mental breakdown stabilized their conditions and took deep breaths.


    Ming Hao''s somewhat harsh words had resonated them far deeper than Long Lu''s motivational speech had, which came as quite the surprise to me.


    The emotionally fallen picked themselves back up and began putting their all into the escape from this ce once more, continuing with the construction of the bridge while the aerial team decided to go just slightly ahead of us to scout for any danger in case something like that takes us all by surprise again.


    I guess, in a state of desperation like this, people didn''t need some false hope, some shining beacon of light that motivated them to go forward.. All they needed was a good p across the cheeks to wake them up and face the reality.

 Chapter 404 - Cliff Of Doom

    As we made our way across the ash-grey forest, lined with a terribly harsh wind and cold fog, countless more monsters came our way. Of course, with our aerial scouts ahead, it was a bit more manageable than before, but there were still causalities.


    Naturally, the girls around me and myself survived. Ming Hao''s team, Long Lu''s team, and half the purple-armor boy''s team lived as well. The other half? Not so much.


    We faced monsters of all shapes and sizes ¡ª they were like normal forest animals, but mutated by something: the Grey Scourge. Birds, rabbits, tigers, snakes, the list goes on. Even the tumbleweeds we came across earlier were actually brushes turned alive and deadly.


    At one point, we even ran too close to a tree and it suddenly came alive, devouring two of us whole before Obsidia immediately incinerated the thing with her Chaosborne Dragonfire.


    All of these creatures shared the same trait: they were all ash-grey in color and had red features ¡ª most of the time being eyes. In a way, they shared a simr color scheme to my own Chaos-imbued magic, but the Grey Scourge and I arepletely unrted.


    I think, anyway.


    After a while, we collectively decided to call these monsters ''the Scourged'', since we really couldn''t be arsed toe up with a proper name for them.


    Luckily, it didn''t take as long as expected to make it out of the forest. The ''construction'' team came low on mana, but we survived thend of death and made it to the edge of this mountain. All in all, there were only 15 of us left,pared to the starting 40. And that was considered good.


    What <em>wasn''t</em> good, however, was the devastating yet breathtaking sceneid out before us.


    "Oh boy¡­" Ming Hao muttered, havingnded back on the ground. The Scourged didn''t reach this border, so the floor level was safe. Take another step, however, and you would end up falling into the endless foggy abyss that was below.


    Yep, we were at a cliff.


    Notpletely a dead end though, as there <em>was</em> technically a way for us to get across the canyon from this mountain to the one on the other side ¡ª which, by the way, couldn''t even be seen due to this thick fog.


    However, this might as well have been a dead-end, if I''m beingpletely honest. The thin bridge hanging between us and whatever was on the other side shook violently from side to side. It looked like it couldn''t hold a backpack, much less a person ¡ª or rather, 15 people.


    It looked to be made out of wood ¡ª real flimsy, dead wood at that ¡ª with about 60% of the nks that were supposed to be there, missing. As if walking on such a fragile bridge with an abyss of death looming below us wasn''t bad enough already, now we had to do <em>parkour</em> on this bridge. Fun.


    We couldn''t even fly or continue to build our way across either, since we were in some kind of magic-neutralizing zone that prevented us from casting spells. Mei Gui and I both had our Third Eyes forcefully shut down, and neither of us could detect any sign of mana in the air.


    Why? My assumption was that we were in the Grey Scourge''s ''inner zone'' now. We were directly under its influence. You would think we would be killed instantly upon entering this zone, but¡­ we were still alive. That cheered us up a little. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance of surviving this gue if we did it right.


    At least, with this, I now knew that even Chaos had its limitations. In the end, it was still magic ¡ª therefore any nullifying abilities or forces could render me vulnerable. ording to Mei Gui, however, once I reached a certain level ofprehension and Chaos cultivation, I wouldn''t be wielding magic anymore. I would be using the power of Laws.


    But her memories regarding that were still all over the ce, so that''s all I know for now. There was also the dual-element thing she mentioned earlier, but we never got a chance to discuss that, and there certainly wasn''t time now.


    "Alright, so, uh¡­ who''s going first?" Ming Hao asked, smiling awkwardly.


    "In my opinion, the one who asked the question should go first," I said nonchntly.


    "W-Wha- hey!" He whispered sharply, pulling me close. "Listen, bro, in video games, I don''t care about friendly fire, but in the real world, absolutely not!"


    "I''ll go," a girl from the purple-armored boy''s team spoke up bravely.


    The purple-armored boy, whose name I got to know was Rong Xing Tan, widened his eyes in surprise. "Xiao Xi, you can''t!"


    "Big Brother Rong¡­ I can''t bear to stay in the backlines anymore. Back there, when the Scourged murdered our friends one by one¡­ I just stood still, unable to do anything. So here, I must step forward. Please, let me go, before I whimper out again¡­"


    "Xiao Xi¡­"


    "Let her go," Long Lu cut in. "You would only be defiling her honor and bravery if you continue to stop her."


    Hearing this, Rong Xing Tan had no choice but to back off. The girl named Xiao Xi gave Long Lu a nod of gratitude and stepped forward closer to the edge of the cliff, then took a couple of deep breaths.


    "Okay. You can do this, Xiao Xi."


    With those self-encouraging words, she hesitantly took the first step forward, onto the bridge.


    Immediately, it began shaking, causing her to quickly backpedal and gulp in fear.


    "Ah¡­" She bit her lip, clearly scared, but she had to do this. There was no turning back now. No more being a coward.


    She hesitantly took the first step again, this time quickly clutching onto the bridge''s two rope railings to try and stabilize it. It didn''t do much, but it was enough to let her step her other foot on it as well.


    "Okay, keep going!" Rong Xing Tan encouraged, though deep down he was scared to death.


    Xiao Xi didn''t disappoint and slowly began marching forward, one tiny step at a time. The bridge shook violently from side to side, but it was not enough to stop her. Very soon, however, she reached the first gap between nks. It wasn''t a very big one, but it required at least a tiny hop nheless.


    She took a deep breaths and gripped the rope on either side of her tightly, before using them as a handhold to swing herself across the gap,nding on the other side with eas-


    "A-Ah-!"


    She yelped in surprise as the bridge began shaking more ferociously before due to the impact of hernding, sending out motion waves in a ripple effect on both sides. This caused her to lose her bnce and nearly tip over, but luckily, her grip on the rope was strong enough to pull herself back upright.


    Deep breath. First obstacle, cleared.


    After several more steady slow steps and small jumps, she had arrived at the middle of the bridge. Because it was in a hanging concave upward-style structure, this meant she was currently at the lowest point of the bridge right now. Worse yet, there was a massive gap, right across the middle.


    It was like the climax of a story; the protagonist gulped in fear and determination to prepare herself for what''s next, and the audience watched on, tense and eager at the same time.


    Xiao Xi, like with the other gaps, held the rope firmly, reaching out as far as she could with her hands without falling into the abyss. That alone got her hands in the middle of the gap. Then, she stretched her body backwards a bit, getting a little running headstart, and jumped across with all her strength while using her hands as a fulcrum.


    Time seemed to slow down as she did this. At first, we all thought she was gonna make it. After all, her feet were already pretty much there, and she was still a couple of inches above the ground.


    But then, nature intervened.


    A freak gust of wind suddenly blew our way, which meant Xiao Xi''s way as well. All momentum was lost and she was thrown off bnce as she began falling into the foggy abyss below.


    "Xiao Xi!" Rong Xing Tan cried, but there was nothing he could do.


    Fortunately, Xiao Xi''s hand managed totch onto the wooden nks on the other side.


    "Gah¡­" she grit her teeth and reached up with her other hand to hold the wood as well, body still dangerously dangling in the air. Then, with one final spurt of momentum, she pulled her entire body up.


    By some miracle, the bridge''s nk hadn''t broken apart.


    By some miracle, she had survived. Just barely, but she did.


    Perhaps the gust of wind just now was a test from the Grey Scourge. And now that she had ovee it, she would be blessed with protection for the rest of the way across.


    But will all of us be this lucky?

 Chapter 405 - The End

    After that close call, Xiao Xi made the rest of the way quite easily. After experiencing the first half of the bridge, thetter half was a lot more manageable, especially given that they were used to the feeling by now.


    How did we know she got across safely?


    Well, she used Sound Magic to amplify her own voice and call out to us from across the bridge. This way, even though we couldn''t see her figure past the gap in the middle due to the fog, we could still know if they made it across. It also seemed like she could use magic again on the other side, which was interesting.


    That being said, if we got a person with Sky Magic over there, I doubt they could just fly back and carry the rest of us across. I was pretty sure this ''trial'', if it was one, didn''t work like that, unfortunately. This ''Grey Scourge'' wasn''t that stupid, if it could cause this much destruction and surprise with its attacks.


    Still, now that one of us made it across sessfully, the rest weren''t as scared. Some even volunteered to go next.


    One by one, we made it across. Luckily, none of us here were particrly heavy, so the bridge didn''t copse or anything. Yet.


    After Ming Hao''s team went, Long Lu''s team did. Long Yi, however, shot me a nce before leaving. What was hidden in that gaze was worry, though it wasn''t because she cared about me. She only cared about my life, if that makes sense.


    After her, Lin Luo went. Then Obsidia. Both made it across with ease. Feng Mian went next and was also able to do it ¡ª I never doubted her in the first ce. And atst, there was only two people left on this side. Mei Gui, and me.


    "Master¡­ you go first."


    "Why?" I asked.


    "It''s safer," she exined. "After so many people went¡­ the bridge must be fragile. If I were to go now, it will leave Master with¡­"


    "Mei Gui¡­ don''t worry about it," I said, patting her head. "Just go."


    "Master¡­"


    She looked up at me with eyes of worry, so I decided to give a light chuckle, showing her I was perfectly fine.


    "What, don''t believe in me?"


    "No, Master¡­ it''s not that¡­"


    "Go already. That''s an order."


    Faced with these words, Mei Gui, being the obedient girl she was, had no choice but toply. She turned around hesitantly and stepped onto the bridge, looking back one final time before disappearing into the fog.


    About a minuteter, I heard a voice from the other side.


    "Okay, Xuan Kai! You''re thest one!" Ming Hao yelled, his voice amplified by Sound Magic. I don''t remember him having an affinity for that, so it must be someone else enhancing it for him.


    Calmly, I stepped forward so that I was right in front of the bridge, and grasped the rope railings on both sides tightly, just like my predecessors had done. Then, I tenderly stepped forward, lightly cing my foot on the wooden nk as if testing the waters.


    <em>Okay¡­ seems stable enough.</em>


    Mei Gui was right. After all those other people passed through, the bridge was bound to be weaker than it already was. Still, if this stability kept up as I kept going forward, it should be fine¡­


    Very soon, I reached the first gap. A very short one ¡ª all I had to do was lunge across with one leg then pull the rest of my body too. There was no need to even jump like Xiao Xi had, since my legs were longer than hers.


    And so, that was exactly what I did, making it past the first obstacle with ease. Little did I know, however, doing this pulled on the two poles that attached the bridge to the cliff I came from¡­


    After passing several more gaps and crossing them the same way, I reached the middle of the bridge ¡ª right where the hardest obstacle of all was. This gap was at least twice the size of the other ones, so just lunging across wasn''t going to work here anymore. I needed to jump ¡ª and fast. The longer I dwindled on this bridge, the higher the chance of it falling apart and me falling into whatevery down there.


    I wasn''t particrly scared of heights, but I still took a deep breath just to make sure I was ready. Then, I stepped back a few steps to get a running headstart for maximum momentum.


    <em>Alright¡­ here we go!</em>


    I leaped across the gap andnded on the other side while using my hands to hold on to the ropes on both sides as support. As my feet touched solid wood, I rxed a bit.


    "Whew¡­ did it."


    Unfortunately, mynding may have been a little too much on the hard side. Pair that with all the pulling on those two poles with all the smaller gaps earlier, and¡­


    "Wha-!"


    My eyes widened as the bridge suddenly began tipping over. The two poles originally on the cliff back there had detached from their spots, causing the bridge to copse towards the other end where the others were waiting.


    "Xuan Kai!"


    "Master!"


    Feng Mian and Mei Gui called out in worry and Obsidia immediately prepared to transform into her full form regardless of the eyes watching, but was unable to do so ¡ª she was being restricted by the Grey Scourge.


    "Tch¡­!"


    I quickly began running upwards before the bridge copsedpletely, hoping to make it in time. At this point, I was more climbing up than running forward, but this meant I was putting a lot of vertical strain on the bridge''s nks.


    "You''re almost there, Xuan Kai!" Ming Hao encouraged, fists clenched in worry for me.


    By now, the bridge had reached apletely vertical state. I could feel gravity pulling me downwards, but I didn''t give in and relentlessly continued to climb up.


    "Grab my hand!" Long Yi yelled, reaching her hand down for me.


    I could see it right in front of me. Just one more nk, and I can pull mysel-


    CRRRACK.


    In that moment, time froze.


    The nk my hand had wed itself around, suddenly tore off. The strain was finally too much, and the fragile pieces of wooden nks strung together to be called a bridge broke atst.


    Everyone watching widened their eyes in shock, especially Feng Mian, Mei Gui, Obsidia, Lin Luo, and Long Yi.


    And before I knew it, time had begun to flow again. Slowly, I fell down, down, down. Into the abyss with no end, shrouded by thick fog, never to see the light of day again.


    Was this how it all ended?


    My journey as the ''chosen one'' of the origin of the multiverse ¡ª was iting to a stop, here, before I even reached the outer world?


    Could even Chaos not escape the causalityws of life and death?


    It was as life shed before my eyes. I looked into the girls'' shocked, desperate expressions, not wanting to believe what was happening before them was true.


    From the very beginning ¡ª a lone, magicless kid in school, bullied everyday as amon urrence. A wimp, needing to be stood up for by girls.


    To the desperate y to be a hero, so that his worthless life may finally have some worth.


    To the awakening of the child''s powers ¡ª an obsidian-ck stone pendant, engraved with a single red rune marking.


    To the forsaken sister, lost and now returned. Reunited with her sibling and family, happy and loved.


    To the child''s own sibling, a cruel, devious boy who would stop at nothing to eliminate his own brother.


    To the destruction of his home, obliterated by creatures as ck as stone and as ugly as Medusa herself.


    To the arrival at the the Fortress, a neo-cyberpunk city where advanced weaponry was just as powerful as magic.


    To finally, the heart of all arcane knowledge and power, Fragment ¡ª the Magic Capital.


    And yet, soon after getting there, I was now about to die? In a ce like this?


    As I fell into the fog, I realized just how many regrets I have.


    I never properly proposed to any of the girls who have stuck by my side all this way. I never formed friendships with people who truly wished to be friends with me. I constantly pushed those who tried to get close to me away.


    I was always plotting. Manipting. Ever since my parents died on that fateful night, I don''t think I''ve ever had a single day where I thought like a genuine teenager again. I saw nearly everyone as either an enemy or a tool. I am truly¡­ evil.


    So ¡ª if this is truly the end, allow me to say one thing:


    <em>I''m sorry.</em>


    <em>You girls¡­ find someone new. Someone who deserves you and can treat you better. </em>


    <em>Ming Hao¡­ I don''t know what''s wrong with your head, but I appreciate you trying to be my friend all this time even though I kept pushing you away.</em>


    <em>Long Lu¡­ I apologize. I wasn''t able to uphold my promise of bringing ss D to the top spot in the end.</em>


    <em>And Mei Gui, I... I''ve failed you in the end, huh?</em>


    <em>Lin Luo, Ling Xin, and Long Yi¡­ don''t worry. I won''t drag you down with me.</em>


    And as the darkness consumed me, I did onest ¡ª perhaps the only good ¡ª thing with my life.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Soul Shackle: Unlock.</em>

 Chapter 406 - ???

    (Long Yi''s Perspective)


    "¡­" Everyone was silent, still shocked at what just happened.


    Feng Mian, Mei Gui, Obsidia, and Lin Luo were the most affected, having spent time with Xuan Kai the longest.


    "He can''t be¡­" Feng Mian muttered, kneeling on the ground before the cliff and sobbing. "Xuan Kai¡­"


    Even Lin Luo, who on the surface hated him, had her fists clenched, expression unreadable.


    "Idiot¡­ he still hasn''t even given me back my powers¡­"


    Obsidia took a deep breath and mmed the ground, roaring into the abyss below. "Bastard¡­ how can you just die like this, human?! You haven''t even fulfilled our deal yet! You hypocritical, annoying, and stupid liar!"


    But of them, Mei Gui was the most distraught of all. Her eyes were lifeless as she wandered aimlessly towards the cliff where Xuan Kai had fallen, shoulders slumped and footsteps heavy like a zombie.


    "Master¡­" she murmured quietly, over and over again. "Master¡­ I can''t feel him¡­ Master¡­"


    Her feet edged closer and closer to the brink of the cliff, and I realized what she was trying to do.


    "You can''t!" I hurriedly yelled and rushed over, wrapping my arms around her to prevent her from following Xuan Kai''s fate.


    "Let¡­ me¡­ GO!"


    She shrieked in anger as I wasunched backward by a st of energy more powerful than anything I''d ever experienced before, even as a Golden Monarch.


    "Ngh-!" Crashing into a tree, I clutched my abdomen in pain where she struck me.


    "Elder sister!" My little brother shouted in worry, rushing over to me to see if I was okay. But I ignored him and instead called out something before Mei Gui could jump off.


    "He''s still alive!"


    At this, she stopped. My n had worked. Slowly, she ¡ª and everyone else ¡ª all focused their gazes on me.


    "¡­ What did you say?" Mei Gui demanded, eyes as cold as ice.


    "He''s still alive," I replied, struggling back to my feet.


    "H-How do you know?" Feng Mian asked, confused.


    If Xuan Kai was here, he definitely wouldn''t want me to say this out loud, but he wasn''t. Therefore, I was free to do as I pleased.


    "The curse he ced on me. I''m not dead yet, am I? That means he is fine too."


    At this, Mei Gui''s eyes widened. "Soul Shackle¡­"


    But then, her eyes clouded over again.


    "Master could''ve simply¡­ unlocked it¡­ to protect you¡­"


    "W-What? Ha¡­ but why would he do that?" I challenged hesitantly.


    "Because he''s not as evil as you think," Feng Mian said quietly. "Lin Luo, Obsidia, and Long Yi¡­ he''s kept the three of you on leashes, but that''s because he''s overly cautious. He may kill people as if they were ants, but deep down, he isn''t evil. He knows you are innocent and won''t drag you down with him just because he died."


    "Wha¡­" I blinked several times in surprise. "Then that feeling I had earlier, as he was falling¡­"


    <em>Back then, when Xuan Kai had disappeared from our sight, vanishing beneath the fog, I had felt some chains around my soul be released. Was that really him unlocking the curse¡­?</em>


    "I felt it too," Lin Luo said, being another victim of the curse. "That idiot¡­ he''s not so bad after all."


    "But putting the whole ''curse'' matter aside for now, this means¡­ it is actually possible that Xuan Kai died," Ming Hao muttered.


    "No," Mei Gui cut in suddenly, which surprised all of us. Her eyes weren''t lifeless anymore, now filled with renewed determination and confidence. "Master is not dead."


    "Weren''t you convinced he was just moments ago¡­?" I asked, confused.


    "I believe in him. My Master¡­ would not die that easily."


    *****


    - IMF Headquarters, The Shadow Empress''s Chambers -


    (Ling Xin''s Perspective)


    I twirled around an apple in my hand, resting the side of my head on my fist. My eyes were closed, the blinds in the room drawn and lights dimmed.


    Sighing, I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the fruit I was holding, bored and longing.


    "That boy¡­ he put this curse on me, but hasn''t contacted me in so long. I wonder if he still remembers me, hm~?"


    As I thought about him, I couldn''t help but subconsciously smile. For some reason, he intrigued me a lot. No other man has ever made me so deeply interested in them ¡ª though I suppose this is what desire does to someone, isn''t it?


    <em>Oh, Xuan Kai¡­ I miss you.</em>


    Gently, I pressed my lips against the apple, nting a deep kiss on it, then backed away and smiled again.


    <em>I wonder, when will we meet aga-</em>


    Suddenly, my eyes widened and I immediately shot up in my chair.


    The lock that was his grasp around my soul¡­ it just broke. I was free now, uncontrolled ¡ª but somehow, that made me more saddened and distressed rather than happy.


    <em>What''s going on¡­ he wouldn''t have just let me go like that for no reason¡­ what happened¡­?</em>


    Sensing that there was something wrong, I immediately picked up the phone on my desk and dialed a number. The voice on the other side immediately picked up.


    "Yes, Madam Shadow Empress?"


    "I want you to track someone down for me. Now."


    "Very well. Who will it be?"


    "His name is Xuan Kai. ck hair, red eyes, tall. Quite handsome, and should be a student at the Shanghai Magic Academy."


    "Roger that¡­ though ''handsome'' is not a term I hear from you often, madam. Nor has you being so engrossed with a boy like this ever happened before."


    "Since when was it your position to make remarks like this?" I asked, impatience evident in my tone.


    "Yes¡­ my apologies. I have tracked him down. He appears to have left the capital yesterday for the mission to explore the mysterious corruption spreading across the continent of Africa."


    "Corruption¡­ Africa¡­" I murmured, linking the two words in my head. "It couldn''t be¡­"


    A rare serious expression overtook my face as I spoke into the phone.


    "Send me the coordinates. I''m setting off."


    "Understood, madam."


    *****


    - ??? -


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    <em>Wake up~</em>


    <em>Come on¡­ wakey wakey~</em>


    "Ngh¡­" Faced with this soft and alluring voice in my head, I slowly opened my eyes. "Where am I¡­?"


    Thest thing I remember was falling down into the abyss. But¡­ strangely, I wasn''t dead. Or maybe I was, and this was hell.


    Either way, I saw darkness all around me. It was as if my eyes were closed still. However, my hands and clothes felt wet. I was in water.


    With great struggle, I got up to my feet, hearing the sound of water droplets dripping off my body into the pool below. It was cold. Very cold. And¡­ I felt empty inside.


    I remember this feeling. It was from back then, before my awakening. Had I¡­ lost my magic powers? No¡­ but if I concentrated really hard, I could still feel an extremely thick Necromancy mana concentration in the air.


    My body felt extremely weak, but I raised my hand nheless and began absorbing the mana in the environment using the technique Mei Gui taught me. There seemed to be an endless supply of death energy in this ce, whatever it was. I began to be convinced this really was hell.


    "Fufu~ my sweet darling¡­ finally awake."


    I immediately stopped and turned around in the darkness, feet sshing in the water and eyes darting left to right in search of the owner of the voice. It was the same light-hearted, seductive one that had whispered to me in my mind, and I raised my guard.


    "¡­ Who''s there?"


    "My, my¡­ so cautious of me. That hurts my feelings, y''know, darling~"


    Suddenly, lights went up all around me. Bright white ones, just enough to make my surroundings clearly visible. It was then that I realize I was in a temple. As expected, I stood on a flight of stairs leading up to a throne, my feet submerged in cold, frigid water.


    On the stone throne sat an incredibly beautiful girl, on par with Mei Gui. She wore a ck robe befitting of a queen of death, matching her long ck hair. She also appeared to be quite young ¡ª 18, 19 at best. Her body was perfect like Feng Mian''s, and her deadly smile and starry pink eyes that appeared to be glowing only added to her charming allure.


    Dangerous yet irresistible, psychotic yet seductive. That was the girl before me, caressing her own cheek gently.


    I could tell ¡ª this girl was strong. The death energy I''ve been absorbing into my body¡­ it all came from her. By instinct, I summoned my Chaos katanas and held them tightly, prepared to fight. But to my surprise, the girl didn''t make any hostile move and instead frowned slightly, almost as if¡­ sad?


    "Why, darling?" She asked softly, standing up from her throne, letting her long and smooth ck hair dangle down her back. "You take my power to supplement yourself, and now you wish to kill me?"


    I narrowed my eyes, not wanting to converse with this woman. "Who are you?"


    At this, any sign of sadness in herplexion disappeared, reced with a gentle smile that seemed to draw me in.


    "Fufufu~ you don''t know, darling~? My name is Axilia¡­"


    Walking closer, she cupped my face in between her soft, warm hands.


    "¡­ the Princess of Death."

 Chapter 407 - Axilia, Princess Of Death

    "The Princess of Death¡­?" I echoed, confused.


    "Fufu~ please, just call me Axilia," the girl giggled, covering her mouth. "Or something more intimate¡­ if you prefer~"


    "Uh¡­ sorry, but your name tells me absolutely nothing," I retorted. "Where is this ce? Am I still alive? Oh wait, if you''re the Princess of Death¡­ I guess not, huh? But, hm, how do I put it¡­ I imagined hell to be¡­ more hell-like."


    "Fufu~ you''re funny, darling~ but you aren''t dead just yet," Axilia said, folding her arms. "This is still the Living Realm."


    I stopped. "Did you just say¡­ Realm?"


    <em>This girl¡­ she knows about their existence.</em>


    "Hehe~ of course. I came from the Death Realm, after all. The ruler there is my father!"


    I gulped and made a mental note not to get this girl''s bad side.


    "A-Ahem¡­ anyway, how did I survive that fall? I shouldn''t have been able to."


    What should''ve happened was, I died, then got revived inside the Infinite Realm. I''ll have all my memories removed, but Mei Gui would eventually be able to track me down and remind me of everything, since I''d still be in possession of my powers.


    "I protected you, of course," Axilia replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.


    "And why, exactly, did you do that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I''m notining, but¡­"


    "Because¡­ I love you, darling."


    "¡­ Huh?"


    "Fufu~ I said¡­" Axilia suddenly leaned in and nted a kiss on my lips before I can even react, dominating my mouth. With her hands, she held mine down with ease. I wanted to push her away, but my entire body felt powerless.


    "Mmn~ I wuv wu, darling~"


    After several seconds, she finally pulled away, and I immediately gained control over my body again, copsing to the ground and coughing.


    "Cough¡­ hack¡­ what was that¡­ my body¡­ it waspletely paralyzed¡­"


    Axilia, on the other hand, merely licked her lips, as if savoring the taste of my saliva in her mouth, and thoughtfully ced a finger on her chin.


    "Mm¡­ as expected, darling''s saliva tastes delicious~"


    I watched, ck-jawed, utterly bewildered at this girl''s actions. Slowly getting back up to my feet, I wiped my mouth and shot her a smirk.


    "Sorry, but¡­ I''m already taken."


    At this, Axilia froze, and slowly twisted her head towards me, shining pink eyes widened in surprise.


    "¡­ Eh?"


    "Like I said¡­ I already have a girlfriend. Nine, in particr."


    Axilia blinked several times, before smiling happily. "Well, not anymore~! Darling is all mine now~"


    She ran over and hurriedly threw her arms around me, embracing me tightly. For a princess of death, her body was quite warm. Still, I wasn''t about to be seduced like that again.


    Last time, I was just caught off-guard. This time, I retained control of my body, and pushed her away with ease, causing her to stumble back a few steps.


    "D-Darling¡­?"


    "I already said. I''m grateful to you for saving me, but if you''re looking for a boyfriend, find somebody else."


    The smile on her face disappeared, and I shuddered as I felt a chilling aura erupt all around her. Her pink eyes shone brightly than ever in this greyscale world, unleashing a powerful ripple of energy surrounding her.


    "Ngh¡­!" I hurriedly raised my arms to block my face, but couldn''t cast any magic. My abilities werepletely suppressed, and my body was frozen still.


    Axilia calmly walked over and gently pried my arms away from my face so that the two of us were staring into each other''s eyes, and I gulped as I saw the coldest stare I''ve ever seen in my life.


    "¡­ I''ve chosen you already, darling. There''s no escape. As for your nine other girlfriends¡­"


    Suddenly, she smiled happily, the coldness from earlierpletely gone.


    "¡­ All I have to do is kill them! Then, you won''t have any girlfriends anymore! It''ll just be me¡­ and me alone."


    "H-Ha¡­" I breathed, somehow still able to talk despite the rest of my body being frozen. "Big words¡­ but my women aren''t easy people to mess with. I wouldn''t be so confident about beating them if I were you."


    "Fufu~ is that so?" Axilia giggled. "This thing you call ''magic''¡­ it''s powerless before me. Can''t you see, darling? How easily I suppressed your entire group up there."


    I grinned grimly. "So¡­ it really was you behind all of this, huh? Do you know how many innocent lives you imed? How many families you destroyed?"


    "Eh? So?" She asked softly, tilting her head innocently.


    I was shocked to the bone.


    "W-What do you mean, ''so''?! You murdered-"


    "And so have you, darling," she cut in, stopping me mid-sentence. "Sniff¡­ sniff¡­ I can smell the aura of death around you. How nice¡­"


    "The people I murdered¡­" I muttered. "They¡­ deserved it. I don''t harm the innocent."


    "But that doesn''t change much, does it?" Axiliaughed, cupping my face between her hands. "Perhaps¡­ that''s why I chose you, darling."


    "Chose me¡­? So it wasn''t just random¡­?"


    "Fufu, of course not. I purposely made you fall down here," she said, giggling softly like a little girl. "Ever since you entered my domain, I''ve been watching you. Waiting for the right moment."


    "What¡­"


    "You see, darling, I was sent to this realm by my father to find a suitable partner," Axilia exined, taking my hand and forcefully leading me to her stone throne. "No one in the Death Realm suited my tastes, so I came here, fufu~"


    "You''re kidding¡­ so you didn''t even mean to kill all those people¡­? They just happened to be close to you when you first arrived here¡­?"


    "Mm, yeah, pretty much~" She said, pushing me down onto the throne before sitting on top of me lovingly, showing off her long, slender white legs beneath the thin ck veil of her beautiful robes. "I forgot to turn off my domain''s power, and ended up wiping out a city¡­ but that was a while ago. Since then, I''ve stayed right where I was, waiting for someone toe along to me. Recently, though, my father began getting impatient, so¡­ I began getting a bit more proactive, teehee~!"


    <em>T-To be able to wipe out an entire city just because she forgot to turn down her domain''s power¡­ just how strong is this girl?!</em>


    "And then¡­" She continued her story, suddenly pressing her body close to mine. "¡­ I met you, darling."


    I gulped, feeling her soft breasts against my chest. The fact that her ample butt rested on myp wasn''t exactly helping either.


    "Immediately, I knew you were the one," she said, bringing her face closer to mine. "The energy inside you¡­ it makes me feel warm and at home, for some reason. And your body¡­ it''s full of mysteries even I can''t read. No one else will ever be able to make me feel like that, darling. So¡­ I won''t let you go, no matter what~"


    She smiled innocently, but deep down I knew she was a crazy devil. She spoke of death and taking lives as if it were amon urrence for her, as if it wasn''t anything noteworthy. She was willing to do anything to have me ¡ª even if it meant killing the other girls around me.


    I had to keep this girl away from them, at all costs. At least¡­ until I be strong enough to defeat her.


    "¡­ Axilia."


    "Yes, darling~?"


    "Are you sure what you feel towards me is love¡­ and not possession?"


    "¡­ Eh?"


    <em>This girl¡­ I don''t think she even knows the difference between the two.</em>


    "You want to keep me as your pet," I said. "Not as a lover. Is that true?"


    "A pet? Hm¡­" Axilia fell into thought, leaning back onto my shoulders. "¡­ I''ve never had one, so I don''t know. But there is one thing I''m sure about ¡ª I want you, darling~"


    <em>Yeah¡­ I don''t think this girl realizes what love is. She just wants me to be with her, but¡­</em>


    Back there, when I had stared into her eyes, there was something beyond that veil of bone-chilling coldness. Behind the crazy yet gentle persona of a yandere, therey something else within the girl known as Axilia. It was very faint, but I could feel it.


    Because I was once the same.


    Honestly, that may have been another reason why she felt our auras to be so¡­patible with one another''s. It''s because we both experienced the same thing in our pasts. No¡­ she may still be experiencing it, even now. That was part of why she wanted me so much as well.


    Axilia, the Princess of Darkness, was lonely.


    I could see it in her eyes. She tried to hide it, but she couldn''t. Not against someone who has suffered the same thing before.


    She wanted a partner. A friend. Someone who would always be there for her¡­ hence why she wants me so much. To her, I am an object ¡ª something to help relieve her loneliness.


    But that wasn''t how friendship worked. To receive¡­ one must first give.


    "¡­ Fine," I said after a long while. "I''ll be your ''darling'' or whatever."


    "Eh? Really?" She turned around to look at me and blinked several times in surprise.


    I nodded, shutting my eyes. "You''re not bad-looking anyway."


    "Fufu~ darling is the best~!" Axilia giggled happily and hugged me tightly. I gently held her in my arms, but in my heart, I didn''t feel the slightest bit of love for her.


    Only pity.


    I wanted her to learn an important lesson. I wanted to teach her what friendship truly is¡­ and just how valuable friends are.


    Looking at her, it was as if I was looking at a reflection of my own past self. I had to steer her onto the right track.


    I''m sure, with the right guidance¡­ she would be good friends with the other girls.


    I could only hope for the best.

 Chapter 408 - Starting With A "Bang" (18+)

    "Hey, darling~" Axilia whispered into my ear.


    "¡­ What?"


    "Do you want to¡­ have sex?"


    If I had been drinking water at the moment, I surely would''ve choked there.


    "E-Excuse me?"


    "Fufu~ that''s what lovers do, is it not? My mother taught me~"


    "Uh¡­ yes, but that kind of thing happens after we get to know each other a bit better¡­"


    "Eh? But I already told you everything about me," Axilia said, tilting her head cutely. "I want to do it with darling now~"


    "A-Ah, wai-"


    But my protests were silenced by a deep kiss to the mouth, shutting me up immediately. I tried pulling away, but once again, my body was renderedpletely paralyzed. It seems that the effect only triggers when she kisses my lips by surprise.


    "Mmf~ ah~"


    Her tongue seemed to be struggling to enter my mouth, and her movements were¡­ unpracticed. It was clear she was an amateur at this, having never done it before.


    Strangely, the paralysis effect seemed to be wearing off after the initial contact, and I could slowly begin to move my hands again. Thus, I held her shoulders firmly, and pushed her away.


    "¡­ Darling?" She blinked in confusion, frowning a bit as if saddened. That was the first time I''ve seen such a look on her wless, divinely beautiful face. It made me regret my decision somewhat ¡ª I couldn''t just tell her I don''t want to do it with her, otherwise she might get pissed again¡­


    ¡­ Judging from how crazy she is, she might even bring up the girls as a threat. I''mpletely powerless in front of her as I am right now, so there was nothing I could do but go along with what she wanted.


    "E-Er, that''s not how you kiss," I hurriedly said as an excuse.


    "Ohhh¡­" Axilia murmured in thought, then smiled and licked her lips invitingly. "Then¡­ teach me, darling~"


    <em>Uh¡­ okay, I guess I did agree to being her partner for the time being¡­ and this is part of my duties, I think?</em>


    <em>If I refuse her now, she''ll not only get sad, but also keep pressing me to do it in the future, knowing her crazy personality¡­ yeah, better to just get it over with right now.</em>


    Leaning in, I kissed her deeply, pressing her face against mine using my hand behind her head. With my other hand, I slid down her back and onto her soft buttcheeks, squeezing them tenderly.


    She flinched back at first, as if scared, but quickly soothed into my rhythm as my tongue entered her mouth and began dominating it. Slowly, she began moving her tongue as well, entangling ours together. In fact, it was impressive how quickly she managed to catch on to my pace and match it. It would seem our bodies, not just our auras, were quitepatible as well.


    Axilia threw her light arms around my neck and pulled me closer, deeper into the kiss. Down below, I didn''t stop either. Squeezing her butt tightly, letting go, then squeezing again. It felt like arge and soft marshmallow in my hand that would never dete.


    I could feel my member down there hardening up and getting bigger, and naturally, so could Axilia. After several seconds, she pulled away and looked down at her crotch area, where my hardened cock bulged into her thin, patterned ck panties.


    "¡­ Oh~ what is this, darling~?"


    "Uh, that''s¡­" I gulped, seeing the excitement and curiosity in her eyes as if they were sparkling. "¡­ A-Ahem. You have a bed around here?"


    "Yep~ that way~" She said, pointing to our left, where a hallway leading towards a different roomy. However, in doing so, she shifted her body on mine, essentially rubbing my dick against hers, minus the fabric in the way.


    "Agh, fuck¡­ I can''t take it anymore," I muttered before standing up, still holding her in my arms.


    "E-Eh? Darling~?" Axilia was confused as I lifted her up, but I would exin once we got into the bedroom.


    Silencing her with a kiss, I grabbed both of her buttcheeks with my hands to hold her up, groping them thoroughly as we walked into the chamber, all the while pressing my enormous dick against her crotch.


    Once we got inside, I slid the stone door shut and tossed her roughly onto the bed, causing her legs to spread widely and letting me get a glimpse of what was between them. Her panties were soaking wet, signaling that our kissing had stimted her quite a lot as well.


    But that aside¡­ she looked extremely alluring, with her ck silky thigh-highs and shoes tossed off. Her feet and legs were perfectly shaped,bined with a fresh pink pussy that was just barely visible behind those flowery-patterned ck panties of hers.


    "Kya~ you''re being so rough~" She moaned, licking her lips seductively.


    I took off my cloak and tossed it to one side, then walked closer to Axilia. "You asked for this, so don''t me me now."


    "Fufu, I won''t~ teach me everything¡­ darling~"


    I smirked. "Then¡­ we''ll start with the basics. Sit up."


    Like an obedient dog, she sat up and scooted closer to the edge of the bed, eyes filled with lust and anticipation. I unbuckled my belt and flipped out my nine-incher, hanging it before her like a carrot on a stick.


    "Woah¡­" She reached up and held it in her hands, eyes dazzling with excitement. I patted her head gently, running my fingers through her smooth and long ck hair.


    "Listen closely, Axilia. This is called a cock. In sex, you have to please this thing. Try stroking it with your hand."


    Axilia did as told, holding my dick tightly and shifting her hand up and down its shaft.


    <em>Okay¡­ maybe a little too tight.</em>


    "Ngh¡­ that''s too tight, Axilia," I said. "Hold it a bit lighter. Just a bit."


    Sheplied, loosening her grip by a little, then resumed stroking my dick in and out.


    "Mm¡­ yeah, that''s good," I said, enjoying her hand''s movements. "This is called a handjob. Now, try doing the same thing with your mouth."


    "Mkay~"


    Axilia shifted her hands to around my waist and pulled me closer before opening her mouth wide and taking my cock in without any hesitation. It felt so nice and warm that I instinctively thrust forward, shoving my dick down her throat. Her eyes widened as I realized what I did and quickly pulled out, letting her catch her breath.


    "Hah¡­ it''s so¡­ big¡­ darling¡­" She gasped, licking her lips. "But¡­ it also tastes good~"


    "It''ll make you feel really good soon," I chuckled, then brought her head closer to my cock once more using my hands. "Now, continue."


    "Hold on, darling~ you must be tired, standing," she giggled before getting off the bed and pushing me onto it. Then, while I was now in a sitting position, she kneeled onto the floor and began sucking on my cock once again, looking up at me with her eyes.


    "Oh¡­ fuck¡­" I groaned with pleasure. <em>This girl¡­ she''s using the kissing techniques I taught her earlier on my cock, and it feels¡­ amazing.</em>


    "Shlurp~ mmf~ mmn~"


    Despite being aplete beginner to this, her blowjob was nothing short of any of the other girls'' who I had already done it with. In fact¡­ it even felt better.


    "This is called a blowjob," I exined, patting her head and forcing her to take my dick all the way up to the base,pletely coating it with her saliva. "Now, try using those two nice and big ''things'' on your chest to stroke my cock, while sucking on the tip ¡ª a titjob."


    Axilia listened to my instructions perfectly once again, undoing her ck bras and throwing them onto the bed before moving closer and hugging my cock with her breasts, big and soft.


    She then began moving them up and down, perfectly stroking my dick while also drawing circles with her tongue on the tip of my dick. Since my entire shaft had already been coated with her saliva from earlier, the titjob felt incredible, warm and wet.


    "Ah¡­ you''re so good at this¡­" I muttered, even though I didn''t want to admit it.


    "Heheh~ am I doing it right, darling~?"


    "Yeah, you are¡­ good girl," I said, smiling. "Now, listen¡­ I''m about to shoot some hot and sticky white liquid from the tip of my cock which you''re licking right now. That''s called ''cum'' or ''semen'', whichever one works. I want you to take it all in your mouth. Ready?"


    "Mm~ let it all out in my mouth, darling~"


    "Axilia¡­!"


    I gritted my teeth and pushed down on her head while thrusting my cock upwards as fast as possible, sliding it in and out of her mouth while she matched my rhythm with ease.


    "!!!" Her eyes widened as I shot my load ¡ª directly into her mouth and down her throat. It was quite a big bust, but she took it all in.


    "Hah¡­" I pulled out after several seconds, some remaining cum still leftover on the tip of my cock. Axilia, noticing this, quickly leaned in and licked it all off, like it was honey or something.


    This startled me quite a bit. "A-Axilia¡­ you¡­"


    "Your cum¡­" She licked her lips and giggled. "It''s delicious, darling~"


    She stood up from the ground, caressing her own face. "I want more¡­ give me more~!"


    I blinked a couple of times, then gave in with a sigh.


    "Alright, alright.. Our lesson isn''t over just yet."

 Chapter 409 - Teaching Axilia (18+)

    I lightly pushed Axilia down on the bed before taking off my own clothes, revealing my naked body underneath. Axilia swept her gaze over me in wonder, licking her lips.


    "Hehe~ darling, your muscles are almost as big as your dick~"


    "Are you trying to tease me right now?" I taunted, smirking and kneeling on the bed.


    "Fufu~ maybe~"


    "Hmph," I snorted. "Spread your legs."


    Axilia stuck out her tongue and did as told, arching her two slender legs and dangling her beautiful feet in the air, curves highlighted by the sexy thigh-highs she wore. The whiteness of her skin contrasted with the ck silk, creating a perfect divergence. Between the two colors. Theyplimented one another, alluring and seductive. I was unable to take my eyes off of them.


    And there, in the middle of her two spread legs, was a pair of soaking ck panties. I grinned and shifted closer, scooping my arms around her soft and plump thighs before pulling her towards me suddenly and roughly.


    "Ara~" She blinked as my throbbing dick pressed against her wet pussy, separated by nothing but a thin piece of fabric. I rubbed my cock against it, taking in the wet feeling with relish.


    "Mmn~" Axilia moaned, hiding her face with her hands. I smirked and continued rubbing, letting the hotness of my rod soak through her panties.


    "Ahn~ I feel¡­ weird~" Axilia cried, face flushed red with lust. Her eyes were filled with pink hearts of desire and longing for my cock, though she didn''t even realize it herself.


    Grinning, I backed away and atst, pulled her panties down to reveal the wet and fresh pink pussy underneath. Her long legs and beautifully-shaped feet slid easily out of the holes of her panties, and I tossed it to one side. Now this, was sexy.


    Axilia''s wless and slender legs were still spread beautifully, while her nice andrge breasts hung in the open as if asking to be taken. Shey on the bed,pletely dominated by me. Her mouth was open and hot breath could be seening out in this somewhat cold underground environment, and the few torches in the room illuminated her flushed cheeks.


    "Axilia¡­ you''re beautiful," I said quietly, before I knew it.


    "Fufu~ darling¡­ forget about the other girls¡­ you only need me~"


    I closed my eyes. <em>Sorry, but I can''t do that.</em>


    Opening them again, I scooted back closer and began stroking my own cock.


    "Alright¡­ listen closely, Axilia. This is where the action really begins ¡ª I''m going to put my dick into this hole right here."


    "Eh¡­? But that''s where I piss from¡­"


    "Don''t look at me like that, I wasn''t the one who invented this," I said, then lowered my head down to her pussy.


    <em>Hm¡­ it''s already soaking wet. I don''t need to stimte it any more, but she did do a very good job of pleasing me earlier¡­</em>


    "Alright, Axilia. Here''s your reward for making me feel so good just now."


    I closed my eyes and pulled her closer by the thighs once again before digging in to her wet pussy with my tongue.


    "Kya~!" She moaned cutely, high-pitched voice ringing in my ears.


    I started off gently at first, tracing my tongue around the edges of her pussy, especially the clitoris. I then changed to the center and began licking it as if it were ice cream, taking care to keep my rhythm steady and movements consistent.


    This wasn''t my first time doing this ¡ª Qing Yue had taught me how like an expert a while ago. That girl¡­ I don''t know where she gets all these sexual techniques and knowledge from, but I won''t question it now.


    "Ahn~ d-darling¡­ I feel¡­ good¡­"


    "Is that so?" I asked, stopping momentarily and looking up at her flushed face, which was panting heavily.


    "Y-Yeah~ continue~"


    I smiled andplied, this time exploring deeper inside with my tongue. My saliva mixed with her love juices, and the unique smell of her womb struck my nose. It wasn''t bad nor good ¡ª it was just there, the smell of Axilia.


    After a while, however, I felt a hand on my head, motioning for me to stop. I backed away and looked up at Axilia, who licked her lips seductively.


    "Darling~ hurry¡­ I can''t take it anymore¡­ I want something¡­ more~"


    She eyed my bulging cock, and I knew what she wanted.


    "Fine, fine¡­" I smiled and scooted closer, pping my dick on her wet pussy a couple of times to tease her.


    "Mmn~ engh¡­ d-darling¡­" She squirmed in impatience, as if whining. My strategy seemed to have worked.


    "Alright, I''ll stop teasing you now¡­" I said, aiming my cock on a direct course to prate her womb. "¡­ Savor this moment, Axilia. This, is what sex is."


    "¡­!" Axilia''s eyes widen in surprise, voice stuck in her throat, as I shoved my dick inside her wet pussy with a single thrust.


    Of course, I took care not to go too deep. This was her first time, after all ¡ª I couldn''t be too rough.


    As if on cue, trails of blood leaked out of her pussy, around my cock.


    "A-Ahn~ darling¡­ it hurts¡­"


    "Don''t worry, it''s just because it''s your first time," I hurriedly said, holding her thighs tightly. "The pain will disappear soon¡­"


    <em>Did I go too hard¡­?</em>


    "O-Oh, you''re right¡­ the pain is fading¡­" Axilia murmured, blinking in wonder. "So¡­ I''m pregnant now, right? I love you, darling~"


    "Uh¡­ actually, you''re not pregnant yet," I corrected. "For conception to happen, you have to cum as well, together with me."


    "Eh¡­? How will I cum¡­? I don''t have a thing to stroke¡­" She asked innocently. It was enough to nearly make me forget she was the same girl who murdered hundreds in a single instant without a second thought.


    "I''ll show you," I said with a smirk. "Just sit back¡­ and enjoy the pleasure."


    I pulled out my dick a little before sliding it back in roughly now that the pain had faded.


    "Ahn~!" Axilia moaned in pleasure, legs shaking, but I kept a firm grip on them and held them up, enjoying the soft and tender feeling of her thighs.


    <em>Her pussy¡­ it''s around the same tightness as Qing Yue''s, I think? The two actually feel kind of simr¡­</em>


    Gritting my teeth, I began pumping my cock in and out of her sloppy mess of a pussy, steadily speeding up. With every thrust, Axilia would cry out in pleasure and delight, to the point where she was ying with her own breasts to help herself feel better. They shook up and down alluringly every time I pumped my dick into her, and it took everything I had not to just bite down on them on the spot.


    Since I was certain her legs were beginning to get tired from holding them up for that long, I spun her body around so that her butt was facing me, then began thrusting once again.


    "Oh~!" Axilia cried, gripping the bedsheets tightly. "D-Darling¡­ you are doing me so deep like this¡­"


    "Does it feel good?" I taunted, spanking her sexy butt, stillced by the thigh-highs she wore.


    "Ahn~! Oh, yes~ it feels great, darling~! Do me more! Harder~!"


    "Well, since you want it so much¡­"


    I grinned and began going faster, thrusting my cock into her like never before. I could feel the tip of my dick kissing her womb deep inside, and Axilia naturally could as well.


    "Oh~ darling¡­ your cock¡­ mmf¡­ feels amazing¡­!"


    SMACK!


    "You like getting spanked like this, huh?" I smirked as the loud, crisp sound of a p rang out in the air. I reached in with my left hand and grabbed her hair, pulling her head back, forcing her to answer.


    "Engh~! Yes~ spank me harder~"


    "Heh¡­"


    I did as told, spanking her buttcheeks one side at a time, alternating between the two, all while thrusting into her tight pussy. The walls of her hole seemed to coil around my cock, like I was getting sucked off by millions of tiny mouths on every cell of my dick. Truly, it felt incredible.


    Axilia, on the other hand, was also practically in heaven with the sexual enjoyment she was having. Her eyes rolled up, and her tongue dangled out of her mouth on the bed, butt raised high to let me pound her ass as hard as possible.


    As red spanking marks began emerging on the skin of her butt, I was nearing my limit as well.


    "Get ready, Axilia¡­! I''m going to cum again ¡ª this time, in your pussy!"


    "Hah~ oh~ yes~! Cum inside me, darling~! Pound my pussy more~!"


    "Ngh¡­!" I scooped my right arm between her two thick thighs and lifted her right one up, spreading her pussy by a bit, so I could have more room to go even faster.


    "Mmf~! Oh~! Ahnnn~!"


    "Axilia¡­!"


    "Cum~! Cum¡­ cum for me, darling~!"


    With one decisive spank, I let out my load into her pussy, filling her entire womb up with my seeds.


    "!!!"


    Axilia and I both froze our bodies, letting my semen flow freely into her womb. After several seconds, I finally pulled out, letting the overflow spill out onto the bed. Axilia copsed, panting heavily.


    "Ah~ so that''s what sex¡­ feels like¡­"

 Chapter 410 - New Journey

    "Whew¡­" I took a deep breath andid down on the bed beside Axilia, having just finished having sex with her. But-


    "Heheh¡­" With her tongue stuck out yfully, Axilia turned her body to me and started to reach down towards my hip area, but I quickly intercepted her with my own hand.


    "Stop. That''s enough for now."


    "Eh¡­? Why? You''re still hard, darling¡­"


    "Yeah, but learning everything in one day is not good," I replied. "I also don''t want you bing addicted to doing this, so-"


    "Fufu~ I''m already addicted to darling~" She giggled, hugging me tightly. "But it''s okay, I suppose~ we''ll be doing it everyday once we get back to the Death Realm anyway~"


    I froze.


    "¡­ What did you just say?".


    "Hm? We''ll be doing it everyd-"


    "N-No, not that," I hurriedly corrected. "I mean¡­ what did you say about the Death Realm?"


    "Eh? We''ll be going back to it, of course~" Axilia said with a bright smile, as if it were an obvious thing I should''ve already known.


    "WHAAAAAAAT?!" I cried, leaping off the bed. "W-Wait, I can''t go into the Death Realm! I''ll die!"


    "Fufu~ don''t worry, as long as you stay close to me at all times, you''ll be okay~" Sheforted with an innocent smile that gave me the creeps.


    "U-Uh¡­ and, I''m assuming, I''ll never be able to leave once I go there?"


    "Hm¡­ not unless I decide to leave too," Axilia said. "But there will be no reason to leave once we get there anyway¡­ I can bless you with undyingness, and we''ll be happy together forever, darling~!"


    <em>Oh, shit¡­ oh shit oh shit oh shit. This was not good. I never expected this to be on the list of my responsibilities when I agreed to being her ''darling'' for the time being!</em>


    "Uh¡­ d-do we have to go there?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Hm? What kind of question is that, darling~?" Axilia sat up and threw her arms around my shoulders, hugging me from behind tightly. "Remember what I said? Father sent me out to this realm to find a suitable partner for myself. And now that I''ve found him¡­ it''s time to go back."


    I gulped. Arguing with her right now wasn''t going to work. In fact, it would only make matters worse. I could only hope to find a way to escape on our way to the the entrance of the Death Realm¡­!


    "S-So, uh, where''s the exit of this ce?" I asked, slipping all my clothes back on and looking around.


    "Eh¡­? There''s no need to find the exit though," Axilia said, blinking innocently.


    "¡­ Huh?"


    "I can create gates to the Death Realm anywhere I want," she exined, smiling happily. "Look."


    She drew a circle with a single finger, shining white, and before I knew it, a portal suddenly opened in front of me. On the other side was a dark, haunted forest of sorts ¡ª it appeared to be nighttime over there, in the Death Realm, if there even was the concept of day and night.


    I gulped,ughing awkwardly inside my mind.


    <em>Ahaha¡­ w-well, there goes that n.</em>


    *****


    After getting dressed properly, Axilia pulled me through to the Death Realm by stepping through the portal, which closed soon after. I was nowpletely trapped here, until I wasn''t. I needed to find an escape, somehow. I needed to get back to the other girls. But how long that would take¡­ was a mystery.


    "So, uh, for reference''s sake¡­" I began as the two of us walked through the path within the woods, dimly lit by the harrowing moonlight. "¡­ How close to you do I have to be to not get instantly killed here?"


    "Hm¡­ let''s see. That depends on your own power, darling~" Axilia giggled andtched onto my arm lovingly. "But don''t worry¡­ I''ll always cling to your side like this~"


    Normally, I would be annoyed at the extra weight slowing me down, but in this unknown ce¡­ I was actually somewhat grateful for her reassurance in that statement. Of course, she couldn''t literally cling to me all the time.


    ¡­ Right?


    <em>But in any case¡­ this ce really is the Death Realm. I can feel the Necromancy Mana in the air¡­ but it''s also different from the one back in the Living Realm, somehow. It feels¡­ deeper. More pure and true, like a coat of invisible fog over the air.</em>


    I reached out my hand to try and absorb it, but my hand was suddenly smacked away by none other than Axilia, who looked at me with a deadpan stare.


    "Uh¡­ was I not supposed to do that?" I asked hesitantly, scratching my cheek.


    "Darling¡­ do not try to absorb the ''mana'' here," she said quietly.


    "H-Huh?! You knew what I was trying to do?!" I cried in surprise.


    "Fufu~ of course. Remember what I said earlier? I''ve been watching you since you first got close to me, darling. I saw what you did in the forest and know of all your powers. Chaos, was it?"


    I nodded. "Yeah¡­ do you know anything about it?"


    "Hm¡­ no, not really," she replied after some thought, shrugging with one arm while still clinging to me with the other. "Hehe~ it''s a power only you have, darling~"


    <em>¡­ So even someone from the Death Realm, which should be more powerful than our own given Axilia''s strength level, has never heard of Chaos Magic before¡­</em>


    "I see. But why shouldn''t I try to absorb this mana? It feels quite powerful¡­"


    "That''s exactly why you shouldn''t try to absorb it, darling," Axilia said, hugging my arm tighter than before. "Here in the Death Realm or any Realm above the Living, there is no ''mana''. Only True Essence."


    "T-True Essence¡­?" I echoed, confused.


    "Hehe~ your body is not yet prepared to use True Essence, darling, but I can help with that." Axilia smiled wryly. "Just wait until tonight~ I''ll exin more then."


    "Tonight¡­ so there is the concept of day and night here as well?"


    "Yep~" She skipped forward happily, pulling me along. "See the castle up ahead? That''s my home. Let''s go~"


    Seeing her so cheerily like this, it was difficult to imagine she was the same girl who threatened to kill my loved ones without even batting an eye.


    *****


    - Within the Castle, Front Hall -


    "I''m home, father~!" Axilia eximed as she st the doors open with a loud bang, nearly giving me a heart attack.


    "Ah, Your Highness¡­ you''re home," an old man said, bowing deeply in front of us. "Why did you not alert the guards? I would have personally came to receive you."


    He wore a professional butler outfit, and his strength was unreadable ¡ª which usually meant he was quite the master.


    "Fufu~ I wanted to give father a surprise," Axilia said, giggling happily. "Where is he?"


    "In his personal chambers, Your Highness," the old man replied politely, then turned to me. "And¡­ I assume this man is the partner you chose?"


    "Yep~!"


    "I see. Follow me ¡ª I shall lead you to His Majesty."


    The butler turned away from me, but I could still feel his lingering gaze on my body. In that brief moment he had looked at me, it was as if my entire soul had been gouged empty,id bare for the world to see. He had been attempting to read my strength ¡ª and ultimately, I was unable to resist.


    The butler led us up a circr staircase made of marble, our shoes ttering against the material ¡ª loud, crisp, and reverberating. There were few guards stationed around, but they were the elite of the elite. This building was, after all, the home of the monarch and his queen, stationed in the center of the castle bailey.


    It was surrounded by various other buildings all around, and the whole castle was enclosed in a square-shape by four tall stone walls and four towers at each vertex ¡ª just like what a standard medieval castle would look like. It was simplistic, but that made it easy to navigate, which was good for me since I was new here.


    Before long, we stopped before a pair ofrge, rosewood doors, lined with beautiful designs that stood at the pinnacle of craftsmanship. The butler, raising his arm, gently knocked on the door three times.


    "Your Majesty, your daughter ¡ª Her Highness ¡ª has returned. May she enter?"


    "R-Really?!" The hoarse voice of an old man croaked back on the other side of the door, evidently surprised at his daughter''s return. But then, he quicklyposed himself, clearing his throat, and continued in a normal tone.


    "Ahem¡­e in."


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    The butler pushed open the door gently and stood to one side, making way for Axilia and I to enter.


    The first thing I saw was the backside of a wheelchair. It was mainly red in color, with its edges lined in gold. The frame seemed to be constructed out of pure silver, reflecting the lighting from the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.


    Then, as the butler bowed and retreated, shutting the door behind him, the man in the wheelchair slowly spun around.


    "So¡­ my daughter, you have returned."

 Chapter 411 - The Death Realm

    "So¡­ my daughter, you have returned," the man said in a deep voice, his panic from earlier nowhere to be seen. He appeared old, in his 80s, and wore a silver crown on his head rather than gold like I had expected. Embedded within the crown were not jewels either, but skulls with glowing green eyes. Ominous.


    "Hehe~ hi, father!" Axilia eximed happily, still not letting go of my arm. This caused the man before me to set his gaze on my arm which his daughter was hugging, then my face.


    "¡­ This is the man you brought back as your partner?" He said, voice dangerously quiet.


    "Yep~" Axilia replied, leaning on my shoulder.


    "Hmph. How pitiful.".


    At this, both Axilia and I froze, confused.


    "Father¡­ what was that?"


    "I said¡­ how pitiful," the man repeated, ring at me. "This man was the best you could find, in all of the Living Realm? His power is beyond weak. I will never let puny insects like him inherit the throne!"


    <em>This bastard¡­ of course I''m going to be weak¡­! I came from a lower realm where this ''True Essence'' thing doesn''t even exist!</em>


    I wanted to speak up to fight back, but Axilia interrupted first.


    "¡­ Father. Take that back."


    Her voice, unlike the usual cheery, innocent one, was dark and cold. It waspletely devoid of emotion, as chilling as the Southern winds of Antarctica back in the Living Realm.


    "¡­ Are you ordering me, my daughter?"


    "It''s not an order, father," Axilia replied nonchntly as a spear suddenly appeared in her hands, giving off a pale white energy as horrifying as death itself. "¡­ It''s a threat."


    "Girl¡­" The man clenched his fists tightly. "You would betray your own father over this man you just met?!"


    "Ha¡­ HAHAHAHA!" Axilia suddenly burst outughing, eyes crazed and dull. Her pupils were dted, empty; it was as if she had suddenly changed character. "Father¡­? FATHER¡­?! You have the audacity to call yourself¡­ my FATHER?! HAHAHAHA!"


    She smacked her own face and continued tough, as if driven mad by her father''s words.


    "Tch¡­ butler! Take Aucerina to her room!"


    <em>Aucerina¡­?</em>


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    The door suddenly shot open as the butler from before appeared once again, who tossed a silver chain of some sort towards Axilia, hoping to trap her, but Axilia instantly vanished, taking me along with her.


    "W-Woah-!"


    Before I knew it, we were standing behind the man known as her father, and Axilia had her spear pointed directly at her father''s neck. Her eyes were hidden by her hair, but I could''ve sworn they were glowing red.


    "W-Wha¡­" The old man''s eyes widened in fear. "She''s never fought back like this before¡­ not even when Ipared her to her brother, which is the one thing she hates most¡­"


    "Father¡­ take back what you said about darling."


    "D-Damn you, disobedient daughter¡­!"


    Axilia pushed the spear forward a bit more, enough to draw blood from her father''s throat.


    "Wha-! A-Alright, alright, fine! I take back what I said!"


    "Apologize," Axilia continued, voice as cold and quiet as the bitter winds of a winter night.


    "Grr¡­" The king gritted his teeth tightly. "You want me¡­ the King of the Death Realm¡­ to apologize to amoner from a lower world?!"


    "A-po-lo-gize," Axilia repeated, pressing her spear forward even harder.


    "U-Ugh, fine! In the name of King Acrius the Third, I apologize to you, boy!" The man growled at me. "Happy now?!"


    Axilia, after several seconds, dematerialized her spear and clung to my arm again lovingly, smiling like an innocent angel.


    "Yes, father~!"


    Saying this, she spun on her heel and passed by the butler out the door, pulling me along with her. I sent a nce back at the king, who was shaking with fury. The butler watched us go with a hint of sadness on his face, but I pretended to have not noticed and instead turned to look at Axilia.


    "¡­ Axilia, you have a lot of exining to do," I said as we got out of the building.


    She suddenly stopped walking, scaring me a bit.


    "Fufu¡­ darling~ you don''t have to know about my past. Just forget about it, mkay?"


    Her words were innocent as she smiled at me, but I felt her hands tighten around my arms. There was a threat lying beneath that angelic smile ¡ª if I tried prying about her past¡­ she wouldn''t show any mercy to me.


    This girl¡­ she''s absolutely crazy.


    But hell, so am I. And I intend to get to the bottom of this.


    Not my business? Hardly. I''ve already been pulled into this girl''s life against my will ¡ª and I swore to myself I would save her from the loneliness in her heart.


    And to do that¡­ I needed to first find out what the root cause of it is.


    *****


    - Within the King''s Room, After Xuan Kai/Axilia had Left -


    "¡­ Your Majesty, are you alright?" The butler asked after closing the door.


    "Tch¡­ I''m fine. But that girl¡­ she''s bing too powerful for us to control. Just now, if I hadn''t swallowed my pride as a king and apologized to that mongrel, I would have really lost my life to my own bloody daughter!"


    <em>If you had shown the attention and care she deserved when she was young, and notpared her with the prince all the time¡­ she never would''ve be the girl she is today.</em> The butler thought in his head, but didn''t speak out loud for fear of treason, and instead sighed.


    "So, what do we do next, Your Majesty?"


    After some thought, the old king spoke darkly.


    "¡­ Get rid of her."


    At this, the butler froze, sweat forming on his forehead.


    "Your Majesty, you can''t mean¡­"


    "I mean exactly what I say, butler. Do you pity that girl? Enough to turn traitor to my orders?"


    "N-No, not at all, Your Majesty. Forgive my outburst. I will find a way to¡­ remove Princess Aucerina."


    "Good. Because if you don''t¡­ she''ll remove the lot of us, soon enough."


    "Understood. However... what of Her Royal Highness...?" The butler asked hesitantly.


    "Ah, yes... my mother. Worry not, I will handle that," the king said, stroking his long beard. "It will be simple fooling her. All I must do is continuing to tell her Aucerina has not returned from the Living Realm yet, in search of a suitable husband. She will never find out the truth, being the bedridden old hag she is. Besides... Death will take her anytime now."


    "... Yes, Your Majesty."


    The butler bowed and prepared to leave, somewhat disappointed at the king''s attitude towards his own mother, but there was nothing he could do as a servant. But then, he remembered something else.


    "Oh, right, Your Majesty¡­ forgive me, I nearly forgot to show this to you, with all that had happened."


    Saying this, he stepped forward and handed a letter of some sort to the king, who unfolded the parchment and read through it.


    And when he did, his eyes lit up in happiness.


    "Oh! This is great news! Once <em>he</em> gets back, <em>he</em> can take care of Aucerina with ease! Just at the right time, too¡­ truly, my greatest sess ¡ª my son, Auldren!"


    <em>The oldest and only son of King Acrius III¡­ Prince Auldren, the same child who Aucerina had beenpared to and overshadowed by all her life.</em> The butler thought. <em>Sigh¡­ there is nothing to be done. Princess Aucerina, I truly hope you can survive out of this unscathed¡­ but the chances are slim.</em>


    "Hahaha!" The old kingughed like a maniac, crumpling the letter in his hands. "Aucerina¡­ my dear daughter¡­ you will soon die a terrible death, just like your ursed mother, hahaha!"


    *****


    - A While Earlier, The Living Realm¡­ -


    "Hah¡­ this forest isn''t any better than the one on the other side of the abyss," Ming Hao muttered.


    The entire group was in low spirits after the loss of Xuan Kai. Even though Long Yi and Mei Gui seemed confident Xuan Kai wasn''t dead on the surface, deep down, they had their doubts and uncertainties. As such, no one dared to approach the group of girls, who walked on their own near the end of the team.


    They were currently passing through a biome of the same ash-grey, lifeless forest as the other mountain they had just came from, with no sign of the vige that was their goal in sight.


    Tired and morales low, the group was on the verge of giving up. But then¡­


    "Look! The ground!" Someone called out, pointing below at their feet.


    "Wha¡­"


    Everyone''s eyes widened as the ash-grey, tar-like ground below them suddenly returned to normal color once again ¡ª the rich brown color of dirt, and the trees returned to normal color as well. The leaves didn''t grow back instantly, but with some time, they will. The fog also dispersed, and the mobs that they had faced in the previous forest never came.


    "What is going on¡­"


    "The Grey Scourge¡­ it''s gone?!"


    "The thick Death energy¡­" Mei Gui muttered, looking around. "I don''t feel it in the air anymore."


    "It''s gone! It''s really gone!" The crowd cheered in excitement.


    "Ha¡­ don''t get too happy just yet," Long Lu interjected, putting a downer on things. "We still have to get out of here¡­ though that shouldn''t be too difficult, now that we don''t have to worry about the scourge getting us before we can escape."


    "This feels¡­ too suspicious," Obsidia muttered. "The Grey Scourge¡­ just suddenly disappearing like this?"


    "It''s almost as if some mysterious person has saved us¡­" Feng Mian murmured. "I wonder who¡­ if I ever meet him, I need to give him a big thank you, I suppose."


    "¡­ Xuan Kai¡­ I hope you''re doing fine¡­" Lin Luo and Long Yi muttered at the same time, quietly, unheard by anyone else.


    Of course, the Grey Scourge disappearing was actually because Xuan Kai and Axilia left this realm and went into the Death Realm, thus taking her domain with her. The person who ''saved'' them was, in fact, Xuan Kai yet again.


    Later, the group would be rescued by the Shadow Empress Ling Xin herself, who came here in search of Xuan Kai. But s, the other girls informed her of what happened, and she held an unreadable expression of determination on her face as she parted ways with the group once again.


    <em>It couldn''t be¡­</em> She thought, picking up her pace. <em>They didn''t¡­ not in the Death Realm¡­!</em>


    After all, if someone from this world went in there, they were already as good as dead.

 Chapter 412 - True Essence

    - Within the Death Realm -


    Soon, Axilia brought me to a building to the left of the king''s, on the other side of a concrete strip of sidewalk. The roads were lit bymps that were powered by hot white fire rather than electricity, but even with the mes, the night air of the Death Realm was chilling to the bone.


    "Come on, darling~" Axilia said, pulling me inside through the front doors and shutting it behind her once we were both inside.


    "This ce¡­" I looked around at the interior of the building, which was nothing short of the king''s. There was some dust settled on the furniture since she had been away for so long, but that was concerning in a different way.


    "Axilia¡­ do you not have servants here?" I asked, frowning.


    "Nope~" She said in a carefree tone, merrily pulling me up the stairs.


    "But¡­ why? You''re the princess of the kingdom¡­ how do you not have any servants?"


    "I used to," she said, slowing down her pace.. "My father sent them here. But then I found out they were actually spies for him, so I killed them all, hehe~"


    "¡­" I fell silent, trying to make sense of all the information I''ve gotten so far.


    <em>From their interaction earlier, I can tell Axilia doesn''t have a good rtionship with her father¡­ but to the point where she is getting spied on by him using servants? Just what happened in the past?</em>


    I had to be careful not to pry too hard, or else Axilia would get upset. I clearly couldn''t ask her anything, and the king was out of the question. So then¡­


    A face popped up in my head ¡ª the face of an old man wearing a butler suit.


    *****


    In the end, Axilia and I climbed into the same bed after taking showers. It took everything I had to convince her showering together was not a good idea, since I already knew we would be too distracted by¡­ other things.


    She also tried doing said things with me after showering, on the bed, but I managed to stop her by bringing up a conversation we had prior to arriving at the castle.


    "Axilia, didn''t you say you were going to exin everything about the Death Realm and True Essence to me tonight?" I asked. "That time is now."


    "Oh, right~ I nearly forgot, fufu~" She giggled and wrapped her arms around my body, pulling the warm nket up to our necks. "You see, darling, the thing you call mana in the Living Realm is but a downgraded version of True Essence. And the ''magic'' that you use¡­ is but a downgraded version of the power of the Laws."


    I furrowed my brows. "Laws?"


    "Yep~ In every Realm, there is a Law supporting it. The Living Realm has many different kinds of Laws in it, shing with one another, which is why they ended up turning into a weaker version of themselves ¡ª the energy you call ''mana''."


    "So¡­ the Death Realm is governed by the Law of Death," I said, then realized. "Sorry, that sounded really stupid."


    "Hehe~" Axiliaughed and rubbed her head against my chest, hugging me tighter. I continued.


    "Is there any way for me to control the power of Laws rather than mana?"


    "Hm¡­ there is, but it will take a long time to convert~" Axilia said. "It''s better to just let me protect you¡­ don''t worry, I''ll kill anyone who tries harming you, darling~"


    "Sorry, but I''m not interested in getting protected by girls," I replied. "If you know how to do this ''conversion'', teach me."


    "Fufu¡­ you want to protect me instead, darling~? Hehe~ you''re making me blush~"


    Axilia loosened her grip around me and hopped off the bed, taking my hand and dragging me along. She walked over to the window in the room, then pushed them open, allowing the night breeze to blow in like a winter''s storm.


    Considering I wasn''t wearing clothes and only pants ¡ª that''s how I usually slept ¡ª this came freezing for me.


    "A-Ah, shit¡­ it''s cold¡­!"


    I was about to cast a spell to heat my own body up to fight back, but then, Axilia swung her arms around me and rested her head against my chest.


    "Now you aren''t cold anymore, darling~"


    I blinked, feeling the warmth of her body against mine, and slowly patted her head.


    "Heh¡­ thanks, Axilia."


    After several seconds, after my body had adjusted to the cold, I gently pushed her away.


    "Okay, I''m fine now. Uh¡­ how does the conversion work?"


    "It''s simple. Try to absorb the True Essence in the air, darling~"


    "Huh? But¡­ didn''t you tell me not to do that earlier?"


    "That''s because you had just arrived here, fufu~ your body needs time to adjust to the new environment. But now¡­ it should be safe to try~"


    <em>Yeah¡­ ''should be''. Okay, got it.</em>


    I reached my arm out the window, gulped, then activated my Chaos powers. Since the True Essence in the air was a lot more prominent and easier to feel than mana, I didn''t need to bother looking for it like finding a needle in a haystack.


    I inhaled deeply and began the absorption process, feeling the invisible threads of energy in the air enter my body via my fingertips. But as soon as it did, my eyes widened in shock.


    "Ngh¡­!"


    "Darling!" Axilia cried out in worry, but I stopped her from interfering using my other hand and gritted my teeth.


    The True Essence of Death¡­ it felt incredibly cold. Not like ice or snow ¡ª no, this was a different kind of cold. A bone-chilling, spine-shivering cold, produced from internal fear rather than external climate.


    As it slipped into my body, I felt my entire figure begin trembling, but I held steady and took it all in. It felt like a snake was making its way up the bloodstream of my body, causing me to shiver, but I endured it and continued.


    "Stop, that''s enough!" Axilia called out, pulling me back from the window. "Ah¡­ darling, you took in way too much¡­"


    "I''m fine," I said, ncing down at my two palms and narrowing my eyes. "What next?"


    "See if you can control it, of course~" Axilia said. "Like this~"


    She smiled and cut through the air horizontally with her right arm, and I blinked in surprise as white energy emerged from seemingly out of nowhere and shot outside the window in the shape of a crescent. It smashed into a tree and utterly decimated it before Axilia balled her hand into the shape of a fist, causing the projectile to disappear.


    Around her body, an aura of white energy flowed in a gas-like state, almost simr to clouds but in a messier, sharper pattern. That was True Essence.


    "In the Upper Realms, using preset spell names is not what we do," Axilia exined. "Everyone has their own fighting style, using the same power of True Essence. Someone''s mastery over the power decides how much freedom they have, of course~ now, give it a try, darling~"


    I nodded and began to mimic her movements, but she suddenly took hold of my arm and stopped me.


    "No, not like that~"


    "Huh¡­?"


    "Like I said, everyone has their own fighting style, darling~" Axilia said with a bright smile. "Feel the True Essence inside your body¡­ and follow its flow~"


    "¡­" I closed my eyes and tried to visualize my own body. I could feel that the mana within me had been nearlypleted dominated by the True Essence, as if consumed.


    But then, a third power came in ¡ª the power of Chaos. Just like how the True Essence devoured my original mana, the Chaos energy devoured the True Essence, converting it into Chaos Essence. The originally white Death Essence was turned red and ck ¡ª it seemed that even True Essence, the genuine energy of the Upper Realms, was still nothing in front of the omnipotent force of the Primordial Chaos.


    <em>Deep breaths¡­</em>


    I calmed down, slowing my breathing and clearing my mind of any other thoughts. Axilia remained quiet as well, knowing this was an important time for me and shouldn''t be disturbed.


    <em>My own fighting style¡­ I''ve got it.</em>


    <em>I shouldn''t be trying to imitate Axilia. My fighting style ¡ª my power ¡ª is Chaos. All I need to do is embrace that, and¡­</em>


    My eyes snapped open as various ck clouds appeared around my body, trailing with red lines of energy like ominous blood.


    I had done it.


    "Woah¡­" Axilia looked at me in awe, eyes sparkling, as she admired my new power. "It''s beautiful¡­"


    Beautiful? She thought this murderous, blood-like ck and redbination was beautiful? Well, to each their own, I suppose.


    I narrowed my eyes and cut through the air with my arm just like Axilia had done moments before, and a crescent-shaped attack of raw Chaos Essence shot out in front of me, simr in size to the one Axilia had sent out but far more deadly.


    As it passed by the tree she had cut down moments earlier, the entire nt withered, leaves disappearing into nothingness and branches thinning out. A ck squirrel-like animal that had been climbing on the fallen tree when my attack passed by also froze and fell over, the light in its eyes fading away instantly.


    I clenched my fists tightly, mentally ordering the attack to disperse. It did, following my instructions perfectly.


    "Woah¡­" Axilia walked up beside me, eyes sparkling with wonder, then suddenly wrapped her arms around mine and rubbed her face against it. "Hehe~ I knew darling could do it~!"


    I smiled. True Essence¡­ you''re mine now.

 Chapter 413 - Return Of The Prince

    - Outskirts of the Death Realm Capital, Mordem -


    "Your Highness, His Majesty has sent a return letter," a soldier reported as he rushed into a tent, kneeling down.


    "Oh? Let''s see it," a young man''s voice replied, quiet yet charismatic.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    The soldier moved up and pulled out a folded piece of parchment from his armor''s inner pocket, then handed it to the man sitting on a throne of sorts, who took it in his wless hand.


    "Hm¡­ oho¡­ I see¡­" The prince murmured as he skimmed through the letter, a devious smile forming on his face. "So¡­ my beloved Aucerina has returned, huh? It seems she was unable to find a suitable partner in the Living Realm, so she hase back to my arms! We are destined to be together after all!"


    "Er¡­ but His Majesty wanted you to get rid of her¡­"


    At this, the prince stopped momentarily, then sent a sharp ,menacing re towards the soldier. The man, seeing this piercing gaze, immediately tensed up, sweat forming on his forehead. Eerie clouds of white energy drifted around the prince''s body, contrasting with the sharp blue eyes of his..


    "¡­ You read the letter?" He asked. Although the voice was quiet, it was threatening.


    "Y-Yes, Your Highness. I checked its contents to make sure there was not any poison or curses hidden within it¡­"


    "Ah." The prince smiled. "You have my gratitude, soldier. What would I have done without you?"


    "N-No, please think nothing of it, Your Highness. It is my duty."


    "Mm, indeed. Now, execute him."


    "W-Wait, what?!" The soldier cried out in shock as two guards beside the prince stepped forward and pressed him against the ground. "Y-Your Highness, what is the meaning of th-"


    "Shh, shh, shhh¡­ I am grateful for your actions, but that does not change the fact that you read a letter intended for me and me alone. Do you understand, soldier?"


    "A-Ah, but it was to p-protect you, Your Highness-!"


    "And like I said¡­ I''m grateful for that. Now, hurry up."


    "Yes, Your Highness," one of the two guards said briskly before pulling out his sword and aiming it at the soldier''s head.


    "A-AHH! W-WAIT, YOUR HIGHNESS, PLEAS-"


    SWOOSH.


    The de struck down swiftly, prating the soldier''s skull with ease and silencing him immediately. The two guards lifted his body and carried it out of the tent, as the prince sighed and leaned back in his throne.


    "¡­ You may rest easy, knowing you have my gratitude."


    *****


    - The Next Morning -


    "Mmn¡­ darling¡­" Axilia moaned softly, wrapping her entire body around mine. The shuffling caused me to wake up, slowly opening my eyes. Beside mey Axilia, who waspletely naked.


    I wasn''t surprised at all. After Iprehended the concept of True Essencest night, Axilia had roped me into having sex with her again. We ended up doing it for several hours before finally going to bed ¡ª her sex drive was incredible, almost on par with Feng Mian, who was part-subus.


    "Agh¡­ Axilia¡­ time to wake up¡­" I lightly pped her on the cheeks a couple of times, but that only caused her to shift closer and entangle her limbs around me more, like she wanted to be one with me.


    With a sigh, I groaned and got off from the bed, carrying Axilia with me on my back. This caused her to wake up by force, and she rubbed her beautiful pink eyes open, blinking a few times while riding on my back.


    "Awwnnn¡­ good morning, darling~"


    "¡­ Good morning," I said. "Now, uh, are you going to get off me, or what?"


    "Eh¡­? But I don''t want to¡­" She whined like a baby, holding onto me tightly and refusing to get off. It was somewhat cute, in all honesty, but s, she had to go.


    "C''mon¡­ you''re not 3 years old anymore¡­ I can''t do anything with you on my back like this¡­"


    I forcefully pried her arms off of me and gently set her down on the ground, then pointed my chin towards the bathtub.


    "Go take a shower."


    "Hm¡­ darling, are you calling me smelly?"


    "No¡­ but it will help you wake up."


    "Hehe~ mkay~"


    I sighed as she began stripping, then made a simple toothbrush using Earth Magic. Pine tree needles worked great as bristles, and wood served as the body of the brush. But just as I did this-


    "Woah-!"


    I felt a sudden tug on my arm and was dragged into the shower, nearly falling over. Axilia moved closer to me and licked her lips, voluptuous body naked and alluring, highlighted by the water.


    "Darling¡­ I fell asleepst night. You must have been disappointed, no~?" She giggled, pressing her breasts against me. "Don''t worry¡­ I''ll make up for it now~"


    <em>Uh, actually, I was relieved when she finally fell asleep, but¡­</em>


    Axilia reached down and prepared to unbuckle the pants I had just put on not long ago, but then-


    POP! POP POP POP!


    Both Axilia and I froze, confused at the sudden noise.


    "What was that¡­?"


    I hurriedly got out of the bathtub, shaking the water off my body, and ran over to the window to open the curtains.


    "Wha¡­" My eyes widened as I beheld the scene before me.


    A handsome young man with wavy blond hair and striking blue eyes was mounted on top of a brilliant warhorse wearing silver armor, waving at therge crowd that had gathered all around. They shot party poppers for the young man and his entourage ¡ª otherwise known as an entire army of soldiers.


    All the citizens of the castle bailey seemed to have came, weing the man home, who held a pleasant smile on his face as he waved back. On his head was a silver crown of some sort, simr to the king''s.


    "Who is that¡­" I muttered.


    Axilia, still naked, walked up and hugged me from behind. "That''s Auldren, the prince ¡ª my brother."


    "Ah. You must be happy to have him back, then-"


    "Happy?" Axilia scoffed. I felt her grip tighten around my chest, and gulped. "Ha¡­ HAHAHA!"


    "A-Axilia! Calm down!" I hurriedly said, turning around and shaking her shoulders.


    "Ha¡­ happy¡­ oh, I sure AM happy he''s back¡­ now, I can kill him atst!"


    "W-What are you talking about¡­ he''s your own brother¡­"


    "Brother¡­?! Hah¡­ we aren''t rted by blood¡­ if we were, we would be equal. If we were¡­ I wouldn''t have to murder him, fufufu¡­"


    Axiliaughed darkly, and her eyes shed with crazy murderous intent.


    <em>Not rted by blood¡­? Equal¡­?</em>


    <em>Wait¡­ is this why the king treats Axilia so harshly? Are they¡­ not actually father and daughter, and Prince Auldren is his only child?! Then¡­ why is Axilia still regarded as a princess, even if only in name?!</em>


    I had many questions and was confused as hell, but realizing it would be dangerous if Axilia was left unchecked, I suddenly pulled her into a hug and ced my hand on the back of her neck.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Thief''s Hand.</em>


    Axilia''s eyes widened for a second, nking out, then she faded into unconsciousness and copsed against me.


    "Sorry, Axilia¡­"


    Lifting her body up, I ced her on the bed and helped her put on a spare change of clothes, then covered her with the nket.


    In my body, I felt like I had stolen a bit of her power, even though I didn''t particrly meant to. I only used Thief''s Hand to knock her out unconscious, since normal attacks weren''t going to work against her. I had to use something greater than True Essence ¡ª Chaos, and Forbidden Magic.


    Still¡­ what is this incredible True Essence inside of her body, now within mine?! Despite not being the wielder of Chaos, her Essence''s raw power was on par with my own. This girl¡­ she had incredible talent ¡ª just never received the proper training and attention from her guardians to hone it. What a waste¡­


    <em>¡­ Once I get stronger, I''ll help her hone it myself. Now that I''ve gotten a grasp of her power, she can''t betray me anyway. But in the meantime¡­ there were more pressing matters to be concerned about.</em>


    <em>Now that this Auldren person was back in town, Axilia would definitely attempt to kill him. And if my guess is correct¡­ the king is trying to get rid of Axilia as well, after what happenedst night. He should be trying to use Auldren to do so.</em>


    <em>In other words, those two would definitely be going up against one another. Before that happened¡­ I needed to find out just what happened in Axilia''s past. Then, and only then, could I solve the mystery of her dark history, and what Auldren had to do with it.</em>


    Clenching my fists, I put on my cloak, put my oversized hood over my head, and slipped on my gloves. Then, I set out of the building, in search of a certain old person.


    He may be the only one who can help.

 Chapter 414 - The Old Butler

    Using my invisibility magic, I sneaked my way across the castle bailey in search of the old butler. With normal mana, this wouldn''t have worked, as the Death Realm''s power would consume me, but now that I had acquired the power of True Essence, I had essentially be a true inhabitant of this ce, thus allowing me to travel freely without Axilia''s help.


    Although I was not an expert on it yet, afterbing its powers with my Chaos''s amplification ability, I could pass off as a formidable True Essence user.


    Moreover, just because this was the Death Realm, it wasn''t just my Necromancy Element abilities that were enhanced. Because everything in this world originated from the Chaos that dwells within me, the Death Essence collected from here would automatically be converted to ''Chaos Essence'', which could then be interchanged to any element I wished.


    I also noticed that True Essence, unlike mana, didn''t have a limit to it. I could use it for however long I wanted to without fearing it ever running out. This was because True Essence was the energy of nature and the world itself, which meant my body was constantly absorbing it from the environment around me and replenishing whatever I used. And since the world is always producing more and more True Essence, I could never run out.


    Unless, of course, there was a way to cut off True Essence in a specific location, somehow.... though that would be difficult, since True Essence wasn''t something that could be simply blocked off by walls or magic barriers. If one wanted to block it from entering somewhere, they needed topletely sever that area from the realm itself to do so.


    But back to the matter at hand... honestly speaking, I had no idea where the old butler was. I assumed he would be with the king, but if that''s the case, it would be too risky to try and talk to him. However, if...


    I smirked as a n formed in my head.


    *****


    <em>There he is.</em>


    I crouched on the roof of a building, spotting the old butler''s figure in the distance. He stood beside the king in his throne, who awaited on top of his castle balcony. The path the prince was taking was heading directly for them, while all the citizens made way.


    Being a half-vampire paired with Lin Luo''s Ascended Seraphim ichor has granted me some pretty overpowered physical abilities. Insane regeneration, superhuman strength, incredible agility, were all part of it ¡ª and exceptional vision was no exception. Thus, I was able to spot the butler ¡ª though I doubted I wouldn''t be able to even without these physical traits. After all, him and the king were the only two people high up on the castle''s balcony. They weren''t exactly hard to differentiate.


    I immediately took off into the air using Sky Magic and flew closer to get within range. It felt great, now that I was using True Essence to supplement my spells and not mana. I could keep flying forever with no problems (other than hunger and thirst).


    <em>Alright¡­ just a little closer¡­</em>


    "¡­!" I suddenly skidded to a stop mid-air as I felt a thick screen of magic energy in front of me, sweat forming on my forehead.


    <em>This¡­ what the hell is this¡­?</em>


    I gulped. I couldn''t see it, but I could feel an extremely powerful barrier in front of me. Had I not stopped in time, I would''ve crashed into it¡­ and probably died. There was a thick Death Essence aura surrounding it, more pure and strong than anything I''ve felt before. If I had tried to run straight through it, I most likely would not have made it.


    However¡­ this Realm did not have any Space Essence. The Living Realm I came from may have a downgraded version of True Essence called mana, but it contained mana from 21 different sources. Being the wielder of Chaos, I have ess to all 21 of those elements, but this Death Realm only had one ¡ª Necromancy. As such, all the barriers and defense mechanisms were made with that in mind.


    In other words¡­


    <em>Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Portal Pair.</em>


    Lifting my arm, I created a warp gate on the barrier in front of me, then set the exit gate on top of one of the towers above where the king and the butler were. Since I wasn''t confident how thick this barrier was, I refrained from using something like Blink, and Teleport was used for more long-distance transports.


    Portal Pair was a spell I learned in the university library back in Fragment ¡ª essentially, what it did was create two warp gates. When I went through one of them, I woulde out from the other. Anyone could use my Portal Pairs, but if they tried entering right as I closed them, only the body parts that entered the portal would make the jump. In other words, it could be used strategically in a battle as well, not just for utility.


    After stepping through the portal, I quickly closed them and attempted to connect with the butler.


    <em>Level Two Psychic Magic ¡ª Telepathy.</em>


    I only had a limited amount of time here. Once the prince got closer, our time to talk would be cut short. I needed to make an appointment with him to talk privately, one way or another.


    An invisible strand of Psychic energy was shot out of my mind and headed for the old butler. But then-


    "¡­!" The butler turned around sharply, staring directly where I was crouched down, invisible.


    "Something wrong, butler?" The king asked, raising an eyebrow.


    The butler furrowed his brows momentarily, then turned back around. "¡­ No. Not at all."


    At first, I was shocked, thinking I would get caught, but then, the butler rxed his mind''s defenses on purpose, allowing me to enter with ease. I was confused, but didn''t miss this opportunity and slipped the strand of Psychic energy into his head, connecting our minds together.


    <em>¡­ Why didn''t you expose me?</em> I asked.


    <em>I am certain you did note here to ask me that,</em> he replied. <em>The prince is about to arrive before the king and I. Make it quick.</em>


    I sighed and responded. <em>I would like to speak with you privately¡­ regarding Axilia''s past. 12 PM tonight,e to the forest behind her quarters.</em>


    <em>¡­ And what makes you think I have to tell you this?</em> He challenged. A fair point. However¡­


    <em>I''m not forcing you. But I am trying to save that girl, and to do that, I need this information. Of course, if you don''t care about her at all like the rest of her ''family'', then you are free not toe.</em>


    <em>¡­</em> The butler fell silent, but I didn''t need to hear his response.


    His silence was proof enough that I had seeded.


    Retracting my invisible psychic string of telepathy, I decisively turned around and used Portal Pair to escape the same way I hade in from.


    *****


    I crouched on the roof, spectating what would happen next. I needed to get a grasp on this prince''s personality if I had to fight him in the future. Being able to remain invisible for as long as I wanted really felt nice, as a side note.


    The prince and the rest of his calvary slowly galloped up to the castle where the king and the butler stood, then looked up, his glistening blond hair swaying in the air and blue eyes shining like sapphires. He was beautifully handsome, as expected of a prince, and possessed wless skin andposure. His build was slim but muscr, much simr to my own, and the heroic armor that lined his body suited him perfectly, as if saying ''he was the main character of a fairy tale''.


    "I have returned, father," he said firmly, pulling the reins on his warhorse and making ite to a stop.


    "Good, good!" The king shouted in excitement, pping his hands together. "Wee back, my one and only son ¡ª Auldren!"


    As the crowd erupted into apuse once more, the prince ¡ª Audlren ¡ª shed a handsome, smug smile, causing the girls in the crowd to all squeal in admiration with hearts in their eyes. Then, ignoring their praises, he looked around, as if searching for someone.


    "¡­ Father, where is Aucerina?"


    The king, hearing this, sighed. "That girl¡­ she refuses to wee you home, for whatever reason. We can hardly drag her out of her room given her age, so¡­"


    Auldren narrowed his eyes slightly, as if angered, but the expression left as quickly as it came. No one else noticed it but me, who had been observing him with close detail.


    "¡­ I see. She has always been quite stubborn, so please do not me her, father."


    "Aww, so caring¡­" The girls in the crowd swooned.


    "I wish I had a boyfriend like that¡­"


    "Idiot, you think you can get someone like Prince Auldren?"


    <em>Hm¡­ he seems pretty interested in Axilia ¡ª Aucerina, that''s for sure. But does he truly care about his little sister¡­ or is this just an act? He seemed angry when he was told Axilia didn''t even bother weing him¡­</em>


    "By the way, father," Auldren spoke up once again. "If Aucerina refuses to see me¡­ what about her twin sister? Her name is Lixi."


    I froze. <em>Axilia¡­ has a twin sister?</em>

 Chapter 415 - Auldrens Ambitions

    <em>Axilia¡­ has a twin sister? Lixi is the name¡­ but why does that seem so familiar¡­</em>


    "That girl you were interested in, yes?" The king raised an eyebrow. "One year after you left this ce, five years ago, she escaped to the Living Realm. Since then, she has not returned. I''m afraid¡­ she did not want to marry you."


    <em>Wow, that must hurt. Having your crush escape to a whole other realm just to avoid being with you¡­ yikes.</em>


    The prince, however, kept his poker face up and didn''t appear mad at all.. Instead, he justughed awkwardly and scratched his hair.


    "Well, well¡­ that can''t be helped. I was hoping to marry her once I returned, too."


    For some reason though, I was suspicious about this guy. I had a nose for sensing people who weren''t actually as they appeared on the outside, and this so-called prince reeked of it.


    As such¡­ I decided to peer into his head to take a good look at just how dark his thoughts were.


    <em>Level Three Psychic Magic ¡ª Mind Read.</em>


    The prince''s mental defenses were quite high ¡ª his poker pace was nearly unbreakable, and he remained calm in the most hectic of situations.


    But even so¡­ it cannot withstand the power of Chaos.


    One by one, I pried away the walls to his mind without him even realizing, letting me get a good look at just what his true thoughts were.


    <em>That bitch¡­ to think she''d run away while I was at war, before I even got to touch her¡­</em> The prince thought in hatred, though his outside smile was as friendly and innocent as ever. <em>Well, no matter. I still have Aucerina. I had been hoping to take both of those two beauties as my wives, but just one is fine as well. Now that she is back in the Death Realm¡­ all I have to do is force her into submission, then take her first time! And then, she''ll be mine! HAHAHA!</em>


    I closed my eyes and hurriedly canceled my spell, not wanting to see any further as things turned graphic. I definitely didn''t want to see his fantasies of what he could do to Axilia, but I did manage to get a glimpse of the other girl''s face inside his mind.


    It was an image of her from five years ago, but there was no doubt about it. She was someone I knew well¡­ and had control over.


    Lixi¡­ add an ''n'' to both parts of that name, and I end up with Linxin. Separate that, add a silent ''g'', and¡­ tada, Ling Xin. Though the girl inside his mind was¡­ less developed body-wise and shorter than what I was used to, but I knew Ling Xin when I saw her. But I thought she was titled Shadow Empress, with strong control over the Shadow Element¡­ I never expected her to be from the Death Realm.


    But that was a mystery for me to solve on another day. For now¡­ I needed to find out about Axilia''s past.


    Speaking of, I should probably go check on her right now¡­


    *****


    While the prince entered the castle to eat the wee feast prepared for him, I returned to Axilia''s quarters and opened the door.


    There, sitting on the bed, still in the lingerie she wore fromst night, was Axilia. She was staring out the window at the forest where I had used to practice True Essencest night. Upon hearing the door open, however, she immediately turned around and pulled her scythe off the wall, arriving before me instantly.


    "Wha-!" My eyes widened as I froze, the edge of her scythe at my neck. "I-It''s me, Axilia¡­"


    "Darling¡­" She slowly moved her scythe away, blinking her beautiful pink eyes, before dropping the weapon on the floor and suddenly going on her tippy-toes to kiss me deeply.


    After a few seconds, we separated, and I shut the door behind me.


    "¡­ You fainted earlier," I lied. "How are you feeling now?"


    "I''m feeling okay, darling~ but¡­ how did I faint~?" She tilted her head cutely and innocently, confused.


    "Uh¡­" I folded my arms. "Probably from us¡­ you know, doing <em>that</em> too muchst night. You didn''t get much sleep."


    "Oh¡­ well, I am doing better now, so let''s continue~!" She yelped happily and swung her arms around me.


    "E-Eh?!" I cried, but it was toote.


    "Fufu~ no running, darling~"


    "W-Wai- Axilia, you need to res- ah!"


    *****


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­" I nced at Axilia, who nowy sound asleep on the bed. I told her she needed rest, and it turned out, she really did. After only four or five rounds, she just fell unconscious, whereasst night, we had gone for over twenty no problem.


    She had incredible sex drive¡­ but then again, since I was able to amodate that, I guess that would mean I had an even more incredible one. Though she lusted after having sex, however, it seemed to be only with me. She may be a bit crazy, but she loved me wholly ¡ª I could see into her mind and read that. No other man would satisfy her, and no man could anyway, now that she''s been cursed by the Chaos.


    I guess this would mean I have to take responsibility for her as well, but¡­ I''ve got a big enough harem already. Could I handle them all? I don''t think the other girls would mind having Axilia join, but Axilia herself would definitely not be happy about having to share her lover, given how obsessive she was when it came to me.


    But those were problems for the future. I would cross that bridge when I got to it. There was no sense in worrying about it now ¡ª as they say, worrying is suffering twice¡­ oh wait, no, wrong mindset. If I say it like that, it''s like implying something bad''s going to happen once the other girls and Axilia meet one another¡­


    With a sigh, I tucked Axilia''s cute sleeping figure into her nkets neatly so she could stay warm, then stepped outside the room and nced at the clock.


    "Already 5 o''clock¡­ hm. Guess I''ll make some dinner."


    I wasn''t exactly a master chef, but I knew how to do basic cooking thanks to Qing Yue (her food was absolutely delicious, by the way). Heading down the stairs, I prepared to walk into kitchen, but-


    KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.


    "Hello, Aucerina. I know you are in there. Do you know who I am? Of course you do. Your elder brother¡­ Auldren. Can we talk? You will probably not respond, but I''m afraid you do not have a choice. I aming in, and you cannot stop me."


    I froze.


    <em>¡­ Oi, oi, oi¡­ you''ve got to be kidding me!</em>


    I nced down at my still-naked upper body, then quickly looked around for a ce to hide. Then, I pped myself.


    <em>I-Idiot, Xuan Kai¡­ what are you doing?! You can turn invis-</em>


    Auldren opened the door. Before I could turn invisible¡­ he opened the door.


    Naturally, the first thing he saw was me. Me, with my chest, abs, and arms in full disy, inside a girl''s house. The two of us stared at one another in silence for several seconds, him trying toe to terms with what he was seeing right now and me trying to figure out a good excuse for being here half-naked.


    "Uh¡­ hi?" I waved hesitantly, kicking off the conversation.


    The prince immediately drew his sword and swung towards me in the blink of an eye.


    "¡­!" I quickly evaded and leaped back. Luckily, my vampiric agility was enough to let me get out of the way just in the nick of time.


    The prince didn''t expect me to be able to do that and slowly straightened his body once more, pointing his sword at me and narrowing his blue eyes.


    "You¡­ who are you?"


    <em>This guy¡­ he''s not that strong.</em>


    Just now, I wasn''t actually trying to think of excuses. I was actually evaluating the prince, gauging his strength. If it came to a battle, I could win with ease.


    Because of that, there was no reason to cower in front of him.


    "You came here in search of Axilia ¡ª or rather, ''Aucerina'', was it?" I smirked. "Well¡­ I hate to tell you, but she''s asleep right now. May I ask¡­ what business do you have with my woman?"


    At this, the prince''s originally handsome face contorted into one of rage and disgust. He mmed the door shut so no one outside would be able to see or hear what''s going on here, then tilted his head slightly.


    "¡­ Your woman? Who do you think you are, pest? How dare you¡­ call my Aucerina ''your woman''?"


    "Oh, my bad," I said, folding my arms and leaning against the wall casually. "I just thought¡­ after taking a girl''s virginity, that makes them your woman, does it not? Isn''t that what you were nning on doing, ''Prince Auldren''?"


    At this, his eyes widened.


    "You bastard¡­ you can read minds¡­!"


    <em>Level One Psychic Magic ¡ª Telekinesis.</em>


    I lifted my arm and pulled my cloak to me using psychic powers, then changed nonchntly with a smirk on my face and an evil look in my eyes.


    "I can do a lot more than just read minds¡­ you disgusting scum."

 Chapter 416 - Battle For Love?

    "Oho¡­" The prince smiled. "Are you challenging me, pest?"


    "Oi, oi¡­ is calling people ''pest'' your kink or what?" I chuckled. "Does it make you feel good, acting like you''re superior to everyone else?"


    "That is because I am."


    "¡­"


    <em>How delusional is this guy?! Well¡­ he''ll learn soon enough.</em>


    "Looks like someone needs to knock you down a few pegs," Imented, folding my arms. "Do I want to be the one to do that? Eh, not really. But since you''re already here¡­ I''m the only one who can."


    "Ha. Just because you avoided one of my attacks, you think yourself worthy to face me?" Auldren snorted.. "Very well, pest. I will make an example out of you by mounting your severed head on a pike for everyone in the capital to see. Then, once I am done with that¡­ I will im Aucerina for myself ¡ª her true destined partner!"


    "Huh? You don''t mind that I''ve already had sex with her about fifty times?" Iughed. "Knowing your pride and arrogance, I''m sure you would have gotten angry."


    "Oh, don''t get me wrong¡­ I will kill her first, then resurrect her again anew to be my wife," Auldren sneered. "She will have no memory of her past life¡­ and be mine alone."


    "So¡­ technically, I could kill you here, then resurrect you as my own pawn?! Cool!" I pped my hands together casually, as if thoroughly enjoying this conversation.


    "Bastard¡­!" He gritted his teeth in rage. "Are you mocking me?!"


    I smirked. "Maybe, who knows."


    My n had worked. He was now agitated and enraged, and would definitely make the first move on me. Show me your powers, Auldren¡­ be my test subject!


    "RAGH!"


    As expected, Auldren began by dashing towards me and swinging his sword, which was now charged with a silver glow.


    ''Blink.''


    Instantly teleporting behind him, I wagged my fingers as he cut nothing but thin air.


    "Wha-"


    "Over here, moron," I taunted once more, a smug grin on my face.


    "Damn pest¡­!"


    Auldren cut towards me again, but I teleported away with just the same ease.


    "What''s wrong? Can''t hit me? Hm¡­ would you like some sses? I don''t have any, but I can get you one if you pay me 200 bucks."


    "BASTARD!"


    "Heh."


    I shifted out of the way again and again, not letting him hit me a single time. He slowly got more frustrated, which was ying just to my tastes.


    But then, on the final time, he didn''t stop his sword and instead continued swinging, rotating his body around to face me. Then, out from the de of his sword came a projectile attack I did not expect, causing me to widen my eyes.


    "Woah-!"


    Blink had a cooldown, so I couldn''t use that anymore. Instead¡­


    <em>Level Three Void Magic ¡ª Void Rift.</em>


    I opened a tiny hole in space just big enough to swallow his attack, sending it directly to the void, then closed it up again.


    "Hm, that was dangerous, little prince," I said, shoving my hands into my cloak''s pockets. "You could''ve broken some funiture there¡­ you wouldn''t want to wake Axilia up, would you? Then it will turn into a 2v1. If you are already struggling so much against me¡­ I don''t think that''s a wise choice."


    "¡­ Ha."


    The prince let out a low chuckle, surprising me.


    "What are youughing at¡­?"


    "HAHAHAHA! LOOK AROUND YOU, IDIOT!" He roared, pointing his sword at me andughing his balls off. "YOU THINK I WAS JUST MISSING YOU BY ACCIDENT?"


    "Wha-! This is¡­!" I looked around and widened my eyes as I saw an entire of razor-sharp lines that had now been connected with one another, whereas before they had just been hanging loose so I couldn''t see them. "Is this¡­ the power of that sword¡­"


    "Indeed¡­ since you are about to die anyway, I shall tell you this weapon''s name. It is Silkweaver ¡ª able to produce razor floss on every swing! I have used this weapon enough to know how to link them all and ensnare entire armies of soldiers within itss ¡ª and soon, you will end up just like them: dead, cut into a million pieces!"


    "¡­ I see," I replied calmly, blinking as if nothing dangerous was happening.


    "DIE, PEST!"


    The prince thrust his sword forward, causing a string of razor floss toe shooting straight for me from the tip. But instead of panicking¡­ I merely sighed.


    "¡­ Seriously? This was your power? How disappointing."


    <em>Level Three Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze.</em>


    In an instant, everything greyed out. I let out a sigh, then began counting in my head.


    <em>1 second. Let''s see how long I can stop time for, using True Essence and Chaosbined.</em>


    I summoned my Chaos katanas and prepared to cut through all the razor flosses, but then got a better idea and smirked.


    "Heheh¡­"


    <em>2 seconds. Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Portal Pair.</em>


    I ced the first portal right beneath my feet, then the second outside the of razor floss. Then, I dropped down through the portal, came out on the other side of the trap, then whistled nonchntly as I picked up Auldren''s mid-leap, frozen figure and dropped it into the portal before closing both of them. With this, Auldren was now in the trap he set himself.


    <em>5 seconds.</em>


    Now, once time starts to flow again, his forward momentum will push him forward¡­ straight into one of the razor flosses. It was a perfect set-up!


    <em>6 seconds.</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ how long can I keep this up for, I wonder? Thest time I used this was a long while ago, but I remember not being able tost very long. That makes sense, considering how powerful of a spell this is. But¡­ even after 7 seconds, I don''t feel my power dwindling at all.</em>


    Soon, ten seconds had passed. Now, I was beginning to feel strain.


    11.


    12.


    13.


    14.


    15.


    Atst, the spell broke, and time began to flow again.


    "WHA-!" Auldren''s eyes widened as he realized he was about to fly into a razor floss, but it was toote for him to turn back. His own razor floss cut through his entire body, cutting his bones and organs with ease.


    "Gragh¡­" He gurgled blood as he fell quite disgustingly, spilling blood everywhere. I covered myself up with my cloak to avoid any of it spilling on my face, as his entire body disintegrated into fog.


    ¡­ Wait. Disintegrated?


    "You¡­ bastard¡­" I heard a voiceing from behind me, ghastly and familiar.


    "Tch-!" I hurriedly spun around and cut through the air with my Chaos katanas, but they were harmless against the fog that had taken on the shape of Auldren.


    "Now¡­ I have to find a new body¡­ CURSE YOU, MORTAL! I WILL BE BACK ¡ª DON''T THINK YOU CAN RUN!"


    With this ursed scream, the fog that was Auldren''s soul slipped out through the kitchen''s exhaust fan, leaving through the roof. I narrowed my eyes as I watched him go, dematerializing my Chaos katanas.


    <em>That''s weird¡­ is everyone in the Death Realm like that? Unkible?</em>


    And then, I heard the sound of a door being pushed open from upstairs, and looked in that direction. Axilia, who had changed into her normal clothes, rubbed her eyes sleepily and leaned on the railing. I found the gesture quite cute with one of her stunning pink eyes open, but that was besides the point.


    "Darling¡­ what happened~?" She murmured softly, blinking a few times in a gentle manner.


    "¡­ Your brother came looking for trouble, so I¡­ uh, killed him," I replied nkly.


    "¡­ Eh?" Axilia stood up straight. "Did you exorcise his soul as well¡­?"


    "Exorcise his soul¡­?" I frowned in confusion.


    "Fufu~ then you haven''t truly killed them, darling~" She giggled, beckoning me toe upstairs. I did as told and followed her into her room, in which she pulled out a book from one of her enormous bookshelves and handed it to me. I had a feeling her and Lan Xiao Su would get along well¡­ that is, if Axilia didn''t murder her off the bat.


    "Here, darling. It tells you a lot about the Death Realm¡­ I think you will find it helpful~"


    "Thanks."


    I sat down in a chair, opened the book, and began reading through it, Axilia standing behind me and hanging her arms around my neck to hug me.


    Inside, the Death Realm was described with great detail. From its origins to the existence of other realms, this book contained everything. It was quite thick, though, so it took me a couple of hours to finish the whole thing. Axilia stayed with me for most of that time, even though she had already read this book before. I appreciated her dedication to staying here, exining anything I didn''t understand. She was a kind girl ¡ª but her mind was distorted by whatever happened in her past.


    Around 7, however, she finally left the room. I assumed she just got bored ¡ª I couldn''t exactly me her. But when she returned an hourter, she had an apron on and a warm smile on her face.


    "Darling~ dinner is ready~"


    I blinked at her in surprise, unsure of what to say.


    "Axilia, you¡­"


    "Fufu~ you must be tired after reading for so long, so I decided to make dinner for you, darling~"

 Chapter 417 - Midnight Meeting

    I smiled and stood up, shutting the book tightly while using a ruler as a bookmark. Axilia took my hand and pulled me downstairs, where a full-on feast was waiting. It appeared to be hot pot ¡ª perfect for the cold weather here in the Death Realm. I swallowed in anticipation, the thick aroma of the soup base filling my nose.


    Axilia and I sat down next to each other rather than across, since she wanted to be closer to me. Two hot steaming bowls of rice along with chopsticks wereid out in front of us, which I didn''t expect. I never thought the food of the Death Realm would be so simr with back home ¡ª I had expected something more along the lines of¡­ I don''t know, centipede or something?


    Either way, this was a relief. Before I could even move my chopsticks, however, Axilia stuck hers into the boiling hot pot and plucked out what looked like a roll ofmb meat and shook it a bit to get the soup off before hovering it above her hand and in front of my mouth.


    "Here, darling~ say ahhh~"


    I wasn''t too used to getting fed, but I did as told and opened my mouth. Axilia ced the meat into my mouth happily. It was absolutely delicious ¡ªparable to Qing Yue''s cooking ¡ª but there was just one problem..


    "A-Ah! Ow, hot-!"


    I spat out the meat as soon as it touched my tongue, since it was far too hot. Axilia, realizing what she had done, hurriedly ced her chopsticks down and shook my shoulders in worry.


    "D-Darling, I''m sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to¡­ mmn¡­"


    "I-It''s fine," I said in reply, shaking her apology off. "I should''ve said something ¡ª I''m at fault too."


    "I''ll get you some water, just wait, darling!"


    Axilia got out of her chair and rushed over to the kitchen to pour me a ss of cold water before returning promptly with it in her hands. I took it from her and downed the entire ss in one gulp ¡ª nice and refreshing.


    "Do you feel better now?" She asked, beautiful pink eyes lined with worry.


    I smiled and patted her head. "Mhm. Thanks."


    After that, the two of us ate in peace. Her cooking really was amazing ¡ª when I asked her where she learned it from, she just replied with a book. If that''s the case, then¡­ she must be really talented at this, to be able to reach such levels through self-taught methods. I wonder what would happen if Qing Yue and her had a cook-off¡­ once again, assuming Axilia didn''t just outright kill her.


    Later, after the nicest meal I''ve had for a long time, we both took showers and returned to her room. There, I continued reading the book, while Axilia obediently went to sleep on her own. She had asked if we could have sex again tonight, but I told her I wanted to finish this book. Instead of continuing to bother me like I expected, however¡­ she actually resisted her own urges and just went to bed.


    <em>Axilia¡­ I can''t understand you sometimes.</em>


    Sometimes she''s so forceful, yet other times she''s so obedient.


    Sometimes she''s like a crazy psychopathic murderer, yet most of the time she is a kind, innocent, caring, and loyal girl.


    Her mind¡­ it''s been utterly torn.


    But not to the point of no repair. I can still fix it ¡ª that will be my payback for all the things she has done for me thus far.


    *****


    After reading through the whole book, I understood how the Death Realm''s inhabitants worked now, and what happened earlier.


    Everyone who was born in this ce are connected to thisnd by a bond, so long as they do not travel to other Realms (even if they came back after, this bond would not exist anymore). This bond provides anyone with it immortality, except of natural causes such as disease or old age. When one dies to any other cause of death, only their bodies disintegrate. Their soul, however, will not, and can then take the possession of an empty skeleton to live once more. As such, when people do actually die of natural causes, they are purified and turned into empty skeletons rather than buried.


    That was why Auldren did not die earlier when Ipletely destroyed his body. Souls take on a gas form and can move just like air does but cannot interact with the real world otherwise, hence why Auldren did not try to fight in that form and instead opted to escape through the kitchen''s exhaust vents.


    However, there was indeed a way to kill someone in the Death Realm without natural causes. That was how death row inmates were executed, and how murders urred. It was difficult to pull off, but certainly possible.


    After killing their real bodies, the person''s soul will escape from it and attempt to flee to a special facility in the heart of the capital Mordem called The Symphonia, where the workers there would then help the Soul gain a new life by merging it with an empty skeleton.


    However, one can stop this from happening by trapping the soul. Because they are in a gas state, this will have to be done using a bottle or ¡ª moremonly ¡ª a portable vacuum-like machine called Soul Extractors. These items will capture the soul and prevent it from fleeing to The Symphonia. Once that was done, a special ritual was performed to ''exorcise'' the souls.


    Well, they called it that, but really, it was just the waiting game.


    When a soul departs from a body, they cannotst long. An hour or two is the most they can survive for without a host. Therefore, as long as the soul is trapped within an item and cannot find a host, it will disperse and disappear on its own. That was how killing worked in the Death Realm.


    Had I known this, I would''ve been able to kill Auldren earlier, but there was no point in crying over spilt milk. He would definitelye back for me just like he said, but there was an adjustment period between a soul and its new empty skeleton of a host. The soul had to im it as their own, and that process could take several days. Especially for someone like Auldren, who was quite powerful ¡ª the process would take longer. It was like uploading data to a cloud ¡ª the more you had, the longer it would take for it toplete.


    Still¡­ once he did im the skeleton as his, he would without a doubte at me again. This time, not alone. He wasn''t the warrior-type to fight me one-on-one and with honor. No¡­ he had pride, but it wasn''t honorable whatsoever. In order to protect that so-called pride, he was willing to stoop to unbelievably low levels, including sending his entire army at me if he needed to.


    "Oops¡­ shouldn''t think like that. That''ll jinx it," I scolded myself quietly, shutting the book tight and turning around to see Axilia''s peaceful sleeping figure in her bed.


    I took the candle that I had been using as light to read ¡ª since I turned the room''s actual lights off to let Axilia sleep better ¡ª and headed downstairs, checking the time.


    <em>11:45 PM¡­ I should get going.</em>


    The meeting with the butler wasing up soon ¡ª and I wasn''t about to miss it. But just for security reasons¡­


    <em>Legendary Metal Magic ¡ª Barrier of Transparency.</em>


    Metal Magic had the strongest defensive magic barriers possible, which was why I chose to use this to surround the entire house with. I also made it transparent so that people would only see it if they tried to actually get in, since I didn''t want to attract too much attention this way. Axilia''s quarters were near the edges of the castle, but that didn''t mean it waspletely hidden by a long shot.


    But in any case¡­ now, no one would be able to harm Axilia while she was asleep. Space Magic didn''t exist here, so I didn''t need to worry about that. If there were actually going to be invaders, they could try tearing it down, but if they did, I would know and rush back to the house immediately. There was no way I was going to let them hurt Axilia while she was asleep.


    Walking back inside the room, I pulled the nkets over her tightly and smiled.


    "Don''t worry, Axilia¡­ I''ll save you soon."


    As much as I didn''t want this to happen at first¡­ I realized now. I actually¡­ loved this girl. Although the way we met was¡­ somewhat questionable, there was no doubt about it. She was my woman now, and I would take responsibility for her. Maybe it was because I could rte to her so much ¡ª none of the other girls, minus Obsidia, were simr to me on this level.


    In terms of tragic pasts¡­ Axilia could very well have one that was even darker and harsher than mine.


    Sparing one final nce at her sleeping figure, I jumped out of the house through the windows and shut them tightly while using Sky Magic to levitate in the air. Then, I passed through the invisible barrier I had set and hid beneath the shadows of a tree, patiently waiting for the person who I was supposed to meet with to arrive.

 Chapter 418 - Axilias Past

    It didn''t take long for the man to arrive. I heard his footsteps closing in, slow down, then finallye to a stop. I could see his shadow on the ground a little bit in front of me, and his actual body through the bush I was peeking through.


    The old butler looked around in confusion, as if trying to find me.


    <em>So¡­ he came after all, huh?</em>


    I wasn''t surprised. I already knew he was going toe from the moment he fell silent earlier today when I spoke with him in his mind. The fact that he came also revealed to me that he truly did care about Axilia, unlike the king, her own father.


    Now, why was I hiding, exactly? To test this butler, of course. If he was on Axilia''s side, he was a potential ally if this kingdom decided to turn on me. But when it came to allies¡­ they needed to be formidable ones. Otherwise, they would only drag me down.. That''s why, I was testing this butler''s skill.


    I had my presence concealed right now, so I wasn''t surprised that he couldn''t detect me. That was part of the n, since I wanted to test out his reaction speed.


    I suddenly dashed out of the bush I was in, Chaos katanas drawn and heading straight for his neck.


    "Hm?!" The butler immediately spun around faster than even I expected and sent a flying kick that struck the bottom of my arm and knocked one of my weapons out of my hand.


    "Ngh¡­ not bad, geezer," I said, using Blessing Magic to heal my own injury and dematerializing the Chaos weapons.


    "You¡­ what was the meaning of that?"


    "What do you think?" I asked right back, challenging him. "You''re not stupid, butler. You know full well what I did that for."


    "¡­ You are testing my capabilities. But what for?"


    "Well." I looked into the distance. "I uh¡­ kinda killed your prince, earlier today. His soul flew away, and he''ll probably try to get revenge on me in the future. No matter how strong I am, I cannot take on this entire kingdom by myself. And if I die¡­ Axilia ¡ª no, Aucerina ¡ª will break. If you truly care about her¡­ I need you to prevent the prince from trying to kill me with his whole army."


    "W-What¡­?! You killed¡­ the prince?!" The butler backed away a few steps, as if he was looking at a monster. "You''ve only been here for a day, young man¡­ how were you able to kill the strongest warrior of our kingdom?! And wait¡­ Her Highness is not here with you, yet you are able to survive and move around just fine¡­ don''t tell me, you have already mastered the art of True Essence?!"


    I smiled slightly, crimson red eyes reflecting the bright moonlight. "Your prince¡­ wasn''t all that strong, I must say."


    "This should not be possible¡­" The butler muttered, getting into a fighting position. "A person from the Living Realm cannotprehend True Essence, no matter how much guidance they receive. Their bodies should only be able to use mana, not True Essence¡­ yet I can sense you are now extremely strongpared tost night, in the matter of one day¡­ so how?!"


    "Old geezer, you can calm down," I said with a sigh. "If you want to fight me, sure, but I really don''t want to have to kill you. I don''t think you''re a stupid person ¡ª you know full well who is innocent and who is evil between me and the prince. Or rather¡­ the princess and the prince."


    At this, the old butler hesitated briefly, but then sighed in defeat and lowered his arms.


    "¡­ Kid. Correct me if I am wrong, butst night, when I met you for the first time, you did not seem to actually love Her Highness at all. My guess is¡­ you were just forcefully dragged here by her against your will, no?"


    "¡­ I can''t deny that," I replied. "But I''ve made up my mind to help her now. Not because I''m some kind-hearted hero¡­ but because she reminds me of my past self. I swore to my dead parents, I swore to myself¡­ that I would never let someone else suffer the same way I did. That''s why I''m doing this. If you''re worried about me harming Axilia¡­ that''s something I''ll never do."


    "¡­ What if you do it unintentionally?" The butler asked quietly.


    "¡­ What?"


    "I mean¡­ what do you n to do after the matter with Her Highness is resolved? Leave her behind here, and return to your Living Realm? I watched her grow up ¡ª even now, even though her mind is broken, she values those close to her more than anything and is willing to do anything for them. There are only three people in this world who are close to her like that. One of them is dead, the other is missing, and thest one¡­ is you, boy."


    "¡­ I intend to take full responsibility for her," I said firmly. "We''ve already gone too far for me to just leave her behind now. That would make me no better than that prince."


    "¡­ I see. In that case¡­ I can feel safe leaving her with you."


    "Tell me about her past, old butler."


    With a deep sigh, the butler folded his arms and began his tale.


    "Very well. The story dates back to before Her Highness was even born. Listen closely, for I will only tell this story once. It is something that only myself and the royalty of this kingdom know, an internal affair that must be kept secret at all costs. And so, the tale begins¡­"


    *****


    The story starts 20 years ago, before Aucerina was even born.


    At the time, the queen of the kingdom was pregnant with Prince Auldren. King Acrius the Third was sexually frustrated, since having concubines was not traditional here. As such, when he spotted a beautiful young woman on the streets, he was consumed by lust and made a move on her.


    Being the king, she was unable to resist his power and charms. She may have been already married, but the rtionship wasn''t going the best. She thought the king was truly in love with her,pletely unbeknownst to the fact that she was just a side fling for him. She carried the hopes that maybe the king would make her the new queen, but s¡­ they were soon shattered.


    Unfortunately, they were caught by the actual queen not long after they began, but by then, the woman was already pregnant ¡ª and not just with one kid, but two. Both were girls. The king, thinking the kids were his, was at a loss for what to do. The queen wanted them dead and honestly, so did he, but the now-heartbroken woman who realized the truth threatened to tell the entire poption of Mordem what the king did if they murdered the children.


    She was in possession of a special artifact that could broadcast messages after she died, which was the bargaining chip for her. The king and queen thought of numerous ways to kill her, but they could not do so without damaging the kingdom''s reputation and risk a public riot.


    As such, the two children survived and grew up. Both became stunning beauties, one with ck hair and pink eyes and one with ck hair and ck eyes. The one with ck eyes, Lixi, remained with the woman, while the other, Aucerina, became a princess of the kingdom.


    It was onlyter that the mother found out the two were actually not even the king''s children but her actual husband''s, but by then, it was toote. Aucerina had already grown up, and her power and talent was unbelievable. The only one who could match her skill and surpass them was Prince Auldren, who was a year older than her.


    And that brings us to the next topic of this tale.


    To keep Aucerina in check, the king and queen constantlypared her with her brother, Auldren. Aucerina thought she was really the daughter of the king and queen, but the prince knew the truth ¡ª though he never told her anything.


    At first, Aucerina was a cheery, innocent, and happy girl. She loved the king and queen dearly, and she was too young to understand the condescending insults Auldren threw at her, thinking it was just normal. But as she got older, she realized what was going on. All the achievements she aplished wouldn''t even earn a nce from her mother and father, while the slightest bit of thing Prince Auldren did would result in loads of gifts and showers of praise for him.


    The difference in treatment was all too clear.


    By this point, Aucerina had grown up. She was old enough to understand what was going on. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how good she became¡­ she could never surpass her brother in her parent''s eyes.


    "Mommy, look ¡ª I hunted 37 wild boars!" She would boast.


    And the queen would say, "Hmph. My dear Auldren could hunt double that in half the time."


    "Daddy, look! I can create my own True Essence techniques now!" She would dere proudly.


    And the king would say, "Hmph. Auldren did that two years ago."


    Even the few things that Prince Auldren couldn''t do better than her-


    "Mommy! Daddy! Look at my drawing!"


    "¡­ Hmph. How useless."


    -Were met with such cold words.


    Such was the childhood of Princess Aucerina. Such was the past of the girl now known as Axilia.

 Chapter 419 - Midnight Assault

    "¡­ Over time, Her Highness''s mind was broken," the butler said. "She began distancing herself away from everyone, and her smiles became fake, stic. That smile she showedst night as she hugged your arm¡­ that was the first genuine smile I have seen on her face for a long time."


    "¡­ That''s cruel."


    I looked down at the ground and clenched my fists. If she was to be treated like this¡­ perhaps it would''ve been better for her to die when she was born and not have to suffer through all this.


    "¡­ Slowly, her personality became split. Sometimes, she would be cheery and innocent no matter what anyone said to her, while other times, she would suddenly turn dark and ruthless, murdering the servants and guards sent to watch over her. Eventually, her quarters became deste, without anyone to care after her. She was forced to learn and do everything by herself."


    "¡­ So that''s where she learned her cooking skills from, huh?".


    "That girl¡­ she may be a princess in name, but here in the city, everyone treats her as if she does not exist. The king first nned on marrying her to another nation to secure a political rtionship with them, but all the suitors had heard of her before. The "Cursed Princess", they called her. None of them wanted to marry a crazy killer like her who could break at any time. Then, the queen made a suggestion to the king."


    "¡­ What was it?"


    "¡­ If they could not marry Her Highness off, they could at least send her away to a different ce ¡ª a different Realm. With the excuse of telling her to find herself a suitable husband there, the king sent her away, thinking she would never be able to find someone given her bloodthirsty and psychopathic nature. But¡­ she found you."


    "¡­ Yeah. Because she doesn''t just kill for no reason," I muttered. <em>Though I came close to angering her a few times.</em>


    "The king and queen, unfortunately, do not realize that. They think of Her Highness as nothing but a nuisance, something they needed to get of."


    "¡­ I see. But the prince¡­ he seems to be obsessed with her, for some reason," I said thoughtfully. "Any idea why?"


    "That is most likely because he believe himself to be the only man stronger than her, thus able to contain her. He too does not love Her Highness wholeheartedly, but instead only wants her as a possession. Ever since a young age, he has always looked down on her and saw her as a ything for him, but only now that they are both of age has he actually began making moves."


    "How repulsive," I remarked, stroking my chin. "And I''m guessing he''s so pissed off because I managed to defeat him today, which essentially proves that I can also contain Axilia."


    The butler nodded. "That would be the case, yes."


    "So¡­ it seems the core feeling making Axilia the way she is right now is loneliness. I think now that she has me¡­ that will heal over time. But that won''t fix her personality, unfortunately¡­"


    "Indeed it will not. Once her mind has been split like this, it cannot be repaired. However¡­ it can still be mended, so long as you treat it with care."


    "I understand. But you know¡­ despite the rest of the kingdompletely neglecting her¡­ you, old geezer, seem to actually care about her. Why is that so?"


    "That¡­" He clenched his fists and swallowed some saliva, as if debating whether or not to tell me this. I waited patiently for him to make his decision ¡ª pushing anything right now was not wise.


    After several seconds, he finally spoke again.


    "¡­ It''s because I am her grandfather."


    "¡­ C-Come again?"


    Now this, I was not expecting. The butler¡­ is Axilia''s real grandfather?! As in, he is her real mother''s father?!


    "I am sure you are both confused and skeptical. Therefore, allow me to exin," he said, clearing his throat. "When I was younger, I joined the castle as a servant. Over time, I began making my way up the ranks, eventually arriving at the position of head butler I am at today. Love, however, was forbidden for the workers here."


    "¡­ Then how did you¡­"


    "Patience, boy. I am getting there. Although love was forbidden¡­ the girl I had been in love with at the time was just too difficult for me to forget. As such, I would sneak out of the castle on my breaks to meet up and spend time with her, much like the king had done with Axilia''s mother. Eventually, the girl I was in love with and I had a child, but I could not care for it. The girl, however, did not mind and raised the child all on her own. That child would then grow up to be Princess Aucerina''s mother."


    "Did she¡­ know about you being her grandfather?"


    "Yes, she did. Even now, I visit her from time to time. After the queen found out about her and the king, she told me about Aucerina. And now that I know she is my granddaughter¡­ I will never let any harme to her."


    "Yeah? Well, you failed miserably, as clearly seen," I snorted mercilessly.


    "G-Guh¡­ your words cut deep, boy. But know that even a head butler like myself is just a servant of this castle in the end. There are limits to what I can do, and protecting her emotionally is not one of them, given how her mental issues directly rte with the king, queen, and prince. The only thing I am able to do is protect her physically."


    "So¡­ you are willing to do anything to protect her?" I taunted.


    "Yes. For she is my granddaughter."


    "Even treason, if ites to it?"


    "¡­ Yes," he replied once more, albeit this time with some hesitation.


    "I see. That''s all I needed to hear. Whenever I need you, butler¡­ I''ll be counting on you."


    "¡­ Just what are you nning, kid? You will never be able to fight this entire kingdom by yourself."


    "Who said anything about fighting?" I chuckled. "I''m not stupid enough to try and fight against an entire army by myself. But for my n to seed¡­ I do need to take out someone in particr."


    "¡­ Who?"


    I smiled. "The prince, of course."


    "W-Wha¡­ as in¡­ permanently?"


    I nodded. "If I don''t get rid of him, he will chase Axilia and I down back to the Living Realm, where I''m nning on taking her. This ce¡­ it''s not worthy of being her home."


    "You are nning on taking her to the Living Realm?"


    "What, got a problem?"


    The butler shook his head. "No, none at all. I will miss her, but¡­ I do agree that it is better if she leaves this ce behind. However¡­ given her current state¡­ will she just listen to you?"


    "Oh, you misunderstand. I''m not just going to rope her away tonight or anything. There are certain things that need to happen first. For instance¡­ showing her what love and friendship truly is."


    "¡­ Love, I understand ¡ª you can do that. But friendship? No one here will show that to her."


    "You''re right. No one <em>here</em> will. But if my calctions are correct¡­ someone should being into the Death Realm sooner orter. Someone both you and I know."


    "Who¡­?" The butler was confused. I grinned smugly and opened my mouth to tell his puzzled wrinkled old face who the person was, but then, my eyes suddenly widened.


    "The barrier¡­ shit!"


    I immediately turned tail and ran back to the house, sensing the barrier I erected being torn down.


    "Wha- kid, what are you- ugh, wait!"


    The butler ran after me at a pretty shocking speed for his age, and together, the two of us headed back to the house to see who was trying to hurt Axilia.


    *****


    - Earlier, The Living Realm: Long Family Residency -


    "Take a seat, all of you," Ling Xin said, motioning for the other girls in the room to all sit down. Then, she nced at the people who didn''t need to be in the room, standing off to one side. "Patriarch, matriarch, and you two. Leave. The contents of this conversation is not for you to hear."


    The two she was referring to were Ming Hao and Long Lu respectively, who rose up in dissatisfaction.


    "Hey, wait," Ming Hao cut in, narrowing his eyes. "With all due respect, Shadow Empress¡­ Xuan Kai is our friend. If you know what happened to him and whether he is still alive or not¡­ we''d like to know as well."


    At this, Ling Xin shot him a dark re that was unusual for her, causing both of them to gulp in fear and back off. The patriarch and matriarch, seeing this, hurriedly brought the two away and shut the doors. Ling Xin eyed them for a moment more, then set up a Sound Barrier around the room and took a deep breath.


    "Since you are all Xuan Kai''s lovers¡­ I think you deserve to know this."


    "¡­ Do you truly know where Master is?" Mei Gui asked, being the first to speak up.


    Ling Xin nodded. "Yes. But whether he is still alive or not¡­ I don''t know. The only thing I can tell you is that he did not die from the fall."


    "Then where did he go¡­?" Feng Mian asked in worry, biting her lip.


    Ling Xin gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly on the couch she was sitting on, then closed her eyes.


    "It''s a ce I know very well. And its name¡­ is the Death Realm."

 Chapter 420 - Ling Xins Return

    "¡­ The Death Realm?" Yu An Yan''s eyes widened. "Is that simr to the Void Realm where we all cultivated in¡­?"


    "So that is how you aged so quickly¡­ no matter, " Ling Xin replied. "But unlike the Void Realm¡­ the Death Realm contains civilization in it. The ''Grey Scourge'' you encountered¡­ was not just any scourge. It was the domain of someone powerful from there, able to wipe out entire forests of life."


    "W-Wha¡­ is everyone there this powerful?" Feng Mian asked.


    "No. Whoever caused that was a talent amongst talents, but even the most basic poption in the Death Realm could easily beat you all."


    "¡­!" The girls all widened their eyes, shocked at this.


    "¡­ They are that powerful?" Obsidia muttered, raising an eyebrow in skepticism..


    "Yes, but not in the way you would expect," Ling Xin sighed. "Though there is no time to exin all of this to you now. I just wanted you to know where Xuan Kai went¡­ since you deserve to know. As for me¡­ I will be heading to the Death Realm to look for him."


    "I aming with you," Mei Gui said, standing up. "I will see Master again."


    "No, you are not," Ling Xin cut in coldly, then nced at the other girls. "And neither are the rest of you."


    "You told us all this, then refuse to let use along?" Lan Xiao Su taunted. "I''m sorry, but with all due respect¡­ that seems kind of cruel."


    "I have told you that because you are close to him. Be grateful," Ling Xin replied, standing up as well and resting one hand on her hips. "But other than that¡­ this does not concern you any longer."


    "And it concerns you?" Lin Luo challenged, narrowing her eyes. "Who even are you? Xuan Kai has never even mentioned you before. Some one-sided love? How pitiful."


    "Calling me pitiful? I love him, and he is very dear to me ¡ª at least I am able to admit my love openly. What about you, Ascended Seraphim?"


    "I don''t like him at all," Lin Luo replied without even batting an eye. "I am merely stuck here with him due to the¡­"


    "The curse? Hm, yes. He put the same one on me, did you know? But that same curse was broken when he fell into the cliff. He released it for us ¡ª and that''s how I was able to know something went wrong. He''s not the type of person to let go of an important chess piece like myself that easily. So despite the curse being broken already¡­ you are still here. If you truly do not like him at all, then leave. You are not needed here."


    "Tsk¡­!" Lin Luo gritted her teeth, but didn''t make a move to leave. Ling Xin, seeing this, gave a faint snort and began heading for the door.


    "In any case¡­ you all cannote. I would bring you if I could, but the Death energy in the Death Realm is powerful enough to kill you instantly. I am able to withstand it since I am far stronger than you all, but the moment you step foot into that ce, you will get your life taken away immediately. So¡­ if you truly care about Xuan Kai, then stay right where you are and don''t try anything dangerous."


    "¡­" The girls all fell silent after hearing this, realizing there was nothing they could do to argue.


    It was true; Ling Xin was far stronger than them all, being a Holy Emperor. Even Obsidia''s dragon form in its full glory did not stand a chance against her. But even so¡­


    "¡­ Just think about how Xuan Kai would feel if he knew you all killed yourselves while searching for him."


    Leaving these harsh words behind, Ling Xin stepped out of the room, eyed Ming Hao and Long Lu who had been crouching there, eavesdropping, then left. The Sound Barrier, obviously, had prevented them from hearing anything. Ming Hao attempted to crack through it, but his magic was no match to that of a Holy Emperor.


    <em>I said that I could survive in the Death Realm because I was a lot stronger than them, but¡­</em> Ling Xin thought as she walked. <em>The truth is¡­ it''s because I was originally from there in the first ce. No matter how strong someone from the Living Realm is, they will perish instantly in the Death Realm. Mana does not stand a chance against True Essence.</em>


    As it was nighttime, Ling Xin vanished into the shadows and returned to her own chamber in the IMF Headquarters quickly. Once she got there, she picked up the phone and ran a single number.


    "¡­ Shadow Empress. What do you need from me?" The male voice on the other end asked.


    "Senior, I need to leave for a period of time. Could you cover my responsibilities in the Council?"


    "¡­ I will not ask you where you intend to go. But why me?"


    "You know I am not on good terms with the other Human Council Member. Therefore¡­ you are the only one I can ask."


    "¡­ I see. How long will you be gone?"


    "That''s¡­ hard to say. As short as 3 days to as long as¡­" Ling Xin trailed off.


    "This must be important, if you are willing to abandon your duties as a Council Member to do it."


    "¡­ It is. But if things be too tedious for you, senior, don''t worry about covering for me. I will dly resign from my position, if that is what it takes to save him."


    "Him? So this is a matter regarding love? I must say, Shadow Empress¡­ this is unlike you. You are a very flirtatious woman, but you have never truly fallen in love with someone."


    "I suppose he is my first, then¡­ and only."


    "¡­ I understand. I will help cover your duties to the best of my abilities. Best of luck."


    "Thank you, senior."


    Ling Xin hung up the phone and sat down in her chair to get some rest, then stood back up again. There was no time to rest; what was she thinking?!


    Taking a deep breath, she broke the chains she had set on herself, holding the dormant power within her body captive. In an instant, she felt empowered once more, her domain of death instantly expanding from her body. However, she quickly controlled it and harnessed its power, though it was a bit difficult at first.


    It has been 4 years since this power wasst active. 4 years since shest used it. It made sense for her to struggle a bit, but after several seconds, she managed to contain the power. This, was the talent of an IMF Council of Arcanity member.


    Lifting her arm and holding it in front of her body, she carefully drew an elliptical-shape with her fingers. The white borders of the shape spasmed a little, then a swirling ck vortex suddenly appeared within its edges, forming a portal.


    Clenching her fists, Ling Xin made up her mind and stepped through the gate.


    The gate that led directly to the Death Realm.


    <em>Xuan Kai¡­ you idiot. Always getting yourself into dangerous situations like this¡­ do you have any idea how many injuries I received since that time you put that curse on me, thanks to how careless you are with getting hurt?</em>


    <em>If you hadn''t unlocked those shackles on my soul¡­ I would''ve died without even realizing it.</em>


    <em>Fufu¡­ this time, after I get you back, I''m never leaving your side again.</em>


    <em>Even if you don''t put the curse on me¡­ even if you try to push me away¡­ I''m sticking with you, no matter what.</em>


    <em>You asked for it. Can''t me me for this.</em>


    <em>So¡­ that''s why¡­ please¡­ please¡­ still be alive.</em>


    *****


    - Tian Lin''s Quarters -


    (Tian Lin''s Perspective)


    I ced down the phone, having finished the conversation with the Shadow Empress.


    "For heaven''s sake¡­ this is one difficult favor you''ve requested from me."


    No, I wasn''t talking about the Shadow Empress telling me to cover for her duties. I was talking about the reason why I had to amodate her like this in the first ce.


    Not long ago, the Seventeenth Founder of the Library of Infinite Beginnings was established. The leader of us all, Sylvoir, had made us all give him any favor of his choosing from each of us. And the favor he had requested from me, was¡­


    ¡­ Indeed, to give the Shadow Empress whatever help she needed.


    I was a man of my word, of honor. I epted his favor, and now I would fulfill it. But I must say¡­


    ¡­ I have not heard from that boy in a long time. Thest time I met him, I recall telling him there was a ce to go the Library of Infinite Beginnings in Fragment as well, but I have not seen him there since. His university should be on break right now, and yet¡­


    I sighed deeply, ncing out the window of the enormous tower in the sky known as the IMF Headquarters. My mind wandered to what the Shadow Empress had to do¡­ and just which lucky boy managed to catch her attention.


    Unbeknownst to myself¡­ the boy who made me ept his favor and the boy who the Shadow Empress sought after now¡­ were the same person.

 Chapter 421 - Crisis Resolved

    - Within the Death Realm -


    The butler and I raced back to Axilia''s manor, as I felt the barrier I had set being hit. The point of impact appeared to being from the front of the mansion, so I flew up into the air to take a look. The butler, on the other hand, couldn''t fly, but he had alternatives.


    Scaling a tree with such swiftness and nimbleness that I wouldn''t have believed he was actually an old man, he then jumped onto the manor''s roof and performed a deft tumble to ease the momentum. I stopped for a second, blinking at him in shock, but quickly turned away, remembering the matter at hand.


    Down below, at the front entrance of the manor, a group of cloaked and hooded figures stood before my incredibly enormous silver magic barrier, made of Metal Essence. The butler, crouching below me, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth tightly, a vein popping out on his forehead. He was seething with anger, face red with frustration.


    "Bastards¡­ trying to harm my granddaughter?!"


    He moved to leap down, but I stopped him..


    "Chances are, those guys were sent here by the prince," I said. "If you were to show your face here where you should not be, your position may be threatened."


    "Even so¡­ I cannot just stand by and watch them break into my granddaughter''s house like this!"


    I snorted. "Rx. Notice how they haven''t entered yet? See that barrier blocking them? I set that in ce."


    At this, the butler''s eyes widened a bit. "I thought that was¡­"


    "Axilia? Nah. That was made from True Essence of the Metal element, something that you people can''t use. I think that proves I am capable enough, no? So¡­ just sit back and let me handle this, geezer. Think of the bigger picture."


    "Still¡­"


    "Look, if you want to be helpful, go grab some bottles."


    "Bottles? You are nning on¡­"


    "Of course. What, did you expect me to just let them go?"


    "No¡­ you are right. I entrust this to you, then."


    Saying this, the butler disappeared from sight, going away to retrieve some bottles for me. In the meantime¡­


    I dropped down from the sky andnded behind the group of assassins, purposely making noise to make my presence known. The group immediately turned around, surprised at how I just suddenly appeared behind them.


    "Who are you?!" One of them whispered sharply, pointing the sword in his hand towards me, who had my ck hood and mask on as well so they couldn''t see my face.


    I snorted. "Hmph¡­ that should be my question to you. But I guess your identities don''t really matter, since it''s obvious who you are. The prince sent you here, didn''t he?"


    "How DARE you speak to His Highness in such a disrespectful and imprudent manner!" One of them yelled in anguish.


    "Ahh, so it was him," I chuckled. "Good to know. Also, you may want to cut back on the screaming¡­ you wouldn''t want anyone to hear what''s going on here, would you?"


    "Hah! Good try, tricking us! But we know Mordem''syout like the back of our palms ¡ª no onees to this isted area, where Princess Aucerina''s quarters are!"


    "Hmm, is that so?" I smiled and discretely snapped my fingers.


    <em>Legendary Psychic Magic ¡ª Sound Wysteria.</em>


    "H-Huh? What is that sound¡­?"


    "Looks like some civilians were woken up¡­"


    "Shit, were we actually too loud?!"


    "Idiot, if you know, then why did you just scream again?!"


    "You just did as well!"


    Of course, there wasn''t actually noise. I just messed with their minds and senses to make them hear some noises ¡ª namely, the sound of mobs of civilians murmuring andining about the noise that had woken them up. And now that the assassins were distracted¡­ I pulled out my Chaos katanas.


    <em>Legendary Shadow Magic ¡ª Many Must Fall.</em>


    In an instant, I became nothing but a faint shadow and dashed straight towards the guards, far too fast to react to. Like a beam of light, I tore through their bodies one by one, zig-zagging my way through the horde. In the blink of an eye, the nine assassins all fell to the ground at once, a gaping, bloody hole in their bodies where I had cut through them. Expressionlessly, I dematerialized my Chaos katanas once more ¡ª but things weren''t over yet.


    "Damn-! When did he¡­" One of the assassins'' souls cried.


    "The noise ¡ª it''s gone! He tricked us with some kind of illusion!" Another added.


    "We must report back to the prince!"


    "Kid, catch!" The butler suddenly appeared on the roof of the building and tossed down an enormous stic bottle.


    "The butler¡­ he''s helping the princess?!" One of the assassins'' undead souls cried. "The prince and king must know of th-"


    "Oh no they don''t¡­" I muttered. And right as the souls attempted to flee, I used the spell that I had been saving up for this moment.


    <em>Level Three Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze.</em>


    Immediately, all color drained from the world, and everything fell still. The assassins'' souls froze mid-air with their mouths still hanging open, and the stic bottle the butler threw froze mid-fall.


    "¡­ Too bad this spell has a pretty long cooldown, which is why I had to save it up for now. Otherwise, I would''ve easily been able to destroy all of you in one fell swoop."


    With a sigh, I jumped up, grabbed the bottle out of the air, and began collecting all of the Souls into it. By the time I was done and screwed the cap back on, the stopped time has just about begun to flow again.


    "Wha-?!"


    "Why am I stuck in a bottle?!"


    "I was just flying away just now¡­ what happened?!"


    Naturally, they were confused. But I wasn''t nning on providing them any answers. Now, I just had to wait until these Souls dissipated on their own, and the crisis would be resolved. But because I didn''t want to be annoyed by their cries of despair, I silenced them with a quick little enchantment.


    <em>Level One Enchantment Magic ¡ª Silentium.</em>


    Now, all their cries were sealed within the object known as the stic bottle. How nice.


    The butler, on the other hand, was perplexed as well, and hopped off the roof of the building before dusting his clothes off.


    "Kid¡­ what was that just now? One second the Souls were about to flee, and the next second you had all of them captured in the bottle I threw. I did not even see you move."


    "I hate people who ask too many questions," I replied coldly. "If you want to be useful, go check on Axilia. I''ll remain here and watch over these Souls until they dissipate."


    "Yes¡­ thank you."


    "What for?"


    "For¡­ protecting my granddaughter in my ce."


    "Hmph. I''m pretty selfish, you know?" I chuckled. "I''m only protecting her because¡­ hm, let''s see, she''s pretty. Now, when she finds out I protected her like this, she''ll see me as her hero and fall in love with me, haha!"


    "¡­ Kid. If you are trying to downgrade yourself by acting like this, at least pick something more believable. What reason would you have to do something like this when my granddaughter has already fallen in love with you beyond hope? And besides¡­ you''ve already taken her virginity, no?"


    I froze. "¡­ How did you know?"


    "Hmph. Instinct."


    With these brisk words, he walked away, entering the manor gently. My gaze followed him for a moment, then turned back to the souls trapped within the stic bottle in my hands. They screamed in fury, expressions contorted with rage, but to me, this was quite amusing. It was like looking at a crying baby with audio off ¡ª only funny, not annoying in the least.


    *****


    About five minutester, the butler returned, exiting the manor. I looked to him, who held a warm smile on his face that I had not seen before.


    "¡­ How is Axilia?" I asked.


    "Still sound asleep," he replied. "I spoke to her, but she didn''t seem to have heard anything. Perhaps¡­ for the better."


    "I see." I responded briskly, but then, my eyes wandered up to the window on the second floor of the house, where Axilia stood, staring at us. I chuckled internally and looked away. "In any case¡­ is there a way to speed up this exorcisation? I''m getting tired."


    "Yes. Souls hate fire, and will dissipate faster from it."


    "Oh, is that so?" I smiled cruelly and nced down at the nine angry Souls trapped within the bottle. Although we couldn''t hear them thanks to the enchantment I ced, they could still hear us perfectly fine. And upon seeing the wicked grin on my face¡­ their expressions all turned a ghastly, terrified white (even though souls were already white).


    With a smirk on my face, I added one more enchantment to the bottle.


    <em>Level One Enchantment Magic ¡ª Ignis.</em>


    Immediately, the interior of the bottle began burning, and I set it down on the ground. As the Souls inside screamed in terror, the butler nced at me for a second, then sighed.


    "¡­ Some people just want to watch the world burn."

 Chapter 422 - The Fourth Meeting

    Within minutes, the Souls had burned away ¡ª along with the bottle itself, of course.


    "¡­ I should head back," the butler said, then looked in the direction of the manor. "Contact me if you need anything."


    I nodded. "For now, just gather all the information you can about the prince, and tell me everything about him ¡ª especially his abilities and powers. Now that I think back on it, I should have interrogated those assassins instead of killing them outright. That was a blunder on my end."


    "Worry not. I will look into this matter, and report back to you."


    "Good. And also¡­ prepare your mindset.. If ites down to it, we''ll need to kill the prince and king both. At that time, if you hesitate, you''ll get killed."


    "¡­" The butler fell silent at this, and clenched his fists. "I''m aware."


    "Then, sleep well, geezer."


    The butler nodded and pulled out a pendant of some sort out of his clothes, handing it to me.


    "Take this. It''s a privatemunication device in the Death Realm, called a Necro-Transponder. If you need to speak with me, just talk into that pendant, and I will be able to respond to you whenever I am able to."


    I took the pendant in my hands and examined it little. It was a nice ck-amber gradient, and in the shape of a heart.


    "Huh. Neat."


    With that, we parted ways, the butler going back to the servants'' quarters and me returning to the manor. Just to be safe, I reinforced the Metal barrier one more time, in case another attack wasunched. Of course, such a thing happening was unlikely, but I had always been a careful person. It''s how I''ve survived up until now.


    *****


    Upon returning to the manor, I was greeted by Axilia, standing right beyond the door. Sighing, I spoke after closing the doors again.


    "Just as expected¡­ you heard everything that old butle¡ª er, your grandfather ¡ª said, didn''t you?"


    "Yep," she replied nonchntly, blinking.


    "And¡­ you don''t care about it at all?"


    "Yep," she replied again,pletely indifferent.


    "Then¡­ why are you standing here?"


    "Hehe~ to thank darling, of course~"


    Saying this, she broke into a smile and leaped into my arms, hugging me tightly.


    "You protected me, darling. As a reward¡­" She looked up and licked her lips, purposely showing her cleavage a bit. I raised an eyebrow, thinking she was seducing me again, but then-


    "¡­!"


    I felt the sharp tip of a knife plunge into my back.


    "Wha¡­" I slowly looked down at Axilia, whose dazzling pink eyes shone with madness and desire.


    "Darling¡­ you know, don''t you? About my past."


    "N-No¡­" I groaned, unable to move a muscle. I could feel it ¡ª her knife was about to cut through my spinal cord. Any tiny movements, and I would be rendered paralyzed and unconscious.


    "Liar," she whispered. "My grandfather¡­ told you everything, didn''t he?"


    "¡­ Why¡­?"


    "You pity me, don''t you, darling? You want to leave me now, don''t you, darling? Don''t worry¡­ I won''t let that happen. After I kill you, I''ll kill myself too. That way, we can be together forever¡­ darling~"


    <em>Tch¡­ this girl, she-!</em>


    <em>Ah, screw it¡­ there''s only one thing I can do¡­</em>


    <em>Level Three Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze.</em>


    Stopping time once more, I slowly, carefully, wrapped my hand around Axilia''s and pulled the knife out of my body. No blood spilled out just yet, as time was stopped, but as soon as time began flowing again, it would gush out. As such¡­ I needed to recover this wound quickly.


    <em>Level Two Blessing Magic ¡ª Major Heal.</em>


    A faint green pulse emitted from the hand I hovered over my wound, and in the blink of an eye, the cut had healedpletely. I tossed the bloodstained knife away, but it didn''t fall to the floor due to time being stopped. Then, I slowly walked over to Axilia''s frozen figure, and tapped the back of her neck.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Thief''s Hand.</em>


    I had used this spell on herst time to knock her unconscious, so there was no reason it wouldn''t work again.


    And just as expected, as soon as time began to flow again, her eyes closed and she fell into my arms, while the knife ttered to the floor. Calmly, I carried her upstairs to her room, then set her down on the bed. After that, I hovered my hand over her forehead, and cast another spell.


    <em>Level One Psychic Magic ¡ª Amnesia.</em>


    I chose the Level One variant since it only made people forget what happened in the past hour ¡ª in other words, she now had no idea what happened tonight. Taking a deep breath of relief, I sat by her and stroked her hair carefully.


    "I made a promise to you, Axilia¡­ even though you aren''t aware of it. I''ve made the decision to save you, not abandon you. Though thetter would''ve been easier and saved me a lot more trouble, given your somewhat problematic personality as seen today¡­ we''ve already gone too far for me to let go now. And besides¡­ I''d probably bebeled as scum by the other girls if they knew what happened."


    <em>Now that I think about it¡­ whether I bring Axilia back with me or not, they''ll get mad, huh? If I don''t bring her back, they''ll hate me for what I did to the poor girl, and if I do¡­ they''ll get jealous.</em>


    <em>Having a harem is not easy. Not easy at all.</em>


    Despite it only being a few days since we first met, I''ve gotten closer to Axilia than any of the other girls, except maybe Qing Yue and Mei Gui. Unlike the others, I knew Axilia''s past, bare and naked. And it was a past I could rte to greatly and feel empathetic about. To have your parents killed was one thing, but to have your parents be still alive, but neglect you for all your life¡­ that was an even worse form of torture.


    After cleaning up the knife downstairs, I took a shower and returned to the bedroom before crawling into the nkets, pulling Axilia into a close, wholesome hug.


    *****


    - The Next Morning -


    I woke up with a still asleep Axilia in my arms, breathing gently on my chest. She smelled likevenders, which was a nice scent to wake up to in the morning. I wanted to sleep for a bit longer since I had stayed up sotest night, but I didn''t want Axilia to wake up before me either. I still wasn''t 100% sure if the amnesia spell really worked or not, even though that number was 99.9%. There was no reason it <em>shouldn''t</em> have worked, but I don''t want to risk anything by employing the Devil''s Proof here.


    Yawning, I disabled the barrier around the house as it was consuming my mana and it was no longer needed now that it was daytime and we were both awake, then stepped into the shower and quickly got ready for the day. By the time I was finished, Axilia had also woken up from the noise.


    "Good morning¡­ darling¡­" She murmured cutely, rubbing her eyes.


    "Good morning," I replied. "Did you sleep wellst night?"


    "Eh¡­ I keep feeling like I forgot something important, but other than that, yep~!"


    I smiled. "Good. Well¡­ are you hungry? Let''s go out into the city and get something to eat. It''s a good opportunity for me to explore the Death Realm more too."


    "Hehe~ rather than that, I have a better proposal~" Axilia giggled happily, leaping off the bed and kissing me on the lips before backing off and winking suggestively. "How about¡­ I teach you how to cook, darling~?"


    "Uh¡­ no, I''m good."


    <em>I would much rather eat Qing Yue''s cooking all the time than learn how to cook myself¡­</em>


    "Eh? But why?" Axilia asked, tilting her head.


    "Well, er, you see¡­ another person tried teaching me in the past, and it didn''t go so well," I replied, scratching my head.


    <em>Yes, that person was Qing Yue.</em>


    "Heehee~ that just means that person wasn''t skilled enough to teach you, darling~ don''t worry, I''ll make sure you learn~!"


    <em>Uh¡­ was that a threat just now, or am I imagining things?</em>


    With a bright smile on her face, Axilia pulled me out of the room and downstairs, telling me to wait there while she showered.


    "Oh, but you can join me in the shower if you like, darling~" She added, to which I responded with a firm no, using the excuse of I had already showered. Nice save, me! Obviously, showering before she woke up was calcted. All nned.


    While she entered the bathroom and showered, I sighed deeply and sat down in one of the chairs downstairs. There were four around therge rectangr table, but before I came, only Axilia lived in here. The other three were meant to be for the king, queen, and prince respectively, but they never visited Axilia anyway ¡ª with the exception of the prince, who lusted after her for whatever reason.


    Staring at these empty seats, I couldn''t help but feel a bit lonely. Not for myself, but for Axilia.


    As I was lost in my thoughts, I heard the sound of knocking on the door.


    "¡­ Who''s there?" I asked, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. The prince again? No way.


    But the voice that responded was that of a female ¡ª and a familiar one at that.


    "So¡­ you really were here after all, Xuan Kai."

 Chapter 423 - Twin Sisters

    Hearing my name and the voice who said it, I immediately tensed up.


    <em>It can''t be¡­</em>


    Slowly, I stood up and walked closer to the door.


    "¡­ Who are you?"


    "Ara ara~ ying dumb now, are we? How irresponsible of you, to leave an imprint on my body then suddenly disappear off to another realm. I''m dead set on having you take responsibility for me for the rest of my life, y''know~"


    Hearing this, I immediately opened the door and pulled the girl inside before mming the door shut again and pinning her against the wall.


    "¡­ Don''t say it like that. I don''t want any rumors spreading about me ¡ª I had enough of that back in high school."


    "Fufu~ it''s true though, isn''t it?" The beautiful girl mere inches away from my face raised an eyebrow andughed softly. "You left an imprint on my body¡­ then ended up here, in the Death Realm.. Somewhat irresponsible, don''t you think~?"


    "I broke the curse on you before I fell down that cliff. You wouldn''t have been affected."


    "Maybe, but¡­ do you know how many injuries you''ve had since initially cing that curse on me? How many wounds I suffered because of you?"


    "Uh¡­ a-ahem," I cleared my throat and looked away in embarrassment. "Anyway¡­ this is the fourth time we''re meeting in unexpected locations. What are you doing here, Ling Xin?"


    The girl ¡ª Ling Xin ¡ª smiled and cupped my chin with her hand. "What do you think, Xuan Kai? To bring you back, of course. Fufu~ don''t think that just because you escaped to a different realm, I''ll let you go. I''m going to get my revenge for cing that curse on me ¡ª and you will pay by taking care of me for life~"


    "But you were able to enter this Realm¡­ which means¡­ just as expected, you''re¡­"


    "¡­ Axilia''s twin sister? Mhm."


    "Axilia¡­? Is that her real name? Is it not Aucerina?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Aucerina¡­ so that''s the name the royals gave to her? How disgusting," Ling Xin spat, brushing past me and sitting down on the chair. "Axilia was her birth name, just like how mine was Lixi. After escaping from this ce, though¡­ I changed my name to better suit the Living Realm."


    "I have so many questions¡­ but I suppose it''s better if we wait for Axilia. She''s showering right now," I said, taking a seat across from Ling Xin. "But let me warn you beforehand¡­ her personality right now is kind of screwed in the head. If you''ve ever seen anime or read manga¡­ she would be what you call a ssic ''yandere''."


    "¡­" Ling Xin looked away ufortably and clenched her fists tightly, knuckles shining white as the blood drained from them. "If only I was the one chosen to be princess instead¡­ she wouldn''t have had to suffer like this."


    "Oi, are you stupid, or what?" I snorted. "If it had been you instead of her, she would be the one sitting in front of me right now, saying she would rather it have been her. Do you see the problem here?"


    "I know¡­ what''s done is done. There is no point crying about the past ¡ª but do you have any idea what happened to make her like this, and how we can help her?"


    Looking at Ling Xin''s worried face, I couldn''t help but smile despite the situation.


    "¡­ What?" She frowned in confusion at my reaction, but I just chuckled and waved her bewilderment off.


    "Nah, don''t worry about it. It''s just¡­ despite being so seductive and uh, horny all the time, you can be surprisingly serious and caring. I guess Axilia shares all of those same traits with y-"


    "Did you just call me¡­ horny?" Ling Xin slowly rose from her seat, and in an instant, she had phased through the table to arrive on myp, looking into my eyes intently and licking her lips.


    "Be careful what you say, Xuan Kai¡­ I might act on it~"


    I gulped. <em>Yeah¡­ she and her sister are both equally scary when ites down to it. Yikes.</em>


    "I-In any case." I cleared my throat, pushing her away. "I learned about her past through an old butler working at this castle¡­ only to find out that he is, in fact, Axilia''s grandfather ¡ª and yours too."


    "Ah¡­ my grandfather. He''s still alive¡­ that''s good to know," Ling Xin said, sitting back down in her own seat. "But putting him aside for now¡­ tell me what happened to Axilia in all the time I was gone. Every¡­st¡­ detail."


    And so, just as requested, I began retelling the story the butler had once told me the night before.


    *****


    By the time I finished summarizing the story, Axilia finished showering and came downstairs happily, ready to teach me how to cook.


    "I''m finished, darling-"


    But then, she stopped, her gazending on Ling Xin. In that moment, Axilia''s entire body froze, mouth still open mid-sentence.


    "Axilia. Do you¡­ still remember me?" Ling Xin asked hesitantly, which was the first time I''ve seen her so shy and socially awkward like this. Normally, she wouldn''t even be embarrassed by hugging me in public, but despite her seductive, shameless nature, she was actually quite awkward when it came to her long-lost sister.


    "¡­" In response, Axilia remained quiet and frozen still, not budging an inch as her head tried to contemte what was going on.


    <em>You know¡­ somehow, this scene reminds me of a certain event that urred a long time back, when I was still in Shenzhen Magic High School. Something simr to this happened with An Xue and An Yan, didn''t it? Two sisters, reuniting after a long time apart¡­ except this time, they are split into whole different realms.</em>


    Slowly, Ling Xin stood up, and began heading up the stairs. I waited quietly, ready to interfere if anything dangerous happened. Ling Xin wasn''t stupid either; she understood the warnings I gave her. She would be on her guard, in case Axilia tried anything.


    "Axilia¡­ it''s me. Ah¡­ but you probably don''t even know who I am¡­ we were separated from birth, after all. My name is Ling X-" She began, but then corrected herself. "-Lixi. My name is Lixi. I¡­ am your twin sister."


    "Sis¡­ ter¡­" Axilia slowly murmured, as a single tear streaked out of her eye. I blinked in surprise, having not expected this at all.


    "I''m sorry¡­ I shouldn''t have left you behind in this realm¡­ I should have found some way to take you along with me¡­ but I¡­ I just couldn''t¡­!" Ling Xin sobbed, pulling Axilia into a hug. At first, I tensed up, thinking Axilia would respond with hostility, but rxed a bit after seeing her not summoning any sort of weapon.


    "Listen closely, Axilia¡­ I heard about your past," Ling Xin said, stepping on thin ice. I tensed up again. "Being neglected by your family¡­ it must hurt. But what if I told you¡­ the king, the queen, the prince ¡ª they aren''t your real family at all?"


    At this, Axilia slowly turned her head. I got incredibly nervous, ready to step in at any minute, but then rxed again after she merely spoke and didn''t suddenly whip out a weapon out of nowhere likest night.


    "Family¡­?"


    "Xuan Kai and I will be your new family. We will show you the true meaning of love, of friendship. So¡­ there''s no need to be afraid anymore, okay?"


    ¡­ Afraid?


    Is that what Axilia was feeling all this time?


    I see¡­ I see¡­


    I failed. I thought I understood her emotions after hearing about her past, but I guess I was wrong. Ling Xin, on the other hand, had figured it out in an instant. It''s because they were twin sisters, I suppose.


    Axilia wasn''t feeling lonely. She wasn''t sad. She was afraid ¡ª afraid of being abandoned, again and again. That''s why she''s so attached to me¡­ because I was the first person who was important to her, and actually cared for her.


    And deep down, Axilia recognized Ling Xin as well, despite never meeting her before. Siblings¡­ twins¡­ they just had a natural instinct of where the other one was. That''s why Axilia opened up so easily to Ling Xin. That''s why Ling Xin was able to save her from the darkness so easily, whereas I could not.


    "Li¡­xi¡­" Axilia murmured, slowly raising her arms up and hugging Ling Xin back.


    "Axilia¡­" The two embraced tightly, both shedding tears. It was quite sudden, but not unwee at all. Once again, I was hit by a pang of nostalgia ¡ª when An Xue and An Yan had embraced like this in the school infirmary, I held a simr wholesome feeling in my heart.


    I guess¡­ seeing other people meet their families again¡­ somewhat helped fill the empty hole in me.


    "You may be my sister, but¡­" Axilia suddenly said, pushing Ling Xin away. I tensed up once again, fearful of what might happen next. Did Ling Xin''s words not reach her after all?!


    Ling Xin was also shocked, and stared at Axilia in both fear and anticipation.


    Axilia took a deep breath, then leaped off the stairs toe up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck tightly to pull me into a tight hug. Facing her twin sister, she spoke in the most pouty tone imaginable.


    "You cannot have darling, no matter what~!"

 Chapter 424 - What Next?

    "Ara ara~ Xuan Kai¡­ you seem to have charmed not only myself, but also my sister, hm?" Ling Xin giggled,ing up to the other side of me and practically shoving her well-endowed cleavage into my face. Any sign of tears were now gone on both sisters'' faces, and the mood drastically changed.


    "Hehe~ if you try topete with me, sister¡­ I''ll kill you~"


    "My, my¡­ so aggressive. I''m sure Xuan Kai doesn''t like a girl whose first thought is killing, right~?" Ling Xin leaned in and nted a kiss on my lips.


    "¡­" Axilia fell silent, angered. "Sister¡­ did I not warn you~?"


    I realized the intent of the kiss, of course, and also Ling Xin''s objective in purposely angering Axilia like this. Naturally, I yed along, clearing my throat.


    "Ahem! That''s right, Ling Xin¡­ I despise girls who¡­ uh, threaten to kill and stuff a lot¡­"


    "Fufu~ hear that, Axilia? Xuan Kai likes me better~"


    "Eh¡­? But have you had sex with darling yet~? No, right?".


    Score! Ling Xin fell silent for a brief moment, then quickly thought up of a wittyeback, licking her lips and reaching down for where my crotch was.


    "Fufu~ no, not yet, but¡­ I can change that right now~"


    "Ahahahaha!" Axiliaughed like a maniac, caressing her own face. "Sister¡­ you cannot beat me in bed~"


    "My, my, so confident," Ling Xin giggled softly, eyeing her sister. "Would you like to test that theory, Axilia~?"


    "Of course¡­ but if you lose, I''ll kill you~"


    "And if I win?" Ling Xin smiled suggestively.


    "Then¡­ I won''t kill you~!" Axilia eximed, pping her hands together happily. "For today, at least¡­"


    "O-Okay, that''s enough!" I interrupted, cutting in between the two''s back-and-forth conversation that was about me, but I wasn''t even consulted before thispetition was determined. "One, there are far more important matters at hand than which one of you is better at sexually pleasing me, and two, I never even agreed to this!"


    "Ara ara~ so¡­ you''re saying you don''t want to~?" Ling Xin smiled seductively, pulling down her robes a little to let me get a real good glimpse at her wonderful bosom.


    "A-Ahem¡­ we can discuss thister," I said in a panic, my hormones as a young adult kicking in. This was going to be a decision I wouldter regret, but that was besides the point. "For now¡­ we need to think of how tobat the prince."


    "Ah, yes¡­ that ugly chimp," Ling Xin muttered in disgust, backing away. "He was the main reason I left this Realm in the first ce. Forcefully marrying me? No thanks."


    "Not only you, but Axilia too," I chuckled.


    "But I''m yours and yours only, darling~" Axilia giggled, clutching onto my arm and hugging it tightly. "If any other man tries to get close to me¡­ I''ll kill them~"


    "Mm, good." I shed her a thumbs-up. "When ites to this, killing is fine. But no killing your sister, I forbid you from doing that."


    "Eh? But darling¡­"


    "No ''buts''. Now¡­ didn''t you say you were going to teach me how to cook?"


    "Ara ara~ now this is something I have to see~" Ling Xin giggled suggestively, to which I sent her a deadpan re as an idea formted in my head.


    "Actually¡­ I have yet to try out your cooking, Ling Xin. Why don''t you make us all breakfast?"


    "Oh, oh! If her cooking is worse than mine, I can kill her~!" Axilia cheered.


    At this, Ling Xin froze momentarily, but thenughed. "Fufufu~ you think this Shadow Empress can''t cook? Very well. I''ll cook for someone else for the first time ¡ª only for you, ''darling''~"


    Of course, she added thisst part to taunt Axilia, but it actually felt pretty nice, being called ''darling'' by two heavenly beauties like this. Ling Xin was right, I did owe her quite a bit. If the price was to take care of her for eternity¡­ so be it. She would be a powerful ally to have by my side as well. Thus, I decided to just ept her love ¡ª no more running away.


    Ling Xin, with a triumphant smirk on her face, put on the apron hanging from the wall and headed into the kitchen to examine what kind of foods there were. Once she had decided what to cook, she went to work, while Axilia and I watched intently.


    *****


    - Half an Hour Later -


    "Ta-da!" Ling Xin dered, setting down three tes on the table, each filled with a delicious-looking dish that¡­ I had no idea what it was called.


    "Uh¡­ what is this?"


    Axilia, on the other hand, seemed to recognize it.


    "Hm¡­ lobster frittata with caviar?" Axilia murmured. "Interesting, but the taste is very hard to bnce~ are you confident in your skills, sister?"


    <em>Lobster frittata¡­?</em>


    "Fufu~ Xuan Kai, you''ve never eaten something like this before?" Ling Xin giggled, amused.


    "Uh¡­ no?" I responded, raising an eyebrow. "This looks like some really posh food¡­ something I never had the luxury of enjoying."


    "Then¡­ say ahh," Ling Xin said, using her fork to pick up a chunk of the frittata and bring it closer to my mouth.


    "Darling likes mine better, right~?" Axilia said happily, lifting her fork and bringing it closer to my face.


    "Actually¡­ I have my own fork," I muttered, turning both of them down and lifting up a small chunk of my own serving before cing it into my mouth. My eyes widened at the taste as I chewed, different vors mixing into one. The tender juiciness of the lobster mixed with the sweetness of the caviar and saltiness of the cheese, paired with the nice and refreshing vor of zhini.


    After I swallowed the first bite, I gently set the fork down. Axilia looked at me in anticipation, while Ling Xin had a grin on her face, as if she had already won.


    "That¡­ was good," I said, undeniably.


    "But was it better than the hot pot I made?" Axilia hurriedly asked, eager to know.


    "I''d say they are about even," I said, since I didn''t want to make either one of them upset. "Both of you are great at cooking, so there''s no better or worse. But judging from the dishes alone¡­ I have to say, Ling Xin''s was more delicious, by a slight bit."


    At this, Axilia''s expression turned sad while Ling Xin smirked triumphantly.


    "Axilia, Axilia¡­ what did I tell you? You can''t beat me ¡ª not in cooking, not in bed. Want to know why you lost?"


    Axilia narrowed her eyes. "¡­ Why?"


    "Because your cooking didn''t have enough love in it, of course," Ling Xin replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "In other words¡­ I love Xuan Kai more than you do. That''s all there is to it."


    "Impossible¡­ I love darling with all my heart!"


    "Then¡­ prove it," Ling Xin taunted, eyes turning serious. "Fight me fair and square for Xuan Kai, rather than attempt to kill me."


    "Hmph¡­ fine. I will show you, sister¡­ darling is mine."


    "Okay, let''s put that matter aside for now," I cut in. "We should discuss what to do about the prince. He''s definitely pissed off after I, uh, killed himst time, so whenever hees back, he''ll be here with more people."


    "Not just because you killed him, but also because you took both of his women," Ling Xin whispered seductively, appearing beside me in an instant with a chair. "He must be jealous out of his mind once he sees me here as well~"


    "And that''s¡­ not a good thing," I said nkly. "The best n here is to just leave this Realm and go back to the Living one, but given the prince''s personality, he will definitely chase after us until I''m dead. It''s either he kills me or I kill him ¡ª I choose thetter."


    "Killing, yay ~! Can you let me do it, darling~?" Axilia asked with a pleading look in her eyes, and I nodded.


    "If that''s what you want to take revenge¡­ go ahead. The king as well. Their heads are yours for the taking."


    "Hehe~ darling is the best~!"


    "Here''s the deal," I said, beginning to exin my n. The two twin sisters, each clutching to one of my arms and leaning on my shoulders, listened closely.


    After that, we ate breakfast, and collectively decided to go explore the city. Of the three of us, none had actually explored the capital much. Ling Xin lived here for a while, but it''s been a long time since she wasst here.


    But of course, this was just a ploy. On the surface, I was going on a date with these two beauties, but in reality, I was hoping to see if there''s anything useful I could pick up in this city. Ling Xin and Axilia had just insisted I make it a date when I told them what I wanted to do, so here we were.


    This was the Death Realm, a cepletely foreign to my original world. As such, there was bound to be treasures and resources in here that couldn''t be found back in the Living Realm. Since I would be leaving here soon, right after killing the prince and king, I wanted to take advantage of what little time I had left.


    In this Realm, I mean. Not my life.

 Chapter 425 - Mordem, Capital Of The Death Realm

    Outside the castle, in the city of Mordem, lives were bustling cheerily. Kids yed around in the streets, and adults browsed through the stalls and stands stationed all around. There were plentiful of people, lively and rowdy, but not in a bad way. If anything, for the capital of Death Realm, this seemed like the exact opposite ¡ª filled with life.


    Of course, Axilia had to wear a mask and change into some moremoner-like clothes, as she stood out a lot as a princess. Nothing in her wardrobe fit that criteria though, so I had to justpromise and give her my cloak to wrap around her body with. Naturally, Axilia was beyond happy at this, while Ling Xin pouted teasingly from jealousy.


    "So, Ling Xin¡­ are you not going to visit your family?" I asked as we walked through the busy streets. "Axilia too."


    "Don''t worry, I already did," Ling Xin replied. "Beforeing here, I asked them where I could find Axilia ¡ª and that led me to you, of course.".


    "I don''t have any family except darling~" Axilia added, clutching my arm tightly and pressing her head against my shoulder.


    "Hm¡­ alright then. Whatever you want," I chuckled, then turned to Ling Xin again and lowered my voice. "By the way¡­ do you know of any interesting ces we could go to in this city, or just anything useful I could bring back to the Living Realm in general?"


    "The Death Realm is simr to the Living Realm in many ways, and most of the facilities in this city can also be found in the Living Realm," Ling Xin said. "But if you''re looking for something useful that can only be found in this ce¡­ fufu."


    She smirked suggestively and eyed an extremely luxurious-looking building in the distance that had an urban, modernized air to itpared to the rural vige-like buildings all around. It was wide, but not too tall. I followed Ling Xin''s gaze and spotted the building as well, then raised an eyebrow.


    "What is that ce?"


    "The Mordem Auction House," Ling Xin replied. "The strongest, wealthiest business in the Death Realm, second only to royalty. If you want some Death Realm treasures, they''ll all be there."


    "Do you want to go there, darling~?" Axilia asked innocently. "I have plenty of money."


    "Uh¡­ I feel kind of bad about using your money though," I muttered. "Ling Xin, is there any other way of payment, like trading or something?"


    "Hm¡­" Ling Xin ced her fingers on her chin, then asked thoughtfully. "Do you know how to perform alchemy?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Alchemy? As in¡­ making pills, elixirs, and such?"


    Ling Xin nodded. "Judging from your reaction, you don''t know. But you may have a hidden talent for it ¡ª I wouldn''t be surprised, given how many times you''ve managed to impress me so far~"


    "Uh¡­ but even if I have talent, I''ll need time to hone it, no? I doubt we''ll have time to do that before the prince strikes and we have to promptly get the hell out of here."


    "Actually¡­ alchemy is a rare thing that doesn''t follow the rule of practice makes perfect," Ling Xin corrected with a gentle smile. "I''ll show you what I mean ¡ª follow me."


    I turned to Axilia for confirmation on the matter, to which she stared back at me nkly. It seemed that she didn''t know anything about this matter either, despite all the reading she does.


    "Come on~" Ling Xin grabbed my hand and pulled me into the crowd, Axilia taking my other and following behind.


    *****


    Soon, we found ourselves standing before a small hut near the very edge of the city, isted and deste. It definitely didn''t seem like the kind of ce one woulde to with the goal of studying alchemy.


    "What is this ce?"


    "The residency of an old alchemy master, the best in the Death Realm," Ling Xin replied. "Also my godfather."


    "¡­" I stared at her for a while awkwardly, then turned back to the hut and cleared my throat. "Ahem¡­ hello, old master. I am¡­ er¡­"


    "My husband~!" Ling Xin cut in loudly, suddenly hugging my arm.


    "H-Huh?!"


    "WHAT?!" A voice roared from inside the hut, and a hairy old man stumbled out of the small entrance. He was quite short and chubby, like a dwarf, but the anger in his voice was real. One of his feet was a stump, having been cut off by something earlier in his life, and in his small chubby hands, held what looked like half a small circr ball ¡ª an unfinished pill.


    "Uh¡­ hi," I said awkwardly.


    The old man nced between Axilia, Ling Xin, and I several times, before narrowing his gaze on me.


    "Boy¡­ who do you think you are, to take two women as your wives?! Xin''Er, break up with him immediately! Such a man cannot be trusted!"


    "Fufu~ sorry, but he''s already¡­ imed my body and heart," Ling Xin whispered seductively into my ear, infuriating the old man even further.


    "BOY, YOU¡­!"


    "W-Wait!" I hurriedly cut in. "Listen, geezer, I didn''t do anything to her, and she is free to leave whenever she wants. Ling Xin, stop trying to get me killed!"


    "Hehe~ don''t worry, darling~ if he tries killing you, I''ll kill him first~" Axilia reassured with an innocent smile on her face.


    "Okay, okay, enough¡­ no one''s trying to kill anyone here," I said with a sigh. "Old geezer¡­ I am only here to learn alchemy from you, since your goddaughter here told me I may have talent for it."


    "Hmph¡­ you? Ha! Very well, boy¡­ if you can impress me, I''ll let you leave this ce alive. Come in!"


    He turned his bulky figure around and strolled on back into the small hut. I gulped and followed, Axilia and Ling Xin as well. But then-


    "You two girls! Stay out!"


    At this, Axilia smiled creepily and pulled out a scythe out of nowhere.


    "Trying to separate me and darling~?"


    "Axilia!" I hurriedly stopped her. "No. I can defend myself if he tries anything. Just stay out here with Ling Xin and don''t make any trouble."


    "Mm¡­ okay¡­" She seemed saddened, but listened to my instructions ¡ª thankfully.


    "Good luck, husband~" Ling Xin said with a wink and blew a kiss.


    I shot her a re, then disappeared into the hut.


    *****


    The moment I got inside, the doors shut tight behind me, and I felt something like a gun being pointed to the back of my head.


    "Don''t move, boy¡­ and sit down," the old man growled.


    "¡­ So, you''re going to try to kill me after all? Maybe I should have let Axilia cut you into pieces."


    "Rx. As long as you don''t make a move against me, I won''t fire the gun. You see, I''m not very strong. I''m just an alchemist. If you tried to kill me¡­ I wouldn''t be able to fight back at all. Now¡­ you have no experience at all in alchemy, I''m guessing?"


    I shook my head as I sat down on the incredibly short stool before me. "None at all."


    "Hmph¡­ see those materials on the table? They''re all you need to concoct a single Low-Grade pill. I want you to hover your hands over them, then listen to their sounds."


    <em>¡­ What did I just hear? Did this old geezer just tell me to listen to the sounds of a bunch of weird-looking herbs and nts?</em>


    "I know what you''re thinking right now, even though I can''t read your mind," the old man growled. "But if you can''t hear their sounds, then you have no talent for alchemy. Clear away all your thoughts, and <em>listen.</em>"


    <em>Easy for you to say¡­ but how the hell am I supposed to clear away all my thoughts if I have a gun being pointed at the back of my head?</em>


    Taking a deep breath, I decided to just do the best I can, hovering my hands over the tree stump on which the materials wereid around. Due to the darkness in the room, it was difficult to see what exactly was on it, but it seemed like various strange herbs and nts that I had never seen before in the Living Realm, even across all my textbooks.


    As I concentrated, however, I began hearing faint whispers. Not anything that even resembled human speech, but they were the calming voice of nature, speaking to me. I closed my eyes, amplifying these sounds, and the old man''s eyes widened.


    "Kid¡­ you¡­"


    But the whispers of naturepletely filled my ears, rendering his voice into the background. I was nowpletely focused onto this task, and at that moment, nothing else mattered.


    Slowly, the voices became distorted, but in a harmonious way. They merged together perfectly, like a major third or perfect fifth. The sounds of different nts and herbs became one, growing quieter and quieter until it atst, faded away for good.


    I opened my eyes.


    Below my hands, a single, pulsating golden pilly, radiating light and brightening the entire room.


    I had seeded.

 Chapter 426 - Alchemist?

    Both the old man and I were stunned silent for a good half a minute, until I finally spoke.


    "So, uh¡­ I take it I seeded?"


    But in response, the old man nearly toppled over.


    "Woah-!" I hurriedly stood up and caught him in my arms, using ''Blink'' to teleport behind him. "Oi, old geezer, you okay?"


    "A¡­ A Golden Pill¡­ to think I would be able to see¡­ something of this caliber¡­ in my lifetime¡­"


    "H-Huh? Hey, don''t die on me now!"


    "SHUT UP!" The man suddenly roared, getting back to his (stumped) feet. "WHO''S DYING, HUH? YOU TRYNA CURSE ME, BOY?!"


    "E-Er, no¡­ I just thought¡­"


    "Ugh, never mind¡­" The old man growled grumpily and sat down on his bed beside where I was. "Boy¡­ do you really not have any alchemic experience?"


    "Why would I lie about that?".


    "¡­ Hmph." The old man stared at me for a second, then turned away with a snort and gestured towards the pill I had concocted on the tree stump. "What you just made right there¡­ that''s a feat the greatest alchemists across all realms hope to achieve but can only dream."


    "¡­ Excuse me?"


    "You see, alchemy, unlike martial arts or magic, cannot be trained. A person''s aptitude ¡ª or rather, talent ¡ª for it is determined at birth, and no matter how hard one tries, they cannot surpass that limit. This means that even an infant baby could technically be a better alchemist than an old man like myself who has trained for years. And what you just managed to pull off right there ¡ª that''s something only spoken of in old alchemy stories. No one has ever managed to pull it off ¡ª a Golden Pill ¡ª until now, boy. If someone had, the news would spread like wildfire."


    "Is it that impressive¡­?" I raised an eyebrow. "What does a Golden Pill even do? Just looks good?"


    "Insolent brat!" The old man roared in fury. "Listen closely, boy! A pill with pill veins has three times the normal potency and quality. A pill with pill clouds has five times, and a Golden Pill has ten times! Do you understand now, just how valuable an alchemist who can concoct Golden Pills is?!"


    "Ah, so I can sell these for ten times the profit!" I grinned in triumph. "Hey, old man, how much does a pill normally go for?"


    "UGH! ALCHEMISTS DO NOT PURSUE ALCHEMY FOR PROFITS! IT IS AN ART ¡ª A PASSION!"


    "Oh yeah, I''m passionate. About making money through this, that is."


    "Boy¡­ you''re lucky you are a Golden Alchemist¡­ otherwise I would kill you for disrespecting the alchemic way."


    "So, uh, could you teach me some more recipes and stuff? Like¡­ you mentioned Low-Grade pill earlier. How do I make¡­ more <em>advanced</em> pills?"


    <em>Heh, they can definitely sell for more, the more advanced they are. I''ve stumbled across a gold mine, except instead of gold the mineral, it''s golden pills.</em>


    "Boy¡­ you dare to disrespect alchemy, then ask me for teachings on it right after? Imprudent!"


    "Alright, alright, now, calm down, old geezer," I said, walking over and tapping him on the shoulder. "I have a deal for you. So long as you teach me the recipes¡­ I will let you have the first batch of Golden Pills I concoct."


    "Hmph! I have no need for mone-"


    "Let me finish," I interrupted. "Think real hard about what you can do with these Golden Pills. You said you are a defenseless alchemist earlier, correct? But with the help of these pills, you can be strong enough to defend yourself in no time at all. You''ll be able to live in peace, without having to worry about your personal safety."


    "¡­" The old man fell silent, meaning I had meant the mark.


    "And that''s not all," I continued. "Soon, I will be a renowned alchemist across all the realms. When people ask me, I''ll say you were my teacher. Imagine the fame and glory you will have ¡ª all the other snotty-nosed alchemists who have talked down to you before, all the arrogant ''masters'' who think they are better than you ¡ª all shut up in an instant. Picture that feeling. Relish it."


    "Heheheheh¡­." The old man beganughing deeply, but then noticed my gaze and immediately stopped, clearing his throat. "A-Ahem¡­ very well. But if you go back on your word¡­"


    "If I do go back on my word, your goddaughter Ling Xin will know, and she will definitely snitch me out judging from how much she wanted to get me killed earlier. You saw it yourself, didn''t you?"


    "Hmph¡­ fine. Since you are a Golden Alchemist¡­ I suppose you are worthy of her as well. Alright, boy! Let me show you some of the mostmonly used and requested pills!"


    *****


    After that, I spend the rest of the day learning about different pills and how to craft them, along with elixirs and just general alchemic knowledge. The girls, of course, were let in, and watched me learn and practice in amusement.


    That is... until they were kicked out again by the old man, since they were fawning and flirting with me too much.


    In any case, this was an afternoon well-spent. We did end up skipping lunch altogether, but since we ate breakfastte anyway, that wasn''t too big of a deal.


    By the time the sun had set, I had learned how to concoct High-Grade pills. There were two more ranks above that ¡ª Saint-Grade and Divine-Grade ¡ª but the materials required for that were far too rare and expensive. The old man imed he didn''t have any, but really, I think he just didn''t want to let me use them.


    After that, we headed for the Mordem Auction House, now with some things to sell. I''ve never heard of alchemy back in the Living Realm, so it makes me wonder if I could do it with herbs there... and if not, then I would need to ask for some materials from the old man again to continue alchemy once I return. The other girls would appreciate these Golden Pills a lot, I''m sure.


    *****


    - At the Auction House -


    "Wee to the Mordem Auction House, dear customers. Are you here to buy or sell?" The friendly receptionist asked, a broad smile on her face.


    "Hm... I can''t do both?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    At this, the receptionist tilted her head. "Come again...?"


    "Uh... I want to first sell some things, then use that money to participate in this auction. Is that not possible?"


    "Er... it''s never been done before, but it can be arranged. To do this, we will need to auction your item first to prevent you from making any bids you cannot ount for. And as the first item of the auction, it has to be good ¡ª exceptionally so, to catch the attention of the audience and bidders. If you are confident your items can do that, then-"


    "Hm... I''m no expert, so I''ll let you make that judgement," I said, before pulling out a box from my cloak pocket and sliding it over to the receptionist.


    The girl raised an eyebrow in skepticism, wondering what object of extreme value could be held within that tiny box. To satisfy her curiosity and fulfill her duty, she gently opened it up.


    Immediately, she recognized the object, and her eyes widened.


    "T-This is..."


    "So?" I smirked beneath my mask and folded my arms. "Is that good enough?"


    "P-Please wait, sir. I need to call Grandmaster Zun to verify the authenticity of this pill. An item of this caliber... I cannot make any decisions by myself."


    "Ah, sure. Best hurry up though, since the auction seems like it''s about to start," I chuckled.


    "Y-Yes, right away..." The receptionist hurriedly picked up a phone from her desk and began frantically dialing a number.


    "Fufu~ looks like Golden Pills are just as rare and priceless as my godfather imed," Ling Xin said with a wry smile, fitting my arm between her soft breasts. "I think you owe me after this, hubby~"


    "Ehehe~ sister, if you are trying to seduce darling like that, it won''t work~" Axilia giggled, pressing against my other arm. Both of them had silky, translucent masks on that covered the bottom half of their face, just to hide their real appearance and identity. Naturally, that was why I had my mask on as well.


    Ling Xin told me such auctions like this would have people with enormous power and influence participating in it, and outside the auction house, anything goes. If we took an item another party wanted, they may try to steal it from us after the auction by force if necessary. As such, we needed to keep our identities hidden.


    Suddenly, a loud and hoarse voice could be heard on the other end of the receptionist''s phone, screaming in shock.


    "WHAT?! A GOLDEN PILL?! ARE YOU CERTAIN, GIRL?!"


    "Y-Yes, Grandmaster Zun... but I will need you to verify its-"


    "I''M ON MY WAY! AND FOR THE LOVE OF THE HEAVENS, DO NOT LET THAT YOUNG MAN LEAVE! OFFER YOUR BODY IF YOU HAVE TO!"


    "E-Eh?!" The receptionist cried in surprise at thest part, but Mr. Grandmaster Zun had already hung up, leaving her shocked still, listening to the short beeps of a call cut short. Then, slowly, she turned to me, a blush on her face.


    "Ahem... as you have heard, sir... Grandmaster Zun is on his way. Please don''t leave until he arrives..."


    "Hm... I don''t know... I really dislike waiting," I teased, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "Unless there''s something worthy I get in return, anyway..."


    "U-Um...!" The receptionist averted her gaze, unsure of what to do. Seeing this reaction, Iughed.


    "Rx, rx. I''m just ying with you. I already have two beauties by my side like this... they''ll kill me if I were to start fooling around with another woman."


    Well, Ling Xin, maybe... but Axilia would <em>definitely </em>kill me.

 Chapter 427 - Mordems Auction

    Soon after, an old man that looked nothing like Ling Xin''s godfather appeared, dashing through the hallways like a child in school. He panted heavily, and seemed to be worn out after running all the way here to the front reception of the auction house.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ quick¡­ let me see the pill¡­" He gasped, pointing at the receptionist girl with a trembling hand, shaking uncontrobly in excitement and anticipation. The girl nodded and did as told, exiting from behind the counter and handing the box I had just gave her over to the old man.


    Grandmaster Zun, panting heavily, slowly opened the lid of the box, sweat dripping from his face so much to the point where I was afraid it would get onto my pill and ruin the price of it. And as soon as he did, his entire body began shaking, a wide smile appearing on his face.


    "I-It''s real¡­ it''s not just a legend¡­ someone¡­ actually managed to refine it¡­ a Golden Pill¡­"


    Then, he turned his gaze on me, and hurried over. Back in his younger days, he may have been even taller than I was, but now, his slouched back made him a good head shorter than me.


    "You, young man¡­ was it you who refined this pill?"


    I nodded.. "I trust there are no problems with auctioning this, yes?"


    "No! Heavens, no! None at all! Please, follow me. You and yourpanions shall be treated like V.I.P.s here at the Mordem Auction House ¡ª I shall see to that myself! You have my word ¡ª as long as this old man is still breathing, I will allow no disrespect toe to you!"


    "Heh¡­ pretty good," I chuckled. "But you see¡­ I was actually hoping to make money by selling these pills here¡­ so could you tell me how much one could sell for?"


    "Oh, you need not worry about that, young venerate!" Grandmaster Zun hollered. "Money is but a trivial thing in front of treasures such as this. Just the Low-Grade Golden Pill you have in this box could easily go for more than 1 million mordai at the very least!"


    "Mordai is the currency used in the Death Realm," Ling Xin whispered helpfully into my ear. "1 million mordai would be the same as 1 million dors in the Living Realm."


    I faked a calm smile and put on a very refined persona, like I was the kind and mannered young master of some rich foreign country.


    "I see. What about Mid-Grade and High-Grade ones?"


    "A singr Mid-Grade Golden Pill could sell for 5 million, and a High-Grade could sell for 10 million at base," the Grandmaster said. "Don''t tell me you have any Saint or Divine-Grade pills as well¡­ those are worth more than any single power can handle."


    Still keeping up the calm facade, I nodded as if satisfied.


    "I see, I see¡­ thank you. In that case¡­"


    I pulled out arge box filled with the Golden Pills I had refined from out of my Space Locket and handed it to the old man, who epted it with honor and reverence, as if I was some kind of deity.


    "Inside is about 50 pills, ranging from Low-Grade to High-Grade. Do try to sell them for as high as possible, yes?"


    "Of course, honorable customer. Please, allow me to show you the way to your VIP room¡­"


    Grandmaster Zun turned around and began heading down the hallway he had came from, and Ling Xin, Axilia, and I followed. The receptionist girl watched as go, stunned speechless.


    Although I kept up a calm facade on the surface, deep down, I was actually shocked to death.


    <em>What the hell?! I can be a millionaire from just a single Low-Grade pill?! After this auction, I''ll have enough wealth topete with the royal family!</em>


    "You seemed to be a foreigner here," the Grandmaster suddenly said as we walked while I was in my thoughts, and I immediately stopped walking, raising my guard. Him, noticing this, hurriedly spun around and bowed deeply.


    "Please don''t be rmed, honorable alchemist! I do not mean any harm to you, nor do I intend on searching your background. I was merely curious, since you appear to be slightly surprised at the cost at which your Golden Pills can sell for. Young and inexperienced, yet so talented. You must have only awakened to your alchemic abilities recently."


    "¡­ How did you find out?" I asked, dropping the persona and continuing to walk.


    "You attempted to put up a fake calm facade, but I have met many people over the years. Such an act cannot fool me, I''m afraid," the old man replied hesitantly.


    "Huh¡­ guess my acting skills need some work."


    "Here we are," Grandmaster Zun said,ing to a stop before a doorbeled ''VIP #69'' on it and opening it, inviting the three of us inside. Naturally, weplied.


    The room was luxurious and spacious, much like a 5-star hotels ¡ª the type that big CEOs and stuff stayed at. As expected of a VIP suite, the decorations inside were nothing short of exquisite and one side of the wall was nearlypletely ss, allowing us to get a glimpse of what was below ¡ª arge stage, surrounded by an arc-shaped escting audience chamber, with us at the top. All the other VIP chambers were up here as well, to our left and right.


    It reminded me of the ck market auction house back in The Fortress, except on a farrger scale. And¡­ well, it wasn''t ck market.


    "Do you wish to know why Golden Pills are so expensive?" Grandmaster Zun asked, closing the door behind him so that no one outside would be able to hear.


    "Why?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Because alchemists are rare in the first ce, young man. Of the entire poption, less than 1% have an aptitude for alchemy. Of that 1%, even fewer are able to concoct and refine anything beyond Low-Grade, much less forming pill veins and pill clouds. Do you understand now, just how rare Golden Alchemists ¡ª and Golden Pills ¡ª are? They are legends, spoken of only in fabled alchemic myths and legends."


    "Hm¡­ I see," I muttered.


    "Now, before I leave, allow me to say one final thing," the old man said, clearing his throat. "When auctioning the Golden Pills, we will keep your identity a secret. No one will know it was you who refined them, but they might be able to guess based on a new face sitting in a VIP chamber. If they do, they will undoubtedly want to recruit a Golden Alchemist like yourself into their ranks ¡ª it is free profit."


    "I''m aware of that," I replied. "I don''t intend on joining anyone else. I like being solo."


    "I was actually going to rmend joining one, as it would spare you from being targeted by other factions, but¡­ whatever you wish. Just be careful ¡ª they may use force if necessary."


    "Thanks for the heads-up," I said nkly. "I''m more concerned about my money though ¡ª how will it be sent to me?"


    "You had a storage device earlier when pulling this box out, yes? Does it have a limit?"


    <em>Ah, the Space Locket¡­ looks like such things exist in the Death Realm too, even though Space Essence did not.</em>


    "Nope, it''s infinite."


    "Then we will hand all the cash to you through that when the auction is over. Worry not, we do not go back on our word."


    <em>Oh, I''m not afraid. If you do, I''ll just stop time and steal someone else''s wallet. No big deal.</em>


    With that, Grandmaster Zun left to prepare for the auction. As soon as he did, Ling Xin and Axilia pulled me down onto the couch, one on either side of me.


    "What did I say, hubby~? You have a talent for alchemy," Ling Xin giggled. "Now¡­ best start thinking how you''re going to repay me~"


    "Yes, yes¡­ but I already agreed to taking care of you for life¡­ what more do you want?" I asked, stroking her hair.


    "Hm¡­ let''s see¡­ how about agreeing to thatpetition Axilia and I were speaking about earlier?"


    "Hehe~ I support that~" Axilia added. "Agree, agree!"


    "You mean¡­ seeing which one of you could please me better in bed?" I raised an eyebrow. "I mean¡­ sure, if that''s what you want as a reward."


    The two girls merely smiled and hugged my body tighter, as we waited for the auction to begin.


    "To think one of the IMF''s Council of Arcanity members would be lying in my arms right now¡­ I never expected this to happen," I chuckled.


    "Ara ara~ and you think I did?" Ling Xinughed. "Most people would admire me, fear me. But you didn''t even know who I was, when we first met ¡ª only that I was strong. You are the first and only man to have captured my interest like this, hubby~"


    "¡­ Right. But what''s with the¡­ ''hubby'' thing? I thought that was just a one-time nickname you were using to try and get me killed in front of your godfather¡­ speaking of, don''t ever do that again, or else¡­"


    "Or else¡­?" Ling Xin licked her lips seductively. "You''ll punish me, master~?"


    "¡­ You''re just going to keep calling me weird nicknames, aren''t you?" I sighed.


    "Axilia can call you one. Why can''t I?"


    "Whatever¡­ but can you settle on just one?"


    "Hm¡­ master it is~"


    <em>Well¡­ Mei Gui will probably be pissed off hearing that, since that title is kinda reserved for her to call, but oh well. I''ll let those two deal with it on their own.</em>


    <em>ria might be jealous too¡­ oh, right. ria.</em>


    <em>When I first entered this realm, I had noticed my phoenix hadn''te with me. She had been quiet silent ever since the previous exam at the university was over, but I never really checked on her. That was my mistake.</em>


    <em>I had felt her inside my body up until that fall down the cliff¡­ so I have no idea what happened to her or where she is now. I could only hope that she was safe ¡ª I don''t think she died or was injured, since I would''ve felt that. So¡­ what could''ve possibly happened to her?</em>


    <em>I was worried, but right now, I needed to first get out of the Death Realm myself. Once I was back to the Living Realm¡­ I could begin searching for her once again.</em>


    <em>That little phoenix¡­ catching her the first time was pain enough. Do I really have to do it again now?</em>

 Chapter 428 - The Auction Begins

    As the minutes went by, the audience chamber down below began getting filled up with people. The red velvet seats were taken one by one, and all the big shots settled into their VIP rooms. However, all the VIPs were unable to see one another''s identities, since the ss covering the walls of one side of the rooms were darkened.


    This meant we could see out through our room and actively participate in the auction, but people on the outside could only see a silhouette of us. As a result, our identities were protected ¡ª mostly, anyway. They could always simply follow us outside once the auction was over, but even then, we had masks on, so there was no worry there.


    I appreciated the fact that this was the way things were set up. I always liked privacy and keeping my profile hidden, so this was essentially the most perfect VIP room I could imagine.


    The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying this too. They didn''t like wearing masks, and took advantage of them not needing to inside this room to fawn over me,peting with one another. I didn''t pay them any mind, and set my mind strictly on the auction. I did not want to get carried away here and miss out on an important item..


    ... Though, I must say, having a beauty like them in each of my arms was tempting, especially given their warm, voluptuous bodies and alluring scent.


    Luckily, my self-control has been trained quite a bit ¡ª inadvertently ¡ª after spending so much time being surrounded by girls whom others would regard as angels or goddesses. As a result, I was able to hold back my urges even as they stroked my crotch area, whispering seductive messages into my ears.


    Thankfully, after several minutes, an announcement rang across the room as a speaker got onto the stage down below. I didn''t know how long I could hold on for ¡ª even I had my limits, as a healthy young man ¡ª so this was a godsend.


    "Wee, valued guests and honorable VIPs. The monthly Mordem Realm-Wide Auction will begin shortly. A friendly reminder to please remain seated at all times during the auction, and only speak when necessary. This is to avoid chaos and messiness. Thank you for your understanding, and may Death be with you."


    The auctioneer''s gentle female voice was broadcasted to us in the VIP room via some kind of PA system, though I couldn''t find any visible speakers anywhere. Enchantments or Sound redirection Magic, I suppose.


    "May Death be with you... is that amon phrase around here?" I asked, slightly perplexed. "Sounds more like a curse than a blessing."


    "Don''t forget, this is the Death realm~" Ling Xin giggled softly, gently tracing her fingers across my chest while leaning into my arm. "The people here worship Death like the Living Realm values Life. To them, death <em>is </em>a blessing."


    "Yeah... I''ll never get used to this," I said with a sigh. "I''m getting out of this realm the moment I can. But Axilia... will you be okay, leaving here? It is your home, after all. Not a very good one, but a home nheless."


    "Don''t worry, darling~" Axilia beamed happily at me and clutched my arm closer, wrapping it in between her bouncy chest. "Anywhere with darling is my home~"


    I smiled and stroked her hair, to which she bit on my chest gently.


    "O-Ow, that hurts..."


    With a smile, Axilia backed away. "Now I left my mark on you, darling. If anyone tries to take you from me... I''ll kill them~!"


    "R-Right..." <em>Stop looking so innocent while saying something like that.</em> The worse part is, I know she''ll actually do it.


    "It''s starting, master~" Ling Xin said with a smug snicker, ncing at her twin sister, who stared at her with a dangerous smile.


    Ignoring their littlepetition over their names for me, Ling Xin was right. Down below, the auction was starting. The lights dimmed and the spotlight centered on the auctioneer, who for some reason had sweat on her face. When she had made the announcement earlier, she had been just fine. I wonder... oh, maybe Grandmaster Zun told her about my Golden Pills, and to auction them first. Yeah, that must be it.


    "A-Ahem... this month, we have prepared something very special for you all," she began, voice quivering slightly. "It is something that has never been seen before, something that has only be spoken of in legends."


    This caused a stir in the audience. People murmured to one another, each trying to figure out what she was talking about. <em>So much for keeping quiet.</em>


    Though... could I really me them? Given the shock on Grandmaster Zun''s face, it was clear Golden Pills was a big deal.


    "Please, quiet down, everyone!" The auctioneer said, trying to calm all the audience down. Eventually, it worked, and the chamber became quiet once more. The curiosity that had been ignited in their hearts, however, could not be exhausted.


    "Those of you who have studied alchemy in the past should be very familiar with this item," the auctioneer continued. "Some may have even tried to refine one yourselves. However, those experiments all ended in failure. After all, myths were only myths, and the <em>thing </em>spoken of in legends did not exist."


    By this point, a minority of the audience already knew what the item she was hinting at was, but none of them wanted to believe it. It couldn''t be true.


    "But this <em>thing</em>, does in fact exist. And the person able to refine it, <em>also </em>exists. I present to you, my dear customers ¡ª a genuine Golden Pill!"


    Saying this, she removed the cloth covering the cubicle storage device that had been brought on stage via a tall cart. Within the ss cube, a single golden spherey. In an instant, the audience was brought to a standstill, eyes glued to the item.


    Their emotions were a mixture of shock and disbelief, debating whether or not what they were seeing was real. The alchemists among the audience were especially entranced, bodies shaking with excitement.


    "W-Wha..."


    "No way..."


    "Is this a dream? This has got to be a dream, right?!"


    The Golden Pill''s beautiful radiance illuminated the entire audience chamber, like a miniature version of the sun. It was as if everyone could feel its warmth, its power, like a cozy nket that washed over them. Its beauty, its perfection, its very essence ¡ª embraced everyone in the audience, captivating them to no end. Even the auctioneer, who I''m guessing hasn''t witnessed it yet, had her eyes glued to the pill.


    So much so, in fact, that several minutes went on without her saying anything else. Suddenly, however, she nearly stumbled backwards and pressed on her ear with her hand, signaling that someone had yelled at her through her earpiece or something. I dunno, just a guess.


    "A-Ahem... the auction house assures you, this is a genuine, 100% natural Golden Pill. It has been verified by Grandmaster Zun himself, the top alchemist of this realm. As such... the starting bid for it will be 5 million mordai!"


    I blinked. "5 million? Didn''t that old man say 1 million or something?"


    "Well... to be fair, he said <em>more </em>than 1 million," Ling Xin corrected, a smirk on her face. "Besides, are you going toin, master? This is more profit for us."


    I shrugged. "I suppose so."


    And that was just the starting bid.


    In an instant, the audience began raising bidding paddles one after another, raising the price by millions each time.


    "7 million!"


    "9 million!"


    "10 million!"


    "15 million!"


    The cost soon skyrocketed, and I could only blink in awe as the price went higher and higher.


    "Hm... hey, master~ I''m beginning to think just one night isn''t enough for my reward, don''t you agree?" Ling Xin giggled seductively, twisting my head around and nting a wet kiss on my lips before backing away and licking hers. "At this rate... we''ll be richer than the royal family. The mordai coins here can also be sold back in the Living Realm for even more value, so we''ll be wealthy back there too. Such benefits... all thanks to me~"


    I sighed and pulled her closer to me, letting her rest against my shoulder. "Yes, yes... what do you want for the reward, then? I''ll think about it."


    "Fufu~ you''ll let me decide? That''s dangerous, y''know~" She whispered into my ear, biting it tenderly. I flinched, but didn''t move away from her hot breath.


    "Sure. You can choose whatever you want, but whether I actually will do it or not is up to me," I replied, matching her wry smile with one of my own.


    "Then... I want you to marry me."


    I stopped.


    "Come again?"


    "You heard me the first time, master. I want you, Xuan Kai... to make me your wife, before any of the other girls. It''s bound to happen eventually, right? Getting married, I mean. When that timees... I better be first~"


    "Hold on, sister... technically speaking, if I hadn''t brought darling to the Death Realm, none of this would have happened," Axilia argued, a dangerous smile on her face. "So... I should be first instead."


    The two sisters smiled at one another from across my body, but neither of theirs reached their eyes. I was not veryfortable with this atmosphere, but then, suddenly, from one of the VIP rooms-


    "100 million!"

 Chapter 429 - Money Making

    "100 million!" Someone from the VIP room next to ours yelled.


    "100 million, from VIP Number 15! Do we hear any more bids?" The auctioneer echoed, looking around in the audience.


    "Ngh... 100 million... that''s way outta my league..." Someone muttered in disappointment..


    "As much as I want that Golden Pill... I knew we would have no chancepared to the VIPs..." Another groaned inint.


    "100 million, going once... 100 million, going twice... 100 million, going three times..." The auctioneer raised her hammer into the air-


    "150 million." A cold, steely female voice suddenly said, from the VIP chamber to our left.


    "150 million, from VIP number 17-"


    "200 million!" VIP 15 called out before the auctioneer could even finish her sentence.


    "250 million," the girl replied, in that same cold, steely voice.


    "Damn it... don''t screw with me, Davis!" VIP number 15 roared, clearly angry. "I can tell who you are just judging from that voice. No one else has that annoying tone!"


    "Are you going to continue bidding, or just sit there and yell insults at me?" The girl asked quietly, yet with a hint of smugness. "Because no matter which you choose, both are ¡ª quite frankly ¡ªpletely pointless."


    "You...!"


    "A-Ahem..." The auctioneer cleared her throat. "250 million, going once... 250 million, going twice... 250 million, going three times..."


    Silence from VIP Number 15.


    "... Sold! Congrattions, VIP Number 17, the Golden Pill is yours for 250 million mordai!"


    "... Davis, I''ll remember this."


    "... Hmph."


    "Those two seem to have a feud," I noted. "Axilia, you know who that ''Davis'' person is?"


    "Hm... most likely, the daughter of Duke Davis," Axilia replied after some thought. "She''s quite strong... but of course, if she tries taking darling, I''ll still kill her with ease~!"


    "Do you know her name?" I asked.


    "Oho... why do you want to know her name, master?" Ling Xin asked, leaning in close to my face. "Are we not enough for you? Do you still wish to im more women to add to your harem?"


    "That''s not it," I replied. "I just want to know the name of the person who''s going to be delivering 250 million dors into my wallet. Is that not reasonable?"


    "Not when ites to you, no," Ling Xin said with a smile.


    I stared at her with a deadpan expression, to which sheughed softly, showing a cute side of her I didn''t see often,pared to how alluring and seductive she usually was.


    "There''s one question though..." Axilia murmured. "Darling, why did they only auction one pill? What about all the other ones?"


    I smirked. "A marketing strategy, to gain maximum profit. That old fox, he''s pretty sly."


    "Eh...? I don''t get it..." Axilia frowned, still confused.


    "Think about it," I said, stroking her smooth, silky long ck hair that matched her sister''s. "What makes something valuable?"


    "Their uses...?"


    "Well, that''s part of it, but I''m talking about ancient treasures here. Think broader."


    "Their... rarity?"


    I smiled. "Precisely. And what would people do if they knew there were in fact multiple copies of one item?"


    "The value of that item would lower..." Axilia''s eyes widened as she realized.


    "Get it now?" I chuckled. "That old fogey did this on purpose. By marketing the Golden Pill like there was only one in all of existence, the price was raised this high. And that was just a Low-Grade one too... take a look at what he does next."


    Axilia turned her head to look at the stage down below, where another cart simr to the first one was brought up while the previous one was brought down. The auctioneer, now morefortable with the whole Golden Pill situation, smiled professionally and took off the cover of this item. In an instant, the entire audience was captivated once more, though they were surprised for a different reason this time.


    "A-Another one?!"


    "W-Wha...?"


    "The Golden Pill that was just sold was a mere Low-Grade one. However, the one being showcased here... is a Mid-Grade, worth a lot more! A lot of effort when into the refinement of this pill, so it is guaranteed to provide insurmountable benefits! Since the ending bid of the Low-Grade was 250 million, that will be the starting bid of the Mid-Grade ¡ª make your bids, everyone!"


    "275 million!" VIP Number 15 immediately called out. But-


    "300 million."


    ... Once again, VIP Number 17 stood in his way.


    "DAVIS...!"


    "Is there a problem? This is an auction. I am free to bid as a please, am I not?"


    Within my room, Iughed in amusement at the conflict between the two. If only they knew the person who made all those pills was right in between them.


    "That girl''s got a sharp tongue. I like her," I said.


    "Fufu~ master, are you really saying you like another girl in front of your future wives?" Ling Xin asked, a sharp gleam in her eyes.


    "Uh... that didn''t have any romantic intention behind it," I quickly argued. "I''m just saying, she''s interesting."


    "Hm, yes... I was merely ''interested'' in you at first as well, master. Look where that brought me."


    "..." I fell silent, out of wittyebacks.


    "Insolent fools, arguing like six-year-old children... how will you carry on your families'' legacies like this?" An old man croaked out from a little further away, also in a VIP chamber. "350 million."


    "Shut it, old man! 400 million!" VIP Number 15 yelled,pletely fed up.


    "Old Man Freefeather, I would advise you not to interfere," Davis said coldly. "You are already on the brink of death ¡ª why not just give in? The problems of the next generation are not your concern. 450 million."


    The old man sighed, voice hoarse and hagged. "Sorry, young ''uns... but I must acquire this pill. If my guess is not wrong... judging from the smell of that pill... it is a Rejuvenation Pill, able to prolong life. There are many things that I have yet to do... and until I fulfill them, I cannot go. 500 million."


    "Oho. Rejuvenation Pill, you say?" A new male voice joined the mix, from another VIP chamber. "How interesting... I wouldpete for this, but since my beloved Adelina also wishes for it, I will opt out. However, should you wish, Adelina, I will purchase this pill for you."


    "... Disgusting. Kill yourself," Davis ¡ª whose first name was Adelina ¡ª replied coldly. But to our surprise, rather than be offended, the male <em>moaned</em> in pleasure.


    "Oh~ yes, my beloved Adelina, I will dly kill myself for you. Please, keep insulting me!"


    "Tch..." Adelina fell silent, deciding just ignoring him is the best option. "Old Man Freefeather, out of my respect for seniors, I will opt out of this item as well. Enjoy your Rejuvenation Pill."


    "Thank... you... and you, Kochis?" Freefeather asked, apparently directing his message to the always-angry VIP Number 15.


    "Ha! Like hell I''m going to pussy out like Davis! 550 million! Bring it on, geezer!"


    "... How imprudent. You do not even need this pill, Kochis. Think about it ¡ª if there is a Mid-Grade Pill here... why would there not be a High-Grade oneing up next? It is best to save your money for that, don''t you agree? 600 million."


    "Hm..." Kochis fell into thought, contemting the old man''s words. After several seconds, he made his decision. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I''ll let you live another few years, old man."


    "Thank... you..."


    "600 million going once, going twice, going three times..." The auctioneer raised her hammer. "Sold! VIP Number 14, congrattions ¡ª the Mid-Grade Golden Pill is yours for 600 million. And now, for our next item... just as VIP Number 14 stated ¡ª a High-Grade Golden Pill! The starting bid will be 600 million."


    At this, the normal audience down below all sighed in disappointment, realizing this was way too out of their league no matter how much they wanted the treasure. This was just the reality of the line separating the rich and the poor. The statused and the no-named. The powerful and the weak.


    But this time, no one cast their bids. Why? The reason was simple ¡ª now that a High-Grade Pill had appeared, all of them were thinking the same thing: What if there was a Saint-Tier Pill? Maybe even a Divine-Tier?


    The auctioneer, having not expected this silence, was somewhat at a loss for what to do.


    "Er... does no one wish to bid...?"


    "Master, by rules of the auction, if no one bids after the starting bid, the starting bid will have to be lowered until someone does," Ling Xin whispered into my ear, throwing her soft, slender arms around my neck. "You have to do something, or we''ll be missing out on profit~"


    I nodded. "I''m aware."


    Then, pressing on the button on the table to make a bid, I spoke so that everyone in the audience, along with the other VIPs, could hear me ¡ª though not before changing my voice to an old man''s with Sound Magic.


    "700 million."


    Silence.


    "I know what you are all thinking right now, fellow VIPs," I said. "''Is he stupid, making a bid for the High-Grade Golden Pill when there could very well be even better onesing along?'' Well, I can assure you, I am not stupid... and there will not be any better onesing along."


    "Oh? And how do you know that so certainly, mystery VIP whom I do not recognize?" Adelina asked, voice cold and threatening. But what was that to me? I''ve seen a lot worse. I <em>was </em>a lot worse.


    "Why?" I chuckled. "Because I''m the one who made the pills."


    At this, the entire audience froze. The other VIPs, the auctioneer, Grandmaster Zun in the backstage, and even Axilia and Ling Xin stared at me in shock, like ''what happened to keeping our identity a secret?!''


    But I had a n. Even if they knew I was the one who made the Golden Pills, they would only know me by ''VIP Number 14''. They will never get a nce at my face ¡ª not even the slightest bit of our figures.

 Chapter 430 - Treasures Of The Death Realm

    I shot Ling Xin and Axilia a look saying to rx, then continued.


    "If you don''t believe me, you can ask Grandmaster Zun himself. But I warn you ¡ª this is your only opportunity to get a High-Grade Golden Pill on your hands. Think carefully. Just remember, I am perfectly fine with taking back my own pill and auctioning it elsewhere, or perhaps even giving it to someone as a gift for free."


    Hearing this, the other VIPs fell into thought. No doubt, they were questioning my identity right now. But their time was limited. Undoubtedly, they were hesitant. Dubious. Scared.


    And that''s exactly what I wanted.


    When humans were scared, especially with the pressure of time at their doorsteps, they will choose the decision that harms them less in the short-term and forget to see the consequences of the long run.


    In this case, these VIPs are faced with two decisions that may or may not cause them regret in the future. One, if they choose to believe me and bid on this High-Grade Golden Pill, there could be even higher grade onesing up in the future (of course, I knew there won''t be, but this is for theory''s sake).


    On the other hand, if they choose to <em>not </em>bid on this, then there was the chance I am not lying and they would really be missing out on this <strong>golden </strong>opportunity.


    <em>That was a very bad joke.</em>


    When faced with a situation like this, they would choose the option that could possibly regret least. In other words...


    "U-Um... 700 million, going once... 700 million, going twice... 700 million, going thre-"


    "Agh, screw it..." Kochis growled. "725 million!"


    "Hmph... 750 million," Adelina said.


    "800 million..." Old Man Freefeather croaked. "Sorry, young ''uns, but I need this one as well..."


    "Ooh... a High-Grade Golden Pill, hm?" The boy who had called Adelina his ''beloved'' said curiously. "My apologies, my beloved Adelina, but I''m afraid I must bid for this. Otherwise, my parents would torture me for missing out on this <strong>golden </strong>opportunity! Oh, just thinking about all the pain I will receive is getting me <em>so</em> ecstatic! 850 million!"


    Ling Xin, Axilia, and I all nced at one another awkwardly, not wanting to discuss what we just heard.


    "... Poor souls," a new voice suddenly interrupted. "Let''s speed things up. 1 billion."


    <em>Saying 1 billion like it''s nothing... who is he?</em>


    After reaching this number, none of the other VIPs spoke any further. Not because they couldn''t afford to, but because of the identity of this man. And his voice... sounded somewhat familiar.


    "VIP Number 1, with a bid of 1 billion! Do we hear anymore bids?" The auctioneer announced.


    Silence. No one dared to bid against this mysterious VIP Number 1... that is, except for me.


    "1 billion and one."


    A moment of silence once more. Then, slowly, from the other party:


    "1.5 billion."


    "1.5 billion and one."


    "... 2 billion."


    "2 billion and one."


    "... Are you screwing with me, VIP Number 14, who ims to be the creator of these pills?"


    "No, naturally not. I just genuinely believe the Golden Pills I worked so hard to refine are worth more than a billion."


    "... Tell you what, Mr. Alchemist. I am willing to hire you personally. You will enjoy wealth, fame, and power like none other. For every High-Grade pill you refine, I will grant you 2 billion mordai, while also providing you with a luxury residence, the power to do as you wish, and however many wives and concubines you may want. How about it?"


    "A tempting offer," I admitted, still in my changed voice. "But I have to say... I''m already making plenty of money from this auction. Currently, I am also already staying at a beautiful home. Thirdly, no matter what I choose to do... you cannot stop me anyway. Andstly... sorry to tell you, but I already have plenty of women around me. I don''t need any more."


    "... Hmph. I see. 3 billion. Will you keep attempting to raise the price? Don''t push your luck, old man. This world... is my world."


    "Very well. I believe 3 billion is a suitable price for my Golden Pill. Enjoy it... Prince Auldren."


    Saying this, I cut off thems, disallowing anyone from the outside to hear the contents of our conversations within the room. While I was at it, I also got rid of my voice changer.


    "Fufu~ that was amusing, master." Ling Xin smiled wryly. "3 billion isn''t much to him at all, but it''s the mental damage that counts."


    "Mental damage?" Axiliaughed. "No, no... the best form of damage... is death. When can I kill him, darling~?"


    "Soon," I replied. "I promise."


    *****


    After that, the auction continued as usual. My Golden Pills were sold one by one, starting with Low-Grade, then Mid-Grade, then High-Grade. Based on their uses, they fell into theps of various VIPs, while the general audience didn''t even try topete. They knew it was pointless. All of the High-Grade pills, however, were taken by VIP Number 1 ¡ª also known as Prince Auldren. I could tell from his voice.


    Apparently, a well-crafted Golden Elixir was worth even more than a Golden Pill, but Ling Xin''s godfather didn''t have the necessary materials to make one. Unfortunate, but I still gained massive profits through this auction. By the time all of my pills were sold, a whole hour had passed in the auction, and I ran some quick maths to figure out that I had made a grand total of nearly 27 billion mordai.


    Now, since one mordai ¡ª which was made of pure gold ¡ª would be equivalent to approximately 1000 dors back in the Living Realm. That made me a trillionaire. 27 times over, to be exact. The only downside to this was the amount of exining I would have to do to the girls once I got back.


    Finally, it was time for some other items of the auction to begin. Now here, was where I would actually begin participating for real. With plenty of money on my hands, I was ready to bid for whatever treasures I coulde across.


    "That is all for the Golden Pills in this auction," the auctioneer announced, clearly relieved that this portion was over. "Next, we have the first non-pill item ¡ª The Cloak of Yharnav."


    Saying this, she pulled off the dark cloth hiding the item to reveal arge, primarily ck cloak. It was simr to the one I had on right now, but even darker. The buttons on it and various linings were made of silver, and it had great fashion, if I had to be honest.


    "Not only is this an ancient, extremely durable cloak that has withstood the harsh winters of Friljord, it also carries a special, powerful trait to it.


    "Once the armor of a dark hero, Yharnav, it is said in his legends that any creature or human daring enough to get close to him would slowly have their life force drained away, converted into power for him. The stronger they were, the longer it took to drain. However, in the end, these are but legends, and no actual testing has been done on this armor piece. Therefore, the starting bid of this item will be as low as 10,000 mordai!"


    Immediately, the general audience began making bids.


    "50,000!"


    "100,000!"


    "125,000!"


    The prices went higher and higher, until it atst came to 275,000 mordai.


    "Guest 769 has made the bid for 275,000 mordai. Do I hear any more bids? Going once, going twic-"


    "275,001," I suddenly said. From beside me, Ling Xin struggled to stifle herughter.


    "As crafty as ever, master~"


    "E-Er... 275,001, going once, going twice, going three times... sold! VIP Number 14, congrattions, the Cloak of Yharnav is now yours."


    "D-Damn it... why did one of the VIPs bid on this thing... I was hoping to impress somedies too..."


    "Hm... they are afraid of bidding against a VIP..." Axilia remarked. "How amusing."


    "I can''t me them. If they end up making themselves an enemy of one of the VIPs, they''re as good as dead," I replied.


    "I don''t get it though, darling. Why did you buy this? It''s not even tested."


    "Maybe so, but something tells me that it''s a good buy," I said with a chuckle. "And besides... even if the power doesn''t work at all, it still looks pretty cool. I don''t care too much about fashion, but the darkness factor of that cloak is better than my current one."


    "Hm... I think you look cool in anything, darling~" Axilia said with a bright smile, hugging my arm tightly.


    I stroked her hair gently, a wry grin on my face. "Thanks, Axilia."


    "Ara ara~ you''re actually into cheesypliments like that?" Ling Xin blinked in surprise. "Perhaps I need to rethink my approach, then... master~ you''re so handsome and cool~"


    But in response, I merely cringed and pushed her away.


    "Just stick to your normal self.. That''s what I appreciate best."

 Chapter 431 - A Mysterious Egg

    For the rest of that auction, there were plenty of treasures that piqued my interest. From cute souvenirs to bring back for the girls to random pieces of artwork, I bought them all. Most of the weapons here were quite weak though, ording to Ling Xin, so I didn''t bother buying any of that. Apparently, it was because the people here rarely used weapons anyway ¡ª most wielded ones forged with their own True Essence.


    Since True Essence could be molded into any form and shape their wielder wished, this was the go-to option for most people. However, because of this, the weapons also crumbled to dust when their owners died, so the only actual ''weapons'' that existed here and could be used by anyone weren''t actually meant forbat at all, but mere decoration.


    I also noticed that whenever I ced a bid on something, none of the other VIPs followed. The two girls and I found this amusing, since we knew full well what their intentions were. All of them just wanted to get on my good side with the hopes of hiring me into their family or organization. Sorry, but I work alone.


    Still, I wasn''t about to refuse these free benefits. Sadly for them, though, I had something known as Space Magic. They could try to confront me outside my door after the auction all they wanted, but they''ll wait for hours only to see no one. Too bad.


    As the ''millenium-old'' teacups that were just auctioned were cleaned off the stage, a new masked container was brought up to take its ce. It was quite small, even more so than the ones that had contained my Golden Pills.


    "Now, for the penultimate item of this auction, we have a mysterious egg that was found near the peak of Mount Necria, the tallest mountain of the Death Realm. Experiments conducted on it have been unsessful, and no one was able to find out what kind of creatureys inside. As a result, please bid at your own risk. The starting bid will be 10,000!"


    The audience began stirring, murmuring quietly to one another as they debated whether or not to bid on this. In a ce like the Death Realm, danger was everywhere. Whatever creaturey inside that egg could either bring immense power to its owner, or get them killed without even batting an eye.


    "A mysterious egg, huh?" I murmured, stroking my chin. "Do you two know anything about this?"


    Observing thepletely ck egg thaty within the ss cubicle storage on the stage, Ling Xin fell into thought.


    "Hm¡­ can''t say I do. Sorry master~ but I''ve never been one to read books or study animals, really."


    Meanwhile, Axilia merely had a frown on her face as she tried to figure out what that egg was. After several seconds, though, she could only give up.


    "Sorry, darling¡­ I don''t think I''ve seen something like that either¡­"


    "Well, if even Axilia doesn''t know, then it''s a lost cause," I said with a sigh. "But that said¡­"


    Staring at the egg, I smirked. "The mysterious, the unknown, interests me. Even if that egg is dangerous, and whatever will leap out it will try to kill me¡­ heh. Let it try. I''m always up for a challenge."


    <em>Well, the real reason is that I''m trying to get ria a ymate, so she won''t feel so lonely anymore after I get her back, but there''s no point saying that out loud when these two don''t even know who ria is.</em>


    Down below, someone in the audience made a bid of 11,000. Without any hesitation, I pressed on the button to speak after changing my voice.


    "11,001."


    "D-Damn it¡­ why is it always him?!" The poor guy down below weeped in despair. I smirked, thinking it was in the bag, but-


    "12,000."


    From a few VIP chambers down, I heard the voice of none other than Prince Auldren. <em>Oh? He wants to bid against me?</em>


    "12,001," I said, waiting to see what he would reply with.


    "15,000," Auldren replied, voice calm and unwavering. "Mr. Alchemist, it would seem you wish to have this mysterious egg. Why so? If you tell me the reason, I will consider letting you have it. Of course, the offer to join me still stands. Should you ept, this ¡ª and anything else in this realm ¡ª shall be yours."


    "I''ve said it before and I''ll say it again ¡ª offer declined." <em>In other words, that''s me saying ''fuck off'' in the politest way possible.</em> "Now, as for the reason I wish to have this egg¡­ would you believe me if I said I was simply curious? 15,001."


    "20,000. Of course, I am well aware alchemists are a curious bunch. However, if you wish to have this egg, I want something in return."


    "Oh?" I taunted. "Let''s hear it, then. 20,001."


    "Your identity. I have connections with every renowned alchemist in this Realm, yet you, able to refine Golden Pills, appeared out of nowhere. Tell me ¡ª who you are."


    After some thought, I replied.


    "Very well. However, not in front of all of these people. Shall we host a private meeting tonight? Just you and me."


    Several secondster, he responded.


    "Understandable. I am Prince Auldren Von Eista, though you seem to have already figured that out already. That is all you need to know to contact me, correct?"


    "Correct, Prince. I will send you the details of our meetingter."


    "You should know what will happen if you go back on your word, I trust."


    "Naturally. I am a man of my word, as all honorable alchemists are. Such is thew of the Alchemic Way."


    "Good. Then, I look forward to our meeting¡­ unnamed alchemist."


    Since Auldren did not make another bid, I won the fight for the egg for a cost of 20,001 mordai. After shutting off thems, Ling Xin raised an eyebrow at me.


    "You''re thinking of doing it this soon?"


    "Originally, no," I said with a shrug. "But since I now know he''s already back in action, and such an opportunity has presented itself, I might as well."


    "Fufu~ fair. But you know¡­ it won''t be easy. He will definitely have hidden troops all around, with the intention of threatening you into joining him."


    "So?" Iughed. "He has hidden troops¡­ I have hidden traps. Home field advantage."


    Ling Xin giggled before leaning into my ear and whispering seductively.


    "Fufu~ that''s my future husband~"


    *****


    "And now, dear customers and guests¡­ I present to you, the final item of this auction!"


    The auctioneer removed the piece of cloth draped over a ss container simr to all the others. Inside, a ck rocky. That was literally all it was. A ck rock.


    It was cut baguette-style with expert craftsmanship, but it wasn''t even a gemstone. It was just a rock,pletely opaque and useless. At least, on the surface.


    "I know you are all confused, but this is not just any rock. This was found deep underground, embedded within the very core of the! It is a treasure only made possible with tons of excavation and time. As such, the starting bid will be 1 million!"


    "WHAT?!"


    Immediately, the audience erupted into a fit of roars and cries.


    "A mere rock for 1 million?!"


    "We don''t even know if what you''re saying is true!"


    "Yeah, yeah! What a scam!"


    But on the contrary¡­ I pressed on the button to speak, changing my voice.


    "1 million and 1."


    In an instant, the entire audience chamber fell silent, shocked at my words.


    "I-Is he crazy¡­?"


    "What kind of idiot would pay 1 million for a rock¡­? Even if you''re rich, that''s just excessive!"


    Even Ling Xin and Axilia were somewhat shocked at this, and looked at me with widened eyes.


    "1 million and 1, going once, going twice, going three times ¡ª sold! Congrattions, VIP Number 14 ¡ª the item is yours!"


    "Darling¡­ why did you¡­?"


    "Rx," I said calmly. "I know what I''m doing."


    To everyone else, that was merely a rock. But I could feel it. Something about that piece of stone called to me. It resonated with the energy deep inside my body, the power I wielded ¡ª Chaos. I couldn''t be sure what the connection really was just yet until I got my hands on it, but I could feel the instinct to buy it.


    <em>If only Mei Gui was here¡­</em>


    One way or another, that rock was rted to Chaos. I needed to obtain it and investigate, no matter what. After all, it''s amon saying that useless waste to one person may be a hidden treasure to another.


    With that, the auction concluded. The twins were dubious of my decision to buy that rock at first, but after hearing my words, they believed them wholeheartedly and didn''t question any further, although they <em>were</em> curious to hear what my goal here was.


    I hadn''t exined the whole Chaos thing to them yet, so I couldn''t reveal too much right now. Not because I didn''t trust them, but because I didn''t want to overload their minds with this matter. Once we got back to the Living Realm, the other girls could fill them in.


    <em>But still, that rock¡­ I get the feeling I''m onto something.</em>

 Chapter 432 - The Cloak Of Yharnav

    After the auction concluded, the items I purchased were immediately brought to my room by Grandmaster Zun.


    "The required cost for these items has been deducted from your profit of the Golden Pills," he said. "As for the rest of the money¡­"


    He took off the ring on his finger and handed it to me. "It is all contained within here. You may check if you wish."


    I nodded and went through the ring, which functioned simr to a Space Locket. After visually confirming everything was there, I put the ring into my own Space Locket ¡ª the pendant around my neck.


    "Thanks. It''s been a pleasure."


    Grandmaster Zun bowed respectfully. "No, I should be the one saying that. If you ever decide to sell Golden Pills again, please doe here to the Mordem Auction House. You are always wee as a VIP."


    I smiled, but my mask was on my face, so he couldn''t really see. "Noted. Take care, Grandmaster Zun."


    "Yes. You too, young man. And worry not ¡ª the auction house will not reveal your identity under any circumstances."


    "Good to hear."


    With that, the old man left. After storing everything into my Space Locket, I turned to the two girls.


    "Take my hands. We''re getting out of here before all the other VIPs clutter the door."


    Axilia and Ling Xin nodded and each took one of my hands.


    <em>Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Warp Gate.</em>


    *****


    "¡­ Whew. We''re back."


    After going through the portal I made appear beneath our feet, we were easily transported back to Axilia''s manor in the blink of an eye. Axilia, having never witnessed this before, blinked in wonder.


    "Woah¡­ darling, that was cool~"


    "That''s called Space Magic," I said, patting her head. "Ling Xin, once we get back to the Living Realm, can you, uh, <em>smuggle</em> some Awakening Stones for Axilia? With your position, that should be easy, right?"


    "I suppose so," Ling Xin replied. "I''m willing to do it, of course, but not without a price. If you want me to get her Awakening Stones¡­ you have to go on a date with me. How about it?"


    "Uh¡­ sure? Whenever I have time."


    "Hehe, good try, sister¡­ but that''s not happening," Axilia replied with a sinister smile. "I don''t want your Awakening Stones, if the cost of it is darling~"


    "You two¡­" I sighed. "Can you stop fighting for five minutes? I don''t see An Yan and An Xue argue like you two do."


    "An Yan? An Xue? Who are they?" Axilia asked, tilting her head. "More targets to kil- I mean, love rivals?"


    I stared at her like, ''don''t think I didn''t hear that'', but decided not to expose her and instead just head into the house.


    Once we were in private, the first thing I did was write a simple letter to the prince, scheduling our meet-up for tonight.


    Tomorrow, midnight. Behind the princess''s manor.


    From the Unnamed Alchemist.


    Once I was done, I handed the note to Ling Xin. "Deliver this to the prince''s postbox. With your Shadow Magic, staying concealed should be easy."


    "Whatever master wishes~" Ling Xin said with a seductive smile, nting a light kiss on my cheek and winking. "Don''t have fun with Axilia without me, mkay~? I''ll be very upset if you do¡­"


    "Just go already," I said, rolling my eyes. Ling Xin blew a kiss and left, taking the note with her. Watching the door close behind her, I sighed. "Now then¡­"


    Browsing through my Space Locket, I took out three items I obtained from the auction. The Cloak of Yharnav, the mysterious egg, and the ck rock that almost looked like polished obsidian.


    First off was the Cloak of Yharnav. I began taking off my current clothes to try it on, but¡­


    "Darling¡­ fufu~" Axilia giggled and suddenly pounced on me, pushing me backwards a few steps.


    "Woa- hey-!"


    She lowered herself a little and began tenderly licking on my bare chest, sliding lower and lower until she reached my waist. Realizing what she was going to do, I hurriedly stopped her and held her steady.


    "Not now, Axilia. I''m trying to test out this new armor set."


    "Eh¡­? But¡­"


    I smiled and reached around her body, pulling her close to whisper beside her ear.


    "Don''t worry¡­ I''ll satisfy you and Ling Xin both tonight, until you beg for me to stop."


    "Darling~" Axilia licked her lips, pink, heart-filled eyes shining with lust.


    Taking a deep breath, I pushed her away and wrapped the Cloak of Yharnav around myself. Despite being an ancient relic, its condition was kept pristine ¡ª either that, or the auction house just cleaned it before putting it up for bid.


    Either way, I had already scanned this thing for poison, so I wasn''t in any danger here. The only problem was¡­


    "Axilia, go up the stairs, and don''te near me until I say it''s safe. Apparently, this thing can drain life force, so until I can figure out how to turn that feature on and off whenever I choose, I need you to stay a good distance from me."


    Axilia, having been promised a fun night by me, nodded obediently and went up the stairs to watch from above. Personally, I didn''t feel anything particrly different from my old outfit. After ncing in the mirror, I could safely say it looked a lot more stylish and ''cool'', but that was about it.


    This was called a cloak in the auction, but really, it came as a full set ¡ª the cloak, the pants, the boots, a lean hat, and even a water-proof mask to go along with it. The hat, which pointed down in an angled manner, when paired with the mask, covered my face nearlypletely, leaving only my eyes out in the open so that I could still see.


    Add the cloak and trousers onto that, and my entire body is pretty much covered. Since gloves and socks came along with the set as well, I pretty much had everything apart from underwear ¡ª which I could supply myself with.


    All in all, despite the seemingly clunkiness of the set, it actually felt quite lightweight. The cloak, trousers, and boots are all waterproof along with the hat and mask, allowing me to work in the rain with no problem at all. Due to how tightly ittches onto my body ¡ª as if it were a perfect fit for me ¡ª even if I was submerged underwater, none would get beneath my clothes. That was great, since the feeling of being wet while wearing clothes really sucked.


    Now, all that was remaining was some testing. Turning to Axilia up the stairs, I spoke.


    "Stay there, Axilia. I''ll be right back ¡ª I just need to test out this power on some animals."


    "Mkay~" She responded airily. "Come back soon~"


    I nodded and headed out of the manor, then set off for the forest. I wasn''t too particrly worried about Axilia, since she was plenty strong in her own right.


    Summoning my Chaos katanas, one in each hand, I closed my eyes.


    <em>Level One Psychic Magic ¡ª Detect Presence.</em>


    After several seconds, my eyes opened once more.


    <em>There.</em>


    Turning to my right, I headed into the woods, des at the ready. It didn''t take long for me to find what I was looking for ¡ª a beast that looked like a killer boar with two sharp pincer-like tusks that jutted out the sides of its face. Its eyes were bloodshot red, with no pupils. Quite a scary sight, yeah, but not for me.


    "GRRER!" The hog growled andunched itself towards me, but I dodged out of the way with ease, without even needing to use magic. Thebination of vampire blood and Ascended Seraphim ichor within my body has made my agility and physical strength far beyond anyone could even imagine. Add my Chaos''s amplification powers as well (yes, it worked on my physical traits as well and not just my magic), and I be a true monster.


    Strangely enough though, the hog didn''t seem to have lost any life force at all despite brushing right past me there. Instead, it turned around and jumped at me again, not losing any speed or power.


    Of course, even at its maximum strength, it was no match for me, and I once again evaded with extreme ease. It thought I was its prey, but to me, it was just ab rat, really.


    <em>Strange¡­ it doesn''t seem to have lost any power at all¡­ were the legends really just rumors after all?</em>


    Still not wanting to believe it, I narrowed my eyes. The pig charged at me once again, but this time, rather than just dodging, I suddenly teleported behind it and smashed it against the dirt-filled ground, pinning it to the floor.


    "GRAGHHH!" It roared in pain and fury, but its lifeforce still hasn''t dwindled a bit. Even after several seconds to a full minute, it was still furiously kicking its feet and trying to get out of my unbreakable grasp.


    Disappointed, I stabbed the boar with my Chaos katana, killing it instantly as the corruption of the Chaos absorbed its body and turned it into power for me.


    Wait.


    My Chaos katanas didn''t do that before. It could steal the traits of other weapons it came into contact with, but it couldn''t steal the life energy of the lives it took and transform it into power for me.


    Which means¡­


    Slowly, I rose from the ground, and watched as the poor beast''s body disintegrated into nothing but bones. My eyes widened.


    "So¡­ that''s the armor''s power¡­"

 Chapter 433 - Who Can Please Me Better?

    After killing the boar, I spent another hour or so outside in the woods to test out my limits and get a good idea on how long something would take to be fully absorbed by the cloak. In other words, what was the ratio of strength of lifeform to the time needed for it to get disintegrated and converted into life force for me?


    When it came to something like this, getting exact numbers was impossible, but from my experience, I could roughly say that a human or a beast at around the power level of an Advanced Mage would take a mere 3 seconds to absorb. An Ancestral Mage would take a bit longer, at 5 seconds, while a Golden Monarch would take 10 seconds.


    I wasn''t able to find any beasts who were on par with a Holy Emperor in those woods, but I''ve got to remember ¡ª I am currently using True Essence, not mana, which was what the power rankings of the Living Realm were based on. However, I was well aware of this, so I made sure to upscale my judgment of the beasts'' power levels ordingly as well.


    Speaking of True Essence¡­ I just realized. Once I go back to the Living Realm¡­ I''ll pretty much be invincible. Even Holy Emperors there won''t be able to stand a chance against me with their puny mana, while I on the other hand have True Essence. Yet for some reason, I had a feeling things won''t be as smoothly as I wanted it to be. I would cross that bridge when I got there though, so there was no point worrying about it now.


    Figuring that Ling Xin should be back by now, I decided to head back to Axilia''s manor. There, I found that Ling Xin has indeed returned, and¡­ was now in the kitchen, helping with Axilia.


    Well, I say ''helping'', but between the fake yet threatening smiles the two of them were sending one another, it was safe to say they were having a cookingpetition once again. Axilia wasn''t the type to just take her loss from this morning sitting down, so here they were, at it again.


    "Ara~ master, you''re back," Ling Xin said seductively, shing me a flirtatious wink. "Would you like dinner? A shower, perhaps? Or¡­ me? Ah, never mind, don''t answer ¡ª you''ll be getting all three tonight anyway, fufu~"


    Sighing, I smiled slightly and looked around, in search of a certain object.


    "Axilia, where did you put the egg?"


    "In the soup~!"


    I froze.


    "You¡­ what?"


    "Eh? Was it not for eating?" Axilia blinked at me innocently, visibly confused.


    "No! That was- ugh!" I facepalmed and hurriedly walked over to her, where a pot of soup was boiling over the stove. "Are you kidding me¡­"


    But then, from beside me, I heard the sound of augh being stifled.


    "Fufu~ I told you this would work, Axilia," Ling Xin said.


    "Darling, did you really believe that?" Axilia asked, mouth slightly upturned in sadness. "Do you really think I am that dumb¡­?"


    "H-Huh?" I looked between the two of them, still bewildered. "What¡­?"


    "The egg is right here," Ling Xin exined, stepping aside to reveal the opaque ck egg, on top of a stove set to extremely low heat to help it stay warm. "Safe and sound."


    "¡­" I was dumbfounded. "Did the two of you just¡­ y a prank on me?"


    "Despite how careful you are most of the time, you fall for simple pranks like this," Ling Xin giggled. "It''s kind of cute, honestly~"


    "Tch¡­ shut it."


    Embarrassed, I turned around and went back to the table, sitting down.


    "What about the ck stone?" I asked. "You didn''t put that into the soup, did you?"


    Axilia shook her head, then took it out of her pocket. "I was inspecting it while you were away, darling¡­ but I still couldn''t find out why you bid on it."


    "I promise, I''ll exin everything once we get back to the Living Realm," I replied, catching the rock as she tossed it over to me. "But for now¡­ I''m pretty hungry after that long day. Let''s eat."


    *****


    After dinner, Ling Xin and Axilia went to shower first. Since they were insistent on it, I saw no reason to refuse.


    In the end, both of their cooking was absolutely amazing, leaving me speechless. I''m not some , so I really can''t find any criticism with their dishes. As for theirpetition, I ended up choosing Axilia this time, just to bnce things out. Ling Xin could see my intention though, so she didn''t get too mad deep down despite making an act of getting jealous on the surface.


    Several minutester, I heard a voice holler down from the room upstairs.


    "We''re done, darling~ go ahead~"


    Sighing, I got up from the already-cleaned table and headed upstairs to take a nice bath. It''s been a pretty long, tiring day, and I needed to get the stench of wild beast blood off of me.


    After tossing the Yharnav armor set into the washing machine, I stepped into the bathroom and settled into the bathtub, sinking into its warmth.


    "Hah¡­ that''s nice."


    While I was enjoying the rxation of the hot water coating every inch of my body, I thought of a good n to defeat Prince Auldren. Just killing him would be easy, but to kill him pletely* and then also *escape* would not be easy.


    But after several minutes, I decided it was too tiresome to be thinking about this n right now. It was time for me to rx, not continue to spend my brain cells like this.


    With a sigh, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment.


    *****


    Soon, I got out of the shower. The steam was getting to my head, and too much of anything would be detrimental, even if said ''thing'' was supposed to be beneficial.


    To be fully honest, I was quite tired, and wanted to just sleep, but I did promise Axilia and Ling Xin to let them have their littlepetition on who can please me better in bed tonight, so I had to endure. My n was just to finish them early and go to bed, but uh¡­ with their stamina, I''m not sure that will be possible.


    After drying myself off, I slipped on a pair of boxers to sleep in, then opened the door to the only bedroom there was. Once I stepped inside, I shut the door behind me and turned around.


    And the moment I did, any tiredness I originally had washed away.


    Before me, on the bed, Ling Xin and Axilia sat, wearing some of the most sexy-looking lingerie I''ve ever seen. Ling Xin wore a ck set, with nearly fully exposed breasts and silky thigh-highs, while Axilia wore a white set of simr structure. It was like a demon and an angel, both showcasing their bodies to the fullest.


    The lingerie attached to them perfectly, highlighting their wless curves and beautiful figure. Their plump thighs, slender arms, exposed chest, and sexy feet seemed to be inviting me in, and in response, my member immediately hardened underneath my boxers.


    Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Ling Xin smiled and stood up, walking closer to me. With every step she took, her two soft andrge breasts bounced erotically, and she didn''t stop until she was right in front of me.


    Sliding one of her beautiful white arms as pale as the moonlight around my neck, she leaned in and whispered by my ear while using her other hand to rub my crotch.


    "My, my~ already this hard, just from looking at us? How indecent, master~" She giggled. "But it''s fine¡­ let out all of your urges, and let us take care of them tonight."


    Immediately, a rush of adrenaline surged through my body, and without thinking too much, I wrapped my hands around her and lifted her up by the buttocks, to which her eyes widened in surprise.


    "E-Eh?"


    But I silenced her with a deep kiss, walking forward slowly towards the bed as my tongue explored her mouth. She reciprocated, matching my movements with perfect synergy and entangling our saliva together.


    "Ahn~ mmn~" She moaned softly, spurring me on further.


    As we reached the bed, I tossed her onto the mattress, but she pulled me down with her and somehow managed to roll me around so that she was on top.


    "Fufu~ not yet, master~ we have a whole night ¡ª let''s take our time."


    Saying this, she kissed me once more while still rubbing my crotch area, feeling my hard cock through my boxers. In response, I groped her soft butt and squeezed it over and over again, unable to get enough of this wonderful sensation between my fingers. With my other hand, I grabbed one of her breasts, ying with them and dancing with the marshmallow-like feeling that made me crave for more.


    Axilia, unable to just watch her sister and I have fun alone any longer, licked her lips and joined in, pulling my boxers down and revealing my enormous dick, ready for an entire night''s worth of hot, pumping action.


    "So big¡­ darling¡­" Her eyes sparked with lust as she caressed her own face, gazing at my cock in wonder. Ling Xin, noticing this, backed away from my face slightly.


    "Fufu~ thepetition begins now, master~" She said with a flirtatious wink. "Which one of us can please you better, I wonder~?"

 Chapter 434 - Ling Xin Vs. Axilia (in Bed!) (18+)

    "Fufu~ thepetition begins now, master~" She said with a flirtatious wink. "Which one of us can please you better, I wonder~?"


    In response, I merely smirked smugly and pulled her head closer to mine. "Come here."


    Ling Xin leaned in, and our mouths connected once more, entangling our tongues with one another''s while I began groping her amazingly soft buttcheeks, indulging in the feeling to my fullest. She traced her fingertips across my chest tenderly, while exposing her ownpletely for me. I reached beneath her lingerie with my free hand and began ying with her breasts once more, causing her to moan between kisses.


    Meanwhile, Axilia went to work down below, unable to hold back any longer and sucking on my cock with every fiber of her being. It was as if my dick held her lifeline in it, and she wanted to retrieve it no matter what. She sucked thirstily, making sexy slurping noises as she took it in all the way to the base.


    "Mmf~ darling~ shlurp~"


    "Oh¡­ fuck¡­" I parted from my kisses with Ling Xin, needing to take a breather. "Ling Xin¡­ you''re so good at kissing, and Axilia, you''re amazing at sucking¡­"


    Hearing my praise, Ling Xin merely snickered mischievously and slid down to the foot of the bed as well.


    "Fufu~ kissing is not the only thing I do well~"


    Saying this, she tenderly wrapped her lips around my balls and began sucking on them, while her sister Axilia kept going on my shaft. Then, they synchronized with each other perfectly as Ling Xin shifted up to lick the side of my cock while Axilia moved to focus on the tip with her tongue, dabbing it lightly.


    My cock was entirely covered by their saliva, and I loved it. So much so, in fact, that I was going to cum already.


    "Fuck¡­ you two are so great at this, I''m going to¡­"


    But suddenly, they stopped, and moved away. I blinked in confusion.


    "What¡­ are you¡­?"


    Axilia and Ling Xin exchangedpetitive nces, then shifted closer to wrap my dick between their four breasts.


    "Darling, whose are bigger?" Axilia asked, a dangerous gleam in her eye.


    "Fufu~ is that even a question?" Ling Xin giggled, then began shifting her breasts up and down to stroke my cock. "It''s mine, of course~"


    "Really now, sister~?"


    Axilia smiled and mirrored Ling Xin''s movements, and the two of thembinedpletely devoured my cock between their four massive breasts, pressing them against each other. An Yan and An Xue had once done the same thing for me, but this felt different. Both Axilia and Ling Xin were the sexy, seductive type, so when they did this, it was a whole another level of heaven.


    "God¡­ that feels so good¡­" I groaned, stroking the two''s hair while they serviced me with their breasts. Hearing my approval, they were motivated to try even harder, speeding up and squeezing my cock more.


    It was as if my dick was surrounded by four immensely huge and warm pillows, each one as soft and delicious as marshmallows. They left no space for my cock to breathe at all, and it felt great. It didn''t take long for my cock, which had been rejected once already, to want to cum again.


    "Hah¡­ Axilia¡­ Ling Xin¡­ I''m going to cum¡­!"


    They leaned down and tickled the tip of my dick with their tongues, as if tempting me.


    "Cum, darling~ straight into my mouth~!"


    "No, mine, master~ give me everything~!"


    "Ngh¡­!"


    Faced with their constant stimtion, I let out my load, sttering it all over their pale breasts that reflected the moonlight and some into their mouths as well.


    "Nyah~!" Axilia moaned cutely, closing one eye and trying to catch my cum with her mouth.


    "Ehehe~" Ling Xin giggled, closing one eye as well and licking my cum off her face.


    "Whew¡­" I panted, not because I was tired, but because that was probably the best bust I''ve ever had.


    "Hm¡­? Panting already, master~?" Ling Xin moved up and crawled closer, cing a finger to her lips. "I hope you''re not tired¡­ because there''s still plenty of time left before morninges~"


    I sat up and lifted her chin, pointing it towards me. "Don''t worry¡­ now that you''ve officially made me stimted like this¡­ it''s only natural I return the favor. Lay down. Both of you."


    Axilia and Ling Xin licked my cum clean from their breasts and obediently did as told, spreading their hot, sexy legs as if inviting me in. Smirking, I reached for their crotch areas and rubbed them with my hand, causing them to flinch a bit from my touch.


    "Both of you are so wet already¡­ did sucking on my cock like two water-deprived cats turn you on this much?"


    "Mmn~" They moaned, unable to respond through words.


    "I''ll take that as a yes. Looks like no forey is necessary then, huh?"


    "Yes~ just put it in already, master~" Ling Xin begged, face flushed red with lust. "Take my first time!"


    "Oh yeah¡­ you''re still a virgin, huh? I forget sometimes, considering how you act." I shifted my body to the right so that I was directly in front of Ling Xin, then spread her legs even wider and pulled the part of her lingerie covering her pussy to the side. It was dripping wet like a river, just as expected.


    Shifting closer, I rubbed my enormous cock against the surface of her beautiful pink virgin pussy, tempting her.


    "I''ll im your body tonight, Ling Xin¡­ you''re mine."


    Saying this, I thrust forward, prating her womb for the first time. Her eyes widened, and faint red lines of blood spilled out of her pussy.


    "Ahn~!"


    "Oho¡­ your moans are pretty cute. For all your seductiveness¡­ as soon as my cock enters your pussy, you be a lot more obedient, huh?"


    Ling Xin, hearing this, forced herself to smile properly. "Hah¡­ what are you talking about, master? This is nowhere near enough for me¡­ fill me up more~"


    I smirked. "As you wish."


    I began moving my hips just as she wanted, thrusting my massive cock in and out of her pussy. It felt just as tight as I expected, yet it also had its own unique feeling to it, different from any of the other girls I''ve experienced so far.


    "Ahn~! Mmn~! Yes, harder~!"


    As Ling Xin locked her legs around my waist, forcing me to prate her even harder, Axilia, who had been watching from the side while fingering herself, couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Mmnn~ darling~ me too~"


    She stuck out her tongue and spread her legs wide, stretching her pussy with her own hand to let me get a good look at just how wet it was.


    "I haven''t forgotten," I replied, pulling her closer to me by the foot before inserting my fingers into her pussy, all while still thrusting into Ling Xin.


    "Oh~! Fuck, yes~" Ling Xin cried, drowning in ecstasy while Axilia matched her moans with ones of her own, body trembling from my fingers'' techniques inside her womb.


    "Alright, Ling Xin¡­ where do you want me to cum in?" I asked, scooping my hand beneath her plump thigh so I could fuck her faster and harder.


    "Mmf~! Inside¡­ inside my pussy~! Please, master, fill me up with your cum~!"


    "Good¡­ then, take it all in!" I sped up and thrust my cock as deep as it could go, unleashing my entire load into her womb. Ling Xin''s eyes rolled back and her tongue stuck out in ecstasy, enjoying every bit of my love juice as it filled her up.


    Slowly, I pulled out, but I wasn''t done yet. Axilia, seeing my still hard cock, licked her lips, and I knew what she wanted.


    "It''s your turn now, Axilia. Turn around."


    "Yes, darling~" She replied, doing as told and lifting her butt up high.


    I licked my lips and moved closer, cing my hands on her hips, then suddenly shoved my cock into her defenseless pussy, which felt a lot different from Ling Xin''s.


    "Ahn~!" She moaned, gripping the bed sheets tightly. "Darling~ it''s so big~ I love it~!"


    "You like it deep in you, huh?" I chuckled. "In that case... let''s try a different position."


    Saying this, I reached forward and lifted her legs, picking her up by the thighs as she hurriedly caught onto my neck with her arms to prevent herself from falling.


    "E-Eh...? Darling...?"


    I smiled and got off the bed, walking to the mirror so that she could see herself in it, with my enormous cock inside her.


    "Watch carefully as you get prated, Axilia. This is what you like, isn''t it?"


    I slid her body up and down using nothing but my pure arm strength, shoving my cock deep inside of her every time she came down.


    "Oh~! Yes~ it''s so deep~ ahhh~!"


    Her feet dangled by her sides beautifully, jumping every time I thrust into her. Since I''ve never done it in this position before either, the motion stimted me quite a bit, and after about a minute, I was ready to cum again.


    "Get ready, Axilia... I''m going to cum inside of you...!"


    "Yes, darling~! Give it all to me~!" She moaned in delight, eyes filled with lust.


    "Axilia...!"


    "Kyah~!!"


    With one final thrust, I unleashed my load into Axilia''s womb, cumming for the third time that night.

 Chapter 435 - Naughty Plays~ (18+)

    "Mmf~ engh~ fuck~!" Axilia moaned as I thrust into her on the bed, with Ling Xin underneath.


    "Fufu~ master, don''t forget about me too~"


    "How could I?" I smirked and pulled out, then thrust my cock forward once more, this time into Ling Xin''s pussy.


    "Ahn~ yes~" She moaned, eyes rolling back in ecstasy.


    "Darling~ who''s is better...?" Axilia asked, spreading her own pussy wide with a yful grin on her lips.


    "Hm... can''t say just yet," I replied, sticking my finger into her hole and pleasuring her that way so that both of them could enjoy it. "Both of you have amazing bodies, but... who canst longer, I wonder?"


    "Fufu~ engh~ I can go as long as you want me to, master~" Ling Xin whispered seductively between moans, tongue dripping with saliva as she craved for more.


    "So can I, darling~ c''mon, c''mon, put it inside of me already~" Axilia begged, face flushed red and eyes like sad puppy dog ones. Seeing this, I couldn''t take it anymore and pulled out of Ling Xin.


    "Since you both want it so much... fine. I''ll fuck you both at the same time."


    Pressing their bodies together forcefully, I inserted my dick between their two rubbing pussies and began thrusting.


    "H-Hnngh?!" They moaned in surprise at this new feeling, something they had never felt before. This was for me too, a new experience. It felt simr to the titjob from earlier, but more... hot, and wet. The slipperiness was heavenly, and despite the friction, the thrusting process was very smooth.


    "How do you like that, huh?" I smiled wryly, pressing Axilia downwards so their pussies wrapped around my cock as tightly as possible.


    "Mm~ fuck~ this feels different, but still so good~" Axilia cried,pletely ovee by lust. "Hehe~ darling, you''re the best~"


    "Hah... Hold on, master... Axilia, what do you say we have a little challenge~?" Ling Xin asked, gasping for air.


    I stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    "Hm~? What challenge... sister~?"


    Ling Xin smiled and pushed Axilia off of her, then winked seductively.


    "To see who can make master cum quicker, of course~"


    "... Is that how you''re nning on settling yourpetition?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Fufu~ I''m confident I can win. After all... I''ve read a certain someone''s mind and learned about your kinks from them~"


    <em>Qing Yue? No way...</em>


    Then, turning to Axilia, Ling Xin continued. "So? How about it, Axilia? Or... are you scared?"


    "Hehehe... scared?" Axiliaughed evilly. "I know darling far better than you, sister. Time is a trivial thing."


    Ling XIn smiled, having reached her goal. "Well then... if you''re so confident, why don''t you go first?"


    "Mkay~"


    Axilia smiled alluringly and licked her lips, then turned around and sat down in myp, rubbing her soft butt against my rock-hard dick.


    "Hey, darling~ you''ve already taken one of my virginities... but I want you to take my other one too~"


    Saying this, she began stroking my cock back and forth a few times, then raised her hip a little. But upon seeing this, Ling Xin burst out inughter.


    "Pfft... Axilia... you really don''t know anything about sex at all, do you? Here, let me lend you a hand..."


    Saying this, Ling Xin shifted closer and wrapped her mouth around my dick, coating it in her saliva and lubricating it thoroughly. Axilia realized where she went wrong, but didn''t want to just sit there and watch awkwardly, so she leaned in and kissed me, entangling her tongue with my own.


    <em>Damn... this is amazing. One girl sucking me off like a profession seductress, while her twin kisses me so deeply... my mind is going nk.</em>


    <em></em>Before I knew it, I was lustfully responding to their actions, groping Axilia''s soft breasts with one hand while pressing Ling Xin''s head closer to my cock every time she went in with my other.


    However, this blissful, wonderful moment soon ended, as Ling Xin didn''t want to make me cum when it was her sister''s turn. Backing away, she nted a kiss on the tip of my cock, then moved away.


    "Now then... it''s ready, Axilia," she said, a wistful smile on her face. "Think of this as a little advantage I''m giving you... because, fufu, I''ll beat you either way."


    "Hehe~ don''t get too confident now, sister... just remember, if you lose, you''ll lose your life too~"


    "Enough talk," I said, rolling my eyes and spanking Axilia''s butt yfully. "Get on here before the wetness dries."


    Axilia licked her lips in anticipation and did as told, shifting back to her original position and hovering her nice and plump butt over myp.


    "Don''t worry, darling... I''ve cleaned it already during the shower~"


    Then, caressing her own face, she aimed her butthole so that it was perfectly in line with my dick, then sat down.


    "Hnngh~!" Her eyes widened at the feeling. It feltpletely different from pussy sex, but for some, it was even more enjoyable.


    "Hah... that''s pretty tight, Axilia..." I murmured, feeling like my cock was being suffocated and having its life sucked out of it.


    "Mmn~ that''s because... your cock... it''s too big~"


    "So... you''re saying it''s my fault?" I taunted, thrusting in a bit deeper.


    "Engh~!" Axilia''s eyes widened at the sudden sensation. It hurt, but it was also pleasuring and erotic at the same time. She loved it.


    Driven by lust and desire, she whispered, "Yes... it''s all... your fault..."


    "Hm... ming it on others?" I chuckled deeply, knowing what she wants. "Bad girls like you... need punishment."


    Sliding my hands beneath her nice and thighs, as pale as the moonlight and as soft as marshmallows, I forcefully spread her legs further and pumped my dick into her more.


    "Hahn~" She cried in pleasure and ecstasy, enjoying the thrill of this new experience she had never tried before. Hooking her arms around my neck, she kissed me deeply and moaned between kisses, "Harder, darling~"


    Iplied, thrusting my cock into her as much as my body allowed. Her asshole feltpletely different from her pussy, which was to be expected. Both, however, were undeniably heavenly to fuck.


    "Ngh... your asshole feels amazing, Axilia...!" I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on her thighs, thrusting upwards.


    "Fufu~ I thought I could withstand my urges, but seeing you two having so much fun... I can''t help but want to join in," Ling Xin said with a mysterious smile. "Don''t worry, Axilia... I won''t do anything to prevent master from cumming. However..."


    She bent down and paused before Axilia''s crotch area, observing me pumping my cock into her asshole, then leaned in and suddenly began licking Axilia''s pussy.


    "Ahn~! Sister...! Mmf~!"


    "How does this feel, Axilia?" Ling Xin giggled between licks. "It feels good, having your pussy yed with while being analed, right~? Pervert~"


    "Engh~! Darling... I''m going to...!"


    "Yeah, so am I..." I gritted my teeth and sped up even further, stimted by the sight of Ling Xin joining in on the action as well.


    "Darling~!!"


    "Axilia...!"


    "!!!"


    Axilia and I came at the same time, with me filling her ass up with my hot, sticky semen, while Ling Xin moved out of the way just in time to avoid being sprayed by Axilia''s love juices. She didn''t seem to mind getting stained by my cum ¡ª in fact, she loved it ¡ª but her sister''s? She didn''t want that.


    "Whew..." I pulled out, letting the cum spill out of Axilia''s beautiful butt, while Ling Xin stood back up from her crouching position and stopped the stopwatch she had been using to keep track.


    "That''s 3 minutes 23 seconds," she dered with a wink, then stepped past Axilia and leaned in closer to me, licking her lips and caressing my face.


    "Now then... it''s my turn, fufu~"


    Then, she nced down at my limp dick that had just finished cumming, and tilted her head slightly, closing one eye and cing her finger to her lips.


    "Hm... your dick seems to be tired, master... but I can fix that~"


    She stepped onto the bed as I crawled backwards a bit, then gently stepped on my cock with one of her feet, wearing silky ck thigh-highs that gave them an amazingly smooth texture.


    "Ngh..." I groaned, cock instantly springing up once more, even bigger than before. She hadn''t been lying; she knew my kinks.


    "Ara ara~ what''s this? Hard again, so fast? Fufu~ master, you''re a naughty one~"


    She twirled her foot around expertly, stroking my long, hard dick up and down between her big and index toes. The silky texture of the stockings made the feeling real smooth and warm, giving me the kind of pleasure a blowjob, handjob, or a pussy or asshole simply could not.


    "Now then... since it''s so hard already, let us start for real, mkay, master~?" Ling Xin said with a seductive wink.<em></em>


    I gulped as I stared up at Ling Xin''s desire-filled expression, lustful and ecstatic.


    <em>... Why do I feel scared and excited at the same time....?</em>

 Chapter 436 - The Hatchling (18+)

    "Now then... since it''s so hard already, let us start for real, mkay, master~?" Ling Xin said with a seductive wink, then strode closer until she was standing right above me, bare wet pussy in front of my face.


    "What are you..." I began, but my entire view was blocked off as she turned around and sat down. On my face. Herrge and round buttcheeks covered my face as my nose was shoved into her pussy by force, and she adjusted her body a bit to find herfort zone.


    "Ahn~ yes, that''s the spot, master~" She moaned in pleasure, squirming a bit as my nose twitched and stimted her sensitive pussy. "You like this, don''t you? Me sitting on your face."


    I didn''t respond, mainly because I couldn''t. My tongue was too busy exploring her pussy''s walls, and my nose too busy taking in the erotic scent of her crotch area. It didn''t particrly smell good or bad from an objective angle, but it stimted me ¡ª that was for sure.


    I raised my hands and locked them around Ling Xin''s thighs, pinning her in ce above my face so she had nowhere else to go but sit there until I let her go. Seeing this and feeling my escted tongue movements, she moaned in ecstasy, then yfully reached down with her feet once more, taking my cock in between them and stroking it nicely.


    <em>Oh... god... this feels... too good...!</em>


    My cock felt like it was nearing its limits already with the teasing of Ling Xin''s feet, utilizing expert techniques that rivaled that of Qing Yue''s. With a yful smile on her face and tongue stuck out to one side, Ling Xin toyed with my cock in all sorts of manners using her feet, from toes to soles to even heels.


    Somehow, her feet were more urate and flexible than any other girls'' hands, and performed the perfect, ultimate footjob. She worked on my dick from every angle imaginable, and even yed with my balls as well to further the stimtion.


    Even the footjob I had received from Qing Yue in the past paled inparison to this. Every second that went by felt like an eternity of heaven, and I never wanted this pleasure to stop.


    But s...


    <em>Fuck... I''m going to cum... how long has it been...?!</em>


    "Ara~? Your dick is trembling, master~ are you about to cum?" Ling Xin giggled alluringly. "Go ahead ¡ª stain these ck stockings white with your semen, and cum all over my dirty feet~!"


    She tightened her grip on my cock with her toes, then sped up the stroking. In response, I tightened my grip on her thick plump thighs and grinded my face against her wet pussy, thirstily sucking on her love juices.


    "Cum, cum, cum~!" She yelled, a look of ecstasy on her flushed face.


    Faced with her beautiful, sexy feet''s perfect footjob, I couldn''t take it anymore. My cock shot out an enormous load with incredible velocity ¡ª so much so that some cum even got onto Ling Xin''s face.


    "Nya~" She moaned like a catgirl, closing one eye to avoid any getting in her eye while the rest caught onto her face. She licked it clean, then nced down at her cum-soaked feet, the sticky white liquidpletely staining her thigh-highs.


    "Fufu~ by the looks of it... you enjoyed that a lot, huh, master~? Don''t worry... we''ll be able to do this whenever you want. After all... I am your personal sex maid, master~"


    Slowly, I lifted Ling Xin off of my face, and promptly copsed onto the bed.


    "... How long was that?"


    Ling Xin nced at me, then at Axilia who was watching in anticipation from the base of the bed.


    "... 1 minute and 14 seconds. Looks like the winner is decided, Axilia~"


    "Grrr....hmph."


    "Well... that was a fun night," I said with a sigh, spreading my arms on the mattress. Ling Xin and Axilia crawled up to me on either side, then snuggled closer. I wrapped my arms around their naked bodies, then used Telekinesis to pull the covers over the three of us.


    "... Sister, this is not over," Axilia muttered darkly. "And darling? Just you wait... I''ll satisfy you like no one else can."


    "Fufu~ you can try all you want, Axilia," Ling Xin replied with a sinister smile. "You can ask for anything in the world and I will try to obtain it for you, but if there''s one thing I can''t let you take away from me... it''s master~"


    I sighed deeply and patted the two of them''s heads. "Rx, you two. Once we get back to the Living Realm, I''ll show you how two sisters are supposed to act to one another."


    The two of them were perplexed, but didn''t say anything for the rest of that night and instead went to sleep peacefully.


    <em>Seriously, though... that was the best ejaction of my life.</em>


    <em></em>*****


    - The Next Morning -


    I woke up to a hot, wet, and slippery feeling around my cock. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I saw a beautiful girl with long ck hair and stunning pink eyes underneath the nket, giving me a nice and warm blowjob to start the day.


    "Axilia¡­?" I murmured.


    "Mmf~ good morning, dawrling~ shlurp~"


    I nced at Ling Xin beside me, who was still sound asleep, then turned back Axilia and smiled. "Is this your way of getting revenge¡­?"


    She didn''t respond and instead merely continued sucking my cock thirstily, like a baby craving for milk. I sighed and stroked her hair while also pressing her head down, deepthroating her with my morning wood.


    "Mmn~!!" Her eyes widened a bit as my dick went deeper than ever before in her mouth, and I groaned in pleasure.


    "Agh, fuck¡­ I''m going to cum¡­!"


    As I began moving her head up and down more rapidly, I felt Ling Xin''s body stir a bit from beside me. Got to finish this quick before this morning turns into another few hours'' worths of hot threesome sex.


    "Mmf~~!!!" Axilia''s cheeks puffed out wide as I emptied my entire load deep into her throat, before finally pulling out a few secondster.


    "Fwah~" She gasped for air, tongue hanging from her open mouth. I pulled my boxers back up, then motioned for her to go get ready for the day first. After about ten minutes, I heard the sound of the shower turning off, then turned to Ling Xin and spanked her butt yfully.


    "Oi. Time to wake up."


    "Nya~" Ling Xin moaned softly, slowly opening one eye. "Naughty master~ if you want to spank my ass so much, all you have to do is say so, you know~?"


    I nted a kiss on her forehead. "Yeah, yeah¡­ but not now. I have some things I want to check up on."


    "Fufu~ if you say so~"


    Ling Xin stood up from the bed and headed into the bathroom, now vacant since Axilia was already downstairs making breakfast. While Ling Xin showered, I brushed my teeth and whatnot, and once she was done, I took my turn.


    By the time I got downstairs, breakfast was already ready, but still hot. I decided to go check on the egg I bought from the auction yesterday and found it lying on the same stove asst night.


    "¡­ No changes to this thing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Nope," Axilia replied, walking over by my side. "It''s the same asst night¡­"


    "¡­ Hm."


    I reached into the pan, then picked up the egg and went upstairs.


    "Where are you going, master?" Ling Xin questioned, confused.


    "To try something out," I replied. "I need a confined space, so I''m going into the washroom. Don''t follow."


    The two girls tilted their heads but obeyed my instructions nheless.


    Once I entered the bathroom, I shut the door and stepped into the bathtub, then sat down, cing the egg in front of me.


    <em>Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Burning Stove.</em>


    Immediately, ck mes erupted beneath the egg, raging and wild. I could control it to my will, however, so there was no danger here. The stove''s heat probably wasn''t enough, so I was trying this method instead.


    "Now then¡­ time to just give it some time."


    Using telekinesis, I moved the egg and held it in the air, then stripped off my clothes and proceeded to take a shower while I waited. I was already in here, might as well make use of this time.


    However¡­ little did I know, while I was busy showering, a crack appeared in the egg''s surface. The sound of the water gushing down was too heavy for me to hear anything else, so naturally, I didn''t realize.


    That is, until I finally opened my eyes from washing my hair and saw a mysterious creature perched on top of the shower''s curtain rod.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The two of us stared at each other, neither of us moving or speaking a word. Me because of the stunning beauty of this creature, and it because¡­ well, I don''t know why, actually.


    "¡­ Wow."


    That''s all I could say.

 Chapter 437 - The Two Foxes

    Before me, stood two tiny foxes.


    Yep, two.


    Both were staring at me curiously, and their long, furry tails appeared to be entangled with one another''s. The one on the left had pale, iridescent fur that was a gradient mixture of white to pink with hints of blue, while the one on the right had pure ck fur, as dark as midnight, with red linings on its body.


    Both had eyes as big and shiny as pearls, glowing brightly underneath the luminous light of the bathroom. Pair that with their small, furry bodies, and they were utterly adorable. They also had a mysterious mark that looked like a rune of some sort on their foreheads, one pink and one red, but I didn''t have the luxury of admiring that as my senses came back to me once more.


    <em>Level Three Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze!</em>


    Immediately, I froze time in a panic, realizing I was still naked. After several deep breaths to calm down, I shut off the water, then slipped on my Cloak of Yharnav, which had been cleaned in the washing machinesst night then dried off just now.


    Once time began to flow again, I was behind the two animals, ring at them menacingly.


    "¡­ Oi."


    Immediately, the two turned around ¡ª the dark one baring his teeth defensively while the light one calmly spun around, blinking her beautiful eyes at me.


    "Rx. I''m not going to hurt you," I said, easing the dark one down. "¡­ As long as you don''t try to hurt me first, anyway. I just want to ask one thing ¡ª just now, after staring into your eyes, I was captivated. Normally, that would never have happened¡­ so, tell me. What did you do?"


    The dark one didn''t respond and instead merely growled deeply, as if still viewing me as hostile. Suddenly, it wasn''t all that cute anymore. The light one, however¡­ spoke. But it wasn''t out loud. No¡­ she was speaking <em>directly into my head ¡ª my soul.</em>


    <em>"Are you our master?"</em>


    I took a step back, shocked. Her voice was light and gentle, like that of an angel''s. I wasn''t that easily deceived, however, and narrowed my eyes after sensing no hostile intent from the light one.


    <em>¡­ You can speak to me inside my head?</em>


    <em>"Are you our master?"</em> It asked again, ignoring my question.


    <em>¡­ If by that, you mean if I was the one who helped you hatch, then yes, I am.</em>


    <em>"¡­ I see."</em>


    <em>"Y-You''re just going to believe what he says?!"</em> A young boy''s voice suddenly joined in the mix. <em>"He doesn''t look like us ¡ª he isn''t one of us!"</em>


    <em>"He is not lying,"</em> the light fox spoke again, her voice angelic enough to make entire towns worship before her. <em>"Mouths can lie, but souls cannot. Master, I apologize for reading your soul without permission. Forgive me ¡ª I had to verify your identity. However, now, it is clear. We are yours, master."</em>


    Saying this, she closed her eyes and knelt down on the edge of the bathtub, as if pledging loyalty to me.


    <em>"W-Wha¡­ sister¡­"</em> The young male fox cried, surprised and at a loss for what to do. The light, female fox opened one eye and nced at her twin brother, gazemanding and orderly. It was clear who was the more dominant one of the two.


    Faced with this, the darker male fox had no choice but to do the same, getting into the same kneeling position as his sister and bowing down deeply.


    <em>"¡­ W-We''re yours, m-master."</em>


    Raising an eyebrow, I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, then ultimately decided it was better if I discussed this with Ling Xin and Axilia together.


    "Hm¡­ follow me."


    *****


    Upon returning downstairs, both Ling Xin and Axilia were shocked to see what was perched on top of my shoulders. The female fox had climbed onto there after receiving my permission, while the male slid down the staircase''s railing and¡­ well, ended up falling onto the floor. He quickly got up though, showing he wasn''t hurt at all. Or perhaps, he just didn''t want to look weak in front of his sister.


    "M-Master¡­ is that¡­" Ling Xin blinked a few times, still in awe.


    I tilted my head. "Yeah, these two hatched from the egg. Do you have any idea what they are? They are newborns, so I doubt they know anything about their own race or anything like that."


    "Darling¡­ those two are part of the legendary Soulfox race," Axilia said softly, eyes widened in wonder. "I read a myth about them once¡­ it is said that they were once incredibly powerful and ruled over the humans of a different Realm, but after one day, they all suddenly disappeared."


    <em>"That day she speaks of¡­ it is known as the Advent,"</em> the female fox said in my head, to my surprise.


    <em>You know of it¡­? But aren''t you just a newborn¡­?</em>


    <em>"The Soulfox race was originally a matriarchy. The females were significantly more powerful than their male counterparts, which were born together with them. Female foxes are immortal of old age and will not die as long as they are not murdered. Males, however, experience the life and death cycle like normal. I am not a newborn, master ¡ª my body was merely constructed anew due to¡­ certain reasons."</em>


    Being a guy, I felt pretty conflicted listening to this, but I endured.


    <em>So¡­ who are you, really?</em>


    <em>"¡­ In the past, I was the Queen of the Soulfoxes, master. However, my original identity goes beyond that¡­ you could say I was the founder of the Soulfox race."</em>


    My eyes widened. <em>You''re¡­ the first Soulfox, ever?</em>


    <em>"Correct. Does that bother you, master?"</em>


    <em>Uh¡­ no, just a bit surprised, given your small body frame and the fact that you hatched from an egg a few minutes ago.</em>


    <em>"I see. If there is anything about me that bothers you, let me know. I will change so long as you wish it, master."</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ okay. Well, I don''t know if you can do anything about this, but¡­ if you could speak out loud, that would be great. As you can see, those two are staring at me in extreme confusion right now.</em>


    <em>"I can, but that would require me to morph into a different form. Is that alright, master?"</em>


    <em>Uh, sure? As long as it doesn''t blow up the house or kill anyone.</em>


    <em>"Understood."</em>


    Suddenly, a white light surrounded the beautiful fox, and Axilia, Ling Xin, and I all covered our eyes. When I finally opened them again¡­ the fox on my shoulder was gone. In her ce was¡­ a human leg. There was also one on my other shoulder.


    Then, I looked up.


    Sitting on top of me was an angelic, perfect girl. She had long, back-length hair that was mainly white but with blue and pink highlights, making it iridescent depending on the angle form which it was viewed. Her eyes were utterly stunning, seemingly able to draw anyone in and captivate them for eternity. Her irises were a plethora of pastel-like colors, from pink to purple to blue and even light green.


    Thebination of colors was dissonant yet harmonic, different yet wlessly congruent. It was a bnce of imbnce; a perfection of imperfections.


    She wore a silky arctic gown that showed off her slender white arms and beautiful light skin, as pure as snow and as divine as an angel. She was the very embodiment of perfection, on par with Mei Gui''s charm.


    But adding onto this, perhaps the most interesting and captivating asset she had of all was the fact that she wasn''tpletely human by appearance. On her head, two furry white fox ears popped up, and on the back of her waist, a soft andrge snow-white tail squirmed around, waving left and right.


    "Is¡­ is that you, Soulfox?" I asked, entranced by the moment.


    "Yes, master," she replied. <em>Of course it was. Who else would it be? Ugh, now I feel stupid.</em>


    But that aside, the fox''s voice was still as angelic as ever. Even though she wasn''t speaking directly into my soul, it was as if her tone still carried a certain amount of reverb and echo to it, making it truly simr to the gentle whispers of an angel.


    "Wow¡­" Axilia murmured, walking closer. "She''s beautiful¡­"


    "Ugh¡­ as much as I want to hate you since you''re anotherpetitor with that beauty, you''re just too darn cute~!!" Ling Xin cried, frustrated with herself but still smiling regardless. "Oh, but wait¡­ she''s nowhere near 18 yet. Master, you can''t go for her, fufu~"


    "Actually, I originally escaped to this Realm in the form of an egg 3,000 years ago," the beautiful Soulfox corrected gently. "In other words¡­ master, if you wish for me to serve you in bed with this human body, I would dly do so."


    "Wait. Escaped?" I raised an eyebrow, cleverly avoiding thetter part of her statement. "What Realm were you originally from¡­?"


    The Soulfox closed her beautiful, entrancing eyes, as if reminiscing about the past, then spoke quietly.


    "¡­ The Soul Realm."

 Chapter 438 - Tale Of The Advent

    "The Soul Realm, huh?" Ling Xin folded her arms. "I''ve heard of that before. Apparently, it''s a ce filled with Psychic-Element True Essence, and anything humans dream about there be reality."


    I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like heaven. Why would you ever want to escape from there?"


    "Do you wish to hear the tale of the Advent, master?" The Soulfox asked, voice soft and angelic.


    I nodded. "More urately, I want to know more about the Soul Realm, but this story should help me learn about it too. But before that... do you have a name?"


    "A... name?" She tilted her head cutely, blinking with that nk expression of hers.


    "Yeah. It feels kind of awkward just calling you Soulfox, especially when there is another..." I turned to the male darker fox, who had now turned into a young boy who looked to be about 10 years of age. He wasn''t exceptionally good looking, but also did share the same fox traits as the queen.


    "... I do not have a name, master," the Soulfox replied after a while. "When I was still in the Soul Realm, all the other Soulfoxes addressed me as ''Queen'', while the humans reverenced me as the Goddess of Dreams. Please, bestow upon me a name, master."


    "Uh... you sure?" I raised an eyebrow. "I''m not exactly the best ating up with names."


    "I can testify to that," Ling Xin said with an evilugh. "Back during the Advancement Exams of your previous school, you came up with some pretty... dumb names."


    <em>You know about that?! How detailed of a background check did you run on me?!</em>


    "A-Ahem... well, you heard her. Are you still sure you want me to give you a name?"


    The Soulfox nodded gently. "Any name master gives me is the best I could ask for."


    "Er... alright then." I fell into thought, not wanting to disappoint those beautiful eyes of hers, waiting in anticipation. "How about... Lorelei?"


    Silence.


    At first, I thought I screwed up again somehow. But then, Ling Xin slowly spoke.


    "Lorelei... that''s actually a really pretty name. I didn''t expect you toe up with that, to be honest."


    "Lorelei..." The Soulfox curtsied politely, bowing down in front of me. "Very well. Lorelei will be my name, master."


    "Er... do you like it?" I asked, scratching the back of my head. "If not, I can try again...?"


    She shook her head and spoke softly. "No, master. The name you choose on the first try is the most genuine. I love it very much. Lorelei shall be my name."


    "I see. And as for you..." I turned to the boy, huddled in a corner. "You''re going to be, uh, Bob."


    "W-Wha-?!" He immediately leaped to his feet, utterly confused and bewildered. "B-Bob?!"


    "What? Got a problem with the name Bob? That''s disrespectful to all the Bobs out there-"


    "N-No, not that! It''s just... you didn''t give it any thought it all!"


    "... So?" My voice turned cold and steely, stunning everyone in the room apart from Lorelei. "You are nowhere as useful to me as Lorelei, and are nothing just an infant who needs to be taken care of. Why should I put the same amount of dedication into you as I do with Lorelei? You can''t offer me anything in return."


    "Hnngh...!" He looked really pissed off, but he knew he couldn''t beat me in a fight. Instead, he merely ran out the front door and mmed it shut behind him, running away from the reality of things.


    Once he was gone, Axilia and Ling Xin were still shocked and debating whether or not to chase after him, but my next words stopped them.


    "Was that... really necessary?"


    "Yes, master," Lorelei replied, voice as soft and gentle as an angel. "That boy is defiant. If he is not disciplined harshly like so, he will grow to be arrogant. Eventually, that will lead to his own death."


    "... That''s fair, I suppose. I''m just not used to... uh, being so <em>mean</em> to someone who never really even offended me."


    "It''s alright, master. Lorelei will keep an eye on his whereabouts," Lorelei said, sensing my worry via my soul. "He will not be in any danger."


    I nodded. "Good to hear. Now then... tell us about the Advent, will you?"


    Lorelei closed her eyes slowly.


    "Very well, master. It is not a pretty tale."


    *****


    In the end, it was settled that we would listen to Lorelei''s story over breakfast. However, she merely stared at the soup in her bowl, not touching her spoon or anything.


    "Uh... you aren''t going to eat?" I asked, confused. "Do you not like their cooking or something?"


    Lorelei shook her head. "No, master. Soulfoxes do not eat human food. We feed on dreams."


    "Dreams... huh." I rubbed my chin slowly. "Interesting."


    "So that''s why humans in the Soul Realm are free to dream however they want... they''re making food for the Soulfoxes," Ling Xin murmured. "A nice cycle. Both sides get what they want."


    "Yes," Lorelei replied, then crossed her hands. "But sometimes... not everyone likes peaceful bnce."


    "What do you mean...?"


    Lorelei closed her eyes, then began her story of the Advent.


    *****


    - Three Thousand Years Ago -


    The Soul Realm.


    It was a nice, beautiful ce. The skies were pink, hazy with translucent white clouds like cotton candy, and there was no evil. It was and of purity, of happiness, of dreams.


    The entire world was surrounded by fog, but it wasn''t ufortable at all. Instead, it was like the people were always surrounded by a warm, cozy nket at all times, and they were forever living in a dream that could never be broken¡ªnor did anyone want to break it.


    The Soulfoxes, mystical creatures who ruled over this realm, created a ce known as the Dream Chamber. Humans could pay an offering to enter, and depending on the size and value of the offering, they were allotted a certain amount of time inside.


    Within this chamber, anything the humans wished for woulde true. But they couldn''t be harmful wishes that hurt someone else. In other words, they could only be <em>dreams</em>, not <em>nightmares</em>.


    If someone wished to be showered in money, they would be showered in money. If someone dreamed about being a king in a magical kingdom with beauties in each of his arms, a magical kingdom and beauties he would receive in the room. It was perfect, wless.


    But there was a catch.


    Anything dreamed about within the chamber would disappear when the human''s given time ended. They also couldn''t take anything outside the chamber.


    Why?


    To keep theming back.


    The Soulfoxes, the magical entities who created this ce, needed to feed on human dreams to survive. By spurring the humans on with greed and keep theming back to the Dream Chamber, the Soulfoxes are able to enjoy a never-ending abundance of dreams to feed on.


    It was a wless cycle. A perfect mutually-beneficial rtionship. The humans would be able to experience the things they''ve always wanted to experience through the Dream Chamber, and the Soulfoxes would obtain the food they need through that process.


    Everything was peaceful. The world was in a state of eternal bliss. No war, no evil, no sin. It was pure in every sense of the word.


    But then, the Nightwolves arrived.


    Or perhaps... it would be more urate to say they <em>returned</em>.


    Once defeated at the hands of the Soulfoxes eons ago, they came wing their way back from the depths of hell, eager for revenge. The Soulfoxes thought they had been wiped out already. Their guard was down.


    And that, was their greatest mistake.


    The Nightwolves, under a young king by the name of Lune, were patient. They didn''tsh out at the Soulfoxes immediately, and insteadid low. They knew they couldn''t beat the Soulfoxes in an outright fight thanks to what happened all those years ago. They didn''t forget the taste of defeat that still lingered on their tongues, even now. And so, they waited.


    Instead of the Soulfoxes, the crafty Lune ordered his Nightwolves to attack the ones they <em>could </em>beat¡ªthe humans.


    Of course, they didn''t outright kill them. No, they could <em>use </em>them. By injecting fear into the entire human poption of the Soul Realm, the Nightwolves sessfully rendered them unable to dream ever again. The only dreams they would ever have... were <em>nightmares</em>.


    The Nightwolves fed on this terror. They fed on the humans'' nightmares. While the Soulfoxes were steadily having their food supply get lower and lower, they were getting stronger and stronger. And by the time the Soulfoxes finally realized what happened... it was toote.


    The Nightwolves raided the weakened Soulfoxes in their Temple of Zen high above the clouds, turning it into a temple of blood. Their revenge was finally here, and the Soulfoxes lost horribly.


    The only survivor, the Queen, escaped through the Realms, knowing she could not fight against all those Nightwolves on her own. On her way out, she managed to only bring one other Soulfox with her - a little boy who had just hatched, confused and scared.


    Since the Soul Realm and Death Realm did not have a direct link like the Living Realm does with any other Realm, travelling through the horrid void between the Realms greatly damaged the Queen''s body. She was forced to resort to the form of an egg and rebuild her body anew, hoping that one day, someone would find her and nurture her to life once more.


    And in her mind, she swore to forever serve the person who nursed her back to health, to forever be his and his alone.

 Chapter 439 - The "Key"

    "... That is the story of the Advent," Lorelei concluded. Her voice remained monotone throughout the entire tale, emotionless and calm despite the horrible things that happened to her tribe.


    "..." Ling Xin fell silent, resting her chin on her hand. Even Axilia, usually talkative and clingy to me, was still and quiet for once.


    After some more silence, I decided to finally break it and speak.


    "... So. What are you nning on doing after this, Lorelei?"


    Lorelei paused momentarily, then looked at me beside her. "... What do you mean, master?"


    "You''re agitated. You want to get revenge on those Nightwolves, do you not?" I smirked. "I have to say, you''re one of the most skilled people I''ve met at masking their true emotions. But..."


    I nced at her tail, twitching slightly behind her back, and Lorelei immediately realized.


    "My... tail..."


    "Mhm." I nodded. "Your expression may not change, but your tail doesn''t lie. I''ve pretty much figured it out. It waved left to right earlier when I gave you your name, signaling happiness. Slight twitching like this is anger or annoyance, and drooping is sadness, I''m assuming."


    "..."


    <em>And not only that, </em>I thought in my head, causing Lorelei''s eyes to widen a bit. Ling Xin and Axilia, however, didn''t know. <em>I can also read your mind.</em>


    <em>"Master, you can... read Lorelei''s mind?" </em>She was utterly shocked for reasons unbeknownst to myself.


    <em>Mhm. From what I''ve gathered, the Soul Realm is the origin Realm for something called Psychic Magic, much like how the Death Realm is the origin of Necromancy Magic. I can use both, rendering me able to see what you''re real thoughts are. Think of it as payback for reading my soul without any consent earlier.</em>


    <em>"That is not why I am so surprised, master," </em>Lorelei said. <em>"As the most powerful Soulfox, it should be impossible for any human to read my mind. Even if you can use Psychic Magic, that is merely a lower form of the power I have. So... how...?"</em><em></em>


    <em></em>After some silence, I replied.


    <em>... You passed the test.</em><em></em>


    <em>"Test...?"</em> Lorelei cocked her head in real life and her tail began wiggling in many different directions, signalling confusion.


    <em>Mhm. I was testing to see if you were going to read my soul without me saying you could, just to test your loyalty. But you''ve proven your loyalty to me now, so I can show you my power. It is also... my deepest secret. Even those two sitting across from us right now don''t know of it yet.</em><em></em>


    <em>Go ahead. Take a look.</em>


    <em></em>Lorelei confirmed my approval by ncing into my eyes one more time, then closed her own and entered my soul. After several seconds, her eyebrows furrowed a bit¡ªthe first sign of emotion on her face¡ªthen she opened them again.


    <em>"Master... what was... that...? That power... it was incredible. Even I have never witnessed something like that before. Dark and light, fire and water, life and death... it is like all the most pr opposite elements have been blended into one, creating something new. Something strangely chaotic yet blissful at the same time, something far stronger than anything else."</em>


    <em>It''s called the Primordial Chaos. The origin of all things, the entity that gave birth to the universe. None can surpass it, and none can hope to recreate it. But honestly... I''m not exactly an expert on this myself, despite being its wielder. Once we return to the Living Realm, though, there is someone there who can tell you more.</em><em></em>


    <em>"I see... Lorelei certainly would like to know more, master."</em>


    <em>Yeah... though she may be hostile towards you since you call me master as well. Don''t worry about it though.</em>


    <em></em>"Uh... hello?" Ling Xin cut in, interrupting our conversation. "You two have been staring at each other for the past two minutes. Lorelei, you didn''t charm him or something, did you? I won''t forgive you if you did~"


    I quickly shook my head. "Rx, rx. She didn''t charm me or anything, I was just talking to her in our minds. And Axilia, put that goddamn scythe away."


    "Hehe~" Axilia did as told, an innocent and yful smile on her face.


    "In any case... Lorelei, I want you to take a look at this." I took out the rock that I had obtained from the auction yesterday, polished and wless despite being mined out from the core of the, ording to the auction house. "You can inspect souls, correct? I''m guessing you can see the nature of an item to a degree as well?"


    Lorelei nodded. "Correct, master... but my powers are quite weak in my current state. I cannot promise I can provide a detailed analysis."


    "That''s fine," I replied. "Just a general idea is good enough."


    "Very well, master." Lorelei took the rock from my hand and inspected it closely, then closed her eyes once more as she reached out to the essence of the object, its <em>soul</em>.


    After several seconds, she opened them again and handed the rock back to me.


    "This rock... it appears to be a ''key'' or some sort," she said gently. "Though... for what, Lorelei is uncertain."


    Hearing this, a slight grin appeared over my lips. <em>I see... just as I thought. </em>


    "A key, eh?" Ling Xin giggled. "For what, I wonder? A chastity belt, perhaps~?"


    <em>"Master... do you know something about the key?" </em>Lorelei asked in my mind.


    <em>Mhm. If my assumption is correct... I have to go through all the elemental Realms, each correspondent with one of the 21 elements in the Living Realm, and gather one ''key'' like this from each. Then, and only then, will I be able to ess</em> <em><strong>that.</strong></em>


    <em>"That...?"</em>


    <em></em>I smiled. <em>The Chaos Realm.</em>


    <em></em>"But in any case..." I stood up from the chair and nced at the door where the boy ran out not long ago. "I think it''s about time to go get him back."


    Lorelei nodded and stood up beside me, turning into her fox form and crawling up my arm and onto my shoulder. <em>"Lorelei will apany you, master."</em>


    "Ling Xin, Axilia, we''ll be right back," I said. "In the meantime... think about what we''ll do about tonight."


    "Mkay~ don''t start making out in the forest or something, you hear?" Ling Xin cackled and shed a wink.


    With a snort, I left, Lorelei on my shoulder.


    *****


    It didn''t take long to find where the boy was, since Lorelei could sense his location as he was one of her kin. He sat on the cliff, legs dangling over the edge. Lorelei hopped off of my shoulder and entered a bush, where she could spectate what was about to unfold.


    <em>"The rest is up to you, master."</em>


    <em></em><em>I know.</em>


    <em></em>Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the woods, purposely not camouging my footsteps so that he would be notified of my arrival. The boy, hearing me, immediately got to his feet and raised his arms in defense.


    "W-What do you want?"


    "Woah there, calm down. If you want to fight me, sure, but before that..."


    I moved closer and sat down in front of him, showing that I didn''te here to hurt him or anything.


    "Come on. Sit down. Let''s have a little chat, shall we?"


    But the boy, being as defiant as he was, refused to obey my orders. "I-I don''t want to talk with you!"


    <em>Well, that''s within expectations.</em>


    <em></em>I sighed. "Well, stand if that''s what you prefer. But I came here to ask you something."


    "What...?" He asked, frowning and narrowing his eyes.


    "Do you... have any idea how weak you are?"


    "W-Wha...!"


    "In your allies'' eyes, you are nothing but a weakling who needs to be protected and supervised. In your enemies'' eyes, well... you''re just a w. A maggot that can be stepped on and killed at any time they want."


    "Y-You''re wrong! My sister doesn''t think of me as a weakli-"


    "Your sister?" Iughed darkly. "You mean Lorelei? You heard that conversation she had with me in my head, didn''t you? She purposely made it so that you could hear. Why do you think that is?"


    "Hngh..."


    "She doesn''t want to say it to your face, little guy. She pities you. She is the queen, the matriarch of your race. But beyond that, you two have no connection. She cares about you as one of her kin, but not as a sister."


    "Even so... even so... she still saved me from what happened all those years ago! I''ll protect her, even if she doesn''t want me to!"


    After some hesitation and admiring of his attitude, I smiled.


    "... Good."


    "H-Huh...?"


    "I said, good. But if you want to protect Lorelei, if you want to be her loyal knight... you have to get stronger first. That fact does not change. The ce where she wants to go is filled with danger, and as you are right now... you won''t even be useful as bait."


    "Tch... you sound so high and mighty, looking down on me like that!" He yelled in fury. "I bet you aren''t even that strong anyway!"


    "... Heh."


    I smiled darkly, then slowly looked up into his eyes.


    "Wha..." He instinctively took a few steps back, nearly falling off the edge of the cliff. The aura radiating from my body was dark and powerful enough to make anyone think twice before challenging me. Such was the intimidating power of Chaos, able to strike fear into anyone whoys sight on it.


    "Would you care to test that theory, young fox?" I asked, voice steely and cold.


    "Y-Yeah!" He roared, not wanting to back down. Even in the face of fear, he put his pride before anything. That can both be a good quality and a bad one.


    Iughed darkly, then tipped my hat.


    "Very well. Go ahead, try your best. If you can even do so much as touch me.... I''ll acknowledge your strength."

 Chapter 440 - I Have A... Student, I Guess?

    "I-If I can even touch you... tch, are you looking down on me?!" The boy yelled in rage, clenching his fists tightly.


    I scoffed. "Is that even a question? Of course I am. But trust me when I say you won''t even be able to touch me, no matter how hard you try."


    I reached into the Space Locket that hung around my neck and casually pulled out a warm cup of tea before slowly, calmly, taking a sip. The boy, seeing how carefree I was, couldn''t take it anymore and roared before charging directly towards me.


    "I''m going to punch that stupid face of yours in!" He reared his fist back, preparing a punch. "HYAH!"


    "... Hmph."


    <em>Level Two Space Magic ¡ª Blink.</em>


    Teleporting backwards in an instant, I avoided his attack with ease and continued sipping on my tea, all while remaining seated.


    "H-Huh-?" The boy, not expecting this, lost his bnce from his own momentum and toppled over. "W-Whoa- oof!"


    "Come, try again," I taunted, voice remaining monotone. In situations like this, staying calm was more infuriating for the other person than acting all smug.


    "D-Damn it...!" The boy pushed himself off the ground and came at me again, this time with a kick.


    Once again, however, I merely ''blinked'' away, confusing the hell out of him.


    "What the hell...?!"


    He picked up some gravel and dirt from the floor and threw it at me, as if that was going to stop my teleporting, but needless to say, it didn''t work. Not even a speck of dust got on me, and definitely nonended in my tea.


    Taking another sip, I let out a deep exhale and nced at him.


    "Done?"


    "Not yet!"


    He leaped forward and attempted to punch me again, but I sighed.


    "... You don''t learn, do you?"


    <em>Level Two Space Magic ¡ª Blink.</em>


    <em></em>Instantly, I teleported backwards once more, rendering him out of distance to reach me.


    Or so I thought.


    He hadn''t been trying to punch me just now. He was actually taking off his jacket and using it as a weapon. Now, with his extended range...


    "..."


    "Ha! Got you!"


    Just the tip of the jacket barely scraped against my knee. Blinking a few times, I closed my eyes and stood up.


    "Well... I apud you for that. It''s definitely not how a knight would try and win fights, but I''ll give it to you since it''s just like something I would do, heh."


    "So, you acknowledge my strength now?"


    I nodded. "I acknowledge your strength, yeah. I acknowledge it as being very weak."


    "W-Wha-?!" He cried in surprise, confused and shocked at my response.


    "Dude... all you did was touch me with the tip of your jacket. It wasn''t even enough to tickle. You expect me to call you strong?"


    "Tch, fight me properly then! I''ll break your spin-"


    "Don''t... say that," I said, hurriedly interrupting him before he could finish his sentence.


    "What... why?"


    "Because... well, I have a tendency to do the same thing others do to me or threaten to do to me, amplified thousandfold. In other words, if you threaten to break my spine, I might end up shattering, rebuilding, then shattering your spine again about a thousand times over."


    "H-Huh...?!"


    "Now, save the trash talk for after you win. Come at me."


    Now that I was actually standing, I could properly move around. Of course, I still wasn''t trying at all in this fight, but I had to at least make it seem like I was putting a little bit of effort into it just to keep him motivated.


    "HYAH!" He lunged forward and attempted to punch me, but I easily sidestepped it and tripped him over.


    "Oof!" He fell over, nting his head face-first into the ground. <em>Ouch.</em>


    <em></em>"What are you doing?" I scoffed. "You think I''m just a training dummy that''s going to stand there and let myself hit you? Speed up, little guy."


    "Not done yet!" He yelled, picking up a fistful of sand andunching it my way. <em>Trying to blind me? Not a bad premise, but...</em>


    <em>Level Three Gravity Magic ¡ª Handheld Singrity.</em>


    <em></em>I opened one palm, revealing a ck hole attached to it. All the sand was immediately sucked into the singrity, and even the boy himself was unable to escape.


    "Wha- ngh...!"


    He desperately tried to w his way out, but I walked closer and stepped on his back, forcing him to the floor, defeated, as I closed the ck hole.


    "Is that all you have?"


    "Tch..."


    "Hm? Is it?"


    But to my surprise, he said...


    "... Yeah."


    "...?"


    "I said yeah, so take your foot off of me already!"


    Blinking a few times, I finally came back to my senses and stepped off of his back.


    "My bad, I just didn''t expect you to say th-"


    "HA, GOT YOU!"


    The boy suddenly leaped up from the ground the moment I took my foot off, turning into his fox form and attempting to w at my face. My eyes widened in surprise, and realized it was toote for even me to dodge.


    <em>L-Level Three Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze!</em>


    Instantly, all time stopped, and the boy''s ws froze inches before my eyes. Slowly backing up, I safely got out of the danger zone and let out a sigh.


    "... Good grief. That was closer than I expected."


    Then, after some thought, I smirked and picked him up in my arms, then walked over to the cliff and held him by his neck. Not tight enough to choke, but not soft enough to let him fall down either.


    <em>Time will begin moving again now.</em>


    As time began to flow once more, the boy found himself hanging at the edge of a cliff, held within my arms.


    "W-Wha-?! How is this possible?! I was about to scratch your eyes out, then...HUH?!"


    "... A tricky little gremlin, aren''t you?"


    "H-Hey! Let me go!"


    "Then again... it is something I would do," I chuckled, recalling the fight I once had with Mei Mo''s knight, where I had once contemted ying dead as a strategy. Speaking of... where the hell is he? He should''ve been in the Fortress, but I never saw him there...


    After some thought, I lowered him and set him onto the ground away from the cliff.


    "Get up. It''s time for you to get some training."


    "Training...?" He scrambled to his feet in his human form.


    "Yeah. From yours truly."


    "Hell no! I don''t want to get trained by you!"


    "Well, whether you like it or not, you''ll have to beat me one day if you want to be considered strong enough to protect Lorelei," I said. "Me teaching you is a good opportunity for you to find out any possible weaknesses I have, y''know?"


    Hearing this, he reluctantly agreed.


    "... Fine. But you better be careful ¡ª one day, I''ll be strong enough to kick your ass!"


    I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, copy my movements."


    I got into a horse stance, something I''ve perfected over the years of my physical body training done before I awakened my magic. The boy, in his human form, did as told and mirrored my stance.


    "Good. Now, stay there for an hour."


    I stood back up straight and smiled, walking away.


    "H-Huh?! Hold it! I gotta do this for an hour straight?!"


    "Mhm," I said, turning back around. "What, you thought training was a fun and easy thing to do? Think again. Also..."


    I leaned in to his ear, then whispered:


    "Lorelei is watching."


    "...! His eyes widened in disbelief.


    "If you don''t believe me, that''s fine, but on the off-chance that she is there... I wonder what she would think of you as if you just gave up from a little hard work like this. Why would she want a knight who would turn tail and run as soon as danger strikes?"


    "..." This caused the boy to fall silent, and I slowly backed away and turned around to begin walking away again.


    "Good luck, Yami. I''ll be back in an hour to pick you up for lunch."


    "Yami...?" He frowned, confused.


    "Your new name," I hollered without bothering to turn around. "Don''t like it? Too bad!"


    "Wha... what about... Bob...?"


    I disappeared into the woods, and Lorelei climbed onto my shoulder once more. I raised an eyebrow as I walked.


    <em>You''re really not going to stay here and watch?</em>


    <em></em><em>"Why would I, master? Just as you said, he is my kin, nothing more. Lorelei needs not stay here and watch him train, unless master wishes for Lorelei to do so."</em>


    <em>Nah, it''s fine. He''ll be alright. I set up a Metal and Sound barrier before I left. No beasts or anything can get to him. It''s also in preparation for tonight.</em>


    <em>"The prince...?"</em>


    <em></em>I nodded. <em>Yep. Just an annoying, jealous child I have to shut up. Don''t worry, you won''t have to do anything... i</em><em>s what I''d like to say, but on second thought, your powers over the soul are going toe in handy. You can detect people, correct?</em>


    <em></em><em>"Yes, master. Please don''t be troubled over using me. Lorelei is at master''s service."</em>


    <em>I see... well,ter tonight, I''m going to need you to detect certain people, then tell their locations to Ling Xin and Axilia. Should be easy enough, right?"</em>


    <em>"Yes. Lorelei only regrets not being able to do more."</em>


    <em>It''s fine, it''s fine... once you''ve fully recovered, you''ll be an incredibly strong asset to me. Your time for repayment cane then. Also... what''s with the sometimes third-person, sometimes first-person speech? Is that how you usually talk, or...</em>


    <em>"Yes. Does it bother you, master? Lorelei can change if so."</em>


    <em>Nah. It''s fine. I was just a bit confused, that''s all. If anything... I think it''s kind of cute.</em>


    <em>"..." </em>


    <em></em>Lorelei didn''t say anything, but I did see her beautiful white fox tail wag left and right happily in response.


    <em></em>*****


    Exactly one hourter, I returned to the same cliff to pick Yami up. He was still in the position I left him in, sweating buckets and entire body trembling, but he held up nheless.


    Seeing this, I couldn''t help but smile. This kid... he was quite the annoying brat, but he was loyal to Lorelei at the very least. He had a good heart, the guy. All that was needed to perfect him into a great warrior was the proper harsh discipline.


    Throughout that hour before lunch, we discussed various ns on how to defeat the prince. A certain item I obtained from the auction would turn out to be the core of the n, something I hadn''t even though of myself. Ling Xin and Axilia weren''t just good-looking and great chefs, but they also were quite clever when the need arose.


    All the traps and setups were in position.. All that was left was the execution¡ªboth of the n, and of Prince Auldren.

 Chapter 441 - Young Foxs Determination

    After having lunch - or rather, after Ling Xin, Axilia, and I had lunch since Lorelei and Yami didn''t eat human food - Yami slipped out of the house again to go to the same cape he had fought me and lost. As I was curious, I followed, leaving Lorelei behind with the girls.


    Once I arrived at the cliff, I found Yami in the horse stance once again, breathing even and eyes closed. His form was far from ideal, but it was the thought that counts. He was definitely doing a lot better before, and even after several minutes, he did not begin sweating.


    <em>Huh. Not bad, kid.</em>


    Deciding it was about time to show him something else, I stepped out of the shadows of the trees. Yami, noticing me, immediately raise his guard and narrowed his eyes, but didn''t break his stance.


    "... What do you want?"


    "Woah, no need to be so hostile," I said with a smirk. "If you''re going to train, don''t do it with anger in your heart. If you don''t want to do this, don''t."


    "I do. And I''ll beat you, one day, when I get stronger."


    "Good. I''ll be waiting, then."


    I walked over by his side, then got into the same horse stance as him. Seeing this, he looked at me up and down, confused.


    "... It''s been a while since I''vest done this," I said in a perfect horse stance, far better than Yami''s.


    "You''ve... trained like this before too?"


    I chuckled. "Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have asked you to do the same. I have experience doing the same thing myself. Training for hours every day and night, whenever I had spare time. I would go without eating, without drinking water. My mind was focused solely on training my physical body and training my physical body alone, and nothing else really mattered. Want to know why?"


    "... Why?" Yami asked after a while.


    After a short silence, I continued.


    "... Would you believe me if I told you I once was magicless?"


    He blinked. "Magic... less?"


    "Yeah. You know? This power I use?" I ignited a me in my hands, attracting Yami''s gaze, then put it out again. "A few years ago, I never had it. All my peers, everyone else in the Realm I came from... wielded this power. It was likemon sense, an integral part of life. Yet it was something I didn''t have."


    "Wha... you were... just an ordinary human with no powers?"


    I nodded. "Mhm. Surprised?"


    "..." Yami didn''t respond, but his expression clearly hinted at he was.


    "But you know... despite that, I never gave up. Rather than wallow in despair, I used any free time I had to perfect my physical body and stamina. That way, when one day, I did receive magic, I could have an edge over the other mages who never even bothered training their physical bodies since they relied on magic so much."


    "... Sorry," Yami said all of a sudden. I looked to him, eyebrow raised.


    "What for?"


    "I... I originally thought of you as an arrogant, annoying person. But now I see... you were once just like me."


    "Nah," I said with a light chuckle.


    "What...?"


    "I''m far more handsome than you. Always was, and always will be."


    "W-Wha-!"


    "We may have started from the same ying field, but you''ll never be able to catch up to me," I said. "Unless, of course, you can prove me wrong."


    "Tch... I take back what I said. You''re arrogant after all!"


    I shrugged and stood up straight, exiting the horse stance. "Arrogance is confidence until someone can prove otherwise. Remember that. So, be arrogant if you want to. As long as you have the skills to back it up, anyway."


    With that, I left, having achieved my goal. Through this short but meaningful conversation, I established some sort of a pact with Yami, but also made him hate me more at the same time. I would love to be all friendly and nice with him, but unfortunately, that isn''t my personality, and I need him to hate me to fuel his motivation to get stronger. Just Lorelei isn''t enough to spur him on.


    Yami is quite the headstrong kid, not wanting to admit his own faults or take any insults lying down. He will prove himself at every opportunity he gets, but I have to drive into him the lesson that brought upon the failure of so many great heroes in mythology and the past - hubris.


    I will first let him build up his confidence, then crush it beneath my feet. Let him be arrogant. Let him hate me. And then, show him who''s boss. It was cruel, yes, but necessary if I wanted to discipline him into being my pawn.


    Once he beats me, he will lose motivation to keep getting stronger. I can''t let that happen, so I have to crush him over and over again. He will never catch up to me, and that was the truth. Because while he was training and getting stronger by the day... so was I.


    "Oh, by the way," I said, suddenly stopping and turning back around. "Your stance... kind of sucks. Go lower, until your thighs are nearly perpendicr with your upper body."


    Yami did as told, but not before shooting me a hateful re. I was originally nning on teaching him something new today, but given his current attitude, he was unlikely to be willing to absorb anything further I tell him. It was best to give him some time to cool down first - and besides, some more foundation never hurt.


    Before I left, I set up an invisible barrier around Yami, just in case. It would prevent any wild beasts from getting to him, and also prevent him from identally falling off. He was essentially locked into a cage without even realizing it, but I''lle backter to disable it and retrieve him for dinner.


    And after dinner... it''ll be time for some carnage.


    *****


    I spent the rest of that afternoon refining pills. I went to go see Ling Xin''s godfather for some materials, which he reluctantly gave to me after I offered him a million or so mordai. That number was nothing to me now anyway. That old fogey could take that money and do whatever the hell he wanted with it.


    Yeah, I could buy my own alchemic materials, but really, I wasn''t an expert on which ones were good and such. The quality of the materials greatly affected the quality of the resulting pill, so if I was given a bunch of horrible materials, I doubt even I could make a Golden Pill, and even if I could, it would still be nowhere near as good as the other Golden Pills I''ve refined in the past.


    Before I knew it, the sun was about to fall, and it was roughly around time for dinner. I managed to refine a couple dozen pills, but I wasn''t nning on auctioning them. I specifically made this batch for the girls back in the Living Realm, to help them get stronger.


    After getting Yami from the cliff, we ate dinner. Ling Xin and Axilia have been working together with the cookingtely, which both made the food taste even more delicious than before and also saved me the trouble of having to judge whose cooking is better.


    Once we were done eating, I stood up from the table and wiped my mouth, then nced at the clock.


    "Alright... the meeting is scheduled to happen in about 5 hours from now. Everything''s already set up and we have the n allyed out, so... I think I''ll go take a nap."


    "Seriously...? You never take naps, though..." Ling Xin frowned in confusion.


    "So? I can''t start taking naps now?" I scoffed. "Don''t worry, I''ll wake up an hour before the meeting urs. We''ll be fine."


    "If you say so..."


    I headed up the stairs and into Axilia''s room, then sat down on the chair and closed my eyes, resting my head on top of my arms. Since my clothes weren''t clean and I didn''t want to take a shower right now, I didn''t sleep on the bed.


    <em>"Thank you, master."</em>


    <em>Hm? What for?</em>


    <em>"Lorelei is not stupid. I can tell you are purposely taking a nap to allow me to feed on your dreams."</em>


    <em>... Tell Yami toe here too. He has to be starving, after such a long day. Oh, but don''t tell him I''m doing this to feed you two. I need him to continue to hate me, after all.</em>


    <em>"... Very well, master. Lorelei will bring him here."</em>


    <em>Saying this, she, in her fox form, hopped off of my shoulder and trotted along out the door to bring Yami here, while I sighed and went to sleep, thinking about the other girls back at home.</em>


    <em>I wonder how they''re doing... and I also wonder if time here in the Death Realm passes the same way as in the Living Realm. In the Void Realm where we cultivated for 3 years, that was only equivalent to 3 days in the Living Realm, but...</em>


    <em>I hope they are doing okay.. I really do.</em>

 Chapter 442 - Midnight Carnage

    <em>"Master."</em>


    <em>"Master, time to wake up."</em>


    "Mmn..." Slowly, I shook my head and rose from the table, blinking a few times. Lorelei, in her human form, stood beside me, gently rocking me awake.


    "Where are the others...?" I askedzily.


    "Yami was here, feeding on your dreams like I was, until he sensed you nearly waking up. Not wanting to be caught living off you, he went downstairs. The other two humans are downstairs as well, master."


    "I see..." I sighed and stood up from the chair, then headed into the bathroom to ssh my face with some water. Then, after changing into the Yharnav armor set I obtained from the auction, my eyes - the only visible part of my face thanks to the mask and hat - narrowed.


    "Now then... it''s time for some carnage."


    *****


    - Several Hours Later -


    <em>You two in position?</em> I asked via telepathy.


    <em>"Yep,"</em> Ling Xin replied. <em>"Lorelei is here as well."</em>


    <em>"I am also in position, darling~"</em> Axilia said happily, excited for the bloodbath that was about to ensue.


    <em>And Yami?</em>


    <em>"He''s here with me, don''t worry,"</em> Axilia replied. <em>"Though... if I don''t get to have fun tonight, I may end up killing him for some pleasure, fufu~!"</em>


    <em>Please don''t...</em> I sighed in my mind, if that was even possible. Suddenly, however, Lorelei''s soft voice cut through the conversation like a gentle yet strong breeze.


    <em>"They are here, master."</em>


    Immediately, I tensed up, and thems went silent. Ling Xin and Axilia were both getting ready to make their move, but I had to buy them enough time.


    I stood on the same cliff I had trained Yami just hours earlier, face masked by my dark, secretive armor set. I stood directly underneath the bright moonlight shining down from high above, my shadow stretching on for miles in front of me.


    From not far ahead, a single set of footsteps approached. It was Prince Auldren, seemingly alone.


    But of course, I knew better. He definitely brought trained men along, most likely assassins who specialized in stealth, and they were definitely traversing through the woods on either side of me right now. Little did they know... they were walking straight into their own deaths.


    "What an interesting ce to pick for a meeting, Mr. Mysterious Alchemist," Prince Auldren said with a charismatic smile, spreading his arms and basking his silver armor beneath the bright moonlight. "Do you have a connection with my sister, Princess Aucerina, perhaps?"


    "... It could be said so, yes," I replied, purposely hesitating a bit as to buy some more time for Ling Xin and Axilia. They should be able to make quick work of the assassins with their skill, so every second counted.


    "How peculiar. That girl has some mental problems, do you know?"


    <em>Making small talk with me? By all means... this only works in my favor.</em>


    "I am aware. But she is quite beautiful, I must say."


    "Oh? Do you wish to obtain her, despite saying you already have plenty of women by your side?" Prince Auldrenughed boldly.


    "Do you, Prince Auldren?" I shot back, keeping my voice calm and sinister. Of course, I was still using my voice changer, so he had no idea what my real voice sounded like and who I really was. "You seem quite carefree on the surface, but I sensed a hint of jealousy in those words just now."


    "Please," Prince Auldren chuckled. "You are sixty years old? No, perhaps older? Why would I be jealous of you? No matter how crazy my Aucerina is, she would never choose an old alchemist as a partner!"


    "... You''re right," I said, suddenly deactivating my voice changer. "She wouldn''t."


    Hearing my new, young voice, Prince Auldren immediately narrowed his eyes in caution.


    "You... is that your real voice?"


    "Is it? I wonder."


    "... Cut the bullshit. I came here tonight to see your true identity. You said it yourself, did you not? I hope you will uphold your end of the deal we made. Because if not... I have a dozen assassins in the woods right now, surrounding you.


    This time, it was my turn tough.


    "Don''t worry, Prince Auldren, I am a man of my word. I will let you glimpse at my identity, just as promised. But about those assassins in the woods..."


    I snapped my fingers, and Axilia and Ling Xin suddenly appeared on both sides, tossing the dead bodies of the prince''s men onto the soiled ground, staining it with blood.


    "Wha...!" Prince Auldren''s eyes widened as he looked at his dead men, then at Ling Xin and Axilia. "Aucerina... and... is that you, Lixi...?"


    "Long time no see, Prince," Ling Xin said with a seductive smile. "Too bad, too bad... you can never be my prince."


    "You...!" Prince Auldren clenched his fists tightly with rage, but Axilia swung her scythe forward and cleaved the air in front of her. Auldren hurriedly dodged back, just barely avoiding being sliced in half.


    "Hehe~ sorry, brother~" Axilia said with a soft giggle, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out between two fingers. "I''ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, y''know~? The day when I can carve you up..."


    "Tch... good try, alchemist," Prince Auldren said, setting his gaze back on me. "Your illusions are impressive, though I have never seen such things in the Death Realm before. You even managed to anticipate my assassins and kill them with some kind of poison... not bad at all. But if you think you can fool me with such illusions, then you are horribly wrong."


    "Illusions?" I chuckled, then slid my arms around Ling Xin and Axilia before pulling them closer. "If you really think of them as mere illusions... why did you dodge out of the way just now? The way I look at it... you are merely trying to deny the truth, Prince Auldren."


    "Tch...!"


    "Fufu~ it''s not good to bully someone so much, master~" Ling Xin said, nting a kiss on the tiny bit of my cheek that wasn''t covered by the mask I wore. "He may still have tricks up his sleeve, so we should end him while we can."


    I shrugged and stroked her hair lovingly. "Well... you heard her, Prince Auldren. I''m not usually hostile like this, but you''ve already tried to kill me once before. When ites to those people... I''m afraid I''m not so merciful."


    Hearing these words, Prince Auldren realized who I am.


    "Wait... y-you''re..."


    I smiled and took off my mask, revealing my true face.


    "Indeed I am. I killed you once already, but at the time, I didn''t know how ''death'' worked in this Realm. But now that I do... don''t think you''ll be getting away a second time, Prince Auldren."


    "D-Damn it-!"


    He immediately turned tail and tried to flee, knowing I have powers he couldn''t match thanks to our previous encounter, but... he ended up running straight into a wall.


    "Ngh-!" He fell to the floor - no surprise there - and rubbed his forehead painfully, wondering what the hell he ran into. There, in front of him, arge metal barrier shed into view momentarily before turning invisible again - the barrier I had set up beforehand.


    "The difference in power between us..." I sighed, stepping closer to him. "It''s almost... disappointing. I was hoping you would put up a fight, but..."


    "Gah..." Prince Auldren, having seemingly gotten a concussion, was in no state to battle.


    "Of all the things you could''ve lost to... you lost to banging your head against the barrier I set up. How boring. Well, I guess I''ll end your misery."


    Summoning one of my Chaos katanas that actuallyplimented the armor I wore quite well, I sliced Prince Auldren''s head clean off. But then, suddenly-


    "HAHAHA! YOU FELL FOR IT, FOOL! KILLING ME IS AKIN TO LETTING ME ESCAPE! YOU THINK THIS BARRIER CAN STOP ME IN MY SPIRITUAL FO- WHA-?!"


    Against his will and to his utter shock, he felt his body being pulled into mine. My armor, in particr.


    I smiled. "Who''s the fool now, prince? I anticipated your every move, including this one. In other words... all this was nned by me. You lost before the fight even began."


    "I-Impossible... HOW?!"


    But his dying screams were cut off as his spirit was converted into nothing but True Essence for me, replenishing my energy and power source. He was quite strong, and if he actually tried to fight me, he may have had a chance. A very slim one, but a chance nheless. But instead of doing that, he chose to just run. Not very wise.


    "... Well. That''s that."


    I also set up a sound barrier along with the metal one, so his dying screams weren''t going to reach anyone''s ears.


    "Go on, you two," I said, turning to Ling Xin and Axilia. "Open the portal back to the Living Realm."


    Ling Xin and Axilia nodded, doing as told, as I smiled.


    <em>Finally... it''s only been a few days, really, but it felt like a lot longer. But at longst... it is time to return to the Living Realm.</em>


    <em>I''ming home, everyone.</em>

 Chapter 443 - Back To The Living Realm

    Axilia and Ling Xin conjured a portal to go back to the Living Realm with theirbined powers, causing a rift to open in space. The portal was swirling white and pulsating nicely, as if beckoning us inside.


    "Ladies first," I said, letting the two twins head in first, which they did. Lorelei and Yami, both in their fox forms, entered with me after them. Lorelei was on my shoulder, while Yami trotted along on the floor.


    But right before entering, I stopped, and pulled out a pendant. The same one that the old butler had once given me. I held it tightly against my chest, calling for him.


    <em>"... You''re done?" </em>His old voice asked after several seconds.


    <em>Mhm. We are preparing to leave now. This is yourst chance, if you want toe along.</em>


    <em></em><em>"No... as much as I would like to... it is better for those two to cut any connection with this realm. My existence... would only remind them."</em>


    <em></em><em>I see. I respect your decision, then. What of the king?</em>


    <em>"He has been taken care of, just like you instructed. The kingdom, without a leader, will descend into chaos, but... it is a small price to pay for the well-being of my two granddaughters."</em>


    <em></em>At this, I chuckled. <em>Selfish, but I like that. Then... we''ll be off.</em>


    <em>"Yes. Take good care of those two, young man. If you don''t, I will go to the Living Realm myself even if I''m already in hell, and drag you down there with me."</em>


    <em>Ha! The heavens, fate, and destiny have all tried killing me before. None have seeded. What makes you think hell can defeat me? But don''t worry... I''ll take care of your granddaughters. As much as I am ruthless, I am also warm towards those who care about me. I won''t let you down, old man.</em>


    <em>"Good... take care, boy."</em><em></em>


    <em>Do you want me to tell them you said hi?</em>


    <em>"Don''t bother. It''ll only weigh them down."</em>


    <em>... I see. Then... farewell.</em>


    <em>"Farewell."</em>


    <em></em>"Darling~ what''s the holdup?" Axilia asked from the other side of the portal, peeking her head in.


    "Nothing," I lied. "Just some... unfinished business. It''s all good now, though."


    I crushed the pendant beneath my feet to prevent anyone from using it in the future, then headed through the portal.


    <em>I''ming home, everyone. I''ming home.</em>


    <em></em>*****


    I was noting home.


    "Uh... where, exactly, is this ce?"


    I nced around at our surroundings, which I definitely did not recognize. We seemed to be underneath a massive overarching rock of some sort, covered in snow. Above us, thousands of icicles hung from the ceiling, and the cold winter air brushed against our faces.


    "Hm... this shouldn''t have happened," Ling Xin murmured, narrowing her eyes. "I clearly set our destination for Fragment, yet..."


    Lorelei turned into her human form and exined, "This is because the Realm Lines of the Death Realm have been altered, somehow. They have be destabilized, thereby causing transportation between Realms to be inurate."


    "But... this is still the Living Realm, correct?" I asked, just for confirmation.


    "Yes, Master," Lorelei replied softly.


    "Well then..." I held up my hand, then cast a spell.


    <em>Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª Hoops of Fire.</em>


    <em></em>ck mes suddenly appeared around the group of us, hovering in the air. Several ring-like shapes were formed and surrounded us from head to heel, keeping us warm. Axilia reached out to touch it, surprised that it didn''t actually burn.


    I, on the other hand, narrowed my eyes in confusion.


    "This... it feels weird. I feel like I''ve resorted back to using normal mana, not True Essence..."


    "That''s normal," Ling Xin said, blinking a few times. "The Living Realm strictly prohibits True Essence, since there is no True Essence in the air. Magic, at its core, is getting the mana in your body to react with the mana in the environment. So... you can see why True Essence won''t work."


    "Huh... I guess that makes sense. It still feels somewhat disappointing, though," I muttered. "But in any case... we should first get a good look at our surroundings, and hopefully figure out where the hell this ce is."


    I nced up into the air, then took off with Lorelei and Yami on each of my shoulders, holding on tightly in their fox forms. Yami looked like he was about to die of fear, but Lorelei was perfectly fine and remained as calm as ever. Ling Xin took ahold of Axilia and flew into the air as well, since she too shared a Sky Element affinity.


    As we ascended, we couldn''t help but notice just howrge this snow biome was. Icy mountains could be seen in the distance, ciers slowly slipping downwards on their inclined nes. It was a world of white and cold.


    "Hm... how interesting," Ling Xin murmured. "This cannot be Antarctica, since there is no water to be seen anywhere. It also cannot be the North Pole, as there is nond there. In which case... this is most likely upper North America,nd of elves and fairies."


    "Huh..." I rubbed my chin. "But ording to the textbooks I''ve read, don''t elves and fairies live in forests?"


    "Mainly, yes. But just like with Dark Elves, I heard rumors of there being yet another subspecies of the Elven race... the Ice Elves."


    "How interesting," I murmured, then gazed into the distance. Because of the fog that came with the snowstorm, it was hard to see, so I used some Blessing Magic to amplify my vision. "Wait... is that... a castle in the distance?"


    I used the same spell on Ling Xin so she could see as well, and after several seconds, she nodded.


    "Looks like the rumors I heard weren''t just rumors after all, huh~?"


    "Castles mean people... people means I can kill them!" Axilia''s eyes sparkled in delight.


    "Woah, woah, no," I hurriedly interrupted. "You are <em>not </em>about to to bust in there and start killing them, because I know damn well I''m not about to make any more enemies than I already have."


    "What if they are hostile right off the bat?" Ling Xin asked, a wry smirk on her face.


    "In that case, I can destroy that entire castle if need be and they won''t be able to stop it, but I really just don''t want to cause any unnecessary destruction," I said with a sigh. "Look, the world''s a nice ce, and I don''t want to ruin it any more than necessary."


    <em>"Worry not, master,"</em> Lorelei whispered gently in my mind. <em>"Even if they are hostile, Lorelei can persuade their souls into epting master."</em>


    <em>I see... thanks.</em>


    Even if Lorelei was currently in a very weak statepared to her original strength, she could still influence the minds of mortals with incredible ease. One could only imagine just how powerful she would be with her full strength. She could very possibly turn this entire world into her servants.


    <em>Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Warp Gate.</em>


    <em></em>Creating a portal in mid-air, I set it as close to the castle as I could get. Unfortunately, due to the castle being so far away, it was difficult to pinpoint the exactly right location. As a result, when we stepped through, we found ourselves still quite a distance away from the castle, and standing in front of a gate instead.


    The two guards standing there blinked a few times in surprise, both at our sudden appearance and Ling Xin and Axilia''s beauty, but quickly readied weapons and narrowed their frosty blue eyes at us.


    "Humans...? What is your business here?!"


    "Uh... hi," I said awkwardly. "First off, Axilia, put that scythe away, and secondly... I apologize for our sudden appearance. You see, we are a bit lost. We mean no harm, and would just like help returning home to Human Territory."


    "..." The two guards didn''t reply and instead narrowed their eyes in suspicion still, not lowering their weapons. I was at a loss for what to do.


    <em>Master, Lorelei shall take care of this.</em>


    <em></em>Lorelei stared into the two guards'' eyes and reached for their souls, and slowly, the two''s expressions softened. They lowered their weapons, and put a warm smile on their rigid soldier faces.


    "Yes, of course... pleasee in. This is Frigia Vige. No one here can help you, but if you go to the Queen in the castle, she should be able to assist."


    I nodded in thanks as they opened the wooden gates, and we stepped through. On the other side, a winter wondendy. Beautiful elven children ran around and yed on the streets, carefree andpletely disregarding the cold. No one was even in coats or sweaters. They wore attire as if it were summer.


    Upon seeing us, however, they immediately tensed up. The vigers frightfully backed up from the rings of fire around us, and pulled their children back too. Thankfully, one of the two guards were kind enough to escort us.


    <em>Well. They weren''t actually that kind. Lorelei just ordered him to.</em>


    <em></em>"Don''t be scared, everyone!" He hollered, striding up by my side. "This young man and his entourage are not here to harm us! He is merely lost and passing by, and those embers around him are to keep him warm in this climate too harsh for humans! You have my word; as long as you do not bother him or get in his way, he will not hurt you!"


    <em>Thatst part is true. I won''t hurt them.... as long as they don''t get in my way.</em>

 Chapter 444 - The Ice Elves Queen

    The guard led us to a frozen metal gate that led towards the castle, covered in beautiful snow and ice. Once there, he stopped and turned around to us.


    "Wait here. I will inform the queen of your presence. If she is not busy, she will see you."


    I nodded firmly and watched as the guard opened the gates and slipped inside, locking it behind him. I contemted sneaking in my own way, as gates like this meant little in front of Space Magic, but the queen probably wouldn''t take that very nicely.


    "Lorelei, just to confirm, he''s still in your range, correct?"


    Lorelei, in her fox form, nodded. <em>"Even in her current state, Lorelei can still have an influence range about the size of a city, though only a few people can be controlled at once."</em>


    "Good to hear," I murmured, nodding in satisfaction. "Will you be able to influence the Queen as well? That would be awesome."


    <em>"That depends on her power level, master. If she is too strong, Lorelei can only see but not influence her soul."</em>


    "Psst," Ling Xin whispered in my ear. "You''re talking out loud. People are staring."


    <em>Oops...</em>


    <em></em>Clearing my throat, I pretended nothing ever happened and patiently awaited the return of the soldier.


    *****


    Several minutester, the guard returned, a more rigid expression on his face. He probably got scolded by the Queen for allowing an outsider to enter the vige. By the looks of it, we were about to get kicked out. Too bad.


    "The Queen... she said she would see you. Follow me."


    "... Huh?"


    "Is there a problem?" The guard asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that not what you came here to do?"


    "N-No, you''re right," I said, quickly shaking my head. "I was just... slightly surprised she would actually see us, that''s all."


    "Well, she did scold me for allowing humans into the vige, but at the same time, she wanted to see you for some reason. I don''t really get it myself, but then again, no one really understands the Queen''s decisions. All they know how to do is believe in her, wholly andpletely."


    <em>Oho... I have a good idea why she still wants to see us. This Queen... she''s crafty. Quite observant, too. Not bad, not bad at all. If her actual power matches up to her intelligence... Lorelei most likely won''t be able to control her.</em>


    "Now, follow me," the guard said, turning around and heading into the gates once more, this time leaving it open behind him so that we could follow. Once we did, he shut and locked them to prevent anyone else from entering, and then took the lead to direct us to the castle.


    <em>This may be a little more difficult than I hoped, but... whatever. I like a challenge.</em>


    <em></em>*****


    Soon, we were led inside the ice castle by the guard. The interior was no less grand than the exterior, and drew the gazes of both Ling Xin and Axilia. Even Lorelei''s eyes sparkled, reflected by the crystalline innards of the structure. It was like they were in an ice cavern, crafted with extreme delicacy and expertise.


    The only colors in this pce were different shades of blue, giving it a somewhat monotone feel. However, that went perfectly in line with the icy biome that surrounded it. After all, it would hardly make sense for a castle of rainbows and unicorns to be in a snowy mountain range like this.


    Our footsteps echoed against the crystalline, translucent walls, providing a strange tranquil yet unsettling feeling in our stomachs. I wasn''t exactly <em>scared </em>to meet this Ice Elves'' Queen, per se, but I never have been much of a social person. Now that I was being presented in front of royalty, I didn''t know how to act to avoid seeming disrespectful or rude.


    Of course, I had met other royalty before, like Axilia, the King, and the Prince of the Death Realm, but those guys were my enemies anyway so I really didn''t care if I was rude towards them. This Queen, however, I wanted to maintain a peaceful rtionship with if possible. I had done enough fighting for a while. I only seek peace for the time being.


    Soon, the guard led us to a tall, grand pair of doors with a beautiful snowke design in the center. He signaled for us to stop, then gently knocked on the door.


    "Your Majesty, I have brought them here."


    The doors opened, revealing a beautiful chamber of blue crystals and ice inside. A few meters away, a gorgeous ice elf sat atop her throne of ice, eyes as blue as the sky and pale skin as white as snow.


    "Enter," she said, voice cold enough to bring chills to our skin.


    The guard bowed and motioned for us to go in. It was clear from his gestures that he wasn''t going to follow. I met his gaze, then nodded and entered. Ling Xin and Axilia followed me. The guard shut the door behind us, not locking it, but it was intimidating nheless.


    ... Well, for others. Me? Not so much.


    "Greetings, queen of the ice elves," I said calmly, staring the queen directly in the eye to show I wasn''t scared of her in the least. The Queen obviously saw my intentions, and narrowed her clear eyes slightly in response.


    "If you think you can influence my mind like you did with the guard, think again. Enough with the innocent act, human. What are your true goals ining here?"


    "Ah, so you noticed," I said, smiling wryly. "We didn''t mean to do that to him at first, but because he was being hostile towards us¡ªmuch like you are doing right now¡ªwe were forced to resort to such methods."


    The queen, being the only person in the room apart from us, furrowed her brows slightly.


    "... Is that a threat?"


    I shook my head. "Not at all, Your Majesty. Did I hurt your guard in any way? No. Just like I said, I only have one intention ining here¡ªreturning home to Human Territory."


    "... How did you end up here in the first ce? We do not associate with humans. They do note to ournd under any circumstances."


    "That is... well, something I can''t disclose, unfortunately," I replied after some hesitation. "Just know we don''t mean any harm."


    "I realize we sound suspicious," Ling Xin added. "But maybe, if you take a look at this, you will change your mind..."


    Saying this, a dark shroud suddenly enveloped her, and she transformed into her normal form¡ªthe Shadow Empress. A beautiful ck mask donned the upper-half of her face in the shape of a butterfly, and a ck gown followed suit to cover the rest of her body.


    Instantly, the Ice Queen''s eyes widened.


    "The Shadow Empress...? Impossible. What are you doing here with a mere boy? All the male Council Members are either old men or taller than he is."


    "He''s my future husband," Ling Xin replied with a smile. "Is there a problem?"


    "... Sorry, but I have trouble believing that. However... I can indeed sense you are the real Shadow Empress, given your energy signature and appearance. I trust you will not bring any harm to this vige, but if you are seeking to return to Human Territory, that is simply impossible."


    "Why? As long as you tell me where this ce is, I can set up a portal, then close it right after," I said. "I have a Space Magic affinity, after all."


    "Even so, ever since the ancient times, my ancestors have set down a magic barrier around the Ice Elves'' queendom. It prevents anyone from using long-distance Space Magic inside, to prevent any outside invaders from suddenly attacking the empire. As such, if you wish to use Space Magic, you have to exit this ice domain first... but unfortunately, the Winter Storm is nearing. If you leave the vige now, you will end up as nothing but food."


    "Winter Storm...? Is that a literal storm, or a name for something more... ominous?" I asked, curiosity piqued.


    "... Every year, a terrible blizzardsting 30 days will befall this icy biome. Monsters of old and beasts of legend wille lumbering out of their ancient homes, seeking prey and lusting for blood. If we stay in the vige, we will be alright, but going outside is nothing but suicide. Even the best warriors of the queendom sent out to y beasts during the Winter Storm... never returned."


    "How powerful are they,pared to a Holy Emperor?" Ling Xin asked, clearly referring to herself.


    "... Far stronger. These are not the normal Magic Beasts you see in elsewhere. These are intelligent beasts, ranging from Rank 6 to 8, who know how to use the environment and climate to their advantage. Even if you have a Holy Emperor with you, you will eventually have yourpanions picked off one by one... until you be thest one remaining and sumb to death sooner orter."


    "Ominous," I said. "But I''m afraid I can''t afford to wait 30 days. How long will it take, roughly, to exit this ice biome?"


    "You... you are crazy," the queen breathed, shaking her head.


    "Perhaps. But answer the question, if you will?"


    "... Under normal circumstances, 3 days. However, during the Winter Storm... you''ll be lucky if you manage to do it in a week. Not that I can say exactly how long, since no one has ever done it..."


    "Good," I said. "We''ll set off tomorrow. Your Majesty, you don''t mind if we stay at your vige tonight to get some rest, do you?"


    "... No, do as you wish. I also rmend buying some heavy armor from a store here, since those feeble mes won''t do you much good in the blizzard."


    "Thank you. Then, we''ll take our leave," I said, turning around and preparing to exit.


    The queen did not respond.

 Chapter 445 - Frigia Village

    "Looks like even in the istednds of the north, your reputation precedes you, Shadow Empress," I teased as we exited from the castle.


    "I''m going to take that as apliment," Ling Xin said with a wink. "Though¡­ you didn''tin when I called you my future husband, fufu~"


    "I mean, if Iined there, that wouldn''t exactly help our case," I replied, then looked at the icy crowns on her head. Axilia had one too. "Those crowns look nice on you two, by the way."


    "Really?" Axilia blinked several times, then tilted her head slightly, as if experimenting with how much she could do so before the crown fell. "It feels heavy¡­ unnatural. I want to take it off, darling¡­"


    "Don''t," I interjected coldly. "ording to the Queen, those crowns are proof we aren''t enemies. Vigers who see it will be nice to us, which is never a bad thing."


    "Then¡­ why aren''t you wearing yours, darling~?"


    I stopped. "Uh¡­ that''s, well¡­"


    "Don''t mind him, Axilia. He''s just like that, fufu~" Ling Xin giggled softly, wrapping one of my arms between her generous bosom. "He likes to hide his face all the time, and in order to do that, his weird-looking hat has to be on at all times in public. That crown would never be able to fit stably on top of that tricorn, so there''s no sense in wearing it."


    "Sorry," I mumbled quietly. "It''s a habit. Besides, as long as you two are wearing it, it''s fine. It''s not like we''ll be staying here for long, and anywhere I go, you two will follow anyway."


    "Fufu~ that part''s true," the two said at the same time as Axilia joined in and took my other arm.


    "Now then¡­ since we have some time to waste, why don''t we explore this vige a bit?" I suggested, a wry smile forming on my lips. "Neither of you have been in an ice elf vige before, right? Well, neither have I. Let''s make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, shall we?"


    The two girls nodded and smiled happily. None of us had any idea just what kinds of terrors wereing our way, the moment we set foot outside the walls of this vige.


    *****


    The first ce we visited, just as the Queen had suggested, was an armor shop. Two elven cksmiths in the back were working tirelessly as we passed by, and upon spotting us, one of them quickly stopped what they were doing and walked over to us.


    "Wee, wee! A traveller, yes? Well, as long as you''ve got the Queen''s insignia, you''re one of us!" He boldlyughed in a manner that didn''t suit his age... on the surface, anyway. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties at most, but I knew better. Most likely, he was 2,000 years old or something along the lines of that.


    "We are looking for the best armor you have," I said, cutting the formalities and getting straight to the point. "I''ve heard the Dwarves have quite excellent craftsmanship, but what about elves...?"


    I smiled wryly as the man''s attitude immediately changed with a snort.


    "Hmph. The Dwarves think they are better at everything except height!" He dered, clearly dissatisfied. "Young man, I''ll prove to you right now that the Elves are the ones with superior craftsmanship! Behold!"


    He snapped his fingers, and immediately, a thick fur cloak flew to his hands, attached to pants of a simr design underneath. <em>Telekinesis, huh? Elves are naturally more talented than humans are in magic, and nearly everyone can cast spells without chanting. Neat.</em>


    <em></em>"Take a look, young friend! This is the Balchek Winter Hunter Set, named directly after my bloodline. It is the best set we have here, guaranteed to be better than anything those Dwarves can cook up!"


    I reached out to touch it, but the elf moved it away from my hand. "Uh-uh, hold it right there. This is not for sale, unfortunately."


    "Oh? But if I can''t try it out, how am I supposed to know if it''s better than the Dwarf-forged set I have on right now?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow.


    "Hm... still..."


    "Ah, could it be... you''re scared your armor set won''t be as good as the Dwarves''? That''s why you don''t want to let me have it?"


    "H-Huh? Of course not! Fine, take it! Just bring it back here by tomorrow. If you don''t, you have to pay... uh, I don''t know just yet... my brother and I spent 5 years working on that thing!"


    "Yes, yes. But you know... durability is a big factor in armor as well. This may protect me better than the Dwarves'', but if it onlysts one day, that''s hardly of any use. Do you get what I''m saying...?"


    "Uh... fine! Then, a month or two...? But don''t think I''ll forget about you!"


    "That''s better," I said with a smile. "I have faith in your craftsmanship, friend. Let''s test this out against the Winter Storm."


    "Haha! Yes, it can withstand even the Winter Storm! A good metaphor, my friend, a good metaphor!"


    <em>Sigh... what he doesn''t know... is that it''s not a metaphor.</em>


    After acquiring two more sets of the same model for Axilia and Ling Xin respectively, I bid the man farewell and left. Soulfoxes like Lorelei and Yami weren''t affected by the cold, so they didn''t need anything like this.


    "Fufu~ tricky as always, I see," Ling Xin remarked as we walked, just as I stored the armor into my Space Locket. "Purposely using the fiery rivalry between the Dwarves and the Elves to force them to bring out their absolute best set... then promptly erasing their memories."


    "Hm? What are you talking about?" I asked, ying innocent.


    "Don''t think I didn''t notice it," Ling Xin said, wagging her finger. "I am a Holy Emperor, y''know. I can sense when you pull off little gimmicks like this. You erased their memory of the past 5 minutes, then reced the actual armor set with an illusion conjured using Shadow Magic, thinking that since they wouldn''t usually take out a prize as great as that, they would never notice, and even if they did, they had no way of knowing it was you who did it."


    "Fufu~ darling is quite evil," Axilia giggled, not seeming to mind it at all despite ''evil'' being a ''bad'' word.


    I sighed. "Whatever. It''s not like I didn''t leave him anypensation. When he finally discovers that the armor is an illusion, he''ll find that it''s actually made of a few hundred mordai of pure gold."


    "Oh? You''re actually that generous?" Ling Xin stuck out her tongue a little yfully, arching an eyebrow.


    "Generous? Nah. If he really spent 5 years on this¡ªwhich he did, ording to Lorelei''s advanced anti-lie technology¡ªthen a couple hundred mordai is me being a cheapskate. I scammed him, basically. But am I remorseful about it...? Nah. Not one bit."


    "As I thought, darling is evil~!" Axilia cheered, extremely happy about this for whatever reason. I shuddered.


    After that, we went around the town exploring. The two seemed to be having fun interacting with the little elven kids, which was something I never would''ve expected. Especially not from Axilia, anyway... I was more concerned she would murder them, but she seemed to be genuinely ying with them. It was a nice sight to see.


    With an afternoon well-spent touring the different shops and buying souvenirs, it was time to eat dinner. Elven food tasted even better than expected, but it was still nowhere near Axilia and Ling Xin''s cooking. My standards have been set high, after eating homemade food from them and Qing Yue.


    And now... since it was still too early to go to rest, I proposed we check out some Elven-forged weapons. I was curious to see what they had in store, and...


    ... was not at all surprised when I was told they only had bows.


    When I asked, "What if they get close to you?"


    The shopkeeper replied with, "Use your arrows, dumbo."


    So, yeah. To them, they could wield their arrows like swords¡ªfor good reason, considering these arrows were top-notch quality, made of strong boreal wood and enchanted by Elven experts.


    Not really my fighting style, but I did purchase a bow and a quiver that was apparently connected to an automated arrow-making factory here, meaning it would always have arrows ready for use. For whom? Lan Xiao Su, of course.


    She never wasfortable with using a gun, even after maturing quite a bit. Hopefully, this bow and arrow would suit her better. She could also dip the arrows in some kind of viscous paralyzing poison if she didn''t want to kill anyone but only disable them.


    Once that was finished, we headed for the best and only inn in the vige. It wasn''t much, but it was nice and cozy and that''s all I really cared about.


    ording to the Queen, the Winter Storm could be arriving between anywhere from tomorrow until the end of this month of June. Yes, June was supposed to be summer, but not up here it seems. With any luck, I could make it out of this ce before the Storm even hit, but at the same time... knowing my luck....

 Chapter 446 - Winter Storm

    The next morning, the vige was deserted.


    It was not an exaggeration¡ªliterally no one was on the streets, whereas it had been a lively ce filled with elves just the day before. Now, why, exactly, did this sudden change take ce? The answer was simple.


    The Winter Storm had arrived.


    "Ah... I should''ve known," I muttered, standing underneath the canopy of the inn''s roof, shielding my face from the horrible blizzard. "I jinxed itst night... shit."


    Even though I was wearing the best armor that could be found in this vige with 5 years spent on its creation, it did little to fight back against this bone-chilling cold. I felt as if my very blood cells were freezing up, but thankfully, the Chaos energy in my body kept me warm. The other two girls, however...


    They walked out beside me in their respective armor sets¡ªwhich, quite frankly, looked a little weird on them, but I was not one to judge. They both cloaked themselves in an aura of their own mana, Ling Xin using Shadow Magic while Axilia used Death/Necromancy Magic. This would slowly use up their mana over time, but it was well worth it to stay warm in this climate.


    "You sure you want to do this, future husband?" Ling Xin asked, a yful smile on her lips.


    "Well, it''s not like this is going to get any better tomorrow," I muttered. "Let''s go. We should make the most out of the time we have before night falls."


    The two girls nodded and followed after me, with Lorelei and Yami resting within my Space Locket just to be safe. I once used the Space Locket to surprise attack an enemy by suddenly summoning an old man, so yes, I knew living beings could be stored in there with no long-term harmful effects.


    Slowly, we headed for the vige gates, where a single guard stood. Poor guy, forced to still be stationed out here to watch for any sign of danger while everyone else is in thefort and warmth of their own homes.


    "Y-You three... are heading out in this storm...?" He asked upon seeing us, voice quivering from the cold.


    I nodded firmly. "Let us pass."


    "A-Are you crazy?! That''s suicide!" He shouted, eyes widening in surprise.


    "Suicide it may be, but it does not concern you," I replied with a voice cold enough to match this weather. "Let us pass, or I''ll barge my way through."


    The soldier, hearing this, gulped, and slowly opened the gates, just wide enough to let the three of us pass. As we did, he shut the door behind him again, and beyond the howls of the snowstorm, I could hear him faintly mutter:


    "Poor fools... they won''tst an hour."


    <em>Sorry, pal. I know you were just trying to protect us. Hate to break it to you, but we''llst way more than an hour. And we''ll be getting out of this ce, alive.</em>


    *****


    Outside, the blizzard was even worse.


    Without the protection of the tall walls of the vige, things were looking bleak. The snowstorm made it incredibly difficult to see, and every time the snowkes hit my face, I would groan in pain.


    "This armor is made of tough hide belonging to some sort of beast," Ling Xin noted. "It should be warm enough to face off against even the coldest of winters, but this is... beyond anything I could''ve imagined."


    "Yeah, well... at least it''s not hail," I said with a grin.


    But that grin soon froze the second after I said those words. Not because of the freezing weather... but because of the feeling that something small and hard justnded on my trapper hat.


    And another one. And another. Then, one hit my face. It hurt like hell. It didn''t take a genius to knew what was up.


    "... You''ve got to be kidding me."


    "Well... best keep your mouth quiet for the rest of this journey," Ling Xin giggled,pletely unaffected by the dangerous situation they were in.


    "Tch... hurry, follow me to the trees!" I yelled, then plowed on forward through the snowstorm. The wind direction, quite unfortunately, was against them, but this was the only direction they could go in. If they tried circling behind the vige, they would only be hiking up the mountains and getting further and further away from their goal.


    Soon, facing the hailstorm, we finally made it behind some cover. We had entered a boreal forest zone, with trees that were most definitely <em>not </em>evesting. Severaly severed from their stumps due to the snowstorm, and more were picked clean of any leaves and thin branches. It was like the entire biome was tilted, blown this way by the blizzard.


    Thankfully, behind the trees, the snowstorm was easened a little, and we could afford to take a short rest.


    "Hah... starting to regret the decision yet, my future husband?" Ling Xin chided teasingly, a smile on her face.


    "Funny," I replied coldly. "Surprised you can even still smile with those flushed cheeks of yours. They''re almost as red as when I came- uh, never mind. Too vulgar."


    "Well, we certainly can''t do it out here, but once we get back..." Ling Xin shed me a wink that filled out the rest of that sentence. Axilia, catching the meaning, also proposed to do the same.


    But then, suddenly, we heard a loud, beastly roar that shook thend itself. Several, actually. They sounded extremely distant, but the fact that they could still reach us here loud and clear despite the thundering snowstorm and echoless world of winter said a lot. They were either small creatures with powerful lungs (hopefully) or enormous creatures with a voice to match (probably).


    "... Well. If we run into those things, that would be a problem," I muttered as the floor began shaking violently, like an earthquake. But this wasn''t the result of two tes beneath the''s surface colliding with one another. No¡ªthis was simply the product of few sets of massive footsteps.


    "Tch... c''mon. Navigate through the forest. If we''re spotted out in the open, we''re dead meat."


    I applied a Speed Boost to both myself and the two girls using Blessing Magic, and also increased our stamina and vision as well. This made the conditions a bit more bearable, but only a bit.


    As we slowly made our way through the forest, the footsteps became louder and louder, like they were heading towards us. I could hear the sound of trees ahead of us copsing like pencils being stood upright, and the ground shaking didn''t exactly help our nerves. Still, I had been through worse before. Hell, I had been through death itself. I hadn''t really died, but I was ready to ept it.


    <em>"Master, they''reing. Lorelei rmends hiding."</em>


    <em></em>I nodded and ducked to one side, crouching behind the thickness of some trees near the border of the forest. The two girls, not wanting to get separated from me, followed. The thunderous footsteps neared, and I could see the trees just ahead of where we had been going to crushed beneath the wed feet of some massive animal.


    Then, I looked up. And what I saw was something others would''ve deemed ridiculous.


    "... Dinosaurs?" I muttered. "I thought those were wiped out millions of years ago..."


    "Indeed, it was a dinosaur. The massive creature was as tall as a 30-story building but could demolish one with ease, and it looked like a T-Rex. Kinda. There was fur covering its entire body for warmth, as if it had evolved from dinosaurs throughout the years and adapted to the cold weathers of this region. What was their name now? Hell, I don''t know. I don''t think anyone does.


    The creature ced its foot right next to us, crushing the trees where we had been mere moments before. I gulped, hoping to not get discovered, and let out a deep sigh of relief once it passed by. The two girls too exhaled, relieved beyond words.


    But there was one problem. At this rate... it was going to head for the vige...


    I observed it closely as it neared the vige walls, but... this was expected.


    "Huh... it''s not trying to damage or wreck anything?" Ling Xin murmured, just as surprised as I was. "It''s almost as if... it''s lonely."


    "That look in its eyes..." I muttered, focusing my gaze onto the dinosaur''s pupils. "It''s not one of hostility. It''s more like... a mncholy longing?"


    As more and more creatures passed by, none turned their attention to us. Instead, they all gathered around the vige walls with that same longing feeling in their eyes, as if wanting the vigers'' attention and affection.


    <em>Lorelei, can you ess those beasts'' souls?</em>


    <em>"Lorelei can, master. However... these creatures are not capable of intelligent thought. Only feelings. And from what Lorelei can see... those feelings are a mixture of loneliness, longing, and sadness. No sign of hostility anywhere.</em>


    <em></em><em>Huh... </em>I stroked my chin as I inspected these beasts further. <em>Just what was going on....?</em>

 Chapter 447 - Dinosaurs?

    "Come on," Axilia whispered. "That''s all of them, darling. Let''s move."


    She and Ling Xin prepared to move out of the trees and get the hell away from those creatures while they were focused on the town, but I had different ns in mind.


    Slowly, I got out from behind the covers of the trees and walked forward, closer towards the dinosaurs. This took Ling Xin and Axilia by surprise, and they moved to follow, but I stopped them a gesture of my arm.


    "Wait here," I said. "I have Lorelei, who can more or lessmunicate with them through their souls. If you two show up, however, they''ll take it as a sign of hostility."


    Hearing this, Ling Xin''s eyes widened. "Wait¡­ are you trying to¡­ make peace with them?"


    I nodded firmly. "Listen. If we can ride one of those, making it out of this blizzard will be a piece of cake."


    "Correct, but at the same time, if you <em>enrage</em> one of those, we''re all dead meat," Ling Xin said with a smile. "No pressure or anything. You got this, my future husband~!"


    "¡­ Right." I took a deep breath, then cast my gaze towards the dinosaurs once more. "Alright¡­ Lorelei, I''ll be counting on you."


    <em>"Yes, master."</em>


    "Go, darling~!" Axilia cheered softly, keeping her voice down (thankfully).


    With the two girls'' well wishes, I stepped out from the shadows of the trees and slowly began walking towards the creatures. There were all kinds of dinosaurs here, from rexes to stegosauri. They also varied in size, some of which were so small that I didn''t even notice them passing behind the bigger ones while we hid in the trees.


    I kept my footsteps normal, making sure to not go to fast or too slow. I walked normally, radiating an aura of confidence but not hostility. It didn''t take long for the dinosaurs to realize I was here, and they all immediately turned around and roared at me.


    Thankfully, I had used Sound Magic to create a barrier around myself that lowered any loud voices to normal-speech volume, otherwise my ears would''ve been busted right then and there. Slowly, I held up a hand into the air¡­ and let Lorelei do the talking for me.


    <em>"Stop. I am not here to fight you."</em>


    A mixture of confused, low-pitched voices came back.


    <em>"Who¡­ in our¡­ head¡­"</em>


    <em>"It is me. The human standing before you. Listen. I can tell¡­ you are lonely. Sad. Can you tell me¡­ about what happened in the past? Maybe I can find a way to help you, and we can all be happy together."</em>


    <em>"Human¡­ help¡­?"</em>


    <em>"I understand you are suspicious of me. But really, take a look at yourselves, than at me. How could I possibly hurt you?"</em>


    <em>Actually, I could nuke this entire town and them along with it if I wanted to, but that was a different story.</em>


    <em>"¡­ Fine¡­ human¡­ what do you¡­ want¡­?" The rex asked. He was the biggest of the pack, and I judged him to be the leader. On the surface, he was just growling with no context, but Lorelei could trante his inner thoughts and send them to me so I could respond in turn.</em>


    <em>"You see, I don''t originally belong to this ce. I am just an outsider who randomly stumbled across here, and am currently looking for a way home. But as you can see¡­ this storm, it''s preventing me from doing that. If I had your help, however, getting home should be easy," </em>I exined, spreading my arms to show I was kind and caring.<em> "Of course, I''m not asking you to do that for free¡ªwe are strangers, after all. Which is why¡­ I can tell you guys are in distress right now. Care to tell me why?"</em>


    The rex nced at hispanions, then narrowed his eyes at me. <em>"No¡­ human¡­ weak. Human¡­ cannot do¡­ anything."</em>


    <em>This guy¡­ is he looking down on me? Tch¡­ fine.</em>


    I closed my eyes for a second, then suddenly snapped them back open as a deadly and oppressive Chaos energy field enveloped my body. This caused the rex and the other dinosaurs to stumble backwards a bit, just barely stopping in time before they crashed into the vige walls.


    Letting the ck and red strands of energy consume me whole, I slowly raised one hand and formed a simple fireball in it. In the hands of someone else, this would''ve been just barely enough to kill a rat. But in my hands, it can scorch an entire house.


    Suddenly, I flicked it to the side, setting fire to some dead trees away from Ling Xin and Axilia. Despite the snowstorm, the mes raged on, consuming the wood in the matter of seconds before spreading to another. I waited until several more trees were burnt down before conjuring a geyser in my palm and aiming it towards the fire, spraying transparent water at it until it finally dimmed away. Normal water wouldn''t have done anything to a Chaos-fueled fire. Only Chaos-fueled water could effectively put it out.


    Once that little performance was over, I slowly lowered my hand and let the Chaos energy sink back into my body.


    <em>"Was that performance good enough for you? Because if not¡­ I can destroy the mountain above us right now. But if I do that, the avnche may reach this vige you are so fond of. I don''t want to be your enemy, but if you are insistent on not cooperating¡­"</em>


    I let out a wave of Death energy from my body, causing the fur on the evolved dinosaurs'' bodies to all stand up as if a ripple of static electricity had been sent through them.


    <em>"GRRR¡­. We''ll¡­ cooperate¡­"</em> The rex said after a while.


    I smiled and returned to normal again, posing as a normal human. <em>"Good. Now¡­ tell me what happened in the past, and what your connection to this vige is."</em>


    *****


    <em>"We¡­ are tribe¡­ called¡­ Thaw''Kawl¡­"</em> The rex began, struggling to speak human speech. Still, I could understand what he was saying thanks to Lorelei, so it was good enough. <em>"Thaw''Kawl¡­ leader¡­ evil. Want¡­ destruction. We¡­ don''t."</em>


    I narrowed my eyes. <em>"I see¡­ so you guys were originally from the Thaw''Kawl tribe, but eventually left because you didn''t like the leader''s way of destruction?"</em>


    The rex nodded its enormous head slowly, signaling that I was correct. Good to know.


    The rex then turned to the vige, and continued. <em>"Leader¡­ want¡­ destroy¡­ vige. We¡­ protect¡­ but¡­ no¡­ kindness¡­"</em>


    <em>"Ahh¡­ you''ve been protecting this vige, but the vigers see you as monsters and are afraid of you, huh?"</em>


    The rex nodded again. I was pretty good at this.


    <em>"Every¡­ Storm¡­ Thaw''Kawl¡­ leave nest¡­ leaderes¡­ we fight¡­ lose lives¡­ vigers¡­ no care¡­"</em>


    It was then that I noticed the countless scar marks on his body, hidden beneath his fur. If one didn''t look closely, they were pretty much invisible. The other dinosaurs also shared these wounds, and I now knew it was from their previous shes with their former tribemates.


    <em>"¡­ I see. I will go speak with the vigers," I said after a short silence. "They will acknowledge you."</em>


    <em>"Thank¡­ human¡­"</em>


    I shook my head. <em>"No probl-"</em>


    Suddenly, a terrifying roar rang out in the air, this time closer thanst time.


    Yes problem.


    The roars the girls and I heard earlier hadn''t belonged to this pack, but the Thaw''Kawl, led by that destruction-seeking leader. And now¡­ they were getting closer and closer.


    <em>"Leader¡­es¡­ human¡­ leave¡­!"</em>


    <em>"Leave?"</em> Iughed. <em>"Oh, no, no¡­"</em>


    <em>Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Portal Pair.</em>


    I suddenly cut open a portal, one in front of me and one above the rex''s head. I stepped through the one before me and reappeared on top of the Rex, leaving it confused and surprised.


    <em>"Human¡­ what¡­"</em>


    <em>"If you think I''m going to run from a battle I can win, you''re wrong. You''ve fended off these guys before, haven''t you? This time, we''ll crush them once and for all. They won''t evere back again."</em>


    <em>"Human¡­ you are¡­ strong¡­ but¡­ not strong¡­ enough¡­"</em>


    <em>"Is that so? Well, you see¡­ I have a tendency for two things. One, continuously surprising others with just what I am capable of, and two¡­ proving people wrong."</em> I smiled deviously and drew my Chaos katanas. <em>"Now¡­ you aren''t exactly a person, but the same rule applies."</em>


    Then, raising my voice, I hollered, "Ling Xin, Axilia! Come here and grab yourselves a ride. An epic showdown is about to ensue!"


    Ling Xin and Axilia immediately responded to mymand, swiftly and elegantly leaping up and eachnding atop the backs of a dinosaur on either side of me.


    "So¡­ we''re fighting someone else now?" Ling Xin asked. Meanwhile, Axilia admired her new ride''s beautiful soft fur. "Woah¡­"


    "Mhm," I replied with a nod. "Not exactly ''someone'' though. They''re- well, actually, there they are."


    The thunderous, charging footsteps grew louder and louder as the earth began shaking violently once again, but on top of our new mounts, the quaking wasn''t much. Out from the shadows of the forest, knocking down everything in their path, came charging a stampede of dinosaurs that looked just like the rex I was on. So, it was one rex and god knows how many of these were herbivores and us versus an entire pack of rexes. How nice.


    Ling Xin readied her beautiful silver daggers and donned her Shadow Empress mask, while Axilia summoned her enormous reaper''s scythe. I licked one of my Chaos katanas'' de, and smiled like a devil.


    <strong>"¡­ The hunt begins."</strong>

 Chapter 448 - ThawKawl

    The rex charging in the front skidded to a stop in the snow after seeing the girls and I, standing on top of the good pack of dinosaurs. It bared its teeth at us, then growled deeply as the others behind it stopped as well.


    <em>"¡­ What, is this, Kow-Chok? You brought, helpers, this time?"</em>


    <em>"Brother¡­ stop¡­ this. Destruction¡­ bad."</em>


    They were growling to one another from what I could hear on the outside, but Lorelei was tranting everything to me, thankfully. Neither of the two girls made a move yet as well, waiting for my signal.


    <em>"Stand, aside, Kow-Chok. From, the moment, you left, the tribe, you stopped, being, my brother. My brethren, and I, are hungry. Stand, aside¡­ or I, will, devour you, too!"</em>


    <em>"Sorry¡­ brother Kow-Xol¡­ I¡­ cannot let you¡­ do this¡­!"</em>


    <em>"GRAGH!"</em> Kow-Xol charged forward, and I didn''t even need Lorelei''s trantion to figure out what that meant. Ha, I''m so good.


    In response, Kow-Xol''s army of rexes charged forward as well, and Kow-Chok''s group met them in turn. However, not only were they at a numbers'' disadvantage, most of these dinosaurs here were not thebat type. It was clear who would be winner.


    That is, if Ling Xin, Axilia, and I weren''t in the fray as well.


    Instantly, the three of us leaped off our rides and let them do their own thing, while we did ours. I sliced my Chaos katanas through Kow-Xol''s neck, taking him by surprise and causing him to roar in agony.


    <em>"GRAWLLLLL!" </em>


    <em>"Oh? That didn''t kill you? Tough hide, my friend¡­ I can turn it into armor."</em>


    With a smirk, I used Flight to boost myself back into the air, cutting through Kow-Xol''s body as I did so. With that, Kow-Chok and him were even, both injured. I moved on to the other rexes to let these two brothers have their fight.


    <em>"IMPOSSIBLE, MY WOUNDS, ARE NOT, HEALING???!!"</em> Kow-Xol cried, evidently shocked at the sight that blood was still spurting out of the injures I gave him.


    "Haha!" I cackled out loud, slicing apart another Rex''s hide before they could even react to my movements. "Enjoy that, buddy!"


    My Chaos katanas were forged of Chaos¡ªin other words, every element¡ªpoison and fire included. These two forces, paired together, rendered any wounds inflicted incurable. I just never really got to apply that power before, since most of my attacks were fatal and rendered the opponent¡­ well, dead.


    <em>"UGH, DAMN HUMAN, YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WITH TRICKS?!"</em> Kow-Xol roared as he struggled and attempted to push his brother Kow-Chok back.


    <em>"Brother! Give¡­ this¡­ up!"</em>


    <em>"SHUT, UP!"</em>


    Kow-Xol roared once more, but this time, it was a different kind of roar. It wasn''t the booming, low-pitched thunder-like howl, but instead a high-pitched, lightning-like screech. It was a sound I never would''ve even expected a rex this size to be able to make, but the truth was right before my very eyes. I couldn''t exactly deny it.


    I really wanted to, however, when I saw what wasing from above us.


    <strong>"SKREEEEE!"</strong>


    Dozens of winged, huge pterodactyl-like creatures came soaring down from the sky, open mouths dripping with saliva and lined with sharp teeth. They plummeted into several of the dinosaurs from Kow-Chok''s side, vigorously tearing apart their hide and flesh like a flock of deadly crows. In the matter of seconds, several dinosaursy dead on the floor, inside torn out. Ling Xin and Axilia managed to fend them off with rtive ease, and Kow-Chow was forced to let his brother go to protect himself against these new enemies.


    The carnivorous pterodactyls rose into the air again, beaks dripping with blood, before diving down once more. This time, however, towards me, who stood in the middle of quite a few rex corpses.


    I smiled tauntingly. <em>"Mad that I killed so many of your friends? Don''t worry¡­ you''re next."</em>


    As they came diving down towards me, I calmly raised my hands into the air, the tips of my lips curving up into a wide grin.


    <em>Level Three Light Magic ¡ª Holy Beam.</em>


    Instantly, aser of light shot out of my palm, instantly pulverizing the aerial creatures unlucky enough to get caught in it on an atomic level. No cell of them remained, and any sign of their existence was erased. Gone. The few of them who didn''t get caught in it fully were rendered unable to fly, with one wing sted straight off of their bodies.


    <strong>"SKREEEEE!"</strong> The remaining ones screamed in agony as they fell to the ground. It was only a matter of time before they died too, but I was a thorough man.


    <em>Legendary Shadow Magic ¡ª Many Must Fall.</em>


    I turned into nothing but a faint ck shadow as I dashed through the bodies of the fallen pterodactyls, driving my Chaos katanas straight through them. Blue blood spurted out of their bodies all at once, but by then, I was already across all of their bodies. I had cut them so fast that the blood was dyed before finally gushing out of their wounds¡ªthey had no chance of survival.


    "Now then¡­ what more tricks do you have up your sleeve?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked.


    *****


    Before long, only Kow-Xol remained as a challenger. His entire army had been annihted. While I was working on the pterodactyls, Axilia and Ling Xin had took it upon themselves topletely bulldoze through the remaining rexes. Even though both specialized in only one element, they were *terrifyingly* skilled at it. Just like the saying goes, it was better to be a master of one trade rather than a jack of all. I¡­ I was an exception.


    <em>"You''re thest one, it seems,"</em> I said through Lorelei, striding up to Kow-Xol who was now surrounded. Then, turning to Kow-Chok, I continued. <em>"What do you want to do? He''s YOUR brother."</em>


    <em>"Brother¡­ please. This is¡­st chance."</em>


    <em>"GRRR¡­"</em> Kow-Xol spun around and red at all the enemies surrounding him, then¡­ beganughing. <em>"HA¡­ HAHA¡­ HAHAHAHA! YOU THINK, I WILL, BOW?! KILL ME, BROTHER! I AM, NO, COWARD!"</em>


    He roared and tackled Kow-Chok, refusing to go down without a fight. However, by this point, he was extremely injured and tired, and my poison was getting to him. His movements were weak and sluggish, and Kow-Chok was able to hold him back with ease.


    <em>"Brother¡­"</em>


    With remorse and regret in his voice I never would''ve expected from a dinosaur, Kow-Chok closed his eyes and reared one of his arms back, then thrust forward and punctured his brother''s chest with it. His ws pierced through Kow-Xol''s tough hide and reached his heart, striking true.


    <em>"Ha¡­ you''ve bested¡­ me¡­"</em> Kow-Xol whispered. And with one final roar for dignity, he fell to the floor, dead just like hispanions. They were certainly strong. I was just¡­ stronger. By a long shot. The Ice Queen was exaggerating when she spoke of these guys'' strength. It wasn''t that bad, really.


    Slowly, Kow-Chok rose from the ground, and tilted his exhausted, battle-worn head at me. <em>"Thank¡­ human. It¡­ is over."</em>


    The remaining dinosaurs cheered in happiness, joyful that the fighting was atst over. The pack was wiped out. The vige was now safe, and people could venture outside even during Winter Storms¡ªthough why one would do such a thing was a different matter.


    <em>"I''ll go inform the queen of that vige there about you guys,"</em> I said, then began walking towards the vige. <em>"Stay here. I''ll make sure your protection of this vige over the years doesn''t go unanswered."</em>


    The dinosaurs all bowed their heads at me in gratitude, and I began heading off. Ling Xin and Axilia followed. The blizzard was as vengeful as ever, butpared to what we just did and the adrenaline still pumping through our veins, it was nothing.


    Upon knocking at the vige doors, the guard inside was evidently shocked. A knocking sounding from beyond those gates, during a Winter Storm? It couldn''t be.


    But oh yes it was.


    "Hi," I said with an awkward smile as he opened the door hesitantly. "It''s us again. We''re back, and we have some info for the queen."


    *****


    "¡­ Is what you speak of true?"


    "Go see for yourself," I said with a shrug. "They''re waiting right outside the vige walls, and they''re huge. Can''t miss them."


    The Queen of this tiny but warm queendom slowly rose from her throne, then walked past me. Ling Xin, Axilia, and I trailed after her. Even after stepping outside the pce into the snowstorm, though, she seemedpletely unbothered by the cold. How peculiar.


    "Can you fly?" She asked us. I nodded and picked Axilia up in my arms.


    "Darling¡­" She giggled like an innocent little girl, while Ling Xin watched with a twinge of jealousy.


    The Queen nodded back and took off into the air, and we followed. It didn''t take long for us to reach the border of the vige. There, the dinosaurs were indeed waiting, and the wounds on their bodies along with the carcasses on the floor were evidence of the fight that had ensued not long ago.


    "¡­ It seems we have misunderstood them all this time. The vigers¡­ they were too scared to evene out of their homes to look at them. But now¡­ I see. I will make an announcement to everyone. They cannot fit inside the vige walls, but if it is onlypany they want¡­ they have done more than enough to deserve that."


    "Tell it to them," I said with a faint chuckle. "Not me."


    The Queen shed me a look that said ''you know full well I cannotmunicate with them'', but I ignored it and merely clucked my tongue.. Another side adventure, solved.

 Chapter 449 - Return (For Real, This Time)

    Riding on the back of Kow-Chok, exiting the snow biome was easy. The warmth provided by hisrge reptilian frame protected us from the cold, and holding on to the furry fleece around his neck was easy. Axilia hugged me from behind, and Ling Xin hugged her to form somewhat of a secure ''train''. Yami and Lorelei were stored safely in my Space Locket. This way, no one would fall off.


    In the matter of a few minutes, the Winter Storm was sessfully passed. Kow-Chok was fast, after all. Each stride covered a good 200 meters and shook the earth as he went. Yes, the trip was pretty shaky and there was too much noise to hear anything what with all the wind and all, but it was worth it for the speed. I had instructed him to go as fast as possible, after all.


    Upon stepping out of the snow biome, the Winter Storm ceased immediately, and we instead found ourselves in a normal mountain biome with forests down below. It wasn''t a gradual change, but instead a very blunt and sudden stop. When it came to something like this, however, I didn''t mind. I wanted to get out of that storm as soon as possible.


    <em>"This... where we part... human,"</em> Kow-Chok said,municating with me in my mind. To Axilia and Ling Xin, however, it just sounded like growling.


    I nodded in response. <em>Thanks for the ride.</em>


    Therge creature slowly shook his monstrous-in-appearance-but-in-fact-friendly head. <em>"No¡­ thank you¡­ human. Your help¡­ good."</em>


    I chuckled. <em>It was a fair trade. Don''t worry about it.</em>


    <em>"If you ever¡­ return to¡­ thesends¡­ I will remember¡­ favor. Count¡­ on the Thaw''Kawl."</em>


    <em>Got it. I''ll hold you to that.</em>


    With a smile, I patted his enormous head gently several times. It growled in his throat, but I knew it was not hostile.


    <em>Now¡­ we should get going. Farewell, Kow-Chok.</em>


    <em>"Wait,"</em> he stopped me. <em>"What...</em><em> human name?"</em>


    I smirked.<em> "Xuan Kai. Remember it well."</em>


    Kow-Chok bowed the best he could with his massive frame. <em>"I¡­ will."</em>


    No more words were necessary. I turned around and began walking away, descending the mountain just to get further away from the snow biome, and after a while, I could hear the tremendously loud footsteps of Kow-Chok slowly fading away. Once they werepletely gone, I stopped my hike and took a deep breath.


    "Alright¡­ this should be far enough, right¡­?"


    He recalled the Ice Elves'' Queen saying something about a barrier surrounding the snow biome set in ce by her ancestors long ago, preventing any long-distance Space Magic to teleport in and out. But how long, exactly, did that barrier extend? Did it cover this mountainous region outside the snow biome as well? I certainly hope not.


    "Here," I said, reaching out my two hands on either side of me. Ling Xin and Axilia each grabbed one tightly, and I began channeling my magic.


    <em>Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Warp Gate.</em>


    As arge hole of emptiness opened up beneath our feet, I closed my eyes and pictured the Long Family Manor. That''s where the girls would be, ording to Ling Xin. Several secondster, I felt my feet being dragged into the abyss below, but it was not ufortable. I gave in to the feeling and let it pull me in, until I was atst swallowed by the empty space.


    Suddenly-


    <strong><em>SPLASH!</em></strong>


    "W-Woah!"


    My eyes widened as I fell into something that felt like¡­ hot water. My hands were separated from Ling Xin and Axilia''s, whonded beside me.


    <em>W-What the hell?! I don''t remember teleporting to a-</em>


    <em>Oh.</em>


    As I stood up and looked around at the quite beautiful and <em>bouncy</em> scenery all around me, I realized what had happened.


    "K-K-K-Kyahhh!" Several familiar girls screamed. "P-Pervert!"


    "W-Wait, you guys, it''s me-!"


    But the next instant, I felt an impact on the back of my head.


    And everything went ck.


    *****


    - An Hour Later -


    "Ugh¡­" I groggily opened my eyes and sat up in a bed, realizing I was in fresh clothes. Judging from my own body''s scent, I had been washed and cleaned too.


    <em>Hm¡­? Who did this for me¡­</em>


    And then, my gazended on the familiar girl standing by my bed. She wasn''t too tall, but there was no doubt she was beautiful. A divine aura surrounded her, painting her like some kind of all-knowing goddess, delicate and way out of any normal man''s league. She had a faint smile on her face, and tears in her eyes: a rarity for her.


    "Master¡­ wee back."


    I closed my eyes and smiled. "Mei Gui¡­"


    She suddenly dove into my arms, and I caught her without any hesitation. Although it has only been a week or so at best, it felt like it''s been years since we werest together like this.


    "Master¡­" She repeated over and over again, sobbing in my arms. Emotion was already a rarity for her, so if she was crying like this, it is clear just how much my sudden disappearance had an impact on her.


    "It''s alright now, Mei Gui¡­" I said, patting her head gently. "I''m here."


    Suddenly, the door bust open, revealing the other girls behind it. Qing Yue was the first, and promptly jumped into my arms as well, crying just like Mei Gui was.


    "Sniff¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ I thought you weren''ting back¡­"


    "Rx, rx," I chuckled, stroking her hair lovingly and pressing her head against my chest. "Your big brother doesn''t die that easily."


    Feng Mian sighed and walked into the room as well, resting one hand on her hip and the other wiping away a tear from her eye.


    "Mou¡­ do you know how worried everyone was?" She said with a faint smile. "Even Obsidia and Lin Luo-"


    "No we weren''t!" Lin Luo hurriedly cut in, a blush on her face. Then, meeting my gaze, she gave a decisive ''hmph'' and looked away, leaning against the wall. But she didn''t leave the room, and that was more than enough to prove Feng Mian''s words.


    Obsidia, on the other hand, merely shrugged. "I was only worried no one would be there to fulfill our agreement. I do not want to havemitted all this time for nothing."


    "Right, right¡­ all that talk, but don''t think I didn''t see you cryi-" Yu An Yan began, but was cut off by Lin Luo once more.


    "Shut it! As if you''re any better!"


    "W-What?! I never cried-"


    "That''s¡­ a lie, sis."


    "Grr¡­ An Xue, whose side are you on?!"


    I smiled warmly at their sisterly arguments, and sighed in relief. Nothing had changed while I was gone. These girls were as lively as usual, and even the most unlively ones¡ªLan Xiao Su¡ªcould be seen biting her lip and wiping her tears as she looked at me from the back.


    Axilia was standing outside the doorway, looking ready to ughter all of these girls, but Ling Xin held her back¡ªthankfully. She also most likely exined everything to the other girls already while I was unconscious, so¡­


    But¡­ there was one problem.


    "Uh¡­ where''s Amane?" I asked, cutting through the noise.


    "Oh¡­ right. About that¡­" Feng Mian sighed deeply, exining like the older sister and leader of the bunch. "¡­ Apparently, some trouble came to her tribe. Her mother fell sick with an illness, and she has to take on the role of matriarch. Most likely¡­ we won''t be able to see her again. She was really pained to have to leave without seeing you, though¡­"


    I clenched my fists tightly. There was nothing I could do about that.


    "But¡­ we do still have quite a few days left of our June Break, before school starts again, no?" Lan Xiao Su inquired curiously, stepping forward. She was being more talkative and engaging¡ªgood to see. "We could visit her¡­"


    But I shook my head. "No."


    "E-Eh? But¡­ why?" She tilted her head, and the other girls seemed confused as well.


    "First off¡­ I never saw her in a romantic way like I see with you guys. If anything, she was more like an¡­ immature little sister to me, like Qing Yue used to be. However, unlike Qing Yue, Amane is just simply¡­ too innocent. I''m sure you all can tell by now, but I tend to be a cmity ma."


    "A woman ma too, fufu~" Ling Xin giggled, pulling Axilia into the room but still not letting her go wild. "But basically, what master is trying to say is that the catgirl is far too innocent. She still thinks¡ªand behaves¡ªlike a child. She will only be a burden in the future¡ªnot to mention her love for master is quite fickle too, like ying house. She doesn''t yet truly grasp what love really means."


    Mei Gui''s ears perked up and she whipped her head around to re daggers at Ling Xin upon hearing the word ''master'' used twice, but I interrupted before she could do anything.


    "Right, exactly what she said. She''ll find another loveter on in life, and I wish her all the best. But in case some of you haven''t noticed, I''ve been purposely doing my best to stay distant with her. I have already taken most of your virginities, but I never touched her body in any way."


    "So¡­ you''re just going to leave her be, never seeing you again?" Yu An Yan said, folding her arms. "She''ll think you died, you know."


    "Good," I replied. "If she knows that I''m alive and chose to abandon her of my own will, it''ll only hurt more."


    "And that''s what you call a white lie," Qing Yue analyzed with a smile, backing away from my chest. "But that aside¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ you have some <em>other</em> exining to do."


    She nced at Ling Xin and Axilia, then back at me with that same smile.


    <em>Oh, god.</em> It was <em>that</em> smile. The one that seemed all angelic and innocent on the surface, but in reality held indefinite amounts of torture and devilry within it. One misstep, and I would end up in hell. Qing Yue''s sexual techniques¡ªas I''ve experienced myself in bed¡ªwere great, yes, but she could also make me suffer just as easily.


    I gulped.. There was no running from this one.

 Chapter 450 - Reunited

    "¡­ And that''s about it."


    After exining the entire story of how I met Axilia, fell into the Death Realm, and made my way back, the girls were all deep in thought. I didn''t know what they were thinking about, but I didn''t like it.


    "So?" Feng Mian leaned in and smiled suggestively. "Did you¡­ do it with them?"


    "Uh¡­"


    "Of course he did," Ling Xin cut in with augh. "With both of us at once, actually¡­"


    "W-Wha?!" Lan Xiao Su''s eyes widened in shock. "Y-Y-You can do that?!"


    "Fufu¡­ how innocent. It makes me want to suggest¡­"


    "Stop," I hurriedly said. "I don''t want to hear it."


    "Fine, fine¡­" Sheughed again and leaned against the wall. "Though I''m sure no one here would refuse, save for Obsidia and Lin Luo, perhaps¡­"


    Feng Mian and Qing Yue seemed to both understand what she was talking about, but the remaining girls did not.


    "I would rather it just be the two of us, but¡­ I don''t mind¡­" Feng Mian murmured, averting her gaze and blushing deeply.


    "Hehe, it sounds like it''ll be fun~!" Qing Yue said excitedly. "I know Big Brother Xuan Kai will always like me best though~"


    "What? What don''t you mind? What sounds like it''ll be fun?" Yu An Yan asked, raising an eyebrow and looking around for answers, but none spoke.


    As for me, I did not like where this conversation was heading, so I cleared my throat and changed the topic.


    "Ahem¡­ we can¡­ discuss this sometime else. But for now, how many days do we have left of our break? Let''s think about how we''ll spend this time."


    "I think you should just take it easy, master," Ling Xin said with a flirtatious wink. "Journeying through the Death Realm wasn''t easy, and school will be starting again soon for us. Just take the remainder of your break having fun."


    There it was again. That word: master. I felt Mei Gui tighten her grip on me, but I pretended to not notice it.


    I scoffed at Ling Xin. "''Us''? You talk like you''ll be attending the school as well."


    "Oh, I will."


    I froze, and so did everyone else in the room.


    "¡­ You what?"


    "My, my, isn''t it obvious? If my future husband is going somewhere, I obviously need to follow. Two people from your ss were expelled, correct? Axilia and I can fill in those spots."


    "School with darling¡­" Axilia murmured dreamily, no longer seeking to cut down every other girl in this room. "¡­ I''m looking forward to it¡­"


    "O-Okay," I said, shaking my head. "Let me get my head straight. First, how the hell did you find out about that information, and second, you''re a member on the prized Council of Arcanity. Do you really think they''ll just let you waltz into a school and start living life as a normal student?"


    "Don''t worry about that, master," Ling Xin said, cing a finger to her lips. "We Council members really only host an obligatory meeting once a month, and if anything extremely urgentes up. Other than that, we are free to enjoy life as we wish."


    "¡­" At this, I had no more arguments. I couldn''t exactly explicitly tell them <em>not</em> to join¡ªthey would never listen unless I had a valid reason. And besides, this was their life. I couldn''t control them.


    "So? How about it, master?" Ling Xin giggled with a bright smile. "We''ll be studying with you when school starts up again, mkay~?"


    After several seconds, I sighed. "Do whatever you wish¡­ but Axilia, if you kill someone at the school¡­"


    "Don''t worry, darling~!" She beamed innocently at me and made a v-sign with her fingers, signaling peace. "I won''t kill anyone unless necessary!"


    <em>Yeah, well... your judgment for what is ''necessary'' is very questionable. Still, this is probably the best response I''ll receive.</em>


    I nced at Ling Xin, and she winked meaningfully. ''I''ll keep an eye on her,'' she was saying. I could rx.


    "Well, back to the original topi-" I began, but someone has had enough.


    "Hold it," Mei Gui cut in, standing up and ring at Ling Xin. The intensity and hatred in her eyes was enough to make the other girls gulp in fear, and the ck and red aura surrounding her somewhat small body showed that she meant every bit of said hate.


    "Hm¡­? Woah¡­ that''s some rich killing intent," Ling Xin praised,pletely unaffected. "And that power¡­ it''s the same as master''s, isn''t it? How interesting."


    "¡­ Who gave you permission to call my Master that?" Mei Gui said coldly, a terrifying and fiery red glow in her eyes and cing especial emphasis on the ''my'' part.


    "My, my¡­ so that''s what this is about, huh?" Ling Xinughed softly, but her own deadly ck Shadow aura also erupted and surrounded her body in response. "Correct me if I''m wrong¡­ but I don''t ever recall master being anyone''s. If you can call him that, why can''t I?"


    "Er¡­" Feng Mian tried to step in, but the powerful energy around the two of them made that impossible.


    "¡­ Master is my reserved name for him. I will not permit anyone else to call him that¡ªby force, if need be."


    "Ohoho¡­" Ling Xin narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "I could say the same. What do you say we take this¡­ outside? I wouldn''t want to injure everyone else in here as well."


    "Very well. Let us decide who is more worthy-"


    "Enough," I cut in, tired of all this pointless conflict. "Mei Gui, sit down. Ling Xin, back off."


    "But Master-"


    "Yes, master~"


    The two''s responses were evidently different. I sighed.


    "Ling Xin¡­ can you choose something else to call me with? Mei Gui is¡­ kind of sensitive when ites to me."


    "Hm¡­ it''s not like I <em>can''t</em>, per se. If that is what master wants me to do, then¡­ how about hubby?"


    "But you aren''t even married yet..."


    "Darling?"


    "Do you want to die, sister?"


    "Hm¡­ sweetie?"


    "What are you, my grandmom?"


    "Ahhh, I can''t think of anything!" Ling Xin cried, folding her arms and sighing in defeat. "Everything I think of gets rejected¡­"


    "Um¡­ why can''t you just call him Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian suggested. "It''s what the rest of us calls him."


    Ling Xin shrugged. "I guess that will have to do for now, then. I want to have a special nickname for him, but¡­ oh well."


    She seemed dejected, but this was for the better. It didn''t make sense for her to get to have a special privilege over the other girls, after all. Mei Gui and ria only called me Master because I really was her Master, and Obsidia called me ''human'' which was hardly affectionate. Speaking of ria¡­ I need to work that out soon. And Lorelei-


    Oh, wait. Lorelei.


    "Er¡­ wait," I suddenly said awkwardly. "There''s something I forgot to tell you all."


    "¡­?" The girls all tilted their heads in confusion, while Ling Xin giggled. I averted my gaze.


    <em>Come out, Lorelei.</em>


    The girls'' eyes widened as a beautiful, adorable foxgirl suddenly appeared before them like a perfectly-crafted doll. She blinked a few times, then turned to me.


    "You called, master?"


    "¡ª!" Mei Gui''s eyes widened even further, but nothing woulde out of her throat.


    "Uh¡­ this is Lorelei," I said, introducing her to the other girls. "She is the Queen of the Soulfoxes, a powerful race that once ruled the Soul Realm. Due to certain events, she was forced to move to the Death Realm, and I happened to pick her up by chance."


    "Soulfox¡­"


    "She''s adorable!!!"


    "Oh my god, so cute!!!"


    In an instant, the girls were all over her, admiring her domineering cuteness.


    "C-Can I touch your ears!"


    "Oh, this tail, it''s so soft!"


    "Ahhh, how are you so adorable~?!"


    Lorelei stood with that same nk expression,pletely unconcerned with the numerous hands touching her body all over, and blinked at me.


    "Master¡­"


    "O-Okay, you guys!" I cut in, standing up and forcefully prying them away from Lorelei. "Are you trying to suffocate her? God¡­ anyway, she also has apanion¡­"


    I called for Yami, and he appeared in his human form beside Lorelei. He scratched his hair shyly, blushing in embarrassment at all the pairs of curious gazes set on him. These girls were all incredibly beautiful, but that wasn''t why Yami was flustered. By nature, he was only romantically/sexually attracted to foxgirls¡ªthough Lorelei was out of the question for him. Still, his heart beat fast, waiting in anticipation at what kind of praise he would be showered with. But-


    "Hm? A foxboy¡­?"


    "Eh, he''s not as cute¡­"


    "Yeah, the foxgirl''s a lot more adorable¡­"


    "W-Wha¡­?!" His mouth hang agape at the words he received inparison to Lorelei, and his body froze. I hesitantly reached out a hand and patted him on the shoulder.


    "Ahaha¡­ it''s alright, buddy. Don''t take it to heart."


    But amidst the awkwardughter, I turned to Mei Gui, who sat by my side while all the other girls indulged themselves with Lorelei''s exotic appearance.


    "¡­ You''re okay with her calling me Master?"


    After several seconds, she gave a slight nod.


    "¡­ I will allow it."


    I smiled and patted her head. "That''s my girl."


    I didn''t know why she decided to allow Lorelei and not Ling Xin, but hell, I wasn''tining. If I had to guess, though¡­ I would say¡­ it was because the Ling Xin didn''t actually see me as her master, and she only called me that yfully. Lorelei, though, was different. She, like Mei Gui, would do anything so long as I gave the order. Even if I told her to kill herself, she would do it without a second thought or question.


    I could feel it. These two would grow a bond between them sooner orter. Both of them had simr personalities, so they were bound to get along.. How much time that would take, though¡­ was unknown.

 Chapter 451 - Exploring Fragment

    "Alright, you guys¡­ give Lorelei a break¡­" I muttered, and atst, the girls moved away from her¡ªalthough unwillingly. Lorelei walked over to me, then transformed into her fox form.


    "Aww¡­!"


    "She''s even cuter in this form!!"


    Naturally, the girls were hyped, but enough was enough for the day. Luckily, it was good to see that time in the Death Realm was the same as the Living Realm, unlike the Void Realm. It was only midday, but I was feeling tired as hell.


    "Anyway¡­ we should decide on what we''re going to do for the next couple of days until school starts up again. How long do we have?" I asked.


    "Nine days starting tomorrow, I believe," Feng Mian replied. "A little over a week."


    "Hm¡­ what can we do that''s fun and rxing in nine days¡­" I fell into thought.


    "I have a proposal," Qing Yue said. "Every day, you take one of us out on a date. We''ve already had sex, yet we haven''t gone on a single one-on-one date yet, Big Brother Xuan Kai. Isn''t that kind of¡­ unusual?"


    I shrugged. "I''m no expert on dating, but if that''s what you guys want¡­ I''m up for it."


    "I think that would be¡­ um¡­ nice¡­" Lan Xiao Su inputted, which was rare. She had a deep flush on her face, showcasing just how much effort and courage it took for her to say those words out loud.


    "Me too," Feng Mian said. "I think I''ve had a mini-date with you in the past, when I told you all of the girls'' feelings for you, but that doesn''t count since it wasn''t strictly one-on-one. On the date, you have to focus on the girl you''re taking out, not anyone else."


    I nodded, like receiving orders from my manager or something. "Er¡­ sure."


    "Mm¡­ but what about¡­ the final day?" Yu An Xue asked timidly.


    "Heehee, don''t worry, I have that nned out as well," Qing Yue said, beaming proudly. "I heard there was going to be an event on thest day of June, and the end of our break. It''s called¡­ the Summer Festival."


    "The Summer Festival¡­?" Yu An Yan tilted her head. "So¡­ like, to celebrate theing of summer or something?"


    Qing Yue nodded. "Something along those lines, yes. On that day, we can all go together to the festival, and have fun!"


    "Sounds good," Feng Mian said. "Any objections?"


    "Hold it," Lin Luo cut in. "If the ninth day is the festival¡­ that means there are eight slots for the one-on-one date. Who will go?"


    "I''ll be going first," Qing Yue said. "Since I was the one who proposed this idea. Next can be Feng Mian, then An Yan, then An Xue, then Xiao Su, then Mei Gui, and finally¡­ well, there''s one slot left. Since Axilia and Ling Xin have both spent a considerable amount of time alone with Big Brother Xuan Kai already¡­ I think we should leave thest spot for you, Lin Luo."


    "E-Eh? Me¡­? H-Ha! Who are you kidding? You think I want to go on a date with him?!"


    "Ah, okay, then¡­" Qing Yue turned to Axilia, who was watching with delight. "Do you want to go instead?"


    "H-Huh?" Lin Luo blinked in surprise as Axilia cheered.


    "Yes~! A date with darling~!"


    "W-Wait!" Lin Luo suddenly called out, biting her lip and cheeks as red as tomatoes. "I-I''ll¡­ go."


    "Heheh, that''s the spirit!" Qing Yue giggled. "Can''t hide your true emotions after all, huh?"


    "Tch¡­! J-Just for the record, this isn''t because I like you or anything, got it?!" She screamed at me, to which I nodded and muttered back ''yes, yes''.


    ssic tsundere line. I didn''t think I would actually hear something like this being said to me in my lifetime, but life was full of surprises, wasn''t it?


    "This is just¡­ uh¡­ it''s a good chance to explore the city! Yes, that''s it!"


    "Right," I said tly. "Well, in any case¡­ I''m fine with everything you just said, Qing Yue. But before tomorrow, I still have some things I need to take care of. Where''s Long Lu and Ming Hao?"


    Ling Xin giggled. "Fufu~ they should be out in town right now. A very touching friendship you have developed with them¡­ but is it really worth abandoning us for it?"


    I smirked. "Bros before hoes¡ªbasic Bro Code."


    Feng Mian rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes¡­ we''ll leave you be for now, Xuan Kai. But when youe back¡­"


    She met Qing Yue''s gaze, then smiled mysteriously.


    "We''ll have a surprise for you ready."


    "Uh¡­ a good one or a bad one?"


    "Well, who knows?"


    The two girls smiled at me happily, and I didn''t quite know how to feel about it. Instead, I just chose to depart and enter the city of Fragment. Mei Gui wanted to follow, but she heard my words earlier and it was clearly hinted that I would be going alone. Being as obedient as she was, she remained with the other girls quietly. Lorelei, on the other hand, was in her fox form and rode on my shoulder, while Yami, still mentally scarred, was resting in my soul.


    After some thought, I smiled and responded:


    "I''ll have a surprise for all of you as well."


    *****


    Naturally, going to see Ming Hao and Long Lu was just an excuse.


    Of course, I was going to actually go see them sooner orter, but my main purpose ining out here to the city was that I wanted to convert all the treasures and gold I got in the Death Realm into usable money in the Living Realm. The ''surprise'' I mentioned earlier was obviously going to be all the souvenirs I bought for them in the Death Realm, along with some alchemy tricks.


    Speaking of alchemy¡­


    "Hm? What''s all the noise over there¡­?" I tilted my head at all themotion to my right, where arge crowd of people had gathered, appearing to be¡­ waiting for something, or someone.


    <em>"Master, that is the headquarters for the Ascended Alchemist Association, otherwise known as AAA. Lorelei believes it is a good idea to inspect it, given your skills."</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ you gathered that info by reading the souls of that crowd, huh? But¡­ Ascended? That must be rted with Fragment technically being up in the air and everything, meaning to reach here, people had to ''ascend''.</em>


    Of course, the name wasn''t all that important. I just wanted to see what was all the ruckus was about.


    <em>"Apparently, there is apetition being held today in roughly fifteen minutes. If one passes, they can be a registered alchemist with the AAA¡ªarge and prosperous business that is the only official, recognized alchemy group in all of the Living Realm."</em>


    Once again, Lorelei had gathered this info by reading the souls of these poor onlookers. They didn''t even have any idea their thoughts were practically being spilled out onto a book for me to read, but at least we didn''t have any harmful intentions, so all''s well that ends well, I suppose¡­?


    After some consideration, I decided to first head to the bank to see where I can trade all this stuff, thene back hereter. Fifteen minutes was more than enough for me to finish doing what I had to do.


    *****


    "Hi! Wee to the Royal Bank of Fragment, directly authorized and backed by the International Magic Foundation themselves! What can I do for you today?"


    That tagline was kind of long and unnecessary, but I decided not toment on that and instead just get to straight to the point.


    "I would like to sell some things. Some¡­ very expensive things. And¡­ a whole damn lot of them. Where can I do that?"


    "If you have found any treasure or something of the sort, mister, there is no reason to go anywhere else. If you could let me inspect the treasure, the bank can buy it off of you right here right now for a very reasonable price!"


    "Oh, is that so?" I smiled. Luck was on my side today, it seems. "Well¡­ uh, here."


    I reached into my Space Locket and took out just one of the couple dozen million mordai I got from the Death Realm, and handed it to the receptionist. She inspected it carefully, then took out some sort of handheld device and scanned it.


    "Hm¡­ this is¡­ quite the rare material. It appears to be mainly gold, but also some unrecognized mineral that¡­ apparently doesn''t match with anything ever found before. This is quite the treasure, mister! The bank is willing to buy it for¡­ how about $100,000?"


    "PFFT-!"


    I nearly choked on thin air. $100,000?! For one mordai?! But I had dozens of millions of them!


    "I-Is there something wrong, mister? If you find that price low, how about¡­ $150,000?"


    "U-Uh, yes, that''s fine," I quickly said andposed myself before the price went any higher. Yes, I wanted money and could be greedy at times like any other human, but this would just make me feel guilty.


    "Great! Then could you please tell me your bank ount, and I will transfer the funds over right awa-"


    "Uh, just hold on a minute," I said, scratching my hair awkwardly. "Actually¡­ I have more of the same item. Tons¡­ more."


    The receptionist blinked. "Eh?"


    I gulped.


    "¡­ Prepare an empty vault room, as big as possible, and I''ll show you what I mean."

 Chapter 452 - The AAA

    The receptionist girl was dubious, but she led me to an empty area regardless, in the back of the bank. It was arge room, brightly lit by white lights. The entrance to this ce was like a bigger version of abination lock even taller than I was, which meant this ce was a safe vault.


    "Um¡­ could you show the treasure here?" She asked. "If this is still not big enough, then I don''t know what will be¡­"


    "Uh¡­ this should be big enough?" I shrugged. "Probably, anyway. Though¡­ I would rmend stepping outside, unless you want to get crushed."


    "E-Eh? Um¡­ okay."


    The receptionist stepped out of the massive vault room, and I moved in front of her. Then, taking off my ne (my Space Locket), I dumped all the mordai in it into the room.


    The receptionist''s jaws dropped.


    Her eyes followed as more and more mordai fell out of my ne''s pendant, falling onto the floor. Because the entrance of the Space Locket was so small, however, draining it all took¡­ quite long. And, uh, standing here was quite awkward.


    A good fifteen minutes of pure silenceter, all the mordai was finally drained. And the entire vault¡­ well. It was filled uppletely, with only a few cubic centimeters'' worth of room to spare.


    "¡­" The receptionist''s mouth still hang agape, even as I slipped my Space Locket back around my neck.


    "Go ahead and check the authenticity on each one. But uh, if each one is $150,000¡­"


    "H-H-H-Hold on¡­ let me process this information¡­" The receptionist gulped. "I can''t make a decision this huge myself¡­ for now, please stay here, I will speak to my manag-"


    "Uh, actually, I have something to do in about ten minutes," I said. "Is it fine if Ie backter?"


    "O-Of course! E-Erm, the manager is in a meeting right now, so for now, here is my business card!"


    She hurriedly pulled out a small card from her breast pocket and handed it to me. I took it and skimmed over it.


    <em>Hm¡­ Mi Fangyao? I''ll remember that name.</em>


    "Do I just leave all this stuff here, or¡­"


    "Yes, don''t worry! It is safe here in this vault," the receptionist¡ªMi Fangyao¡ªconfirmed with a few hasty nods. "We do close at 6 PM today though, so please do try toe before then if you can¡­ if not, we open again tomorrow morning at 8."


    "Got it," I replied. "I''ll see youter, then."


    "R-Right! See you, valuable guest!"


    *****


    After exiting the bank, I turned to the way I had came from and took a deep breath.


    "Alright¡­ now then¡­"


    Steadily, I began heading for the AAA Headquarters, where the supposed alchemypetition was going to be held. When I arrived, I found that the crowd had grown even more, spanning nearly the entire wide street, and the noise could bepared to that of a riot. Soon, however, everyone fell quiet as the building''s doors slid open, and an elderly man along with two younger servant girls stepped out.


    Clearing his throat, he used Sound Magic to amplify his voice, and spread his arms.


    "Wee, everyone, to the annual Ascended Alchemist Association Alchemy Competition. Thispetition will contain a series of tasks, both written and practical, that will test your knowledge and skills in the field of alchemy. Should you pass, you will be granted the golden opportunity of bing a registered alchemist with us, and in addition, the top-ranking individuals will receive additional rewards. Is that clear?"


    The crowd nodded, signaling that they understood.


    "Good," the man said in response. "Now, I shall begin exining the details of thepetition. First, you will all be graded based on points. Depending on your performance in each task, you will be allotted a certain amount of points. By the end of thepetition, the person with the most points will not only obtain riches and recognition, but also receive the opportunity to be a direct disciple of the AAA''s best, top grandmaster, and the best alchemist in the whole world¡ªGrandmaster Qian."


    I blinked. <em>Grandmaster Qian? Does he¡­ have a connection to Qian Hua, somehow?</em>


    "Hm¡­ interesting," I muttered under my breath.


    "Now, without further ado, please line up in an orderly fashion and enter the building!" The man dered. "Everyone is allowed to participate, as long as you pay the entry fee of $5!"


    Immediately, the crowd formed into one orderly line. As this was Fragment, people were civilized enough to not fight over spots. Everyone here were from well-established families and were quite talented. One could tell they were wealthy just based on their clothes. Compared to them, I¡­ well, I was in the Yharnav armor set I had obtained from the Death Realm, so I stood out. Not in a good way.


    Still, apart from the confused and wary nces I was receiving, no one made an effort to actually talk with me or make any rudements. I was used to this anyway, so it didn''t affect me at all.


    Very soon, it was my turn to reach the entrance. There, the old man scanned me up and down with a raised eyebrow, then hesitantly held out his hand.


    "¡­ Entrance fee, please."


    He had just said everyone could enter, so no matter how I looked, he couldn''t reject me. I took out a 5 dor bill from my Space Locket (I stored everything in there) and handed it to the man. It was a bit crumpled, but whatever.


    The old man nodded, signaling I was good to go. I headed inside and found the enormous chamber filled with low-lying desks. The young men and women from outside earlier were seated cross-legged, one person at each table. The desks were empty for now, but they wouldn''t stay that way for long.


    I found an empty seat near the back of the room¡ªin the corner, as usual. I had a strange affection for corners. They made me feelfortable. Once there, I waited patiently, ignoring all the stares I was getting. I closed my eyes and rxed-


    ¡­ Not.


    A girl sat down at the desk next to me, eyes closed. She had brilliant light blue hair simr to Lan Xiao Su''s, and a striking cool beauty. She seemed to notice me staring at her, however, and opened one eye closely. It was a beautiful lightvender, almost like grey.


    "¡­ Do you, need, something?"


    "¡­ I could ask the same thing to you," I said. "There are tons of other seats all around. Why sit here, next to me?"


    "I like, this spot. Is there, a problem?"


    I decided not toment on her unusual method of speaking, and instead just turn away.


    "¡­ No. I just prefer to be isted, that''s all."


    "Hm."


    The girl turned away as well, and it was then that I noticed the stares at me intensify. Now, they were murmuring.


    "D-Did the youngdy of the Zhao Family just talk to someone¡­?"


    "Impossible¡­ she never speaks a word, even to her own parents!"


    "No one even knows her name apart from her own mother and father!"


    <em>¡­ Huh? The youngdy of the Zhao Family?</em>


    I turned to the girl beside me once again.


    <em>This is her¡­? And she never talks, apparently¡­? What is going on¡­</em>


    <em>"Master,"</em> Lorelei suddenly said from inside my mind. <em>"ording to her soul, this girl is interested in you."</em>


    <em>What? ''Interested?'' As in¡­</em>


    <em>"No,"</em> Lorelei corrected. <em>"Not in the romantic sense¡­ but she does seem to be sensitive to alchemy. She feels a strange powering from you¡ªthat is also why she chose to sit here, and speak to you when she never does to anyone else. In other words¡­ she wishes to witness your abilities first-hand."</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ I see. But since she wants to see my abilities so much¡­ I''m going to go ahead and pretend to be as normal as possible. I don''t know what she wants to do to me after seeing my powers, and I''d really rather not get caught up in anything¡­ troublesome.</em>


    <em>Wait¡­ she doesn''t have Psychic Magic, right?</em>


    <em>"No, master. Lorelei can confirm she is not reading your mind."</em>


    <em>Thank god¡­</em>


    Soon, the room filled up one by one. The line outside, though, did not seem to get any shorter. Random passerby on the streets who saw themotion would join just to try their luck, even if they had never done alchemy before or didn''t even know what alchemy was.


    Obviously, though, the AAA couldn''t amodate everyone. The spots were filled up to the brim, and anyone who didn''t manage to get one was out of luck. They were promptly asked to leave, and as dejected as they were, there was nothing they could do.


    After that, the two girl servants following the old man shut the front doors, and the old man himself calmly walked to the end of the room, standing before everyone.


    "Once again, I wee you all to thepetition. You are lucky to have received this opportunity¡ªmany people, like those outside, were denied this chance. Do not waste it."


    Then, snapping his fingers, several more servants suddenly flooded out from the sides of the rooms, and set down a variety of herbs and other alchemicponents down on the desks.


    "Now then¡­ let the tests begin."

 Chapter 453 - Alchemy Test

    "The first test is simple¡ªrefine a normal Low-Grade Healing Pill, using the materials you have been given in front of you. There is enough for three attempts. If you take only one attempt, you will be given 15 points. If you take two, you will be given 10. If you take three, you will be given 5. Andstly¡­ if you are unable to do this within the three attempts, you will receive zero points for this test. Think of this as a preliminary diagnosis, something to examine your basic skills with."


    Nice and straight-forward¡ªsomething I was a fan of. With this, I now knew the pill rankings here in the Living Realm were the same as that of the Death Realm. This Low-Grade Healing Pill was the first thing Ling Xin''s godfather taught me to concoct. It was very simple to make, and for a Golden Alchemist like me, it could be done in the blink of an eye.


    Thankfully, back then, I had also asked Ling Xin''s godfather to teach me how to hide my abilities as a Golden Alchemist. I was thus able to refine normal, non-Golden pills as well, should the need ever arise¡ªjust like now.


    Of course, I still wanted to gain as many points as possible, so holding back too much wasn''t an option either. As such, I decided to just one-attempt this challenge.


    Five Blessleaves, two Angelbarks, and a drop of Holy Tincture collected from the Arctic Trees of the north. Despite the rich-sounding names, none of these materials were actually difficult to get. The only one that was remotely hard was the Holy Tincture, but even then, it wasn''t anything dangerous, only tedious.


    Grabbing the materials I need, I swiftly went to work. I noticed the girl beside me doing the same with fast, precise movements that rivaled my own at my best, but I pretended not to pay any attention to her and instead focus on my own work.


    Hovering my hands over the materials, I ran mana through my palms, causing the herbs to rise into the air and begin circling around. I then ced my other hand beneath their hovering, spinning frames, and closed my eyes, <em>listening </em>to them sing.


    Alchemy was closely tied with nature, so in order to sessfully refine something using alchemy, one had to first hear and understand the voices of nature. However, I purposely waited several seconds before actually beginning the refinement process, just to avoid this girl from developing any more interest in me.


    But by the time was refined and I opened my eyes... I saw the girl staring at me, blinking nkly.


    "... Need something?" I said with a raised eyebrow, quoting her own words from earlier. After several seconds of awkward silence, she turned away.


    "... No, not particrly."


    "..." I didn''t believe her in the slightest, but decided not to engage in further conversation with her and instead wait patiently for inspection.


    Several minutester, the time was up. Anyone who still has not managed to refine the pill were urged to use up their remaining attempts, and those who had no attempts left were simply given 0 points.


    Apparently, the person to have finished first was none other than this girl beside me, with a boy to the left of hering in second. For some reason, he was sending me dirty looks, and seemed to hate me despite me not doing anything to him.


    <em>Seriously... getting jealous because your crush is talking to someone else...? It''s not even like we''re flirting or anything. Hell, I''d like it if she''d stop talking to me, actually...</em>


    <em></em>Yes, the youngdy of the Zhao Family was quite beautiful with her slim figure and wless facial features, but I already had girls who matched her beauty if not surpassed it. I didn''t care for getting another girlfriend.


    After inspections wereplete¡ªwith the old man tastetesting each one¡ªI was given 15 points for only using one attempt. Most people in the room only used one, actually. The girl beside me, however, received an extra 10 points for being the first, bringing up her total to 25 points and taking first ce... for now, anyway. They didn''t say how many tests there were going to be in total, but surely it was more than just one or two.


    My answer to that wondering came a few secondster, when the old man began his exnation.


    "It seems most of you have managed to pass this first test with rtive ease. Good, for it was supposed to be easy. The real test begins now."


    With another snap of his fingers, the same servants from earlier hurried out of the sides of the room and cleared away our desks, then reced them with a fresh set of materials that I recognized to be theponents for a certain Mid-Grade pill.


    "Now, with the materials given in front of you, refine a Cleansing Pill," the old man said as the servants disappeared as quickly as they came. "If you don''t know what that is, no one can help you... and one more thing¡ªyou only have one attempt this time around. If you fail and waste the materials, that is a t zero for this test. However, should you seed, the points given will be 30."


    <em>30... not bad. I have to secure this, it seems.</em>


    As soon as the old man dered ''start'', I went to work. Cleansing Pill was another one of the pills I had been taught how to refine by Ling Xin''s godfather. Although it was Mid-Grade, it was, in fact, quite basic and easy to refinepared to some other Mid-Grade pills, with the entire process taking only about 5-7 seconds to the average alchemist.


    Of course, as a Golden one myself, refining any pill only took me the blink of an eye, maybe one second at most, so there really wasn''t much difference, but for the sake of this test and my somewhat annoying surroundings, I had to hold back.


    <em>1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6...</em>


    <em></em>I counted seconds in my mind while my eyes were closed, giving the Zhao family''s youngdy the impression that I was actually trying to refine the pill when I really wasn''t. Once the timer hit 6 seconds, I actually began refining, and the pill wasplete nearly instantly.


    My eyes opened slowly and I caught the small ball in my hand, then set it down in the tray on the table as I waited patiently for inspection. Once again, however, I noticed the same girl staring at me with that same nk expression, blinking evenly. Her eyes were curious, observant, as if searching for something.


    <em>God... why are you so fixated on me? I''ve already demonstrated twice that I''m just a normal alchemist...</em>


    "Why," she suddenly said, catching my attention. "Do you, hide, your abilities?"


    <em>... Lorelei, you sure she can''t read my mind?</em>


    <em>"Lorelei is certain, master. She is merely saying this to rile you up."</em>


    <em>I see...</em>


    Well, as if I was going to let something like this affect me.


    "What do you mean?" I asked right back, ying dumb like a pro. "Hide my abilities? You''re right, why <em>would </em>I do that?"


    The girl blinked several more times, keeping her gaze locked to mine, then finally turned away after a few seconds.


    "... Hm."


    <em>Hm?! What does she mean, ''hm''?! Please tell me my ying dumb worked...</em>


    <em></em><em>"Unfortunately, that only made her more suspicious of you, master... so it would seem."</em>


    <em>Ugh... damn it. And here I was, thinking I was decent at psychological warfare. But even with Lorelei''s help, I can''t win against this girl...!</em>


    I opened my mouth to sigh, but then hurriedly closed it again. If she heard me sighing, she would definitely catch onto it.


    Inspections came soonter. My pill was epted, so that''s another 30 points for me. The Zhao Family''s youngdy beside me was once again the first to finish, with the boy on her other end being second. As such, she received another additional 10 points, bringing her total up to 40. And yet... she too did not seem to be trying at all.


    <em>I wonder... does her abilities rival mine as a Golden Alchemist? Or perhaps... is she, in fact, one as well?</em>


    The second option was unlikely, but certainly possible. I would have to wait to be sure.


    "Now, the third test will be thest one in the introductory level. Beyond this point, those who still only have zero points will be eliminated from thepetition. It involves the concoction of a High-Grade Pill named the Berserker Pill, and will be worth 50 points. Once again, if you do not know what this pill is, you are out of luck."


    As the servants rushed forward with new materials and set it down on our desks once more, I felt out of luck.


    This had not been one of the pills Ling Xin''s godfather had taught me... meaning I would have to improvise.


    Or, perhaps, should I just abandon this question altogether...? I don''t have to act to show I don''t know what I''m doing for this one... which means this should help me divert the Zhao Family''s youngdy''s attention...


    Probably.. Hopefully.

 Chapter 454 - Zhao Xiuying

    <em>Now then... how the hell do I make this pill?</em>


    <em></em>I fell into thought, doing my best not to think of this as an act. It really wasn''t, because I really didn''t know how to refine the Berserker Pill, but at the same time, it was, thanks to this Zhao Family girl''s existence.


    I snuck a nce at her and saw her staring back at me, then quickly averted my gaze again.


    <em>Oh, crap... why did I do that...? I thought she would be refining the pill... but she hasn''t even touched her materials! Wait... does she not know how to refine this one as well? No, impossible... is she just... observing me? Why...?</em><em></em>


    I have never been so nervous in my life. Gulping anxiously, I did my best to act normal and ponder how to go about things now. That was a blunder; this girl definitely knows my intentions. What to do, what to do...


    But after several seconds, she turned away and begin working on her own pill. By now, the boy next to her had already finished, and seemed to be confused on how she wasn''t done yet. I frowned a little.


    <em>Did she just... sacrifice her chance to get more points, all to observe me? I don''t understand...</em>


    <em></em>With a sigh, I began working on my own pill. Since she already saw through my intentions, there was no reason not to try and secure these 50 points. I really didn''t know how to refine this pill, but how hard could it be? My improvisation skills have never been too shabby, after all.


    I closed my eyes and repeated the same process I did for any other pill, listening to the voices of the materials andbining them into one, harmonic sound in my head. Then, I channeled my mana into the herbs, and...


    Nothing happened.


    I furrowed my brows. The materials weren''t merging into one, for some reason, despite the voice in my head clearly already registering them as harmonious. What was I missing...?


    Then, I remembered something Ling Xin''s godfather had once scolded me for.


    "Don''t look so smug while refining a pill, boy! Alchemy is an art of emotions as much as it is practical skill! Without the right feelings, you cannot refine the right pills!"


    Slowly, a smirk formed on my face.


    <em>... Heh. Thanks, geezer. But not looking smug? Sorry, no can do.</em>


    <em></em>I converted my emotions into dark fury by thinking of something bad that happened to me in the past. For me, that was easy. All the bullying, all the suffering, and the death of my parents. Such things were enough to make my heart brood with dark emotion, leaking out of my body, and before I knew it...


    "W-Woah... look at that guy..."


    "I''ve never seen a killing intent so strong before..."


    "W-Wait, that pill he just refined... is it golden?!"


    "What?! How?!"


    "No pill can be golden! What the hell?!"


    ... The pill wasplete.


    My eyes snapped back open, and I nced down at the radiating golden pill in my hand. The other contenders in the room, old man included, were all shocked to see this, and their mouths hung agape.


    But they were not my concern.


    What I was truly worried about, was-


    "As, I thought... you are, special."


    <em>Oh, shit... I went overboard! I got so lost in my feelings that I- ugh!</em>


    "Uh... I don''t know how this happened," I muttered, desperate to make somest-ditch efforts to save this situation. But s, I knew it was useless.


    While everyone else was still in surprise at what they were seeing right now (with the fact that this girl was talking adding on to the shock), the girl talked to me like nothing was wrong.


    "... What, is your, name?"


    <em>Alright, Xuan Kai... don''t lose your cool now. Just give one of those usual wittyebacks you always give...</em>


    <em></em>"Hmph," I snorted. "Why should I give you my name, when I don''t even know yours?"


    The girl blinked. <em>Ha! Got you good, didn''t I-</em>


    <em></em>"... My name, is Zhao, Xiuying. Now, what is, yours?"


    <em>.</em>


    <em>No way. She really gave me her name, just like that? Damn it, now I look like I''m trying to pick her up or something...</em>


    <em></em>The re I was getting from that boy on her other side was only confirming that theory. But that aside... how should I respond? She did give her name, so it would hardly be very nice if I didn''t give her mine back...


    "... You can call me Xuan Kai."


    I considered going with my alias Kai Xuan, but for whatever reason, I would feel guilty if I used that. Maybe it''s because of how innocent this girl looked, reminding me of Lorelei.


    "Xuan, Kai," she murmured to herself, turning away. "I, see."


    "A-Ahem! Everyone, continue with your pill refinement if you don''t want to run out of time!" The old man suddenly announced, causing everyone to snap back into their senses and quickly go back to work. Then, turning to me, he began walking over.


    <em>Oh, shit.</em>


    <em></em>I braced myself for what was toe.


    But rather than talking to me... the old man nearly picked up the golden pill in the tray, then brought it up to his nose and gave it a little sniff.


    <em>Yikes...</em>


    <em></em>I cringed a little, but the old man didn''t seem to notice and waspletely captured by the Golden Pill''s aroma, furrowing his brows.


    "This... the smell... it is intriguing," he muttered, then moved the Golden Pill closer to his mouth. Realizing what he was going to do, I hurriedly stood up and caught his wrist.


    "Hold it. You don''t want to eat that. It''s a Berserker Pill, remember."


    "Hmph. I am a professional alchemist, boy. I can control myself, even under the effects of a Berserker Pill with pill clouds."


    "That pill has effects greater than pill cl-" I tried to warn, but it was toote. The old man had already ced the Golden Pill in his mouth, and swallowed. His eyes instantly widened and seized in ce, then slowly shifted into a deep red color.


    "... Well, fuck."


    I slowly let go of his wrist, then got ready. The old man slowly turned his head and looked at me... then-


    "RAGH!" He roared like a beast and leaped towards me.


    "Tch-!"


    <em>Level One Earth Magic ¡ª Vines of Binding!</em>


    Several ck vines suddenly tore out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the old man, now enraged, and pulled him back to the ground. The effects of my Golden Pill were strong, yes, but it couldn''t let the consumer surpass their physical capabilities¡ªonly make them angrier than usual. A lot... angrier. To the point where they lost all human reason and morals.


    "GRR..." The old man growled like a raging beast, veins bulging and bloodshot eyes ring at me from his position on the floor, being tied by my vines. The other contenders were all looking at us in shock, no longer able to perform alchemy. How could they, in a situation like this?


    "Hm... how long does a Berserker Pillst...?" I muttered to no one in particr as I looked down at the writhing old man.


    "Five, minutes," a faint voice said from beside me. I turned to see Zhao Xiuying, still seated at her desk and blinking up at me cutely. She seemed utterly unconcerned with the beast-like old geezer squirming and thrashing on the ground beside her, and was focused solely on me.


    "I... see..." I whispered, then turned away from her. <em>If a normal Berserker Pill can keep someone enraged for five minutes, then... a Golden Pill will keep someone this way for about fifty minutes.</em>


    <em></em>When someone was in Berserker mode, they could not be rendered unconscious in any method apart from death. And since killing this old man wasn''t going to do me any good, the only other option here was to just wait it out.


    That is, unless...


    Suddenly, Zhao Xiuying stood up and turned to one of the many servants in the room, at a loss for what to do now that their boss was in this state.


    "Go, fetch me, five Pureroot, one Lightbloom, and, three Tranquil, Water drops."


    "E-Eh? A-Alright!" The girl closest to her hurriedly scurried off, knowing that Zhao Xiuying was from a powerful family. I remember Long Lu mentioning something about the Zhao Family being another one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment, so there was that as well.


    But no matter how powerful her family is...


    "... That won''t work," I said to her. "A normal Cleansing Pill would never be able to cleanse my Berserker Pill."


    But contrary to my expectations, Zhao Xiuying turned her head to me and blinked several times.


    "Just, watch... Xuan, Kai."


    "H-Hold on!" A male voice suddenly interrupted, and both of us looked at the boy who had been sitting on the other end of her. "W-Who even are you? And how are you able to make the same kind of pills as X-Xiuying?!"


    <em>Now, of all times? Seriously, kid?</em>


    <em></em>I sighed, as Zhao Xiuying blinked at him coldly.


    "... Do not, call me, by that, name. I, never, gave you, permission."


    "H-Huh? Oh... s-sorry..."


    Seeing how quickly the boy backed off and slumped back down on the ground, I nearlyughed out loud.


    <em>Pfft.... pathetic.</em>

 Chapter 455 - Grandmaster Qian

    Soon, the servant returned with what Zhao Xiuying had requested: five Pureroot, one Lightbloom, and three Tranquil Water drops. They were the materials needed to make a Cleansing Pill, a Mid-Grade pill that did exactly what its name implied: cleanse all status ailments on whoever consumes the pill.


    But in order for that to seed, the raw power of the Cleansing Pill had to be greater than that of the debuffing pill. In this case, not only was the Berserker Pill a whole rank higher (which usually would still be possible to cleanse), but it was also a Golden Pill crafted by me, amplifying its effects by tenfold.


    Therefore, if Zhao Xiuying wanted to make this Cleansing Pill work... she too had to be a Golden Alchemist.


    She blinked several times at the materialsid out in front of her, then sat down behind her lowying desk and got to work. I watched intently as she closed her eyes, elegantly ignoring all other sounds and distractions, and focused solely on the refinement of this pill and this pill alone.


    My eyes widened as a silver aura appeared around her body, simr to the one that surrounded me when I was refining Golden Pills, except mine was¡ªwell¡ªgolden.


    <em>Don''t tell me... she really is simr to me in the Alchemic Way...?</em>


    <em></em>I narrowed my eyes as the aura intensified, and the materials floated up from the tray and begin rapidly spinning in a circle between her two tender, nimble hands, one above and one below.


    After several seconds, when the materials began to spin so fast I couldn''t even make out their individuality anymore, the aura around Zhao Xiuying finally faded away, and in her hand was a beautiful, glimmering silver pill that rivaled my Golden ones.


    Slowly, she opened her eyes, then stood up and turned to me, who could do nothing but stare at her, ck-jawed. Her movements in alchemy were practiced, <em>refined</em>, and clearly just ''better'' than mine. She was definitely a lot more experienced in the Alchemic Way than I was.


    <em>Well... looks like I found the answer to my question from earlier. Was this girl holding back just like I was? Of course she was...</em>


    After meeting my gaze for several seconds and staring into each other''s souls, she blinked and bent down, then fed the pill into the old man''s thrashing mouth. I wanted to warn her to be careful, but before the words even left my mouth, the old man''s writhing suddenly stopped.


    He swallowed the pill given to him, and his body froze up once more as it prepared for another transformation¡ªthis time, for the better. Then, after several seconds, he shook his body a bit, then realized he was bound to the ground... by me.


    Turning his eyes up at me and narrowing them into a re, I really couldn''t be sure if the Cleansing Pill worked or not.


    "... What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, voice dark and menacing.


    <em>Welp, he talked. Looks like it worked.</em>


    <em></em>I sighed and undid the Vines of Binding, and the old man stood up from the ground before patting the dust that had gotten onto his long purple robes that radiated an air of royalty and dignity. Then, he turned to the girl standing beside me¡ªZhao Xiuying.


    "... Young Lady Zhao, I apologize for troubling you. That was... unbing of me. I overestimated my abilities."


    Zhao Xiuying blinked, then ignored the poor guy''s apology and turned to me with that same nk expression.


    But I knew what that look meant. She was saying, ''see?'', in response to me doubting her abilities earlier. I took a deep breath.


    "Yes, yes... I underestimated you. I never expected someone to be able to counteract my Golden Pills, though..."


    "I, too, never, expected, someone, to be able to, refine pills, as strong, as I, can," she replied, eyes never once leaving mine.


    <em>Well, this is awkward.</em>


    <em></em>Luckily, Mr. Old-Geezer-Who-Was-Just-A-Bloodthirsty-Beast-Moments-Ago was there to easen the atmosphere with his professional input.


    "The Young Lady and only child of the Zhao Family, one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment, is also known as the ''Silver Queen'' in honor of her exceptional alchemy skills and her strange silver pills," he exined. "This year, she just turned 18, making her eligible to enter the AAA as an alchemist. But to think there is another just as talented as she is..."


    <em>Hm... so from what I can tell, her silver pills aren''t quite as strong as my Golden ones, though they doe close. However, her raw skill and experience in alchemy make up for that, granting her the ability to refine pills on par with my Golden ones.</em>


    "So, uh," I said, changing the topic. "Are we going to continue with the examination, or what...?"


    "Yes," the old man replied, ncing around at the other contestants. "However... not you two."


    Both Zhao Xiuying and I blinked at the same time, confused. But the old man merely smiled mysteriously.


    "... Follow me. There is someone who I would like you to meet."


    *****


    After having the other contestants wait, the old man led us deeper inside the Ascended Alchemist Association Headquarters. The boy who had been on the other side of Zhao Xiuying was not happy to see his crush being led away with another man, but he couldn''t do anything against the AAA. That was how big of a corporation it was, able to stand up even against the Great Families.


    Zhao Xiuying and I walked side by side as we followed behind the old man silently. But... it was somewhat disturbing.


    Why?


    ... Because she kept her gaze fixated on me the whole time, blinking at a calm, perfectly even pace.


    I snuck nces at her just to see if she was still staring at me, and sure enough, every time I did that, she was there, looking at my face. She carried no hostility, only curiosity and interest.


    <em>Oh, this sucks... why don''t you go do this to that guy who likes you? I''m sure he would enjoy this a lot, y''know?</em>


    But of course, I couldn''t say this out loud. Thankfully, the walking trip was soon over as the old man came to a sudden stop, and I had to hurriedly grab Zhao Xiuying''s hand to pull her back before she crashed into his back.


    "Here we are," the man said, then knocked on the door in front of him. "Grandmaster Qian? I have brought two... especially interesting young alchemists."


    Meanwhile, Zhao Xiuying was busy staring at her own hand in mine, and I self-consciously let go. She then shifted her gaze to my face, blinked several times, then finally turned away to observe her own hand that I had just grabbed.


    <em>This girl... she pays attention to the weirdest things. But I guess... that''s kind of cute.</em>


    Not wanting to admit that though, I turned my attention away from her and on the grandiose double-doors that slowly opened up. No voice weed us in, but the old man in front of us didn''t seem concerned. Instead, he turned around to face us, then stepped to one side, making way.


    "Go on. Grandmaster Qian is waiting for you inside. He is... somewhat unorthodox, so mind what you say and do around him, but he <em>is </em>the top alchemist in the world."


    <em>In the Living Realm, you mean, </em>I corrected him inside my head, but didn''t say it out loud.


    With a nod, Zhao Xiuying and I entered the room through the open entrance, which was just wide enough to fit two people. The old man shut the door behind us, which I didn''t like. On the contrary, Xiuying seemed perfectly unconcerned, which made me feel somewhat awkward.


    Inside the room, there were no windows. The walls were shelves, filled with herbs and materials used for alchemy, and a pill furnace sat in the center of the room, with a good dozen of spares in the corner.


    Ling Xin''s godfather had told me about these pill furnaces before. They make batch-producing pills easier, if that''s what you want to go for, but at the same time, they also allow fine-tuning and detailed pill refining that would otherwise be impossible with just your hands. This is because the furnace captures the energy of the materials and heats then stores them, and... uh, I stopped listening there.


    Anyway, behind the pill furnace in the center of the room, an aged old man sat, stroking his long white beard. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to have noticed using.


    "Hm... a boy and a girl, yes? Both quite young... how interesting. The girl, I''m guessing, is the youngdy of the Zhao Family. But the boy...?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "... How did you know it was a boy and a girl?"


    "Hmph. I''m blind, kiddo," the old geezer chuckled. "But in return for that, my other senses have sharpened! Just based on your footsteps, I can tell you are a boy!"


    <em>He''s... blind? Huh...</em>


    <em></em>"Hm... do you have any connection with a girl named Qian Hua, perhaps?" I asked, taking my chances.


    But in an instant, the old man teleported from where he was sitting and reappeared right in front of me, leaving behind nothing but an afterimage and waves of wind.


    "... What have you done to my granddaughter?"


    "Rx," I said, backing away with a gulp. "I attend the school she''s student council president at, that''s all."


    Zhao Xiuying blinked at me. "I, go there, too."


    <em>Uh... great? I''ve never even seen her before, though... well, I guess she does like to blend in and tends to be alone.</em>


    <em></em>"Hm... you have the smell of many girls on you, boy!" The old geezer suddenly dered, scaring the crap out of me.


    "H-Huh? The hell?!"


    "I''ll have you know, kiddo, if you even <strong>think</strong> about touchin'' my granddaughter with those stained hands of yours, I will make sure you can never touch another woman again!"


    "Like I said, rx!" I yelled, backing away. "She doesn''t interest me romantically at al-"


    "<strong>Huh?! What was that?! Are you saying my granddaughter ain''t attractive?!"</strong>


    "No, dammit!" I yelled, ducking out of the way as the old geezer suddenly threw a pill furnace at my head. "H-Hey! Stop, that''s dangero- tch!"


    <strong>"I''ll teach you a lesson today, boy!"</strong><strong></strong>

 Chapter 456 - Dual Refinement

    "Hah¡­ hah¡­" Grandmaster Qian panted heavily, bent over and resting his hands on his knees. "G-Get back here, boy¡­ I''ll teach you a lesson¡­"


    "You need to calm down, old geezer," I said coldly, narrowing my eyes. "One, I never said anything bad about your granddaughter, and two, you can''t even catch me when I''m not using magic. How are you going to teach me a lesson?"


    "Agh, damn it, brat! If I were 20 years younger-"


    "Make that 60," I cut in. "And stop with the ''ifs''. If you can teach me alchemy, then teach me. If not, I''m leaving¡ªand no one can stop me."


    "Hmph! That cocky attitude will get you killed one day, kiddo!" Grandmaster Qian snorted. "But luckily for you, I couldn''t care less about manners and all that crap! Show me what you can do in alchemy!"


    He folded his arms in contempt, which in turn earned him a smirk from me. If there was one thing I enjoyed doing most, it was proving others wrong. I shook my cloak, then sat downfortably on the ground. Grandmaster Qian used Psychic Magic to pull some ingredients off the shelves to his hand, then tossed some over to me, some to Zhao Xiuying. It was a casual action, but he had gotten just the right amount of materials needed, and split thempletely evenly amongst the two of us. His skill was the real thing.


    "You too, girl! Sit down beside him!"


    Zhao Xiuying blinked, then did as told and sat down next to me. It was then that I noticed a shy, diamond-shaped blue earring on her ear. I hadn''t noticed it before since it had been covered by her long, sky blue hair, but I managed to get a glimpse of it just now. It definitely was not a normal earring¡ªit radiated mana from it. But why would an essory like that be enchanted¡­?


    "What are you gawking at, boy?" Grandmaster Qian demanded. "She is beautiful, I grant you, but if you are that easily swayed by lust, I would advise giving up on alchemy!"


    I scoffed. "Swayed? Please, I have women far more beautiful than she is."


    "Show me!" The old man challenged, then realized his mistake. "I mean, your alchemy skills! I don''t care about your women, though I doubt your words very much!"


    I snickered, then closed my eyes and got to work. The materials he had given me were enough to craft a High-Grade pill. Thankfully, it was one I knew¡ªLing Xin''s godfather had taught me all the mostmonly-used pills.


    The pill''s name was the Hypersense Pill. Just like the name implied, it boosted the consumer''s awareness and detection radius by an incrediblyrge amount, making it an absolute must-have for exploring ruins and the like. The ingredients to make it were not rare, but difficult to harvest. For instance, Kindleweed only appeared near the mouths of volcanoes, Winterberry could only be found in frozen tundras, and the Eye of Harmony was obtained from ying mythical creatures known as Angelwings.


    That was not all, however.


    The three ingredients to make this pill were hard to get, yes, but the refinement process was even harder. Kindleweed and Winterberry had directly shing forces, one of Fire and one of Ice. Only two such opposing powers could, when paired together, entice someone enough to boost their awareness by such arge amount. It acted as a form of stimtion, brought together by the Eye of Harmony. However, even with the Eye''s help, the refinement process still was much harder than many other pills. It wasn''t impossible anymore, but might as well be.


    The two herbs'' shing voices were perfectly dissonant, making my mind unable to merge the two into one sound. However, I then heard the Eye of Harmony''s ring, which resonated with specific notes of the other two herbs. Amongst the dissonance, there was but one single note that was in harmony. I found that note, and eased the three ingredients into one.


    I opened my eyes, and found myself looking at a perfectly-crafted Golden Hypersense Pill.


    Grandmaster Qian really picked a challenging one to give to us, but as a Golden Alchemist, this was nothing. Zhao Xiuying should also have no problems, given her talent and skill in the field of alchemy. I confirmed this after looking in her direction and discovering that she had already finished before me.


    "Mm. Here. Hand them to me."


    Grandmaster Qian stroked his beard, taking the two pills from us and inspecting them each closely. Zhao Xiuying''s was a porcin, shining silver, while mine radiated gold like the sun. Then, after some hesitation, he plopped the silver one into his mouth and swallowed it whole. His eyes widened as the effects struck him, but then quickly calmed down again.


    "¡­ Hm. Not too shabby, girl. 8/10. You have good alchemy foundations and a talent for the art. With a little refining and fine-tuning, you can be an alchemist worthy of being told about in stories, perhaps even having the potential to take my spot as the new number one alchemist in the world."


    Zhao Xiuying didn''t respond as usual, and instead merely blinked as if she hadn''t heard his words at all. Grandmaster Qian didn''t take offense and turned to me, then raised an eyebrow and plopped the golden pill into his mouth.


    "¡­!"


    His eyes widened, and he took several steps backwards as the pill''s effects struck his body, nearly falling over. Thankfully, I didn''t hate him enough to just let the poor old guy fall, so I teleported behind him and caught him before he could topple over.


    "¡­ Oi. You good, old geezer?"


    "A-Agh!"


    Grandmaster Qian suddenly straightened up once more, swatting my arm away, and coughed a few times.


    "A-Ahem¡­ that was¡­ surprising."


    I smirked. "Heh. Impress you, did I?"


    "No!" The old man shrieked, throwing his arms into the air.


    "Huh?"


    "Heavens, no!" He continued, shaking his head furiously. "Your pill is horrible! Absolutely awful!"


    "Huhhhhh?!" I raised an eyebrow, sincerely confused at what this guy was going on about.


    "Your Golden Pills have incredible strength, yes, but they are not refined properly! They were done so roughly, in such a hurry! What were you doing when you refined this?! About to blow your load, and forgetting to pull out?!"


    "W-Woah, there," I hurriedly said, not expecting an old man like him to make such a reference. "Exin it in a way that befits a grandmaster at alchemy, geezer."


    "Ughhhh!" He screamed in fury, wing at his own hair. "This triggers me to no end¡­ such potential in you, yet you do not even use it to its maximum! You are undeserving of the alchemic talent you hold!"


    I decided not to mention how I was quite literally first introduced to alchemy just a few days ago, since that wouldplicate matters unnecessarily.


    "So? How do I use this ''potential'', then?"


    "Hmph! Ask the girl beside you!" The old man snorted. "Until you reach at least her level, I refuse to teach you!"


    "¡­ You''ve got to be kidding me." I turned to Zhao Xiuying, who stared back at me with that same neutral expression on her face, lips slightly turned downwards but not in a sad manner.


    "So, uh¡­ how do I¡­ realize my potential¡­?" I asked awkwardly, scratching my cheek.


    "¡­" She didn''t reply. As expected.


    <em>Yeah¡­ the heavens will fall first before I can get anything out of this girl.</em>


    But then¡­


    "¡­ Dual, refinement."


    Her voice was so quiet I could barely even hear it.


    "What? Duel? You want to duel me? Why?"


    "No, you bratty kid!" Grandmaster Qian said with an exasperated sigh, facepalming himself. "I can''t believe she actually suggested that¡­ and you don''t even know what it is?! What kind of alchemist are you?!"


    <em>Uh¡­ one that only became one like, four days ago¡­?</em>


    Seeing my confusion, the old alchemist sighed deeply once more.


    "¡­ Listen up, kid. Dual Refinement basically means¡­ two alchemists, one male one female, exchanging alchemic talent through sexual activity."


    "¡­ What?" I blinked. "How is that even possible? ''Exchanging alchemic talent?'' Since when could you just give someone else your talent?"


    "D-Don''t question it, brat. I''m not questioning why she''s offering to do that with you, am I?"


    "Uh¡­ that is actually a good question," I muttered, turning to Zhao Xiuying once more. "Look¡­ you <em>do</em> know what sexual activity is, right?"


    The girl nodded softly. I gulped.


    "Well, if you <em>know</em>, then¡­ you should <em>also</em> know that it''s something you only do with the person you love."


    Zhao Xiuying blinked and didn''t make any other response, as if she hadn''t heard my words. I cleared my throat.


    "Uh¡­ anyway, I should get going. If having sex with her is the only way I can ''improve'' enough for you to teach me, Grandmaster Qian, then I''d rather not be taught at all," I said, standing up and dusting off my cloak. "Sorry, but I already have women I love. Goodbye."


    "Hmph," Grandmaster Qian snorted. "Good choice, kiddo. You may not be worthy of my teaching, but at least you''re not scum."


    <em>Ha¡­ if he knew about all the people I''ve murdered in the past¡­ would he still think the same way? Well, it''s not any of my concern anyway. This has been a waste of time, it seems like.</em>


    <em>I''ll just go back to the bank and check on my money¡­</em>

 Chapter 457 - Persistent Follower

    "¡­"


    I took a deep breath, sighing deeply.


    "So? Why are you here?"


    I was speaking to the beautiful but expressionless and silent girl who was currently standing in front of me, looking up at my face with an innocent expression. I originally thought her hair and Lan Xiao Su''s were simr in color, but that was just because of the lighting. Out here under the sun, it was clear her hair was actually closer to a light turquoise. This separated her appearance from Lan Xiao Su quite a lot, in addition to the fact that her hair was just let down to her back-height while Xiao Su''s was tied up in twin ponytails.


    But never mind that¡­ the problem was, why she had followed me out here.


    Naturally, though, she didn''t respond, and instead just blinked at me nkly. At a loss for what to do, I folded my arms and nced around.


    "Look¡­ you''re from one of the Eight Great Families, right? Go on home, please. I have things I need to do¡­ privately."


    She didn''t budge. Okay, time for n two.


    "If you don''t stop following me¡­ I''ll force you to stop."


    My red eyes held a sharp gleam in them, which was usually enough to intimidate any enemy. But not her. She didn''t even see me as an enemy, and instead continued staring at my face with that same, never-changing expression of hers that reminded me of Lorelei. Except, Lorelei actually talked. This girl did not¡ªonly very rarely.


    "God¡­" I sighed, giving up. "What am I going to do with you¡­?"


    Let''s see, what are my options? Correct, I have exactly zero. Clearly, words weren''t getting through to her, despite me being sure she could hear me. I couldn''t exactly knock her out either, since that would most likely earn me some trouble I didn''t want to deal with¡ªespecially not when she was from one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment.


    <em>Oh wait¡­ there''s</em> that<em> strategy, huh?</em>


    A mischievious, triumphant smirk donned my face as I came up with a master n to shake off this girl: Zhao Xiuying.


    *****


    It didn''t take long for me to find a restaurant. I entered it, and Zhao Xiuying naturally followed. Obviously, her gorgeous appearance made her stand out. Many recognized her to be the young miss of the Zhao Family, but none believed it was the real her, entering a restaurant with a boy. That was so out of character, it was unbelievable. Yet here she was.


    The waitress hurried over and led us to our seat, eyesnding on Zhao Xiuying in particr, but didn''t question anything as that was rude. After sitting down, I immediately stood back up again and began walking away. Zhao Xiuying did as well like a truly persistent follower, but I stopped her with a hand.


    "What are you trying to do?"


    She didn''t respond. That was fine.


    "I''m going to the washroom. You know you can''t enter there, right?"


    "¡­" She didn''t respond this time either, but I did hear a cute, almost inaudibly soft grunt escaping her lips. Good¡ªshe acknowledged my words. Now then¡­


    I strolled on in to the bathroom confidently as Zhao Xiuying returned to our seat, waiting for me toe out. Little did she know, I never would.


    Thankfully, no one else was in the men''s bathroom at the same time I was. This gave me the freedom to whatever I wanted. I immediately located the tiny, translucent window in the corner of the room, near the ceiling, and entered the stall closest to it. Then, climbing on top of the toilet lid, I pulled open the window after some effort and slipped through. It wouldn''t have been possible without my vampiric strength, but I did it.


    Did I feel bad? Kind of. But ultimately, it was the only way I could run from her. I had no intention of interacting with her, and I definitely did not need more women by my side.


    "Take that, Zhao Xiuying!" I cackled in victory,nding on the ground behind the restaurant and dusting off my cloak. "Didn''t think I''d escape through there, did yo-"


    I straightened my body up, and my gaze met the eyes of the same girl I had been trying to run away from. I froze mid-sentence, and a series of questions flowed through my head at Mach 1.


    "¡­ How?"


    "¡­"


    She didn''t respond.


    Of course she didn''t.


    She didn''t even look sad or angry that I had tried that, though her lips were down-turned a little more than normal.


    "Alright then¡­" I sighed. "You''re smarter than you let on, huh? Well. In that case, guess there''s only one thing I can do."


    *****


    After a few minutes, I found myself staring at a massive mansion directly across from the Long Family''s manor,parable in size. Getting here wasn''t a problem, as asking for directions was easy enough. The Xiang Family manor was right beside it, but I didn''t see Xiang Peng anywhere¡ªnot that it really mattered. I had a more¡­ problematic issue on my hands.


    Sure enough, Zhao Xiuying was still beside me, having followed me all the way here. I tried losing her in the crowd, but it didn''t work, surprisingly enough.


    "This is your house, right?" I asked. She slowly gave a nod. <em>Well, better than nothing, I suppose.</em>


    "Perfect." With a smile, I stepped up to the entrance and rang the bell beside the metal ck gates. Several secondster, a servant rushed out of the manor, and quickly unlocked the gate to speak to us.


    "Young miss! Wee back!" Then, turning his gaze to me, he continued. "And you are¡­?"


    "Oh, don''t mind me," I said. "Your young miss, uh¡­ ended up following me around. It was an¡­ inconvenience, to say to the least. I was hoping you could, you know, stop her from doing that."


    "Ah¡­ actually¡­" The servant held an ufortable expression on his face. "¡­ It''s no use, I''m afraid. The young miss is talented, but very stubborn. Once she has her mind set on something, no one can change her mind. Not even the patriarch and matriarch can, much less a mere servant like me¡­"


    My mouth hung open.


    "S-So, let me get this straight. You''re telling me¡­ there''s absolutely nothing that can be done about this situation? I''m stuck with her forever, until she decides to leave?"


    The servant hesitantly nodded. I broke down, rubbing my own forehead.


    "Ha¡­ you''ve got to be kidding me."


    "I ask that you please don''t hurt the young miss¡­ the patriarch, matriarch, and most importantly Butler Zan will not be happy if you do. And Butler Zan¡­ is scary¡ªyou don''t want to get on his bad side. He is also very overprotective when ites to the young miss, so¡­"


    "In that case, can''t he just take her back into the house? Please?" I begged. It''s been a while since Ist begged someone for something, but this really was a more troublesome situation than one could imagine.


    "No can do," an old man stepped outside of the manor, wearing a full butler outfit that made him look real professional. It reminded me of the butler from the Death Realm¡ªLing Xin and Axilia''s grandfather.


    "B-Butler Zan¡­?" The servant was evidently surprised to see him. "I thought you were resting¡­"


    "How can I rest when the youngdy has just returned home?" The butlerughed, but the smile disappeared as quickly as it came as he set his gaze on me.


    "You, young man. What is your name?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "Is that important?"


    "Yes. The patriarch, matriarch, and myself would all like to know the name of the man the youngdy will be married off to."


    "Wha- married?!" I cried, eyes widening in shock. "W-Woah there, Mr. Butler, I think that''s taking it too far, no? She''s just been following me around for a few hours, we''re not getting married!"


    Butler Zan sighed. "I am sure you know this by now, but the youngdy is extremely quiet, but stubborn. She also has never been interested in anyone, and certainly not a man. The only interest in her life is alchemy. The fact that she has chosen to follow you around for so long, refusing to give up¡­ it is saying a lot."


    "Uh¡­ great? But do I not get a say in this?" I asked. "Marriage is a two-sided thing, correct? Even if she wants to get married to me, I don''t feel like marrying her. Nor anyone, for that matter¡ªI''d like to wait a few more years before even thinking about marriage."


    "Well, the youngdy hardly leaves us any choice," Butler Zan shrugged. "It is either you marry her, or you let her remain lonely for the rest of her life. And we, as the Zhao Family, will never ept letting the youngdy remain lonely for her entire life!"


    I narrowed my eyes dangerously. "¡­ Is that a threat?"


    Butler Zan snorted. "So what if it is?"


    "Hmph. No one has ever threatened me¡­ and made it out alive."


    If there was one thing I hated most¡­ it would be others threatening me.

 Chapter 458 - A New Addition

    I summoned my Chaos katanas, letting the power of Chaos course through my body, and the Butler adopted a fighting stance in preparation. A ck me engulfed my body, but Zhao Xiuying didn''t seem concerned at all for her own safety despite standing so near me. Rather, she seemed quite interested.


    "W-Wait, sir!" The servant cried, jumping in between the Butler and I. "Please! There is a peaceful way to go about this."


    "Peaceful?" I snarled. "Your family''s youngdy has been getting in the way of someone else''s life, and now you are trying to force said someone into marrying her. Is this how one of the Eight Great Families of Fragment acts?"


    "You should feel honored, yet you are hateful instead?" Butler Zan snorted darkly. "Tell me, boy. Where is our youngdycking? Beauty, figure, or talent? I admit her personality is somewhat troublesome to deal with at times, but given the proper care, she can be a very sweet girl."


    "Does it look like I care? Your youngdy can be all those things¡­ but I still do not want to marry her. There are already women by my side¡ªI don''t need more."


    "Truly ungrateful brat¡­" Butler Zan muttered.


    "Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" A voice suddenly called out from behind me, and I spun to see Qing Yue running over happily, diving into my arms. "Eh¡­? What''s going on here?"


    "Uh¡­ let''s just say¡­ a minor inconvenience," I said, patting her head. "A girl I met randomly started following me, and I couldn''t shake her off no matter what. So, uh¡­ I came here to ''return'' her to her home."


    "And?" Qing Yue prompted, asking for more.


    "And¡­ now they want me to marry her."


    "¡­" Qing Yue blinked, then burst outughing.


    "Pfft~hahaha! Big Brother Xuan Kai, you really are a girl ma, y''know?"


    "It''s not like I want to be one¡­" I muttered, averting my gaze. "Look, maybe you can convince her to¡­"


    "Oh, isn''t that¡­" Qing Yue''s eyes widened when she saw Zhao Xiuying, and she hurriedly ran over to give her a big hug. "Mm! Heya, Xiuying!"


    Zhao Xiuying blinked. "¡­ Hello."


    My mouth hung open, but neither Butler Zan and the servant were surprised.


    "Y-You two¡­ know each other?"


    "Mhm!" Qing Yue nodded and turned back to me. "You see, while you were¡­ gone, Xiuying actually came over to the Long Family residency to ask about you. That''s how the other girls and I became acquainted with her. She''s a nice girl, y''know?"


    "What¡­? Ask about me? But why¡­?"


    "Ah¡­ so you are Xuan Kai," Butler Zan said with augh. "You should''ve said sooner, kid!"


    I turned to look at him. "What''s that supposed to mean¡­?"


    "The youngdy recently asked the patriarch and matriarch if they knew about someone named ''Xuan Kai'', and after research, they told her the Long Family would have more information. Thus, she went there. But as for why she is looking for you¡­ I''m not sure either."


    Zhao Xiuying blinked at me. "Xuan Kai¡­ alchemy, constitution."


    "¡­ Alchemy constitution?"


    It was then that it hit me.


    "Oh¡­ you mean¡­ my Golden Pills?"


    Zhao Xiuying nodded. "They, interest me. Dual, refinement."


    <em>Ah¡­ it alles together now. She wants to perform dual refinement with me so she can learn how to make Golden Pills as well¡­</em>


    "Hehe, I don''t know what any of this is about, but if you were to marry her, I wouldn''t mind, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said with a smile. "I''m sure the others wouldn''t either, considering we''ve already be friends with Xiuying."


    "Uh, well¡­ marriage is not aughing matter," I said. "And¡­ dual refinement either. Once you do it with me, you can''t do it with anyone else."


    I said it like it was a matter of morals, but in reality, with my Chaos Curse, it was impossible for her to engage in sexual activity with anyone else after doing it with me. If she tried, both her and the other partner would die.


    "That''s why¡­ I want you to think about this carefully," I continued sternly. "First of all, if you are only looking to have sex with me so you can refine Golden Pills, I can''tply. That would hurt both you and myself. Second, if you truly want to marry me because you like me wholeheartedly, then let me just warn you right now¡ªI already have many other girls by my side, many of which you''ve already met yourself. That means I can''t spend all my time with you."


    Qing Yue snickered and whispered into Zhao Xiuying''s ear. "Hehe, Big Brother Xuan Kai says it like he''s some sort of yboy bad guy, but really, he''s quite the caring, perfect-boyfriend-material type when it really counts."


    "Shut up, Qing Yue," I said harshly, earning me a giggle from her.


    "Xuan, Kai," Zhao Xiuying whispered.


    "¡­ Yes?"


    "I''ve, decided. Let''s, get married."


    "¡­"


    I sighed. "Even if you''ve made up your mind¡­ we still can''t get married yet. Not until a few years more, at least. But I guess¡­ in the meantime, you can live with us if you want, and get to know both me and the others."


    "Hehe~" Qing Yue giggled softly. "That''s another member, added to the list."


    I raised an eyebrow. "What list?"


    "Your harem, of course!"


    "Ugh¡­ should''ve known."


    "Take good care of her, boy," Butler Zan said as we began heading away. "I won''t forgive you if you mistreat her, got that?"


    "Rx, old man. If she thinks I am mistreating her, she can simply leave and find someone else. Unless she asks for it, I won''ty a finger on her."


    "Hmph."


    With that, Qing Yue, Xiuying, and I headed back to the Long Family''s manor. I never did retrieve my money from the bank, but I could do that tomorrow. I had the receptionist''s number anyways.


    "Really¡­ I don''t understand girls," I muttered on the way there. "How can you just up and decide to marry a person you''ve only met for a few hours?"


    "It''s more than just a few hours, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said with a wink,tching onto my left arm. "Xiuying goes to the same school as us, so I''m sure she''s bee observing you from the shadows for a while now."


    I turned to Xiuying, who walked by my right side. "Is that¡­ how you found out about my special alchemy aptitude when I myself didn''t even know about it yet?"


    Slowly, she nodded. I sighed.


    "Still¡­ just because you like alchemy, doesn''t mean you should sacrifice your entire marriage for it¡­"


    "I''m sure she knows, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue said gently. "Your alchemy constitution or whatever is part of it, but if you were some kind of thug, Xiuying definitely wouldn''t have approached you. Love at first sight does exist, y''know~"


    "Right, right¡­" I took a deep breath, then remembered something. "Oh yeah, I did say I had a surprise for you all, didn''t I?"


    Qing Yue nodded happily. "Yep~ and the other girls and I have prepared a nice, cute surprise for you too, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    "¡­ Hm. Well." I fished out a ne with a blue jewel embedded inside, then handed it to Xiuying, who blinked at it in surprise.


    "That''s my ''surprise'' for you. I would feel bad if all the other girls had something but you didn''t now that you''re part of us, so uh¡­" I cleared my throat. "I saw you eyeing this while we were walking past a store earlier."


    "But when, did, you¡­" She murmured, confused, staring at the beautiful blue ne in surprise and admiration both.


    "Made it just now, in my pocket," I replied. "Metal Magic. It''s not a replica of the one in the store, but it''ll do for now. Tomorrow, I''ll get you the real thing. Matches your earring, doesn''t it?"


    "¡­"


    Zhao Xiuying was quiet for a good while as she stared at the ne replica in her hands. Qing Yue snickered.


    "See? Told you. Big Brother Xuan Kai is quite the boyfriend, isn''t he?"


    "Shut up," I reiterated, rolling my eyes. But then, to our surprise, Xiuying reached up to her ear, and tapped on the blue gem.


    "¡­!" Qing Yue and I covered our eyes as a bright sh of light ensued, centering from the gemstone. When it finally dispersed¡­ I found myself staring at a pair of long, pointy ears.


    "What¡­"


    "Woah¡­"


    The ears twitched a bit, and Zhao Xiuying tilted her head towards us. She was already beautiful enough, but now she had this royal air to her, this nature-endowed beauty that could only belong to an elf¡ªand not just any elf either, a High Elf.


    "¡­ You, showed me, yours. I, will show, you mine."


    "That sounds really weird, but I''m not going to question it," I said. I figured she was referring to a ''gift''. I gave her a gift, so she''s giving me one in return, in the form of revealing her true self¡­


    Qing Yue giggled. "Hehe~ looks like you''ve got an elf in your harem now too, huh, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    At this point, it really was like I was collecting women from all the different races¡­ sigh.

 Chapter 459 - Maids Galore

    As we entered the Long Family residency, Qing Yue smirked and pulled out a blindfold, then handed it to me.


    "Here, Big Brother Xuan Kai. Put this on."


    "Huh¡­? Why?"


    "Well, you don''t have to if you don''t want to, but it''ll make for a better surprise factor."


    "Er¡­ okay then, I guess?" I scratched my head. "But if I''m blindfolded, how do I give out the surprises I have for you guys¡­?"


    "Hehe, you can worry about tomorrow. For tonight¡­ just let us service you."


    <em>Oh¡­ I can see where this is going. Do I like it? Well¡­ yes and no. My morals are telling me I shouldn''t be looking forward to this, but my body is telling me I am.</em>


    Thankfully, my excited member was being hidden underneath myrge cloak. Otherwise, if Qing Yue noticed it, she would never forget.


    Taking a deep breath, I slipped on the ck blindfold Qing Yue handed to me, and she led me for the rest of the way there, uttering out kind warnings like ''watch your step'' and the like.


    Upon reaching the quarter of the residency where the girls and I usually resided, however, Qing Yue came to a stop and let go of my arm atst.


    "Wait here, Big Brother Xuan Kai. Xiuying, follow me!"


    "¡­" Xiuying didn''t question and followed, while I was left in a state of confusion. Still, it would be a lie if I said this suspense was building up quite a bit of excitement. If that was the girls'' goal, well¡ªthey certainly seeded. I also felt Lorelei climbing out of my Soul and materializing into her human form, then following Qing Yue inside. I figured she was participating in this ''surprise'' for me, though I still didn''t know what exactly it was.


    Yami, on the other hand, also turned into his human form, but didn''t follow them and instead stood by my side. What a loyal little guy.


    "So? When am I getting my next training session?" He asked.


    <em>Ah. So that''s what this is about.</em>


    "Rx. Before we do anything else, I still need to confirm with Lorelei just what kind of magic Soulfoxes are capable of. After that, I can begin to properly teach you and hone your skills."


    "Hmph. Fine."


    Suddenly, the doors swung open once more, and Yami''s eyes widened.


    "W-Woah¡­"


    "Shhh," Qing Yue shushed gently with a wink. "Yami, go to the house across from this, to your right. I''ve already made arrangements with them¡ªthey''ll take you in. Tonight, no one but Big Brother Xuan Kai can enter this manor."


    "A-Ah, got it," Yami hurriedly said, strangely obedient to anyone who was not me, apparently. I heard the sound of his footsteps fade away, and then tilted my head back in Qing Yue''s general direction.


    "Seriously? You''re sending the poor kid away?" I chuckled.


    "Well, it''s necessary. After all, what''s inside here tonight is only for your eyes to see, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­"


    With a mischievous grin, Qing Yue took my hand and led me through the entrance of the house, which had an amazing aroma in the air. Once I was inside, I heard the doors closing behind me, and Qing Yue letting go of my arm to take a deep breath and stand before me.


    "Alright, Big Brother Xuan Kai. You can take off the blindfold now."


    "¡­"


    Silently, I undid the knot on the back of my head, sessfully taking off the ck blindfold and shoving it into my cloak pocket. But when I opened my eyes¡­ what greeted me was far beyond my expectations.


    "Wee home, master~"


    All of the girls in my harem stood lined up along the walls on either side of the entranceway, smiling warmly. Qing Yue, Feng Mian, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Lan Xiao Su, Zhao Xiuying, Lorelei, Mei Gui, Ling Xin, Axilia, and even Lin Luo were all there, five on each side. Qing Yue was leading them, and stood directly in front of me. But the most important part about this¡­ was that they were all wearing ssic ck-and-white maid outfits.


    "What''s the matter, master?" Feng Mian asked with a wry smile. "Are you surprised?"


    "¡­ Is that even a question?" I muttered,ughing slightly. "This is¡­ wow."


    "I''m sure you''re tired after spending a whole day out there, so allow us to take care of all your needs for tonight, master," Ling Xin said, winking flirtatiously. "Whether that is food, a hot bath or even sex¡­ we''re at your service."


    "We''ll help you undress," Yu An Yan said, stepping forward and moving to remove my cloak from my body. Her sister, Yu An Xue, also helped¡ªI didn''t resist.


    "Now then, what would you like to do first, master?" Qing Yue asked, performing a cute yet professional curtsy. "Have dinner, take a bath, or¡­ start with the ''action'' right away?"


    <em>I guess¡­ this is their way of weing me home. Well, no reason to hold back. They must''ve already made a decision for themselves, so me showing hesitation now would only be doubting them, which was the one thing I wanted to avoid. Might as well just enjoy this.</em>


    I snickered as the two Yu sisters hung my coat up onto the rack nearby.


    "The night is long. There''s plenty of time to enjoy ourselves, isn''t that right?"


    The maids all smiled collectively, some lewd and others timid, but the words that came out of their mouths were one and the same.


    "Yes, master~!"


    *****


    "¡­ Wow."


    As I sat down in the luxurious, throne-like chair at the dining table, I couldn''t help but gasp at all the delicacies ced down. The dishes were beautifullyid out on a pure-white tablecloth, and organized expertly for maximum pleasure to the eyes. A variety of colors were mixed together, and even without being some kind of top-tier chef, I could tell just how much effort was put into all of this.


    "We all worked together to prepare this feast tonight, master," Mei Gui said, biting her bottom lip and blushing as she averted her gaze. "I¡­ I am not good at cooking, b-but¡­ Q-Qing Yue taught me¡­"


    I smiled warmly and patted her hair. "Don''t worry about it, Mei Gui. You''ll get better with practice. But that aside¡­ are you okay with all the other girls calling me master like this? You were really defensive about it earlier¡­"


    Mei Gui met my gaze briefly, then pouted and looked away once more.


    "They asked me with such sincerity¡­ so I said just for today."


    Hearing this, I gave a chuckle. "So, my Mei Gui is capable of showing kindness as well, huh?"


    "Of course she can!" Qing Yue eximed, sitting down in the seat directly adjacent from mine. "But that aside¡­ if you don''t eat soon, the food''s going to get cold¡­"


    I nodded. "Wouldn''t want to let all of your hard work get wasted. But let''s be real here¡­ there''s way too much food. Even if I only grabbed a single bite of all these dishes, I would be full before even touching my rice. What are you guys just standing around for? Go and grab yourselves some utensils as well. C''mon."


    "Yes, master!" The girls hurried off and happily brought out some rice for themselves from the cooker, then each grabbed a seat with the exception of Mei Gui and Lorelei, who didn''t need to eat human food. Instead, they worked on giving me a massage with perfect technique, making me wonder when the hell they got the time to learn this. But hey, I wasn''t about toin.


    "Ah¡­ that''s the spot," I muttered, then shook my head. "Whew¡­ okay. Let''s dig in."


    *****


    "¡­ Mm. That was the best meal I''ve ever had," I said, leaning back in my seat. Then, turning to Mei Gui and Lorelei who were still massaging my shoulders, I tilted my head a little. "You two¡­ are not tired?"


    Both shook their heads simultaneously.


    "No, master," Mei Gui said. "We enjoy doing this, so please do not worry about it."


    "Lorelei lives to serve master."


    "Right¡­ but don''t overwork yourselves," I said. "If you are feeling tired, just take a break."


    The two nodded, but neither made a move to stop the massaging. I sighed. They''re hopeless¡­ but I could appreciate that loyalty and dedication.


    "Alright¡­ now that the food is done, it''s time to initiate Phase Two of the night," Qing Yue said with a wink, standing up. "Follow us, master. We will help you clean your body."


    "Really? I can do that myself, you know¡­"


    "Master~ let us do it, just for tonight," Axilia said, licking her lips seductively. "After all¡­ we need to take a bath, too~"


    I chuckled and stood up from my seat.


    <em>Like hell this is just going to be a bath¡­ but I''m pretty full of energy anyway. This might be a good opportunity to let some off.</em>


    With that, the girls, still in their sexy maid outfits, led me towards the bathroom. Inside was a swirling portal gate. But where did it lead, I wonder?


    "After you, master~"


    Not wasting any time, I stepped through.


    And on the other side¡­ was a hot spring.

 Chapter 460 - Hot Springs (18+)

    [Note: The following two chapters are 18+. Read at your own risk. If you are below 18, do not read. I say that even though I know 50% of you will read it anyway. But yeah, don''t say I didn''t warn you.]


    *****


    "¡­ A hot spring?" I tilted my head in wonder, observing the scenery before me. "And a private one at that¡­ where even is this ce?"


    "All the way in Japan, Demihuman territory," Ling Xin said with a cheeky grin. "I took it upon myself to secure us a spot. Are you proud of me, master?"


    "Uh¡­ you didn''t threaten them with your power, did you?" I asked.


    No response.


    <em>Yeah¡­ she definitely did.</em>


    "Well, either way¡­ this certainly is nice," I said with a rxed sigh, a smile tugging at my lips. Hot steam rose from the herb and flower-filled water, and bamboo shoots were added around the pools as decoration. It made for nice contrast with the pink flowers in the water¡ªa sakura onsen, if you will. The faint but sweet aroma of nature in the air smelled rxing, and the sound of water being dispensed from the two stone tigerheads near the pool was strangely calming.


    "Well? What we are we waiting for, then?" Feng Mian smirked, then stepped closer and seductively traced her fingers down my chest, stopping at my waist. "Let''s get in, shall we?"


    I smiled and leaned in to kiss her, removing my clothes in the process. She and the other girls all did the same, and together, we wrapped towels around our bodies and sank into the hot spring.


    "Ah¡­" I closed my eyes, leaning against the rim of the pool, and exhaled in rxation. "This is the life."


    "Fufu~ is that so?" I heard a seductive voice whisper by my ear, and turned to see Ling Xin there with a suggestive smile. "The real fun hasn''t even started, y''know¡­?"


    Saying this, she pressed her body up against mine and slid her soft fingers across my waist beneath the water, and undid the knot that tied my towel in ce. I took a deep breath and shook my head.


    "Seriously? This impatient?"


    "Hehe~ what did you expect?" Feng Mian said from my other side, tossing away her own towel and wrapping her soft breasts around my arm. "I''ve been holding my subus urges for so long¡­ don''t you think it''s time to satisfy them?"


    "Yeah, yeah¡­" I smiled and wrapped them both in my arms, one in each, feeling the warmth and tenderness of their skin. "I''ll satisfy all of you tonight, don''t worry."


    "In that case¡­ let''s get ready, hm~?"


    Feng Mian''s hand made contact with my hardened member and began stroking it up and down, while Ling Xin''s hand toyed with what was underneath. Their wless cooperation sent a tingle up my body, delivering a sense of pleasure indescribable in words.


    "D-Don''t forget about us, either, master," Yu An Yan said, sitting on the ledge of the pool above me. "I want¡­ ahem, a kiss."


    "Me¡­ too¡­" Yu An Xue added, cheeks flushed pink from both the heat and the embarrassment. Seeing their nervous fidgeting, I couldn''t help butugh a little.


    "Alright, alright¡­ c''mere."


    The two leaned in close with their heads, and the three of us shared a passionate kiss together, tongues entangling, while Feng Mian and Ling Xin continued to stroke my cock with their hands. After a few minutes of this, the two finally stopped, and the Yu sisters backed away.


    "Perfect," Ling Xin said, smiling erotically at my rock-hard cock. "Looks like you''re all ready, master~"


    "Sure am," I replied shamelessly, a grin creeping up my face. "Now then¡­ who''s first?"


    "Me, naturally," Qing Yue cut in with a wink, suddenly throwing her cute little feet around my neck and pulling me close. "After all, I was the one who set up all of this. But for maximum pleasure¡­ you can do both me and Lorelei at once~"


    "Huh? Lorelei¡­?" I blinked in surprise.


    Lorelei, in her human form, tilted her head at me. "Is there a problem, master? Lorelei lives to serve you."


    "No, not at all," I replied. "I was just a bit surprised, that''s all. I''m actually a little curious to find out what sex with a foxgirl will be like. So? How do you two want it?"


    Seeing as how they''ve served me this entire night, now was my turn to pleasure them in return.


    Qing Yue snickered mischievously. "First, Big Brother Xuan Kai, get out of the water."


    I raised an eyebrow in anticipation, but did as told and rose up, standing before Qing Yue, who still remained kneeled. Lorelei crept up beside her, and the two looked up at me like puppies.


    "We want you¡­" Qing Yue began, snuggling closer and resting my enormous cock on top of her face. "¡­ To deepthroat us, master~"


    "Hoho¡­" I chuckled darkly. "So that''s what you''re into, huh? Fine by me."


    Without any warning, I took hold of Qing Yue''s head, then shoved my cock down into her mouth.


    "¡ª!" Her eyes bulged in surprise at how deep it was reaching, and I savored the warm and wet feeling of her throat.


    "I-Ish¡­ sho¡­ big¡­" She groaned, unable to even speak properly.


    "Get ready¡­ because it''s about to go even deeper."


    Saying this, I thrust my hips forward, pushing my dick straight into the deepest parts of her throat. Her eyes filled with lust, and she began fingering herself as I slid my cock back and forth in her mouth.


    "Mmf¡­ sho good¡­"


    "Mm¡­" Lorelei blinked as she watched, slowly sliding her fingers in and out of her own pussy like Qing Yue and the other girls were.


    "Don''t worry, Lorelei, you''ll get it too," I said, then pulled out of Qing Yue''s mouth and shoved it into Lorelei''s instead.


    "Mmn¡­!" Her eyes widened the same way Qing Yue''s did, and her ears twitched in response. Her foxtail spasmed in ecstasy as she took my dick in whole, and her mouth''s virginity was robbed.


    "Oh, fuck¡­ you''re adorable, Lorelei¡­"


    I ced my hands on her head near her two fox ears as I thrust in and out of her throat, relishing the warmth and wetness my entire dick was surrounded by. After a while, Qing Yue was begging for it again, so I pulled out of Lorelei''s mouth and delivered her saliva to Qing Yue using my cock. Naturally, she began eagerly sucking on it once more, like the good girl she was.


    "Mm¡­ both of your throats are amazing," I groaned as Lorelei and Qing Yue used their tongues to pleasure my dick''s tip while stroking the shaft with their hands. It was like they were sharing a passionate kiss with my cock in the middle, thering it with their hot saliva.


    "Fuck¡­ I''m going to cum soon¡­" I muttered, shoving my cockpletely into Qing Yue''s mouth once again. "Take the first load, Qing Yue¡­!"


    "Mmf¡­! Yesh¡­ give me¡­ your cum¡­ master¡­!"


    She too was nearing climax with her fingering, and I sped up my thrusting into her throat. It felt too good to stop¡­!


    "Ngh¡­!"


    "Master¡­!"


    "Lorelei wants some too, master¡­!"


    With one final thrust, I pumped a gallon''s worth of cum into her mouth, before pulling out and shoving my dick into Lorelei''s instead to let her have some as well.


    "¡­ Hah¡­ hah¡­"


    I stepped back atst, leaving the two''s mouthspletely mutted by my cock.


    "So much of master''s thick cum¡­ in my throat¡­" Qing Yue gasped, licking up the few drops that spilled out. "I love it so much¡­"


    "Mm¡­ Lorelei wants¡­ more¡­"


    "Too bad for you," Ling Xin said, standing up and walking closer to me, taking my still rock-hard dick in her hand and stroking it up and down. "It''s my turn now, as the one who secured this hot spring~"


    "I''ll give it to you good, Ling Xin," I whispered in her ear, then suddenly picked her up by the thighs, which was something she clearly had not been expecting.


    "E-Eh? M-Maste- mmph~!"


    Unable to stand the temptation any longer, I silenced her with a kiss, and thrust my dick upwards into her wet pussy. She had already fingered herself earlier from watching me deepthroat Qing Yue and Lorelei, so there was no need for forey.


    "Ahn~! Mmn~! Your dick is the best, master~!" Ling Xin moaned, crying in ecstasy every time I thrust upwards. I smirked.


    "Heh¡­ to think the esteemed Shadow Empress would be moaning so lewdly from getting prated by my cock. You''re nothing just my slut, really," I chuckled, tightening my grip around her thighs as she locked her legs around me. "Answer me¡ªwhat are you?"


    "I''m master''s¡ªahn~¡ªpersonal slut~!" She moaned, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes back.


    "That''s right¡­ and what do sluts do?" I continued, licking my lips.


    "They have¡­ mmph~! Cum¡­ shot in them¡­!"


    "Exactly," I whispered. "And that''s why¡­ I''m going to shoot my cum into you!"


    "Oh, yes~!" She begged,pletely giving in to my dick. "Please shoot all of your cum into me, master~!"


    Caressing her naked body, I smiled and sped up my thrusting.


    "Oh~! Mmf~! Ahhhn~!"


    "Take¡­ it¡­ all¡­!"


    "AHNNN~!!!"

 Chapter 461 - Hot Springs Part II (18+)

    [Note: This is an 18+ chapter as well in case you haven''t noticed already by the title. I already said what needed to be saidst chapter, and I am not one to repeat things. So, uh, yeah. Read at your own risk. People below 18, skip by, people above 18, remember this is No Nut November (at the time of writing this: 11/21)]


    *****


    "Oh¡­ there''s so much¡­" Ling Xin murmured as I set her down on the ground, cum still spilling out of her womb. "Hah¡­ master, you''re really a meanie, y''know?"


    I raised an eyebrow, sinking back into the hot spring. "How am I a meanie?"


    "Making me say things like that¡­ fufu~"


    "I didn''t *make* you say anything," I replied with a chuckle. "You said everything yourself."


    "That''s not fair¡­ your cock just felt too good¡­ my mind nked out."


    "Hmph, sounds like a you problem."


    "Master, me next~!" Axilia cried, pulling me into an embrace.


    "Nuh-uh," Feng Mian cut in, pulling her away from me. "We agreed beforehand to go by the proper order, so if you''ll step aside¡­"


    "Hrm¡­" Axilia groaned, having been exposed, and reluctantly backed off. Feng Mian, on the other hand, licked her lips and pressed her generous bosom against my chest, leaning in close to my ear.


    "I can go more than just a few rounds, y''know¡­ I can''t hold back my inner subus any longer."


    "¡­ Heh."


    With a smirk, I suddenly pushed her off of me, then pinned her against the edge of the pool.


    "Ara ara~? So aggressive?" She smiled, winking seductively. This was the normal Feng Mian no longer¡ªthis was her subus personality.


    I rubbed my cock against her soft, marshmallow-like buttcheeks, and spanked her a few times.


    "Mm¡­ can you me me? I just can''t get enough of this ass."


    "Fufu~ is that so? Then¡­ show me~"


    She suddenly pressed back with her butt and began rubbing my dick with it, as if tempting me.


    *Well. No reason to hold back, is there?*


    With a smirk, I set both hands firmly on Feng Mian''s waist, and thrust my dick straight into her tight asshole.


    "Ngh~!" She cried out, body trembling a bit. "It''s been so long since west did this¡­ ah¡­"


    "Heh¡­ I''ve missed this as well."


    SLAP!


    I spanked her as hard as I could, causing her to cry out in ecstasy. I chuckled.


    "What a masochist you are, Feng Mian¡­"


    "Heheh¡­ is that all you have, master? Or can you do me¡­ even harder?"


    I smirked as I continued thrusting. "Is that a challenge?"


    Between moans, she giggled. "Sure is."


    I stopped moving my hips, and pulled out. "Fine. Get out of the water. I can''t do it properly in here."


    "My, my¡­ you''re making me excited~"


    Feng Mian was disappointed at me pulling out, but after hearing those words, she happily did as I instructed and sat down by the pool. I followed her out of the water.


    "Let''s see what you can do, master~" She winked seductively, spreading her legs.


    Without any hesitation, as all the other girls watched on, I closed the gap between Feng Mian and I in onerge stride and grabbed her ankles with my hands.


    "¡­ Eh?" She was confused at first, but not for long.


    Suddenly, I lifted her legs up so that her feet were adjacent to her head, and her eyes widened.


    "W-W-Wait, master¡­ this position, it''s¡­" She murmured, voice trembling a bit.


    "What? Scared?" Iughed. "Well, it''s toote to back out now."


    "E-Eh?!"


    I pressed my cock against her asshole, and thrust it in.


    "¡ª?!?!" A yelp escaped her lips as my dick hit parts of her butt''s interior that had never been hit before, and she cried out in ecstasy. She asked for hard, I''ll give it to her hard.


    Pressing down on her legs so that they remained fixed beside her head, I thrust my cock in and out of her over and over again. Feng Mian moaned uncontrobly every time I did so, and even her subus persona was unable to act seductive anymore, faced with this utter pleasure her body was getting.


    "Oh~! Fuck, yes~! More, master, more~!"


    The other girls watched on, stunned, as I pounded my dick into her ass more hardcore than anything they had witnessed before. Part of them waspletely engrossed, while another part of them wanted the same thing being done to themselves.


    "You like doing it in this position, huh? Answer me!"


    "Yes~ I love this position~! Oh, it''s reaching so deep~ mmf~!"


    Suddenly, as I was pounding her and saw her drooling mouth, an idea came to me.


    "Heheh¡­ do you want even more, Feng Mian?"


    "H-Huh¡­? Even more¡­? How is that¡­ possible¡­"


    I stopped thrusting momentarily, and snapped my fingers.


    *Level Three Shadow Magic ¡ª Shadow Clone.*


    Suddenly, an exact replica of myself appeared on the other end of Feng Mian, and her eyes widened.


    "W-Wait, master¡­ you don''t mean¡­"


    "¡­ Can you take two of me at once, I wonder?"


    I flipped her body around so that we were in doggystyle, then slid in underneath Feng Mian, cock pointed directly at the entrance of her pussy. My replica then took my original spot, kneeling behind her and rubbing his throbbing cock between her asscheeks.


    "H-H-H-Hold on, master, this is- AHN~!!!"


    I didn''t let her finish the sentence before both my shadow and I thrust forward, each entering one of Feng Mian''s holes.


    "¡ª!" She was utterly frozen by the sensation of taking two cocks in her at once, and I too was shocked.


    "Oh, fuck¡­ this feels¡­ amazing¡­" I muttered, groping her beautiful breasts. One of the main features separating the Shadow Clone spell from Shadow Replica spell was that I could feel the same things my Clone was feeling. In other words, it was essentially more like I had split myself into two bodies rather than create a mere illusion of myself.


    As such, right now, it was like I was fucking both her pussy and asshole at the same time, and groping both her breasts and buttcheeks at the same time. It was a wondrous feeling, one that couldn''t be described in words.


    "Ahn~!" Feng Mian cried as my Clone and I thrust in perfect unison once more, bringing maximum pleasure to her body. I pressed her head closer to mine and kissed her deeply while my Clone spanked her ass, and together, we continued to fuck both her holes.


    "Oh~! What is this feeling¡­?!" Feng Mian cried,pletely dominated by the two dicks entering her. "It feels so good¡­ oh my god¡­! Master is¡ª master is prating both my holes at once~! I love it~!!!"


    "And that''s not all¡­!" I smirked, sending out yet another Clone¡ªI could at max handle 3 at the same time. This one knelt down and grabbed Feng Mian by the head before shoving his cock into Feng Mian''s mouth, plugging it uppletely.


    "Mmph~?!" Her eyes widened in shock as yet another cock entered her body and began thrusting like she was a sex toy. It was a heavenly feeling¡ªthe raw wetness of her pussy paired with the roughness of her ass, plus the hotness and movements of her tongue all grouped into one. That''s what I was feeling right now, and it was amazing.


    "Mmf! Mmn! Mmph~!" She moaned, sound muffled by the thick cock inside of her mouth.


    "Fuck¡­ I never knew how good this felt until now¡­!" My Clones and I groaned simultaneously¡ªafter all, we were the same exact soul. "I''m going to cum, Feng Mian¡­!"


    Her eyes rolled up as all three of holes were ravaged by my cocks, and all she could muster out was, "Yesh~! Cum~!"


    Naturally, I obliged.


    "Ngh¡­!"


    My Clones and I shot out our cum all at the same time, filling Feng Mian''s body up entirely with my love juices. Her eyes widened even further, and her throat gurgled a bit before all three of us finally pulled out. I ordered my Clones to disappear, and Feng Mian copsed onto my body, panting.


    "Hah¡­ how¡­ even split in three¡­ there''s so much cum¡­"


    "Did you like it?" I asked, stroking her hair. "I mean, I sure did."


    "Heh¡­ I didn''t even know that was possible¡­" Sheughed slightly. "I''mpletely out of energy, but¡­ it would be a lie if I said that didn''t feel good¡­"


    I chuckled, pushing her off of me, then stood up. "Thought so. Now then¡­ who wants to get the three-dick treatment next?"


    *****


    - Meanwhile, In A Different Corner of the Hot Spring -


    "Three-dick treatment¡­?" Lin Luo muttered, clearly disgusted. "How¡­ vile."


    "U-Um¡­ they looked like they were having fun¡­" Lan Xiao Su said, scratching her hair.


    "What, don''t tell me, you want to join them¡­?"


    "N-No! I''m nowhere near ready for that yet¡­ I just¡­ am observing to learn, that''s all¡­"


    "Hmph."


    "Then¡­ what, are you, watching for?" A third voice chimed in from behind the two, and Lin Luo whipped her head around to see Zhao Xiuying''s nonchnt elven beauty.


    "U-Uh¡­ that''s¡­ I was forced to do this! Yes, that''s right! Qing Yue dragged me into helping with this¡­"


    "Even so, you, do not, have to, watch, them."


    "W-Well, er¡­ that''s¡­ y-you know what?! Forget it!"


    Pouting angrily, Lin Luo blushed and looked away, spotting Yu An Yan being next in line for the said ''three-dick'' treatment that made all the other girls curious. Deep down, her pussy had gotten wet as well simply from watching the others, but she was never going to admit it.. Never.

 Chapter 462 - Back To The Summoning Realm

    "¡­ Whew."


    I stared nkly at the dark ceiling above me, thoughts drifting towards a certain phoenix.


    Iy on a massively wide bed, with the girls all fast-asleep beside me. I waspletely exhausted, and so was my member. I couldn''t count how many times I came tonight if I tried, but it did feel good, that was for sure. Still, Lan Xiao Su, Lin Luo, and Zhao Xiuying had sat this one out. If my harem kept growing, my body might not be able to keep up. At this rate, I might have to set up a schedule as to who I spend time with on one day, and who the next¡­ though that all seems like so much of a hassle.


    At any rate, there were more important matters to be thinking about. For instance, a certain phoenix girl whom I had named ria.


    When I entered the Death Realm, my contract with her had been forcibly broken. I figured that was most likely because the Summoning Realm does not share a direct connection with any other Realm except the Living, just like how Lorelei could not directly transfer to the Death Realm from her Soul Realm. ria, being but a mere infant Phoenix, definitely could not cross over between realms like Lorelei could, even if she was of the Golden Phoenix Bloodline. After all, if even the Queen of a race so powerful it once ruled an entire Realm could only barely make the jump, there was no way a mere child could.


    <em>"Master. Are you nning on going to the Summoning Realm?"</em> Lorelei suddenly asked me in my head.


    <em>¡­ Yeah. I need to find her. ria, I mean. She lost both her parents, and saw me as her new father. I don''t want her to experience the same pain again¡­ the same pain I once suffered from too.</em>


    <em>"¡­ Very well. Take Lorelei with you."</em>


    <em>Huh¡­? But¡­ why? Shouldn''t you remain here and feed on the other girls'' dreams? And besides¡ªis it even possible to bring you¡­?</em>


    <em>"It is,"</em> she replied. <em>"The dreams can wait. Lorelei will remain by master''s side and help you look for this¡­ ria girl."</em>


    <em>Oh, right¡­ you have sensing abilities¡­ I see. Alright, then. Just make sure you''re not too tired from¡­ what we did.</em>


    <em>"Worry not, master. Lorelei still has plenty of stamina left."</em>


    <em>Right¡­ but I don''t. It is what it is, though. No sense in dying this any longer.</em>


    Closing my eyes, I called upon the only spell in the Summoning Element:


    <em>Evocatio Spatium.</em>


    Immediately, I felt the edges of my vision turn a blurry white, before filling up my sightpletely. My ethereal body, carrying Lorelei, was sucked out of my real one, and together, we were sent to the Summoning Dimension/Realm, however you want to call it.


    *****


    "¡­ It''s been a while since Ist came here."


    As my vision returned, I found myself inside the familiar ck-and-green retro-game themed world that was called the Summoning Dimension by the Living Realm''s inhabitants. In reality, however, it too was a Realm of its own, called the Summoning Realm.


    The sky was dark green, and everything was made out of pixels. The ground adopted a grid-like pattern, with glowing green lines cutting the opaque ck floor intopletely even squares. Other than the weird aesthetics, however, this ce was more or less a normal world. Trees, water, and even a sun were all present, and many animals roamed about.


    I also spotted several other people in this ce, possibly looking for a contracted beast, but I didn''t bother with the, and instead chose to consult my partner in this mission.


    <em>So, Lorelei. Can you sense ria?"</em>


    Lorelei turned into her Soulfox form and climbed on top of my shoulder, then closed her eyes and let the rune-like symbol on her forehead shine a bright pink. Then, after a few seconds, the light faded away, and Lorelei opened her eyes once more.


    <em>"¡­ A Phoenix of the Golden Bloodline, correct? How perfect,"</em> she murmured inside my head. <em>"She is on top of that mountain the distance, Master."</em>


    <em>What¡­ really? Wow¡­ I didn''t expect such a precise answer.</em>


    <em>"After consuming your dreams, Lorelei''s abilities seem to have improved drastically," Lorelei said. "It is most unusual, but not something toin about. But in addition to that¡­ Lorelei can sense Golden Phoenixes in particr very well."</em>


    <em>Oh? Why is that?</em> I asked as I began walking towards the mountain in the distance. It was a pain, not being able to use any form of magic as an ethereal version of myself.


    <em>"Many, many years ago, the Soulfoxes and the ruling race of the Fire Realm had an alliance. They were good friends."</em>


    <em>The Fire Realm¡­ and that race was the Phoenixes, I suppose?</em>


    <em>"Not just any Phoenixes, master. Golden Phoenixes in particr,"</em> Lorelei exined. <em>"Between Realms that are normally not connected, one can create something called a Realm Corridor that connects two Realms permanently, so long as it is not destroyed. As such, the Soulfoxes and Golden Phoenixes would constantly mingle and go to one another''s realms to y. Their society was too a matriarchy, and Lorelei was good friends with their Queen."</em>


    <em>I see¡­ but the Nightwolves¡­ they destroyed the Realm Corridor before attacking, didn''t they?</em>


    <em>"Indirectly, but yes. Maintaining a Realm Corridor and keeping it active despite the harshness of the void between Realms is difficult and takes energy. As the Soulfoxes were barely even able to sustain themselves, they naturally could not keep the Realm Corridor up and running. The Golden Phoenixes alone could not maintain the Corridor on their own."</em>


    <em>¡­ Tragic. But if that''s the case¡­ howe a Golden Phoenix¡ªria¡ªis here in the Summoning Realm?</em> I asked.


    After a short silence, Lorelei spoke.


    <em>"¡­ Lorelei can only imagine something simr befell them. Or, alternatively¡­ this ria girl is just an outcast."</em>


    <em>An outcast¡­ just like me, huh? All the more reason to get her back.</em>


    With a smile, I continued my journey onwards towards the mountain.


    *****


    "¡­ Alright. Finally," I sighed, having reached the peak of the mountain after nearly an hour. I had sprinted all the way here as fast as I could without magic enhancements. Since this was my ethereal body, I didn''t run out of energy or start sweating or anything. Still, this took longer than I would''ve liked.


    "Now then¡­" I stared down at the pool of fuming green liquid below me. "¡­ You''re telling me ria is in there, Lorelei?"


    Yes, this was a volcano. Theva was just green to fit in the aesthetic of this realm.


    <em>"Yes,"</em> Lorelei replied in my head. <em>"Volcanoes are a Phoenix''s favorite ce to rest."</em>


    <em>"Huh¡­ is that so?"</em> I scratched my head, wondering aloud. <em>"Well, in any case¡­ ria! Can you hear me?!"</em>


    I yelled down into the volcano''s chamber, but received no response apart from my own voice''s echoing.


    "¡­ Damn."


    <em>"That will not work, master,"</em> Lorelei said nonchntly. <em>"Chances are, the Golden Phoenix you seek is at the very bottom of this volcano. Sound will not reach her."</em>


    "¡­ Ugh, how annoying."


    Then, recalling what had happened when I first met ria by chance, I came up with an idea.


    <em>Hm¡­ maybe if I do this¡­ she''ll know I''m here¡­</em>


    *****


    After going all the way down the mountain to retrieve an apple and climbing all the way back up again, I was ready to die.


    Yes, I didn''t feel tired or anything at all, but my mental state was still injurable. Doing the same thing over and over again will drive me insane. I even picked up a couple more fruits, just in case this one didn''t work¡ªI sure as hell am not going back down there anding up again.


    But¡­


    "¡­ Wait. If I toss this fruit down here, won''t it just burn from theva?" I muttered.


    <em>"Actually, these fruits are all extremely heat-resistant, master,"</em> Lorelei said, having inspected the fruits'' souls. <em>"They should be able to make it to the bottom without being turned to ashes."</em>


    "Huh¡­ so that''s why ria liked eating these ones in her Phoenix form," I muttered. "Normal ones would''ve disintegrated in her mouth before she could even get a taste."


    I shook my head. "Well, whatever. Let''s give this a shot."


    Rubbing the fruit on my body a good few times, I tossed the apple down into theva. Does that sound gross? Yeah, I guess, but it was to make sure ria knew who was there. I guess I could''ve carved some text into the apple, but hell, I didn''t even know if she was literate, and I wasn''t about to risk it.


    But even after waiting several minutes, there was no response. I tossed down another fruit. Then another. And another.


    "¡­ Seriously?" I muttered, sighing and cing my hands on my hips. "Lorelei, you sure she''s in here?"


    <em>"Certain, master. Lorelei can still detect her energy signature below theva. She is perfectly healthy and well."</em>


    <em>Then¡­ is she mad at me? For abandoning her?</em>


    I guess¡­ I should give a proper exnation. But how was I supposed to do that, when she isn''t even going toe out of theva to greet me?


    I sighed. "¡­ I''lle back another time, I suppose."


    There''s nothing I could do right now. I needed to get back, formte a n, then return here.


    Spinning around, I began descending the mountain, disheartened and defeated. It would seem this has been a waste of ti-


    <strong>"Oi! Where are you going, you bastard of a master?!"</strong>


    Suddenly, I heard a ssh of liquid followed by aloud, unmistakable high-pitched voice behind me. My eyes widened, and I slowly turned around.


    "¡­ ria?"


    Before me, a phoenix, radiating in golden mes, narrowed her eyes at me from the air.


    "¡­ Hmph.. You have a lot of exining to do."

 Chapter 463 - Flarias Return

    "¡­ So, you heard me after all, but just chose not toe out?" I folded my arms, shooting her a deadpan look. ''How cruel."


    "What''s <em>cruel</em>, is how you suddenly broke our contract and forcefully abandoned me to the Summoning Realm without any notice, you good-for-nothing sorry excuse of a master!" ria yelled, descending from above andnding on the ground in her human form. It would seem she has gained more control over her transformations since thest time I saw her.


    "Geez¡­ your tongue has grown even sharper too, eh?" I chuckled. "Well, not that I mind. But uh¡­ about how I abandoned you¡­ look, I didn''t mean for that to happen."


    "Uh-huh," ria narrowed her eyes in suspicion, folding her arms as if mocking my own pose. She didn''t say anything more, but her expression was one that read ''tell me more''.


    And so I did.


    Everyst detail, from how I entered the Death Realm, and got caught up in all sorts of side adventures, added three more girls to my harem, and now finally returned to the Living Realm once more.


    Once I was done, a good fifteen minutes had passed. This was the second time I was retelling this story, the first being with the other girls, so I was quite tired of it by now, but ria seemed to be even more tired.


    "W-Wait, let me get this straight. So you somehow didn''t die after falling off a cliff, but really, you did, because you technically went to the Death Realm¡­ and then came back like nothing happened, with three more beauties in your arms?"


    "Uh¡­ sounds about right."


    "¡­ Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"


    "I do."


    "¡­ And you expect me to believe it?"


    "Well, yes."


    ria sighed, then looked away and set her hands on her hips. "In all honesty¡­ I can''t say I''m surprised. Knowing you, anything is possible. Especially the beauties part."


    I smirked. "Jealous?"


    "H-Huh?" ria suddenly blushed and red at me. "Why would I be jealous of that?! You value yourself too highly!"


    "The correct term is actually self-esteem, but I will take it."


    "Grr¡­"


    "Rx, rx. I''m just kidding. You''re more of a brat than anything, and I certainly don''t see you as wife material," I said with a wink. "However, there is someone else who might¡­"


    "What¡­? I have no intentions of getting married. Phoenixes don''t need to mate to reproduce, you know that, right?"


    "Ah, but does it hurt for them to fall in love?" I taunted, a wry grin creeping up my face. "C''mon. I have a feeling you two will get along well."


    I turned around and began walking away, thinking she would follow, but¡­


    "¡­ I can''t."


    "Huh¡­?" I turned around, confused, only to see a dejected-looking ria, staring down at the ground. "Hey now¡­ what''s wrong?"


    "I¡­ I''m not strong enough."


    I narrowed my eyes. "What¡­?"


    She took a deep breath, then shyly looked away, refusing to meet my gaze.


    "After being separated from you for the past few days, I''ve been thinking. Ever since we formed our contract¡­ how many times have you actually called upon me, and how many times have I actually been of use to you? I feel very¡­ meaningless."


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but sigh.


    "Look¡­ you think I didn''t call upon you because you were too weak?" Iughed. "No. Far from that. You''re a goddamn Golden Phoenix, ria. Saying you''re weak is like calling Mount Everest a small hill. If anything, the reason I haven''t called upon you is because you are too strong."


    "Huh¡­?" This time, it was her turn to be confused, and looked up at me in surprise.


    "Use your head, ria," I said, shaking mine and facepalming in response. "You may be¡­ what, 2000 years old? But you''re still but a child in terms of phoenix years. One is equivalent to¡­ how many again? 200 human years? That makes you 10. You are far from being able to control your power effectively, and thus I''m hesitant to use your power."


    "B-But¡­ when will you finally use me¡­?"


    "Rx, my sweet daughter," I said, stepping forward and patting her on the head, surprising her even further. "There is a certain ce I am nning on going in the near future. There, you can go wild and use all of your power¡ªI''ll need it."


    "D-Daughter?" She yelped, eyes widened. I nodded, a smirk on my face.


    "Is there a problem? You''re the one who hugged me so tightly at night while sleeping, calling me your dad. Isn''t that weird? I thought Phoenixes were an only-female race."


    "T-They are, but¡­ it''s not like I don''t know what a dad is," ria muttered in reply, cheeks flushed. "It''s just¡­ my mother died early, so I just really want¡­ n-nevermind."


    I smiled gently, then bent down and hugged her close.


    "¡­ I understand. I''ve never had any experience with this before, so I can''t promise I''ll be a great father figure. But uh¡­ if it''s anyfort, at least you''ll have plenty of mothers to take care of you¡­? Ah, no, sorry¡­ that was bad."


    "Hehe¡­ it''s fine, you sorry excuse of a master," ria said with a light giggle, hugging me back. "But if you think you can get me to call you ''daddy''¡­ nice try."


    "I had no such intentions, but sure."


    ria smiled warmly, and dug her face against my chest. With a loving look that a parent would give their child, I slowly stood back up, picking ria up with me, and prepared to exit the Summoning Realm. But then, I realized.


    "¡­ Oh, yeah. We have to renew our contract, don''t we?"


    ria chuckled. "Idiot."


    "Hey, is that how you speak to your parent? Ah, whatever¡­"


    *****


    After renewing the contract, ria and I returned to the real world. It would seem I spent longer in the Summoning Realm than I would''ve liked, as it was already early morning. None of the girls seemed to be awake yet thanks to all the ''action'' fromst night, but it would seem¡­ one was.


    "¡­ Good, morn-"


    "Shh!" I instantly teleported off the bed and blocked her mouth, preventing her from saying anything further. Then, after making sure none of the other girls had been awoken, I made a beckoning gesture to her and slowly made for the door. The girl¡ªZhao Xiuying¡ªfollowed, and we stepped outside the room without making any noise, changing into our daily clothes in the process.


    Once we were out in the open courtyard, I sighed and sat down on the stairs leading up to the entrance of the building. ria climbed out of myp and sat down beside me, and Zhao Xiuying stood on my other side.


    "¡­ Good, morning," she said, finishing her sentence from earlier.


    I nodded. "Good morning to you as well. You''re quite the light sleeper, huh, Xiuying? None of the other girls noticed, but you did."


    "¡­" She didn''t say anything in reply to this, partly because she had no reason to.


    "Is it because you''re an elf?" I wondered, and she gave a brisk nod. "I see¡­ so those ears aren''t just for appearance''s sake."


    After a while, she spoke again.


    "Where, did you, go?"


    She seemed strangely interested, so I figured there wasn''t a point in lying to her.


    "I went to the Summoning Realm," I replied. "And this¡­ is ria."


    "¡­ Hi," she said, shooting me a re that said ''you didn''t tell me about this girl''. Of course I hadn''t¡­ she only joined just recently¡­


    "ria¡­ is she, a Golden, Phoenix, perhaps?"


    I blinked in surprise. "You could tell¡­? At first nce?"


    "I am, perceptive, to such things," she replied, finally taking a seat beside me and staring up at the wide open sky. I followed her gaze and looked up as well, as did ria and Lorelei who sat perched on top of my shoulder in her fox form.


    "¡­ It''s beautiful, isn''t it?" I said, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.


    Zhao Xiuying blinked. "¡­ Yes, it is."


    ria silently reached out at the sky with her short hand, and seemed to be grasping at the moon that would soon fade away as its brother, the sun, rose. Lorelei''s beautiful ck eyes in this fox form reflected the lunar light and the hazy blue sky of dawn.


    "I want, to go there, someday," Zhao Xiuying suddenly said¡ªa rarity for her.


    I tilted my head. "Where? The moon?"


    She nodded. "It is, most fascinating."


    "Hm¡­e to think of it, what is out there, really?" ria murmured, resting her head against my shoulder. "I know about others and such¡­ but is there something thatys beyond the expanses of this universe?"


    "We''ll have to go there ourselves to find the answer to that," a third voice suddenly chimed in, and ria and I turned to find Yu An Yan along with the rest of the girls, all changed and awake, behind us. They smiled as one, and together, said in the warmest voice possible:


    "Wee home, ria."

 Chapter 464 - Professional Tips

    "Alright! Today marks the first of the Date Week!" Qing Yue dered, smiling happily. "More importantly, it''s my turn! I hope you have the day all nned out, Big Brother Xuan Kai~ you better not let me down after all I nnedst night!"


    "U-Uh, yeah," I replied, scratching my head awkwardly. Truth to be told, I haven''t given it a single thought, but I''ll just go along with the flow and pretend like it was all nned. That should work. Probably. I felt a bit scummy for doing this, but in all honesty, I didn''t have any time yesterday to do any research on the city of Fragment and what ces were good for taking girls on dates to.


    Right now, the girls and I were having breakfast, but my heart wasn''t in it. Despite the richness and deliciousness of the food that Ling Xin and Axilia had cooperated together to cook up, my mind was focused on something else¡ªthe money from yesterday. I still haven''t retrieved that yet, and I needed to do so before my date with Qing Yue began. Or else, I would be broke.


    And then, a thought hit me.


    <em>Wait a minute¡­ this is a great excuse to learn more about the city! I can say I didn''t get to retrieve my money yesterday, and therefore have to do it now, but in reality, I''m also taking this chance to explore and find some good locations to take Qing Yueter!</em>


    I''m such a genius.


    "Oh yeah, by the way," Ling Xin said as she set finally sat down in her seat after finishing washing the pot. "Right after breakfast, I''ll need to be heading to a Council meeting. It shouldn''t take that long, but I''ll miss out on watching you two¡­ sigh."


    "Wait, what?" I frowned. "You were nning on watching me and Qing Yue have our date¡­?"


    "Hm? Of course not!" Ling Xin hurriedly said, covering up her slip with a charming smile. "I wouldn''t dream of it. What I meant to say was watching An Yan and An Xue sew, hahaha¡­"


    I blinked, turning to the Yu sisters. "You two can sew?"


    "E-Eh? We can?" Yu An Yan echoed in confusion, then quickly realized her mistake. "A-Ah, I mean, of course we can! Yep! Definitely!"


    "Hrm¡­" I narrowed my eyes, but didn''t pry any further and instead stood up from the table, having finished my food. "I need to head to the bank real quick, before our date. I just checked my wallet, and uh, it''s sort of empty. I meant to do this yesterday, but Xiuying ended up existing, and uh¡­ yeah."


    "Mkay~ just don''t bete! Our date is scheduled to start at 8:30!" Qing Yue said excitedly, clearly having waited a long time for this day to happen. I definitely did not want to disappoint her, considering all she has done for me both before I awakened my powers and after.


    I nodded, then shot the clock on the wall a quick nce. <em>7:50. The bank branch only opens at 8, so if I head over right now, I should be able to get in as soon as it opens, meaning I won''t have to wait in line¡­ that leaves me with roughly half an hour to find good ces to take girls on dates.</em>


    It certainly wasn''t a lot of time, but I had a better idea in mind. Rather than going out and exploring on my own, all I had to do was ask someone who has been here for a long time, and knows the ce better than I do.


    And quite frankly, I had the perfect person in mind.


    *****


    Soon, I found myself standing in front of the bank doors, waiting for it to open. I appeared to be the only one, and caught many gazes from passerby, but I didn''t mind. I mean, attracting attention, for better or worse, was something I was long used to by now.


    That said, I hadn''t been expecting to be alone in waiting for the bank to open so I could get first dibs on service, but then again¡­ thinking about it now, I guess it''s reasonable. After all, the entire poption of Fragment was a couple hundred people, maybe a thousand at best. This was, in the end, a elitemunity where only the best of the best could get in. And how many people ssified as the ''best of the best''?


    Thankfully, the waiting didn''t take too long, as the same receptionist from yesterday appeared to chant a spell of some sort, dispelling the magic barrier that surrounded the building and allowing me to enter. Upon seeing me, her eyes widened a little, and her movements hastened. I was grateful.


    Once I was inside, she led me over to her counter, and took a deep breath.


    "First of all, we-"


    "Where''s the money?"


    I cut straight to the point, more direct than she could even imagine. Interrupted mid-sentence, she blinked at me a few times in surprise, then awkwardly answered my question.


    "A-Ah, yes¡­ I checked with my manager, who contacted a professional, who then fainted upon seeing all the treasure you had, so we had to get someone else, who eventually verified all of its authenticity. I know I did promise you $150,000 for one coin, but¡­ you have so many that the bank would nearly go bankrupt if it were to pay the full price for all of them. As such, the manager eventually decided on one final price for all of them: 150 trillion. Does that sound good?"


    "150 trillion¡­" I echoed, gulping. That was a number of a size far too big to evenprehend. It certainly was enough tost him a lifetime and guarantee him a rich and wealthy life with plenty to spare. That amount may as well be infinity, since there was nothing in this world that cost that much and could be bought with money.


    "I understand you may feel that is too low, but¡­ it is really the most the bank can muster," the receptionist murmured, a conflicted expression on her face. She wasn''t lying, and was a kind person. She clearly felt like she¡ªand the bank¡ªowed me¡­ in which case, I could take advantage of that.


    I sighed, making sure to act like I was truly very disappointed with the amount.


    "150 trillion is fine, if that is truly the most the bank can pay. However, in that case, I have a favor to ask."


    The receptionist tilted her head. "A favor¡­?"


    "Yes. What, you don''t want to?" I smirked, putting pressure on her.


    "A-Ah, no¡­ if it''s within my ability, I''ll do my best to help. This is the least I can do to make up for this, after all¡­"


    "Good. It''s simple, really," I said, scratching my cheek awkwardly. "I just want to know, uh¡­ where are some good ces to take a girl out on a date?"


    "E-Eh¡­?" She blinked, clearly confused. I didn''t have much time, so I reiterated the statement again.


    "You heard me right. Just tell me some hotspots of this city¡­ y''know, ces that a girl would like."


    "E-Erm, well¡­ that depends on the personality of the girl, really. There is an amusement park at the very north of the city, and a movie theater right across from here¡­ but I actually don''t rmend those ces."


    I blinked. "What? Why? Aren''t amusement parks and movie threaters usually the top cliche dating spots?"


    "That''s precisely why I don''t rmend them," the receptionist replied, all of a sudden acting like a professional in dating. "Listen up! Yes, these cliched ces may make some girls happy, but what will make them even happier is taking them to a spot that really resonates with them and aligns with their interests. That shows you truly know a lot about them and cares about their hobbies. Understand? Taking them to a generic ce like an amusement park may even make some girls think you''re a boring man."


    "Huh¡­ I see¡­"


    "So, think carefully. What exactly does the girl you''re taking on a date like?" The receptionist prompted, then pulled out a brochure of sorts and handed it to me. "This is a map of the entire city. All the shops and points of interest have been marked on it. Once you''ve determined what kind of things she likes, you can use this to help you decide where to go."


    I nodded hesitantly. "Er¡­ thanks."


    "No problem! Now, go take her out for the date! Good luck!"


    With that, she waved me off, and I slowly walked out of the bank, still in a daze as I tried topute what she just told me.


    <em>What does Qing Yue like, huh? Well, I guess¡­ anime and manga is a big one¡­ and eating¡­ and going on roller coasters¡­ and just anything fun in general, to be honest.</em>


    And then, I stopped, realizing something and looking at the brochure in my hands.


    <em>Wait a minute¡­ that girl didn''t actually give me any specific locations except for this brochure! Damn it, she yed me for a fool!</em>

 Chapter 465 - Dating Is Really Not My Strong Suit...

    <em>Damn it, I was yed like a fool¡­!</em>


    I immediately moved to rush back into the bank to demand a proper answer to my question, but then suddenly received a telepathic message from none other than Lorelei.


    <em>"Master, friendly reminder: ten minutes until your date starts."</em>


    <em>U-Ugh¡­ dammit, getting back home from here will take at least 10 minutes¡­ agh, whatever!</em>


    Turning tail, I began calmly walking in the direction of the Long Family residency. Magic was forbidden from being used inside Fragment, as there was some sort of anti-mana enchantment in the air that prevented magic from being used. I could still use it if I really wanted, but that would take effort, and effort equals sweating, which would yield the same results as if I just ran back. As such, if I wanted to not make it look like I had forgotten about the date''s start time, I had to walk. At least this gave me some time to look over the brochure.


    By the time I finally got back, the clock just hit 8 o''clock. Qing Yue was already waiting by the door, and seemed to have changed into something I''ve never seen her wear before¡ªa white dress paired with white stockings and white shoes. Her entire getup was white, just like her back-length hair. She looked quite cute, standing there and holding her dark brown bag that contrasted with her outfit with her two hands.


    "Oh, there you are, Big Brother Xuan Kai!" She giggled upon seeing me, and rushed over happily, diving into my arms. I smiled and patted her head, which I knew she loved receiving from me.


    "Are you all ready?" I asked. "If so, let''s go."


    "Yep!" She eximed, twirling around in a circle. "How do I look?"


    "As you always look," I said with a grin. "Cute as hell."


    "Hehe~ I''m not sure that''s the bestparison, but I''ll take it as apliment," she said with a wink, sping my hand with hers. "Now then, you lead the way, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    I nodded, and the two of us set off to the first destination I had in mind¡ªthe amusement park.


    *****


    "Alright, they should be out of earshot now¡­ let''s follow!" Feng Mian whispered sharply, setting down her binocrs and emerging from the corner where they had been hiding behind.


    "Um¡­ should we really be doing this?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly. "Isn''t this kind of wrong¡­?"


    "Oh,e on, you say that, but didn''t you came along too?" Yu An Yan said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, we''re not going to interfere or anything. All we''re doing this for is entertainment!"


    "Yeah¡­ besides, Qing Yue said it herself that we were allowed to do this," Feng Mian added with a shrug.


    "That''s only because she wants to spy on the other dates as well¡­" Lin Luo muttered, folding her arms. "Though I guess, if we''re here, we can help with any trouble that might ur."


    "They are, leaving," Zhao Xiuying pointed out casually, pointing in the distance.


    "Oh, you''re right- let''s hurry!" Feng Mian called out, and together, the group of girls began their secretive mission: follow Xuan Kai and Qing Yue on their date.


    *****


    "Woah¡­ this ce is huge¡­" Qing Yue mused in awe, looking around at all the different rides and arcades in the amusement park, still holding my hand. "I don''t think we''ll be able to even do everything in one day¡­"


    "That''s fine," I replied with a smile. "If you enjoy this ce, I''ll take you back here again sometime in the future, maybe even with the other girls."


    "Really?!" She looked at me in excitement, eyes sparkling in wonder. Seeing her like this, I couldn''t help but give a light chuckle.


    "Mhm. But for now, let''s not waste any more time just talking. Which ride do you want to go on first?"


    Since we had already purchased our tickets to enter, we were free to do as we wished inside this ce until it closed at 6 PM. I already thought of a ce to go after 6, so there was no worries there, and there should be more than enough activities in this amusement park to keep us busy until that time came.


    "Hm¡­ let''s go on that one!" Qing Yue said after a while of thinking, pointing at the enormous roller coaster tracks in the distance, coiling around like a dragon. It was the biggest one in the park, and by the looks of what is written on the guide I picked up at the entrance¡­


    "¡­ Heh. Going for the big guns right away, huh?" I snickered. "As expected of you, Qing Yue. Very well. Let''s go on the Dragon''s Shadow."


    "Ooh, what an ominous name¡­" Qing Yue smirked. <em>She''s into horror as well.</em>


    "C''mon. The park just opened, so there aren''t many people yet. We should be able to secure ourselves a seat on the ride without waiting for too long," I said, then pulled her by the hand and began running over to where the ride was, following the map on the guide.


    *****


    My guess was correct.


    We didn''t need to wait long at all, and it was only a matter of a few minutes before it was our turn to head on the ride. Each row of seats could only hold two people, so Qing Yue and I sat side-by-side as the U-shaped over-the-shoulder restraints slowly descended from above and safely locked us in ce.


    "Ready?" I asked Qing Yue, who shot back a wry grin at me.


    "Yep~ are you, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    I gave a decisive snort. "Hmph, who do you think I am? Something like this won''t be enough to shake m- w-woah-!"


    The roller coaster suddenly began moving without warning, and we edged forward at a snail''s pace. That was¡­ embarrassing. I gave a light cough, then averted my gaze.


    "So, you were saying¡­?" Qing Yue giggled cutely as I gulped.


    "I-I''ll be fine. Probably."


    "Hehe~ we''ll see about that."


    As the roller coaster made a left turn and began climbing a hill, I felt my heart get tighter and tighter. I turned to see Qing Yue perfectly fine, smiling happily in anticipation at what was toe. Me, I was not so perfectly fine. As we neared the top of the climb, the roller coaster stopped for a moment, as if building up tension, and allowed us to get a glimpse at the dark cave that we were about to zoom into down below.


    <em>No wonder it''s called the Dragon''s Shadow.</em>


    "Oh boy¡­ here we g- AHHHH!"


    *****


    "Ugh¡­" I stumbled off and hit the brick wall of a building after exiting the roller coaster, feeling empty and like I was about to die. It was like I had left my soul up there before the drop happened, and now I would never get it back again. Needless to say, it was a horrible experience. By some miracle, however, I didn''t throw up or even get an urge to throw up¡ªit might have something to do with the air being enchanted.


    "Hehe~ are you okay, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, patting me gently on the back. She seemed to have had fun with that ride, which was really all that mattered.


    I rolled my eyes and straightened up. "What does it look like, my dear little sister?"


    Qing Yue snickered. "That was your first time riding a roller coaster, wasn''t it?"


    I nodded. "Yeah¡­ wait, is that why you chose the most terrifying one¡­?!"


    "Mayyybe~" She giggled, so cutely that I couldn''t bring myself to even re at her. With a sigh, I waved her off.


    "So? Where to next? Oh, but¡­ please not another roller coaster, I don''t think my body can handle it¡­"


    "Well¡­ first, I need to use the washroom real quick, then we can decide. Can you take me there?"


    She didn''t know where to go in this ce as she didn''t have the guide, so I nodded and began leading her towards the bathroom.


    *****


    "Here we are," I said, pointing my chin towards the hallway of bathrooms, lined up neatly on either side of the corridor. They were all unisex and spacious, the type meant for only one person to use at a time.


    Since this was Fragment, these kinds of washrooms were possible with the small poption. Not many people were here, so naturally not as many washrooms were as needed. The extra space allowed for the construction of these single-person but more luxurious private rooms that could fit ten or more people without a problem. They were also very clean, enchanted with special magic that automatically rewinded time after someone used it and left.


    Qing Yue, seeing these spacious and private bathrooms, shut one eye as if contemting something, then nced up at the walls of the corridor in search of any cameras. Once satisfied she didn''t locate any, her lips slowly turned up into a smile.


    "Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ do you want to use the washroom as well?"

 Chapter 466 - In Public...? (18+)

    "Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ do you want to use the washroom as well?"


    I frowned. "Huh? What do you mea-"


    But I didn''t get to finish my sentence as Qing Yue suddenly pushed open the door of the washroom closest to us and pulled me inside along with her, then mmed it shut again and pinned me against it, a look of lust and desire on her flushed face.


    "Hehe¡­ since these washrooms are so spacious¡­ it would be a waste to not take advantage of this, wouldn''t it?"


    "Qing Yue¡­ didn''t we just do itst night¡­?"


    "Maybe so¡­ but that wasn''t quite enough. After all, your attention was diverted between all the other girls as well. So¡­ what do you say, onii-chan?" She stuck her tongue out yfully, pulling up her skirt so I could see her wet panties. "Do you want to cum inside your little sister, right here, right now?"


    "Qing Yue¡­" By now, any sign of tiredness I had before was long gone, and my cock was as hard as a rock. I pulled her close and met her lips with mine, exploring the interior of her mouth and mixing her saliva with my own. Qing Yue obliged, entangling her tongue around mine, and kissed me deeply as if lusting for more.


    I gave it to her, unbuckling my pants and pulling my heated rod out, unable to wait any longer. I then grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her up, roughly rubbing my thick dick against her panties as we continued exploring each other''s mouths. Her body was shorter and smaller in stature than the other girls, making her practically as light as a feather.


    "Mm¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kai, I can feel your precum through my panties," she dered with a wink, breaking the kiss momentarily and reaching down to stroke my cock with one hand while keeping her other on my shoulder to stabilize herself.


    "Fuck¡­ Qing Yue¡­"


    Unable to take it any longer, I walked over to the horizontal baby changing station in the bathroom and plopped Qing Yue down on it, then took off my cloak and tossed it over to the sink, revealing my masculine figure and the muscles on my chest and abdomen. Qing Yue, seeing this, licked her lips in lust, took off her shoes with a easy toss and lifted one of her feet, then traced it down my chest before arriving at my enormous still-exposed cock.


    "Hehe~ it''s been a while since Ist did this for you, hasn''t it?" She giggled, carefully tracing her white stockings across my dick. "Last time, it was with my bare feet, but this time¡­ I''ll do it for you with these stockings Since they''re white¡­ you can cum all you want on them, and no one will know a thing~"


    <em>A¡­ footjob¡­</em>


    I groaned as Qing Yue began working her way down my shaft with her two delicate feet. The silky smoothness of the stockings on my cock felt too amazing to describe, and the way she applied pressure at all the right times and points just made this perfect. I had noints, and just stood there to enjoy the heavenly sensation created by this wless footjob.


    Qing Yue, spurred on by my soft groans of pleasure, undid her own dress and began ying with her small breasts with one hand while slipping her other into her panties, fingering herself with her tongue dangled out of her mouth, dripping with saliva.


    "Ahn~" she moaned as her own fingers hit her G-spot, and in turn, watching this erotic scene made me even more turned on. I began proactively rubbing my cock against her two feet as they continued working wonders on it, and Qing Yue sped up with her fingering.


    "You like this, don''t you?" Qing Yue whispered seductively, speeding up with her feet. "Answer me, Big Brother Xuan Kai."


    "Fuck yeah¡­" I groaned. "Your footjobs are the best, Qing Yue¡­"


    She giggled. "In that case¡­ mmn~ I want you to cum all over my feet, okay?"


    As she neared climax with her own fingering, I was closing in to cumming as well.


    "Ngh¡­!"


    "Ahn~!"


    With a groan, I let out my first load of the day, painting her already-white stockings even whiter with my cum. Qing Yue''s love juices also spilled out of her womb, staining the baby changing stationpletely.


    But oh was she not done yet.


    "Fufu~ now, it''s your turn to please me," she said, alluringly taking off her cum-soaked stockings before <em>putting them in her mouth.</em>


    "Qing Yue¡­?" My eyes widened at this action, but she merely savored the taste of my cum and lifted her legs up before crossing them in front of her face and holding them there with her hands, leaving her wet pussypletely wide open to me.


    "Hot damn¡­" The position was so hot that my cock instantly bulged again even bigger than before, despite just cumming once.


    "Put it in me¡­ Big Brother Xuan Kwai~!" She begged, eyes filled with hearts of lust and voice muffled by the two cum-stained stockings in her mouth.


    "Oh, you better believe I will¡­!"


    Unable to take it any longer, I stepped forward and thrust my cock into Qing Yue''s tight cave, as deep as it would go. Her eyes widened at the sudden and forceful entrance, my cock scraping roughly against her pussy walls.


    "Mmf~!" She cried out, but once again, her voice was muffled. This turned on the sadistic side of me, and I licked my lips before pulling out and thrust inwards again, as if daring to reach even further with my incredibly huge cock.


    "E-Erl~!" Her eyes rolled to the back of her head in ecstasy as her pussy was being forcefully pounded by my thick dick, and each time I thrust back in, she would let out a muffled moan of lust and pleasure.


    Reaching up, I grabbed her two crossed ankles with my hands and pinned them against her forehead, then began thrusting inwards as fast as I could.


    "Mmf~! O-Orl! A-Ahn~!"


    And finally, I gave her the words she had been yearning to hear all this time:


    "Hah¡­ Qing Yue¡­ I''m going to cum¡­!"


    "Yesh¡­! Cum into your little shishter''s shoaking wet pusshy, Big Brother Xuan Kwai~!"


    "Hngh¡­!"


    There goes my second load, this time into her soaking wet pussy. It was tight as hell¡­ but not as tight as a certain other hole. Qing Yue''s body by this point was trembling, but seeing her in this position,pletely sumbing to me, my dominant side just refused to let my dick settle down as it remained rock hard, and I began rubbing it against her other hole, also exposed to me in this pose.


    "You want it in your ass next, yeah?" I breathed softly, testing the waters and teasing her a bit by putting a little bit of my dick in, then pulling out again, and repeat.


    "Yesh¡­ give it to me in my assh¡­" She moaned, reaching down with her hand to finger herself.


    That was all I needed to hear.


    With a decisive thrust, I shoved my cock into her minuscule asshole, multiple times tighter than her pussy. It felt different, but great nheless. Her eyes widened as she was prated in a different hole, and continued moving her finger inside her already cum-filled pussy while also sucking on the remaining cum on her stockings from earlier.


    Deciding I needed something in my mouth as well, I brought her feet close to my face using my hands that still gripped her ankles, then began tenderly licking the soles of her feet as I continued pounding her small and tight ass. Her body overflowed with pleasure, and she gave inpletely to my mouth and cock.


    Taking a page out of her own blowjob skills, I worked my tongue between her toes, savoring the taste of her sweat, some of it mixed with my own cum from earlier. You know what they say¡ªa true master chef always tastes his own cooking. It was strangely erotic as three different kinds of bodily fluids were now on her beautiful and delicate little white feet: sweat, cum, and saliva.


    "Hah¡­ mmf~! Ahmf~!"


    "Oh, fuck¡­ your feet taste great, and your ass is even better than your pussy¡­"


    Those two sources of lust, plus watching her finger herself, was thest nail needed in the coffin. I sped up faster and faster as I analed her deeply, and atst, I busted my thickest,rgest load yet.


    "Mmmmmf~!!" She let out a loud moan as her ass was filled to the brim with my white cum, and atst, I pulled out, letting the semen flow off the baby changing station and onto the marble floor.


    "¡­ Whew. Satisfied now, are you?"


    Atst, Qing Yue took out the cum-stained stockings from before out of her mouth, and panted heavily.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ yes¡­ that was¡­ amazing, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ Qing Yue loved it~"

 Chapter 467 - Manga Cafe

    After Qing Yue slipped all her clothes back on and adjusted them properly, she opened the door and headed out. I, on the other hand, needed to pull a Cloak of Invisibility out of my Space Locket, and use that to get out, then regroup with her in an isted area where no one was looking. When we slipped in, Qing Yue had carefully made sure no one was looking before pulling me inside, but heading out was a different matter altogether.


    Either way, we didn''t have to worry about the next person to use that bathroom seeing the¡­ aftermath of our actions. The rewind time enchantment cast on all of the rooms made sure they were always in pristine condition. It was a very borate and difficult enchantment to cast, requiring an insane amount of mana and skill. But s, this was the Magic Capital, meaning all the best talents around the world were gathered here. It was hardly a surprise that a ce like this could have enchantments such as these.


    "So, where are we off to next?" I asked, taking Qing Yue''s hand as we strolled the amusement park.


    "Hm¡­ another roller coaster?"


    "No."


    My answer was immediate, nonwavering. Qing Yue giggled.


    "Just kidding, just kidding¡­ let''s go to the arcade. We passed by some on the way here, didn''t we?"


    I took a look at the map on the guidebook I got at the entrance of the amusement park, then nodded. "They aren''t far. Let''s go."


    *****


    With that, the rest of the day soon came to an end. 6 PM rolled around, and the amusement park closed down.


    "Whew¡­ that was fun," Qing Yue breathed, stretching her arms high into the air as we were just about thest two people to leave. She had gotten real addicted to that one racing game in the arcade I kept beating her at, and it wasn''t until an employee came over and forced us to leave that I finally decided to just purposely let her win once.


    "We still have some time before night falls," I said as we strolled back onto the streets of Fragment. "Are you hungry, by any chance?"


    They had eaten lunch at a local restaurant inside the amusement park, but that had been a while ago. Qing Yue gave a nod.


    "Slightly. But¡­ are we just going to eat dinner, now? Isn''t it kind of early still?" She tilted her head in question.


    I nodded. "Dinner willeter¡­ but a snack couldn''t hurt, could it?"


    "A snack¡­?" Her eyes sparkled in excitement, and I smirked.


    "Tell me, Qing Yue. What''s your favorite thing in the world?"


    "You," she replied without any hesitation, a serious look on her face.


    Iughed awkwardly. "Uh¡­ apart from that?"


    "Hm¡­" She fell into thought, skipping along. "I guess¡­ manga?"


    I chuckled. "Bingo."


    "Eh?"


    "You''ll see."


    *****


    "Woah¡­ is this¡­?" Qing Yue''s eyes sparkled with excitement as we stood in front of a short, cute building that had multiple round tables inside with white chairs surrounding them, and¡­ bookshelves. Loads and loads of bookshelves lined the walls, and judging from the name of the ce¡­


    "Manga Cafe¡­ is this a manga cafe?" Qing Yue blinked.


    "Uh¡­ what do you think?"


    "Hehe ~ that''s hardly a very creative name, but it does look nice. Let''s head in!"


    Qing Yue pulled me inside through the automatic doors, unable to wait any longer, and was weed by refreshing air conditioning. Gentle lo-fi music yed through the speaker system, creating a calm and tranquil atmosphere,pletely isted from however noisy the outside world was. I figured there was probably Sound Magic enchantments in ce.


    "Wee to Fragment''s one and only Manga Cafe!" A young woman wearing maid clothes said with a curtsy and a broad smile. "How long would you like to stay today?"


    "One hour to begin," I said. "We''ll extend as we see fit."


    The maid nodded happily. "Understood! And what drink would you like?"


    I turned to Qing Yue, who was too absorbed in admiring all the different manga selections in the cafe. Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I turned back to the maid employee.


    "Let''s go with two milk teas. One taro, one lychee."


    "Very well! And medium for both?"


    I nodded, and the maid wrote everything down on her notepad.


    "Alright! That''ll be $18 in total!"


    I nodded and swiped my card on the device she handed me, and a beep rang out signaling that the transaction hadpleted and was sessful. As for Qing Yue, she was already browsing the shelves. As expected of a manga addict.


    "Wow¡­ they even have the limited editions with the signatures here¡­" She murmured, eyes sparkling in delight and wonder. I''ve never been much of an anime or manga fan myself, mainly due to theck of both time and interest, but I had no doubt they were both entertaining topics that could quickly turn into hobbies if I really got into it.


    "Big Brother Xuan Kai! This one, this one!" She suddenly whispered sharply, pointing at a cute green bean bag chair and beckoning me toe closer. It was in the corner of the room. I liked corners, so I obliged and walked over and plopped down on it.


    "Mm, this isfortable," I murmured, letting my weight sink into the bean bag. Qing Yue plopped down after me, straight into myp, and then set down the entire stack''s worth of manga she had picked out from the shelves. It was clear we would be staying here for quite a bit longer than just an hour.


    "Take a look, Big Brother Xuan Kai," she said, showing the cover of the first manga in the series to me. It read¡­


    "¡­ Hairy Tail? What kind of name is this?"


    "Hm? Not interested? Then¡­ how about this?"


    "Uh¡­ Attack on Lemon? That sounds¡­edic, I suppose."


    "Eh¡­? It''s supposed to be a dark series, though¡­ oh, I know! What about this one?" She held up a third manga, and I raised an eyebrow at it before reading the title aloud once again.


    "¡­ Defective Conan. Poor guy."


    "You''re not interested in any of these?" Qing Yue frowned slightly. "Well, I suppose it is what it is¡­ one day, I''ll find a manga series for you to enjoy, Big Brother Xuan Kai. I swear it!"


    "Yes, yes¡­" I smiled and tried tofort her. It''s not her fault I didn''t find any of these particrly interesting.


    "Hello there! Your drinks are ready!" The maid from earlier called to us, then set down our milk teas down on the top of the bookshelf beside us.


    "Thanks."


    "Thank you~!"


    "No problem," she replied with a warm smile. "Also, I noticed you two whispering earlier¡­ there is no need for that. The air in this ce is specially enchanted with Sound Magic so that voices can only be heard within a two-meter radius from the source. You can go ahead and yell as loud as you''d like, and you wouldn''t be disturbing any of the other customers."


    "Oh, that''s neat," I murmured, rubbing my chin. <strong>"But I refuse."</strong>


    "E-Eh?" The maid tilted her head, confused.


    "Even if you told me to yell, I wouldn''t," I replied.


    "A-Ah, of course, that was just an example, haha¡­" Sheughed awkwardly, then spun on her heel. "Well, please just raise your hand if you need anything, and I''lle right over. Enjoy your stay!"


    As she left, I turned back to Qing Yue, only to find her staring at me in shock.


    "B-Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ what you said just now¡­ say it again."


    "What¡­? That¡­ I won''t yell?"


    "No, no, before that. Those exact words." Her eyes seemed to shine with anticipation, and on my part, I was bewildered. What did this girl want from me?


    "Er¡­ But I refuse?"


    "Yes! That one! Say it!"


    <strong>"¡­ But I refuse."</strong>


    "No way¡­ the voice is so perfect¡­" Qing Yue sped her own cheeks in awe, as if thoroughly stunned by my performance. "That¡­ that right there, was a top-tier Juju''s reference!"


    "A what reference, now?"


    "Juju''s Crazy Expeditions! One of the top meme series of all time!" Qing Yue eximed happily. "To think you are able to make a reference without even knowing about it beforehand¡­ you''re truly a natural otaku, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"


    "Uh¡­ thanks?" I raised an eyebrow, confused as to what I was supposed to be saying here.


    "Heheh, I''ll turn you into a true weeb someday. Just you wait!"


    *****


    In the end, Qing Yue and I ended up spending a good two and a half hours at the manga cafe. By the time we were done, it was nearly 9 PM, so I needed to drag her back home. For her part, she didn''t want to leave yet. The cafe was open 24/7, so technically she could''ve stayed if she wanted to, but really, I had ns with a different girl tomorrow as agreed beforehand, so no can do.


    On the way home, the streets were quite empty. Most folks have retreated into their respective lodging by now, leaving Qing Yue and I walking in afortable silence as the two of us looked up at the beautiful night sky, hands held together.


    "Hey, Qing Yue," I said, breaking the tranquility.


    "Hm? What is it, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    "Did you¡­ have fun today?" I asked hesitantly. "I mean¡­ I''ve never really taken a girl out on a date before, so I''m very inexperienced when ites to things like this. Did I disappoint you?"


    "Hehe~ what are you talking about?" Qing Yue giggled. "Today was the most fun I''ve had in a long while, Big Brother Xuan Kai. From the amusement park to the manga cafe¡­ everything was well-nned and carefully thought-out. I can tell you put a lot of effort into making today''s date a memorable one. I enjoyed it very much¡­ and it''s all thanks to you, Big Brother Xuan Kai."


    "¡­ As long as you''re happy, I''m happy too," I replied, smiling faintly.


    "Besides," Qing Yue continued, winking at me. "It''s not like this will be thest time we go on a date together. You''ll be getting loads of practice in theing few days, so I expect the next time to be even better, mkay?"


    Iughed. "You can say that again¡­ I''ll do my best. It''s the least I can do to repay you all for everything you guys have done for me."


    "Repayment this, repayment that¡­" Qing Yue sighed. "Seriously, you''re hopeless, Big Brother Xuan Kai. We''re all family here. There''s no such thing as debts or repayment. Your problems are our problems, and your merits are our merits as well. We''ll get through everything together, so don''t act all distanced with us, okay?"


    I smirked. "Through the power of friendship?"


    "Hehe~ yes, that cliched line. Through the power of friendship¡­" She echoed, then tipped on her toes to nt a sweet kiss on my cheek.. "¡­ And love."allnovelfull

 Chapter 468 - Sylvoirs Prophecy

    - Before Xuan Kai and Qing Yue returned -


    "Wow¡­ that was one hell of a day," Yu An Yan said, copsing on the couch. "I never thought Qing Yue would pull something like that off¡­"


    "Definitely," Feng Mian added with a sigh. "That was¡­ rather unexpected, to say the least."


    "¡­" Meanwhile, Mei Gui was silent, contemting whether she could use the same tactic when it was her turn.


    The girls were currently back at their house in the Long Family residency, having just returned from a long day of discretely following Xuan Kai and Qing Yue on their date. They had came back after the two settled down in the manga cafe, since it was clear they weren''t going to head anywhere else for the day.


    "Who knows? Perhaps, she did it on purpose, fufu¡­" Ling Xin giggled softly, having joined them shortly after her meeting was over in the morning. "She knew we were watching, so she wanted to encourage us to be more proactive as well by doing that. Of course, I don''t really understand her motive¡­ I mean, any normal girl wouldn''t want her boyfriend to be seduced by other women, isn''t that right?"


    "Mm, mm!" Axilia nodded in agreement. "I wish darling was mine and mine alone, fufufu~"


    "Erm¡­" Ignoring the lustful and slightly terrifying look in Axilia''s eyes, Lan Xiao Su clenched her fists tightly and berated herself. <em>Am I¡­ just not strong enough to be proactive¡­?</em>


    "Okay! That aside, they should being home very soon," Feng Mian said, standing up from the chair and stretching her muscles a bit. "Let''s start preparing dinner. Oh, and don''t put any aphrodisiacs in it, Axilia, like you did yesterday. Xuan Kai must be tired after such a long day, so he''ll probably just want to sleep."


    "Grr¡­" Axilia frowned in displeasure as she was caught red-handed, and reluctantly stuffed the vial of libido-boosting substance back into her pocket. Feng Mian, seeing this, gave a sigh, and headed into the kitchen along with the other girls.


    *****


    (Xuan Kai''s Perspective)


    Soon, Qing Yue and I arrived at our manor in the Long Family residency, which Long Lu had so kindly allowed us to stay in for the duration of this break. Before going in, however, I stopped in my tracks. Since Qing Yue''s hand was held by mine, she too was pulled to a stop, and tilted her head at me in confusion.


    "What''s the matter, Big Brother Xuan Kai?"


    "Before we go in, I just have a quick question I was hoping you could answer," I said awkwardly.


    "Hm? What is it?"


    "Do you¡­ er, know what kind of things Feng Mian likes? She''s been with me for a while, but things have been moving so fast that truth to be told, I never got a chance to get to know her that well¡­"


    "Hehe~ that''s understandable. But in all honesty¡­ I think Feng Mian doesn''t have that many hobbies, actually," Qing Yue said. "She''s the type of sweet girl that will just enjoy spending time with you, y''know? No matter what you do, she''ll be happy."


    "Huh¡­"


    "But¡­ that being said, not having many hobbies doesn''t mean she''ll never have any. Maybe you can use the date tomorrow as an opportunity to help her discover some?" Qing Yue shot me a wink. I was still confused on what exactly I should do tomorrow, but Qing Yue wasn''t just going to give me a clear answer. She was doing this on purpose, to let me be more experienced with things like this and think for myself. I was grateful for that, but at the same time¡­ man, this is hard. I would much rather go kill a dragon or something.


    But if it''s simply helping her discover some hobbies¡­ I guess I could start with themon ones. For example¡­ shopping, or something along those lines¡­


    After a while, I gave up on thinking about it. My mind and body were both exhausted. The girls seemed to understand that, and resorted to simply cuddling with me in bed tonight rather than the more ''intense'' variant. After all, after yesterday, none of them were particrly craving for it.


    Peacefully, I fell into sleep, with beauties all around me.


    *****


    - The Infinite Realm -


    Or, at least, I thought I was falling into sleep.


    In reality, I just got dragged into the Infinite Realm by none other than its owner, Sylvoir.


    "Yo, Sylvie," I said, waving my hand casually at her. "Long time no see, eh?"


    "Long time no see indeed," the short Elemental girl spun and red at me, half her beautiful face covered by the kitsune mask on her head. "Suddenly disappearing off this world like that¡­ what were you thinking?"


    "Ah¡­ were you worried about me?" I chuckled charmingly, purposely keeping the conversation as light-hearted as I can despite the full dead seriousness in Sylvoir''s eyes. "I''m ttered, really."


    "Hmph, in your dreams!" She snapped, suddenly smacking me on the head with a folded fan that seemed to be pulled from thin air. "Answer me, where did you go? Even with my omnipotent sensing abilities, I couldn''t detect a single trace of you in this world."


    "Yeah," I said with a smile. "In this world."


    She frowned. "¡­ What?"


    "Put frankly, I kind of got myself teleported into the Death Realm," I replied. "I managed to find my way back, but that''s probably why you couldn''t sense me in this world¡ªI wasn''t in it to begin with."


    "The Death Realm¡­ and you managed to survive there?"


    "It''s not what you think it is," I exined. "It''s not like Hell or anything. They have civilization and humans and beasts there just like the Living Realm does, and is far more advanced in terms of magic and power, though technology is still stuck in the Middle Ages era."


    "I must say¡­ I did not even know of its existence until now."


    "Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would surely know about the existence of other Realms. I mean, the Realm we''re in right now is one of them, no?"


    But to my surprise, she shook her head.


    "The Infinite Realm is not a full-on Realm like the Living one. Instead, it is one of the Living Realm''s Subrealms."


    "A Subrealm¡­?" I folded my arms. "So, what separates a Subrealm from a full-on Realm?"


    Sylvoir sighed. "Well, for one, it''s a lot smaller. Really, the entire Infinite Realm is just those stone pirs behind you. The library in the distance is but a mere illusion, a cognitive version of the real Library of Infinite Beginnings."


    I chuckled. "So much for being ''infinite''."


    "Shut it," Sylvoir snapped coldly, then sighed and folded her arms behind her back, staring out into the beautiful blue horizon. "Another quality of Subrealms, and perhaps the most important one, is that they are closely affected by the Major Realm they are tied to. In other words¡­ if the Living Realm is destroyed, the Infinite Realm will suffer as well."


    "Hm¡­ I see."


    "Therefore, it is your duty to not only protect the Library, but also the entire Living Realm as a whole. Remember that well."


    "Sheesh, rx. The Living Realm is where I live. Of course I''m going to protect it. But why do you sound like the world''s going to end or something¡­"


    "¡­" Sylvoir didn''t say anything in response to that, and instead merely stared at me ufortably for a while. Then, after several seconds, she sighed. "Just try not to leave this Realm in the future. And if you truly have to, let me or one of the other Founders know beforehand. Understand?"


    I nodded. "Yes ma''am."


    "Then off you go. And don''t forget about Count Draculus''s mission to you."


    *****


    (Sylvoir''s Perspective)


    After Xuan Kai left, I let out a sigh.


    "I couldn''t bring myself to tell him about it after all¡­"


    Right now, I was the only one who knew of <em>that</em>. I have refrained from discussing this matter with any of the other Founders, since I didn''t know if they would take me seriously. However, Xuan Kai was different. He was the type to believe me if I told him ''my instincts'' when he asked how I knew of <em>that</em>. The others would all request proof. Rock, solid, evidence, which I didn''t have.


    <em>So¡­ why? Why couldn''t I tell him?</em>


    "Tch¡­" Dissatisfied with myself, I bit my nail and sank into deep thought once more.


    "But why do you sound like the world''s going to end or something¡­" I echoed his words, then shook my head. "It''s because it is, Xuan Kai."


    Indeed, the end wasing.


    I could feel it, in a prophecy I was given by my ''instincts''.


    Something dark, powerful, and cmitous would soon arrive in the Living Realm, bringing destruction to all that was in it. There was still some time to prepare¡ªa couple of years, maybe¡ªbut it <em>would</em> inevitablye.


    Even I myself didn''t know what it was. All I knew was that if it was not properly defended against¡­ the Living Realm, its Subrealms, and everything within would cease to exist.


    As the guardian of Elementals and the Prime existence of this world, it was my duty to protect this realm from the cmity that was going to strike. However, I could not do it alone. Back when I chose Xuan Kai to be one of the Founders of the Library, I had factored this into my n as well. He wielded a special power¡ªa power that could very well stand against the impending doom.


    I could only hope that when the time came, he would lend a hand.

 Chapter 469 - Feng Mians Resolve

    - The Next Morning -


    So, it seemed I wouldn''t have to worry about what to do today after all.


    "You¡­ are you sure about this?" I asked in surprise.


    "Yeah, yeah, you don''t have to do this for us, y''know¡­?" Yu An Yan added, frowning on concern.


    Lan Xiao Su nodded in agreement "That''s right¡­ we''ll all have our turn anyway, so you don''t have to¡­"


    But¡­


    "Okay, okay, calm down, everyone!" Feng Mian cut in, making a gesture as if to push us away. "I''ve already made up my mind. Xuan Kai, you have no objections, right?"


    "Uh¡­ it''s your choice. If you''re sure you''ve settled on this, then I have no reason to object. So long as you are happy, I''m fine with anything."


    "Then it''s decided," Feng Mian said with a wink. "We''ll all go to the beach together!"


    Indeed, she had suggested we all go to a beach together for today, which was supposed to be her private date with me. I didn''t understand this decision, and neither did the other girls, but Feng Mian''s kind andpassionate smile was more than enough to convince us to go.


    And now¡­


    "Mm¡­ the beach certainly is nice," Feng Mian murmured, staring out at the wide open blue sea. She and Iid beneath an umbre on a shared beach chaise, watching men, women, and children alike having fun in the distance. The other girls were currently enjoying a game of beach volleyball with each other, while some <em>cough</em> Lin Luo <em>cough</em> simply refused to change into bikini and was now standing beneath a tree all alone, fully d in armor.


    "¡­ Do you like beaches?" I asked, taking this as a good opportunity to find out what Feng Mian liked.


    "By myself? No, not really. But I love the atmosphere of beaches when there are friends and family around."


    "What about all these strangers we don''t know?" I continued asking, ncing at all the men who stood sharing nosebleeds as they watched the other girls y. "Do they bother you?"


    "Hm¡­ well, a bit, yeah," she admitted. "But what can we do? This is a public beach, after all. It''s not like we can just shoo them away. Hehe~"


    <em>Well¡­ we''ll see about that.</em>


    I smirked but didn''t actually say that out loud, nning a surprise in mind. Instead, I decided to change the topic a bit.


    "But¡­ are you really alright with this?" I asked, watching the other girls enjoy their time here on the beach. "I mean¡­ this was supposed to be our private date, after all."


    Feng Mianughed a little, covering her mouth cutely. "Hehe~ are you disappointed, perhaps?"


    "Hm¡­ well, it would be a lie if I said I wasn''t looking forward to spending a day alone with you."


    "Nice one, master," Loreleimented from inside my mind, and I turned to my right to see her hiding behind a tree in her human form, shing me a thumbs-up with that same expressionless look on her face.


    "Well¡­ I don''t know." Feng Mian shrugged. "I guess¡­ I just like the idea of all of us, enjoying time together, y''know? Oh, but don''t get me wrong¡­ you''re still all mine for today. I may be sharing the beach with them¡­ but definitely not you. Just for today¡­ you''re all mine."


    She leaned in close to my face, allowing me to get a good glimpse at her deep, amethyst eyes, and before I knew it, we were kissing deeply, my arms around her body that straddled mine. My fingers crept down to her soft, bouncy buttcheeks and groped them tightly, and I could feel my member hardening under her weight. Feng Mian felt it as well, and quickly broke the kiss.


    "Gosh¡­ you''re hopeless. Just touching my ass is enough to give you a boner¡­?" She smiled wryly, shutting one eye like a professional seductress would.


    "I''m going to go ahead and pin the me on you for this one," I said with a wittyeback. "It''s your fault that your ass is too attractive and stimting."


    "Then¡­ are they the best out of all the girls?"


    I nodded without any hesitation. "The best."


    "Hehe~ you''re getting better at charming girls, Xuan Kai," she said, cheeks blushed and lips smiling. "I don''t know whether to be happy or worried about that, lest you bring back yet another woman without any warning."


    "Listen, it''s not like I go seeking them out on purpose or anything."


    "Yes, yes, I know¡­ but you might as well be, considering how easily they be attracted to you, for whatever reason."


    I smiled devilishly. "Guess I''m just that handsome, huh?"


    "Well, maybe if you actually put a little more thought into your appearances, you could easily pass for an idol. But you know, I like this rough, messy version of you better. It shows your true, wild personality, your inner self. That is what made me fall in love with you."


    "Yeah¡­ but I still look great, ain''t that right?" I smirked.


    But after Feng Mian merely smiled at me¡­


    "Haha¡­ I''m right," I muttered, answering my own question. <em>God, that was bad.</em>


    "I''m not denying you''re well above average in terms of looks for a man, even without any polishing or care for your appearance," Feng Mian said atst. "It''s just I wanted to make it clear to you that the other girls and I don''t simply love you because of your looks. It''s the inner self that counts."


    "You can say that again," I agreed solemnly. "Love for solely appearances isn''t called love. It''s called lust."


    "Speaking of¡­" Feng Mian rolled off me, casting her gaze towards where the other girls were ying volleyball at. They had been rudely interrupted by a group of muscled men who approached them, wearing lecherous gazes on their faces. Judging from the way they handled themselves, they were delinquents. This beach wasn''t part of Fragment and was instead connected to it via a portal, so people like this could get in.


    "Oi, girlies¡­ you look mighty fine," the one leading them said with a chuckle, ogling them with his eyes. He had dirty blond hair and a light mustache. "Wanna hang out with us? If you like ying with balls so much¡­ heh. We have plenty to provide you."


    He and his friends must''ve thought that was a great pick-up line, but really, all it earned them were a bunch of unimpressed looks from the girls. Some were angry, some were simply stunned speechless by their vulgarness and stupidity, and others¡ªlike Lan Xiao Su¡ªwas just awkwardly looking at them, trying to decide whether or not to point out their idiocy to them.


    "Oi! Our boss is talkin'' to you!" A fat, shorter man behind the leader roared after the girls were silent for a while. "You wannae, or be forced toe? Don''t worry¡­ we''ll make youe, in both meanings of the word." Then, turning to Lan Xiao Su, he continued with a grin. "Especially you¡­ don''t you look like that idol, Su Ning?"


    <em>If only they knew she was the real Su Ning¡­ ha.</em>


    The entire group of punksughed again, apparently very impressed by the short guy''s pick-up line.


    "You''re not going to step in?" Feng Mian asked, looking at me.


    I chuckled. "Why should I? They should be used to this kind of treatment by now. If they can''t even deal with situations like this, they aren''t worthy of being my women. Just sit back, and enjoy the show."


    "Hm¡­" Feng Mian turned back to the girls, and as if on cue, they all collectively sighed in unison.


    "Hey, Ling Xin¡­" Yu An Yan called out, spinning the volleyball on her fingertip and turning to Ling Xin who was behind her on the same team. "Is it just me, or did you also get a sudden urge to spike someone in the face?"


    Ling Xinughed boldly, covering half of her face with her hand. "You are not alone in that regard, An Yan. Since they like looking at our chests so much, why don''t we give them a show?"


    Yu An Yan smirked, then volleyed the ball into the air, setting up a perfect spike for Ling Xin.


    "Take a good look¡­ because you won''t be able to ever again.


    Leaving those soft yet threatening words behind, Ling Xin jumped up into the air,rge breasts swaying, then struck the ball with all of her strength as a Holy Emperor, sending the projectile flying towards the leader of the gang at 450 miles an hour. In fact, the ball was so fast that it was ignited on fire¡­ oh wait, that was just Yu An Yan''s little gimmick she had ced on the sphere beforeunching it up into the air.


    Now, the deadly spike had turned explosive.


    "W-Wha¡­!" The gang''s members all widened their eyes as they tried to run, but it was toote.


    BOOM!


    The volleyball crashed into the leader''s face, exploding and blowing away the entire gang into the open sea, never to be seen or heard from again. Axilia walked up to the edge of the water, then held her hand above her eyes as if she was peering into a pair of binocrs.


    "Hm¡­ too far. How sad¡­ I was itching to kill something, too¡­"


    She pouted in disappointment, and the other girls surrounded her, staring out at the wide open sea.


    "U-Um¡­ wasn''t that a bit¡­ overkill?" Lan Xiao Su asked timidly, then changed herplexionpletely and sighed. "¡­ Is what I''d like to say, but they seem to have saw through my other identity, which is unforgivable."


    "Huh¡­ you can be surprisingly ruthless, Xiao Su," Yu An Yan chuckled.


    "¡­ Agreed," Yu An Xue said. "Though¡­ I am disappointed I did not get to help with the spike."


    "Oh well, next time," Qing Yue said cheerily. "It''s not like there''s a shortage of situations like this with us, is there?"


    The group of heavenly beauties smiled at once, and spoke at the same time.


    "There really isn''t!"


    *****


    "You see?" Iughed slightly, turning to Feng Mian. "They''re used to scenarios like this by now, as they should be."


    "Huh¡­ well, in their position, I would''ve done the same. After watching that, I feel in a mood to spike some lustful men in the face as well. Want to go join their game?"


    I shrugged. "Sure.. Let''s go."

 Chapter 470 - Private Beach?

    After a long and fun day at the beach, the sun had fallen, and the girls were packing up and getting ready to head home through the portal we had came here from. It was meant to take us back to Fragment, but¡­ I had other ns.


    "Wait, you guys," I said as they began heading for the changing rooms. They all turned to me, confused, and tilted their heads.


    "Something wrong, Xuan Kai¡­?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "No, there''s nothing wrong," I replied. "It''s just¡­ I wanted to show you something. All of you."


    The girls exchanged nces, curious to see what I wanted to show them, but I merely smiled mysteriously and winked at them.


    "¡­ Follow me."


    *****


    I led them into the forest by the beachside, where no one could see us.


    "Alright¡­ this should do," I muttered under my breath after ncing both ways.


    "Um¡­ what did you bring us here for¡­?" Lan Xiao Su asked hesitantly, frightened by the darkness all around us.


    "Oho¡­ could it be, you want to do it with us right here?" Ling Xin asked, a yful smile rising to her lips. "My, my¡­ how perverted, Xuan Kai~"


    I rolled my eyes. "Rx. I just came here to avoid any prying eyes and being seen by anyone. Now, get closer to me¡ªas close as possible."


    The girls, still confused and curious at the same time, huddled closer to me, pressing their bodies against mine without shame. In their rather revealing bikinis, I might as well have been pressing against their bare skin. The warmth of their bodies engulfed me, but I have been in more than enough simr situations to not even blush. Instead, as calm andposed as ever, I invoked my spell:


    <em>Level Three Space Magic ¡ª Warp Gate.</em>


    Instantly, a white light surrounded us, and the girls shut their eyes tightly as they clung to me in fear.


    But¡­ that fear soon turned to surprise and awe as they opened their eyes once more.


    "This is¡­" Yu An Yan murmured, beautiful purple eyes sparkling in wonder.


    "Wow. It would''ve been a real pain if we had changed into our original clothes back there," Lin Luo said, folding her arms (yes, she was still in armor regardless).


    "¡­ A private beach, huh?" Ling Xin snickered. "My¡­ now this, I wasn''t expecting. So this is what you used the money we got in the Death Realm for¡­"


    "W-Wha¡­ a private beach¡­?!" Feng Mian blinked at me in surprise, eyes widened. "H-How¡­ you were by my side the entire time, and more than that, where did you even get the money to do this?!"


    "Lorelei wasn''t here for a brief period of time this afternoon. She probably did it for him. And as for your second question, well¡­ Xuan Kai''s rich now," Ling Xin answered for me with a wink. "Probably more so than the Eight Great Families of Fragmentbined."


    "Hehe, I knew Big Brother Xuan Kai was hiding something from us¡­ so this is it," Qing Yue giggled. "But what gave you the idea to buy a private beach like this?"


    "Well, uh¡­ I saw you guys having loads of fun today at the public beach, with the exception of those delinquents who tried to hit on you." I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "So I figured, why not get a private beach? I have far more than enough money to do it. Besides¡­"


    I leaned closer to Feng Mian with a smile, who still had a stunned expression on her face.


    "You said the strangers bother you earlier, didn''t you?"


    "A-Ah, that''s¡­ well, I did, but¡­ I didn''t think you would actually¡­"


    I silenced her with a sudden kiss, ever so slightly brushing my lips against hers. It wasn''t much, but it was enough to convey my message. Slowly, I backed away, and turned to the other girls.


    "Think of this as a gift for everything you''ve all done for me up until now," I said. "It''s really nothingpared to the sacrifices you''ve made and the time you''ve spent, but it''s the least I can do."


    "Woah¡­ there''s even an eternal hot spring here?!" Qing yue eximed, peering into the distance with the enhanced eyesight she gave herself. "And a luxury seafood diner, a noodles ce, a water park, arcade¡­ and even a manga cafe! This ce has everything, and it''s all automated by a mixture of robots and magic, from cooking to cleaning!"


    "Amazing¡­ darling is the best~!" Axilia eximed, nting a kiss on my cheek andtching onto my neck.


    "Just when I was feeling annoyed about the beach closing so early, too¡­" ria muttered. "Nice one, master. You went up by about 0.5 in my heart for a rating of 6.5. Mainly because while I do hate water, the heat of the beach isfortable."


    "And the total is¡­?" I prompted.


    "10,000."


    "Shouldn''t have asked¡­"


    Yu An Xue, seeing this exchanged, giggled slightly and rubbed ria on the head. ria smiled and let her do whatever she wanted. It was clear the two have gotten close.


    "¡­ May I ask, how long did it take you to find a ce such as this?" Obsidia asked as the other girls rushed away to explore the full extents of the beach.


    <em>Such a polite tone¡­ she''s probably entranced by this as well, heh.</em>


    "Well, it really didn''t take as long as you might think," I replied. "I just told Lorelei to go around asking for the best private beach there was, and that she was willing to pay any amount for it. As you can probably expect, a ce of this quality came up in no time."


    "I see¡­ but are you not getting overcharged, in that case?"


    "Actually, quite the opposite," I replied. "You see, I sent Lorelei in particr for this task and not Mei Gui or ria because she has the best deadpan, poker face. When she says ''I will pay as much as you want'' in that calm, cold tone of hers, anyone would be scared of her background. To possess such confidence and money would mean she was from a powerful family, and if the seller was caught overcharging, their business would be over."


    "Huh¡­ you''ve really nned all of this out," Lin Luo said, still not joining the other girls like the stubborn angel she was.


    "Indeed¡­ but would you care to join the other girls? They''re all having fun down there, y''know," I said, then shot a sideways nce at Feng Mian. "Besides¡­ the two of us would like to be alone for a while."


    Lin Luo eyed me, then Feng Mian, then me again, and ultimately sighed.


    "¡­ I get it. I will head to the hot spring, then."


    As she left together with Obsidia, the only ones who have yet to take a step sinceing here were Zhao Xiuying, Feng Mian, and I. I raised my eyebrow at the third wheel, who blinked at me nkly as she always did.


    "So, uh¡­"


    "Now, now,e with me, Xiuying!" Qing Yue hollered, casually skipping up next to her and pulling her by the arm. "Want to go eat at the noodles ce together? Let''s witness the cooking skills of a robot!"


    Zhao Xiuying didn''t have a chance to protest as she was dragged away, and Qing Yue shot me a meaningful wink before disappearing from sight. I smirked, grateful for this amazing-in-all-regards little sister of mine.


    Atst, it was only Feng Mian and I left. She has been strangely quiet during this entire conversation, so I decided to take the initiative.


    "What''s wrong? Are you charmed by this gift of mine, perhaps?"


    "I-Idiot, you know full well I''m already deep in love with you," Feng Mian said, blushing deeply and pping me lightly on the shoulder. "It''s just¡­ how do I put it¡­ you''ve changed, Xuan Kai."


    "Oh¡­?"


    "When we first met, you never would''ve been this considerate to anyone, even those close to you," she said. "But now¡­ you''re not that rough around the edges anymore. You''ve grown morepassionate. And I like that."


    She smiled at me happily, the lunar moonlight reflecting off of her pale skin like water. Her body, made of perfect curves and alluring features, shone as if beckoning me closer, radiating an erotic aroma that functioned like an aphrodisiac. Perhaps her subus powers have be more dominant recently as I''ve begun having sex with her more and more, but right now, I didn''t have time to think about all that.


    All I knew in the moment was one thing:


    "Feng Mian¡­ you''re beautiful."


    "E-Eh?"


    Before she knew it, I had my arms around her and my tongue inside her mouth, causing her eyes to widen a bit. However, she didn''t resist, and instead pulled me closer, savoring my taste and the warmth of my body.


    After a few seconds, I backed away, and smiled like a devil.


    "You know¡­ I can still be rough where it counts."


    "Oh¡­?" Her eyes shone a glittering purple as she stared into mine, and the purple horns on her head and wings that sprouted from her back signaled that her subus side had taken over, and she traced her hand down my chest. "Then¡­ show me."


    *****


    [Author''s note: No, I won''t be writing the actual smut for this scene. Story pacing feels to slow, and I''m going to speed it up a bit.. Note: The next arc/volume will be insane.]

 Chapter 471 - An Ugly Premonition

    [To those of you who didn''t read the author''s note in the previous chapter: Lol you thought I was going to write another smut chapter¡­ but it was me, Dio! Now, pull your pants back up, unless your name is Enrico Pi.]


    *****


    By the time Feng Mian and I came back from the woods where we had done it until she was satisfied, the other girls were all chilling in the hot spring, and enjoying the beautiful view of the starry sky. Mei Gui had innocently asked where we had been, but Qing Yue and Ling Xin had helped me dodge the question, thankfully.


    In the end, the girls and I never returned to the Long Family residency that night. Hell, we probably never would. Since there was a 5-star quality inn right on-site, there was hardly any need for us to return there.


    Eventually, the girls and I agreed to just make this private beach our new home. It was isted from the rest of the world¡ªan uninhabited ind with no dangerous wildlife or nts¡ªbut there was a teleporter that could connect us directly to Fragment. I made a call to Long Lu so he could set things up on the other end, and now, the teleporter here would take us to the guest room of the Long Family residency, which was our ''other'' home, basically. There were plenty of other guest rooms to use if the Long Family ever received any guests.


    Apparently, while I was away in the Death Realm, the girls had gotten Long Lu''s parents to take a liking to them, so they dly agreed to my proposal. Guess these girls around me just had too much charm¡ªbut I was far fromining.


    Regardless, the next few days went without a hitch. Yu An Yan and Yu An Xue made up their mind to make their date together, making space for Zhao Xiuying, and I took them to the mall because¡­ well, they loved clothes and everything about them. An Yan basically spent the entire day dressing me up, and An Xue looked for inspiration on what to sew next (she loved sewing).


    After that came Xiao Su. That one was easy. Her love of books was something all of us knew, so I took her to a library in the morning with the intention of going somewhere else after lunch, but¡­ well, she ended up wanting to stay there the whole day, reading with me. At night, though, she dressed up as her stage self, Su Ning, and gave the other girls and I a private concert. Needless to say, her voice was angelic.


    Next up on the list was Mei Gui. This date¡­ was a bit of a tough one. The only thing she really liked doing was spending time with me, but that was information so incredibly useless that I was stuck racking my brain for ideas. In the end, I just took her out on a stereotypical date¡ªa movie theater, a museum, and all that.


    She seemed especially intrigued by the assortment of different exhibits in the museum, though, so that was a score at least. She and I also finally had proper sex that night, which she was extremely happy about. After all, before then, she felt the other girls had gotten one step in front of her.


    Then came Lin Luo, who was very reluctant about it. I offered to just cancel it, but she refused and stuck with me for the whole day. Needless to say, it was¡­ not very amusing. Neither of us could find the right conversation topics, and in the end, it turned more into just a simple talk about our respective pasts rather than a date.


    Growing up, she never learned about her Half-Celesticus identity until her wings sprouted on their own one day, and left her in a state of shock and ridicule from other students at the school she had been attending. Humans and Celestici didn''t have the best of rtionships, and tended to stay away from one another. I could only imagine how she must''ve felt, being isted from everyone else. Through the chat, we got a bit closer, as we could rte to one another on multiple levels. Despite her snappy, easily-angered appearance, she was actually not a bad person deep down.


    And as for the final date with Zhao Xiuying¡­ it was bad. Very bad.


    The night before, I had entered the Infinite Realm to ask Sylvoir to summon Aluna, the Elven Founder. When she arrived, I asked her about things an elf might like, and she responded that it was different from everyone, but almost all share an appreciation for nature. Elves were, after all, originally creatures of the forest.


    As such, I took Xiuying to a nice forest park and went on a hike with her, but her expression remained as indifferent as ever, and only spoke a collective total of about five words that entire day. I couldn''t even tell if she liked the date or not.


    In the end, though, all of the dates were a fun experience for me, bar the one with Xiuying. I definitely got closer to all the girls except for her through this week or so, but I have no doubt Xiuying will open herself up to the other girls and I with time. We have only just met, after all. This makes sense.


    The day after the date with Xiuying, I had a little break and alone time. I spent it practicing my alchemy skills in the morning, then hanging out with Ming Hao and Long Lu in the afternoon. It''s been a while since I saw them in-person, and it ended up being pretty wholesome. Both of them seemed pretty happy to see me alive and back.


    And now¡­ there were only two days left before school started once again. Before that happened, however, there was still one final event to take ce¡ªthe Summer Festival. For some reason, I had an uneasy feeling about it, like something was going to happen.


    Or it''s just my overcautiousness acting up¡­ I''m aware of how careful of a person I am, which is usually a good thing, but can be bad if overdone. Whenever things go without a hitch, doubts start creeping into my mind, like something bad''s going to happen sooner orter. And so far, the past week has been the dream of any man. A date with a different girl everyday, all of which are goddess-level beauties? That''s something you can''t just wish for.


    Still¡­


    "You guys all prepped for the Summer Festival tomorrow?" Qing Yue asked the other girls, who were sprawled on the couch, watching television. "Apparently, there''s going to be fireworks at the end of it!"


    "Yep," Yu An Yan replied with a wink. "I even bought all of you yukatas to wear, just to fit the spirit!"


    "Woah¡­" Feng Mian''s eyes widened as An Yan brought out the assortment of clothes she had picked out on our date, all of which had a different color scheme to it but were beautiful nheless.


    "Sorry¡­ I tried¡­ to sew them by hand, but¡­" Yu An Xue trailed off, pursing her lips a bit.


    "My, my, don''t worry about it," Ling Xin said with a warm smile. "Sewing yukatas for all of us in such little time? That''s next to impossible, unless you have robot-like hands. Even magic can''t make you automatically sew faster."


    ¡­ Seeing these smiles and uncontroble excitement on these girls'' faces, I couldn''t help but give up the thought of something bad happening tomorrow. I mean, this was Fragment¡ªthe heart of the world, the Magic Capital. This was the least likely of all ces to have something bad happen in it, considering how powerful the security is¡­


    Then again, one could never be too sure.


    And as it would turn out, my suspicions were correct.


    *****


    - Sometime in the Future -


    "Run! Get awa- AH!" A woman cried as a powerful stone rock smashed down on his head, crushing his bodypletely.


    "H-Hngh¡­ h-h-hngh¡­" A man''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, foam forming in his mouth, as his very lifeforce was absorbed by a mere touch of the beautiful woman that stood before him, wearing revealing clothes that highlighted her voluptuous body.


    Everywhere, people were dying. A shattering hole had appeared in the artificial sky of Fragment, like a window getting sted open by a flying baseball. The blue heavens have been painted red in blood, and the floors littered with bodies. Those who have not died yet were now fleeing for their lives. The IMF''s best, the Council of Arcanity, had been taken down, and the remaining Council Members fled to fight another day.


    And amongst it all¡­


    "Xiuying!" I called out, tugging on her slender, pale arm. "Listen to me¡ªI know what that feeling is like¡­ but we have to go. Now!"


    "M-Mother¡­ father¡­" She whispered, voice as frail as an old ghost and eyes as dead as a corpse. She was usually already expressionless enough, but this only made it worse.


    "Tch¡­ you leave me no choice."


    Gritting my teeth, I struck the back of her neck with my hand, knocking her out cold, then picked her up on my back and ran to where the other girls and other survivors were.


    Ran, ran, ran.


    For there was no turning back.. Not after this.

 Chapter 472 - The Prophecy Foretold

    (Time Rewinded)


    - The Night Before the Summer Festival, The Infinite Realm -


    "¡­ Man, between the girls and you, I really can''t get any sleep these days, can I?" Iined as I found myself in a familiar empty world with a beautiful blue sky and transparent ground that was made of water that was not wet. Somehow. Either way, this ce was familiar. It was none other than the Infinite Realm, ruled by-


    "Shut up. Your physical body is still resting, so you won''t feel tired when you wake up."


    -Her. Sylvoir, the Prime Elemental that oversees all other ones, Mei Gui excepted. She was snappy and can''t take a joke, but cute when she gets flustered.


    "Yo, Sylvie," I hollered, walking up to her. "Didn''t we just speak a few days ago? What''s with these summons? Or do you just want to see m- ow!"


    That one earned me a punch in the face. It hurt, despite her small frame. And since I couldn''t use my magic or vampiric/angelic healing powers here as this was a cognitive world, I was stuck epting the pain and dealing with it.


    "Enough with the witty jokes. I called you here for a reason. It''s serious."


    Faced with this cold voice, I shook the pain away from my cheek and stared at her seriously, just as she wanted. After confirming that I was actually paying attention, she closed her eyes and spoke.


    "Your parents were murdered by the Midnight Syndicate, yes?"


    Immediately, I froze, and my eyes narrowed slightly. I never was very cautious of Sylvoir, but now I was.


    "¡­ How did you find out about this?"


    "I am the Prime existence of this. Every action, every word, and every emotion is stored, encoded in something known as the Terron Records. I simply have to browse it, and none can escape my eyes, so long as they remain in this world."


    <em>This girl¡­ I underestimated her. She''s even more powerful than I originally gave her credit for. But if I could get her to help me of her own free will¡­</em>


    "I know what you are thinking right now," Sylvoir said, interrupting my thoughts. "You are thinking of how to win me over so I can feed you information, correct?"


    "What?! Information gets uploaded that quickly to the Terron Records?!" I cried in shock, surprised at her finding out.


    Sylvoir sighed and shook her head. "¡­ Sometimes, I really regret making you into a Founder. Your intentions were as clear as day, Xuan Kai. I didn''t need to use the Terron Records to find out."


    "Uh¡­ I see. But anyway¡­ what''s this about my parents?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "And the Midnight Syndicate¡­? I haven''t seen them around for almost a year now."


    "Because they are preparing," Sylvoir said urgently with an ufortable expression on her face.


    I frowned and tilted my head. "Preparing¡­? For what?"


    "¡­ For the impending catastrophe about to ur."


    "Impending catastrophe¡­" I echoed. "Uh, are you okay, Sylvie? Got a fever or something?"


    "Ugh, I already said to stop with the jokes!" Sylvoir yelled, trying to punch me again, but I evaded this time and scratched the back of my head.


    "Yeah, yeah¡­ sorry. It''s just¡­ kind of unbelievable. What catastrophe?"


    "The specifics, even I am uncertain of. The Terron Records are not as detailed as you might think. The only things I know right now is that a disaster will happen soon at the hands of the Midnight Syndicate, and the world will fall into grave danger. This might sound like some sort of joke or a cliched ''prophecy'' in books, but I assure you¡­ I too wish it were a mere fairy tale."


    By this point, I was listening to her seriously, and contemted her words.


    "So¡­ you don''t know when this disaster''s going to happen?"


    "The exact date, no. But it is drawing closer, and will happen before the end of this year."


    "By the end of this year¡­ I see. And what, exactly, do you want me to do about it?"


    "I''m¡­ not sure," Sylvoir said atst. "The prophecy I received just tells me you, along with yourpanions, will be the only ones able to fight back against this mysterious power. But if I were to take a guess¡­ I would say it rtes somehow to the power of Chaos within your body, which was then somehow transferred onto those women by your side¡­"


    <em>That''s true¡­ the girls are affected by my Chaos power more and more through spending time with me and sleeping together. But if only the power of Chaos can stand against this mysterious force¡­ just what is it¡­?</em>


    "In any case, just be mindful. When the disaster strikes, I, along with the other Founders, will do our best to support you and defend this world. However, it will ultimately be up to you to destroy this power. Do not let me down."


    I nodded firmly. "I''ll do my best¡­ but what will my reward be?"


    "Idiot! The world''s at danger here, do you see-"


    "Yeah, yeah, I know," I interrupted her, rolling my eyes. "But what use is there in worrying about it now? As a certain wise person once told me, worrying is just twice the suffering. Let the catastrophee when it does. I am always prepared."


    "¡­" Sylvie remained silent, as if unconvinced, so I gave a slight chuckle.


    "Besides¡­ if the guys doing this really are the Midnight Syndicate as you say¡­ all the more reason for me to take them down. I haven''t fully gotten my revenge yet¡­ and I never will, until everyst member of that organization is in Hell."


    "I see¡­ however, in your current state, I doubt you will be able to fight back against the catastrophe. As such¡­ in the off-chance that the cmity urs before you be strong enough, I want you to run."


    "¡­ Run?"


    "Yes, run. Live, to fight another day, when you be strong enough. Is that understood?"


    "¡­ Yeah, I get it."


    "Good. This may sound cheesy, but¡­ you are this entire Realm''s only hope. The prophecies of the Terron Records are absolute. It told me you are the only one who <em>can</em> stand against this power, but it did not say you <em>will</em>. Do you understand what this means?"


    I nodded. "There''s one of two possibilities. One, I die, either to this catastrophe, or two, I simply choose to let the world drown. The former is more likely to happen."


    "You''re not even denying the second as a possible option, only saying it is less likely¡­" Sylvoir gave a deep sigh and rubbed her forehead, half-covered by the kitsune mask tied around her head. "¡­ Truly, why must you be the one with this power¡­ but that aside, there is something else I''d like you to know."


    "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "A love confession? I''m ttered."


    This time, Sylvoir didn''t even bother reacting to my bad joke, and instead carried on with as serious of a tone as ever.


    "What happened all those years ago with your parents and all¡­ it is not what it may seem."


    I frowned. "¡­ What?"


    "I¡­ I-I''m not sure," Sylvoir hurriedly corrected herself, even stuttering a bit¡ªwhich I only ever saw her do when she got flustered. "It is just a conjecture I had. Think nothing of it¡ªforget I said anything. As for the catastrophe¡­ I wish you good luck. And if ites down to it¡­ prioritize your own life over anyone else''s."


    "Rx. I''m rational, and won''tsh out even if I see my mother murdered right in front of my eyes. Yes, that actually happened, though I''m sure you know already."


    Sylvoir wanted to ask ''but what about your father'', but held herself in. If she asked that, the true intentions behind her so-called ''conjecture'' earlier would be revealed. So, instead, she just said¡­


    "¡­ Good luck."


    I nodded in return, and closed my eyes in preparation to return to sleep.


    "Until next time."


    And before I knew it, I was back in dreand.


    *****


    - After Xuan Kai Left, the Infinite Realm -


    (Sylvoir''s Perspective)


    "¡­ There might not even be a next time," I muttered as the young man returned to his fleeting moments of rest. ncing down at the hand I had hit him with, I gave a sigh.


    "¡­ I couldn''t tell him the whole truth in the end."


    <em>But it was for the better, right¡­? I mean¡­ if I told him, he might have second thoughts about fighting the Midnight Syndicate¡­ and as far as I know, he isn''t someone who cares about ''justice'' or any of that righteous hero stuff.</em>


    It sounded like I was just convincing myself, but¡­


    "¡­ No, I''m in the right here. That was the right decision to make."


    The Midnight Syndicate is threatening to destroy the Living Realm, therefore taking down the Infinite Realm with it. As a Founder of the Library of Infinite Beginnings, it is my utmost duty to protect the Living Realm¡ªand <em>he</em> would help me.


    That¡­ was the right decision.

 Chapter 473: The Summer Festival

    Chapter 473: The Summer Festival


    ¨C The Next Morning ¨C


    ¡°Wake up, Big Brother Xuan Kai, wake up~¡±


    I felt a pair of little soft hands pressing against my chest as if doing CPR, paired with a yful tone¡ªthe type that certain otakus use to wake themselves up through a smartphone app.


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Slowly, my eyes opened, one at first, then both. I found none other than Qing Yue smiling happily at me, adorable and innocent. She really makes people want to hug her, but¡­ today, I just wasn¡¯t in the mood.


    After hearing what Sylvoir told mest night, how could I be in the mood for anything, really? My mind was obviously preupied with what she said. I had told her worrying was equivalent to twice the suffering, but here I was, not listening to my own advice. It was hard, okay?


    Still, I had to at least make it seem like I was in a festive spirit for the girls. I didn¡¯t want their mood to be dampened as well for this Summer Festival. Hell, maybe if I did that enough, I could just forget about the matter altogether and stop worrying.


    So, I smiled and patted Qing Yue¡¯s head a few times, then forced myself out of bed and headed into the shower room near the hot springs. Mei Gui and Lorelei offered to help me wash, but I declined, being the good and morally upright young gentleman I was who has incredible amounts of self-control.


    *****


    We ate a pretty light breakfast, just enough to put something in our bellies before setting out for the festival. There was going to be loads of food, after all, so it wasn¡¯t good to eat an extravagant meal at home.


    And as it turns out, we were right to do so.


    As soon as we stepped through the portal that connected our private beach resort to Fragment, we were practically hit in the face by the delicious aromas of countless different food stalls lined up along the city streets, all mixed in together. Well, we weren¡¯t literally hit in the face, since you can¡¯t get ¡®hit¡¯ by a smell, but yeah, anyway¡ªpoint is, the smell was strong, and amazing.


    ¡°Oh, looks like you¡¯re here,¡± Ming Hao said upon seeing us, waving eagerly. ¡°Yo, Xuan Kai!¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You were waiting here for us¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, I told him to just go on ahead and we¡¯ll catch up to himter, but¡­¡± Long Lu sighed, entering the scene. ¡°You know how stubborn he can be.¡±


    ¡°That I do,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Where¡¯s your girlfriend, Ming Hao?¡±


    ¡°Who, Sisi? What about her?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t invite her out to go to the Summer Festival together?¡± I raised an eyebrow in skepticism.


    ¡°Nope. I mean, if she wanted to go, she could¡¯ve told me or something¡­ though I guess I might¡¯ve said no, since I wanted to hang out with you- O-OW!¡±


    ¡°Why, what a fine morning this is¡­ isn¡¯t that right, Ming Hao¡­?¡± A female voice suddenly interjected from behind Ming Hao, and a hand began pulling on his ear.


    ¡°H-Huh?! Sisi?! W-Wait, that hurts, stop!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll being with me today. No objections, I trust?¡± She smiled innocently at Long Lu and I.


    ¡°No objections from me.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Good riddance.¡±


    ¡°W-What?! You two can¡¯t be this heartle- OWW!¡± Ming Hao cried in pain, but he could not escape the clutches of Sisi, who practically dragged him away.


    ¡°¡­ Well then,¡± Long Luughed slightly at the pitiful sight. ¡°As much as I would like to apany you¡­¡±


    He turned his gaze on the girls by my side, then sighed.


    ¡°¡­ I would only feel quite excluded, if you catch my meaning. So, I will spend the time at the festival with my sister instead.¡±


    ¡°Long Yi, huh?¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Considering her beauty, you would think she already has a date¡­¡±


    Behind me, the girls tensed, bracing for anotherpetitor. But no. I had no interest in her.


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ actually, about that¡­ she¡¯s still single,¡± Long Luughed awkwardly, as if this was something embarrassing. ¡°Before that excursion to fight against the Grey Scourge, she at least met with the suitors who wished for her hand in marriage, but ever since returning¡­ she has simply refused all of them.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ why, exactly?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m not certain,¡± Long Lu said, scratching his head. Then, hesitantly, he murmured. ¡°Er, perhaps you could ask her yourself¡­?¡±


    <em>¡­ Ah. I see what¡¯s going on here. Heh¡­ to think she would put her own little brother as the middle man. Sorry, but¡­</em>


    ¡°Nah,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m good. Send her my regards, along with a note to tell her she¡¯ll grow old if she still doesn¡¯t find a suitable husband soon.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ got it,¡± Long Lu said with a sigh. ¡°I told her this wasn¡¯t going to work¡­¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Must be tough, getting ordered around like that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, she has taken care of me a lot, growing up,¡± Long Lu replied, shrugging as if there was nothing to be done. ¡°This is the least I can do to repay her.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Then, I won¡¯t take up any more of your time. See you.¡±


    He waved. ¡°Goodbye for now. But would you like to regroup at the central za tonight to watch the fireworks together¡­? My family reserved a good ce.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Just send me a text message.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    *****


    After parting ways with Ming Hao and Long Lu, the girls and I ventured around the city. It was a nice, cheery atmosphere, and everyone looked happy. It was, after all, a festival. The happiness of the citizens was almost enough to make me forget about what Sylvoir saidst night.


    Almost.


    We walked through the streets, taking a look at anything we found was interesting, and Qing Yue insisted on trying every food stall there was. Honesty, with how much she eats, it¡¯s a miracle how she¡¯s still got such a short and slim body.


    Food stalls weren¡¯t the only things there were, of course. There were also mini-games, souvenir stores, and street ys. I bought quite a few things for the girls, and also took this opportunity to give them the gifts I had brought them from the Death Realm. They were, naturally, overjoyed¡ªthey had just gotten something that was quite literally out of this world.


    Before we knew it, night had fallen. The skies grew dim, and the sun had set. But contrary to what one might think, this was when the festival truly began.


    The girls headed into a public washroom to change into their yukatas, and came back to me less than a minuteter. I have no idea how they changed that quickly, but I didn¡¯t question it either. They also had a yukata prepared for me, but I didn¡¯t feel like going into the washroom to change it, so I just slipped it over my Cloak of Yharnav and the rest of the Yharnav armor set.


    It fit surprisingly well, due to the loose nature of the yukata and the contrasting tight nature of the Cloak. If I didn¡¯t wear the helmet and mask that covered all my face but my eyes, nobody could even tell I was wearing something underneath the ck yukata.


    ¡°Mm¡­ as I thought, ck fits you nicely,¡± Yu An Yan said upon inspecting me up and down. ¡°It¡¯s also your favorite color, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I gave a brief nod, then pulled out my phone as I felt it vibrate against my thigh. Upon reading the notification, I turned to the girls.


    ¡°It seems Long Lu and Ming Hao have already gathered together. Let¡¯s head for the central za.¡±


    They had no objections, all eager to see the fireworks, and we set off.


    *****


    Getting to said central za, however, was a pain.


    We had to all link hands to avoid getting lost in the crowd, and Lorelei, in her fox form, had to be very careful not to get knocked off my shoulder where she was perched. Yami, on the other hand, was still dormant within my Soul. I had asked him the day before if he wanted to see the fireworks, and he said no. Strange child.


    ¡°Over here, over here!¡± Ming Hao called out to us, waving his hand frantically. I spotted him immediately and led the girls over. Long Lu and Long Yi were both there as well, thetter of which sent me an angry re.


    <em>Hm¡­ didn¡¯t take the jab I made earlier very nicely, I suppose.</em>


    ¡°Since everyone is here, follow me,¡± Long Lu said. ¡°We are headed for the tallest tower in all of Fragment¡ªthe Arcane Skyscraper. My family booked out its rooftop just for this asion.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­ the tallest building¡­¡± Qing Yue¡¯s eyes shone with excitement, and the other girls could hardly hide their anticipation either.


    ¡°It¡¯s truly a magnificent sight,¡± Long Lu said as we headed into said building and entered the elevator. ¡°I¡¯ve been there a number of times in past Summer Festivals, and each time I can¡¯t help but marvel at the view.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± I tilted my head slightly.


    <em>Let¡¯s see if this view is truly as great as you im¡­ can it help me forget what Sylvoir told mest night?</em>

 Chapter 474: Fireworks of Dread

    Chapter 474: Fireworks of Dread


    Soon, the lot of us arrived at the top of of the Arcane Skyscraper, and exited the elevators to take the final few steps up to the roof using stairs. When Long Lu finally pushed open those doors, the breeze of cool air that rushed in was exhrating.


    It was summer, so naturally, the climate was hot, but all the way up here, the air was cool. The higher one climbed in altitude, the colder it would be. This building had to be at least a good 500 meters tall, piercing the heavens itself.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ that wind feels great,¡± Feng Mian breathed, inhaling and exhaling deeply.


    ¡°Never mind that¡­ look.¡± Yu An Yan pointed at the ck sky in front of them, where a single streak of light shot out from the ground up. As it rose into the air, it attracted the gazes of every Fragment citizen, and flew higher and higher.


    Until atst¡­


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion signaled the firework¡¯s detonation, and the rising streak of light bloomed into a beautiful red flower that marked the beginning of the show.


    And then another. And another.


    Fireworks began soaring into the air and exploding all over the scene, and just like Long Lu imed, this ce truly had the most incredible view.


    Qing Yue rode on my shoulders, ria, Lorelei, and Mei Gui stood in front of me since they were all short, squeezed together, and Feng Mian rested her head against my left shoulder while Ling Xin took my other side. The Yu sisters and Lan Xiao Su were too entranced by the fireworks show to be jealous, but Axilia was a different story. Even so, she didn¡¯t say anything to disrupt the calm atmosphere and kept silent.


    None of the girls said anything. Neither did Long Lu, Long Yi, Ming Hao, or Sisi. Of course, these fireworks were beautiful, but we didn¡¯t need to voice that out loud. It was amon opinion that we all silently shared, so there was no need to say it.


    The fireworks then converged and formed a pattern, painting the message ¡®Happy Summer Festival!¡¯ in an explosive plethora of different colors. It was impressive, to say the least.


    By the time the fireworks show was finally over, we had all lost track of time, and merely stood there, stunned.


    ¡°That was¡­ beautiful,¡± Feng Mian said atst, smiling warmly. The other girls nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Been a while since Ist saw fireworks as impressive as this,¡± Yu An Yan said. ¡°Definitely exceeded my expectations, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Xuan Kai?¡± Ming Hao butt in, a grin on his face. ¡°What do you think of the fireworks show? Was our boy Long Lu¡¯s spot good?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ technically the first time I¡¯ve seen fireworks.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Qing Yue tilted her head. ¡°But didn¡¯t you go on a date with Mei Gui a long time ago, and saw fireworks there¡­? She told me about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, almost,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°The fireworks were about to start, but then the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s invasion screwed everything up.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ that,¡± Ming Haoughed awkwardly. ¡°I almost forgot about that¡­ but hey, at least this time, the show wasn¡¯t ruined by the Midnight Syndicate, right?¡±


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, a loud explosion went up into the air. Another firework? No. This one was something far greater¡ªfar more dangerous. The earth began shaking, and the girls and I immediately got ready to fight. Ming Hao, on the other hand, was shocked still.


    ¡°Uh¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°This is going to fall!¡± I yelled to them. ¡°Run!¡±


    I immediately used Warp Gate to bring all the girls and I back to the ground, but the others were out of my range and had to deal with it on their own. I saw the building we had just been on slowly tumbling, falling to the floor, but then-


    ¡°Look! Above us!¡± A man to our right cried out, and at once, everyone in Fragment looked to the air.


    It was a horrifying sight.


    The originally clear ck sky now had a hole in it, with fractures protruding from it like a broken piece of ss. Some people still thought this was part of the show¡ªbut they soon realized their mistake as several screams could be heard in the distance, directly underneath the gaping hole in the artificial sky of Fragment.


    And what was also in that direction was¡­


    ¡°¡­!¡± Zhao Xiuying suddenly rushed on forward, surprising both me and the other girls.


    ¡°Hey, where are you- tch!¡±


    Gritting my teeth, we followed after her. Since using magic in Fragment was strictly prohibited and doing so would require immense effort, I decided to conserve my energy/mana.


    After all, there was no telling what awaited us. And I didn¡¯t have a good feeling.


    *****


    As the girls and I arrived at the source of the screams, we were dumbfounded. In front of us, five figures stood, surrounded by a full toon of soldiers led by five other figures. The first five¡¯s attire mainly consisted of ck, while the other five¡¯s outfits mainly consisted of white. All ten were immensely powerful figures.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡± Feng Mian whispered from beside me, but none of us could answer. We hid behind some bushes, watching the conflict before us unfold.


    ¡°¡­ The Midnight Syndicate. After going quiet for months, you have returned,¡± one of the white-outfitted figures said, voice deep and stern.


    My eyes widened. That voice¡­ I recognized it.


    ¡°¡­ Tian Lin¡­?¡±


    ¡°You know him¡­?¡± Ling Xin turned to me in surprise. I gave a firm nod, but there was no time to exin anything to her now. If Tian Lin was here, that would mean the other four were also Council members.


    Just as expected, Ling Xin moved up and tried exiting the bushes, but I shook my head.


    <em>Not yet,</em> I implied with my eyes. <em>We need to assess their power first.</em>


    After some thought, she nodded, agreeing with my n, andid back down, patiently observing the scene.


    ¡°And not just that¡­¡± A short and stout man wearing an white outfit chuckled. ¡°After so many years of hiding¡­ you¡¯ve finallye back out, huh, X?¡±


    The man wearing ck standing in the center of the four others by his side, whose name was presumably X, didn¡¯t even react to his question. He may have, in actuality, but his midnight ck knight-like helmet covered his entire head. So, instead, he spoke quietly yet threateningly, voice dispassionate yet menacing.


    ¡°¡­ Sumb. I do not wish to fight you.¡±


    The stout man¡¯s expression tightened, and he took a gulp out of the jar of wine he held in his hand.


    ¡°¡­ Heh. Awfully confident you¡¯ve gotten over the past years, eh? Have ya forgotten thest time ya ¡®nvaded us like this, ya got your ass handed to ya on a damn silver tter?¡±


    On the other side, a man with wolf ears and silver hair rolled his eyes impatiently.


    ¡°Oi, boss, just let me take care of these guys already. That fat one especially¡­ looks like he¡¯ll have lots of meat, heheh¡­¡±


    ¡°I ask that you grant me the opportunity to serve you, Master X,¡± another man said, kneeling down on one knee before X, who was their leader. ¡°I shall eliminate these¡­ hindrances.¡±


    This one had ash-grey skin and glowing red pupils and ck sclerae instead of the usual white. Two red scars ran down his face on either side, but none were longer than the length of about a finger. It was clear that he was a Demon in his demonic form rather than his human one.


    ¡°¡­ Very well,¡± X said after a long silence. ¡°I gave you a warning, and you did not listen. Then, face the wrath of my men. I will leave you two to it.¡±


    ¡°Yessir!¡±


    ¡°My thanks, Master X.¡±


    The wolf demihuman grinned like a carnivore and cracked his knuckles while the demon rose from his knees and turned to face the Council of Arcanity members along with their soldiers, and X turned away. Together, with his two other subordinates, he vanished into thin air.


    ¡°Hold it! Where do you think you ar-¡± The Elven Council Member began moving forward, but the wolf demihuman stepped up, blocking his path.


    ¡°Woah there¡­ where do you think <em>you¡¯re</em> going? Your opponent is right here in front of you.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ how despicable. Tian Lin, Strovem, Sayuri, and Phobia, let us work together to take down this foe!¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Strovem¡ªthe dwarf¡ªyelled and prepared to toss his wine into the air, but¡ª


    ¡°ROARRRR!¡±


    Suddenly, the demon unleashed a deafening bellow, and even the girls and I who were watching far away had to plug our ears tightly. Two wings sprouted from its back, great and ominous, sending out a ripple of Demon energy all around him.


    ¡°Ngh-!¡± The Council of Arcanity members backed away slightly, but were otherwise unharmed. The toon of soldiers, however, weren¡¯t as lucky. They were all blown away in an instant by the wind generated from the demon¡¯s powerful wings, then killed by the Demon energy. The few soldiers among them from the Demon race managed to survive, but even among those, most were unconscious. All were in no condition to fight.


    ¡°You four deal with the demon!¡± Sayuri, the tiger demihuman girl, yelled, then turned to the wolfish young man. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll take on this one.¡±


    A fatal mistake.


    ¡°Oh? Think Nael over there is more dangerous than me?¡± The wolf demihumanughed devilishly. ¡°¡­ That pisses me off, little girl. Oh, how it so pisses me off¡­ how it¡­ oh, <strong><em>I¡¯m mad now.</em></strong>¡°


    Suddenly, his body was engulfed in white light, and a beam of raw power shot out of him, piercing the skies. His pupils disappeared, eyes turning into nothing but pure white, and his fangs grew sharper. His two elbows tore apart to reveal sharp arm des, and his originally silver-gray hair turned into a divine white.


    ¡°W-What is this¡­?¡± Sayuri breathed, eyes widened in terror and voice trembling at the glowing entity in front of her, still surrounded by a white fire-like aura.


    The powered-up wolfman, sensing her fear, smirked widely and revealed all of his sharp teeth.


    <em><strong>¡°Now¡­ you pay the price.¡±</strong></em>

 Chapter 475: Escape in Chaos

    Chapter 475: Escape in Chaos


    (Sayuri¡¯s Perspective)


    In an instant, the wolf demihuman before me disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a trail of smoke. My eyes widened in surprise at his impossible speed, but it was toote.


    ¡°Ngh-!¡± I was struck by a surprise kick to my back, powerful enough to send me tumbling to the floor.


    However, despite my small body, I was a member of the Council of Arcanity¡ªthe representative for the Demihumans. I will not allow another to defeat me so easily like this¡­!


    ¡°Tch-!¡± I evaded his follow-up attack with a roll and sprung to my feet once more, causing the wolf demihuman to smirk before instantly vanishing again.


    But this time, I was prepared.


    <em>Tiger Instinct!</em>


    My burning orange eyes lit up like fire, and my senses heightened exponentially.


    <em>¡­ There!</em>


    Suddenly, I turned around, just in time to see the wolf demihuman attempt to kick me again. His pupiless eyes widened slightly as if impressed, but his expression quickly twisted into a smug sneer as I punched forward with brute force.


    ¡°Hyah!¡±


    My punch met nothing but thin air.


    ¡°Wha- impossib- ngh!¡±


    I felt ws tighten around my hair, and the next moment, my face was nted in the ground. The wolf demihuman stood above my body with his foot on my back, smirking victoriously.


    ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got, little tiger?¡± He sneered mockingly, baring his white fangs and licking the des that protruded from his forearms and curved backwards.


    ¡°How did you¡­¡± I opened my mouth to ask, but then decided against it. What good would asking my enemy about his tricks do?


    <em>Very well¡­ this guy is unlike any opponent I¡¯ve faced thus far. If I have to call upon the powers of my ancestors¡­ then so be it.</em>


    ¡°Come¡­ Battle Soul!¡± I yelled as loud as I could, and summoned the fiery spirit within me.


    ¡°ROARRR!¡±


    The bellow of a tiger echoed throughout the battlefield, and the wolf demihuman was forced to step away from me. The spiritual materialization of a tiger¡¯s burning head formed above my body, and slowly, I rose to my feet, all wounds healed. My eyes shone with the same fire my Battle Soul did, and I spread my arms.


    ¡°¡­ You are better than most. But I am the strongest Demihuman in existence¡­ and you will do well to remember that.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± He snorted as if this was an annoyance. ¡°Battle Souls, huh¡­ I don¡¯t like it, but looks like I have no choice but to use <em>that.</em>¡°


    I didn¡¯t know what he was talking about, and quite frankly, I didn¡¯t care. He had forced me to do this, so there was no turning back now.


    ¡°Legendary Fire Magic ¡ª Sr Nova!¡±


    My Battle Soul roared and opened its jaws wide, forming a fireball in its gaping mouth. It grew bigger and bigger, slowly increasing in power, until atst, it was the size of a meteor.


    And now¡­


    ¡°Take¡­ this!¡±


    ¡°ROARR!¡±


    Imanded my Battle Soul tounch the fully-charged Sr Nova at the wolf demihuman, and it unleashed a roar in response as it obeyed my order. Although the wolfman was taller than the average demihuman, the massive bomb of fire in the air dwarfed him.


    <em>He¡¯s still not making a move to run¡­ guess he¡¯s epting defeat.</em> I smirked. After all, there was no ce he could run. His end was upon him.


    But then, contrary to all expectations, the wolfman¡­ smiled.


    ¡°¡­ Heh.¡±


    Slowly, he raised his arm up and pointed his open palm towards my Sr Nova, as if that was going to stop it. And then, out his mouth came two words:


    ¡°Good bye.¡±


    ZEW¡­


    The sound of aser apanied the concentrated beam of thin white light that shot out of the wolf demihuman¡¯s hand. Compared to my Sr Nova, it was pitiful how weak his attempt at defense was. Surely, that skinny ray of white light couldn¡¯t do anything to my-


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    My eyes widened and my body froze as I witnessed a truly horrifying yet beautiful sight ur in front of me.


    My Sr Nova stopped moving as the wolf demihuman¡¯s white ray of light came into contact with it, as if frozen in time. Then, the radiance slowly engulfed the Sr Nova whole, like ayer of skin that blocked off the fiery orange of the bomb and turned it into a harmless glowing white ball instead.


    And finally¡­ it disappeared.


    My enormous Sr Nova, an attack that could wipe out entire viges, was gone. Reduced to atoms without even an explosion. It simply wasn¡¯t there anymore, and had been nullified by whatever it was the wolfman had used.


    And not only that¡­


    ¡°Heheheh!¡± He took advantage of my momentary surprise to shoot another beam of that same white light at me, and it hit my Battle Soul square in the forehead.


    ¡°Ngh¡­! What¡­?!¡± I felt a sudden pain in my forehead to correspond, and I fell to my knees.


    <em>How is this possible¡­?! Anything that is not a Battle Soul cannot hurt or interact with another Battle Soul! Just what is that white light¡­?!</em>


    ¡°AHHH!¡± I screamed in pain as my Tiger Battle Soul disintegrated into nothingness, having been taken down by that mysterious white light. As the Battle Soul¡¯s wielder, I suffered simr bacsh, and copsed to the floor, barely alive.


    ¡°¡­ Hmph,¡± the wolf demihuman gave a short snort as he walked over to me, and the white light that surrounded his body was now gone. The des that protruded from his forearms had returned to just being normal flesh as well, and his grey pupils were back too.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to have to rely on that power, but¡­ you brought it upon yourself for bringing a Battle Soul into the fight,¡± he spat with a nasty sneer, stepping on my back like he had done just a minute earlier. ¡°We Demihumans fight with our fists and bodies, not some bullshit like magic. ¡®Strongest Demihuman¡¯ my ass¡­ you¡¯re nothing but a weakling. And weaklings¡­ don¡¯t deserve to live.¡±


    Lifting his foot up into the air, he stomped down hard on my back.


    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± I cried out in pain, but he did not stop and instead did it again. And again. And again.


    Until my consciousness was just about to fade away, and my lifeforce was dwindling. The cruel wolf demihuman continued stomping the life out of me, and finally¡­


    My eyelids grew heavy, and I couldn¡¯t even cry in pain any longer¡­


    It was¡­ over?


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± A man¡¯s voice suddenly roared, and my eyes snapped back open to see an old man in a butler suit rushing over, taking on a fighting stance in front of the wolf demihuman, who raised an eyebrow at him and finally left me be.


    ¡°Oh¡­? An old geezer?¡±


    *****


    (Xuan Kai¡¯s Perspective)


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± My eyes widened as I saw the neer who had just joined the battle. He was a familiar old butler¡ªone I had met just recently, so the memory was still fresh in my mind.


    ¡°¡­¡± Beside me, Zhao Xiuying was staring at the man as well, and her body was trembling a bit though she didn¡¯t speak. That was not a surprise¡ªthis man was none other than the butler of the Zhao Family, who had yed a major role in Xiuying¡¯s upbringing.


    After some careful consideration, I opened up a Warp Gate beneath our feet, and turned to the girls.


    ¡°You guys, leave. This will take you to the private beach. If they spot us, it¡¯s over¡ªwe¡¯re not strong enough to take them on.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ what about you?¡± Feng Mian asked in worry, and I turned to Xiuying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I still have some business to take of here.¡±


    <em>Namely¡­ figuring out what that white light was. If this is the cmity Sylvoir spoke of, then I need to find out their weaknesses as soon as possible. The earlier, the better.</em>


    The girls knew better to pry, so they merely nodded and stepped into the magic circle.


    ¡°Stay safe, Xuan Kai,¡± Feng Mian said, and I sent them away without any hesitation. Xiuying, however, had purposely moved out of the magic circle, and so she wasn¡¯t teleported. I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Xiuying, you have to-¡°


    ¡°Legendary Sky Magic ¡ª Fang of Zeus!¡±


    The old butler yelled, mming the ground with his gloved hand and calling upon the heavens. Clouds formed above the wolf demihuman, who let out a low growl of anger.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ this again¡­? You¡¯re making me <strong><em>real pissed, you know?!¡±</em></strong>


    With a howl, the same white light from earlier wrapped around his body, and he pointed his finger upwards into the air.


    ¡°Die!¡± The butler roared in fury, but the demihuman wolf merely smirked.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re too naive, old geezer. Far too naive.¡±


    A skinny white ray of light shot out of his fingertip and hit the enormous lightning bolt that had been about to strike him head-on, and a bright, blinding sh ensued.


    The Fang of Zeus¡­ had been nullified, just like the Sr Nova from before.


    ¡°Wha-!¡± The butler¡¯s eyes widened in shock, but it was toote. The wolf demihuman leaped forward and kicked him straight in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the metal gates of the Zhao residency.


    ¡°Agh-!¡±


    Being old, he was easily killed from an impact like that.


    ¡°Butle-¡± Zhao Xiuying tried moving out of the bushes, but I pulled her back.


    ¡°Idiot, he¡¯ll hear!¡±


    But a wolf¡¯s ears were not to be underestimated. Slowly, he turned in our direction,ughed darkly.


    ¡°A buncha scrawny kids, eavesdropping, is it? Well¡­ looks like you need a lil¡¯ discipline¡­¡±

 Chapter 476: Left For Dead

    Chapter 476: Left For Dead


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± I turned around and tried to run, knowing we were outmatched, but Zhao Xiuying would not move.


    ¡°Xiuying!¡± I called out, tugging on her slender, pale arm. ¡°Listen to me¡ªI know what that feeling is like¡­ but we have to go. Now!¡±


    ¡°Butler¡­ m-mother¡­ father¡­¡± She whispered, voice as frail as an old ghost and eyes as dead as a corpse. She was usually already expressionless enough, but this only made it worse. If her butler had fallen like that, then her parents, who were presumably still in that house, were next in line.


    ¡°Tch¡­ you leave me no choice.¡±


    Gritting my teeth, I struck the back of her neck with my hand, knocking her out cold, then picked her up on my back and began running.


    Ran, ran, ran.


    For there was no turning back. Not after this.


    ¡°Heheh¡­!¡± The wolf demihuman took off after us like a predator hunting its prey, and his bestial body made it easy for him to catch up to us. Narrowing my eyes, I took off into the air using Flight, but he onlyughed.


    ¡°Hahaha! Think you can simply fly away?! Get a taste of this too!¡±


    He pointed his palm at me, then shot out a devastating beam of white light, too fast for me to dodge. It struck me in the ankle, but¡­


    ¡­ Didn¡¯t do a thing.


    ¡°¡­ Heh, eat my dust!¡± I chuckled before soaring away, and the wolf demihuman narrowed his eyes before ncing down at his own hand where had had shot the ray from.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Antimagic work on him¡­?¡± He muttered, confused.


    Then, a set of loud footsteps came from behind him, and he turned to see his Demonpanion with two wings and two strong, muscr arms, a solemn expression on his face. The wolfman chuckled.


    ¡°Finished over there?¡±


    The Demon nodded. ¡°I took care of the one you left alive, as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, my bad. Thanks,¡± the wolf demihumanughed, then patted the Demon on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s regroup with the boss, then. Our men should be all over the city by now¡­ and anyone who resisted should¡¯ve died already. This was a sess, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Master X¡¯s ns are absolute.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed¡­ though I really wish he would agree to having that duel with me sometime,¡± The wolfman muttered with a sigh.


    ¡°He would crush you,¡± the Demon replied in monotone. He wasn¡¯t saying it in a derogatory way, only the truth.


    ¡°Maybe, but even so¡­ heh. I live for the thrill of hand-to-handbat¡­ not that stupid magic or whatever that thing you use is called.¡±


    ¡°I use Demoncraft. It is different from the power the people of the surface call ¡®magic¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Well, either way. But we¡¯ve spent enough time here talking. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The wolf demihuman smirked and leaped up onto one of the buildings¡¯ roofs with no effort at all, but the Demon called him back.


    ¡°Wait. What were you doing over here? You are not usually one to leave prey alive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, something else caught my eye. They ended up escaping though,¡± the wolfman hollered down from the roof. ¡°The Antimagic didn¡¯t work on them for whatever reason¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± The huge Demon fell into thought. ¡°¡­ I suppose Master X did say the form is still in its beta stages. Some malfunctions may ur.¡±


    ¡°Right? So let¡¯s go already!¡± The wolfman said with a cackle. ¡°Come on, slowpoke!¡±


    The Demon didn¡¯t respond to his jab and instead merely took off into the air, pping his two wings slowly as he followed the wolfman who jumped from roof to roof.


    *****


    ¨C Fragment, Central za ¨C


    ¡°¡­ Heheh~ looks like the other two are back,¡± a woman in revealing subus clothing said with a smile, licking her lips as she finished draining another citizen¡¯s lifeforce.


    ¡°¡­ Master X, the city is clear,¡± an old woman croaked, sitting on the floor with a book in herp and a wooden staff in her hand. ¡°Most of the citizens have been killed, and the few who weren¡¯t have fled.¡±


    ¡°¡­Good. Order everyone to initiate the rebuilding process. I want it done by tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ but with the magic-restraining enchantments still in ce¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± The masked man named X tenderly raised his hand, then snapped his fingers.


    Instantly, a faint white shockwave erupted from his body, covering the entire city of Fragment and breaking all the enchantments set in ce. None of his subordinates, despite being hit directly by this force, were hurt one bit.


    ¡°Report to me when the rebuildment isplete,¡± X then said, turning on his heel and preparing to leave.


    ¡°Understood¡­ but please wait, Master X,¡± the Demon Nael suddenly said, stepping forward. ¡°I have something to report. Privately, if possible.¡±


    X stopped in his tracks, then opened up a Warp Gate in front of him and stepped through. Nael, taking this as consent, bowed and followed after him, with the portal closing right after.


    *****


    ¨C Throne Room, Midnight Syndicate Headquarters ¨C


    ¡°¡­ Speak,¡± X said, sitting down on his ominous ck throne.


    ¡°Yes, Master X.¡± The Demon Nael knelt down on one knee and bowed his head. ¡°Earlier, when Alphis and I were fighting the five Council of Arcanity members who attempted to stop us, he was distracted by someone, and thus chased after them.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And? What of it? Did youe here to be a telltale?¡±


    ¡°No, Master X, I would not dare. What I mean to report was¡­ the distraction Alphis spoke of was able to escape. He imed that the Antimagic, which he had presumably attempted to use against Flight, failed to work. I assume this is because the form is still in its beta stages, however¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ No.¡±


    X suddenly stood up from his throne, as if agitated.


    ¡°¡­ Bring Alphis here. Now.¡±


    Nael bowed. ¡°Understood, Master X.¡±


    *****


    ¡°Yo, boss,¡± Alphis, the demihuman wolf, said with a smirk as he waltzed into X¡¯s throne room. ¡°Did Nael tell ya I didn¡¯t get to finish off that tiger girl? That¡¯s my bad, I got distracted by a kid with a girl beside him. Lil¡¯ brats were eavesdroppin¡¯ on me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Tell me, Alphis,¡± X said, voice dark and booming through his dark knight helmet. ¡°¡­ What did this kid you speak of look like?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, they turned tail and ran the moment I went after them, so I couldn¡¯t get a really good nce even with my night vision, but¡­ he had ck hair and red eyes, I think? I¡¯m not sure, he was wearing a helmet and mask that covered most of his face except the eyes, so¡­ and the girl was pretty cu-¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear about the girl,¡± X cut in. ¡°Describe the boy in more detail. As much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ well¡­ he was about 6 feet tall, and pretty fast. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s around 20 or so, judging from his movements.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ well, the Antimagic didn¡¯t work on him when he flew up into the air and took off, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Could he be¡­¡± X murmured under his breath, then let out a deep sigh. ¡°This is getting me nowhere¡­¡±


    Suddenly, he disappeared and reappeared behind Alphis, who was frozen.


    ¡°H-Huh-?!¡± He gasped, but could not do a thing against the terrifying aura of X, whose very presence made cold sweat trickle down the poor wolfman¡¯s back.


    ¡°¡­ Rx,¡± X ordered, and gently pressed his armored fingertips against the back of the wolfman¡¯s head.


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    Alphis¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of his head as his body fell into a dazed state, and X closed his eyes as he essed his subordinate¡¯s memories.


    The images yed through like a movie, and X could see the boy Alphis spoke of. However, he did not have the same night vision the wolf demihuman did, so he could not make out any clear details.


    Clenching his fists in annoyance, he cursed and took his hand off of Alphis¡¯s head, causing the wolfman to snap back to consciousness.


    ¡°W-Woah¡­ what just happened¡­¡± He whispered to himself, scratching the back of his head, feeling like someone had touched him there, but X and him were the only two in the chamber, and the former was on his throne, having not budged an inch.


    After some careful consideration and thought, X decided to trust his instincts and take the risk.


    ¡°¡­ Gather the four other Archbishops here,¡± X said calmly. ¡°I have a new series of orders to give out.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? Uh, okay¡­¡±


    Alphis left the throne room, and soon returned with Nael the demon, the subus woman, and the old hag in tow. They all collectively knelt down in front of X, then rose to their feet once more after a few seconds.


    ¡°So, I heard you have new orders for us,¡± the subus said with a wry smile. ¡°What are they? I¡¯m a busy woman, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Watch your attitude, Eve,¡± Nael warned in a deep voice.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± The subus, named Eve, rolled her eyes slightly and gave augh.


    ¡°But jokes aside¡­ what really are the orders?¡± Alphis asked, scratching his head. ¡°As long as I can fight someone, I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    But X¡¯s next words surprised all of them.


    ¡°A human boy with ck hair and red eyes. Age 18-22. 6 feet tall. I want you to look for him.¡±


    ¡°W-What¡­? The kid I came across?¡± Alphis¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Why him?¡±


    ¡°Do not question my orders¡­ or have you forgotten your ce?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, no¡­¡± Alphis whimpered, almost like a sad puppy.


    ¡°Hoho¡­ a human boy age 18 to 22, yes¡­? Sounds like the perfect meal, fufu¡­¡± Eve giggled, biting her sharp nails yfully with her teeth.


    ¡°You are not to kill him under any circumstances,¡± X continued, voice demanding and dark. ¡°Bring him to me, alive¡­ or it is you who will die. Is that clear?¡±


    After hearing this, the four Archbishops of the Midnight Syndicate knew their leader wasn¡¯t joking around. They bowed down simultaneously, and gulped in fear.


    ¡°¡­ Understood, Master X.¡±

 Chapter 477: New Plans

    Chapter 477: New ns


    ¨C At the Private Beach ¨C


    ¡°Xuan Kai!¡± Feng Mian called out and rushed over just as I teleported here with Zhao Xiuying. ¡°Oh, thank god you¡¯re safe¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°For now. But the Midnight Syndicate has taken over Fragment yet refrained from destroying itpletely. I¡¯m not sure why they did this as opposed to the total destruction of Shenzhen, but¡­ it¡¯s definitely nothing to be happy about.¡±


    Yu An Yan and the other girls walked up beside Feng Mian, then gave a firm nod.


    ¡°¡­ Whatever it is they¡¯re nning, it¡¯s big. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t haveid dormant for so long only to emerge again now, and take the Magic Capital by storm like that.¡±


    ¡°To think they became so powerful in the matter of a few years¡­¡± Ling Xin murmured. ¡°Even my seniors in the Council couldn¡¯t hold a candle to them¡­¡±


    But I shook my head. ¡°No. Judging from their strength levels alone, your seniors in the Council actually have them outmatched. However¡­ the Midnight Syndicate has a new trick up their sleeve this time around.¡±


    Qing Yue nodded in agreement. ¡°Big Brother Xuan Kai has a special ability to sense others¡¯ strengths, so if he says so, it must be true. As for the new trick they have up their sleeve¡­ it¡¯s called¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Antimagic,¡± Zhao Xiuying finished, having memorized the words that came out of that wolf demihuman¡¯s mouth when he had been chasing us. The other girls, who had left before that happened, blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Anti¡­ magic¡­?¡± Lan Xiao Su¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°By definition, that means¡­ a counter to magic. Something like that¡­ exists?¡±


    ¡°If it didn¡¯t before, it sure as hell does now,¡± I muttered in disdain. ¡°You all saw it too, didn¡¯t you? That tiger girl¡¯s Sr Nova was nullified by a single ray of white light as if it hadn¡¯t been there in the first ce. I don¡¯t know how it works, but without a doubt, that white light is the antimagic they were talking about.¡±


    ¡°No way¡­ if they can nullify our magic, then¡­ how do we even fight against them?¡± Feng Mian murmured in worry, frowning as she racked her head for answers.


    ¡°Fufu¡­ it¡¯s simple, is it not?¡± Axilia chimed with an innocent smile as if none of this was of any concern to her. ¡°Anti¡­ magic. It counters magic¡­ but not True Essence. Darling, you get what I¡¯m saying, don¡¯t you~?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Ling Xin, will that work?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow in hesitation.


    Ling Xin pondered for a while, then pursed her lips. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure, in all honesty. It will depend on how strong their antimagic is¡ªand the longer we let this go on, the more advanced they will develop it. In other words, if we are to use True Essence to conquer this antimagic technology, then we¡¯ll need to do it fast.¡±


    ¡°True Essence¡­?¡± The other girls tilted their heads in confusion, and very quickly, Ling Xin gave all of them a brief exnation of what True Essence is. After they all understood, I continued the conversation from where we left off.


    ¡°That man with the ck knight mask and midnight robes seems to be their leader. His name was¡­ X, if I recall correctly.¡±


    ¡°X. How mysterious and utterly cliched,¡± Qing Yue remarked with a wry grin. ¡°But considering how strong his subordinates are, he must be no easy foe himself.¡±


    Feng Mian nodded in agreement. ¡°Speaking of his subordinates¡­ most likely, we¡¯ll need to defeat them before we even get a chance to confront this ¡®X¡¯ person. It will be a hassle, but we won¡¯t be able to simply go for themander¡¯s head without even knowing his exact location.¡±


    ¡°The n for now is to find each of X¡¯s subordinates and get information out of them, then, correct?¡± Yu An Yan asked for confirmation.


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Xin murmured. ¡°However, there¡¯s a slight problem. All of X¡¯s subordinates wield antimagic, and in this Realm, Xuan Kai, Axilia, and I are unable to use True Essence due to theck of it in the atmosphere. Going after them right now without understanding anything would be suicide.¡±


    ¡°He is, immune.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± All the girls turned to Zhao Xiuying in surprise, who had interjected her way into the conversation and was now pointing at me with her finger, a neutral expression on his face.


    ¡°Xuan Kai, you¡¯re¡­ immune to the antimagic?¡± Yu An Yan inquired, an expression of shock on her face.


    I shook my head. ¡°Maybe, but I can¡¯t be certain. When I was escaping with Xiuying, we took flight into the air. The wolf demihuman shot a beam of antimagic at me and hit my shoe with it, but it didn¡¯t affect me at all. In fact¡­ it almost felt like I was being empowered, like when I consume other people¡¯s magic but on a greater level. But even so, it may just be a malfunction in the antimagic. One instance of me resisting it isn¡¯t enough to prove anything. I¡¯m not trying to get myself killed here, so I want to make sure I really am immune before engaging inbat with them.¡±


    But to my surprise, Mei Gui shook her head.


    ¡°Master, I can confirm. You indeed are immune.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­?¡± I tilted my head, prompting her to continue. She closed her eyes, then opened them again after a brief second as if preparing her speech.


    ¡°You have reached a level ofprehension of Chaos where you can consume all forms of energy, Master. Although antimagic is a counter to magic, it is in and of itself a form of magic as well, also made of mana at its core, just very much modified. That modification, however, means nothing in front of the power of Chaos, which can and will devour all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ but do you know just what the Midnight Syndicate did to mana that made it turn into this¡­ purifying antimagic?¡± I asked.


    Mei Gui shook her head sadly. ¡°Unfortunately not, Master. That is out of the range of my current abilities and knowledge. I apologize¡­¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± I quickly said, thenpsed into thought once more.


    ¡°Devour, consume¡­ bute to think of it¡­ Xuan Kai, isn¡¯t your Chaos power somewhat simr to antimagic, in a way?¡± Feng Mian said thoughtfully. ¡°I mean, both counter other forms of magic, right? It¡¯s just instead of converting that magic into power for yourself, the antimagic merely destroys it. Apart from that difference, though, both antimagic and Chaos can be seen as simr forms of power.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­? So you think the Midnight Syndicate may have half-copied darling¡¯s powers?¡± Axilia swung her scythe around. ¡°Unforgivable¡­ hey, darling, can we go kill them, right now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I replied in a forceful tone, making my seriousness clear. ¡°But if that theory is true¡­ then everything falls into ce. Maybe this was the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s n from the very beginning¡­ that might be why they targeted my parents and I all those years ago, and why they¡¯ve been continuing to hunt me down¡­¡±


    ¡°But that leaves the question¡ªwhy did they suddenly stop one day?¡± Ling Xin proposed. ¡°If they stopped, it would mean they somehow got what they wanted from you, no? When and how did they get the chance to do that¡ªthat¡¯s the real question.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ what are your thoughts on this, Lorelei?¡± I asked the fox perched on top of my shoulder, who promptly transformed into the human version of herself so everyone could hear what she had to say.


    ¡°Based on given evidence and facts, Lorelei believes this to be quite possible. However, what the ck-haired girl pointed out is true¡ªhow and when were this cult able to obtain fragments of your power, Master?¡±


    Ling Xin¡¯s eyebrows twitched a little at being called ¡®the ck-haired girl¡¯ instead of her name, but she didn¡¯t interrupt.


    And it was then that I realized¡ªand it would seem Feng Mian did as well.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Xuan Kai isn¡¯t the only Chaos user here. There¡¯s one more¡­¡± She turned to none other than Mei Gui, who had came to the realization as well. ¡°Back then, Ling Xin had taken you to someb¡­¡±


    Ling Xin narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you are using me of leaking the information to the Midnight Syndicate, I rmend you think twice. Back then, I gave Mei Gui to that doctor for my own curiousness about this Chaos power, nothing more. After you broke her out, theb was destroyed personally by me. No evidence of what happened remains.¡±


    ¡°And when, exactly, did you destroy it?¡± I challenged, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°When I went to check on the progress of the doctor, only to find him dead.¡±


    ¡°Right. And don¡¯t you think between our escape and you finding the doctor dead¡­ someone else could¡¯ve infiltrated theb?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ling Xin frowned a bit. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but hard to imagine. No one else should¡¯ve known about thatb¡¯s location, unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless we were being spied on by a third-party at the time,¡± Qing Yue concluded. ¡°By¡­ the Midnight Syndicate.¡±

 Chapter 478: Regroup

    Chapter 478: Regroup


    ¡°All right. So we¡¯ve concluded that Xuan Kai¡¯s magic can indeed fight back against this antimagic power, and could very well be the only thing that can,¡± Lan Xiao Su concluded, spinning around the pen in her hand. ¡°What¡¯s our next move?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, so we should end this the sooner the better,¡± Feng Mian said, to which Ling Xin gave a firm nod in agreement.


    ¡°The Midnight Syndicate may only have showed up in Fragment on the surface, but I have no doubt their secretirs all around the world will soon emerge and attack their respective cities to take advantage of all the chaos in the Magic Capital,¡± she stated matter-of-factly, folding her arms. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time until they reach here as well.¡±


    Yu An Yan sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ and not to mention they¡¯ll definitely be trying to further advance their antimagic after learning it failed against Xuan Kai. If it bes so advanced to a point where even Chaos doesn¡¯t work against it, then¡­ well, we¡¯re all doomed, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°There is no time to waste,¡± I replied, mind set. ¡°We rest tonight, then set out tomorrow for the Fortress. If we want to get back into Fragment, that will be the only ce we can. The teleporter here¡¯s been destroyed, right?¡±


    Qing Yue nodded. ¡°The portal closed off, but we can still reroute it to a different location.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case¡­ looks like it¡¯s time to pay another visit to Old Man Leng, huh?¡±


    ¡°That geezer?¡± ria raised an eyebrow. I frowned.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t like him?¡±


    ¡°Eh, he¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s just¡­ he and his shop always smells like cigarettes. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    <em>Oh yeah¡­ she did sleep there once.</em>


    ¡°Well, now that we have this private beach, you won¡¯t have to sleep there ever again,¡± Feng Mian said with a smile, doing her best to lighten the mood in the face of the cmity upon us. ¡°But back to the topic¡­ how will we execute this? I mean, if only Chaos power can fight against this antimagic, then the rest of us apart from Xuan Kai and Mei Gui will be essentially useless.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Mei Gui answered sharply, a steely gleam in her reddish-pink eyes. ¡°When we face off against X¡¯s subordinates, only Master and I will go, but the rest of you can still take on the lower-ranked Midnight Syndicate members with ease. There will be no shortage of them, so we¡¯ll leave those to you. And¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep! Leave back-up to me,¡± Qing Yue said with a wry smirk. She may not be able to attack them directly, but healing and buffing she could still do.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± I said. ¡°We head for the Fortress tomorrow, then find a way into Fragment. Rest up, everyone. We have a long road ahead of us.¡±


    The girls all nodded in response, and we headed off to the inn to rest. Who knows? We might evene across some old friends at the Fortress, those who also escaped from Fragment¡­


    *****


    ¨C The Next Morning ¨C


    We wasted no time at all.


    Waking up at 6 AM, I immediately opened up a portal to the Fortress. The girls and I all stepped through, and emerged in front of Old Man Leng¡¯s shop. It was a ce we had been to numerous times in the past, so I remembered it very well.


    I also remembered that since it was morning, pretty much no one was up. In the Fortress, day and night were essentially flipped, after all. It was when night fell that life truly began in this ce.


    Of course, that was not to say there weren¡¯t normal early risers. Thankfully for us, Old Man Leng was one of them. He had a pistol in his hand as he opened the door, but upon seeing who we were, he let out a sigh and nced out at the streets to make sure no one was watching, then beckoned us inside.


    Once we were in, he shut the door behind me and locked it tightly, then set down the pistol on the counter and leaned against it, sighing deeply. I tilted my head.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re not going to question why or how we¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I already know bloody everythin¡¯, kiddo. What happened up there in Fragment, I mean. All the survivors escaped to here, the bloody Fortress. The Midnight Syndicate followed them, and lemme tell ya,st night was a bloody battle. My wife n¡¯ I stayed out of the fight, but many of the survivors from Fragment are dead now. Luckily, though, the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s bloody troops lost quite a bunch as well, so they retreated¡ªfor the time bein¡¯, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ but if that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t you suspect us of being Midnight Syndicate members? Shapeshifting exists, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. No one but ya could be surrounded by all these fine youngdies, kid. A Midnight Syndicate member couldn¡¯t mimic ya if he tried.¡±


    <em>That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly urate.</em>


    ¡°Ahem¡­ anyway,¡± I shook my head, getting straight to the point. ¡°Do you mind if I set up a portal here? It will make traveling between our ce and here easier.¡±


    ¡°Ya could just stay here, y¡¯know. I dunno what yer tryin¡¯ to do, exactly, but if yer still here in the Fortress, it means ya want to fight, right? Most of the remainin¡¯ survivors already fled.¡±


    ¡°Running away isn¡¯t going to do them any good,¡± Feng Mian muttered. ¡°The Midnight Syndicate will catch up with them sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but¡­¡± I nced at the girls. ¡°There¡¯s way too many of us to live in this ce. We already have a suitable lodging set up, so if you could just let us ce a portal here¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ and what do I get outta this?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± <em>Yeah¡­ what was I thinking,ing here without a suitable deal in mind?</em> ¡°Well¡­ we could let you and your wifee to our lodging whenever you want, until this whole business is over.¡±


    ¡°Hah! I was just kiddin¡¯,¡± Old Man Leng said with a chuckle, then turned serious. ¡°Those bloody Midnight Syndicate bastards most likely took my son¡¯s life. I¡¯m too old to be in the frontlines myself, but if this counts as support for ya kids tryna take ¡¯em down¡­ then I¡¯ll dly do it, free o¡¯ charge. Not usually my modus operandi, but this is a bloody exception. Ya can set up yer portal or whatever in the back storage room.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ thanks,¡± I replied, giving a firm nod. ¡°But you can still go to our lodging if you want. The portal¡¯s going to be set up in your shop, so feel free to go in it whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°Ho? Where is the lodging anyway?¡±


    ¡°A private beach.¡±


    ¡°A- what?!¡± Old Man Leng¡¯s eyes widened and he mmed his palm on the ss counter so hardly it made me wonder how it wasn¡¯t broken. ¡°Kid, ya got a private beach?! How?!¡±


    ¡°I, uh¡­ bought it. But never mind that, feel free to go there if you like. It¡¯s a good and safe ce to stay in this time period. Just¡­ one thing.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No smoking,¡± I said hesitantly, then turned to the girls behind me, folding their arms. ¡°They¡­ want to keep the air there fresh and clean.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ understandable,¡± Old Man Lengughed and put out his cigar. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t go. I¡¯ve been smokin¡¯ for fifty bloody years. Can¡¯t stop now.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s fair.¡±


    After setting up the portal, I came back out of the back storage room and faced Old Man Leng once again.


    ¡°Old Man Leng, do you know where other survivors could be gathered? Those who haven¡¯t fled yet, and actually have a will to fight. If I¡¯m doing this, I want all the help I can get.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Old Man Leng scratched his head. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know fer sure myself, but if I were you, I¡¯d checkrge buildins. Y¡¯know, ces like the Library of Infinite Beginnins.¡±


    ¡°The Library of Infinite Beginnings, huh¡­¡± I echoed, sinking into thought. ¡°Very well. Thanks for the info¡ªand stay safe.¡±


    He nodded and gave a lighthearted salute. ¡°Ya too, kiddo. And don¡¯t worry, I remember what ya said. If this ce gets raided by the Midnight Syndicate, I¡¯ll blow up the portal. Rx.¡±


    I smiled slightly. ¡°You have my gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Now then, if yer lookin¡¯ for survivors, best hurry up. The bloody Midnight Syndicate will probablye out again tonight. Ya don¡¯t got much time.¡±


    I nodded, and together with the girls, we set out. The first ce we headed to, just as Old Man Leng had advised, was the Library of Infinite Beginnings. It would¡¯ve been faster to fly there, but we decided to go by foot so we wouldn¡¯t miss anyone on the way.


    Of course, by walking, we were also at the risk of getting attacked by any Midnight Syndicate members who were out and about, but since the survivors managed to take down a lot of themst night¡ªenough to force them to retreat¡ªit would mean the low-ranking members don¡¯t have ess to antimagic yet. That would also mean they were vulnerable, and easy to take down.


    With that in mind, we headed out.

 Chapter 479: Back In the Fortress

    Chapter 479: Back In the Fortress


    It didn¡¯t take long for us to reach the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    On the way, we didn¡¯t find any survivors, but we did encounter a few Midnight Syndicate scouts. It would seem they were nning something bigter tonight, but I didn¡¯t know what. As expected, they were easy to take down, and most of the time, Axilia had already lopped all their heads off with her scythe before the rest of us even had a chance to attack.


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a while since we werest here, but every time I look at it, I still can¡¯t help but be impressed by the size of this thing,¡± Yu An Yan murmured as she looked up, trying toprehend the sheer height of this building.


    ¡°No kidding¡­¡± Feng Mian added as I stepped up to the automatic doors, only to find them not working. Through the ss, I could see that the entrance had been blockaded as well.


    ¡°¡­ Well, this is a problem,¡± Ling Xin said with a sigh. ¡°Those survivors really aren¡¯t letting anything slip past them, huh?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t me them,¡± Yu An Yan muttered. ¡°And besides, whoever decided to barricade the entrance like this has a decent head on their shoulders. We can make use of that. After all, simply blocking the door would be a lot more useful than taking turns watching. That way, not only can everyone can get rest, but they¡¯ll still be safe in case of a surprise attack.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Not¡­ exactly,¡± Yu An Xue interrupted. ¡°Space¡­ Magic¡­ can break through.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I added. ¡°But not if they have Enchantments set in ce. And by the looks of it¡­¡±


    I silently used Space Magic to try and break past, but it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°¡­ As expected, there are Enchantmen-¡°


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A familiar girl¡¯s voice suddenly called out from the inside, and I backed away a few steps, narrowing my eyes. The other girls seemed to have noticed the strange familiarity of the voice as well, and widened their eyes a bit.


    ¡°¡­ Calm down,¡± I said in a tone just loud enough for the girl on the other side to hear. ¡°We are not from the Midnight Syndicate, nor are we hostile.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ because enemies are just going to dere they are enemies when trying to infiltrate a ce,¡± the girl replied in a sarcastic tone, and I could almost picture her rolling her eyes.


    ¡°I know you can tell who I am judging from voice alone,¡± I replied. ¡°Enough of the jokes, and open up this door.¡±


    After a few seconds, the barricade was set aside, and the doors were opened. On the other side was a familiar ally, and the other girls smiled at her warmly while she gave me a wry grin.


    ¡°Long time no see, eh, Xuan Kai? Still not one for jokes, I see.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see as well¡­ Xiang Peng. How¡¯s your annoying family?¡±


    She rolled her eyes again. ¡°Oh,e on. They aren¡¯t that bad, really. My father just¡­ well. Never mind. He¡¯s gone now, anyways. Put that behind you, will you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long already done that,¡± I replied. ¡°Otherwise, I would¡¯ve simply killed him. But that¡¯s not what I came here today to discuss. Can you gather all the survivors in this ce?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re already all gathered,¡± Xiang Peng replied with augh. I thought she would be more depressed since her father died, but it would seem she was just as annoyed about him as I was. To be fair, he did try marrying her off into a family against her will.


    Regardless, it would seem she was right. All the survivors in this ce already had their gazes fixated on me¡ªor rather, the girls with me. Since I didn¡¯t feel like talking to a distracted crowd, I had someone else do it instead, and gave a nod to Feng Mian, who sighed as if she didn¡¯t want to do this, but listened to me anyway.


    ¡°A-Ahem¡­ hello, everyone. First of all, let me just get formalities out of the way, and say that I am deeply sorry for any losses you may have suffered as a result of yesterday¡¯s sudden invasion of Fragment. As you all know, many other survivors have already fled as far as they could, thinking that would save them, but to those of you who have stayed, congrattions, you made the wiser decision. Running away isn¡¯t going to do you any good. All it will do is dy the inevitable, while what we¡¯re going to do is making it <em>not</em> inevitable.¡±


    <em>Not a bad start,</em> I thought, as she continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you right now are feeling a plethora of emotions. Hatred, anger, sadness, and perhaps even a bit of helplessness. But I want you to discard thosest two, while holding on to the first two: hatred and anger. Those are all you need. Listen closely¡ªthe Midnight Syndicate is our enemy. We are going to destroy them, and take back what was ours¡ªtogether. However, we can¡¯t do this alone. And that¡¯s why, I humbly request all of you to help us. If they have an army, we¡¯ll need one of our own as well. So¡ªwhat do you say, heroes? Ready for some sweet, sweet revenge?¡±


    Immediately, roars went up around the library, and even those who weren¡¯t originally from Fragment cheered in response. They too had lost friends and family in the battle that took ce here in the Fortressst night, and some simply didn¡¯t like having to live in a saferoom like this with dozens of other people. Either way, they all had their own reasons for fighting the Midnight Syndicate, and Feng Mian¡¯s little speech had helped them realize that.


    Seeing that she had sessfully gained their loyalty, Feng Mian smiled and turned to me, shed a wink, then turned back to the crowd.


    ¡°Perfect. Tonight, the Midnight Syndicate will undoubtedly try something again¡ªon the way here, we saw some of their scouts nosing around. Tonight, however, we¡¯ll be ready. Tonight¡­ we¡¯ll have the jump on them.¡±


    The crowd roared again, fighting spirit raised to the maximum, and Feng Mian turned back to me, winking and smiling as if demanding some kind of reward.


    ¡°How did I do?¡± She asked with a wry grin.


    ¡°You did great,¡± I whispered. Then, smirking, I pulled her close by the waist and brushed her lips with mine. It was a quick kiss, nothing more, but the crowd cheered even louder at the sight of that¡ªthough there were some cries of jealousy mixed in as well.


    Xiang Peng, meanwhile, who had been watching from beside me, pped her hands a few times and blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Woah¡­ you¡¯ve matured quite a bit since thest time I saw you, Xuan Kai. This big sister is proud. Very proud.¡±


    ¡°More like ¡®jealous¡¯,¡± Qing Yue snickered. ¡°Very jealous.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Xiang Peng sighed. ¡°Love is thest thing on my mind right now. You said the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s going to attack tonight? Do you know where, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Right here,¡± Ling Xin answered confidently.


    ¡°Huh¡­? How are you so sure- wait, who even are you? Xuan Kai, how many new girls did you get while I was gone?¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ me? I am-¡± Ling Xin began, but I shot her a re, and she closed her mouth again obediently.


    ¡°Never mind that. On the way here, we encountered quite a few scouts from the Midnight Syndicate. We purposely left a few squads alone, though, and had them track us all the way here. They saw us enter this ce and should¡¯ve gotten a glimpse of what was inside, so if my guess is not wrong¡­ they¡¯ll most likely try fire or artillery on this ce.¡±


    ¡°Fire or artillery, huh¡­ and how do you intend to counter it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± I replied. ¡°Just wait until tonight.¡±


    *****


    After some interaction with the survivors, I found that the majority here were from Fragment. We had around thirty people in total including the girls and I, and most were either Advanced or Ancestral Mage level. This was a considerable fighting force, but we would need more if we wanted to fight our way into Fragment.


    Thankfully, ording to Xiang Peng, there was another major survivor gathering hotspot to the west, in District C of the Fortress. I have been there once¡ªit was where all the Demihuman ns inside the Fortress were. I had my doubts, but perhaps we would end up running into Amane again. The meeting will undoubtedly be awkward, but I would do my best, I supposed.


    Since there wasn¡¯t much time left before the day was over, the girls and I immediately set out to the west. The other survivors had wanted toe with, but I told them our group was already big enough. If any more came, we wouldn¡¯t be able to use our Cloaks of Invisibility efficiently.


    Yes, we were going to be invisible. Why? Because we didn¡¯t want any scouts to spot us this time around. If they did, they might change their target to District C¡¯s safehouse instead, which would ruin our n.


    Feng Mian had a Cloak of Invisibility, and I had one too. However, ironically, neither her nor myself needed it with our Shadow Magic, and naturally Ling Xin didn¡¯t either. As such, the two cloaks were divided between the remaining girls. I had told them to just stay behind as well, but they insisted on seeing Amane again.


    I couldn¡¯t really me them, but personally¡­ I had mixed feelings about it.

 Chapter 480: Amane Returns

    Chapter 480: Amane Returns


    Reaching District C didn¡¯t take as long as I thought it would.


    Apparently, Ling Xin knew theyout of the Fortress quite well, so she navigated us through many shortcuts that I had never even known about until today. Being an urban, cyberpunk city, there are many ¡®paths¡¯ that wouldn¡¯t be considered paths in a real city. Here, however, running along roofs and ziplining across high-voltage power lines were amon urrence. So long as you don¡¯t touch both of the lines at once, you won¡¯t be electrocuted.


    Soon, the girls and I arrived at what seemed like a road leading into a dead end. However, along this road were eight buildings, each respective to a Demihuman n. There were the cathumans, doghumans, wolfhumans, foxhumans, snakehumans, tigerhumans, deerhumans, and seahumans. I didn¡¯t know much about thest one, but I would have to guess they were like mermaids, somehow¡­? They probably had legs to help them walk onnd, but preferred to be in the water.


    ¡°Wow¡­ this ce is a lot unlike the rest of the city, huh?¡± Feng Mian murmured, looking around in awe. We had already made sure no Midnight Syndicate scouts were anywhere near us¡ªLorelei¡¯s sensing abilities could tell me that much.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Ling Xin nodded in response. ¡°This ce is known as the Demihuman Lane. It¡¯s famous around the Fortress for having an old-fashioned architecture style rather than the urban, futuristic city setting of the rest of the Fortress. A nice, fresh twist for a change, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Not, bad,¡± Zhao Xiuyingmented, which was rare for her. She had her arms stretched out in front of her face, and appeared to be making a rectangr shape with her thumbs and index fingers, like finger framing. One of her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be trying to grasp at the ratio of the buildings. ¡°This is, the Golden, Ratio.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ you¡¯re quite well-versed in things like this,¡± Ling Xin murmured, surprised.


    ¡°She¡¯s actually a great artist,¡± Feng Mian said. ¡°When all this is over, we should all admire some of her works together.¡±


    ¡°I, refuse,¡± Zhao Xiuying said matter-of-factly and lowered her arms, then boldly strode forward.


    <em>Well, I can appreciate the straight-forward attitude, at the very least,</em> I thought, and followed after her.


    *****


    Xiang Peng had told me the other survivors would most likely be in the cathumans¡¯ir, since that was the biggest and most powerful n of them all. When Amane¡¯s mother died, she had taken over as chief, so most likely, she was the one administrating and watching over this safezone.


    Just to be safe, we knocked on all the other ns¡¯ doors, but no one answered. The only one left now was the cathumans¡¯, and after a deep breath, I lifted my hand to knock.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Big Brother Xuan Kai,¡± Qing Yue encouraged. ¡°Just tell her the truth, and she¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, here goes nothing.¡±


    Gulping without even knowing why I was so damn nervous, I knocked on the metal doors, painted yellow to make it look like gold. Or maybe it actually was gold. I didn¡¯t know, and I couldn¡¯t be bothered to check with Metal Magic.


    At first, I thought no one was here either, and Xiang Peng had either lied to me or just been wrong. Silently, the girls and I waited for an awkward few seconds, and I was getting ready to leave. But then-


    ¡°Hmph. The Midnight Syndicate, huh? You have the audacity to knock on my door¡­ how insolent. I will cut you down until you go from ¡®is¡¯ to ¡®was¡¯!¡±


    The doors suddenly swung open with a loud creak, and out came a single girl wielding a long katana. She had long, bright turquoise hair, and red eyes that shone like a ruby embedded with blood. At the top of her head, within her hair, were two pointy cat ears, and from the back of her waist came a long furry tail. She had a dauntless aura to her, like a cold and fierce warrior who would kill anyone who posed a threat to her¡ªmuch like my own personality.


    ¡°U-Uh¡­ calm down,¡± I hurriedly said, taken by surprise and backing away from the girl cautiously. ¡°We¡¯re not from the Midnight Syndicate. We¡¯re just here in search of other survivors¡­¡±


    But then after hearing my voice, the catgirl gave a little sniff of the air, and widened her eyes.


    ¡°Xuan Kai¡­?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    ¡°Xuan Kai!¡± She yelled happily, immediately tossing her katana and sheath aside like they were nothing and dove into me, sending us both tumbling to the floor.


    ¡°W-Woah- hey!¡± I cried for help, but the other girls were taken by surprise as well, and could only watch in surprise.


    ¡°Xuan Kai¡­ Xuan Kai¡­ mm¡­ this scent, there¡¯s no doubt about it¡­ my fiancee has returned¡­¡±


    ¡°W-What? I¡¯m your fiancee¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ you don¡¯t remember me?¡± The catgirl looked up into my eyes, then switched to a straddling position with me still pinned against the concrete ground and smiled warmly. ¡°It¡¯s me, Xuan Kai. Amane.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The girls collectively cried in shock, and I did as well, only a secondter so it sounded terribly not in sync. My reaction time was dyed by a second.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡± Feng Mian whispered. ¡°Amane¡­? But she has short hair, and her way of talking¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. After mother died, I got rid of that bad habit of mine. I realized back then I was just being nothing but a burden to you guys, so¡­ but now, I¡¯ve changed a lot, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no shit, you did,¡± I said sarcastically, still ufortably having no way to escape from the ground.


    Amane smiled warmly, a touch of maturity in her expression. ¡°I¡¯m strong now, Xuan Kai. No longer the child-like kitten from the past. Maybe now, you¡¯ll finally ept me as something other than a burden.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ great and all, but uh¡­ mind moving? The ground¡¯s kind of dirty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry¡­!¡± Amane hurriedly got off of me, thenughed awkwardly and tapped herself on the head a few times. ¡°Heheh¡­ I guess I¡¯m still a bit of a klutz sometimes, huh?¡±


    I rose to my feet atst, feeling exhausted, but I had a smile on my face.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°All that matters if that you¡¯ve grown now. That klutz part of your personality¡­ don¡¯t ever try to get rid of it. That¡¯s what makes you unique. That¡¯s what makes you <em>you</em>.¡±


    ¡°Xuan Kai¡­¡± Amane smiled faintly, and tears arose to her eyes. Before I knew it, the next instant, she had jumped into my arms and nted her lips against mine, trying to enter my mouth with her tongue. My eyes widened in surprise, and the other girls cheered in response.


    ¡°Amane, what happened? Who is at the gate-¡°


    The bulky catman who had been about to walk over from inside the structure suddenly stopped in his tracks as he saw Amane in my arms, kissing me deeply, and dropped his jaw.


    ¡°A-Amane!¡± The catman hurriedly rushed over and drew his sword at us, charging as if to protect her, and I was going to st him away, but Amane acted first.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ annoying.¡±


    Unwillingly breaking away from our kiss, she dashed at an unimaginable speed towards the iing catman and sank a fist straight into his stomach by moving beneath his sword, sending him flying backwards before finally crashing into a wall.


    ¡°Agh!¡± The young man cried out in pain as he hit the wall, and I was honestly impressed he didn¡¯t go unconscious. Demihumans naturally had tougher bodies, apparently. ¡°Ow¡­¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you¡­ no one is allowed to call me by that name, reserved only for my lover? And to think you interrupted our reunion after so long¡­ tch. Give me one reason I shouldn¡¯t kill you on the spot right here, right now.¡±


    The other girls and I watched, ck-jawed, as Amane drew her katana from her sheath and pointed it at the copsed man. When had she even picked those up? When she was dashing towards him? But that was too fast to even perceive¡­


    ¡°H-Huh? You¡¯d kill me over this¡­? I apologize for the name thing, but this isn¡¯t like you¡­ did those outsiders brainwash you or something?! Was it the Midnight Syndicate?! Gah, I¡¯ll destroy the-¡°


    ¡°Enough nder!¡± Amane yelled ferociously, enough to make even the girls and I back up from all the way here. ¡°How dare you use Xuan Kai of brainwashing me¡­ and even being with the Midnight Syndicate? Hmph. Pay for that¡­ with your life.¡±


    ¡°Xuan Kai, do something!¡± Feng Mian whispered sharply, tugging on my arm.


    ¡°W-W-Woah, wait!¡± I hurriedly cut in before Amane swung her de, and she turned her head to me in surprise.


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Xuan Kai?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to kill him,¡± I replied, clearing my throat. ¡°I mean¡­ for my n, we¡¯ll need all the helpers we can get.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Amane bit her lip and nced at the man on the other end of her de. ¡°We finally met again after so long, and the first thing he does upon seeing you is nder you with baseless usations. I don¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea about cathumans, so this is uneptable¡­¡±


    ¡°Rx,¡± I sighed. ¡°Every race has its scum. Just one individual isn¡¯t enough to represent the entire race. Just leave the guy be, and let him reflect on his mistakes.¡±


    Amane still appeared conflicted, but ultimately gave in and took a deep breath, then red at the man.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Get out of my sight.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, yes!¡±


    The catman hurriedly ran away with his tail tucked between his legs, then ran back after a few seconds, retrieved his fallen sword, and ran away again. It was awkward to watch, to say the least.


    Once he was finally gone, Amane let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°¡­ Sorry, Xuan Kai¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have lost my temper there. It¡¯s just¡­ there¡¯s nothing I hate more in this world than my loved ones getting mistreated.¡±


    I smiled and walked up beside her, then pulled her close for a hug.


    ¡°No need to apologize. I share that sentiment. And besides¡­ if there¡¯s anyone who needs to say ¡®sorry¡¯ here, it¡¯s me.¡±

 Chapter 481: Operation: Zero Hour

    Chapter 481: Operation: Zero Hour


    Amane led the girls and I to the matriarch¡¯s private chambers, where we could have a nice long chat without having to worry about anyone disturbing us. As neers, we received many dubious gazes from the demihumans and other survivors lodging in this ce, especially the catman from earlier, but after what happened outside, no one spoke out against us, lest they face the wrath of Amane.


    ¡°Hah¡­ finally, some peace and quiet,¡± Amane sighed as she eased herself into her chair, then patted the seat next to her as if motioning for me to take that ce. I obliged, and she wasted no time in immediately clutching to my arm, just like old times. Instead of like a child clinging to her mother like before, however, now, she was more like a lover holding onto her husband, with a certain air of maturity to her movements and overall aura.


    ¡°Still, Amane¡­ you¡¯ve really changed, huh?¡± Feng Mian said with a warm smile. ¡°We haven¡¯t even been apart for that long, yet it feels like I¡¯m looking at apletely different person.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The death of my mother left¡­ quite an impact on me,¡± Amane said with a sigh. ¡°It was the wake-up call I needed to snap out of my childhood. As a sign of that, I even changed my hairstyle and let it grow long.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I liked the short hairstyle better,¡± Qing Yuemented, pursing her lips. ¡°There¡¯s enough of us with medium or long hair around here.¡±


    <em>That¡¯s true. All the girls around me have back-length or waist-length hair.</em>


    ¡°Really?¡± Amane raised an eyebrow and turned to me. ¡°Xuan Kai, do you like me with short hair or longer hair like this?¡±


    ¡°Longer hair,¡± I answered without any hesitation. ¡°I prefer long hair over short hair.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s straight forward,¡± Ling Xin giggled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I dislike girls with short hair,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve seen perfectly cute girls with short hair. It¡¯s just if two girls were the exact same in everything except their hairstyles, I would like the one with long hair more.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I see. So changing my hairstyle up was a good decision,¡± Amane said with a triumphant grin, then pulled away from me and turned her expression serious. ¡°Anyway¡­ did you guys juste here to seek me out? I¡¯m guessing not, right? Considering how surprised you were to see me.¡±


    <em>She¡¯s be smarter too¡­ though that¡¯s to be expected.</em>


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said with a solemn nod. ¡°I was half-expecting to see you here, but that¡¯s not the point. I trust you¡¯ve already heard about what happened in Fragment, right?¡±


    Amane nodded. ¡°I did. In a way¡ªand this may be heretical of me to say, but¡ªI suppose it was rather fortunate my mother died when she did, otherwise I may have been caught up in that incident as well.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well, the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s forces are going to start attacking the cities they¡¯ve been lying dormant in for so long. Last night¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ they attacked. That¡¯s how all the survivors in this area ended up here. I figured they were in need of help, so I opened up our doors and let them in.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Tonight, they¡¯ll be attacking again¡ªbut don¡¯t worry, none wille here. Or at least, there will be very few. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything¡ªthat¡¯s not what I came here to talk to you about. Rather¡­ I want you to lend a hand in the uing fight to take back Fragment.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ personally, I¡¯ll be d to help,¡± Amane said. ¡°After all this is over, I¡¯ll pass on my role as matriarch to Phlora, and join you again anyway, Xuan Kai. But as for everyone else, I¡¯ll need to ask if they want to. I can¡¯t force them to do anything against their will¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I replied. ¡°I would rather have a few people willing to fight of their own free will rather than many people who were forced to fight. I just want all the help I can get.¡±


    Amane nodded. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go ask them right away. Wait here, it won¡¯t take lon-¡°


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, catching her by the arm before she could go. She tilted her head slightly in confusion, cat ears wiggling a bit and tail curling into a question-mark like shape.


    ¡°Uh¡­ there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about. Somethingpletely unrted to this. It¡¯s probably not the best time, but I need to get it off my chest.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± Amane asked curiously, tilting her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I took a deep breath, then looked her in the eyes. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Amane blinked.


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, you know, noting to see you and all that, even after returning to the Living Realm¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± Amane giggled softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. If I were you, I would¡¯ve chosen to leave the past me behind as well. I¡¯m not bothered by it one bit. Besides, we met again now, so it¡¯s like fate we were meant to be together, isn¡¯t it? You leaving me helped me change as well, you know. So for that, I thank you. No need to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Uh, but still¡­ I feel kind of guilty? So if there¡¯s anything you want me to do to make up for it, that¡¯ll make me feel better¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ in that case¡­¡± Amane smirked. ¡°After we take down the Midnight Syndicate and return to Fragment, go on a date with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I blinked, surprised at how easy it was.


    ¡°Yep. Spend a day with me and me alone. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay¡­ sure,¡± I replied, still shocked at how easy her request was to fulfill. I supposed it was only fair, considering I went on a date with all the other girls already but not her.


    Still, the new Amane was far beyond all of my expectations. She really had matured a lot in the span of a mere few days, but her cuteness and voluptuous body still remained the same. Those were her defining traits, something that I didn¡¯t want her to change or lose no matter what.


    *****


    Soon, Amane returned to us in her room, and let out a deep sigh. I immediately turned my attention to her and stood up.


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Fifty-fifty,¡± she replied dejectedly. ¡°Some are willing to fight but only for rewards, while the majority doesn¡¯t want any part in this. Cowards.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s understandable,¡± Feng Mian said hesitantly. ¡°If I was in their position, I wouldn¡¯tmit to a battle for nothing, either¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°How many are willing to fight? Exact number.¡±


    ¡°Roughly 40,¡± Amane replied. ¡°But that¡¯s only the survivors. The cathuman n is under mymand, so that¡¯s another 100 soldiers to help fight.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so 140 in total, added to the 20 from the Library¡­ that¡¯s 160 in total, excluding ourselves,¡± Qing Yue said after some quick math. ¡°Will that be enough¡­?¡±


    ¡°It will have to be,¡± I muttered, then turned to the door. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Amane said, suddenly catching onto my wrist. ¡°I¡¯lle with.¡±


    ¡°You sure? Don¡¯t you have to stay here and manage this n?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°No, Phlora, my right-hand-woman, can take care of that. Remember what I said earlier? I¡¯m nning on handing over the n¡¯s matriarch position to her anyway sooner orter, so I can journey with you all again. Sitting still in one ce and ying queen¡­ just isn¡¯t the right lifestyle for me.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ noted. This will be good practice for her then, I presume¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the excuse I intend on giving her, at the very least,¡± Amane said with a wink.


    ¡°Uh, guys? The sun has set,¡± Yu An Yan said, peering out the window. ¡°We should probably get going now, if we want to make it in time.¡±


    The girls and I all nodded, and together, we set out of the cathuman n¡¯s temple to head back to the Library of Infinite Beginnings. On the way, Amane stopped by a diligent young catwoman with sses by the name of Phlora and told her about how the n was in her hands for the night, and quickly left before she could argue.


    Instead of chasing after us, however, Phlora merely sighed as if she was used to this, and returned to the mountainous pile of paperwork on her desk. I wonder how many of those were actually meant to be done by Amane, but she had simply neglected her duties. I said she had matured a lot earlier, but she still hated hard work. Me? I¡¯ve done too much hard work to hate it now.


    In any case, Yu An Yan had been right. By the time we finally arrived back at the Library of Infinite Beginnings, the sun had long set, and night had befell the Fortress. Normally, this would mean the day truly began in this cyberpunk city, but afterst night¡¯s invasion from the Midnight Syndicate, no one roamed the streets anymore.


    Tonight, they would being again. And we were ready.

 Chapter 482: Midnight Slaughter

    Chapter 482: Midnight ughter


    The time was nigh, and the Midnight Syndicate would soon be arriving.


    After regrouping with Xiang Peng and the other survivors at the Library of Infinite Beginnings, we quickly organized who would go where and set out discretely.


    I had Lorelei patrol from the roof of a nearby building to scan for the Midnight Syndicate members, and left Mei Gui with her as a guard. Meanwhile, the girls and I helped set up all the survivors and told them where they would each go, and before long, all of us were set up, waiting for the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s forces to arrive.


    Along the roofs of the buildings leading up to the Library of Infinite Beginnings, we and the survivors camped silently. As soon as the Midnight Syndicate showed up, we would beginunching a barrage of magic spells at them and take them down with ease.


    Lan Xiao Su and Xiang Peng had worked together to set up a barrier around us that could conceal our presences from any detection abilities, so the Midnight Syndicate wouldn¡¯t be able to tell we were hiding up here unless they had a powerful master with them. Given the results ofst night¡¯s fight, however, it was safe to assume there wasn¡¯t anyone especially strong leading them¡ªand even if there was, Mei Gui had helped with the Enchantment as well, so there was the power of Chaos at y here. Even if they had antimagic¡ªwhich they didn¡¯t¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t be able to see past our concealment.


    Of course, just as a double measure, I made sure to leave a few survivors inside the building as well, just so they wouldn¡¯t be suspicious. This way, even if the Midnight Syndicate could somehow break past our concealment barriers, their attention would be first directed towards the people inside the building.


    As for who was in the building? Well, the girls and I, of course.


    I had Xiang Peng take charge over the survivors on the outside, and established a telepathic link with her through Psychic Magic. This way, we had all angles covered, and all preparations wereplete.


    All that was left was-


    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Lorelei suddenly said from within myp, opening her beautiful eyes in her human form.


    ¡°All right,¡± I said, then immediately reached out to Xiang Peng in my head. ¡°Set the n into motion.¡±


    <em>¡°Roger that,¡±</em> she replied, and I smiled.


    ¡°Let the ughter begin.¡±


    *****


    Outside, the battle started with us having the drop on them.


    The poor Midnight Syndicate members had no idea what wasing for them until it was toote. They flooded into the streets from the back alleyways and began making their way towards the library, but had no idea about the myriad of powerful spells heading their way from the roofs overhead. Theyughed and snickered, thinking the survivors inside the library had no idea they were about to get ambushed.


    Little did they know, <em>they</em> were the ones getting ambushed.


    ¡°Level Two Fire Magic ¡ª Abomination re!¡±


    ¡°Level Three Ice Magic ¡ª Spear Hail!¡±


    ¡°Level Three Sky Magic ¡ª Thundercry!¡±


    In a single instant, the survivors from the rooftops unleashed their fury upon the clueless Midnight Syndicate members all at once. Fire zed down from above, sharp shards of ice skewered the cultists with ease, and lightning reduced their bodies to nothing but ashes. The ones who didn¡¯t die to these were tortured by Psychokic attacks, blinded by Light, or drowned in a string of Curses.


    Heavy rain and fog conjured by magic made it impossible for them to figure out what was going on, and the frail barriers they managed to put up were destroyed in an instant by the powerful attacks, following one after another. The Midnight Syndicate members began fleeing for their lives in all different directions, the most of their army gone, and it was then that the survivors leaped down from the roofs and took things into their own hands. The battle got real personal, and the cult members were cut down one by one.


    The few remaining soldiers and the ones leading them desperately ran for cover from the barrage of deadly magic, realizing they had been utterly outyed like fools, and ran for their lives towards the closest building¡ªin this case, the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    From the start, this was exactly what I had expected them to do. From beginning to end, everything was within my ns. Everyst detail, every fine specific, was calcted and factored into my plot. The Midnight Syndicate stood no chance at all from the moment my n was set into motion¡ªand now, it was time for the final nail in the coffin.


    As the doors were busted open by the fleeing Midnight Syndicate members, I smirked.


    ¡°¡­ Wee.¡±


    ¡°E-Eek!¡± The old man leading them, wearing a monocle, nearly fell backwards at the sight of me. Since the lights were turned off, I was but a silhouette in the darkness, and my armor made me look like some kind of serial killer.


    ¡°My, my, so scared, are we?¡± Ling Xin said from beside me in her Shadow Empress outfit, and leaned on my shoulder. ¡°You all looked so smug just a few minutes earlier, too¡­¡±


    ¡°P-Please! We¡¯re sorry!¡± The old man got to his knees and kowtowed on the floor, begging for forgiveness.


    ¡°Hmph. The moment things start looking bad, you simply surrender?¡± Amane narrowed her eyes and drew her katana, pointing it at the old man. ¡°Your cowardice andck of honor¡­ disgusts me.¡±


    ¡°Heheh¡­ at least they know when they¡¯ve lost, right?¡± Axilia giggled, spinning her scythe around in her hand and standing behind me. ¡°But that aside, darling¡­ can I kill them already? I¡¯m aching for some¡­ blood¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, I really can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re actually a vampire, Axilia,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°But not yet. I have a few questions for them.¡±


    ¡°A-A few questions?¡± The old man leading them slowly lifted his face off from the carpet ground fearfully.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied with a smile, standing up from my chair and walking closer until I was right in front of the man, then crouched down in front of his face and lifted his chin. ¡°Answer me truthfully, okay? If you do that without hiding anything¡­ I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    ¡°S-Swear it! Curse yourself and promise to let me leave this ce alive and well!¡±


    ¡°Oh, just you?¡± Iughed. ¡°What about your followers there?¡±


    The old man nced at his coweringrades and gulped. ¡°T-Them too!¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ alright. Level Two Curse Magic ¡ª Oath: If you tell me the whole truth to all my questions and don¡¯t try anything sneaky like attacking me, and I don¡¯t let you and your scum teammates leave this building, I will be killed by lightning.¡±


    A symbol of purple light appeared in my left palm, and dimmed away soon after. I smiled at the old man.


    ¡°Is this fine?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, as for my first question¡­ where are your superiors? You know, your leader ¡®X¡¯ and his four subordinates. Be exact.¡±


    ¡°F-Fragment. They¡¯re inside Fragm-¡°


    ¡°I said be <em>exact.</em>¡°


    ¡°E-Eek! I d-don¡¯t know their exact location, but they should be in the IMF Headquarters building! That¡¯s where they can get all the information they are searching for¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Information? What kind of information?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really, now?¡± I asked in a mildly threatening tone.


    ¡°Y-Yes! I really don¡¯t know! P-Please, just let us go already!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, not yet,¡± I snickered. ¡°There¡¯s still a couple questions I have left. One¡­ what are X and his subordinates¡¯ abilities? How strong are they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that! I haven¡¯t even seen their faces!¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ how suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not lying!¡± The old man cried, practically on the verge of tears as he gave in to despair. ¡°Please, I¡¯m only a Bishop¡­ I¡¯m not ranked high enough to know about that kind of thing¡­¡±


    <em>So the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s ranking system amongst its members are simr to that of the Church? How interesting¡­</em>


    ¡°I see. Well, one more thing, then.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± The old man looked at me hopefully, eager to finally be free of this torture.


    ¡°¡­ What do you know about antimagic?¡±


    ¡°Antimagic¡­? What¡¯s that?¡±


    <em>Hm¡­ I¡¯m reading his mind right now, and it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s faking it.</em>


    ¡°Never mind. You¡¯re free to go.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? But¡­¡± The old man turned around and nced at the ss doors they broke ining here, and saw that the survivors outside were stillunching destruction everywhere. ¡°How are we supposed to¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s up to you,¡± I said with an innocent smile. ¡°I only promised to let you leave this building. What¡¯s out there is not my problem.¡±


    ¡°Wha-!¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened at the realization that he had been tricked, and gritted his teeth in rage. ¡°D-Damn you, bastard¡­ you tricked me¡­ I¡¯ll kill you! RAGH!¡±


    He suddenly leaped up from the floor andunched a st of curse energy at me, but his movements were slow and sluggish due to the fear. I didn¡¯t even bother messing with him and instead merely absorbed his mana with my Chaos magic, then turned around and waved at them.


    ¡°Well, by attacking me, you broke the oath. Looks like you sealed your own fate, hm? Axilia, they¡¯re all yours.¡±


    ¡°Hehe~ I love you, darling~¡±


    Axilia leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, then swung her scythe around and stepped closer to the old man and hisckeys like a Grim Reaper in the night. Amane and Ling Xin joined her on either side, and together, the three were like daughters of Death itself.


    ¡°Goodbye~¡±


    ¡°AHHHH!¡±


    SLASH.


    The soft sound of something falling to the carpet floor echoed across the empty library.

 Chapter 483: Security System

    Chapter 483: Security System


    With the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s invasion taken care of, the girls and I headed back to Amane¡¯s ce to discuss our next steps. The survivors suffered no casualties at all and barely even any injuries, leading to a great boost in morale overall and an increase in loyalty towards me. I left Xiang Peng in charge of them though, since she wanted to do it anyway.


    Unlike Amane, she had no intention of adventuring with me again, seeing as how I already had way too many girls around me. Not that I med her¡ªsometimes, it was better to just have a distant friend rather than a close lover. I respected her as a friend, but never once thought of her as a girl I loved, like the others. She seemed to be alright with that too, and we both agreed to just think of all the flirtatious actions she made towards me in the past as merely teasing with no heartfelt emotions behind them.


    In any case, we soon arrived at the cathumans¡¯ir¡­ only to find a group of armed men staring us down and blockading the entrance. They were led by the catman from earlier¡ªthe same one who had gotten nearly killed by Amane had I not stepped in.


    ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Amane asked, narrowing her eyes. Clearly, she had no idea what was happening here, and the Phlora, who had been left in charge, likely didn¡¯t know either due to all the paperwork she was busy with.


    ¡°Matriarch, Ishizaki-dono told us you¡¯ve been brainwashed by that man,¡± a soldier said, stepping forth. ¡°Just by looking at all the girls he has by his side, it is clear he is scum. Evidently, he must¡¯ve used the same brainwashing tricks on them, and has now captured you as well.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Amane said in a near-growl, slowly growing irritated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Amane!¡± The man from earlier¡ªIshizaki¡ªstruck his own chest with his fist as a disy of loyalty and set his hand on his de. ¡°I shall free you from his control. Now, draw, coward!¡±


    He whipped out his sword and pointed it at me, and I could only facepalm before slowly rubbing the space between my eyebrows.


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s just go to the private beach,¡± I said. ¡°Too tired to deal with these guys.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t walking there take longer?¡± Feng Mianughed awkwardly. ¡°But still¡­ they¡¯re really getting on my nerves too.¡±


    ¡°Heheh, darling, I can take care of them, if you like?¡± Axilia suggested, but-


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Amane said, voice dark and low. ¡°My n¡­ will be disciplined by myself. Draw, you said? Very well.¡±


    With a shing, she pulled out her katana, and red her two deadly red eyes at the man named Ishizaki.


    ¡°To im your own matriarch is brainwashed is one thing, but to have the audacity to call my fiancee ¡®scum¡¯¡­ Ishizaki, I already gave you a chance earlier today. But now¡­ no matter what anyone says¡­ I¡¯ll need to make an example out of you.¡±


    ¡°W-Wha¡­ m-matriarch¡­?¡± Ishizaki gulped in fear, seeing the rage and pure hatred in Amane¡¯s eyes, as red as the blood that was about to be shed. He even reverted to addressing her by her title like he was supposed to, rather than her name.


    ¡°Xuan Kai, you have no objections this time, yes?¡± Amane asked without even turning to me. I shook my head.


    ¡°Do as you please. At this point, I just want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Very well. My n¡­ does not have room for nuisances like you.¡±


    Suddenly, Amane dashed forward and zig-zagged between the group of soldiers with Ishizaki at their front, and emerged behind them too quick to follow. Then, in a manner that seemed ironically slowpared to the blink-of-an-eye dash, she slowly clinked her bloodstained katana back into its sheath.


    And at that moment, Ishizaki¡¯s body was cut in half.


    His waist, having beenpletely cut through, gave in, and he copsed to the floor, dead, eyes still bulging. The other soldiers, on the other hand, didn¡¯t die, but had their chest armors cut through perfectly and also fell to their knees in shock.


    ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Axilia pped a few times. ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if you killed all the soldiers too, but I give that an 8/10!¡±


    ¡°So this is her true potential after maturing¡­¡± Yu An Yan murmured, clearly impressed. I was too.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, an invitation?¡± Amane asked the remaining guards. ¡°Get out of my sight.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    The soldiers hurried away with their tails tucked between their legs, and Amane let out a deep sigh. When she turned around, I had already erased the corpse using Space Magic.


    ¡°Oh¡­ the body¡­¡±


    ¡°I got rid of it,¡± I replied. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to stain this beautiful temple, would we?¡±


    Amane smiled slightly. ¡°No, we wouldn¡¯t. But this means I¡¯ll have to find a newmander¡­ and that means more boring work.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just push it onto Phlora?¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°She¡¯s already doing all the tedious paperwork. I have a conscience, you know. As much as I want to, I can¡¯t simply push all my duties onto her. Until I give her my position, that is¡ªand it won¡¯t be long before I do so.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I want to try to head into Fragmentter, but we should discuss what that old man told us earlier first¡­¡±


    *****


    After a short discussion to just organize all of the information we had so far and n our next move, we headed to directly beneath Fragment where the arena was. The girls and I had fought in this ce before, and apparently, there was a special mechanism that could trigger the stairway that led up to Fragment. Ling Xin knew how to operate it and was authorized to do so by the system, since she was a Council of Arcanity member.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± she said, standing before a control panel. ¡°There¡¯s going to be another one of these in Fragment that will take us up to the IMF Headquarters in the air, and I¡¯ll be able to ess that one as well.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ thankfully we have you with us, huh?¡± I chuckled, as Ling Xin maneuvered the control panel.


    ¡°And¡­ there,¡± she said, stepping away. On the disy screen was a green line of text:


    [Authorization Sessful]


    As if on cue, a loud mechanical noise came from above us, and the girls and I left the control room to find therge diamond hovering in the air known as Fragment open a single door.


    Or at least, that was what¡¯s supposed to happen.


    Instead, no door was opened, but the stairs dide down. Ling Xin frowned a bit, and I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this isn¡¯t supposed to happen?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ how peculiar,¡± Ling Xin murmured. ¡°I was authorized by the system, and the stairs came down as proof of that. So why¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get closer to investigate,¡± Feng Mian suggested, and the rest of us nodded in agreement.


    *****


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ this?¡±


    After a long walk, we finally reached the top of the stairs. What was waiting for us, however, was a sealed door that would not budge. There appeared to be a biometric authorization system of some sort, one that didn¡¯t ept Ling Xin¡ªnor any of us, for that matter.


    ¡°It says¡­ Archpriest-Rank Authorization required. What does that mean¡­?¡± Qing Yue murmured.


    ¡°Huh¡­ the Midnight Syndicate has Church-like rankings for its members, remember?¡± Lan Xiao Su suggested after some thought. ¡°Perhaps this is referring to that¡­¡±


    ¡°In other words, we have to capture an Archpriest-Rank Midnight Syndicate member, at the very least, and take him here so we can enter as well,¡± Feng Mian concluded.


    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± I muttered. ¡°But it seems the Midnight Syndicate is changing up the security systems all around Fragment¡­ are they trying to make it their new base?¡±


    ¡°That would be a logical assumption,¡± Obsidia said. ¡°But if they are changing up the security systems, then¡­¡±


    Suddenly, we all realized.


    ¡°¡­ My authorization¡­¡± Ling Xin began, but it was toote.


    ¡°¡ª!¡±


    The stairway below us suddenly gave way, and we began falling.


    ¡°Tch-!¡± I quickly activated my Sky Magic and caught Feng Mian in one arm and Qing Yue in the other. Yu An Yan could fly as well and caught her sister, while Mei Gui caught Lan Xiao Su. Ling Xin caught Axilia, and Obsidia caught Amane. Thankfully, we had enough people in the squad who could fly, so none of us were hurt as we slowly drifted to the ground. Lorelei and Yami naturally remained in my soul, so they werepletely unaffected.


    ¡°God, that was close¡­¡± Yu An Yan sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go through that ever again.¡±


    ¡°But this is a problem¡­ where can we find an Archpriest-Rank from the Midnight Syndicate?¡± Feng Mian murmured quietly. ¡°All the branches in the Fortress most likely were wiped out just from tonight¡­ and that rank sounds quite high.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then we have to go somewhere else,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

 Chapter 484: Information Search

    Chapter 484: Information Search


    ¡°¡­ An Archpriest-rank Midnight Syndicate member?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied to Old Man Leng, who was staring at me with a raised eyebrow. In his hand was some parts of a disassembled gun, as per usual. ¡°Do you know where we can find one?¡±


    After being denied entry to Fragment, we had came to Old Man Leng¡¯s shop, hoping that he may have some information. But s¡­


    ¡°Cheh. What makes ya think I¡¯d have info on this? I don¡¯t even know how their rankin¡¯ system works.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I muttered, sighing deeply. ¡°Well, thanks nheless. Just wondering if you overheard anythingst night from inside your shop, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Old Man Leng shook his head helplessly. ¡°However¡­ I can help point ya in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡± I stopped and turned back around to face him, right before we were about to leave.


    ¡°I may have not overheard anythin¡¯, but I did see theme from the tight alleyways between buildin¡¯s. If yer gonna search for info, why not get it directly from them?¡±


    ¡°Well, we would, but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure all of them are scattered after what happened tonight,¡± Feng Mian said ufortably.


    ¡°And that¡¯s <em>if</em> there are even any survivors amongst them at all,¡± Yu An Yan added, folding her arms beneath her generous chest. ¡°This method could work, but¡­ it¡¯ll take god knows how long to search this entire city for a few individuals in hiding.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ this reminded me of something,¡± Amane suddenly said after some short hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t remember this earlier, but¡­ there are a few Midnight Syndicate members my n has held captive in our temple. Their treatment has been harsh, though, and I don¡¯t know how many of them havemitted suicide to avoid interrogation¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Suicide?¡± Qing Yue pursed her lips. ¡°But do they really have that sense of loyalty? I mean, that old man we caught earlier practically handed us information on a silver tter, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Obsidia agreed with a nod. ¡°These vermin, much like many other humans, are terribly afraid of death. In the face of imminent nonexistence, they are willing to do anything to survive and prolong their pitiful lives.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± I said, boldly striding out the door. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste. We¡¯ll be backter, Old Man Leng. Don¡¯t close up before we get back¡ªwe need to ess the portal.¡±


    ¡°Boy, you trippin¡¯ if ya think I¡¯m gonna stay here and wait for yo slow asses to get back,¡± Old Man Leng said with a snort, then fumbled out a spare key from his back pocket and tossed it over at me. It was so sudden that I didn¡¯t have time to react, but Lorelei appeared in her fox form out of nowhere and caught it in her mouth for me.


    ncing down at the silver key in my hand, I gave a shrug.


    ¡°Well, this works too, I suppose. Later.¡±


    ¡°Get outta ¡®ere already. A young man standing around with his ten girlfriends ain¡¯t a good customer attracter at all,¡± Old Man Leng chuckled and waved as if shooing us away. ¡°Just the girls would be fine advertisin¡¯, though, so I don¡¯t mind if they stay.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ we would rather not be models for your shop,¡± Feng Mian said awkwardly. ¡°Appreciate the offer, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ just kiddin¡¯. See ya, kids.¡±


    With that, we parted, and the girls and I headed for Amane¡¯s ce to do some interrogation.


    *****


    ¨C 15 Minutes Later ¨C


    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive at the cathuman temple. Once there, Amane led us to the underground floor, where all the dungeon cells were. On the way there, the residents of the temple eyed us with caution, some fear, but none were friendly. I worried that was going to have an effect on their impression of Amane as well, but she was going to be leaving here with us soon anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter all too much, I suppose.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Amane said quietly, pushing open the wooden double doors that led to the prison.


    On the other side, a single stone hallway ran straight beforeing to a stop after about 50 meters. Along it were cubicle cells on either side, surrounded by metal bars and enforced with magic enchantments. Only a few actually had prisoners in them, and each cell that did have a prisoner inside was guarded by two soldiers.


    ¡°Matriarch,¡± they chanted collectively upon seeing us, and knelt down on one knee to show their loyalty.


    ¡°Rise,¡± Amane said in a voice worthy of an empress, and the soldiers rose obediently.


    ¡°Is there anything you need us to do, matriarch?¡± The one in front asked, gaze solemn.


    Amane nced at the prisoners in their cells, all unconscious, and sighed.


    ¡°Wake them up¡ªI have some questions I want answered. If they¡¯re dead, dispose of them.¡±


    The soldiers bowed. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Quickly, they went to work, kicking the prisoners¡¯ bodies to wake them up. Seeing this scene, Lan Xiao Su inhaled sharply and cowered behind me, as if unable to bear this extravagantly brutal method of waking them up. Me? I would much prefer getting beaten conscious over being sshed by a bucket of cold water. Besides, it seems the soldiers were taking careful care not to use too much force, since these prisoners were already weak, just barely clinging onto life.


    ¡°Line them up,¡± Amane ordered, and the soldiers dragged the ones who were still alive and capable of talking out from their cells, then forced them to kneel on the stone ground in front of us. Their faces were bruised, shallow, as if they hadn¡¯t eaten in weeks, and their eyes were empty, lifeless. Their white prisoner clothes were dirty, ripped, but the unmistakable mark of the Midnight Syndicate was etched onto their skin beneath like a tattoo.


    Of the nine prisoners, only five were still alive, it would seem.


    Once the prisoners were all lined up, wrists shackled by heavy magic-restricting handcuffs, Amane turned to me and gave a nod, signaling for me to take over from here. I smiled in return and stepped forward, then crouched down so my eyes were approximately at the same altitude as theirs.


    ¡°Now then¡­ we have a few questions for you. You all look like you¡¯ve already given up hope, but let me tell you¡­ if you tell us what we want to know, we¡¯ll give you food, water, clean you up, then let you go free. Hell, we¡¯ll even throw in a generous sum of money¡ªenough tost you a lifetime. What do you say? Prisoner to carefree, poor to rich. So long as you answer these few questions of ours, you¡¯ll go from dying men to wealthy barons.¡±


    At this, the five prisoner¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. I had struck a chord with them.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ imagine all the benefits you could enjoy. Far better than being here, or even serving the Midnight Syndicate, no?¡±


    The prisoners gulped and exchanged nces, then nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ answer your questions,¡± the one in the middle breathed, voice raspy and weak. I smiled in response.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    Then, turning to the soldiers, I issued an order.


    ¡°Go. Bring me five sses of water, along with five slices of bread. High-quality ones.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± the soldiers hesitated at whether or not to follow my order, and Amane frowned.


    ¡°Did you not hear him? Do as he says,¡± she growled, folding her arms. ¡°In this temple, his word is the same as mine. Understand?¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, yes, matriarch!¡±


    The soldiers scurried away, not needing to be told another time. Soon, they returned with the items I requested, and I pointed my chin towards the five prisoners, signaling that the soldiers should set the items in front of them. They did as ordered, and the prisoners immediately began eagerly devouring the food and water, satisfying their aching hunger and thirst. Once they were done, they wiped their mouths and sat up straight.


    ¡°¡­ What do you want to know?¡± The leader asked, voice now in a much better shape than before. I grinned innocently.


    ¡°Not much. I just want to know where I can find an Archpriest of your organization.¡±


    ¡°An Archpriest¡­ leads a division of Midnight Syndicate members like us,¡± the representative of the five prisoners said. ¡°Our group¡¯s boss was one. I can¡¯t be certain where he is now, but¡­ he mentioned ns about going to attack a sacred shrine on Mount Kita in Japan before we were captured. If you¡¯re going to look for him, I¡¯d suggest starting there.¡±


    ¡°Japan¡­nd of the Demihumans,¡± Feng Mian murmured. ¡°That¡¯s quite a hassle, to go all the way there¡­ aren¡¯t there any in Human Territory, or better yet, right here in the Fortress?¡±


    ¡°You can try looking¡­ but we are good at hiding,¡± another prisoner added. ¡°If you search every inch of this entire city, you may eventuallye across one, but who knows how long that will take? Just take our advice.¡±


    ¡°And if you are lying?¡± I asked, just to bait them. But in response, the prisoners onlyughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to believe what you want. We told you what we know, when we couldn¡¯t be sure whether <em>you</em> were lying or not. So¡­ believe what you will.¡±

 Chapter 485: The Syndicates Vision

    Chapter 485: The Syndicate¡¯s Vision


    Believe what you will, huh?


    Well, I actually asked that question just to bait them. I was already verifying their answers using Psychic Magic earlier, but since that took mana, by asking this question to them and judging their response, I could determine whether or not Psychic Magic was really needed. And as it turns out, it wasn¡¯t¡ªthey were telling the truth, through and through. Saves a lot of trouble for me too.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ next question,¡± I continued, rubbing my chin. ¡°What is the ranking system of the Midnight Syndicate? Tell me everything you know¡ªeverything.¡±


    ¡°Heh. It¡¯s really notplicated,¡± the prisoner leading them said with a coarse chuckle. ¡°You ever been to Church before?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ an atheist, eh?¡± The prisonersughed in joint.


    I shrugged. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t phrase it like that, since there are things I believe in, but for the purpose of this conversation, sure. Enlighten me.¡±


    ¡°When you join the Midnight Syndicate, you first start as a Follower,¡± the prisoner exined. ¡°That¡¯s what most of the members in the organization are. The footsoldiers, the sacrificial pawns. But as you prove your strength and loyalty in the organization, you can be promoted from a Follower to a Deacon, which can be thought of as the ss rep of a ss in a school. My rank is a Deacon, and these guys are all Followers.¡±


    He gestured to the four other prisoners by his side, and I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°I see¡­ and what¡¯s after Deacon?¡±


    ¡°Priest. Priests are like the teachers, and each lead a group of men. We call it a toon, holding 25 men. Then, if you¡¯re lucky and skilled enough, you can be an Archpriest, leading a division, which consists of four toons. That¡¯s 100 men total. After the Archpriestes the Bishop, which controls five divisions for a total of 500 men. That¡¯s called a regiment. And ten regiments¡­ make up an army. 5,000 men.¡±


    ¡°And following the pattern thus far, an army would be led by an Archbishop?¡± I asked.


    The prisoner grinned. ¡°You catch on quick. There aren¡¯t many Archbishops in the organization¡ªmaybe a dozen at best. Most cities we are stationed in only have a Bishop there leading them. But even then¡­ Archbishops aren¡¯t at the top.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve seen,¡± I muttered, and the Midnight Syndicate Deacon¡¯s eyes turned dark.


    ¡°The Four Cardinals¡­ insanely powerful individuals who govern the organization¡¯s internal affairs and control everyone below them. But above them¡­ is the sole ruler of even them, and the founder of the entire organization: the Pope.¡±


    ¡°X¡­¡± Feng Mian murmured.


    ¡°And the Four Cardinals must be those four we saw in Fragment,¡± Lin Luo added, narrowing her eyes a bit. ¡°A wolfman, a demon, a subus, and an old hag.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I know,¡± the prisoner said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just a lowly Deacon. I have no idea what their abilities are or exactly how strong they can be at full power. But all I know is¡­ if you¡¯re nning on fighting them, don¡¯t. You can¡¯t win. They are allte-stage Saints. And the Pope¡­ rumor is, he¡¯s a Divine God. The first to exist since the creation of the world.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I see. Thanks for the advice, but I think I¡¯ll fight them anyway,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Onest question. Why¡­ did you join the Midnight Syndicate?¡±


    At this, the Deacon fell silent, and so did the four other prisoners. They all had solemn, ufortable expressions on their faces. Whereas before, they had answered all my questions with perfect ease, now, they were all hesitant. Was it because they didn¡¯t want to say their crimes out loud? Or¡­


    But the Deacon¡¯s next words shocked both myself and the girls.


    ¡°The Midnight Syndicate¡­ it¡¯s not as evil as you people make it out to be.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Feng Mian¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°They¡¯re not evil¡­?¡±


    ¡°Then what about all the killings they¡¯ve done? The lives they¡¯ve taken? The homes they¡¯ve destroyed?¡± Yu An Yan demanded, tightening her fists as she remembered what happened to both herself and Shenzhen.


    ¡°Those¡­ were the decisions of specific Bishops. There¡¯s no helping that. There are evil people in positions of power, even outside of the Midnight Syndicate. Corrupt politicians, arrogant young masters¡­ aren¡¯t they the same, objectively speaking?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ eh, what about capturing Fragment and killing the people there?¡± Qing Yue asked with a shrug. ¡°That was done by the Four Cardinals and the Pope himself. Or was that the decision of a specific Bishop too?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m not sure,¡± the Deacon admitted, voice low and quiet. ¡°But¡­ I once met an Archbishop of the Midnight Syndicate. Just once. And I¡¯m sure these four have too. The Archbishops¡¯ jobs, apart from manging armies, is to find new recruits for the organization. I was ready to give up life when he came across me.¡±


    The other prisoners nodded as if in agreement, and the Deacon continued his tale.


    ¡°At the time, I had just been fired from my job over being framed for a mistake I didn¡¯t even make. My wife left me for being ipetent, and took the kids with her. Mynd owner kicked me out of my house for being unable to pay the rent, and I was forced to live on the streets. I still remember that day very well¡­¡±


    *****


    ¨C Several Years Ago ¨C


    (The Deacon¡¯s Perspective)


    It was over. It was all over.


    I had lost everything. Like the Butterfly effect or a chain of dominoes, everything I once possessed¡ªa job, a loving family, money, and happiness¡ªwas taken away from my feeble hands.


    Where had I gone wrong?


    That¡¯s what I wondered as I copsed in the back alley of the slums of an urban city. The city I once could proudly dere my home, but now, I was nothing but a bottom feeder living in the streets whose only purpose was to take up space.


    I looked up at the sky, and felt my vision grow hazy. A drop of water fell onto my cheek, and I was jolted back awake by the impact.


    <em>Ah¡­ it¡¯s raining</em>.


    How apt, for the situation I was in. The rain helped set the mood perfectly, and ironically, a smile formed on my face.


    I was hungry. It¡¯s been days since Ist had food. I could feel it¡ªmy life force was slowly ebbing away from me. At this rate, it was only a matter of time.


    My muscles refused to move. But that¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t try to move them anyway.


    I had already given up hope.


    Take me, death. End my suffering. End it all.


    Goodbye, ursed world. I¡¯m done living here, in this unfair, unjust society. I¡¯m done listening to corrupt managers, obeying biased orders, and listening to slews of rage being poured onto me like a bucket of steaming water.


    I just wanted to die.


    ¡°But do you, really?¡±


    A voice.


    <em>Huh¡­?</em>


    I tried turning my head. I tried opening my eyes further to get clear sight of the person who had said this, but ultimately gave up. He probably wasn¡¯t even talking to me anyway. Who would talk to someone like me, on the verge of death?


    But I was in a back alleyway amidst rain¡­ unless someone intentionally came into these slums, I shouldn¡¯t be able to hear anyone¡¯s voice¡­


    Oh, I get it.


    I¡¯m having hallucinations now. Great. My end was near. When will my life sh before my eyes? I would like to witness the happy moments I¡¯ve had, one final time.


    ¡°Come,¡± the voice said. ¡°Don¡¯t give up.¡±


    <em>Don¡¯t give¡­ up¡­</em>


    For some reason, my mind began repeating that line. My body wanted to die. It wanted to rest. But my soul refused to let it. Somewhere within me, a raging fire burned. One of hate, one of revenge.


    ¡°Join us,¡± the voice beckoned. It was gentle, soothing, much like the rain that trickled down my face and sshed on all around me. ¡°You are not alone. This unjust society, this unfair world¡­ we can fix it all¡ªtogether.¡±


    <em>Unjust¡­ unfair¡­ fix¡­ together¡­</em>


    Before I knew it, I spent thest of my remaining energy into lifting my arm.


    And that I did.


    My eyes were closed. Blind. Too weak to even open them. But I somehow found the energy within me to lift that arm, using the final bits of lifeforce I still had.


    And then, I felt it.


    Another hand, take my own. It held it firmly like a bond of steel, and for the first time in too long, I felt warmth. Genuine, heartfelt warmth. In my dark blindness and weakness, that hand was like one that saved me from falling off a cliff. The hand that saved me from drowning in a sea of death. A beam of light in the shadows of Hell, pulling me back from its grasp that had already closed around me.


    And just before my consciousness faded away, I heard but one line. One line that would change my life forever.


    ¡°We are the Midnight Syndicate. And we¡­ will change this poisoned world.¡±

 Chapter 486: Leaving Home

    Chapter 486: Leaving Home


    ¡°¡­ Wow.¡±


    That¡¯s all the girls and I could say after the Deacon finished his story.


    We had came here looking for information, not expecting to discover the Midnight Syndicate¡¯s true goal. Yes, there are obviously evil people in the organization, but from this story, it can be said that all of the Archbishops and above in rank share onemon goal¡ªchanging this world. They weren¡¯t actually evil, but they couldn¡¯t control what every Bishop under them chose to do in their name.


    ¡°The Midnight Syndicate gave me a home,¡± the Deacon continued. ¡°They gave me hope in this deste world where all hope had already been lost for me. That¡¯s why everyone joined the Syndicate. Unfortunately¡­ some Bishops let their hatred and thirst for revenge consume them, eventually leading into them wanting to outright destroy society rather than reform it. Those people are the ones whomitted all the ¡®evil¡¯ acts you spoke of.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ that makes¡­ sense¡­¡± Yu An Xue whispered under her breath. ¡°Back in¡­ Fragment¡­ the X person¡­ said he had no intention¡­ to fight.¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± the Deacon cleared his throat, then looked up at me. ¡°Do you still have more questions? Or is that all?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s all. You¡¯re free to leave, just as promised.¡±


    Then, turning to the soldiers, I continued. ¡°Release their shackles.¡±


    After being told once to treat my orders as if they were Amane¡¯s, the soldiers didn¡¯t hesitate to follow my instructions. They had conflicted expressions on their faces while doing so, but I didn¡¯t care. So long as they got it done, their attitudes didn¡¯t matter to me.


    As the soldiers released their shackles, I took out some remaining mordai I had from the Death Realm¡ªones that I had saved just for the memory. I gave five to each of them, and closed up my Space Locket.


    ¡°Go and sell these at a bank somewhere. You¡¯ll get yourselves a fair sum. After that, you¡¯re free. But should we meet again on the battlefield¡­ just know that I won¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I¡¯ll be honest, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually uphold your end of the deal. You¡¯re not a bad guy.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I originally was nning on killing you after getting the info I wanted, but your honesty in your answers plus that whole story you told¡­ convinced me not to. Now, get out of here before I change my mind.¡±


    The Deaconughed, then took his gang and waltzed their way out of the front halls of the temple.


    *****


    Shortly after they departed, we did as well. It was getting reallyte now, and we needed to get some rest in preparation for our trip to Japan tomorrow.


    ¡°Looks like we had the wrong idea about the Midnight Syndicate this entire time, huh?¡± Feng Mian muttered as we walked our way back to Old Man Leng¡¯s shop. There was no one around, and the breeze felt nice, so we decided to just walk rather than fly.


    ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡± I sighed. ¡°But regardless¡­ they are still our enemy. While their intentions may not be evil at heart, their method of doing things is far too cruel and ruthless. I know I¡¯m one to talk, but¡­ going as far as to develop antimagic is too much.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re making antimagic, then¡­ does that mean they believe magic is the root source of why this world and society is unfair?¡± Lan Xiao Su asked.


    ¡°Hm¡­ I must say, I think that¡¯s a bit of a stretch,¡± Ling Xin said thoughtfully, one eye shut. ¡°The root source of this unfair society is human nature, and has nothing to do with magic.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± I said with a firm nod. ¡°This may be a selfish reason¡­ but I¡¯m going to fight them simply because I don¡¯t want to lose my magic. I¡¯ve live 14 years without it, and I¡¯m not going back.¡±


    The girls smiled at me andughed slightly, causing me to raise an eyebrow.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re with you all the way, Big Brother Xuan Kai,¡± Qing Yue said with a wink.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Feng Mian said with a smile. ¡°No matter how selfish your reasons are, or which path you choose to take¡­ we¡¯ll follow you every step of the way.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Thanks, you guys.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s with this romantic, lovey-dovey atmosphere?!¡± ria yelled, cutting between our conversation. ¡°Do this in a private room or something!¡±


    At this, all of usughed, minus Obsidia who merely sighed and Xiuying who looked as nk as ever.


    *****


    After unlocking Old Man Leng¡¯s store with the key he gave me earlier, we stepped through the portal we established beforehand and returned to our private beach. Once there, we headed for the hot springs for a quick dip, then prepared for bed.


    The girls wasted no time falling asleep on the onerge bed we all shared, and before I knew it, I waspletely surrounded by them and trapped beneath their arms as they fought over my body even in their sleep. With Amane here, the situation was even more dire than usual. But tonight, there were concerns I had, so I made a shadow clone of myself and headed outside with that clone.


    I didn¡¯t usually use these clones since they took up an insane amount of mana, but this was an exception.


    ¡°¡­ I figured you¡¯d be here.¡±


    Those were the words I said as I approached the slim girl sitting on a rock on the beach sand, staring at the beautiful dark blue sky and white luminous moon. She wore her bikinis, showing off her slim body and beautiful arms and legs. Upon hearing my voice, she briefly turned her head towards me, then scooted over a bit as if making space for me to sit down beside her. I did exactly that, and joined her in moon-watching.


    ¡°¡­ How are you doing?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    No response.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to answer. I just want you to know¡­ now that you¡¯re a part of this one big family of ours, you can tell us anything, Xiuying. No need to hold back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Still no response.


    ¡°¡­ I know you¡¯re used to being alone, and not sharing your feelings with anyone. And if you want to continue to be like that, that¡¯s alright too. Just know all of us are right here beside you if you need us for anything. Anything at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then, hug me.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡± I turned to her, and saw that she was now looking at me intently, sky blue eyes glistening with what looked like tears. The first sign of emotion I¡¯ve ever seen from her.


    ¡°Xiuying¡­¡±


    Without any hesitation, I pulled her close for an embrace, and felt her warm, naked skin within my arms. She didn¡¯t hug me back, but I could feel her hot tears against my chest as she rubbed her face against me.


    She was not crying. She made no sound. But tears were falling from her eyes.


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s okay, Xiuying. I know how it feels. My mother and father¡­ they were taken from me not long ago as well. I still remember that day as clear as diamonds¡ªand you will too. The day our parents were killed will forever be etched into our minds, but that¡¯s fine. Instead of thinking of it as sadness, think of it as anger. Fury. Revenge. That is how I coped with it.¡±


    Xiuying didn¡¯t say anything, but I was certain she heard my words. And for who knows how much longer, the two of us sat there on that rock, just sharing the silence.


    We sat and sat, until Xiuying¡¯s tears stopped flowing.


    Then, and only then, did we return to the inn together, and she joined the rest of us on the bed while my Shadow Clone entered back into my body.


    *****


    ¨C The Infinite Realm ¨C


    ¡°Finally¡­ you¡¯re here,¡± Sylvoir said with a exasperated sigh.


    ¡°Here indeed,¡± I said, stepping closer to her. ¡°So¡­ that was the ¡®cmity¡¯ you spoke of, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I see you have learned something new about the perpetrators as well.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Mhm. I see what they¡¯re trying to do now. But if they erase magic¡­ it¡¯ll erase the Infinite Realm, won¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Which is why you must protect it, at all costs.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ I understand. But can you tell me where the Archpriest I¡¯m supposed to look for is? The Terron Records or whatever should say, right? That would help me a lot, thank you.¡±


    ¡°That Midnight Syndicate member already told you, didn¡¯t he? The shrine at the peak of Mount Kita. That is where you will find him.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ alright then. I was hoping for like a photo reference or something, but¡­ I guess the Terron Records don¡¯t have pictures, huh?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not. But that aside¡­¡± Sylvoir cleared her throat. ¡°I summoned you here to issue a warning.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have unlimited time. From what the Terron Records are telling me, the Midnight Syndicate is preparing a massive phenomenon scheduled to happen in three months. It will cast a dome of antimagic around the entire, erasing the mana in the air for good. When that happens¡­ we will not be able to use magic anymore.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ three months, huh? Got it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I truly wish I could help you in-person, but¡­ I must remain at Eden and watch over the Elementals. The other Founders, however, should be able to help you. Start by locating Tian Lin, who is also in the Fortress right now. First, however, capture that Archpriest.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Got it. Thanks for the help, Sylvie.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Sylvoir snorted and folded her arms. ¡°Don¡¯t die. That¡¯s all.¡±

 Chapter 487: Cruise Ship

    Chapter 487: Cruise Ship


    ¨C The Next Morning ¨C


    ¡°Alright¡­ so, uh, how are we going to get to Japan?¡± I asked during breakfast, as the girls were gathered around the table. ¡°I can¡¯t use Space Magic to teleport us over there, since I haven¡¯t been there before.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s, fly,¡± Xiuying said with a determined look, but the idea was immediately shot down.


    ¡°Certainly not,¡± Yu An Yan said sternly. ¡°Not all of us here can fly, and even if we didn¡¯t have to carry some of us, the journey would still be far too long. Our mana wouldn¡¯tst, with the exception of maybe Xuan Kai and Mei Gui.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do¡­?¡± Lan Xiao Su asked, bummed.


    ¡°Fufu¡­ don¡¯t you all think you¡¯re overthinking this a bit?¡± Ling Xin said, giggling softly. ¡°Instead of relying on magic¡­ can¡¯t we just go the normal way?¡±


    ¡°The normal way¡­ Oh yeah!¡± Qing Yue smacked her fist against her palm, eyes lighting up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we think of that? We can just go by ship!¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ a cruise?¡± Lin Luo raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yep!¡± Qing Yue replied happily, pping her hands together. ¡°This is a good way to broaden our horizons too, you know. Personally, I¡¯ve never been on a cruise ship before, so I want to see what it¡¯s like!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ we could also fly there, but cruise is fine by me,¡± I said. ¡°Any objections?¡±


    The girls all shook their heads, so with that, it was decided. We would be going to Japan by cruise.


    *****


    ¡°¡­ Uh, excuse me, what?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, sir, because of an impending storm, all cruises and flights to Japan have been canceled for the day.¡±


    ¡°But the sky¡¯s as clear as day outside¡­¡± ria muttered, and Lan Xiao Su turned to the receptionist.


    ¡°Um¡­ are you sure there¡¯s going to be a storm¡­?¡±


    The receptionist who was tasked with helping us sighed, not even bothering to hide his exasperation by this point.


    ¡°Look¡­ I just follow orders and ry information, alright? The higher-ups told me all cruises to Japan are canceled today, so I¡¯m telling you the same thing they told me. If you check any airport in this country, they¡¯ll also say the flights are canceled. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can also check the weather forecast.¡±


    ¡°But we really need to get to Japan today¡­¡± Qing Yue begged, puffing her cheeks out and staring at the receptionist with the sad puppy dog eyes. ¡°¡­ Please?¡±


    The receptionist, faced with this adorable image, was conflicted. ¡°Like I said¡­ begging me isn¡¯t going to help¡­ I¡¯m saying this for your own good, you know?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Feng Mian suddenly stepped forward and leaned on the counter, getting daringly close to the receptionist. She made sure to set her breasts on top of the counter so that they jiggled a bit, and she shut one eye before smiling alluringly. ¡°¡­ If this ce doesn¡¯t offer any cruises to Japan today¡­ could you refer us to somewhere that does? I¡¯m sure you know, don¡¯t you? If you tell me¡­ I might let you get a glimpse¡­¡±


    She stuck out her tongue and moved her hand to the buttons on her cor, and immediately, the receptionist¡¯s nose began bleeding before she even did anything.


    ¡°A-Ahem!¡± He hurriedly covered it up with his sleeve, and tried his best to regain hisposure. Faced with Feng Mian¡¯s natural beauty and alluring body paired with her subus charm, he could hardly even speak, but managed anyway. Truly impressive.


    ¡°U-Uh¡­ there¡¯s a private ship owner down by the docks¡­ his name is Zhou Chihuang. If you really want to, go see him. There¡¯s no guarantee he¡¯ll ept, but¡­ he¡¯s your best bet. Just don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Qing Yue cheered, and Feng Mian backed away from the counter with a happy smile on her face.


    ¡°Thank you~!¡±


    With that, we left the line, leaving the receptionist in shock.


    ¡°W-Wait! What about my promised ¡®glimpse¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that~ I let you glimpse at my face, didn¡¯t I?¡± Feng Mian giggled with a wave. ¡°Hehe~ goodbye~¡±


    *****


    ¡°Right¡­ so, the docks. Which way to there¡­¡± Feng Mian murmured as she scanned the map after we ditched the poor receptionist just like that.


    ¡°Man¡­¡± I sighed and shook my head. ¡°That poor guy back there¡­pletely fell for it.¡±


    ¡°Heh~ were my charms impressive?¡± Feng Mian asked me, wrapping her arms around mine.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I snorted without even blushing. ¡°You¡¯re a half-subus. It¡¯d be weirder if your charms <em>weren¡¯t</em> impressive.¡±


    At this, Feng Mian pouted slightly. ¡°Hmph¡­ you really know how to ruin a girl¡¯s mood, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Did I say something wrong?¡±


    At this, all the girls around me gave a collective sigh except Mei Gui, Lorelei, and Xiuying.


    ¡°¡­ You still have a long way to go in the arts of women, Big Brother Xuan Kai,¡± Qing Yue said with a smile.


    I sank into thought. ¡°Hm¡­ I suppose I do.¡±


    *****


    It didn¡¯t take long for us to reach the docks, using the map we had picked up inside the cruise ticket-buying building. Of course, we couldn¡¯t actually enter the docks, since those were all fenced around and only those who bought tickets could enter and board the ships through there, but we were still by the seaside. And a short distance away, a single battered-up shipy in the water, connected to a wooden dock.


    A shed sat not too far away from it, door closed. There was only a single window in it, and it was quite small. I figured it was a tool shed, and decided to approach it to investigate.


    ¡°Hm¡­ I wonder what kind of tools are stored in he-¡°


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡±


    ¡°W-Woah!¡±


    I hurriedly jumped backwards as the door suddenly was smashed open, and a fuming man walked out, angry and old. He nced down at the broken wooden door beneath his feet, then yelled into the air.


    ¡°RAGHHH! I BROKE IT AGAIN! GOD DAMMIT!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ are you alright?¡± I asked hesitantly, but the raging man turned his furious face towards me.


    ¡°DO I LOOK OKAY, DAMMIT?! UGHHH! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ we¡¯re looking for a cruise to take us to Japan,¡± Feng Mian said, speaking up. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Zhou, correct? Could you, perhaps¡­ take us there?¡±


    ¡°Nope, no can do, goodbye.¡±


    The man, who was raging just a moment earlier, now turned his back on us and calmly waltzed back into his shed, causing all of us to gasp both at how quickly his temper changed and how his massive frame was able to fit in that tiny shed.


    ¡°Um¡­ we can pay you?¡±


    ¡°HM?¡± The man suddenly busted back out of the shed, eyes widened. ¡°PAY ME? WHERE? MONEY?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ is this enough?¡± I handed him a 100 dor bill, which he nced down at and began trembling.


    ¡°Er, excuse me, sir?¡± Feng Mian waved a little. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Still trembling and refusing to let us see his expression, the man slowly pointed towards his battered-up cruise a short distance away, and spoke.


    ¡°¡­ Get on.¡±


    *****


    Soon, we departed. The ship was hardlyparable to those luxury cruises not far away, but it was enough to fit all of us. Mr. Zhou sat in the captain¡¯s cabin while the rest of us were told to stay out of it, and none of us were exactly eager to disobey him.


    ¡°What are you looking at, Xiao Su?¡± Yu An Yan asked, sitting down beside the bookworm and hidden idol of the group, who was busy on her phone.


    ¡°Erm¡­ it seems there really will be a storming in about two hours, but from the clear and sunny sky we have right now, that is quite unbelievable,¡± she said. ¡°Though I suppose we¡¯ll just have to wait and see¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Yu An Yan said. ¡°Even if there is a storm, with Xuan Kai¡¯s power, he can easily create a force field around us that renders the effects of the storm useless. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be ready when ites.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true. We¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    *****


    ¨C Two Hours Later ¨C


    ¡°¡­ We are <em>so</em> not ready for this!¡± Yu An Yan cried as she desperately held onto the railings of the ship, and Mr. Zhou gritted his teeth as he spun the ship¡¯s wheel furiously to prevent it from flipping.


    Outside, rain and lightning crashed down all around us. What had once been a bright, clear, sunny day was now a dark, cloudy thunderstorm. Thankfully, so far, we were spared from the lightning and howling wind of the storm thanks to the barrier Mei Gui and I were working together on upholding, but riding these tough waves were still going to be a challenge.


    Yu An Xue and Lan Xiao Su were doing their best to calm the sea using their Water Magic, but it wasn¡¯t doing all that much.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ how much longer of this?!¡± ria yelled, being held firmly by Amane for protection.


    ¡°Ngh¡­ worstes to worst, we can teleport away, but for now, just hold on tight!¡± Amane shouted in reply. ¡°Mr. Zhou! How long till we drive out of this storm?!¡±


    But contrary to our expectations, the captain of the ship wasughing.


    Yes,ughing.


    ¡°AHAHAHAHAHAHA! WOOHOO! THIS IS THE BEST! BRING IT, STORM! AHAHAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°¡­ We¡¯re in for a long haul, aren¡¯t we?¡± Feng Mian said with a sad smile, clinging to a pole on the ship.

 Chapter 488: Kraken Amidst the Storm

    Chapter 488: Kraken Amidst the Storm


    The storm was getting worse.


    Thunder roared in the distance, and the bright shes of lightning all around us were the only source of light in this dark storm at sea. The situation was dire, and it didn¡¯t seem to show any sign of stopping either.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I think we should probably get out of here¡­!¡± Yu An Yan yelled through the howling wind, desperately trying to hold onto the edges of the ship.


    ¡°But¡­ what about Mr. Zhou¡­?¡± Lan Xiao Su asked in worry.


    ¡°We¡¯ll teleport the entire boat, so he¡¯ll get brought to safety as well!¡± Yu An Yan said in response, then turned her head towards me. ¡°Xuan Kai, do it!¡±


    However¡­


    ¡°Hold on!¡± I said, gritting my teeth. ¡°There¡¯s something ahead¡­ I can sense it!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    As if on cue, the waters ahead of us were torn open, and out arose a massive creature the size of a small city. It had countless tendrils and sshing tentacles, and a circr mouth lined with rows upon rows of sharp gnashing teeth on its head. Its flesh was dark red like blood, and above its devastating mouth were two harrowing narrowed yellow eyes that could only belong to a Monster.


    ¡°W-What the hell <em>is</em> that thing?!¡± The girls cried in shock, fear evident on their faces. Obsidia and ria both immediately got ready to fight, but I had a different reaction from everyone else.


    ¡°Man¡­ so it was you causing all this trouble,¡± I said with augh, and put down my barrier. Mei Gui nced at me in surprise and so did the girls as the waves suddenly calmed down, and the monster before us sshed its tentacles around yfully.


    <strong>¡°So it is you, boy¡­ me thought it was the bastard syndicate members¡­¡±</strong>


    ¡°W-W-What?! The monster talked?!¡± Qing Yue shrieked in surprise.


    Yes. This octopus-like monster was none other than Kracken, one of the Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    I ignored Qing Yue and continued my conversation with Mr. Kracken as if he were a perfectly normal person.


    ¡°Hm¡­ so you were trying to prevent them from getting to Japan?¡±


    <strong>¡°Yes¡­ me thinks something important will happen there¡­¡±</strong> Kracken hissed, folding two of his tentacles in front of him like arms. <strong>¡°I can sense it¡­ not good feeling¡­¡±</strong>


    ¡°Hm¡­ something important, eh?¡± I muttered. ¡°I see. I¡¯m on my way there right now to find a Midnight Syndicate member right now, actually¡­ I¡¯ll see what I can find out. And if I can, I¡¯ll stop whatever it is they¡¯re doing.¡±


    <strong>¡°Yes¡­ me wish you luck¡­¡±</strong>


    I nodded. ¡°Thanks. And, uh, can you clear this storm up for me? It¡¯s kinda getting in the way.¡±


    <strong>¡°Of course¡­ me sorry about that¡­¡±</strong>


    I chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    With that, Kracken sank back into the waters below, and a mere few seconds after he disappeared, the clouds above us parted and the storm stopped. What was once a clear, sunny day was now a clear sunny day once more.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I let out a sigh of relief and sat down, enjoying the sunshine. ¡°Much better. Mr. Zhou? What are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go?¡±


    I don¡¯t know if he heard me or not, but the ship started pushing forward again anyway, so I didn¡¯t mind. I could see Mr. Zhou with a look of disappointment on his face as he steered. He had probably been wanting to mess with Kracken. If only he knew how powerful that sea monster was.


    The girls, on the other hand¡­ were still ck-jawed, unable toe to terms with what just happened.


    ¡°X-Xuan Kai¡­ what was that?¡± Yu An Yan asked first, voicing the question that all of them had.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± I hesitated.


    What should I tell them? How do I exin this to them? I can¡¯t tell them about the Library of Infinite Beginnings, so¡­ oh, I know.


    ¡°That¡­ was an illusion!¡± I dered as if very happy. ¡°Uh¡­ how was it? Did I manage to scare you guys?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ you¡¯re telling us that giant monster just now was a mere <em>illusion?!</em>¡± Feng Mian eximed. ¡°Even for you, Xuan Kai, that is very, very far-stretched.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Ahaha¡­¡± Iughed awkwardly. ¡°Well, you see, I wanted to test your courage, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Quite the¡­ extravagant way of testing us, if I do say so myself¡­¡± Ling Xin said with a giggle. ¡°But I¡¯ll buy it, since you clearly don¡¯t want to discuss the matter further.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Feng Mian looked at me ufortably, then sighed. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m sure all of us are dying to know the truth, but¡­ we had a deal. We all have secrets, so we won¡¯t force you to talk if you don¡¯t want to. But there¡¯s no need to lie to us¡ªjust say you don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ alright,¡± I said after some thought.


    <em>Sorry¡­ it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you all¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m kinda forbidden from doing so.</em>


    For the rest of that journey, things were mostly peaceful. The girls and I got to enjoy the view of the sea, and the trip was smooth. Unfortunately, Mei Gui apparently was bad with boats, and ended up needing to puke, but she insisted she was fine. That girl never wanted to show her weaknesses, especially not in front of me¡­ but really, I just wished she would stop being such a perfectionist.


    *****


    ¨C Several Hours Later ¨C


    By now, the sun was beginning to set. We had spent the entire day in the water, and atst¡­


    ¡°Look! Up ahead!¡± Qing Yue yelped excitedly, jumping up and down on the deck of the ship as she pointed towards our front. The other girls and I gathered around her to see what the fuss was about, and upon seeing what she was pointing at, we all smiled.


    ¡°¡­ Land ho,¡± I whispered under my breath.


    Soon after, we boarded at a port in the city of Fuji. This ce was in the eastern parts of Shizuoka Prefecture, but it was extremely close to our destination, the Yamanashi Prefecture where Mount Kita was located.


    In the end, Mr. Zhou shooed us off his boat so quickly we couldn¡¯t even give him his payment, but he looked too angry for us to approach him. I figured he was still mad about not being able to fight Kracken with his puny boat, but s, there was nothing we could do about that.


    I suppose I could call on Kracken to maybe toy with Mr. Zhou a bit on his way back to Human Territory, but that would require me to use up the favor Kracken owed me, and I wasn¡¯t about to waste something that important to satisfy an old man.


    ¡°So¡­ here we are, huh?¡± I said, folding my arms. ¡°Japan, home of the Demihumans.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they speak a differentnguage here?¡± Feng Mian asked curiously, but Amane shook her head.


    ¡°No. Each tribe has their own tongue, but the officialnguage of the territory and the one mainly used amongst everyone here formunication is the same as that of the humans.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°And have you been here before?¡± Qing Yue asked, continuing to pester Amane with questions. ¡°What¡¯s it like? Any fun ces? Oh, and is there delicious food?!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I actually haven¡¯t been here before¡­ I was born in The Fortress¡­¡± Amane murmured quietly, as if embarrassed.


    ¡°Then it seems this will be a first time experience for all of us,¡± Yu An Yan said. ¡°But while we can explore a bit if we want¡­ we shouldn¡¯t lose sight of our goal, yeah?¡±


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°Right. Remember, we¡¯re here to head to the shrine at the peak of Mount Kita, and locate the Midnight Syndicate Archpriest hiding there. I would also like to set a tentative time limit of three months from now, since if we dy any longer, the Midnight Syndicate will most likely be able toe up with a way to advance their antimagic to a point where even my Chaos power is not enough to counter it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Feng Mian said. ¡°Three months is plenty of time.¡±


    Of course, I said ¡®tentative¡¯, but really, that was a set-in-stone deadline, given to me by Sylvoir herself. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t tell the girls about her, though, so this was the best excuse I had in ce. I felt bad lying to them right after they told me there was no need to lie, but I needed to get this information across without revealing the whole business with the Infinite Realm and whatnot.


    Still, Feng Mian was right. Three months was plenty of time. It was by no means enough to let us sit around and procrastinate, but we didn¡¯t have to rush things either. Since we¡¯re here in this newnd anyway, we might as well spend some time to enjoy it and explore a bit. There was no telling when would be the next time we returned here, after all.

 Chapter 489: Demihuman Territory

    Chapter 489: Demihuman Territory


    The girls and I walked through the streets of Fuji. Compared to the urban cities we were used to in Human territories, these rural roads were quite nice. Rather than a metropolitan area, these parts reminded me more of a countryside vige, with old stone buildings and food stalls in the streets. It was simr to the ice elves¡¯ vige I had been to a while back in the sense that there were children running around in the streets and everyone looked to have smiles on their faces, creating a jolly atmosphere that raised the spirits of us as well.


    ¡°What a nice ce¡­¡± Feng Mian remarked with a gentle smile on her face as she looked on warmly at theughing and ying children.


    ¡°¡­ You like kids?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Feng Mian nodded, then giggled in embarrassment and scratched her blushed cheeks.


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ well, I¡¯ve always wanted to have one of my own, to be honest¡­ w-what about you, Xuan Kai? Do you, um¡­ think we could¡­ have a child, anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? Uh¡­¡± Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. ¡°W-Well, I think it¡¯s too early for us¡­ we¡¯re still young, y¡¯know? There are still many ces in the world to explore. Having a kid now would kind of drag us down, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I see, that¡¯s fair,¡± Feng Mian said after some thought. ¡°But when we do have a baby together¡­ I¡¯d like it to be a girl. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ a daughter, huh? Yeah, I would rather have a daughter over a son as well,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re more caring towards their parents, most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Fufu~ I agree,¡± Ling Xin said, joining in. ¡°I would rather have a daughter than a son. How about the rest of you?¡±


    All the girls ended up preferring daughter over son, which surprised me a bit.


    ¡°Seriously? None of you want to have a son¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t <em>want</em> to have a son, per se,¡± Qing Yue corrected. ¡°It¡¯s just that we prefer having a son. I feel we can be closer to daughters since we¡¯re the same gender. There are some things a girl can¡¯t tell anyone except another girl, you know?¡±


    ¡°Hm, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Back to the matter at hand¡­¡± Obsidia interrupted. ¡°Are we continuing on towards the Yamanashi Prefecture tonight, or waiting until tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until tomorrow,¡± I said, then nced at Mei Gui. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s tired after being stuck on a boat all day, what with that storm and all. Let¡¯s just rest up at an inn for tonight.¡±


    ¡°Master, you needn¡¯t be concerned over me,¡± Mei Gui hurriedly said, biting her bottom lip. ¡°I am perfectly fine to continue goi-¡°


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Feng Mian cut in, silencing her with a pat on the back, older-sister style. ¡°Everyone has weaknesses, even Xuan Kai. If your weakness is sea travel, then so be it. There¡¯s no reason to pretend you¡¯re okay when you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mei Gui didn¡¯t say anything in response to this and instead looked down at the ground as if ming herself, and I sighed before pulling her close for an embrace.


    ¡°Listen up, Mei Gui. I don¡¯t want a perfect girl by my side. I don¡¯t want someone who is always strong, always invincible, and is extremely skilled at anything they do. A person with no weaknesses is a person with no identity. Remember that. So, if you cherish the identity I gave you, then cherish your weaknesses as well. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Mei Gui looked up at me with enlightened eyes, and I smiled.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s rest. And always keep in mind¡ªwithout your weaknesses that are part of you, you are not my Mei Gui.¡±


    *****


    We soon found a tavern and settled in for the night. The receptionist was troubled to see our group of one man and twelve girls excluding Lorelei, but questioning customers was rude, so she didn¡¯t say anything about it. I did feel numerous stares staring at us from the seats, though, where many beastfolk were drinking beer and partying. Some held envy for me, some held curiosity, and others simply held gazes of hate since we looked mostly human with the exception of Amane.


    It ismon knowledge that humans and demihumans do not have a great rtionship, ever since the ancient times. It is said that thisnd was once attached to maind Human Territory, but waster cut off by a human master who specialized in Earth Magic due to the hate towards the demihumans. Naturally, the demihumans weren¡¯t happy about this. The vastnd that they once shared, all those natural resources, were now gone, and they had been cast away to this small ind. This eventually grew into hate, and over the years, many wars between humans and demihumans ured on the eastern front of the maind.


    Each time, the battle would result in a tie. The demihumans simply did not have the poption to defeat the humans in an all-out war, but they were stubborn. And so, the conflict continued, until the establishment of the IMF and the Council of Arcanity, which essentially brought world peace. However, as evidently seen here, just because the wars stopped, the resentment between the two races were still quite prominent.


    Those born in the Fortress and the maind, both of which epted all races nowadays, didn¡¯t feel the same way as those natively from Demihuman Territory, whose ancestors had been exiled. That feeling was only natural, and if I had to say, the humans were at fault here. Still, all that was history now. In recent years, the hate between the two races have diminished, especially with more and more humansing to Demihuman Territory and more and more demihumans moving to the maind Human Territory.


    Regardless, that was none of my concern. After paying the front counter a hefty sum that was literally nothing to me, I managed to get them to move a couple of beds to one singr room and push them together, since the girls insisted on all of us sleeping on the same bed. Now, personally, I would¡¯ve liked to save that hassle, but then again, this is better for the tavern as well, since all of us in the same room meant more space for them to amodate more customers.


    In any case, after taking turns showering, the girls and I fell asleep. Thankfully, none of them tried anything with me, since they were all aware we would need stamina for tomorrow, and once we started doing <em>that</em>, we wouldn¡¯t stop until we were all exhausted.


    *****


    ¨C The Next Morning ¨C


    While the rest of us were busy getting ready for the day, Zhao Xiuying, who had woken up a full hour before the rest of us, pushed the blinds to one side and opened the windows in our tavern room, then reached her hand out to test the air.


    ¡°Sun, check. Wind, check. White clouds, check. Temperature, adequate. Mm, it seems, today, is a, bad day.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ria walked up beside her and arched an eyebrow. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Daily, routine,¡± Xiuying responded and drew her hand back in and shut the window without even looking at her. But at least she was talking now, more than before. That was progress.


    ¡°Ooh, I see,¡± ria said, nodding and mimicking me with the ¡®I see¡¯ part. ¡°But why is it a bad day? I¡¯d say the day¡¯s pretty good¡­ oh, but it¡¯d be even better if it was, like, 100 degrees hotter. Mm, yes, I see why you called it a bad day now¡­¡±


    ria murmured to herself as she analyzed why this temperature was far too cool for a phoenix, but Xiuying¡¯s reason waspletely different.


    ¡°¡­ I like, rain.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°A rainy, day, is a, good day.¡±


    ria¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ohhh, you¡¯re a rain-lover, huh? Me? I hate it. Rain sucks, and drenches my wings. Ugh. Oh, but isn¡¯t that dumb lizard an aqua dragon or something? Heh, she probably likes rain too.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, flying chicken? What did you just call me?¡± A deep female voice suddenly said from behind the two, and ria spun to see Obsidia ring at her.


    ¡°Oh, look, it¡¯s the aqua lizard! Hey, hey, you like rain, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hmph. Some rain would do you good, burning bird. It may help cool that head of yours a bit so you can actually use it for once.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?!¡± ria pointed at Obsidia in rage. ¡°S-Shut it, scaly! I¡¯ll burn you to death!¡±


    ¡°You can try, little girl,¡± Obsidia snarled. ¡°Let¡¯s see if your ming feathers are able to do anything against my fire-resistant scales.¡±


    ¡°Grr¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    The two red at one another eye-to-eye, highlighting the stark difference in height. However, since Obsidia was arguing with said ¡®little girl¡¯, she was hardly better in terms of maturity.


    Having witnessed this entire scene that I was used to by now, I sighed deeply.


    ¡°So, like, we¡¯re all waiting for you three down below. Feel free to stay here forever if you¡¯d like, but I know for a fact that <em>you</em> definitely don¡¯t want to miss breakfast, ria.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ we¡¯re not done, lizard.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me, two-wings.¡±


    ¡°You have two wings too!¡±


    ¡°Mine cannot be ssified as the same thing as yours. That would be a disgrac-¡°


    ¡°Yeah, to me!¡±


    ¡°¡ªTo m-¡°


    ¡°Okay, enough!¡± I roared, mming the wall with my fist and scaring both of them. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t make me force you.¡±


    ¡°A-Ahem¡­ very well,¡± Obsidia said after clearing her throat and walked past me, unable to meet my terrifying gaze. ria too looked down at the ground when she brushed past me, and once they finally went downstairs to where the other girls were, I sighed.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Xiuying. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Those two, are interesting,¡± she said curiously.


    I followed the two mythical beasts in their human forms with my eyes, then smirked.


    ¡°¡­ Yeah. They really are, huh?¡±

 Chapter 490: Mount Kita

    Chapter 490: Mount Kita


    ¡°Alright, so, our destination is Mount Kita, correct?¡± Yu An Yan asked for confirmation, and Lan Xiao Su nodded.


    ¡°From what I have researched¡­ there is a temple at its peak called Seirei Shrine. The ¡®seirei¡¯ part means spirit, like ghosts or specters. I suspect that is where we will find the person we are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Person? Can I kill him?¡± Axilia asked, eyes sparkling with delight. Ling Xin sighed and rubbed her brows.


    ¡°No, Axilia, you cannot kill him. We need him alive to bypass the authentication system the Syndicate installed at Fragment to gatekeep us out. After we¡¯re inside, though, you¡¯re free to do whatever you want to him.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Axilia giggled like a psychopath, but that¡¯s not why I was getting the feeling that¡­


    <em>¡°Master. People are watching us,¡± Lorelei said in my mind, perched on my shoulder in her fox form and ncing around warily.</em>


    <em>Yeah¡­ I know. And I don¡¯t like it.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°They appear to be hostile, but their strength is nothing to worry about. Should we fight them here, master?¡±</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ you inspected their souls already? Damn, nice going, Lorelei.</em>


    <em>¡°Lorelei is not worthy of praise,¡±</em> she said humbly, and performed a curtsy the best she could in her fox form. <em>¡°What is the call, master?¡±</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ we deal with them here. Letting them follow us would only be more troublesome.</em>


    <em>¡°Indeed. Lorelei agrees. The only problem is if they wille to us on their own¡­¡±</em>


    <em>Heh. No need to worry about that. Here theye.</em>


    Instantly, we found our table surrounded by a pack of beastfolk, all of which were ring at me in particr with ferocious looks on their faces. The one leading them appeared to be a young tigerman, well-built and wielding a greatsword that could only be used by those thick muscles on his arms.


    The girls, who had been happily chatting away while they enjoyed breakfast, were now on alert and eyed the beastmen warily.


    ¡°¡­ Need something?¡± Feng Mian asked in an irritated tone, showing her annoyance for how these guys were looking at me.


    ¡°Yes¡ªbut not with you,¡± the tigerman said, then pointed his de towards me. ¡°I¡¯ve been told you are traveling with all these beautiful maidens by your side, and yet you all shared one singr roomst night at this tavern. Tell me, scum, what kind of dirty things did you do with themst night, and how did you force them into submission?¡±


    I sighed, then turned to the counter of the tavern and hollered, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to do something about this? I¡¯m getting harassed here.¡±


    But the man at the counter merely turned a blind eye as if he did not hear me, and the tigerman suddenly shed the table with his greatsword, destroying the wood instantly and sending sharp splinters flying everywhere. My eyes widened and I immediately used telekinesis to catch all the sharp splinters before they could hit me and the girls.


    ¡°¡­ That was dangerous, you know,¡± I said with a wry grin.


    ¡°Hmph. You im to be harassed, but what you are going through right here is undoubtedly far worse than what these poor girls had to suffer at your hands. Answer for your crimes, or I will force you to!¡±


    ¡°Tch-¡± Amane was ready to draw her sword, but I moved a hand in front of her to signal for her to stop, and did the same with Axilia.


    ¡°You guys have been standing up for me for too long,¡± I said with a smile, rotating my neck from left to right. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist showed my power in public¡­ and I¡¯m aching for a bit of attention. Now¡­ <strong>kneel.¡±</strong>


    ¡°Wha-!¡±


    The tigerman suddenly copsed to the ground on his knees, shuddered by the power of gravity, and his aplices didn¡¯t have time to react either before they were all knocked unconscious. To everyone else, it all happened in the same instant, but really, what I did was stop time briefly and use Gravity Magic to force the tigerman down like this.


    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± He groaned as he attempted to fight back against the power, but it was useless. Now, everyone else in the tavern was watching in a mixture of awe and fear, and none were brave enough to step in.


    ¡°¡­ Hey. I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret,¡± I whispered threateningly into his ear. ¡°All of these fine girls you see here¡­ are my soon-to-be wives. Believe what you will, but I didn¡¯t force them to do anything. If you want to y hero and catch yourself somedies¡­ go do it somewhere else. All you¡¯re doing here is making a fool out of yourself, idiot. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°D-Damn you¡­!¡±


    ¡°Oh, at least you have some backbone,¡± I apuded, somewhat impressed. ¡°Color me surprised. I¡¯ve dealt with people like you more times than I can count, and let me just say, most of them have been cowards. Most of them¡­ are also dead. But since you have some spine, I¡¯d like to see just how long that can hold up.¡±


    ¡°NGH¡ª!¡± The tigerman grunted in agony as I intensified the gravity and brought my boot down on his head, thoroughly crushing it against the sharp, splintered ground.


    ¡°That one was for disturbing our meal.¡±


    Lifting my boot, I brought it down again, even harder than before.


    ¡°AGH!¡±


    ¡°That one was for ndering me. And this¡­¡±


    I lifted my foot one final time, then brought it down as hard as I could, sttering the tigerman¡¯s head into a bloody, pulverized mess.


    ¡°¡­ Is for nearly hurting my women.¡±


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t cry out for thisst one. After all, he was dead. With a snort, I lifted my boot from the disgusting pile of brains and blood on the floor, and Qing Yue ran a quick cleaning spell on it.


    ¡°¡­ Darling is so cool~¡± Axilia cheered happily while the other girls only sighed.


    ¡°Xuan Kai, I¡¯ve got to say, you went overboard again,¡± Yu An Yan said with a chuckle. ¡°Just killing him was enough. This, though¡­ is disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said awkwardly, scratching my head. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t hold back after what he did. Attacking me is fine, but almost hurting you guys in the process¡­ that¡¯s unforgivable.¡±


    ¡°Hehe~ you¡¯re so protective of us, Big Brother Xuan Kai,¡± Qing Yue giggled. ¡°But soon-to-be wives, huh¡­ hearing that makes me happy.¡±


    ¡°I agree, he¡¯s protective,¡± Feng Mian added with a smile. ¡°But that protectiveness creates a sense of safety, too¡ªat least, for me. Despite his denseness when ites to girls¡­ he¡¯s actually quite the boyfriend, huh?¡±


    ¡°Heh, he <em>is</em> good for something after all,¡± ria snickered. ¡°But hey! Next time, you can¡¯t just go saying ¡®all the girls here are my soon-to-be wives.¡¯ I¡¯m not marrying you, y¡¯know!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I sighed, rolling my eyes. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that implied? C¡¯mon, you¡¯re like my daughter. Marrying you is the weirdest thing that could possibly happen to me.¡±


    ¡°H-Hmph, as long as you know,¡± ria huffed, folding her arms and looking away. Perhaps she was a bit mad about how easily I pushed her away as a possible romance candidate, but really, she would be a far better pair for like Yami or something.


    ¡°Well, now that breakfast has been ruined¡­¡± Ling Xin stood up from her chair and gave a stretch. ¡°¡­ Shall we get going?¡±


    We all nodded, and left the tavern without a second nce back. On the way out, gazes of fear followed us, and honestly, there would probably be consequences to my actions. That tigerman¡¯s clothing weren¡¯t ordinary. He was probably of noble descent or something. The police of this area would probably be looking for me.


    But so what?


    Let theme. I¡¯ll take care of them one by one.


    *****


    Since there weren¡¯t any railroads or even highways here, the girls and I had to fly to our destination, with Lan Xiao Su setting a course on her phone¡¯s GPS. It was a hassle, but we could make the distance to the Yamanashi Prefecture with ease. It wasn¡¯t that far away, after all.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s times like these that I wish we had some sort of private aerial transportation method,¡± I said as we flew in the air. ¡°I mean, flying using magic is fine and all, but considering not all of us have an affinity for Sky Magic and some distances are just too far for us to cover, a helicopter or something of the sort would be nice.¡±


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s true,¡± Feng Mian said in agreement. ¡°But I mean¡­ where can we even get one? Do you know a ce that sells private helicopters?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no? But I¡¯m sure we can find a ce on the Inte or something¡­¡±


    ¡°Or, if we¡¯re lucky, we might even be able to find someone who builds them, fufu¡­¡± Ling Xin added with a wry smile. ¡°Certain demihuman species are second only to dwarves in terms of craftsmanship, you know¡­¡±

 Chapter 491: The Yamanashi Prefecture

    Chapter 491: The Yamanashi Prefecture


    After close to an hour of flying, the girls and I atst reached what seemed to a small town on the border of the Yamanashi Prefecture. After Lan Xiao Su checked our location using the GPS on her phone, that was confirmed.


    Wended at the entrance to the tiny vige, where two guards stood, stunned at the sudden visitors. After exchanging nces with the girls, it was decided that I would be the one talking, as expected. Clearing my throat, I walked up to the two guards, who wore expressions of utter shock.


    ¡°¡­ Sorry for the sudden entrance,¡± I began, averting my gaze. ¡°We are travelers from far away who havee here in search of a shrine. Do you have any idea where that might be?¡±


    ¡°A shrine¡­?¡± The guards nced at another. ¡°Wait, are you¡­ humans?¡±


    I gave a nod. ¡°Most of us are. Is there a problem?¡±


    I unleashed a little bit of my Chaos energy, just enough to let these two realize we aren¡¯t people they could mess with. They shuddered at the feeling, and hurriedly shook their heads.


    ¡°N-No, there is no problem. As for your shrine¡­ there are tons in the Yamanashi Prefecture, nearly a hundred. Which one are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The one on top of Mount Kita,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s closeby, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The guards nodded. ¡°You¡¯re in luck. See that peak up there?¡±


    He gestured towards an extremely tall mountain peak in the distance, and I gave a nod.


    ¡°That¡¯s Mount Kita,¡± they exined. ¡°The shrine you¡¯re looking for is called the Seirei Shrine. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± I arched an eyebrow.


    ¡°¡­ We¡¯ve been getting some weird reports about that areately,¡± they said after some hesitation. ¡°If you¡¯re nning on going there, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Weird reports, huh?¡± I rubbed my chin. ¡°Can you give us details? That would be more helpful than just telling us to be careful.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± One of the guards began, but the other silenced him with a re, and responded in his stead.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know any details. If you want more info, though, I¡¯d rmend heading past this town and continue northward, until you arrive at the base of Mount Kita. You¡¯ll find another small vige there called Inarishika. They should be able to help you there.¡±


    Judging from their reactions, it was quite clear they did in fact know some details, but just didn¡¯t want to tell us anything. While I could just threaten to nuke this entire town, that would make a scene, which is something I¡¯d like to avoid. After all, if that Midnight Syndicate Archpriest got word of using here, he would undoubtedly flee. Now that would be troublesome, so I decided to simply ept what the guards told us and gave a nod.


    ¡°Which way to that vige?¡± I asked, just for confirmation.


    ¡°You can go through our town right here,¡± the first guard said. ¡°It¡¯s not very big, and pretty hard to get lost in. Just continue forward until you reach the gates on the other end, and follow the path.¡±


    ¡°Yashiko¡­!¡± The other guard red at hispanion, and the dogman named Yashiko sighed.


    ¡°Listen¡­ I know how you feel about outsiders, but these guys don¡¯t seem evil. Judging from their power level, they can easily destroy this entire town right now if they wanted to, and yet they haven¡¯t. What¡¯s the harm in letting them pass through our vige?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fine. But just know I won¡¯t be held responsible for any damage they do,¡± the other guard growled and stepped aside.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Yashiko shook his head as if he was exhausted by this, and then opened the gates for us. ¡°Wee to Hirokita vige. Feel free to explore a bit if you like¡ªwe generally are pretty weing to outsiders, unlike my friend Izugami here.¡±


    He shot the tigerman Izugami a sideways nce, then turned back to us and smiled warmly, inviting us inside. The girls and I nodded at each other, then entered through the wide open gates.


    Inside, a beautiful vige awaited.


    It wasn¡¯t fancy by any means. It certainly wasn¡¯t technologically advanced or anything even remotely close to the sort. But it had a certain charm to it, one that held the power of nature.


    The season was autumn. As such, beautiful orange and yellow leaves fell from the trees that surrounded by the small but lively vige, dying the ground majestically.


    Quite unfortunately, the girls and I didn¡¯t have time to explore or wander around, even though the guard named Yashiko had told us we were free to do so. We had a mission toplete¡ªit was a shame, since the girls seemed to be having great fun interacting with the young demihuman kids, but there was nothing to be done. The onlyfort I could give was a proposal to have kids of our own soon, and that wasn¡¯t going to actually happen until all of this was over.


    Still, the town was a great ce. Although small, it had everything that was needed for self-sustainment¡ªa clinic, a cksmith, restaurants, a marketce, a town hall for governing affairs, and a barracks that also served as a police station to resolve any conflicts inside the town should they arise. Given the size of this ce, though, only a handful of security officers were really necessary to keep things in check. There was even an inn.


    In the end, since Qing Yue insisted on it, we bought some food from the food stalls on the streets while we passed by. I guess after flying for so long, the girls were all tired. This should help supplement some of their energy, and since we were going to be walking for a bit longer anyway, it wasn¡¯t really wasting any time.


    The vige was shaped in the form of a straight line, so getting from one gate to another was simple. Just like the guard Yashiko had said, it was difficult to get lost in a ce like this. The guards at the other gate didn¡¯t even question us when we left, and simply let us through without a word. I supposed that was because anyone who got let into the vige were deemed safe, so there was no reason to question anything.


    On the other side of the vige, an open pathy. It appeared to be heading slightly upwards in elevation, and was surrounded by trees on either end. That made sense, considering we hadnded in a forest earlier. It would seem both Hirokita Vige and the one we were about to head to were surrounded by wilderness, much like the nature-loving Elves across the ocean.


    ¡°Hey¡­ is it just me, or is it really¡­ rxing in here?¡± Feng Mian suddenly said, taking a deep breath in of the forest air. ¡°It might just be the beautiful nature all around us, but¡­ I feel like my mana¡¯s recovering faster than usual.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same here,¡± Yu An Yan said. ¡°After all that flying, my body feels really tired, but strangely, walking through here is actually pretty peaceful and rxing. I can feel my muscle ache going away.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ it may be due to the richness in mana of this forest,¡± Ling Xin murmured in thought. ¡°This definitely isn¡¯t any ordinary forest, and it seems the closer we get to the mountain, the more rich the mana is bing.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Qing Yue remarked.


    Lan Xiao Su sighed. ¡°If only we had the time to cultivate a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ perhaps, once we take care of the Archpriest, there will still be some time left for us,¡± Amane said. ¡°This may also be a good chance to be one step closer to awakening a Battle Soul, which will be a great benefit to us, considering that our foes will only be stronger going forward.¡±


    ¡°Battle Souls¡­?¡± Axilia tilted her head. ¡°What are those¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the Death Realm doesn¡¯t have those?¡± Feng Mian asked in surprise.


    Ling Xin shook her head. ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s more like¡­ in the other Realms, the Battle Soul is fused with the wielder, granting them the powerful abilities using True Essence.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so¡­ Battle Souls are really just manifestations of our souls that can actually use True Essence?¡± Yu An Yan asked, arching an eyebrow.


    ¡°Not True Essence strictly, but extremely concentrated mana, powerful enough to beparable to True Essence,¡± Ling Xin replied.


    ¡°But if normal mana doesn¡¯t work against antimagic¡­ it¡¯s hard to believe just because it is concentrated, it will be able to stand a chance,¡± Lin Luo said, pulling us all back to reality.


    Obsidia nodded in agreement. ¡°I doubt True Essence will work either, considering it essentially is just mana in it¡¯s base, purified, and most powerful form. The theory of the two is the same.¡±


    ¡°That may be true, but still, Battle Souls will be quite helpful,¡± Mei Gui said. ¡°Even if it does not work against antimagic, as we have already concluded, most of the Midnight Syndicate does not yet have ess to that power. It is only the Four Cardinals and the Pope himself we have to be careful of.¡±


    The girls and I all nodded in agreement, and together, we headed deeper into the forest, following the wide open paved path that should lead to Inarishika Vige.

 Chapter 492: Inarishika Village

    Chapter 492: Inarishika Vige


    Soon, the girls and I arrived at Inarishika Vige. The walk took quite a bit and had to have at least been a couple kilometers, but thanks to the forest¡¯s restorative qualities, we didn¡¯t feel tired at all. In fact, when we finally reached the wooden gates of the vige, we almost felt a bit sad at having our rxation time in nature cut short.


    Still, we had a mission toplete, a goal to fulfill. Until that wasplete, we couldn¡¯t afford to rest.


    As we approached the vige, however, we came across a strange sight. There were no guards at the gates, and what¡¯s more, the entire town was pretty much silent, especially whenpared to the liveliness and cheerfulness of the previous one, Hirokita Vige.


    ¡°¡­ Something¡¯s off,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Gee, thanks, genius.¡± Lin Luo rolled her eyes, then drew her godly de of lightning in preparation for any danger, but Mei Gui shot her a re.


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t draw your de. I can still detect signatures of life in here, and they aren¡¯t hostile.¡±


    <em>¡°Lorelei can feel them as well,¡±</em> the fox on my shoulder said into my mind. <em>¡°However¡­ they appear to be scared of something. Approaching with caution is advised, Master.¡±</em>


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, and slowly pushed open the unlocked wooden gates.


    *****


    The inside of the vige was, as expected,pletely different from Hirokita. Not only did it not have the liveliness, children running around on the streets, and smiling citizens, but the entire ce was a mess. Trashy littered on the streets, dust was thick in the air, and all color seemed to have been drained from the town.


    And¡­ the citizens. ording to Amane, the ¡®Inari¡¯ part in Inarishika meant something along the lines of ¡®fox¡¯. And as expected, all the citizens were foxhumans.


    They huddled each in their own homes, terrified expressions on their faces as they stared at us, the neers. When we met their gazes, they would hurriedly shut the door and windows to their homes, as if we were some kind of monsters. Compared to the rest of the forest, the aura of death was nigh here, and it most definitely did not give a good feeling.


    ¡°Xuan Kai, look,¡± Feng Mian suddenly said, pointing to what seemed to be a red pamphlet on the floor. She was crouched down and was staring at it intently, and the other girls and I moved closer to see what the fuss was about.


    When Qing Yue saw it, her eyes widened.


    ¡°This is¡­ something to celebrate Chinese New Year. It looks very old, though, so it must¡¯ve been dropped here quite a while ago. If I had to guess¡­ I would say sometime earlier this year.¡±


    ¡°In other words¡­ this town used to be just as lively as Hirokita Vige, what with the celebrations and whatnot¡­¡± Yu An Yan gasped. ¡°Just what happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometime earlier this year, hm¡­?¡± I murmured, narrowing my eyes. ¡°I have a few theories, but¡­ I¡¯ll need more information to conclude them, and just standing around here isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere. Let¡¯s ask the locals.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Lan Xiao Su sighed. ¡°They are like how I used to be, but amplified hundredfold. They are terrified of any strangers, not just us, by the looks of it. It will be hard for us to even meet them, much less get some useful info.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ in that case¡­¡± I grinned, then reached into my soul and called upon a certain boy.


    <em>¡°Hey, Yami. It¡¯s your time to shine.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°W-Wha? What do you mean?¡±</em> A young boy¡¯s voice replied, and I smirked.


    <em>¡°Listen. The residents of this vige are all foxhumans, much like yourself. Since you¡¯re a kid as well, they¡¯ll be more likely to open up to you. I need you to convince them to talk to us. Simple enough, right?¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Uh, no! First of all, don¡¯tpare mere foxhumans to Soulfoxes like me!¡±</em> He cried. <em>¡°And also¡­ I-I¡¯m not good at talking to strangers! Give me a fight or something! That would be a lot better¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°C¡¯mon, Yami. Don¡¯t be a wuss. You know what people call a person who can only fight but can¡¯t do anything else? A meathead.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°N-No! Not doing it!¡±</em>


    I sighed. <em>¡°This is why I hate dealing with kids¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°¡­ Do it,¡±</em> a third voice suddenly interjected, soft but stern. <em>¡°As your Queen, Imand you to follow master¡¯s orders.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°E-Eek¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°You heard her,¡±</em> I chuckled. <em>¡°Get on with it.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°A-Alright, alright, fine!¡±</em> Yami said atst. <em>¡°I just gotta convince them, right? I¡¯m on it!¡±</em>


    In a bright sh, he exited from my soul and turned into his human form, a short boy who was anything but cute. He folded his arms and red at me, then raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°So? What do I say?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± I fell into thought. ¡°How about something along the lines of¡­ uh¡­ er¡­ guys? Some help here?¡±


    The girls stared at me for a moment, then collectively let out sighs of exhaustion.


    ¡°Good grief¡­ you rely on us at the most unexpected times,¡± Feng Mian muttered, then shut one eye. ¡°Hm¡­ let¡¯s see. Since you look identical to a foxhuman in this form, how about telling them you were originally from this vige and left at a young age, and have now came back to home in search of your family or something?¡±


    ¡°That could work, but¡­ the family part doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Qing Yue said. ¡°If he came back here to look for his family, who took him away from the vige in the first ce? He couldn¡¯t possibly have left on his own at such a young age and survived out in the wilderness.¡±


    Feng Mian pursed her lips and frowned. ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case, how about something like this?¡± Yu An Yan cleared her throat and continued. ¡°Yami was a young boy taken away from the vige by his family at a very young age for reasons he doesn¡¯t know, but has since then lost his parents. As a result, he decided toe back to the ce he was born in to find a ce to stay, but instead found this.¡±


    ¡°And on the way¡­ he met us¡­ who found him lost,¡± Yu An Xue added. ¡°Therefore¡­ we decided¡­ to help him.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that could work!¡± Qing Yue eximed happily. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try!¡±


    We all nodded, and I nced at Yami.


    ¡°You catch all that?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, who do you think I am?¡± The boy snorted arrogantly, then turned around and began heading towards one of the houses¡ªthe closest one. The girls and I exchanged nces, then decided to hide for now while we wait to see what happens.


    After several series of knocks and a while of anxious waiting, the door finally opened, ever so slightly. The face of an old woman peeked out from behind it, and fear was written all over in her eyes as her body trembled, including the staff she gripped oh-so-tightly in her hand.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ who are you¡­?¡± She asked faintly, voice raspy and quiet.


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡± Yami nced back at where the girls and I were hiding for help, and I gritted my teeth.


    <em>Don¡¯t look at us, idiot!</em>


    As if he had received the message, he hurriedly turned back to the woman.


    ¡°A-Ahem¡­ I¡¯m, uh, someone who was born here. After being born, though, I was diagnosed with, um, terminal cancer, and so the vige didn¡¯t want me and cast me away. My parents followed me though, until they died recently in a car crash¡­ and now I¡¯vee back in search of a home¡­ and uh, my cancer¡¯s been cured, so like¡­¡±


    <em>Oh. My. God. He included so many details that were unnecessary! Great¡­ now our n is exposed. It¡¯s as clear as day he¡¯s lyin-</em>


    ¡°Oh¡­ oh¡­ oh, my sweet boy¡­¡±


    The old foxwoman began trembling even harder than before, but not of fear. She let go of the long wooden staff in her hand and let it fall to the floor before suddenly pulling Yami into a tight hug.


    ¡°Oh, you are finally back¡­ my dear grandson¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°W-Wha¡­! H-Hey! Argh-!¡± Yami struggled to break away, and the old woman hurriedly let go.


    ¡°A-Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The old woman wiped her tears and backed away, picking up her staff once more. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ after so long¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ you¡¯vee back¡­¡±


    Yami only stared at her, still shocked, and meanwhile, the girls and I had the exact same reaction. We stared, ck-jawed, at what had just happened, and were left in simple disbelief.


    ¡°No way¡­ that lie¡­ actually worked?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­¡±


    ¡°That is some insane luck¡­¡±


    Then, the old woman shot a nce our way, and we realized we were out in the open. Our hiding wasn¡¯t working at all, as we had all been so shocked by the oue of the situation that we forgot to duck back down.


    But then, the old woman made a beckoning gesture, as if calling us to go closer. The girls and I exchanged nces, and headed her way hesitantly.

 Chapter 493: Disturbing News

    Chapter 493: Disturbing News


    From originally unwee to now being invited into someone¡¯s house, a lot has happened since we first entered this vige literally five minutes ago. We certainly hadn¡¯t been expecting things to go this way, but we weren¡¯tining. At least, we could now talk with a resident here, and hopefully gain some information on the shrine and the ¡®news¡¯ those guards back at Hirokita Vige spoke of.


    ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± the old woman rasped, inviting us into her home and gesturing towards the tatami mats surrounding the short-legged table in the small living room of the house. The girls and I hesitated before sitting down, but ultimately decided to simply obey as this conversation was bound to be somewhat lengthy.


    ¡°First, allow me to show gratitude to you all for bringing my grandson home,¡± the woman said, bowing to the best of her abilities from a sitting position. ¡°It truly means a lot to me¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted to fight back against the decision to exile him, but the other elders overpowered me¡­¡±


    Yami, who was sitting beside her, gulped in nervousness, but I shot him a brief re, just enough tomunicate my message:


    *Just y along.


    He immediately straightened up, but didn¡¯t say a word. Good.


    ¡°The other elders?¡± Feng Mian asked. ¡°You mean¡­ you are one as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ the vige of Inarishika is governed by five elders. I am one of them¡­ and the only one left now.¡±


    ¡°The only one left¡­?¡± Amane narrowed her eyes, more assertive than usual due to this being demihuman-rted matters. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The old woman sighed, then looked at Yami.


    ¡°¡­ My dear boy, head upstairs. There are many toys there¡­ you can entertain yourself with them.¡±


    Yami looked like he was ready to yell something about how he wasn¡¯t some little kid who needed toys, but I once again shot him a re, and he didn¡¯t need to be told twice. After all, my order was Lorelei¡¯s order, and he could not disobey Lorelei one bit.


    Once he was gone, the old woman turned back to us and took a deep breath.


    ¡°¡­ A few months before you came here¡­ back in spring of this year¡­ a man raided our vige with his men. They demanded to know the secret of the holy mountain, Mount Kita. When we refused to tell them¡­ they resorted to violence. Of course, we resisted. But they had dozens of trained mages, whereas we only had a handful of skilled mages tobat them. As you can probably guess¡­ we lost. Horribly. The other elders were killed one by one¡­ and by the time I was the only one remaining¡­ I gave in and told them what they wanted to know so that they would spare the rest of the vige.¡±


    ¡°That must be them¡ªthe Midnight Syndicate,¡± Feng Mian said, as Amane gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly.


    ¡°Those damn bastards¡­!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Amane,¡± I said, and she looked at me in surprise.


    ¡°I¡­ you¡¯re right. Sorry¡­ I lost my temper there for a bit.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. This does concern the demihumans, after all.¡± Then, turning back to the old woman, my expression turned serious once more, and I continued. ¡°Now¡­ continue. What is this ¡®secret¡¯ you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± The old woman trailed off, as if hesitant. Lin Luo decided it was time to step in.


    ¡°I hope you realize we are doing you a favor,¡± she said coldly, one step away from drawing her weapon¡ªheadstrong as always. ¡°We came here in pursuit of that man you mentioned, and in order to defeat him, we need to know what powers he¡¯s gained bying here. They may have spared you for now, but why do you think that is? It¡¯s simple¡ªin case they run into an obstacle, they¡¯ll need you alive to figure out how to get past it. But once nothing more stands in their way¡­ what makes you think they¡¯ll leave you and your vige alone?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re right,¡± the old woman said after a while of consideration. ¡°I¡­ should not have doubted my grandson¡¯s benefactors. I will tell you everything¡­ so please, I beg you¡­ defeat that man.¡±


    The girls and I gave a firm nod, signaling that we agree, and the old woman closed her eyes as if reminiscing about the past.


    ¡°¡­ This vige¡¯s history dates all the way back to the formation of Mount Kita, several million years ago.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?!¡± The girls and I were all shocked at this fact, but the old woman continued nheless.


    ¡°Yes¡­ it is surprising, but it is true. In fact¡­ it could be said the ancestors of this vige were the people who created Mount Kita in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The girls and I cried out for the second time.


    ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± Feng Mian wondered aloud.


    ¡°Hm. With strong, enough, Earth Magic, yes,¡± Zhao Xiuying said calmly, as if none of this surprised her in the least and it was more simple curiosity.


    ¡°But even so¡­ wow,¡± Yu An Yan breathed. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    However¡­


    ¡°¡­ Not really,¡± the old woman said, contrary to our expectations. ¡°My ancestors did not use their own power to create the mountain. Instead¡­ they drew on the divine power thaty within.¡±


    ¡°The divine power¡­ wait, is that what that Archpriest is after?!¡± Qing Yue eximed.


    ¡°¡­ Yes. And if he gets his hands on it¡­ we are all doomed,¡± the old woman whispered.


    ¡°Doomed? It¡¯s that bad¡­?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°That power is a god¡¯s physical manifestation in this world. It is the power of Terrarim, Empyrean of Earth.¡±


    ¡°Empyrean of the Earth¡­?¡± Feng Mian arched an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The Four Empyreans¡­¡± Lan Xiao Su murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve read about them in books regarding mythology before. It is said that four gods pieced together this, each one born of an element. Ignis, Empyrean of Fire; Aquira, Empyrean of Water; Aerim, Empyrean of Air, and¡­ Terrarim, Empyrean of Earth.¡±


    ¡°Terrarim created thend. Aerim gave birth to the sky. Aquira created oceans to fill in the missing space, and Ignis gave life to all with his mes of creation,¡± Lin Luo added, to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡°Contrary to what is told in myths, what many people do not know is that the Four Empyreans are in fact all Elementals¡ªthe primal, oldest ones. At least, that is what is written in the libraries and catalogues of Celestia.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to be a bookworm,¡± Feng Mian murmured in surprise.


    I chuckled. ¡°No kidding. Lin Luo and the word ¡®smart¡¯ doesn¡¯t belong in the same sentenc-¡°


    ¡°Say that again. I dare you.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Lin Luo and the word sma-¡°


    ¡°My, my¡­ getting off-track, are we?¡± Ling Xin giggled. ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have much time, so¡­ if you will, please tell us more about this¡­ divine power.¡±


    ¡°Even we do not know what exactly it is,¡± the old woman said slowly. ¡°We were simply told to protect it by the Empyrean¡­ and so we did. But the power was able to create an entire mountain like it was nothing¡­ that should be evidence enough how powerful it is.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°But that aside¡­ I heard there have been some concerning news going on around here recently. Any idea what those might be referring to?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes. For whatever reason, the path up to the shrine, which used to be safe, is now littered with danger. These¡­ corrupted beasts and monsterse out of nowhere¡­ so be careful. Many brave young men from this vige have tried going up to the shrine in search of that man despite being told not to¡­ and none have returned. The vige has been reduced to to the state you see today because of those corrupted beings as well. We are all scared¡­ scared that one day, they will attack us on their own.¡±


    ¡°Corrupted beings, huh¡­¡± I furrowed my brows. ¡°I see. Thank you for the information.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ thank you, for bringing my grandson back. And please¡­ please, save this vige.¡±


    The girls and I all nodded firmly, and left the house with that.


    ¡°Lorelei, send a message to Yami. Tell him to just y the role as the old woman¡¯s grandson as best as he can, and not say anything unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Understood, master.¡±


    I felt kind of bad for Yami, being left behind like this, but there was no choice. We would still need that old woman in case we ran into any problems regarding this Empyrean¡¯s power, and I doubt she would feel inclined to help us if she found out we lied to her.


    ¡°So, Xuan Kai. What¡¯s the n?¡± Yu An Yan asked, folding her arms. ¡°The sun¡¯s about to set, but it¡¯s not like we can spend the night at this vige.¡±


    ¡°We go now,¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t like this situation one bit. Something tells me the longer we let this go on for, the higher the risk of something irreversible happening.¡±


    Feng Mian nodded. ¡°I agree. I can¡¯t help but feel there¡¯s something very important we¡¯re missing about all of this, but we¡¯ll only find out if we get closer.¡±


    That¡¯s right. I felt the same.


    I couldn¡¯t quite ce my finger on it, but¡­ the forest, the mountain, the Archpriest, the divine power¡­ somehow, I felt they were all connected.

 Chapter 494: Mountain Climbing

    Chapter 494: Mountain Climbing


    The way up to Mount Kita was more straight forward than we had imagined.


    A circr path winding up like a spiral surrounded the mountain, with flights of stairs that was clearly man-made. Apparently, the Seirei Shrine we were looking for was at the very top of this mountain, so the staircase might¡¯ve been built by the people there.


    Yes, we could fly, but to be perfectly honest, after all the flying we did earlier in the day, none of us were eager to do that again. Besides, I wanted to check out what these ¡®corrupted beasts and monsters¡¯ were anyway, so walking by foot was best.


    Unfortunately, however, we couldn¡¯t all go. The reason for that was because the mountain had some sort of barrier surrounding it, limiting the amount of people that could enter. We had no idea until only Mei Gui, Lorelei, Amane, and I passed, while the others were locked out. Apparently, it was time-gated, so the next time someone else could enter would be tomorrow.


    The old woman didn¡¯t tell us about this, which led to me believing this was set in ce by the Midnight Syndicate Archpriest we are looking for. The way this barrier functioned was awfully specific, which made me wonder why those detailed limitations were set in ce.


    In the end, only the four of us continued onwards while the rest of the girls returned to Hirokita Vige via teleportation, as that was probably the best ce to stay for the night.


    Of course, with only four of us¡ªand Lorelei being unable to actually fight¡ªthis meant our power level as a group had been reduced significantly. We would need to be careful from here on out, that was for sure.


    <em>¡°Master, Lorelei can detect several hostile signatures ahead,¡±</em> a gentle voice whispered in my mind. <em>¡°They appear to be the corrupt entities the old woman spoke of.¡±</em>


    ¡°Hm¡­ already?¡± I wondered aloud. ¡°Well then¡­ let¡¯s not keep them waiting, shall we?¡±


    Amane and Mei Gui both nodded, and together, we picked up our pace.


    *****


    <em>¡°They are here.¡±</em>


    Mei Gui, Amane, and I came to a stop as Lorelei rode on my shoulders, and we nced around.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see them¡­ where are they?¡± Amane asked.


    I looked up, just in time to spot a few slime-like monsters staring down at us with their non-existent eyes.


    ¡°¡­ Above.¡±


    ¡°GRAGHARGH!¡±


    With a roar, the four amorphous entities dropped down at us, mouths wailing like a distorted chorus and arms iling like morning stars. They had no eyes, no ears, no nose. Only gluttonous mouths, hungry for food.


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    I smirked and evaded easily, rolling sideways while Mei Gui did the same towards the opposite direction. Amane, on the other hand, took a more direct approach and jumped above one of them as they were falling down. With her catlike agility and reflexes, that was easy.


    Pulling out her katana, she easily stabbed it into the slime¡¯s flesh, but to her surprise, it took no damage, instead swallowing the de.


    ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± She quickly pulled her de back out before it was toote, then did a mid-air backflip andnded beside me.


    ¡°Their skin¡­ it¡¯s like a marshmallow,¡± she said. ¡°My sword felt like it was sinking into it instead of doing any actual damage.¡±


    ¡°So, des and bullets won¡¯t work, huh?¡± I grinned. ¡°In that case¡­ get a load of this.¡±


    Lifting my arm, I invoked their death.


    <em>Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª Pirs of me.</em>


    Instantly, four pirs of raw fire shot out of the ground beneath the four purple corrupted monsters, zing them into a fiery hell.


    ¡°GRAGHAGHGHAHGHA!¡± They roared in agony, but could do little other than that. Being heavy and big, their movements were slow and clunky. Dodging my attack was an impossibility for them.


    After about 15 seconds of this zing hell, they finally were reduced to nothing but ashes, and I canceled the spell¡¯s effect.


    ¡°Whew¡­ they¡¯re pretty tough, I¡¯ll give them that,¡± I muttered. ¡°Even under my Chaosfire, they managed to withstand for so long¡­ impressive.¡±


    ¡°Look, Master!¡± Mei Gui suddenly interjected, pointing at the piles of ashes on the ground. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ sinking into the ground.¡±


    At this, I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Oho¡­ how peculiar. Does this mean they were in fact from the earth to begin with¡­?¡±


    I shook my head, discarding the thought. That was a solid theory, but it would need more evidence before I could say anything for sure.


    Amane, Mei Gui, Lorelei, and I continued up the mountain through the spiral staircase, until atst, we arrived at what seemed to be a tform. The spiral staircase did not continue beyond this point, and instead, changed into a straight one, heading closer to the center of the mountain and upwards at the same time.


    By now, the sun had set and night had fallen, but the trees surrounding the staircase here were kind enough to haventerns hanging from them. Of course, this wasn¡¯t natural, and it would be safe to assume someone had installed them there on purpose.


    ¡°This appears to lead to the peak of the mountain, Master,¡± Mei Gui said. ¡°If my guess is not wrong, the shrine we are searching for should be up there.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I think so too. But¡­ isn¡¯t this kind of weird? I mean, I don¡¯t sense any lif-¡°


    ¡°Why hast thoueth here?¡± A voice suddenly whispered from behind us, and I immediately spun around in shock.


    ¡°What¡­ I didn¡¯t sense you¡­ how?¡±


    <em>¡°It is because she does not have a physical presence, Master,¡±</em> Lorelei said in my head.<em> ¡°She only has a spiritual form now.¡±</em>


    I blinked several times in surprise. ¡°Wait¡­ then does that mean¡­ she¡¯s a ghost?¡±


    ¡°I prefereth to be called ¡®spirit¡¯, but ¡®ghost¡¯ is not an incorrect term,¡± the girl replied with a blink. She had shoulder-length white hair and crystal blue eyes, like sapphires that could not be any purer. On her head were two foxears, signaling that she was a foxgirl.


    ¡°Why, uh¡­ hello,¡± I said, not meaning to have spoken aloud earlier. ¡°This is the Seirei Shrine, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And thou art intruding upon these sacrednds. Telleth me, visitor. Why hast thoueth at this time? Hast thou alsoeth here seeking power?¡±


    ¡°And what if I am?¡± I taunted, just to see how she would respond.


    ¡°Then you shall not receive.¡±


    <em>What¡¯s that supposed to mean?</em>


    ¡°Anyway¡­ I¡¯m not here seeking some power or whatever. I¡¯m here seeking the person who came here seeking that power. Did that make sense? Sorry, I don¡¯t think that made sense¡­¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the girl said calmly. ¡°In that case, you will find that person deeper inside. Grasp the truth, and the power shall be yours.¡±


    ¡°What? You just said I won¡¯t receive the pow-¡± I began, but it was toote. The girl had vanished into nothingness, like she had never been there in the first ce.


    ¡°¡­ Well then,¡± I folded my arms.


    ¡°¡­ Let us carry on, Master,¡± Mei Gui said, and I nodded.


    As we ascended the staircase, more corrupted beasts attacked us. It seemed to be endlessly tall, and for each ten flights of stairs, a few corrupted challenged us. It was almost as if they were guardians of the shrine,ing to test us to see if we were worthy of reaching the top. After all, each one got progressively harder than the next¡ªthough none were too much for us to handle.


    Soon, we arrived at the top of the shrine. There, one final corrupted awaited. It was a humanoid one, different from all the rest. With burning red eyes and deep purple skin, he looked like a monster that was capable of human speech.


    ¡°¡­ So, you are the invaders who are trying to get in our way.¡±


    ¡°So, you are from the Midnight Pussycate,¡± I chuckled, ncing at the ssic insignia on her purple skinned arm. ¡°Nice tattoo, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­! Insolent brats¡­ my master is almost finished obtaining the power. I will NOT allow you to interrupt now!¡±


    He roared in fury at my taunt, and charged up in strength. A rift of purple energy appeared around him, and two of those slime creatures from before suddenly appeared by his side.


    ¡°Oh¡­? So you can summon those guys¡­ huh, how interesting. Too bad I just¡­¡±


    <em>Level Three Fire Magic ¡ª Pirs of me.</em>


    ¡°¡­ One shot them.¡±


    As if on cue, two zing pirs of fire shot out of the ground beneath the two slimes, reducing them to nothing but ashes in the matter of a mere few seconds. Earlier, I hadn¡¯t put enough power into my spell, but now that I knew how much they could take, erasing them in the blink of an eye was as simple as breathing to me.


    ¡°W-Wha¡­¡± The man was clearly surprised by my power, but didn¡¯t falter. ¡°So you are a major threat¡­ I see¡­ then I will have to deal with you myself!¡±


    Suddenly, the creature¡¯s muscles grew bulkier as if expanding, and the girls and I narrowed our eyes in caution.


    ¡°RAGH¡­ ARGH¡­ RAGHHHH!¡±


    The humanoid monster roared in rage as its body grew bigger and bigger, until what we were looking at was no longer humanoid at all.


    This¡­ wasparable to a Giant.

 Chapter 495: Seirei Shrine

    Chapter 495: Seirei Shrine


    ¡°¡­ Goddamn,¡± I breathed as the creature before me continued expanding in size until it was the size of a literal skyscraper, towering over us like a giant.


    ¡°COME, PETTY HUMANS¡­ I¡¯LL SQUASH YOU LIKE ANTS.¡±


    I smirked. ¡°Just because you¡¯re big¡­ doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re invulnerable. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Mei Gui and I ascended into the air with Sky Magic while Amane leaped onto the giant¡¯s body and used its various parts as footholds for her to boost herself even higher. Of course, this creature wasn¡¯t an actual member of the Giant race, but its size wasparable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ if you¡¯re as tough as those slimes.¡± I grinned wickedly as I summoned my two Chaosborn katanas, raging with ck and red strands of energy, and dove towards the giant monster¡¯s face. From the other side, Mei Gui called upon her spear as well, and together, the two of us made a cross sh on the giant¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°GRAGH!¡± It roared in fury and pain as it stumbled backwards a few steps, giving Amane the opening she needed to sink her sharp orichalcum de into the creature¡¯s heart.


    ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡±


    Pulling back out, she discovered that her sword was stained with purple blood, thennded back down on the ground as the monster¡¯s body was frozen still.


    ¡°¡­ That should be enough to kill, right¡­?¡± I narrowed my eyes. But-


    ¡°HEH¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Mei Gui¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Its wounds¡­ they¡¯re healing¡­!¡±


    ¡°Foolish humans¡­ so long as I am touching the earth, you shall never kill me!¡± The giantughed like a devil. ¡°Such is the power bestowed upon me by my master, and such is the power that you shall soon die to!¡±


    But hearing this, none of us were surprised. Instead, we merely exchanged nces, and I gave a sigh.


    ¡°¡­ Hey, buddy. Pro tip? Don¡¯t reveal your weakness as soon as the fight begins.¡±


    ¡°What?! How is that a weakn-¡°


    ¡°Hnngh¡­!¡±


    In an instant, I disappeared and reappeared directly underneath the massive creature, then sank my empowered fist directly into the monster¡¯s crotch, shooting him upwards into the sky.


    ¡°Now, Mei Gui, Amane!¡±


    ¡°Understood, master!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    The two girls didn¡¯t waste any time as they soared towards the creature, now in the air, and sliced its body up like tofu. What was once whole had now been split into hundreds of tiny parts, with blood and gore spilling everywhere as the twonded back on the ground.


    The monster didn¡¯t even have time to scream before all its cut body parts fell back onto the floor, where I incinerated them with a zing inferno using Fire Magic.


    ¡°¡­ Well, that was easier than expected,¡± Amane mused, cleaning her de before sliding it back into its sheath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it would¡¯ve been a lot harder if the guy hadn¡¯t just outright told us his weakness,¡± I said with a chuckle, then nced down at my hand. ¡°Though¡­ I really wish I didn¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Amane tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°Well, uh¡­¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°N-Never mind. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    Since she didn¡¯t understand, there was no point exining it to her now. But basically, the reason I didn¡¯t want to do that was¡­ punching the guy in <em>that</em> spot felt very not-so-good. Feeling another dude¡¯s balls just isn¡¯t something to be proud of.


    Still, I was able to pull it off because of mybined strength as a half-vampire and half-angel. The golden ichor from Lin Luo plus the True Ancestor vampire blood given to me by Count Draculus would normally work against one another and sh in my body, but the Chaos inside me, which contained elements of all things, helped harmonize the two and actually make them work together to create an even stronger power. As such, I could probably single-handedly lift an apartment building as I am right now¡ªthough for how long was a different question.


    Regardless, now that the final gatekeeper was out of our way, we could safely progress forward. Given that monster¡¯s usage of words, it¡¯s clear these ¡®corrupted¡¯ entities, be it beast or creature, are in fact the work of the Midnight Syndicate as well. I had predicted as much ever since first hearing about them since they reminded me of those monsters who came to invade Shenzhen a long time back, but couldn¡¯t be sure until now.


    But if the two events are truly connected, then¡­ that would mean¡­


    I shook my head, not wanting to dwell on it.


    ¡°Look, Master,¡± Mei Gui suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I stared at where she was pointing, and discovered that there was an entrance to what seemed like a cave ahead of us.


    Given the architecture around it¡ªor what remained of it¡ªthere once truly used to be a shrine here, but has been destroyed since then¡ªpossibly by the Midnight Syndicate members who came here. The damage here appeared to be dated about as old as the damage in Inarishika Vige, after all.


    Now that the shrine¡¯s buildings and whatnot were all destroyed, however¡­ the cave opening that was hidden behind it was now revealed. There appeared to be torches inside lighting it up, and seemed to lead down into the heart of Mount Kita.


    ¡°¡­ There¡¯s no other way to go, so¡­¡± I turned to Amane and Mei Gui, who both nodded at me, and we began walking towards the cave. However, before going in, I called upon Lorelei.


    <em>¡°Sense anything?¡±</em>


    She shook her head in her fox form on my shoulders.


    <em>¡°No, Master. The passage leading down here appears to be very deep. It is not yet within Lorelei¡¯s range to detect anything. Once Lorelei bes stronger, though¡­¡±</em>


    <em>¡°I see, that¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll just have to head deeper. Let me know the instant you discover anything at all.¡±</em>


    <em>¡°Understood, Master.¡±</em>


    I decided not toment on how simr her ¡®understood, master¡¯ was to Mei Gui¡¯s, and instead merely step into the cave¡¯s entrance. As expected, there was a stairway leading straight downwards, descending into the very heart of the mountain. It was quite steep, and from where we were right now, showed no sign of a bottomyer.


    ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go. And keep your senses sharp,¡± I ordered, to which Mei Gui and Amane both gave nods.


    *****


    ¨C Meanwhile, Ex-Fragment, Midnight Syndicate Headquarters ¨C


    A dooming man sat before four knelt-down subordinates, each powerful in their own right. But this man was above all four of them by arge scale, and could take on them all at the same time with no problem. He was d in knight-like armor, painted pure ck with a red visor that gleamed like the color of blood. The ting on his outfit was less like metal and more like dragon scales, taken directly from the second-most-powerful dragon species of all¡ªthe Abyssal Dragon.


    On his forearms were two curved des that could extend and retract as he wished, and each was forged by the hardest metal in the world¡ªorichalcum. Not only that, but the edges of the des were in fact lined with miniscule spikes of their own, constantly rotating like a hyperspeed conveyor belt to provide more lethality. Anyone who met this de, no matter how tough they were, would be cut to pieces.


    No one knew this man¡¯s name. No one knew this man¡¯s face.


    All they knew was his one and only cryptic alias:


    X.


    ¡°¡­ Have you found the child yet?¡±


    Those were the words that came out of his mouth, dark and chilling to the bone. It took everything his four closest subordinates had not to shiver in fear, and respond as calmly as they could.


    ¡°¡­ Yes, Master X. I have picked up a faint tracing of that boy¡¯s tracks¡­¡± An old woman rasped, gripping the staff in her hand tightly. Her face was hidden behind amb mask, but judging from the voice alone, she was clearly old. ¡°¡­ He appears to be in Japan, Demihuman Territory.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Oh? Demihuman Territory?¡± X murmured, as if intrigued. ¡°What could he be doing there?¡±


    ¡°It would seem he is attempting to climb the mountain known as Mount Kita,¡± the old woman responded. ¡°And from this old mind¡¯s information gathering¡­ it would seem that is where an exile of the syndicate lies¡­¡±


    ¡°Ayo? An exile?¡± The wolfman subordinate arched an eyebrow. ¡°Which one?¡±


    The old woman shot him a sideways nce. ¡°His name is Steel. He was under yourmand, was he not, Silver?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Silver the wolfman scratched his cheek. ¡°Eh, sorry, doesn¡¯t ring a bell. I don¡¯t remember my subordinates¡¯ names. But if what you say is true¡­ heheh¡­ Master, I ask that you let me take care of this.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Can you handle it?¡± X asked, voice low yet with a taunting edge.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Silver replied giddily, cracking his knuckles. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since Ist had a good fight¡­ if Master X thinks so highly of that kid, then he¡¯s gotta be strong, right? Oh, but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt him too bad¡ªjust enough to force him toe along.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± X said atst, standing up from his dark throne. ¡°I leave this to you, Silver.¡±


    Silver, the wolfman, grinned like a predator searching for prey.


    ¡°Heheh¡­ the hunt¡¯s on.¡±

 Chapter 496: Empyreans Message

    Chapter 496: Empyrean¡¯s Message


    After nearly ten minutes of walking down the stairs, we still could not see the bottom. It was insane just how long this staircase was, and by this point, I was starting to have doubts about whether or not we had fallen into an infinite loop trap. But upon closer inspection. I noticed that the cracks on the walls were different, so this wasn¡¯t a loop at all and just a legitimately extremely long stairway.


    ¡°¡­ Is whatever power down there really worth walking all the way down this stairway?¡± I joked to lighten the mood, but really, all of us were too tired to even respond. But then, suddenly-


    <em>¡°¡­ Master, Lorelei senses something.¡±</em>


    <em>Hm¡­? Really?</em>


    <em>¡°Yes. You are getting closer. But the presence appears to be quite powerful, so be careful.¡±</em>


    <em>I see¡­</em>


    And if the Archpriest is truly who I think it is, then¡­


    Without any further ado, the girls and I picked up our pace. Now that we had a clear goal and realized that this wasn¡¯t just an infinite loop with no end, we were more motivated to push forward.


    Soon, we reached at the bottom of stairs. What we hadn¡¯t been expecting to find, however, was a door that blockaded our way. On it were seven circr blue lights, arranged in a way that resembled therge and ssic asterism known as the Big Dipper. All seven lights were dimmed, signaling that they were off.


    ¡°¡­ The hell is this?¡± I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Hm¡­ it would seem we need to light up all seven of these lights to pass,¡± Amane said. ¡°But¡­ how do we do that?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I noticed several buttons in the walls while we were descending,¡± Mei Gui interjected. ¡°Perhaps those have to do with the lights. However, since I did not know what they might do, I did not activate any. It would seem we need to go back¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, to hell with that,¡± I muttered, rolling my eyes. I¡¯ll be damned if I have to go all the way up this staircase and down again searching for those buttons. So, instead¡­


    ¡°Step back,¡± I said, and prepared my frontal assault.


    ¡°Er¡­ are you certain that will wor-¡± Amane began, but it was already toote.


    Level One Metal Magic ¡ª Arm of Steel.


    I reared my fist back as it was enclosed in an additionalyer of metal skin, then charged up my strength and mmed my fist into the door.


    BOOM!


    The rock was sted away in an instant, and I let out a breath as my metal skin faded away on my arm.


    ¡°¡­ I normally don¡¯t brute force things like that, but this is an exception,¡± I muttered, then stepped through the copsed debris. Amane and Mei Gui looked at each other, shrugged, then followed after me.


    Inside the rectangr room thaty beyond the destroyed door, there were three ways we could go not counting backwards. Left, right, and directly forward.


    Now, ording to Lorelei¡¯s soul reading, the presence we were searching for was directly ahead. But before going there, I wanted to check out the left and right first as well. And so, silently, the girls and I agreed to head for the left room, with me casting a Conceal Presence spell on all three of us. Of course, before I broke the door earlier, I had already erected a Sound Barrier to prevent anyone from hearing what happened, and now that we were in here, I didn¡¯t want to alert the person we were searching for just yet.


    The corridor to the left led to quite the interesting room. It waspletely empty apart from the walls, which were in fact made up of murals. Going clock-wise, the painting appeared to depict how the of Xenith was created. There was also some kind of writing on top, but I couldn¡¯t read it since it was in some ancientnguage.


    ¡°This is¡­ old Demihuman tongue,¡± Amane suddenly said, walking closer to the murals. ¡°I can¡¯t quite understand everything down to the letter, but¡­ I can generalize the basic meaning of it.¡±


    ¡°Oho¡­ so this is old Demihuman tongue,¡± I muttered. ¡°Well? What does it say?¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Amane walked up to the leftmost painting and began from there. It showed a circle in the center of it that waspletely empty, probably symbolizing the, and Amane began reciting the words.


    ¡°Empty was the, with nothing but open space.


    Four gods rested beneath the surface, awaiting the time to awaken.


    Timeless beings of nature¡¯s embrace,


    When they rise, the world shall be shaken.


    Ignis, devourer of fire, brought forth creations.


    Aquira, maiden of water, wept vast oceans.


    Aerim, messenger of winds, created the sky,


    And Terrarim, shield of the earth, made thend in reply.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ what a fascinating little poem,¡± I murmured, but Amane shook her head.


    ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s not finished yet. And I don¡¯t believe what is written here is registered in any books¡­¡±


    Furrowing her brows, she continued.


    ¡°All was fine. All was well.


    Life sparked like mes, and storms were quelled.


    But one Empyrean was forgotten, one was lost.


    One was not praised, one no longer has a tale to tell.


    Neglected, annoyed, the gods turned away.


    What was once their creation now no longer had a ce for them to stay.


    But before leaving, they each left one final gift.


    For the worthy, for the gentle, for the clever, and for the thrift.¡±


    ¡°A gift¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°So, each one of the four Empyreans left behind a gift for mankind, as their farewell present?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Amane replied. ¡°The way I interpret it, it would seem they each have their own standards for someone to ept their gift. I would assume whoever it is that finally ims their gift, would give new life to the Empyreans. If they are really gods, then that would mean they live off believers¡ªand what better way to ¡®believe¡¯ than to acknowledge and use their power?¡±


    ¡°Based on what is written in the poem, it would seem each Empyrean was forgotten in their own way. And because each has their own personality, the qualities they are searching for in the chosen one to receive their gift are also different,¡± Mei Gui stated calmly. ¡°Ignis searches for someone worthy, Aquira searches for someone gentle, Aerim searches for someone clever, and Terrarim searches for someone with thrift.¡±


    ¡°How did you know the order?¡± Amane asked.


    ¡°The order by which they are introduced,¡± I replied in Mei Gui¡¯s stead. ¡°Given that this is a poem, I think that makes sense. And since this ce is one for Terrarim¡­ that would mean the gift in here could only be used by someone with thrift.¡±


    Amane tilted her head. ¡°What does thrift mean, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Basically, it means to not be wasteful with what you have, be it money or resources,¡± I exined. ¡°Makes sense the Empyrean of Earth would look for someone like that, considering how much of nature, food, crops, and whatnot is wasted everyday¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense indeed¡­¡± Amane agreed, nodding her head. ¡°Is that what that ghost girl earlier meant too? I mean, if someone came here simply searching for that power, they would have had to waste many resources destroying the vige, the shrine, and such to find and enter this ce.¡±


    ¡°That could be it,¡± I replied. ¡°But then that leaves the question¡­ who is that ghost girl, anyway?¡±


    None of us had answers for that one, so we decided to just check out the other room for now. Inside, instead of murals, we found a map of the world¡ªor rather, what the world was like when this ce was constructed.


    ¡°Wait, this is¡­¡± Amane began, tracing her finger over the map.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°¡­ A treasure map?¡±


    ¡°It would seem that is the case,¡± Mei Gui replied, folding her arms. ¡°Given the colors of the four markers on the map¡­ it would be wise to assume this yellow one represents the Earth Empyrean Terrarim¡¯sir¡ªin other words, where we are right now. If we use that as a base, we can figure out the modern-day locations of the other threeirs even though the map here is outdated.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Lorelei, can you make a copy of this map once we get back?¡± I asked aloud, to which the fox on my shoulders nodded.


    <em>¡°Lorelei has already memorized the map to heart, Master.¡±</em>


    I nodded in satisfaction and prepared to leave, but Amane stopped me.


    ¡°Wait¡­ there¡¯s more writing here, also in Old Demihuman tongue,¡± she said, pointing at a tiny string of text above the map. It was a bit worn out so I didn¡¯t notice it before, but now that she was explicitly pointing it out, it was quite clear.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± I asked, and Amane furrowed her brows a bit.


    ¡°Hm¡­ <em>When the Four Emypreanse together once more, will be when the world is saved from ruination.¡±</em>

 Chapter 497: The Archpriest

    Chapter 497: The Archpriest


    With both the right side and left side rooms explored, there was only one ce left to go: the central room.


    Of course, that was where the presence Lorelei detected earlier was. It was almost certain that was the Archpriest of the Midnight Syndicate we were searching for, and also an old friend to me.


    Well¡­ maybe ¡®friend¡¯ wasn¡¯t exactly the right term. Enemy would be more fit.


    After making sure both Mei Gui and Amane were ready, we headed for the central room directly ahead of us. There was a door sealing it, and this one, unlike the one before, was unlocked¡ªas if the person inside was inviting us in.


    Mei Gui, Amane, and I exchanged nces, and I gently pushed open the door.


    Inside, a man knelt on a cushion pad, meditating or praying. His garments, however, were anything but what one would expect to be meditating or praying. He was d in silver knight¡¯s armor, from head to toe with not a single inch of his body exposed.


    But more importantly¡­ I recognized this man. That armor was unmistakable.


    ¡°¡­ Well, well¡­ long time no see, huh?¡± I chuckled, folding my arms.


    ¡°Oho¡­ you still remember me,¡± the silver knight said, arising from his cushion like he had expected us toe all along. ¡°Long time no see indeed. I was supposed to meet you again in the Fortress, but¡­ certain circumstances prevented me from doing so.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s cool,¡± I said, nodding as if I was intrigued. ¡°But really, I don¡¯t care. I came here to abduct you. Need an Archpriest to enter Fragment. That¡¯s your rank, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Technically, yes,¡± he replied. ¡°But in reality, no.¡±


    This made me raise an eyebrow.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Remember the certain circumstances I mentioned just now?¡± Heughed. ¡°After returning to the Fortress, I was berated by my superiors for failing in my invasion, and was essentially driven out of the organization. I was blocked off from all future operations by the Bishop, and had nothing left but the few men I still had under my wing.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And you repaid them by turning them into these corrupt monsters, huh?¡± I folded my arms. ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t realized by now.¡±


    ¡°And what of it?¡± The silver knight asked, stepping closer and shrugging as if none of that mattered. ¡°Sacrifices are needed in the path of revenge.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re after?¡± Amane asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Revenge? How utterly cliched.¡±


    I decided not to mention how my journey began as a search for revenge as well. But to contrary to our expectations, the knightughed.


    ¡°My end goal? No. Revenge is a mere stepping stone, the beginning. My ultimate goal¡­ is to collect all four Empyreans¡¯ treasures. Then, and only then, will I have the power to rule the world!¡±


    Faced with this arrogant and determined speech, all we had to say was¡­


    ¡°¡­ Even more cliched.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ you will never get it. Those people chose to follow me of their own free will, and their noble sacrifices paved the way for my experiments with the power I gained from the Empyrean of Earth. Atst, I have discovered the method to sessfully fuse a god¡¯s strength with a human body!¡±


    ¡°So those slime-like things were the introductory stage of experiments¡­ and that final gatekeeper we faced was the result of all this testing?¡± I shook my head in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯ve fallen. You¡¯ve fallen a long way.¡±


    At this, the knight stopped.


    ¡°¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°You know, back then, despite not knowing your name¡ªand I still don¡¯t¡ªI respected you after our fight,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not big on following codes of honor or any ¡®rules¡¯ in battle, but I respected you for doing your best to stick to your knight code even on the brink of death. I was looking forward to our rematch¡­ but to think it would be apletely different man¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut it¡­ I¡¯m done following rules,¡± the knight growled, a dangerous aura rising from his body. ¡°Look where following rules got me¡­ exiled, betrayed by the very organization I devoted my life to. Chivalry is long dead, Xuan Kai. But if it¡¯s a name you want¡­ you can call me Steel.¡±


    ¡°So you still remember mine too,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Well, what do you say we settle this the old way, one on one?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ you really are deaf, aren¡¯t you?¡± Steel cackled evilly. ¡°I just said¡­ I¡¯m DONE ying by the RULES!¡±


    With a hystericalugh, his body arched backwards as if trying to limbo underneath an invisible line, and suddenly, two slimes appeared beside him.


    ¡°Get ready¡­ Xuan Kai.¡±


    I smirked. ¡°How nice of you¡­ this means my allies can help out too now. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    *****


    The battle began with a ng.


    While Amane and Mei Gui each took on one of the slimes, I drew my katanas and sliced towards Steel, who used the same de he had been usingst time we fought to parry and strike back.


    Of course, since thest time we dueled, both of us have gotten many times stronger than we once were. I spent three years in the Void Realm cultivating, and Steel has now obtained the power of the Earth Empyrean, Terrarim. I don¡¯t know how he managed to do it given the requirements, but there was no time to worry about that now. My top priority was figuring out what exactly this power did, and that was why I was still holding back in strength for now.


    ¡°¡­ Heh, you¡¯ve grown stronger since west fought,¡± Steel said as we exchanged blows and strikes.


    I grinned. ¡°Could say the same to you. Too bad your personality changed.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ like I said¡­ someone like you would never understand!¡±


    He suddenly cut down with all his might, and rather than blocking, I dodged backwards swiftly. By now, Mei Gui and Amane had both finished off their opponents, and were now both facing Steel with me.


    ¡°Ho¡­ your friends aren¡¯t bad either,¡± he muttered. ¡°Summoning more imbeciles will only be a waste of time. It seems I will have to deal with the three of you myself¡­ heh, very well. You shall be the first ones to witness my true power¡­ so behold!¡±


    With an evilugh, Steel¡¯s body suddenly began morphing, mutating, much like the purple giant monster we fought earlier. However, unlike before, his body did not grow big. His armor didn¡¯t even shatter. The power did not physically alter his body¡¯s appearance in any way, and in fact, even his armor remained the same.


    There was just one difference, judging from appearance alone:


    The ominous purple gas that wasing from his knight helmet¡¯s visor, and surrounded his entire body.


    ¡°Heheheheh¡­ fight me now, Xuan Kai.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fine, if that¡¯s what you want,¡± I said with a smirk, then turned to Mei Gui and Amane. ¡°Stand down. I¡¯ll take care of this one myself.¡±


    ¡°What? But-¡± Amane began, but Mei Gui stopped her and merely said ¡®understood, master¡¯. She understood why I needed to do this, and she believed in my strength.


    After all, if all three of us fought this man at the same time, there would be no point to all of this. After carefully analyzing Steel¡¯s current mental state, I judged that I needed to beat him in a duel and show him how weak he was. Otherwise, if we took him on 3v1, he would never submit to helping us, and would instead choose to kill himself instead.


    I didn¡¯t want to risk losing our key into Fragment aftering all the way out here to get it, so this was the only way.


    Drawing my des, I prepared for the fight tomence. But then¡­


    ¡°¡­ Hey. I have a proposal, Xuan Kai,¡± Steel suddenly said, and I frowned.


    ¡°¡­ If this is you trying to distract me into letting my guard down, it¡¯s not working.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯m not that low¡­ yet. This is a genuine offer,¡± he reassured. ¡°I want you to work with me, together. You¡¯re trying to fight the Midnight Syndicate, are you not? So am I. I want revenge against those bastards¡­ and since we share amon goal, why not work together?¡±


    Hm¡­ he certainly has a point. Like the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but¡­


    <em>¡°Be careful, Master. Lorelei senses he has ulterior motives,¡±</em> a voice whispered to my in my head, and I smiled slightly.


    <em>As expected. But I can y into his trick¡­</em>


    ¡°¡­ Sure. But how do I know you won¡¯t betray me?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll just have to take my word for it,¡± Steel replied with a low chuckle. ¡°Trust is the basis of all partnerships, no?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± I replied, and held out my hand. ¡°Then, shall we seal the deal?¡±


    Steel gave a nod, augh, and walked closer to me. Then, he ced his hand in mine, and shook it firmly.


    And that is when¡­

 Chapter 498: Dance of Sharpened Steel

    Chapter 498: Dance of Sharpened Steel


    ncing at Silver¡¯s held-out hand cautiously, I slowly held out my own.


    Then¡­


    <em>¡­ Now!</em>


    As our fingertips touched, I suddenly summoned my Chaos katanas and shed towards him. However, it only hit metal.


    He had drawn his sword as well, and had attempted to do the same thing as I did.


    ¡°Looks like we had the same idea, huh?¡± I said with a smirk, but he only gave a snort and backed away a good few meters before pointing his de at me.


    ¡°Hmph. I didn¡¯t expect that to work anyway¡­ I only did that to test you, that¡¯s all. The offer still stands, you know. Join me, and we shall take down the Midnight Syndicate together.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ that offer would be more tempting if you didn¡¯t have a sword pointed at me,¡± I said, sighing and shaking my head. ¡°But s¡­ I¡¯m not someone who teams up with others easily. Sorry, but¡­ I don¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hah. You don¡¯t need me, huh¡­¡± Silver gritted his teeth tightly and clenched his fists. ¡°That¡¯s the same thing those damn bastards told me when I returned to the Fortress. But I¡¯ll show them¡­ exiling me was a mistake. Since you don¡¯t want me either¡­ heh. I¡¯ll just have to show you too¡­!¡±


    With a loud, demonic screech, Silverughed like a maniac and raised his sword high up into the air, as if calling down power from the heavens. A golden aura surrounded his body as the Empyrean of Earth, Terrarim, answered, and changed his armor¡¯s color from silver to a radiant gold. His sword changed along with it, turning into a glorious saber that looked like a legitimate god¡¯s weapon.


    ¡°Now¡­ face the wrath of an Empyrean¡¯s power, mortal!¡±


    As he dashed towards me with his newly charged de, I gave a sigh and facepalmed.


    ¡°You know the type of people I hate in this world?¡± I asked quietly, closing my eyes. ¡°¡­ The ones who try to y god.¡±


    Suddenly, my red eyes snapped back open, crimson Chaos energy surrounding my body. It was ck and red, like dark scarlet blood. My two Chaos katanas formed a cross in front of me, and I met his blow head-on.


    CLING!


    The sound of metal against metal rang out in the air again as our swords shed, but strangely, this was different from any other weapon my Chaos katanas have encountered in the past. The devouring effect of Chaos was not working on it.


    No¡­ it was more like¡­ the power radiating from this de was simply too powerful for me to devour it all? Eventually, I would be able to eat it, but¡­ there was simply so much power that the devouring effect of my Chaos des seemed to not exist at all here.


    ¡°Oh-ho¡­ I¡¯ve been curious about these des since just now, but they really are fine, eh?¡± Silver said with a grin, pushing harder. ¡°My sword should be able to cut through anything with the divinity bestowed upon it, and yet¡­¡±


    I suddenly shed at him with my second katana while keeping my defense up with my first one, causing him to leap back again.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that simply proof it¡¯s not so divine after all?¡± I taunted, smirking. ¡°For a god, you¡¯re not all that strong, if you can¡¯t even kill a ¡®mortal¡¯ like me.¡±


    ¡°Ha! It¡¯s only a matter of time,¡± Silver replied with a snarl. ¡°I haven¡¯t fully controlled this power yet¡­ there¡¯s some kind of resistance pushing back, interfering with the fusion process¡­ but soon enough, this power will fuse with my mana, and then, I¡¯ll be unstoppable.¡±


    <em>A resistance¡­? Could it be¡­</em>


    I fell into thought, remembering what that ghost-like girl told me on the way here, but-


    ¡°Pay attention, fool!¡±


    ¡°Wha-!¡± My eyes widened as Silver suddenly charged at me at an insane speed, something I had not been expecting. Just now, he had not been this fast¡­ the bastard had been purposely holding back earlier to catch me with this surprise attack.


    ¡°Ngh!¡± I groaned as a kick from his metal bootsnded in my stomach. I had managed to parry his sword strike, but couldn¡¯t defend against the kick in time. Flying backwards, Inded all the way back at the bottom of the tremendously long staircase that led down here, and Silver smirked beneath that knight-like mask of his.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Xuan Kai!¡±


    Amane and Mei Gui drew their weapons and prepared to fight, but I got up to my feet and put a stop to that.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Stand back. I got caught off-guard, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ we can take him down easily together¡­¡± Amane murmured. Still, I shook my head. If we did that, there was a chance this guy might suicide. I needed him alive, and to make sure that happened, I had to beat him fair and square in a one vs one.


    ¡°Alright¡­ you¡¯re getting it now,¡± I muttered, tightening my grip on my Chaos katanas as I walked closer to Silver.


    ¡°Heh¡­ that look in your eyes¡­ that¡¯s the spirit.¡± Silver chuckled darkly and also began walking towards me.


    This time, I was the one to go on the offensive first. Using Space Magic, I erased the distance between him and I, but his reaction speeds were fast enough to block. Unfortunately¡­ I had anticipated that from the very beginning.


    ¡°¡­ Heh.¡±


    <em>Blink.</em>


    Suddenly, I vanished and reappeared behind him, cing one knife by his neck and the other against his back. Now this, no matter how fast his reactions were, he could not react to in time.


    ¡°¡­ So much for a god,¡± I whispered by his ear. ¡°You lost.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ but did I?¡±


    My eyes widened as I felt his muscles tense¡ªhe was going for a counterattack. Hurriedly, I shed his neck and stabbed through his back, but to myplete surprise, he still spun around anyway and cleaved at me with his greatsword. Forced to back up, I dodged away, but was unable to pull my swords out of his body in time.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± He nced at my two Chaos katanas lodged into him, then gave a snort and pulled them out as if they were nothing, letting them topple to the floor. His wounds immediately began healing as if they weren¡¯t there at all, and the golden blood dripping out of his body stopped in an instant.


    Walking towards me menacingly with sword in hand, he gave a deepugh.


    ¡°For all the talking you¡¯ve done¡­ you¡¯re really not that strong. But then again¡­ you are a mortal, and I am a god. I can¡¯t really me you for losing, can I?¡±


    Amane and Mei Gui wanted to help, but I had ordered them to stay put. And so, they did, like the obedient girls they were.


    Slowly raising his sword at my neck-level, Silver delivered his final verdict.


    ¡°I gave you an offer, but you refused. And mortals who defy gods¡­ have no ce in this world.¡±


    Rearing his arm back, he prepared to stab me straight in my heart, but-


    ¡°Heh¡­ fool.¡±


    My body suddenly disappeared into the air as if it had been a mere shadow of me this entire time, and from behind Silver, he felt a two hands lift him into the air, choking the living air out of him.


    ¡°W-Wha¡­ i-impossible¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible? I¡¯ve heard that far too many times to count,¡± I gave a dark chuckle and continued choking, using all of my vampiric and angelic strength. Perhaps a true god could fight back against thisbination of power, further enhanced by Chaos, but this man was nothing more than a failure of one. The power wasn¡¯t evenpletely his yet, and hence he could not resist my overbearing physical strength.


    ¡°U-Ugh¡­ how¡­¡± he croaked, pulling at my hands with his arms. He had dropped his sword upon being lifted into the air, and was nowpletely within my control.


    ¡°How?¡± I smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s just say¡­ when ites to trickery, I¡¯m far more experienced than you. Remember those swords you threw at the ground? Look again.¡±


    I turned my body around so he could see what had been behind him, and his eyes widened even further.


    ¡°Wha¡­ only one¡­ sword¡­?¡±


    I smirked. ¡°Nice observation skills.¡±


    Indeed, there was only one sword there. Why? Because in the instant I had used Blink to teleport behind him, I had in fact created a shadow of myself, then shapeshifted into a Chaos katana using Shadow Magic while stowing away one of the real ones to make it seem realistic. The reason the girls didn¡¯t help there was also because they saw me do this, hence why they knew it was going to be fine.


    Shapeshifting had been one of the powerful Shadow Magic skills I learned from Ling Xin, who taught it to me one day during some free time. It cost quite a bit of mana to use, but that was of little problem to me.


    ¡°And now, for the final touch¡­ I need you alive, but¡­ just barely.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­! How could I have¡­ ngh¡­ ugh¡­ ah¡­¡±


    Sealing the deal, I used one of the few Forbidden Spells I could use.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª The Thief¡¯s Hand.</em>


    My Chaos energy began devouring the power of Terrarim within Silver rapidly, and his consciousness along with it. He had no strength to struggle as the process took ce, and after about half a minute, he finally fainted for good, and I dropped him to the floor.


    ¡°¡­ Whew,¡± I let out a deep breath. ¡°And that¡¯s that.¡±

 Chapter 499: Terrarim, Empyrean of Earth

    Chapter 499: Terrarim, Empyrean of Earth


    With Silver unconscious, I had Mei Gui and Amane tie him up with Chaos-forged handcuffs. Now, I don¡¯t know where Mei Gui got that from, but she said it was simr to her spear, born from the heart, so that was that. I decided not to question why she had handcuffs in her heart¡ªI didn¡¯t want to go there.


    In any case, I now have obtained a new power. I didn¡¯t know how good it was, but from what I did know, it was clear this power was the inheritance left behind by the Empyrean of Earth, Terrarim, and it possessed the power of constant healing and regeneration so long as my feet were on the ground. Whether ¡®ground¡¯ here meant nature only or simply floors of any sort such as an apartment floor was a mystery, but either way, this wasn¡¯t all too useful to me.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t denying this was a powerful ability, but¡­ considering I already have both vampire blood and angel blood within me, both of which provided insane healing and regeneration as well as damage resist and raw physical strength plus agility, I couldn¡¯t really say this helped me out a lot.


    You would think the inheritance of one of the four gods who made this world would provide a power much stronger than just this, but¡­ oh well. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing to have, per se. As they say, skills don¡¯t weigh you down.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± I asked aloud all of a sudden, turning to the girls, who were busy studying the map in that other room. The unconscious Silver, with his armorpletely stripped from him,y bond by unbreakable handcuffs that constantly drained his mana and energy as a result of the Chaos power¡¯s devouring effect.


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t bring my phone,¡± Amane admitted awkwardly, scratching her cheek. ¡°Sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t realize we would be needing it.¡±


    ¡°The time is 1:32 AM, master,¡± Mei Gui said without even looking at her phone. I blinked.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°I am constantly keeping track of time in my head.¡±


    ¡°You <em>what?</em>¡± Amane¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s just unfair! How do you fight so well while also constantly counting numbers in your head? Teach me¡­ uwu¡­¡±


    She pouted a bit, which was just like her. She had matured by a great margin, yes, and could now be about as cold as Lin Luo or Obsidia, but when alone with people she knew, she could still let a glimpse of her childish side show. I didn¡¯t mind at all, and neither did Mei Gui, it seemed.


    ¡°In any case¡­ 1:32, huh?¡± I folded my arms, then sighed and sat down on the ground in between the two. ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯ll be spending the night here.¡±


    There was some sort of barrier around this ce restricting Space Magic, just like that Ice Elf vige I had been to on the way back from the Death Realm, so we couldn¡¯t teleport away, unfortunately. Besides, even if we could, waking the vige with themotion would¡¯ve been troublesome. This ce wasn¡¯t half bad¡ªit was warm thanks to being deep inside the mountain, and was quitefortable as shelter. There was plenty of light from the torches on the walls, and if we ever needed to escape, I could always, y¡¯know, bust a hole in the mountain.


    ¡°Mei Gui, can I count on you to watch him?¡± I asked, nudging my chin towards the unconscious Silver in the opposite corner.


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Mei Gui said with a firm nod. ¡°Those handcuffs will prevent him from doing anything even if he does wake up, but I will alert you the moment he does. However, due to how much power you sucked out of him with the Forbidden Spell, it should be a long time until it he regains consciousness.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, I¡¯ll be sleeping, then,¡± I said, rxing my shoulders and letting out a deep breath. My eyelids grew heavy, and I slowly drifted off to sleep.


    That fight hadn¡¯t been taxing physically thanks to my vampire and angelic blood¡ªboth of which gave constant energy/stamina regeneration¡ªbut mentally, it sure was. That was one of the few fights I¡¯ve had in which I couldn¡¯t kill the enemy party and had to subdue them, which was something I wasn¡¯t used to. It was certainly more difficult than outright killing, that was for sure.


    *****


    ¨C Within Xuan Kai¡¯s dreams ¨C


    ¡°Atst¡­ a worthy host.¡±


    My eyes snapped back open at the voice, and I found myself in a gassy realm filled with air. The fog and clouds all around me were white, but the horizon was¡­ yellow.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ what¡¯s with all the visitors in my dreamstely?¡± I asked aloud, rolling my eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like to have a normal dream or no dream at all for once¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ I am sorry, kiddo,¡± the voice said, deep and echoing all around me. Whoever was responsible for mixing this, they need to really turn down the reverb. ¡°If you like, we can speak another time. However, I wish to talk as soon as possible.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Well, since I¡¯m already here, we might as well talk. But first¡­ where even is this ce? I know it¡¯s inside my mind, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°This ce¡­ has no name. Just think of it as the home to the Four Empyreans, three of which are still dormant in their sleep. Upon awakening me, you have subconsciously connected your soul to this ce, thus we are able to speak at this very moment.¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± I interrupted, holding my hand out in a ¡®stop¡¯ gesture. ¡°I¡­ awoke you? How?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, yes¡­ perhaps a self-introduction ought to be in ce,¡± the deep male voice said with augh, reminding me of a kind-hearted old man by the name of Song Qian Lo-


    ¡­ Never mind. Bad memories.


    ¡°My name is Terrarim, Empyrean of the Earth,¡± the voice said, booming yet calming at the same time. ¡°You meet the requirements I set in ce for my host, and therefore you have unlocked the full potential of the power I left behind in the human world. In turn, that roused me from my eons of sleep, leading to where we are now.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ actually, I kinda stole the power with¡­ never mind.¡±


    ¡°Chaos, yes?¡± Terrarim asked with a heartyugh. I tensed up.


    ¡°¡­ You know?¡±


    ¡°I do not mean to brag, but I am a god, kiddo. You cannot hide your thoughts from me. I have already explored the deepest parts of your soul, which I deeply apologize for, but it was not of my own volition. When you connected yourself with this ce, everything about you entered my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°So you know everything, huh?¡± I muttered. ¡°From Chaos to the Library of Infinite Beginnings, to my past¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ And much more,¡± Terrarim finished. ¡°But worry not, I have no intention of telling anything to anyone, nor do I have the power to do so.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I chuckled. ¡°You, a literal god, doesn¡¯t have the power to spill a secret of mine. Very believable.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I know how you feel,¡± Terrarim said withughter that warmed my heart. ¡°But while I may still be a god in name, my power is far from what I once had. Without anyone to remember us, without anyone praying for us, we gods be weak. Feeble. You, kiddo, are the only one who truly remembers us by inheriting this power. Our names may be written in certain books, but that is not truly knowing. Only seeing, believing, will help us grow strong once more.¡±


    ¡°Is that your goal? To grow ¡®strong¡¯ once more?¡± I arched an eyebrow. ¡°Because, uh, if your goal here is to make me into some kind of Pope, spreading your religion, then sorry, but no. I do have a Pope I need to take down, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, no,¡± Terrarim said, and I swear I could almost see him shaking his head even though there was nothing around me but white fog. ¡°I do not have any intention of returning to my former self, nor do any of the other Empyreans. I am happy as I am now, living within a host that is you. After all, technically speaking, you are one of our creations¡ªour child, in theory. This gave birth to you, and we gave birth to the.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you just want to watch over me? Gee, thanks, but I don¡¯t believe you. You want something from me. Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ a sharp young man indeed,¡± Terrarim murmured, as if pleased with himself. ¡°You truly do have the talent to inherit all of our powers¡­ but yes. That aside, you are correct¡ªI do humbly request something of you. However, allow me to make one thing clear¡ªyou are free to deny this offer, and I will not ask you again. You are also free to choose to ept this offer whenever you wish.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to make one thing clear as well, then,¡± I said, folding my arms. ¡°I ept any offer in which the reward outweighs the risk. So, if you have something to ask of me, I¡¯m expecting a good reward. You¡¯re a god, after all.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no worries there,¡± Terrarim said with a happyugh. ¡°I promise you, the rewards will be worth it¡­ for the request I have for you is¡­ to awaken my brother and sisters as well.¡±

 Chapter 500: The Wolfman

    Chapter 500: The Wolfman


    ¡°Hold on. You want me to <em>what</em>?¡±


    ¡°My brother and sisters¡ªthe three other Empyrean-¡°


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know who you¡¯re referring to,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Ignis, Aquira, and Aerim, right? But what I mean is¡­ how do you expect me to do that, and why? You gods trying to overthrow the world or something?¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothing of the sort,¡± Terrarim reassured. ¡°I just¡­ wish to see them again. They have been asleep for so long now that they might as well be dead. If they could, just like me, rest within your soul and observe the world we had created so long ago, then I am certain they will be very happy. Of course¡­ if you refuse, I cannot, and will not force you. But you mentioned risk and reward earlier, and allow me to just say¡­ the reward for this will be great. Awakening my brother and sisters will involve inheriting the powers they left behind in this world. Each is an extraordinarily strong ability, and when you collect all four¡­ you shall be bestowed a great gift from the four of us.¡±


    ¡°A great gift? What is it?¡±


    Terrarim gave augh, then said a word like it was nothing at all.


    ¡°¡­ Immortality.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    ¡°I most certainly am not, kiddo.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ nothing can kill me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, that is called invincibility,¡± Terrarim chuckled. ¡°By immortality, I mean your aging will stop, and you will be forever young, at the age you currently are in. Of course, this benefit will extend to your lovers around you as well, so long as they wish for it.¡±


    <em>Ah¡­ right. Invincibility would¡¯ve been a little bit too overpowered, though I would have liked that myself. My luck wasn¡¯t that great though. Still, immortality was a great boon. I mean, living forever? Who the hell hasn¡¯t dreamed of that before at one point in their lives?</em>


    ¡°¡­ That is certainly a tempting offer,¡± I said atst. ¡°But¡­ from what I¡¯ve gathered from your littleir, each of the Empyreans are looking for a certain trait for the person to obtain their respective powers they left behind in this world. You were looking for someone with thrift, Aquira was looking for someone who was kind, Ignis was looking for someone worthy, or courageous, and Aerim was looking for someone clever. I don¡¯t know about thest two, but I¡¯m certainly not kind.¡±


    ¡°Is that truly so?¡± Terrarim said with a crafty snicker. ¡°You have shown much kindness in your past, kiddo. Maybe not to everyone, but to those close to you, you are certainly kind, and protective too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I fell silent, deciding not to confirm nor deny that. Terrarim, however, was not finished, and merely gave a sigh.


    ¡°Regardless, all of that was only written as a formality. In reality, that poem was just something Aerim wrote when she was bored. We do not seek any particr personality traits in the person who inherits the power we left behind. Rather, when they ept the power, we will judge whether they are worthy. The person you fought just now¡­ he was not worthy, hence why I prevented the power from fully merging with his body.¡±


    ¡°And I am?¡± I arched an eyebrow. ¡°If we¡¯re talking good and evil, I¡¯m not the right person. I don¡¯t give a damn what happens to this world, so long as I and the people I care about our safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°That is alright. Both you and I know when ites down to it, you will protect this world. For you epted a deal, and are now bound to your duty.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ you know about the Library of Infinite Beginnings and all that¡­ man.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. So? What is your answer, my chi-¡°


    Suddenly, Terrarim¡¯s voice stopped, and I frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It would seem, you have a visitor in the real world. Return to your consciousness for now. We will speak again.¡±


    With that, the fog faded away, and the world around me faded to ck before I had time to ask questions.


    *****


    Suddenly, my eyes opened, and I returned to reality.


    ¡°¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes.


    <em>¡°Lorelei was just about to wake you, master,¡±</em> Lorelei said in my head. <em>¡°How did you¡­ never mind. There is an intruder, it seems. The presence is quite strong.¡±</em>


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I smirked and stood up from the ground. ¡°I wonder who it is¡­ for now, let¡¯s hide.¡±


    Mei Gui and Amane nodded, and we entered invisibility¡ªMei Gui and I via spells, and Amane via a magic artifact. I stuffed Silver¡¯s body into my Space Locket, and then, we waited.


    Very soon, a figure emerged from the entrance to the long staircase leading upwards, and we heard a sigh.


    ¡°God dammit¡­ the hell¡¯s up with that staircase?¡± The neer growled in frustration, then suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.


    ¡°Hm? Heh¡­ if you already know I¡¯m here, then there¡¯s no point in hidin¡¯. Come on out.¡±


    <em>He doesn¡¯t seem to be bluffing, so he knows we¡¯re here with just a sniff¡­ I see. A demihuman.</em>


    Of course, we weren¡¯t just going to listen to him, and remained invisible while we waited. I peeked around the corner, and saw that it was a wolfman.


    But not just any wolfman¡ªthis guy, was the same one who had been in Fragment that night. One of X¡¯s direct subordinates¡ªin other words, a Cardinal. But the question was¡­ what was he doing here? How did he find out about our location? And if he¡¯s here, then does that mean the vige¡­


    ¡°Come on already,¡± the wolfman rolled his eyes, resting his hands on his hips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you if possible, so just stop hiding.¡±


    After some debate, I decided to step outside my invisibility¡ªalone. Amane and Mei Gui stayed right where they were just as I had ordered, and I stepped up to the wolfman.


    ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ much. My boss wants to see you. You want to see him too, don¡¯t ya? It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Why does he want to see me?¡±


    The wolfman shrugged. ¡°Dunno. Couldn¡¯t ask, either. Boss is a scary dude. He¡¯ll kill me if I asked any unnecessary questions. The least I can say though is he won¡¯t hurt ya. After all, I¡¯ve been specifically ordered not to touch a hair on your head¡­ that is, if youe along nice and easily, anyway.¡±


    <em>So¡­ X wants to see me, in particr? But why¡­ well, no matter.</em>


    ¡°And, how, exactly, do I know this is not a trap?¡± I continued, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s some kind of proof you want, I don¡¯t got any,¡± the wolfman said tantly, opening his hands as if to show there was nothing in them. ¡°But if it¡¯s anyfort, there¡¯s the fact that I could beat you unconscious right now and drag you over to my boss, but haven¡¯t done so yet.¡±


    ¡°Awfully confident, huh?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Oh well¡­ fine, I¡¯ll humor you. But before that¡­¡±


    Suddenly, I raised one of my katanas to my own neck.


    ¡°W-Whoa, hey, what are ya doin¡¯?!¡± The wolfman cried in shock, hurriedly dashing closer to knock the weapon out of my hand, but I merely teleported back and narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Not another step. Your boss wants me alive, doesn¡¯t he? If you don¡¯t tell me what I want to hear¡­ I¡¯ll kill myself right here, right now.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ not bad, kid. But you¡¯re just bluffin¡¯. No way you got the guts to do that.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Then why¡¯d you panic so bad there?¡± I smiled wistfully. ¡°Do you really want to take that risk? Your boss is a ¡®scary¡¯ person, isn¡¯t he? If he finds out you got the person he wanted alive killed, what do you think he¡¯ll do to you?¡±


    ¡°G-Guh¡­¡± the wolfman gritted his teeth and froze on the spot, then lowered his tone.


    ¡°¡­ Fine. Whaddya want?¡±


    ¡°First of all, the vige at the base of this mountain with foxhumans inside. Did you touch them at all?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why would I do that? I got no desire to beat up weaklings, or kill for no reason.¡±


    <em>Hm¡­ the lie detector spell is saying he¡¯s not lying.</em>


    ¡°Did any of your subordinates touch them at all?¡± I continued, just in case.


    The wolfman scowled.


    ¡°¡­ Kid. Is that an insult? I work alone.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you supposed to be a wolf? Wolves travel in packs.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, no one¡¯s good enough to be in mine.¡±


    <em>This guy¡­ he¡¯s got one hell of an ego, that¡¯s for sure. But at the very least, it seems the vige is okay. That means the girls are too.</em>


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said atst, sighing and lowering my de. ¡°I¡¯ll go with yo-¡°


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    Suddenly, the wolfman whizzed past me into the room Mei Gui and Amane were in.


    My eyes widened.


    ¡°What are you-¡°


    I began, but it was toote.


    ¡°Whoa there, kid¡­ don¡¯t try anything now. If you move, I¡¯ll kill this¡­ thing.¡±


    In his hands held a tiny fox with beautiful pink fur¡ªLorelei.

 Chapter 501: Meeting X

    Chapter 501: Meeting X


    In the wolfman¡¯s hands was Lorelei. He hadn¡¯t gone for Mei Gui or Amane, both of which were skilled enough to handle themselves, but instead the defenseless Lorelei.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes. I had forgotten to store her in my soul earlier. A grave mistake indeed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry,¡± the wolfman said, waving off my anger as if it were nothing. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt this pet of yours. You see, I¡¯m fond of animals, being demihuman myself. I¡¯m only keeping her as hostage in case you try to kill yourself again to threaten me or something. As long as you fulfill your end of the deal ande with me quietly, I won¡¯t hurt you, your pet, the two other presences in here I¡¯m smelling, and any of those vigers.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I clenched my fists tightly, but then, I heard a voice in my head.


    <em>¡°Lorelei senses it, master. You do not have to worry about this man going back on his word. Although against us, his soul is kind, deep down, but has sadly been distorted through some kind of tragic incident. Lorelei will be fine. Master need not be concerned. Besides¡­ if Lorelei goes with you, she can provide good information.¡±</em>


    <em>I see¡­ in that case¡­</em>


    ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± I said atst, sighing. ¡°Let¡¯s go now, then.¡±


    The wolfman smirked. ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear.¡±


    *****


    After descending from the mountain, the wolfman, Lorelei, and I took a helicopter to head to the Fortress. I offered to simply teleport, but the wolfman refused as if disgusted with the idea of using magic for whatever reason.


    On the way, I sent a telepathic message to Mei Gui telling her to inform the other girls of what happened, and to go to Amane¡¯s ce in the Fortress to wait for my return. Since I was able toe back from even the Death Realm, this was nothing.


    The wolfman had really came here alone by driving this helicopter, and Lorelei was strapped to the front seat beside him while I was in the back. He promised that once we got to where we were supposed to go, I could have Lorelei back¡ªsince by then, his mission would beplete, and X would take over from there. Lorelei was right¡ªthis guy wasn¡¯t truly evil¡­


    ¡­ But then again, was the entire Midnight Syndicate truly evil?


    After hearing that Deacon¡¯s story inside the Fortress, I couldn¡¯t be sure. What is the Syndicate¡¯s goal anyway? What is the person named X trying to achieve by establishing such a big organization in the underground, and now with this antimagic¡­?


    I didn¡¯t know. But perhaps, after meeting X, I would find out.


    I had an idea of what he wanted from me. After all, from the very beginning, it was the Midnight Syndicate who wanted my power. They even conspired with the rest of the Xuan family to murder my father and mother all to catch me, back before I even knew what my power was.


    It was clear¡ªwhoever this X person was, wanted my Chaos power. That¡¯s why they needed me alive. But that didn¡¯t exin why this wolfman was ordered not to hurt me at all¡­


    I shook my head. This was all too much consideration before the meeting even happened. Without a doubt, once I actually met X, many things would be clear, and many questions would be answered.


    *****


    About an hour or soter, we arrived. I was sure the wolfman was steering the helicopter overspeed, but as it was about 3 in the morning and me we were talking about, I couldn¡¯t care less. It made sense the wolfman wanted this mission done and over with as soon as possible, with so much resting on his shoulders.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± he said, opening the helicopter doors for me. ¡°Come on out.¡±


    I hesitantly got out of the helicopter and looked around. We were in some kind of abandoned subway station that appeared to be in the Fortress. The sky was characteristically a mixture of neon blue and purple, which confirmed my assumption.


    ¡°In here,¡± the wolfman said, leading me down below. I followed and held my breath, ready for anything.


    Down below, there was actually still electricity. Given how old the ce looked, I had expected it to be abandoned and long cut from any power, but the lights were still on¡ªdim, but still on.


    ¡°I brought him here just as you requested, Boss,¡± the wolfman said respectfully, bowing down. ¡°Didn¡¯t touch a hair on his head.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Very well. You may leave,¡± a deep, dark male voice came from the man sitting in the chair ahead of us. Even though the back of the chair was to us and we couldn¡¯t see his face, his identity was clear:


    This man was X, founder and leader of the Midnight Syndicate.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the wolfman said, then turned around and left after patting me on the shoulder and handing me Lorelei in her fox form. He kept up his promise after all.


    Once he left and the subway station¡¯s doors closed, setting the ce into a calm silence, the man named X spoke.


    ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    His voice, although deep and synthetic (possibly due to his helmet) was not hostile at all. Instead, it was gentle¡ªalmost¡­ familial.


    Hesitantly, I did as told, walking past him and taking the open seat on the other end. Then, I let Lorelei safely enter my soul once more, and observed the man across from me.


    He looked ominous, to say the least.


    A pitch-ck mask with demon-like curved red visors marked his mask, and the rest of his body waspletely covered in ck armor. Spikes lined his shoulderguards, and thorns wrapped around his wrists. He extruded an aura of death and danger, making it difficult for people to even look at him without enough guts, much less approach him or speak with him.


    ¡°¡­ So, what do you want from me?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes at those visors of his, as if trying to search for the face thaty behind them.


    But rather than giving me a cold answer like I expected, the man <emughed.</em>


    Yes, this man, who probably never even so much as chuckled in the past ten years,ughed.


    ¡°Straight-forward as ever, I see,¡± the man said. ¡°Always cautious, always on-guard¡­ good.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°¡­ What?¡±


    Why did he sound like he¡¯s met me in the past? And why did his voice sound so strangely familiar, the more I hear it¡­?


    Even beyond that synthetic voice changing mask¡­ I could sense it. This man and I were no strangers. But at the same time, I was certain I had never met the leader of the Midnight Syndicate before¡ªif I had, I certainly would¡¯ve remembered for life.


    So why the hell did this man seem so familiar?


    Or rather¡­ <em>familial?</em>


    The two words were able to be used interchangeably here, though I didn¡¯t know why. I was curious, I wanted to know more, but at the same time, some inner voice deep within my own heart was telling meing here was a mistake, and I didn¡¯t want to hear the remaining content of this conversation.


    Still, the majority of me wanted to hear. And so, I continued pressing the matter.


    ¡°¡­ Be forward with me,¡± I said. ¡°What do you want? My power? Is that it? The same power your organization killed my parents over just to hunt me dow-¡°


    ¡°Your parents are not dead, Xuan Kai.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­¡±


    I felt as if a bomb had been just dropped on my head, and my mind had just exploded like a volcano.


    What the <em>hell</em> did this man just say? Not to mention the way he says my name so affectionately¡­


    I clenched my fists. I already had a good idea of who this man was. I just¡­ didn¡¯t want to believe it. It was impossible. Or at least¡­ it should¡¯ve been impossible. And yet¡­ I asked anyway, just to be sure.


    ¡°¡­ How can you say that for certain?¡±


    My voice was quiet, almost inaudible. I could feel the emotions surging through my heart. And the man¡¯s next words¡­ took me apart.


    ¡°Because¡­ of this, Xuan Kai.¡±


    Saying this, he took his mask of, allowing me to see the face that was underneath.


    Yes, that unmistakable, unforgettable face. ck hair, red eyes, just like myself. Wrinkles lined the edges of his face that marked his age, and some of his hair strands were grey rather than ck. His high cheekbones, slightly sad smile¡ªall of that, was exactly how I remembered them to be.


    The simrities between myself and this man was not a coincidence. It simply could not be. I did not want to believe it, but sometimes, you had to ept the truth, however hard it may be.


    Yes¡­ this man, X, the leader of the Midnight Syndicate that I had been working so hard to enact revenge on, was none other than my very own father.

 Chapter 502: The Dark Past

    Chapter 502: The Dark Past


    ¡°Father¡­¡± I breathed, unable to be sure of what to make of this situation. I felt air escape my lungs, and I nearly fell out of my chair. ¡°No¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing before my eyes. This had to be a joke. Some kind of sick trick, some kind of illusion, to coerce me into believing him. No way what I was seeing before my eyes was real. There was just¡­ no way.


    And yet¡­ deep down, I knew. This was no illusion. No mere illusion could capture that pained look on my father¡¯s face as he stared at me with an expression filled with both guilt and regret. No mere illusion could ever rece my father, and I would always be able to tell the difference between the real one and a fake.


    And this man¡­ was certainly real.


    ¡°Why, Father¡­?¡± I asked, voice quiet and strained. ¡°I thought you died¡­ how are you alive¡­ and the leader of the same organization who killed you, no less?¡±


    The man by the alias of X¡ªmy father, Xuan Ying¡ªgave a sigh.


    ¡°I¡­ did not want us to meet again like this. I realize you must be very confused¡ªand for that, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your apologies. I just want to know¡­ what happened.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± My father closed his eyes, then continued. ¡°Well, in that case¡­ we need to start from the very beginning, from the man who created the universe.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°It has to do with everything, Kai Kai,¡± my father said with a sad smile, addressing me by the nickname he and my mother chose for me. ¡°You see¡­ that man, the very person who harnessed the primordial chaos and made the world¡­ was in fact our ancestor.¡±


    At this my eyes widened. ¡°What¡­? You mean¡­ that¡¯s why I have the power of Chaos?¡±


    My father gave a nod. ¡°Yes. And¡­ I do as well.¡±


    Saying this, he evoked a ck and red me in his hand, simr to my own. However, his was¡­ diluted, almost. The concentration of Chaos energy was there, but nowhere as strong as mine.


    ¡°I am sure you have already noticed, but my powers are not nearly as strong as yours,¡± my father continued, putting out the fire. ¡°You see, I was not chosen by the entity within that stone pendant¡ªin other words, the physical form of the primordial Chaos, and thus only received a fraction of its power. I was never able to awaken its true form, but you¡­ you managed to do it.¡±


    ¡°Mei Gui¡­ is the Chaos itself¡­?¡±


    ¡°Mei Gui?¡± My father arched an eyebrow, then realized the answer. ¡°Ah¡­ so you gave it a name. I see¡­ but don¡¯t be fooled.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what shape or form that stone pendant became, but regardless¡­ it is dangerous. No matter how innocent it may seem, the power of Chaos, the power you hold, is extraordinarily dangerous¡ªboth to you, and the people around you.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Exin.¡±


    ¡°I trust you already know about the devouring effects of Chaos, correct?¡± My father asked, and I gave a nod. ¡°Then you should also know¡­ that eventually, the Chaos will devour its own wielder as well¡ªin other words, you.¡±


    ¡°¡­! What¡­¡±


    My father sighed. ¡°You see¡­ the whole reason I created the Midnight Syndicate¡­ was to get rid of this thing called Chaos. I knew that, one day, you would awaken this power, and be consumed by it. Years ago, when I found out about our family¡¯s past and this power¡­ it was around the time your mother and I had you. I made up a vow to erase magic for good from this world, thereby eliminating any danger that maye to you.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s your goal in creating antimagic¡­ but it doesn¡¯t work on Chaos, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But with more experimentation, I can-¡°


    ¡°Cut the bullshit,¡± I interrupted, mming the table. ¡°You¡¯re trying to tell me that in order to ¡®save¡¯ me from this power, you suppressed my magic for 14 years, and even went as far as to fake your own death? And mother¡¯s too¡­ do you have any idea how I felt when I saw her die before my eyes?! And now you¡¯re saying it was all fake¡­?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± my father said, grief on his face. ¡°Your mother and I¡­ we orchestrated that to make you despair. You see¡­ the power of Chaos can only be awakened when you have a burning emotion or passion. We thought that, by making you believe we were dead, you would give up hope and never be able to break free from the shackles that I set in ce to bound your power. But who would¡¯ve thought¡­ you turned that despair into a thirst for revenge instead¡­ I am proud, but saddened at the same time.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Where is my mother?¡± I asked after a short silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am certain she is not dead, but her current whereabouts are unknown to me as well,¡± my father replied in a quiet voice. ¡°After we orchestrated our deaths, she has never contacted me.¡±


    ¡°She was the one who gave me the stone pendant. Does that mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ruo Lan¡­ she was always against the idea of removing magic from the world. She believed you could handle the power of Chaos and the dangers that came with it. I think¡­ part of the reason why she simply left after that night was because she did not want to admit that to me.¡±


    ¡°And right she is,¡± I muttered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have more faith in me, your own son? I¡¯ve been doing just fine with handling the power of Chaos.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡­¡± My father shook his head and rubbed his forehead. ¡°The ¡®danger¡¯ Chaos brings¡­ it¡¯s not just within the self. Even if you are able to handle the power¡ªwhich I believe you do¡ªthere are still many grave dangers holding Chaos brings. Dangers out of this world, dangerous stronger than what you can even imagine. The we live on is not the only world in the vast universe, Kai Kai. There are many otherwordly beings out there, all of which seek the power known as the primordial Chaos¡ªthe origin of all things.¡±


    ¡°¡­ And you don¡¯t think I can take them on, huh?¡±


    ¡°This is not the time to be headstrong, my son. Listen to me¡ªjust trust in your father, and let him take care of things. I will rid this world of magic, and you of the dangerous power known as Chaos. Once that happens¡­ you, Ruo Lan, Li¡¯er, and I¡­ can live in harmony once more.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, who?¡± I raised an eyebrow in confusion. ¡°Li¡¯er¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I have yet to introduce you to her, but¡­ she is my daughter¡ªnot with Ruo Lan, but with my previous wife who passed away during Xuan Li¡¯s birth. Technically speaking, she is your older sister. She has never met you in-person, but I have told her many stories. Believe me when I say she cares about you¡ªa lot. Even more so than she cares for me or your mother.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hmph. But she¡¯s on your side, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°If you mean regarding the erasing of magic in the world¡­ then yes. She is also in the Midnight Syndicate, though she is a secret member no one else knows about.¡±


    ¡°Then she is my enemy,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s that simple.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± My father fell into silence for a long time, then finally sighed.


    ¡°¡­ So, you still intend on opposing me, even after everything I¡¯ve said?¡±


    ¡°Listen, dad,¡± I said, standing up from the chair. ¡°I can take care of myself. I am my own man now, and have my own loved ones to think about. Mei Gui¡ªthe embodiment of the Primordial Chaos¡ªis one of those people close to me. If you erase magic from the world, Chaos will naturally disappear from here as well. And I¡­ will not lose Mei Gui.¡±


    ¡°I see. Such determination¡­ that must¡¯ve came from Ruo Lan. You remind me a lot of her.¡±


    ¡°Determination?¡± I frowned. ¡°Hm¡­ I suppose you could call it that. But what I think¡­ is that I¡¯m stubborn, and so are you. You have no right to be doing this while iming it¡¯s for my sake, especially when I never even asked for it, and yet¡­ here you are, still doing this. Let me guess¡ªyou have no intention of giving up, even after I¡¯ve made my choice clear to you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes. That¡¯s right. Even if you do not want me to¡­ I will protect you, because you are my son. I don¡¯t care what you think of me¡­ hate me if you will, even. But I will not allow any harm toe to you, just as you will not allow any harm toe to that girl.¡±


    I smirked. ¡°Guess we know where I inherited my stubbornness from.¡±


    My father chuckled a bit. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose we do.¡±

 Chapter 503: The Deal with X

    Chapter 503: The Deal with X


    ¡°Well, either way¡­¡± I walked past X¡ªmy father¡ªand headed for the exit. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve made my decision, and you¡¯ve made yours. Looks like we¡¯ll be enemies from now on, huh?¡±


    ¡°Kai Kai¡­ is there really no other way?¡± My father asked all of a sudden, right before I left.


    I stopped momentarily, then clenched my fists.


    ¡°¡­ No. I refuse to back down.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± X stood up from his chair as well, back still turned to me. ¡°Well then¡­ let us make a deal.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°A deal?¡±


    ¡°If you can make it to me and defeat me before I manage to advance antimagic enough to counter Chaos¡­ then I will ept that you are strong enough to stand up against even those otherworldly beings I spoke about. However¡­ if you aren¡¯t able to do that¡­ I will wipe out magic and destroy the primordial Chaos in this world. Does that sound fair?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ a trial, huh?¡± I muttered. ¡°Fine. And not only that, there¡¯s no reason to tell your subordinates to hold back against me as to not take my life. I want them to try and kill me with all their strength. Only then will I grow stronger and improve, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Heh. You¡¯ve really matured, Kai Kai,¡± my father said with a wry smile. ¡°Very well. If that is your choice, then as a fellow man, I will respect that decision. But that being said¡­ I cannot do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Because if you happened to die and your mother found out, I would be killed, revived, killed again, revived again, infinitely until she was satisfied. She is a master of Necromancy Magic, after all. I am not trying to say you will die against my subordinates, but allow me to warn you¡ªthe Four Cardinals are very strong, and there is a high chance you really will die in front of their respective powers. I am not taking that risk.¡±


    But I only smiled. ¡°Rx. I have two lives. Even if I die once, I¡¯lle back stronger than before. You know the saying, ¡®what doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger¡¯? Well¡­ when ites to me, what <em>does</em> kill me will make me even <em>more</em> stronger.¡±


    ¡°¡­ How in the world did you get- never mind. I will not pry. If that is the case, then fine. I will tell them not to hold anything back when fighting you. However, I will tell them not to target your friends. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°I was just going to ask that, actually,¡± I said. ¡°I will be facing off with the Four Cardinals with Mei Gui, the same power you said would hurt me eventually. The others have nothing to do with this, so leave them out of the picture.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I have no intention of doing any unnecessary harming or killing, Kai Kai. I am aware some of the lower subordinates in the organization havemitted quite¡­ despicable sins, but there is nothing I can about that. I cannot control everyone, after all.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Those guys can be taken care of by my allies¡ªso long as they don¡¯t acquire antimagic, that is.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I have no intention of giving those punks antimagic. The power to nullify other peoples¡¯ magic will be too tempting for them to handle. They will begin rebelling. The Four Cardinals are all people who have a hatred for magic one way or another, and because they are all under my direct control, I can make sure they do not try anything.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I¡­ kill them, right?¡±


    ¡°Naturally not. They will be trying to kill you, so there is no wrong in doing the same to them out of self-defense. Those four¡­ none are the type to give up until they¡¯ve died, anyway. However, I will say this: if you can save them without killing them¡­ I will be grateful to you.¡±


    ¡°Save them¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course, this is not part of the deal. It¡¯s just¡­ the four of them have helped me a lot on my journey to develop antimagic. They all have certain pasts that has led to their burning hatred for magic, but you will have to find out the specifics yourself. That is part of the challenge. Of course, you can choose not to do that altogether, but¡­ I will let you ultimately decide your course of action.¡±


    I nodded, and prepared to head out.


    ¡°¡­ Until we meet again, father.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Until we meet again.¡±


    That was all we said. With the deal made, I headed out of the subway station, still trying to wrap my head around things.


    I certainly had not been expecting this¡­ but at the very least, I now knew my father and mother were both alive. And now, I have a random older sister out of nowhere¡­ but that¡¯s besides the point.


    Either way, could this really be called good news? I mean, yes, my father is alive and well, but he¡¯s now my enemy. Was the decision I made really the correct one¡­?


    Well, at least I know my mother supports me. The only question was where she was¡­ but I had a feeling we would meet again as well soon.


    <em>Thank you, mother, for believing in me.</em>


    If it wasn¡¯t for her, I would never have received that stone pendant, and I never would¡¯ve been able to use it to break the shackles set in ce on me by my father. I never would¡¯ve met Mei Gui, who was so valuable to me now that I simply could not let her go, even if it meant I had to fight my own father.


    <em>Sorry, dad. Magic¡­ it¡¯s be a part of me. And I¡¯m sure if it was erased from this world, not only myself, but the girls whom I love will also undoubtedly be saddened. I¡¯m no longer alone¡ªI have other people¡¯s feelings to think about. They taught me that.</em>


    <em>And Mei Gui¡­ there¡¯s no chance I am letting her be erased from this world. Never. I mean, I went through the trouble of naming her and everything. I¡¯m not letting her go now.</em>


    *****


    After stepping outside the abandoned subway, I found myself alone. Well, technically, not alone, since Lorelei was still here inside my soul, but the wolfman from before was gone. He was an enemy I would have to fight soon, but regardless, my impression of him wasn¡¯t half-bad considering how he actually fulfilled all his promises.


    Well, being alone like this was perfect. I needed some time by myself anyway to just think about things.


    I knew the girls must be worried, but right now, I needed to first calm my own mind. Using Sky Magic, I flew up to the roof of a nearby tall building, and sat down there, staring out at the horizon.


    The sun was slowly rising.


    And there I sat, wondering what to do with the information I now had. What was the first thing I should do next? Without a doubt, the Four Cardinals will be ordered to hunt me down now. But should I simply wait for them toe for me, or take the initiative and go for them¡­?


    If thetter, I needed information, which I was clearlycking. My father didn¡¯t give me any hints to their location or their abilities, which I was assuming was part of the trial. After all, when those so-called otherworldly beings came for me, it¡¯s not like I was going to just automatically know what their weaknesses andbat styles were.


    Speaking of which¡­ I didn¡¯t know what ¡®otherworldly beings¡¯ my father was referring to, but I didn¡¯t think he was necessarily lying. He had no reason to lie to me about something like this, and in all honesty, I had considered the possibility of aliens anyway. After all, space exists, and it¡¯s hard to believe we were the only lifeforms in the entire universe¡ªeven if other ones have not been proved.


    My father must know something¡­ but to get those answers, I would first need to show him I was ready by defeating him.


    ¡°Have you made up your decision?¡± Terrarim¡¯s voice said in my head. It was getting so popted in there nowadays that I really felt stressed sometimes.


    <em>What do you mean?</em> I responded back.


    ¡°Awakening my brother and sisters, I mean. If you obtain their powers, defeating that man will be feasible.¡±


    You mean¡­ as I am right now, defeating my father is not feasible?


    ¡°Correct. He holds a power simr to own¡ªChaos. Although hisprehension is not nearly as strong as yours, he has many, many years of experience to make up for it. You may be strong thanks to your power, but you are not his match yet. However, once you obtain the blessings of all four Empyreans, kiddo¡­ you¡¯ll be unstoppable¡ªin this world, at the very least.¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t know if Terrarim was telling the truth, or if he just was lying to get me to free his brother and sisters. But either way, this was something I was going to do eventually. Immortality sounded sweet, especially since the girls could obtain it as well.


    ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± I said atst, out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Terrarimughed. ¡°Wise choice, kiddo.¡±

 Chapter 504: Future Plans

    Chapter 504: Future ns


    With my first goal determined, I decided to head back to Amane¡¯s ce where I told all the other girls to wait for me at. With Space Magic, that was easy. A simple teleport brought me exactly where I wanted to go. Getting there the normal way would¡¯ve been a pain, considering while I knew I was in the Fortress, I had no idea which District I was in. It was a huge ce, after all. It would¡¯ve taken a while to figure out.


    ¡°Alright¡­ this should be the c-¡°


    ¡°Big Brother Xuan Kai!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even get to finish my sentence before I heard a person call out my name, and the next instant, an incredibly cute white-haired girl had dove into my arms for a hug.


    ¡°Mm¡­ you¡¯re back¡­¡±


    ¡°Not crying this time?¡± I taunted, grinning as I patted Qing Yue¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hmph, I knew you were going to be just fine this time around,¡± Qing Yue replied, pouting slightly as she rubbed her face against my chest. ¡°You¡¯re my big brother, after all¡ªthe same one who survived a trip to the Death Realm and back~¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I chuckled. ¡°And where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Inside,¡± Qing Yue said, then twirled around. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    *****


    ¨C An Hour Later ¨C


    After finishing telling the girls about everything that my father¡ªX¡ªtold me, they were awe-struck and utterly stunned.


    ¡°So the leader of the Midnight Syndicate¡­ is in fact your father¡­?¡± Feng Mian murmured, eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ wow.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Imagine how I felt when I first realized.¡±


    ¡°So the revenge you¡¯ve been searching for all this time¡­ was all merely a fake orchestrated act made up by your parents?¡± Lan Xiao Su gasped. ¡°That¡¯s horrible¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even if it was to ultimately protect him¡­ that¡¯s not a great method,¡± Yu An Yan agreed, and even Zhao Xiuying nodded.


    ¡°The ends, do not, justify, the means.¡±


    ¡°And now, you even have to fight him as an enemy¡­?¡± Feng Mian concluded, sighing and shaking her head. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a mess. Even I haven¡¯tpletely gotten over it yet, but¡­ we have to move on,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes. ¡°First off¡­ Lorelei, can you create a replica of that map we saw inside the Earth Empyrean¡¯sir?¡±


    Lorelei exited my soul realm in a sh and nodded, as Yu An Xue handed her a piece of paper and a pen. Then, she went to work, beautifully creating an exact replica of the map we had seen in their in that mountain.


    Despite being a Soulfox, she handled the pen with great dexterity. What was truly impressive, however, was the fact that she was still in her fox form, and using her tail to hold the writing utensil. She seemed to have perfect control over the way the ink flowed on the paper, and like magic, in the matter of a few minutes, the drawing wasplete.


    ¡°¡­ Wow,¡± the other girls breathed as the map wasplete, and Lorelei set down the pen calmly before gently hopping onto my arm and climbing to my shoulder where her reserved seat was.


    ¡°This is a map of the Empyreans¡¯irs,¡± I exined. ¡°Each holds a power inside, and if I am able to obtain all of them, then¡­ we will all receive a blessing.¡±


    ¡°Us too?¡± Lin Luo asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. I nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. And that blessing is¡­ immortality.¡±


    At this, all of their eyes widened.


    ¡°I-Immortality¡­?¡± Yu An Yan murmured. ¡°As in¡­ be gods?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I replied, shaking my head. ¡°To rify, immortality here refers to never dying of old age. We will essentially stop growing older from where we are¡­ eternal youth, basically.¡±


    I expected them to be disappointed upon hearing this, but to my surprise, their eyes all lit up even more.


    ¡°Woah¡­ eternal youth?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, like, every girl¡¯s dream!¡±


    ¡°Fufu~ awfully considerate, Xuan Kai¡­ now, where are theseirs?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­¡± I scratched my cheek awkwardly, then nced at the map. ¡°This is an ancient relic of a map, so we¡¯ll need to figure out the modern geographical locations of the ces marked here. Is anyone specialized in history?¡±


    Lan Xiao Su timidly raised her hand. ¡°Um¡­ I am decent at it? I¡¯ve read a couple of books before, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite certain that is a severe understatement, but eh,¡± ria said with a shrug. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll leave it to you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s in your hands, Xiao Su.¡±


    Lan Xiao Su nodded firmly. ¡°It will take some time as I have to reference many different textbooks, but¡­ I should have all the locations solved by tonight.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± I replied, then yawned and stretched my arms. ¡°Ahh¡­ well, I think I¡¯m going to sleep. I didn¡¯t get to do that muchst night, after all.¡±


    ¡°I shall join you, master,¡± Mei Gui said, to which Feng Mian gave a sigh.


    ¡°Mei Gui, you can do that another time¡­ he wants to rest-¡°


    ¡°Actually, I need to talk to you anyway, Mei Gui,¡± I interrupted. ¡°I appreciate the thought, Feng Mian, but I might as well talk to her before going to sleep. I can stay awake for another few minutes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, if you say so¡­¡± Feng Mian smiled and winked at Mei Gui, but thetter girl¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t in it, and I knew why.


    I headed upstairs into Amane¡¯s private chambers after that, since she said I could rest there. Mei Gui followed me, and not long after, we were finally alone in the room. I shut the door tightly, locked it, then cast a sound barrier around just in case. I didn¡¯t care if any of the other girls heard this, but it would be troublesome if an outsider did.


    ¡°Master, I-¡°


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said before she could even muster out a single sentence. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say. I also know you feel guilty. But really¡­ there¡¯s no reason for that.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ it is my fault that you now have to fight against your father, and he even said that I¡­¡±


    ¡°Rx,¡± I sighed, patting her head and pulling her into a close embrace. ¡°Listen, Mei Gui. You are not the only reason I am fighting against my father. If magic disappears from this world altogether¡­ I¡¯ll go back to my past self. Other people have never experienced that pain of not having any power, but I know it all too well.¡±


    Lowering my voice, I continued. ¡°So¡­ if I have to say, I¡¯m fighting my father because I¡¯m selfish. I wanted power so bad back then. And now that I have it¡­ no way in hell I¡¯m giving it up. That¡¯s why I¡¯m fighting, alright? You are part of the reason, of course, but not the main one. So there is no reason to feel guilty. Even if you didn¡¯t exist, I would still fight back against my father in this situation.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ are you¡­ only saying this to make me feel better¡­? If that is the case, then-¡°


    ¡°Since when have I lied to you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I may have hidden many things from you and the other girls¡­ but to you in particr, I never lied. Lying to you would¡¯ve been impossible anyway, since you can see right through them, can you not? I am not just saying this to make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Mei Gui smiled slightly, burrowing her tear-stricken face against my neck and sobbing softly into them. I ran my fingers along her beautiful silver hair like a parent mightfort their child.


    ¡°Mei Gui¡­ I just have one question.¡±


    ¡°What question¡­?¡± She asked softly, curious.


    ¡°My father told me that you are the Primordial Chaos. I am assuming your memories are simply too apart for you to have realized that, but¡­ he also mentioned you as dangerous. I believe you will never betray me, but¡­ I want to hear it from your own mouth. Will you ever hurt me, Mei Gui?¡±


    Immediately, Mei Gui backed away and shook her head furiously.


    ¡°Of course not, Master! Unless your life was at risk, I would never hurt you unless you specifically ordered me to. When I was a mere stone, you gave me life. When I was but a living doll, you gave me personality. When I was nameless, you gave me a name. All of that¡­ those are debts that cannot be repaid, no matter what. The only thing I can do to make up for that¡­ is to stay by Master¡¯s side forever as a faithful and loyal servant.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s all I needed to hear,¡± I said, smiling slightly. I used a lie-checker spell just now, and Mei Gui hadn¡¯t been lying when she said any of that.


    And yet, I could not help but feel worried. I didn¡¯t think my father was lying when he said Chaos was dangerous. Even if Mei Gui herself didn¡¯t will it, perhaps¡­


    Never mind.


    I decided to just go to sleep, not thinking about it, and Mei Gui ended up joining me anyway. She could only replenish energy by sleeping with me, after all.

 Chapter 505: The First Lair

    Chapter 505: The First Lair


    By the time I woke up, it was already the next day¡¯s morning. Turns out I was a lot more tired than I thought I was, but at least this meant Mei Gui got a bunch of her energy replenished with this. The girls were worried that I had died or something, but upon checking in on me, they saw me still breathing, so¡­


    In any case, there was no time to waste. As soon as we ate breakfast and got ourselves prepared, we set out for the location of the first of the three other Empyreans¡¯irs, marked on the map. Over the past day, Lan Xiao Su had figured out all the coordinates of the threeirs we needed to go to, and¡­ well, let¡¯s just say the locations were nothing short of extraordinary, but also made sense at the same time.


    Aquira¡¯s temple, for example, was underwater, and Aerim¡¯s was above the clouds with the Celestici. And Ignis? His was the most ridiculous one of all¡ªit was literally at the bottom of a now-dormant volcano. ording to Xiao Su¡¯s research, it was no longer active and didn¡¯t have anyva inside, but the fact that it used to be a volcano was still¡­ unsettling.


    Compared to these, Terrarim¡¯s choice ofir location seemed like child¡¯s y and the most normal one despite being at the bottom center of a 3,000 meter tall mountain. I would rather go down those 3 kilometers¡¯ worth of hellish stairs than underwater, in the clouds, or into a goddamn volcano.


    Well, no useining about it. In the end, we settled on heading to Aerim¡¯s temple first since that seemed like the easiest one, but to reach there, only those with Sky Magic could go, and the limit was once again 4 people only maximum. It would seem the barrier erected around Mount Kitast time was not done at the hands of Silver, but actually the Empyreans themselves.


    When I asked Terrarim about this, he said that it was to avoid entire armies of peopleing into the ce and fighting over the spoils, which I suppose made sense. As such, it was decided that our roster for this temple would be ria, Lin Luo, Mei Gui, and of course myself. The other three all specialized in aerialbat, and Lin Luo especially would be helpful as she was half-Celesticus.


    ¡°So, how did you guys even manage to exin to that vige elder about Yami?¡± I asked as we flew towards the destination, with me carrying ria since she insisted.


    Lin Luo sighed. ¡°The vige elder knew all along, apparently. She just humored us anyway because the child reminded her of her grandson. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Soon, we arrived at the coordinates Xiao Su gave us.


    Or¡­ at least, we thought we did.


    ¡°Uh¡­ auntie Xiao Su? We¡¯re where you told us to go, but there¡¯s nothing here,¡± ria said, talking through my phone. I nearly burst outughing at the usage of the word ¡®auntie¡¯, but Xiao Su didn¡¯t seem to mind. Had it been any of the other girls, though, that would¡¯ve been a different matter altogether.


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiao Su¡¯s voice came from the other end. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m certain the coordinates I got are correct, though¡­¡±


    ¡°There may be a hidden mechanism,¡± Lin Luo said, folding her arms. ¡°We Celesticus use camouge technology on many of our important buildings to hide them from public eye. Chances are, the enchantments we use to do so are directly descended from the one used here. If that is the case, then¡­¡±


    She shut her eyes and traced some invisible sigil in the air, then opened her eyes again.


    And suddenly, like magic, a massive sky ind materialized out of thin air before our very eyes, and we could only gape in shock.


    ¡°Wow¡­ it worked,¡± ria murmured.


    ¡°Hmph. As expected,¡± Lin Luo muttered, and ascended towards the ind, then turned back to us. ¡°Come on. What are you waiting for?¡±


    The other two girls and I exchanged nces, nodded, and flew up behind Lin Luo.


    *****


    On the sky ind, we found a castle.


    That was no exaggeration or expression. It was a literal castle in the sky, towering and glorious. It looked a little worn-down, but without a doubt, this was constructed by an Empyrean himself.


    ¡°Just to confirm¡­ this <em>is</em> the ce, correct?¡± ria asked, arching an eyebrow, and I nodded.


    ¡°It should be here¡­ at least, ording to Terrarim,¡± I replied. ¡°Besides, I trust Xiao Su¡¯s skills.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can sense a powerful aura around this ce as well,¡± Lin Luo added. ¡°It would seem¡­ this ¡®Aerim¡¯ character is in fact the ancestor of all Celestici, hence why I can feel his aura.¡±


    ¡°Her,¡± I corrected. ¡°It¡¯s a she.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin Luo raised an eyebrow. Then, ¡°I see.¡±


    Soon, we arrived at the gates of the castle, surrounded by a moat that eventually led to a beautiful waterfall off the edge of the sky ind. Strangely, however, from down below on the ground, this waterfall waspletely invisible, and even if you went directly underneath it, I doubt you would feel water dropping over your head.


    In any case, the front gates were unlocked, so the girls and I just strolled on in. Before entering the main castle, however, Terrarim sent me a warning.


    ¡°Be careful, kiddo. Aerim is¡­ somewhat of a yful character. She will have many tricks and traps around the castle, and most likely already knows we are here thanks to my presence. Although most will be harmless, some can be¡­ quite a pain to deal with.¡±


    I kept that in mind as I pushed open the castle doors. It seemed like quite a normal castle at first, but very old. The sunlight highlighted all the dust specks in the air, and the creaking of the door hinges didn¡¯t help its case one bit. Rather than being creepy, though, despite the darkness, there was a sense of mystery to it that was amplified by its oldness, as if drawing us deeper inside.


    Naturally, we obliged, and stepped through the door. I half-expected the doors to suddenly m shut on us, but apparently, here, that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    ¡°Okay¡­ first things first: light,¡± I said, and snapped my fingers to create a shining sphere of light above my head with Light Magic. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough.


    ¡°Hm¡­ this ce really is like a medieval castle,¡± Lin Luo murmured, looking around at all the armor sets on the disy statues and the various pieces of furniture all around us. ¡°It would seem our target is further inside, though.¡±


    ¡°Your destination is the tower at the very rear end of this castle,¡± Terrarim said in my mind. ¡°That is where you can find Aerim¡¯s power, also herself. Progress towards that direction, and if my guess is not wrong¡­ you will need to climb up from there.¡±


    <em>Oh, great¡­ first stairs heading down, and now stairs heading up. Of course.</em>


    With a sigh, the girls and I began making our way through the castle. Being a castle, it was quite hard to navigate and quite easy to get lost in, so we stuck together the whole way even if it meant us spending a bit more time. Naturally, I already tried simply flying to the tower, but there was some kind of restriction in ce preventing us from doing that, as if saying we had to go through the castle and climb the tall tower.


    As this was the Air Empyrean Aerim¡¯s territory, you would think she <em>wants</em> us to fly, but I guess reality was the opposite. Either way, even though we spent a long time passing through the castle, there weren¡¯t any traps or tricks like Terrarim had mentioned. It was a perfectly normal castle with perfectly normal aesthetics and aplexyout, but it was manageable.


    After about 15 minutes of wandering to and from inside the castle, we found absolutely no useful information. There were no old documentsying around anywhere of any form, but thankfully, we did manage to locate the passageway that led to the tower that was our destination.


    The double doors leading into it were unlocked, and I pushed through without a second thought. This time, howeve, when the girls and I all made it across¡­


    Click.


    ¡­ The doors locked themselves up.


    ¡°¡­!¡± I immediately spun around in surprise, and tried sting through, but there was some sort of heavy Enchantment in ce. This, was the work of an Empyrean, something that not even I could break through with my current understanding of Chaos.


    ¡°¡­ Shit. She got me,¡± I muttered. Because the first doors didn¡¯t shut like this, nor did any of the other ones in the castle, I didn¡¯t expect this one to automatically lock itself like so. How¡­ clever.


    ¡°Well, looks like we have no way to go but up now,¡± I said, sighing.


    And amidst the quietness of the stone tower, I could¡¯ve sworn I heard the high-pitchedughter of a little girl.

 Chapter 506: Cursed Tower

    Chapter 506: Cursed Tower


    The climb of the tower seemed endless.


    Every ten steps of stairs, there would be a short tform break, then another set of stairs. Because it was a tower, the stairs were in spiral form, but due to the sheer width of it, each ¡®floor¡¯ took about half a minute to climb, and the stamina requirement was insane. As such, the girls and I decided to take a break before long, on one of the short tforms serving as breaks between sets of stairs.


    Lin Luo sighed and leaned against the pir at the center of the spiral staircase, folding her arms and closing her eyes calmly, not saying a word.


    ria, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.


    ¡°Ahhhh! I can¡¯t take this anymore! Let me just st my way through this thing!¡±


    She ran around in circles screaming at the top of her lungs, like a kid with AD/HD. But I mean, could I really me her? Having been through those downwards stairs from the mountain, it would be safe to assume these would be approximately the same length if not longer¡ªnot to mention these were ascending stairs, meaning it was even harder to climb and more stamina-draining.


    ¡°Calm down, ria,¡± I sighed after a while, shaking my head. ¡°This is just the beginning¡­ you¡¯re the one who wanted toe. I warned you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Ernghhhh, that¡¯s true, but still¡­!¡± ria gritted her teeth in annoyance, pouting. ¡°This is so boring! Can¡¯t something, like, happen or something? I expected a lot more excitement from a so-called god¡¯sir!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± Terrarim muttered in my head, and I arched an eyebrow.


    <em>What?</em>


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Suddenly, a loud giggle rang out in the staircase, and all of us immediately put up our guard.


    ¡°¡­ What was that?¡± Lin Luo asked cautiously, hand resting on the handle of her de, but-


    ¡°Excitement, you say~? Very well~¡± The voice giggled yfully and disappeared as it came, and the next thing we knew¡­


    ¡°¡­ Oh, shit.¡±


    The sound of mechanical whirring came from below us, and soon, the source came into view. Several massive sawdes made of highly fast and violent wind rolled up from the stairs below us, and tore apart the stone like it was nothing.


    ¡°Run!¡± I yelled, and the girls didn¡¯t need to be told twice. We raced up the stairs as fast as we could, and the sawdes trailed close behind us.


    ¡°This is what I meant¡­¡± Terrarim muttered, and in a surge of frustration, I yelled ¡®yeah, thanks¡¯ out loud.


    ¡°D-Dad! Carry me!¡± ria yelled in a panic, struggling to catch her breath. Hurriedly, I backtracked a few steps and picked her up on my back, then took off once again.


    ¡°Tch¡­ Level Three Sky Magic ¡ª Lightning Barrage,¡± Lin Luo whispered under her breath, and several streaks of powerful yellow lightning shot out of her palm to strike the iing sawdes of gale.


    Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t powerful enough to stop them.


    ¡°Immune¡­¡± Lin Luo gritted her teeth and kept running up, with Mei Gui in second and me in deadst.


    <em>Shit¡­ I gotta do something¡­!</em>


    Wait¡­ there¡¯s that¡­ I can use it here, maybe¡­?


    Suddenlying to a stop and turning around to face the iing sawdes, I closed my eyes and calmed my mind.


    ¡°H-Hey! What are you doing?!¡± ria yelled from my shoulders in a panic, body trembling in fear. ¡°H-Hello?!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Mei Gui yelled, but it was fine.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Zero.</em>


    A wave of ck and red energy released around my body in a sphere with me at the center, and struck the sawdes head-on. Rather than destroy them, however, it erased them, as if they hadn¡¯t been there in the first ce.


    Soon, the ckness around me faded away, and I opened my eyes.


    ¡°¡­ Whew.¡±


    ¡°Oho¡­ so that power can even suppress an Empyrean¡­¡± Terrarim murmured in my head, as if deeply intrigued.


    ¡°Hehehehe~ not bad, not bad at all~¡± The voice giggled again, satisfied with our performance, it seems. ¡°But¡­ what about this¡­?¡±


    Suddenly, we heard the sound of¡­ crickets?


    And we knew what wasing.


    From below us where we just came up from, a horde of crickets flew at us, screeching in their ownnguage and for whatever reason attacking us. My Forbidden Magic¡ªZero couldn¡¯t kill living beings, so there was only one option left to us:


    Run.


    ¡°Screw you!¡± ria yelled and breathed out mes from her mouth at the cricket storm, but since she could not transform into her Phoenix form here thanks to the flight limitations set in ce by Aerim, the power of her attack was significantly reduced. Even so, she managed to wipe out arge portion of the crickets, but there seemed to be no end to them as more from the backlines simply took their deadrade¡¯s ces.


    ¡°There!¡± Lin Luo yelled, pointing to a pair of double doors ahead. ¡°We should be able to close those doors if we make it there!¡±


    Potentia Excitant: Celeritas.


    Speeding up myself using Blessing Magic while Mei Gui did the same, we sprinted towards the double doors at full speed. The horde of crickets weren¡¯t about to go down with a fight, though, so if a fight¡¯s what they want, a fight¡¯s what they¡¯ll get.


    ¡­ Or that¡¯s what I¡¯d like to say, but it would seem Mei Gui acted first. She hit the ground with her palm, a blue aura surrounding her body, as a wall of ice rose up from the ground that reached all the way to the ceiling. This would block the crickets momentarily, but not for long.


    Still, we didn¡¯t waste this tiny opening of time we had been graciously given, and hurriedly dashed through the doors. Once there, Lin Luo activated a mechanism on the other side, and the doors rolled shut right before any crickets could fly in.


    We all collectively let out sighs of relief.


    The stairwell didn¡¯t seem to end here, though. There was another door right next to us leading out, possibly continuing the stairs¡¯ ascension. But for now, we could rx in this ¡®safe room¡¯ of sorts. All of us were tired after that, and this fluorescent pink aesthetic made for a nice change from the dull grey walls of the castle.


    But just as we began to rx¡­ a strange scent began to fill the air. I sniffed it and thought it smelled faintly like chocte, but couldn¡¯t be quite sure.


    ¡°Hey¡­ are you guys smelling that?¡± I asked the girls, only to see¡­


    ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ ahn¡­¡±


    Lin Luo, who was usuallyposed and collected, was now for whatever reason taking her armor off and panting heavily, a flushed expression on her face. Her hands traced along her own sweaty body as if wanting to be touched, and-


    ¡°Uh¡­ you okay?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow. But upon turning to my left, I saw that Lin Luo wasn¡¯t the only one. ria too was blushing deeply, and trying to strip down all her clothes.


    ¡°H-Hey now¡­¡± I gulped in fear at what was going on, but then, I felt a tug on my right arm, and I turned to see Mei Gui looking up at me with her tongue out, also with flushed cheeks.


    ¡°Master¡­ kiss me¡­¡±


    ¡°E-Even you, Mei Gui¡­?¡±


    I didn¡¯t get to finish my sentence before Mei Gui pushed her lips against mine and inserted her tongue into my mouth, thirstily exploring it. That didn¡¯tst for long, however, as ria and Lin Luo pounced on me at the same time, both of which had taken off all their clothes down to their underwear. I was pushed to the floor in an instant, and the two licked their lips with hearts in their eyes.


    ¡°Now then¡­ we¡¯ll be feasting on you, Xuan Kai~¡± Lin Luo whispered in an uncharacteristically seductive tone, and traced her fingers down to my hips.


    ¡°No!¡± Mei Gui suddenly pushed her way in, nudging the other two away. ¡°Master is mine¡­ stay away from him¡­ or else¡­!¡±


    <em>Even like this, she¡¯s still protective of me, huh¡­ wait, no, that¡¯s not what I should be thinking about!</em>


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±


    With some effort, I managed to use Blink to teleport away from their clutches, but all of them had incredibly fast reaction speeds and quickly tried to reach for me again, but I managed to escape through the other door. Indeed, it was a continuation of the stairwell, and as expected, the girls followed me.


    As soon as they left the room, however, they stopped, as if waking up from a trance. Then, they nced at me, then down at their bodies, then back at me.


    ¡°P-P-P-Pervert!¡± ria screamed at the top of her lungs, and Lin Luo clenched her fists tightly while gritting her teeth. Mei Gui, on the other hand, only covertly averted her gaze.


    ¡°¡­ If Master wants to do that with me¡­ all you need to do is say so¡­¡±


    ¡°N-No no no! You guys are misunderstanding!¡± I yelled. ¡°That room behind you¡ªit made you guys start stripping all of a sudden! I didn¡¯t do anything, I swear¡ªyou can try going back in yourselves if you don¡¯t believe me!¡±


    The girls exchanged nces, then actually stepped back into the room.


    And¡­ nothing happened.


    ¡°¡­ Well?¡± Lin Luo narrowed her eyes at me from inside the room, folding her arms.


    ¡°Uh¡­ it was on a while ago?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Tch!¡±


    I didn¡¯t have time to say anything else before I was clobbered in the face.

 Chapter 507: Aerims Wisdom

    Chapter 507: Aerim¡¯s Wisdom


    ¡°Agh¡­ like I¡¯ve been telling you¡­ it¡¯s not my fault¡­¡± I muttered, slowly getting to my feet. ¡°Ah, whatever¡­ you¡¯re not going to believe me anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Lin Luo snorted, turning away and refusing to even speak to me.


    After being clobbered half-to-death by Lin Luo and riabined (mainly the former in terms of attack power) we finally decided to resume our journey upwards. It was still a long walk, but the good news was, no more attacks came from Aerim beyond that room. I figured Terrarim may have gone andmunicated with her somehow since he was quite silent, but I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Slowly but surely, however, we arrived at the very top of the tower, where a single chambery, sealed behind double doors. Aerim¡¯s power was in here, ording to Terrarim, so there was no where else to go. Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer to the door and pushed them open.


    ¡°¡­ Wow.¡±


    To our surprise, what awaited on the other end was not particrly a treasure chest or anything, but in fact the window at the top of the tower. The girls and I slowly made our way over to the edge of the balcony, and nced out at the beautiful view of clouds and other sky inds in the distance that belonged to the Celestici.


    It was beautiful.


    ¡°We came here looking for power, but¡­¡± Lin Luo sighed and rested her arms on the edge. ¡°¡­ This is pretty nice too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Almost nice enough to distract us from noticing the spirit behind us¡­¡± I suddenly turned around and narrowed my eyes at the entity sitting on the roof above us. ¡°¡­ Almost.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehe, so you noticed! Good job!¡± The near-transparent girl¡ªthe entity¡ªsaid with a high-pitched giggle. ¡°Wee to my home!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Aerim?¡± Lin Luo asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes. Is there a problem?¡± The transparent, air-like girl smirked triumphantly.


    ¡°Er, no. I just thought a god would look¡­ well, more like a god.¡±


    ¡°Seconded,¡± I added. ¡°And why do you have a physical form while Terrarim doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m the air itself! That¡¯s why you can see me. If Terrarim took a physical form, he would be the entire ground! There¡¯d be no point.¡±


    ¡°The air itself¡­¡± Mei Gui fell into thought. ¡°Does that also mean you can, for example, shapeshift into certain beings?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes! You¡¯re a sharp one, little girl!¡± Aerim praised. ¡°You remember the shrine maiden who spoke to you at Terrarim¡¯s ce? Heehee, that was actually me!¡±


    ¡°Wow. That act and your actual personality are so different, I never would¡¯ve thought,¡± I muttered. ¡°Anyway¡­ you were the one who sent those airdes after us, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Aerim nodded happily as if this pleased her.


    ¡°And¡­ you¡¯re also the one who sent that cricket storm after us too?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°Aha! And worst of all, you¡¯re even the one behind making these girls strip and then pinning the me on me, right?!¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    <em>This girl¡­</em>


    ¡°P-Please, kiddo, calm down. I know she can be¡­ irritating at times, but she does not mean any harm.¡±


    Oh yeah? Well I sure do mean her harm.


    ¡°P-Please, if you seek the immortality¡­¡±


    Yeah, yeah¡­


    Clearing my throat, I put on my cold facade, immune to any forms of annoyance, and stared the Air Empyrean dead in the eye.


    ¡°¡­ Now. Where¡¯s my reward foring all the way here?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re not worthy,¡± Aerim said, to my surprise.


    ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not clever enough! You brute forced your way through every challenge! That¡¯s not clever at all!¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Aerim, settle down¡­¡± I heard Terrarim say in my head, and Aerim seemed to hear him as well as she pouted a bit and folded her arms like a little girl, reminding me of ria.


    ¡°¡­ Fine. Since Terrarim has deemed you worthy and you did rescue him¡­ I¡¯ll give you your due reward. Step closer.¡±


    I did as told, walking towards her until I was directly underneath the edge of the roof her legs were dangling from. Then:


    ¡°Lick my foot.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I said, lick my foot. Unless, of course, you don¡¯t want the power¡­¡±


    At this point, I wasn¡¯t even mad or annoyed anymore. I was genuinely concerned for this girl¡¯s mental health, so I whispered to Terrarim in my head.


    ¡°¡­ Oi, bud. Is your friend straight in the head?¡±


    ¡°I assure you, she is. She just has somewhat of a godplex, and wants people to revere her as such. I cannot really convince her at this point, so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Alright. Alright, fine,¡± I said, grabbing her bare foot by the heel and bringing it closer to my face. Despite being transparent and made literally out of air, it felt just like a real foot, but didn¡¯t have any particr smell. It was¡­ air, after all.


    Then, as Aerim smirked smugly, thinking she had won, I smiled like a devil and brought my other hand closer to the sole of her foot.


    And in the next moment-


    ¡°A-AHHAHAHAHA! W-Wait, what are you doi- HAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°Give me the power, or I won¡¯t stop!¡± I grinned devilishly and kept tickling the bottom of her feet, and the once-god could do little to resist in her powered down form.


    ¡°W-Wait, nooo! Terrarim, save me! AHAHAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°Hm, you seem like you are having fun,¡± Terrarim noted. ¡°Good, good.¡±


    ¡°U-Ugh, you traitor! HAHAHAH- F-Fine! I¡¯ll give you it, so stop!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡±


    Atst, I let go of her foot, and Aerim let out a couple of deep breaths as she struggled to stop panting.


    ¡°Now, give me the power.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!¡± She yelled through grit teeth. ¡°I hate you, but I said I¡¯d give it to you, so I will¡­!¡±


    She held out her hand, in which a spark of light was being held, and I took it from her.


    ¡°Eat that,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯ll give you the power, and also connect you to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ This isn¡¯t some prank again, is it? If I find out this is actually bird shit or something, I¡¯m going to tickle you to death.¡±


    ¡°E-Eek! O-Okay, uh, wrong one, take this one!¡± She suddenly said frightfully, taking back the one she just gave me and handing me a different spark of light.


    ¡°¡­¡± I stared at her as if to say ¡®Pathetic¡¯, and before popping it into my mouth, I checked in with Terrarim.


    ¡°This is safe, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You need not worry. She is telling the truth this time.¡±


    ¡°If I find out you¡¯re working together with her to prank me, I¡¯m going to make sure to send both of you to eternal sleep, and I mean the truly eternal kind.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. Trust me, it is safe.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hm.¡±


    After some hesitation, I finally popped the spark of light into my mouth and swallowed it. It tasted like absolutely nothing, and I felt no particr change in my body.


    ¡°So? What was the power?¡± I asked, and Aerim pointed at Mei Gui.


    ¡°Look at her, burn her appearance into your mind, then say in your heart: ¡®I am (insert her name here)¡¯.¡±


    Oh¡­ is this going where I think it¡¯s going? Well, no matter¡­


    I turned to Mei Gui just as told, and she stared back into my eyes. Like two lovebirds, we looked deeply into each other¡¯s irises, and once I had her entire wless appearance and profile memorized in my mind, I closed my eyes and chanted in my heart:


    <em>I am Mei Gui.</em>


    The change took ce immediately. I felt my body first turning invisible, then shrinking, then slowly gaining a new form as I morphed into the appearance of Mei Gui.


    ¡°¡­ Master¡­?¡± Mei Gui blinked in surprise at the mirror version of herself now in front of me, and I blinked back.


    ¡°Uh, hey. Oh, wow, even my voice has changed. Oh, wait, I can even summon her spear? So I can use her other powers too¡­ this is awesome.¡±


    ¡°Woah, they look identical!¡± ria eximed excitedly, and Lin Luo nodded in approval.


    ¡°¡­ Mm. This can be useful tactically.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I agree. With the power to Shapeshift without any cost like this, many missions can be made far easier, be it for decoy, spying, or simply pretending to be someone else. But in any case¡­ how do I turn back?¡±


    Silence.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hello? Aerim?¡±


    ¡°U-Um, the art isn¡¯t perfected yet, so I actually don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Terrarim, I am on the verge of strangling your friend.¡±


    ¡°H-Hold it!¡± Terrarim cried in my head. ¡°You will not stay in that form forever¡­ probably. Nothingsts forever¡ªthere has to be a time limit on how long you can stay transformed for, especially since the powers of us Empyreans are far from what they used to be. I believe as long as you give it some time, you should eventually revert to your old self¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably, huh?¡± I muttered. ¡°And if I don¡¯t turn back, Aerim, I¡¯ll tickle you until you tell me a solution that works.¡±


    ¡°E-Eek!¡±

 Chapter 508 - Solo Battle

    Chapter 508 ¨C Solo Battle


    After gaining the Shapeshifting ability from Aerim, the girls and I prepared to head home. Now with two Empyreanirs down, there was only two left toplete¡ªAquira''s, and Ignis''. The only problem was¡­ both of those were dozens of times harder to reach than Terrarim and Aerim''s.


    Oh well. Better not think about it now.


    For now, I just wanted to take a break. Go home, get some rest. Today''s been a tiring day. Some sleep sounded great to me.


    <em>"So, she''s safely in my soul now as well?"</em> I asked in my head.


    "Yes," Terrarim responded. "Although unlike me, she can materialize in physical form when she wishes."


    "Well, don''t, unless I tell you to," I said in a stern tone. "I don''t need you constantly annoying me."


    "Huh?! I''m a god! A god, you hear!"


    "Yes¡­ a god, that is afraid of getting tickled, am I right?" I snickered evilly.


    "E-Eek¡­ Terrarim, prot me!"


    "Uh¡­ sorry, no can do."


    I chuckled out loud, but our conversation was soon cut short by a voice from behind us.


    "Oi!"


    We were just nning on flying off the edge of the balcony, but suddenly, the doors behind us bust open, and out came a familiar face.


    "¡­ You again," I muttered, and the man snickered before cocking his neck left and right, then cracking his knuckles.


    "Heheh¡­ short time no see, huh? The boss gave orders that we were free to get rid of you now, so here I am. I liked ya, kid. Pity one of us has got to die, eh?"


    Indeed, it was the wolfman. There was no way out of this. But before we fought¡­ I wanted to get a few questions clear.


    "¡­ How did you trace me here?"


    "Oh, that was easy. I went back to thatir, checked out the map, and one of the other Cardinals solved it with a simple nce. We each went to a separateir to see who would have the most luck, but¡­ heh. Turns out fate is fate indeed. It was me who found you firstst time too, so naturally it''ll be me again."


    With a smirk, he smacked his fists together, ready for battle.


    "But enough of the talkin''. What''ll it be? Four on one, or one on one? I''m fine with either¡­ the oue will be the same."


    "Oh? You''re not going to call on those other three Cardinal buddies of yours?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    "Nah," the wolfman replied. "I''m enough to take on you guys. And besides¡­ we four Cardinals have an unspoken rivalry between us. We all serve the same boss, but we each operate on our own. That''s how it''s always been."


    <em>I see¡­ this is valuable information. But it seems like I won''t be able to get anything else out of him, so¡­ if a fight''s what he wants, a fight''s what he''s going to get.</em>


    "We''ll do this one on one," I stated atst, much to the girls'' surprise.


    "Heh¡­ as expected, kid. You''re a fighter," the wolfman chuckled.


    "Master¡­ there is no need to do this," Mei Gui murmured, not understanding my thoughts, but I shook my head.


    "Take Lin Luo and ria back. They''re useless against antimagic."


    "But I can st-" Mei Gui began, but quickly realized my intentions and fell quiet.


    "¡­ I see. Understood, Master."


    I sent a brief nod her way, and the three retreated, although hesitantly. ria especially was screaming and wanted to fight, but if they stayed, they would only be liabilities. If the wolfman took them hostage, the game was over. I also sent Mei Gui with them in the off-chance that other Cardinals were targeting them.


    Of course, I did all of this with the confidence that I knew I could beat this guy one on one. I didn''t know his abilities in detail, but if he hated magic, then he definitely wouldn''t use any. And since his antimagic is useless against mine¡­


    ¡­ Well, it was clear I was already at an advantage. Now, to push that advantage some more¡­


    "The area up here is too small for a fight," I said. "Let''s move somewhere else, down on the surface."


    "Sure," the wolfman said with a grin. "I was just thinking the same thing."


    Together, we descended from the castle and soon found an uninhabited ind below us, perfect for hosting our battle.


    "This ce good?" The wolfman asked, and I nodded. Now that we were on solid ground tied to the earth''s surface, Terrarim''s blessing of constant healing would apply to me.


    That''s right¡ªI had no intention of fighting fair. Never was that kind of person. I wanted every tiny bit of advantage I could get, and all that mattered was winning.


    "Alright. Then let''s get started¡­!"


    Without any warning, the wolfman dashed towards me at lightning speed that should''ve been impossible without magic, but my reactions were still a tad faster. Managing to narrowly dodge out of the way with a sideways evasion, I pulled my gun Ace out of its holster in a single smooth motion and unleash a bullet aimed directly at his waist.


    Unfortunately, however, he twisted his body and spun 360 degrees in the air like a drill to avoid it, andnded back on his feet while I rolled backwards and stood back up as well.


    "Oh¡­? A gun user, eh?" He chuckled, as if intrigued.


    "Not just a gun," I replied, smiling as I drew out one of my Chaos katanas. "¡­ A sword, too."


    This was the fighting style I had chosen to employ against this man. Judging from the little information I had on him, based on his fight with the former Council of Arcanity representative of the Demihumans. I knew that this wolfman was exceptionally fast, but that was it. As such, I decided to y safe and use a gun for fast strikes, with a sword to defend myself if he ever got too close.


    And¡­ I had a gut feeling the power he disyed back when facing that Demihuman woman wasn''t even his full strength.


    The wolfman jumped at me again, this time with his steel w gauntlets activated, and I parried with my sword while unleashing another few shots from my gun. Once again, he retreated, avoiding them and squaring up for round three. This time, however, I was going on the offensive.


    Lifting my gun, I unleashed two shots¡ªone to the left of him, and one to the right. The wolfman seemed confused at my aim for a second, but I instantly dashed towards him using the Space Magic spell Blink and cut towards him with my katana.


    "Wha¡ª?!"


    The wolfman, clearly surprised at my sudden speed, instinctively dodged to the right since he couldn''t jump backwards due to my momentum, but as a result, he was struck by one of the two bullets I fired off earlier in preparation for this.


    I had timed everything perfectly.


    Square in the head, my Chaos-infused bullet struck, and the wolfman fell backwards into the sandy ground, making a dullnding sound.


    <em>¡­ He''s dead? Already? That was easy.</em>


    After inspecting his body for a while, I turned around and prepared to fly off, but just as I did so¡­


    "Oh¡­ oh¡­ now, we''re talkin''."


    I stopped, and turned around to see the wolfman rising from the ground, like a living corpse returning from the dead. His skin was no longer Demihuman, and now looked like silver steel. The gaping hole in his forehead was covered by this newyer of protection, and as it would seem¡­ my current weapons weren''t going to work on this anymore.


    "¡­ Finally showing your true strength?"


    "Heh¡­ you''d best toss those weapons away if you want any chance at hurting me. I''m warning ya."


    "¡­ Oh? And why is that?"


    "You''ll see in a second¡­ right after I kill you!"


    He suddenly dashed forward towards me on all-fours, no longer like human but more like a beast. A wolf, in particr. The ''human'' part of Demihuman was now pretty much gone, and his battle instincts had reverted to that of a beast in the wilderness.


    I shot a couple of bullets at the stampeding wolf, but they only ricocheted off the surface of his skin and did no harm whatsoever.


    <em>It''s even capable of resisting Chaos-infused bullets¡­? Looks like I''ll need to try something else then.</em>


    <em>Level Three Time Magic ¡ª Chronofreeze.</em>


    In an instant, the world turned greyscale and all motion froze, but the wolfman only slowed down. Still, it was enough for me to turn the situation around, circling around behind him and kicking him on the back, thrusting him into the ground.


    "AROOOOO!" He let out a loud howl, and resumed at normal speed as he kicked me off of him, and the world around us returned to colored.


    <em>What¡­ he canceled my Chronofreeze with that howl?</em>


    The wolfmanughed under his ragged breath and lumbered towards me.


    "Heheheheheh¡­ it''s been too long since I''vest had a fight this good¡­ let''s FINISH THIS!"

 Chapter 509 - Wolfmans Demise

    Chapter 509 ¨C Wolfman¡¯s Demise


    The wolfman wed towards me aggressively with his metal ws, not stopping for a moment or giving me any opportunity to turn the situation around. I was patient, however, and carefully evaded every single one of his blows, since parrying wouldn''t work. I tried it once already, and he was able to overpower my vampiric and angelic strength somehow in this form, so I resorted to simply dodging.


    "DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE ALREADY!" The wolfman yelled in fury, having beenpletely taken over by the bestial side of him. I narrowed my eyes, looking for a way to take advantage of that, but for now, I could only keep evading.


    There was something wrong with his psyche in this form. This wasn''t like his normal self, that was for sure.


    Or perhaps¡­ these were his true colors?


    The wolfman¡ªor perhaps at this point just ''wolf''¡ªgrowled and swung his metal ws at me once more, but this time, I spotted an opening¡ªhis throat. There, a tiny red gem was embedded in his otherwise dull navy blue steel armor. It was quite small, and the sheer speed of the wolfman made it impossible to notice it before, but since he jumped directly from my front this time, I was able to get a tiny glimpse at it.


    But a tiny glimpse was all I needed.


    I rolled backwards, evading the attack, and the wolfman swiped nothing but thin air with his sharp ws. Clearly enraged, it howled once more and followed after me, attempting to pounce on me once more, but this time, I was ready.


    Holding my katana up in defense, I waited. The wolfman grinned, thinking he had already won, but little did he know, this was just a bait tactic. He thought I was out of stamina to dodge, and could only attempt to block. He thought he could simply overpower me with brute strength and devour me whole.


    But then, I moved my katana slightly¡ªjust enough to reveal the gunpoint hiding behind its de.


    "¡ª?!" The wolfman let out a strange gurgle of confusion and surprise, clearly having not expected this. However, it was already toote.


    I pulled on the trigger, letting the bullets in the chamber fly. The first missed, thanks to the beast''s thrashing, but the second hit its mark, striking the red gemstone and shattering it to pieces.


    The beast''s body froze momentarily, then rolled over to the side and promptly copsed without a sound, now shut down for good. The armor on him faded away, revealing his original form, and I shot a couple bullets into his body just to make sure he was dead.


    "¡­ Whew."


    I rose to my feet and dematerialized my katana and reloaded Ace before cing it back in its holster.


    "Looks like my hunch was right. In this form of yours, you are stronger physically and far more durable, but something you would''ve been able to clearly seeing in your human form will be blinded to you in this form thanks to the bloodthirst that has consumed your heart."


    I had taken a wild risk, and it had turned out good for me. The victor of this battle was decide-


    "More¡­ I need¡­ more¡­ I can''t fall here¡­ not until DAMNED MAGIC HAS BEEN ERASED FROM THIS WORLD!"


    A loud battle cry that echoed across the ind and made the tides pick up erupted from behind me, and I immediately spun around in utter shock.


    "No way¡­ you''re still not dead¡­?!"


    "I have to say¡­ thank you, Xuan Kai¡­ you''re the first one to make me feel like I''ve truly lost in a fight, fair and square. You helped me ovee the final lock, the final challenge, of my power, the Ashen Wolf Bloodline. And now¡­ you will face its wrath, as my way of saying thank you. DIE, HUMAN!"


    "Uh, weird way of saying thank you, but-!" My sentence was cut short as he leaped at me even faster before, but this time, without the wildness. No¡­ this time, his movements were controlled. Calcted. Dangerous.


    This made him more deadly than before. It was as if the physical prowess of his second form and the intelligence and observance of his normal form hadbined to create a monster of a fighter, precise and fatal.


    "Tch¡­ looks like I''ll need to get serious now, huh?" I muttered to myself, narrowing my eyes. It''s been quite a while since Ist had to really try in a fight. But now¡­ I needed every card I had at my disposal, beginning with <em>this.</em>


    Calling upon the Celesticus blood within me drawn from Lin Luo, I forced a pair of wings to appear on my back, ck and glowing red. They were, like everything else when it came to me, fused with Chaos energy, and more powerful than the norm. I ascended into the air with then, then called upon the de of lightning Lin Luo had once used, fused with my Chaos katanas.


    "Now then¡­ let''s settle this."


    The wolfman grinned at my words, signaling that he too felt the same, then leaped up towards me. He could not fly like I could, but his jump height was able to reach me in the air.


    Like a dark shadow, the steel-skinned wolfman scraped at me with his sharp ws, but I evaded with my aerial agility and counterattacked, slicing at him with my sword. Unfortunately, it missed, but his dodging opened up another possibility for me.


    Grabbing him by the throat, I dove downwards as fast as I could with my wings, using my Chaosborne energy to elerate. I left behind a trail of red light emanating from the two eyes on each wing as I flew, and smashed the wolfman into the ground as hard as I could.


    Still, as iron-skinned as he was (literally), this did minimal damage. He grabbed me by the wrist and flipped me around so that I was now the one on the bottom, and began clobbering at my face.


    Or at least, he tried.


    From my hand shot a bolt of fire I had prepared before hand, striking the wolfman in the eye and burning it.


    "GRAGH!" He growled in pain, loosening his hold on me momentarily, and I took that opportunity to break free from underneath him and rise to the air once more. He, however, was not finished, and despite the ck and red fire that had already taken his left eye, he jumped up at me once more dauntlessly and still full of fighting spirit.


    I had to give him credit where it was due. But s, this was his story''s conclusion.


    I raised my sword up to the sky just like I had once witnessed Lin Luo do, and called upon the lightning of the heavens.


    "¡­ You''re a warrior, I''ll give you that," I said as my attack charged up. "But unfortunately¡­ your journey ends today."


    The grey clouds converged over my head, sending the entire ind into a dark thunderstorm, as red lightning pulsed around the ash-like clouds. My Chaos de sparked with energy as the electricity within it called forth the ones in the clouds, and for every second that passed, the wolfman''s doom drew nearer.


    "DIE¡­!"


    Time seemed to slow down as the wolfman swiped at me with his hand, having reached the required height with one final leap of faith, and I shut my eyes as I aimed the tip of my charged de towards him. The red, Chaosborne lightning that was above had now been fully channeled into my sword, and nothing, not even his steel armor, could resist this.


    This, was the end.


    A red surge of lightning shot out of my sword and struck the wolfman head-on, directly in the chest where his heart was. The wound was fatal.


    The attack wasn''t impressive. Nowhere as grand as Lin Luo''s had been. It was but a single, tinyser that wasn''t adequately prepared since this was my first time trying this, but it was enough.


    The wolfman froze in mid-air momentarily, before finally falling to the ground. This time, thending he made was not dull. It carried the weight of a soon-to-be-dead person, never to rise again.


    Receding my wings, Inded on the ground beside him, and walked closer before kneeling down beside his fading body.


    "¡­ You lost."


    "Heh¡­ yeah. I suppose I did."


    "I¡­ just have one question," I said after some hesitation, switching to afortable sitting position. "¡­ Why?"


    "Huh?" He chuckled to the best of his ability, and strangely, despite his dying figure, that chuckle held true happiness. "What do ya mean?"


    "I mean¡­ why did you want to do this? You could''ve simply pretended to be dead after the second phase, and live to fight another day. By that time, you already knew, didn''t you? That you couldn''t beat me."


    My words carried no arrogance. That wasn''t my intention at all. I simply wanted to know the answer to my question, and the wolfman knew that too.


    "Heh¡­ yeah. I did," he replied.. "I did, but¡­ I just couldn''t let go, I suppose."

 Chapter 510 - The Wolfs Story

    Chapter 510 ¨C The Wolf¡¯s Story


    "Let go?" I blinked at the wolfman''s answer. "Of what¡­?"


    "Of the past. You''re right, I should''ve lived to fight another day. But y''know¡­ I just ain''t that type of person. I''m headstrong, and stubborn. Always been that way. My little sister¡­ she used to berate me over that again and again. I was constantly annoyed about it, until¡­ ah."


    "Until¡­?"


    "¡­ She died."


    I opened my mouth in surprise, but then closed it again and only muttered a single phrase.


    "¡­ I''m sorry."


    "Heh. And what kind of idiot are you, apologizin'' to your enemy on the battlefield? Rx. It was a long time ago."


    "What was she killed by?" I asked before I could to stop myself. The wolfman didn''t seem to mind though, and instead only fell silent briefly. For a moment, I thought the guy had died, but was quickly corrected as he suddenly spoke again.


    "¡­ Magic."


    "¡­ What?"


    "My sister¡­ she always called me headstrong, but she''s the same herself. We share the same blood, after all. You see, we Ashen Bloodline wolves are¡­ considered outcasts by others of the same tribe. Over time, we were taught to fight for ourselves, and see ourselves as our own separate tribe. But that doesn''t change the fact that we have to use the same facilities as the others."


    "So¡­ your little sister was bullied?"


    "¡­ Yeah. Bullied. Then, raped. And finally¡­ killed."


    "¡­ All because she was of a different bloodline?"


    "Mhm. All because she was of a different bloodline."


    "And if I have to guess¡­ this Ashen Bloodline¡­ it has something to do with magic, huh?"


    "Damn straigh- cough, cough," the wolfman said, interrupted by a fit of coughs of blood, and as I moved to see if he was fine, he waved me off like it was nothing.


    "The Ashen Bloodline¡­ it began when an ancestor of mine got greedy in a water pool that was said to increase cultivation by a lot. The other members of the wolfhuman tribe at the time were meant to share that pool equally, but this guy took it all by himself, thus leading to a bloodline of more powerful wolfhumans that are discriminated against by the rest."


    "So that''s why you work alone too¡­"


    "¡­ But for whatever reason, each generation, only one can awaken to the powers of the bloodline. In this generation¡­ I was that one. My sister got nothing. The others were afraid to mess with me, but my sister¡­"


    "So¡­ without magic, none of this would''ve happened, huh? But don''t you think this is not caused by the existence of magic, but that ancestor''s greed?"


    "¡­ Heh. Maybe so. But can you erase greed from everyone? No. It''s built in human nature, whether you like it or not. But magic¡­ that''s possible to erase. I learned that from boss. And my ancestor¡­ that''s not all."


    "There''s more?" I prompted.


    "¡­ My sister. She was a capable fighter in her own right. Even though I had the power and she didn''t, she could hold her own against me in a one on one sparring battle. She could easily take on multiple foes and emerge victorious. But you know how they managed to beat her, humiliate her, and eventually kill her once they were done?"


    "¡­ Magic, huh?"


    "Yeah. Magic. If it''s a battle of fists, my sister can surely win. We wolfhumans have always been hand-to-hand fighters, not wusses that rely on this bullshit power called magic. But in recent years¡­ they''ve been teaching it in school. Those guys learned. And that''s how they beat my sister, who also knew magic but wasn''t an expert at it by any means."


    "¡­ I see."


    So this was his reason for hating magic so much. My father asked me to save them, but¡­ I couldn''t do that. Every point he made was a solid one. Every reason he had was a good one. He was looking for revenge, just as I once was. I could hardly say anything to him when I wasn''t any better.


    And since I could not save him¡­ I had to kill him, and put an end to this.


    "¡­ Are you ready?" I asked, and he gave a brief nod. I didn''t need to borate on what I meant. His entire body was paralyzed from the lightning I shot into it through the heart, and he could do little to resist what wasing next.


    Slowly, I cocked my gun and aimed it at his head.


    "¡­ You were a warrior, wolfhuman. Our fight¡­ it was a good one."


    "Heh. I agree. But don''t call me wolfhuman. Don''t lump me in with those guys. I have a name¡ªDaiki. Just call me that."


    "¡­ Daiki, huh?" I closed my eyes. "I see. I will remember it well."


    "Come on now, finish it. I won''t be able to realize my wish, but the other three will do it for me. All of them will be tougher opponents than I was. While I''m still your enemy and hope you lose against them¡­ I wish you good luck as a brother in arms, a fellow warrior."


    "¡­ Goodbye."


    "¡­ Mm."


    I pulled the trigger.


    It wasn''t painful. It wasn''t agonizing. It was a swift, painless death, delivered at the hands of myself. I made sure it was as smooth as possible, since I didn''t want him to suffer any further.


    After all, in his past, he has suffered enough.


    *****


    Through the exchange with the wolfman¡ªDaiki¡ªI learned many things. I was beginning to reconsider my perspective on magic, and realized that there were plenty of people in this world who suffered more than I did in my past. I always thought I had it the worst. But in reality, there''s always someone out there suffering more, experiencing far more pain than I could ever feel.


    I still didn''t want magic to be erased, of course. That would mean Mei Gui would disappear, and if there''s one thing I''ll never allow, it''s any harm thates to the girls¡ªany of them. But still, I learned a new angle to look at magic, after hearing Daiki''s story.


    I wonder¡­ was there some way I could ''fix'' magic without erasing it? Perhaps, make it so that it can only be used out of good will? No, that would be hardly a suitable solution¡­


    I sighed as I rose to the air and took off to return home. I already buried Daiki''s body on the uninhabited ind out of respect, of course, and was now facing a long trip home.


    Perhaps that was a good thing, though. Perhaps this would give me some time to clear my thoughts, which I really clearly needed right now.


    Not only was there the whole perspective thing about magic, I also had to think about the three uing Cardinals. Daiki had said all three were stronger than he was, and would prove to be tougher opponents. I didn''t know how to feel about that. Daiki alone was enough to make me actually get serious, so if the other three were even stronger than he was¡­ not to mention X, my father, at the very end, whom I possibly would have to fight as well as the ''final'' challenge.


    Soon, I arrived back at our private beach, where all the other girls were, as expected. I had told Mei Gui to bring them all here, after all. Apparently, while I was away, Amane had entrusted the tribe in The Fortress to her secretary, and was now joining us here.


    I was weed home by a hug from almost all of the girls as usual, and went to take a shower to clear my thoughts. Afterwards, they asked me about what happened, and I responded truthfully¡ªhow I killed Daiki, and how the other three Cardinals were going to be even harder to defeat. I didn''t tell them about Daiki''s backstory though, out of respect. He probably didn''t want me going around bbering about that stuff to everyone I meet, so I''ll keep his secret a secret.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t give me any information on the remaining 3 Cardinals'' abilities or powers. I knew what they looked like hazily, but other than that, they were allplete mysteries to me.


    In any case, though, tomorrow, we would be setting out for Aquira''s underwater temple with no dy. The more time we wasted, the more time the Cardinals had to chase us down and prepare. I didn''t know how I felt about going underwater or how we''ll even get there, but uh¡­ we''ll figure that out when we get there.


    As an aside, the girls wanted to do some <em>ahem</em> naughty<em> ahem</em> stuff with me that night, but I managed to convince them I was tired as hell (which I was) from the fight and the long flight home. They were disappointed, but after I promised to do it with them once all four Empyreans'' powers had been captured, they beamed happily and agreed to a deal.


    <em>¡­ Really, sometimes, I can''t tell if having a harem with such beautiful girls is good or not¡­</em>

 Chapter 511 - Aquiras Temple

    Chapter 511 ¨C Aquira¡¯s Temple


    The next morning, we set out early to head to Aquira''s underwater temple. Of course, to get there, we would need a boat. It was in the middle of the ocean, after all. So, as a result, we ended up calling upon the same dude who once took us over to Japan oversea: Mr. Zhou.


    Why did we choose him? Well, the answer was simple. Since he was a frencer, he didn''t have to follow regtions or rules of the system in ce. As long as we paid him a respectful amount of money, he would do what we asked him to do without question.


    Our destination was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That meant the journey by boat was a lot longer, but that''s also why we set out early. We originally thought we weren''t going to find Mr. Zhou there given the time, but surprisingly enough, he was actually there at his old shack where we expected he was.


    In any case, by the time noon rolled around, we had roughly reached where we were meant to go ording to GPS. It was quite literally in the middle of the ocean, with nond anywhere in sight. No one would''ve guessed this was in fact the location for the hiddenir for a primal god''s inheritance (or rather, goddess).


    "Alright, we''re here now. The only problem is¡­ how we''re going to get down there," I muttered, rubbing my chin in thought.


    "Hmph¡­ step aside," Yu An Xue said to my surprise, and she stepped past me on the edge of the boat deck, before closing her eyes gently.


    "Level Three Water Magic ¡ª Bubble Shield."


    Instantly, a bubble formed around my body, like a thinyer of protection. It was spherical, and unbreakable. I could reach out, but the bubble only extended to amodate my movements. It didn''t limit anything, and I could still cast magic and stuff just fine, but¡­


    "¡­ And this does¡­?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Try jumping¡­ into the water," Yu An Xue said, pointing at the blue sea below. I gulped.


    "¡­ You''re not trying to kill me, right?"


    Yu An Xue shook her head. "Believe."


    "Okay¡­ believe. Alright. I suppose I should believe in one of my future wives¡­"


    At this, Yu An Xue smiled briefly, liking the title I just gave her, and I leaped into the water below.


    Surprisingly enough, my body remainedpletely dry. The bubble served as a thin but usefulyer of protection, keeping the water out and air in. It essentially allowed me to breathe underwater, extracting the oxygen from the water around. I didn''t know how deep I could go until the pressure overwhelmed this bubble wrapping, but since An Xue''s been around me for a while, her magic has been influenced by my Chaos somewhat, so it shouldst longer than the norm.


    Soon, the other three girls dived in beside me, all encased in the same bubbleyer. The chosen ones for this squad were Lan Xiao Su, Yu An Xue, and Mei Gui, all three of which had Water Magic. Mei Gui was always a must-have, since she had the highest fighting power out of all the girls, and especially now since she was the only one other than me who could resist antimagic.


    Deep in the water, it was incredibly hard to see. As such, I created lights for all three girls and myself, and held hands with each other to avoid being swept away by the tide. As we were directly above the coordinates of the temple when we hopped off the bridge, we just had to head straight down. Naturally, it was a bit difficult to make sure we were heading straight down, but we could always check our direction by looking up at the surface and seeing the bottom of the boat.


    Soon, we arrived on the ocean bed. Or at least, what we thought was the seabed. Considering how deep the Pacific Ocean was, there was no way we should''vended on solid ground this early.


    Which meant that we hadnded on something else¡ªand exactly what we were looking for. Below us, a circr lock was embedded within the stone roof of the structure, colored a deep teal by the ocean water all around us.


    "There''s some kind ofbination lock-like thing here," I said using Sound Magic. "Any ideas?"


    "Hm¡­ I don''t think it''s abination lock," Lan Xiao Su replied. "It should be something a lot simpler¡­ like this."


    Swimming closer to the circr-looking mechanism, Xiao Su gently set her hands on it despite the bubble wrap, and pressed down on it.


    The circr stone spun around upon being pushed down into the depression, and the middle of it opened up like a vortex. It wouldn''tst for long, however, as it was already beginning to close.


    "Hurry! Let''s go!" I yelled, and swam towards the vortex as fast as I could. The girls followed since I was practically tugging them along with my hands, and soon, we just barely managed to make it inside with the help of the suction force from the opening itself.


    Naturally though, going inside the structure meant the buoyancy of the water was no longer there, and the four of us copsed one after another onto the harsh stone ground of the interior, before being sshed by a bucket-full of water that didn''t make us wet thanks to the bubble shields but still hurt somewhat from the impact.


    More urately, though, Inded first since I went in first, and the three girls all fell on me. I''m sure there were people out there who enjoyed getting fell on by girls, but I wasn''t one of those people. They weren''t heavy, but the three of thembined hurt. A lot.


    "Gah¡­" I struggled to my feet, deciding againstining. If I did that, they would get mad and think I was saying they were heavy. They were pretty self-conscious about things like that, so going into that territory probably wasn''t a good idea.


    Still, we were here, it would seem. I looked around and took in the view. This ce was an underground temple, made of stone that had aged for eons now yet still stood firmly in ce. We were on a stone sidewalk between the walls, with streams of water on either side of the sidewalk acting as space that separated us from the walls.


    On said walls, various small statues made to describe the Aquarius zodiac sign arched out of the pirs, each holding a vase in their sculptured hands that poured out a seemingly endless supply of clear blue water. It had a nice aesthetic to it, and the temple seemed to go deeper in and down.


    "¡­ Well, we can get rid of these bubble wraps now," I said as Yu An Xue disabled them for all four of us. "And now¡­ let''s head in."


    The temple''s structure was a downwards spiral staircase, circling around over and over again as we descended further in altitude. Thankfully, however, it was nowhere as long as Aerim''s sky castle or Terrarim''s mountain descent. We only had to go a few rounds before arriving at a set of double doors, and for a second, we thought that was it¡ªwe hadpleted the Temple and the prize was right beyond these doors¡ªbut that wishful thinking was quickly perished as we pushed them open and saw whaty beyond.


    "This¡­ wow," Lan Xiao Su murmured.


    Wow indeed.


    Before us, a glorious descending staircasey, and beyond it, a massive waterfall. In front of the curtain of water, a enormous statue of a chalicey, and to the left and right, two paths diverged and headed into different directions.


    "Aesthetically speaking, this already beats both of the other two templesbined," I said, folding my arms. "And practically speaking too¡­ this has been far easier than the other two to traverse, despite being underwater."


    The other girls nodded in agreement, and together, we headed down the staircase, soon arriving before the massive chalice. Embedded on the pedestal was a white gemstone that looked like it could be pressed.


    "Hm¡­ the waterfall¡­ there is a door hidden behind it," Yu An Xue suddenly said, and we turned to her, who was busy inspecting the waterfall ahead of us carefully.


    "Oh¡­ now that you mention it¡­" I narrowed my eyes, just able to make out a set ofrge stone double doors hidden behind the waterfall. "You''re right. Let me try opening it."


    Creating a wind wall above myself using Sky Magic, I walked closer to the double doors. The water copsed above me heavily, but my Chaos air wall was impossible to prate with a mere waterfall.


    These double doors, however, were quite interesting. I attempted to push them open, but they didn''t budge. There were six gemstones simr to the one on the chalice on the door, three white and three blue, spread out evenly among the two doors.


    It would seem this was a puzzle we would have to solve, if we wanted to progress through here.

 Chapter 512 - Waterfalls And Chalices

    Chapter 512 ¨C Waterfalls And Chalices


    "So¡­ any ideas?" I asked the girls, folding my arms.


    "Just¡­ bust through," Yu An Xue said defiantly, clenching her fist in determination.


    "Um¡­ I doubt that''s going to work," Lan Xiao Su said awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "After all¡­ this is Aquira''s temple. And she favors gentleness and kindness, does she not?"


    "Yeppers," Aerim said, exiting out of my soul from nowhere and hovering beside me in her gas form. "She''s the most ''god''-like one of us all. Benevolent and kind, Aquira is. Everyone is on her good side until they aren''t~"


    "¡­ Right. So, breaking through is out of the question," I muttered with a sigh. "That leaves unlocking this door the proper way. But the question is¡­ how?"


    "Well¡­ the symbols on this door consist of three blue tear-shaped gemstones and three white rhombus-shaped ones," Lan Xiao Su analyzed. "The chalice behind us right here has one of those blue tear-shaped gemstones embedded within its pedestal."


    "In other words¡­ the two are connected, somehow," Mei Gui muttered, deep in thought. "I agree with Lan Xiao Su, Master."


    I nodded. "Yeah¡­ it can''t be a coincidence. Let''s check it out."


    Circling back around to the front of the chalice, I pressed my finger on the blue tear-shaped gemstone on the stone pedestal. Suddenly, it lit up as if activated, but¡­


    ¡­ Nothing else particrly noteworthy happened.


    "Huh¡­" I scratched my hair, at a loss for what to do next. "Nothing happened¡­?"


    "No," Lan Xiao Su interjected, pointing at the waterfall. "Look¡ªbehind it, you can see one of the blue gemstones lit up as well."


    Indeed, she was right. Behind the waterfall, on the massive stone double doors, one of the six gemstones had lit up in correspondence with the one on the chalice. It was faint and barely visible due to the thick waterfall, but it was there.


    "So¡­ I''m assuming when all six gemstones are lit up, the doors will open?" I arched an eyebrow.


    "Yes, that seems to be the case," Lan Xiao Su replied. "Which means¡­ there should be other chalices around here somewhere. We should explore."


    I nodded. "Xiao Su, you''re with me. Mei Gui, go with An Xue. We''ll take the left side, and you two can take the right to save time."


    "Understood, Master."


    "Got it!"


    With that, we parted ways, splitting our group of four into tag teams of two. Lan Xiao Su and I headed down the left path from the chalice and turned right so we headed deeper into the temple, while Mei Gui and An Xue went down the right path and turned left to do the same.


    What we found waiting for us was an elevator of some sort. There was an option to go the left too through a set of doors as well, but the elevator seemed more interesting.


    As Xiao Su and I approached, the doors slid open on their own¡ªbut it was strange. Where was this elevator supposed to take us if the doors were facing this way? Down, perhaps?


    But upon closer inspection, I noticed that there were doors on the other end as well. That meant this elevator would take us up, towards the ledge above us. Once again, Sky Magic was banned here. Aquira wanted us to do this puzzle properly, and I had no intention of cheating it.


    As such, after confirming that Mei Gui and An Xue were also met with the same thing, Xiao Su and I entered the elevator. The doors rolled shut, and as expected, we felt ourselves elevating. It wasn''t a very long trip, and nor was the distance traveled. The doors soon rolled open once more¡ªbut this time, on the other end instead of the ones we entered from.


    Xiao Su and I stepped out, and found another chalice directly ahead of us. This one, however, had a white rhombus-shaped gemstone in it rather than the blue one on the previous one.


    Without hesitation, I pressed on this one as well¡ªand as expected, the gem lit up white. Following the same logic as before, a white gemstone on those double doors should''ve simrly done the same.


    That was two done. After checking in with Mei Gui, however, that number quickly rose to three as they simrly had activated another white gemstone.


    Now, only three remained.


    To our left was a door, and after nodding at each other, Xiao Su and I entered¡ªit was unlocked. What greeted us, however¡­ was a broken bridge.


    On the other end was another chalice, with another blue gemstone embedded within its pedestal. But between where we were and the chalice''s location, there was no bridge. Down below was a waterfall that led into a deep ck abyss, and since we couldn''t simply fly across¡­ well, needless to say, we were screwed.


    "Hm¡­ this doesn''t make sense," Lan Xiao Su murmured. "Why make a door lead here only to an empty bridge¡­?"


    "Wait. Look over there," I said, pointing towards the chalice. "There''s a staircase leading up to it¡­ and it connects to the door¡­ from down below?"


    "Huh¡­ looks like we''ll need to backtrack and ess it from there, then."


    I nodded, and the two of us retraced our steps, going back down the elevator and heading for the doors beside it down below. But¡­


    "¡­ It''s locked?"


    "Then how are we supposed to get to that chalice¡­" I muttered, scratching my head.


    "Wait," Lan Xiao Su said, carefully analyzing the lock on the door. "This looks like it can be opened from the other side¡ªwhich means there has to be a way across to that chalice, somewhere."


    That''s true, but¡­


    With a sigh, we headed back up the elevator, confused and perplexed. This time, however, when I tried going back into that room with the broken bridge, Xiao Su didn''t follow. Figuring that she was thinking about something, I headed in on my own and looked for any clues of an alternative way across.


    Unfortunately, I found nothing¡ªno upwards route, no secret lever to activate a bridge, no nothing. We werepletely stuc-


    Suddenly, a waterfall opened up on the ceiling and poured down between the tform we were on and the tform the other chalice was on. Magically, rather than falling directly into the void below, it hit a seemingly invisible surface in mid-air and formed¡­ a bridge.


    "Xiao Su!" I called out. "What did you do?"


    From behind me, Xiao Su entered through the doors triumphantly. With a smile, she replied.


    "I turned off the white gemstone chalice. I think I''ve got an idea on how this operates."


    I blinked, impressed. "How?"


    "In essence, the blue gemstones activate water mechanisms, and the white gemstones disable them. In this case, this bridge was already here, but the white gemstone we activated on that chalice deactivated it. The only problem is¡­"


    "¡­ I doubt we''ll both be able to get across using this," I muttered, and Xiao Su nodded.


    "Correct. One of us has to stay behind and activate the other chalice again."


    "That''s fine," I said. "You can take care of that. I''ll go across this¡­ bridge."


    I didn''t want Xiao Su to go across this in case it wasn''t stable, so I''ll leave the other chalice up to her. She nodded and didn''t argue, although worry lined her face.


    Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself. Even though I didn''t think Aquira was like Aerim and would prank me, letting me fall to my death, this was still not easy. The water bridge looked pretty much transparent, and it was like walking on ss but far more frightening.


    Slowly, I stepped one foot out. As soon as my boot contacted the water, I felt myself sink into it a little, and my eyes widened as I clenched my fists.


    "¡­ Okay. It''ll be fine," I told myself, gulping. After making sure my foothold was stable, I took another step.


    Once again, my foot sank into the water a little, but it held firm. It certainly wasn''t an easy feeling¡ªI felt like if I budged one inch, I would copse and fall through this thinyer of water.


    Soon, however, I finally made it across the bridge. The relief I felt when I finally reached the other end of the bridge was indescribable. Lan Xiao Su shed me a thumbs up from the other end, and I headed for the chalice in front of me before activating the blue tear-shaped gemstone embedded in its pedestal.


    Instantly, the waterfall in the ceiling opened up again, and this time, it didn''t stop. The waterfall served as a curtain and blockade, preventing anyone else from going across. The pressure was enough that if any other weight fell on the bridge, they would fall straight through.


    "I''ll see you down below!" Lan Xiao Su hollered, and I shed her an ''ok'' hand gesture before heading down the stairs.


    Just as she had stated, the doors were able to be opened from this side. I emerged just in time to see Lan Xiao Su emerge from the elevators, and I smiled.


    "And that''s that. Now¡­ how''s Mei Gui and An Xue doing?"

 Chapter 513 - The Water Empyrean

    Chapter 513 ¨C The Water Empyrean


    After making sure Xiao Su activated the chalice holding the white gemstone, we regrouped at the main, bigger chalice in front of the waterfall hiding the massive stone double doors. There, Mei Gui and An Xue rendezvoused with us as well, having done the same things we had.


    "So¡­ there''s only one gem left to go, huh?" I muttered, inspecting the doors behind the waterfall.


    "Yes, Master," Mei Gui replied. "It is a white one."


    "But¡­ where could it be?" Lan Xiao Su wondered aloud. "Both sides were perfectly symmetrical, each containing two chalices, and plus this one in the center makes five. Did we miss one, by any chance¡­?"


    "Hm¡­ I don''t think so," I said in reply, trying my best to recall our journey down here. "These things aren''t exactly easy to hide, and if we saw something as grand as one of these chalices, I''m sure it would stick in our heads."


    "Well¡­ thest one is a white gemstone one, correct?" Lan Xiao Su snapped her fingers. "Perhaps it is hidden behind a water mechanism that needs to be disabled?"


    "No¡­ look."


    All of us turned to see where Yu An Xue was pointing, and all at once, our eyes widened.


    "¡­ You''ve got to be kidding me."


    "How are we supposed to reach <em>that?"</em>


    "Hm¡­ Master, perhaps I can st it down."


    "No, you will not. If just brute forcing things was possible here, I would''ve shot open this door a long time ago."


    In any case, our surprise was justified. High above us, a massive chalice was being held within the hands of the stone statue pouring water out from it, and it was also what was creating the waterfall blockading the double doors.


    "Of course the final chalice would be the one to deactivate the waterfall mechanism¡­" I muttered, racking my head. "Why didn''t I think of this sooner¡­?"


    It was like a gate that opened after defeating the final boss¡ªit should''ve been obvious. And yet, we had all been so concerned with what was before our eyes that we didn''t even bother truly observing from a distance.


    The only problem was¡­ now that they''ve found where they need to go, how do they actually get up there?


    Then, recalling the elevators from earlier, I smiled.


    "¡­ I think I may know the way up."


    *****


    "You want to climb up¡­ from here?" Lan Xiao Su arched an eyebrow, ncing up and down dubiously.


    "Yeah. Is there a problem? Can''t reach?"


    "Er, no, but¡­ should we really be walking on top of a statue of a goddess?" Lan Xiao Su murmured. "I mean, isn''t that kind of disrespectful?"


    "It''ll be fine, it''ll be fine," Aerim said, waving her words off. "Aquira doesn''t hold grudges like this. You''ll have to try a <em>lot</em> harder than that to get on her bad side."


    "Alright then¡­ here I go."


    With a smirk, I climbed onto the massive statue''s arm¡ªright beside the chalice on top of the elevator on the left side. Then, I continued onto its shoulder, to its neck, and finally, up on top of its head.


    "Sorry, passing by¡­" I muttered under my breath as I squeezed past, my back against the wall, and dropped down onto its other shoulder. And like a waterslide, I slid down onto its massive stone hand, and grabbed onto the chalice''s edge. From where I was, I couldn''t quite touch the gemstone, so I had to circle around while grabbing onto the chalice''s edge. With my physical strength, that was easy¡ªbut the waterfall certainly was not.


    The gemstone was only mere inches away, but I couldn''t reach it because of the stupid waterfall pouring out of the chalice. If I tried getting closer, I would get sent crushed into the ground from the weight of the water.


    <em>Oh wait¡­ if my hand can''t reach, then¡­</em>


    "Hngh¡­"


    Reaching as far as I could with my foot, I felt desperately around for the gemstone¡ªuntil atst, a harmonious sound could be heard, and the waterfall flowing out of the chalice ceased.


    <em>Yes! Got it!</em>


    Immediately, I let go, andnded back on the ground below with no issue at all despite the fall of about 30 meters, before dusting my clothes off and letting out a breath of relief.


    "Wow¡­ it really worked," Lan Xiao Su murmured,ing up behind me.


    "What, did you doubt me?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "Not particrly. It''s just¡­ well, I thought Aquira would be mad¡­?"


    "Don''t¡­ jinx¡­ it," Yu An Xue said sharply.


    "R-Right¡­"


    "It''ll be fine," I reassured. "Don''t stress it."


    Approaching the stone double doors, now cleared of the obstacle in the way, I gently attempted to push them open. The six jewels on it, three blue and tear-shaped, three white and rhombus-shaped, shone even brighter momentarily, and the millennium-old doors opened up slowly.


    On the other end was a tight bridge that led to an empty circr tform in the middle. Beyond the tform was another tight bridge of the same length, and another set of doors. Surrounding the tform and bridge segments was¡ªof course¡ªdeep blue water, but other than that, there seemed to be nothing worth mentioning in the room.


    "What is this ce¡­?" Lan Xiao Su murmured as we walked across the bridge. It felt amazingly stablepared to the water bridge from before, and I was grateful for that.


    As soon as we stepped foot on the circr tform, however, we had our answer.


    "Wee, O Seekers of Immortality."


    Immediately, the four of us froze, wondering where the gentle yet divine female voice wasing from.


    "¡­ It''s her¡­ the Empyrean of Water, Aquira¡­" Xiao Su whispered.


    "I understand what you havee here searching for. I also sense my brother and sister, Terrarim and Aerim, within you. However, if you want my approval, you will first have to pass my test."


    "Pass your test?" I raised an eyebrow. "Wasn''t that puzzle out there it?"


    "You have already passed the first segment. I apud you for that. However, nowes the second and final segment. It is a simple question, but not an easy one. I ask that you answer it¡ªnothing more, nothing less."


    <em>Just answering a question¡­?</em>


    "¡­ Hmph. Bring it on," I said confidently, even though I was sure there was a hidden string attached of some sort.


    "Very well," Aquira replied, and suddenly, the tform we were on began¡­ descending.


    "W-Whoa-!" I stabilized my bnce quickly, and the girls did the same. At this rate, we were going to all fall into this water, and who knew how deep it was?


    Meanwhile, however, Aquira continued speaking in a calm manner as if what was happening had nothing to do with her at all.


    "I ask you this, O Seeker of Immortality: Immortality, or a day spent with your loved ones. Which shall you choose?"


    "Heh," I chuckled. "Is that even a question? Of course I choose¡­ immortality."


    "Wha-?!" The girls all looked at me, shocked that I would make this choice, but the tform descending did indeed stop.


    Then, slowly, it began rising, back to its original altitude.


    "¡­ I see," Aquira said. "A wise decision. You are keen with words, young man."


    "Not really," I replied with a snicker. "I just pay attention to detail, that''s all."


    "What¡­" Yu An Xue was still confused, so Mei Guiid it out for her.


    "She never specified that Master''s loved ones would die if he chose immortality," she exined. "We just all assumed that would be the case. Even if Master did choose immortality, he could still spend a different day with his loved ones."


    "I see¡­ I really fell for that," Lan Xiao Su murmured.


    "Rx," I said. "I''d never choose anything over you guys, no matter how good that something is."


    "Master¡­"


    "Xuan Kai¡­"


    As the girls looked at me with flushed expressions and gentle smiles, Aquira interrupted our moment of romance with her divine words.


    "Proceed, O Seeker of Immortality. I shall meet you in the next room."


    As the doors ahead of us opened up on their own, I sighed.


    "¡­ Well then. Let''s not keep her waiting, shall we?"


    *****


    Within the next room, paradisey.


    That was not an exaggeration. With the sheer beauty of this ce, you could call it an underwater heaven and no one would argue.


    All around us, there was water. It was like we were deep inside the ocean, but in a perfectly transparent ss cage that let us still have oxygen and whatnot. It was like one of those tunnels in aquariums that attempted to create an underwater vibe with fish and nts all around, except this was far more realistic and didn''t have any borders.


    Ahead of us, a woman wearing white robes stood, back turned against us. She had long, navy blue hair, and remained barefoot so we could see her light skin.


    As we got closer, she turned around, revealing her electrifying blue eyes that matched the color of the sea, and we all came to a stop as she opened her mouth to speak.


    "¡­ Wee, O Seekers of Immortality.. My name is Aquira¡ªand I, am the Empyrean of Water."

 Chapter 514 - Trapped

    Chapter 514 ¨C Trapped


    "Uh¡­ hi there," I said awkwardly in reply, unsure of what to say back to a god when they greeted you.


    "Long time no see, Sister Aquira," Terrarim said in my soul, and Aquira nodded as if acknowledging his words.


    "Yes. It has truly been a long time. And Aerim¡­ you, I see, are as annoying as ever."


    "E-Eek!" Aerim squealed as she was caught, and obediently took off her invisibility. She had been trying to sneak up behind Aquira and prank her, but it failed miserably. After all, Aquira''s known Aerim since¡­ well, since the world was created.


    "In any case¡­" Aquira cleared her throat. "You passed all of my tests, so you shall receive your due reward. Come closer, child."


    It felt weird being called a ''child'' by a woman who looked to be not much older than I was, but I knew better than to argue with a god. She could pass for my older sister, but it''s whatever.


    Stepping closer to her until we were mere inches apart, I came to a stop.


    "Is this fine?" I asked, but she did not respond.


    Instead, she suddenly took a step forward herself, and brought her faces close together.


    "¡ª!"


    "W-Wha¡­!" The girls watching all dropped their jaws in shock, and I waspletely frozen still. As Aquira''s lips touched mine, I felt my brain cease function, and my body lose all sense of movement.


    Before I knew it, however, she had pulled away. But me? I was still left in a state of utter shock and surprise.


    "Uh¡­"


    "Done," she said. "I have given you your reward."


    "W-Wait, what?" I cut in. "That was my reward?!"


    "Yes. Is there a problem?"


    "Uh¡­ how do I put this¡­ I was expecting some sort of power¡­ I don''t know¡­"


    "What are you talking about?" Aquira asked, narrowing her eyes. "That is exactly what I gave you."


    "H-Huh?" I blinked, confused and dazed.


    "What she <em>means</em> to say is that kiss just now was just her method of giving it to you, idiot," Aerim said with a snicker. "Really, you have so many beauties around you, but you still get so flustered at getting kissed? How pitiful."


    "There''s a significant difference between having girls around me and getting kissed by a literal goddess," I replied, frowning. "Besides¡­ I doubt you''ve even kissed anyone before, have you? So shut it."


    "W-W-What are you talking about, mortal?! O-Of course I have¡­ kissed someone before¡­"


    "Yeah¡­ sure you have," I muttered, shaking my head. "Anyway, what''s the power I received? I don''t particrly feel any different."


    In response, Aquira only lifted her arm at me. And in her hand¡­


    ¡­ Was a gun.


    "W-Whoa there! Where the hell did you get that fr-"


    She pulled the trigger.


    "¡ª!"


    I froze as the bullet prated my heart, and¡­


    And¡­ nothing happened.


    I nced down at my body, and there wasn''t even a wound there where the bullet had pierced me. At the moment of impact, I had felt it enter and exit my chest, but it didn''t hurt. My organs weren''t even damaged either.


    "¡­ What just happened¡­?" Lan Xiao Su murmured in shock, and I could only blink at her.


    "That''s what I''m wondering too¡­"


    "I see¡­ Master, your body has turned into water," Mei Gui exined after some observation.


    I froze. "¡­ Come again?"


    Mei Gui touched my chest, poked it a little, then rubbed her chin.


    "Hm¡­ it would seem your body will only automatically turn to water against a hostile force."


    "¡­ You can''t be serious. Does that mean I''m immune from all physical attacks now?"


    "In essence, yes," Aquira replied, finally lowering her gun that I still don''t know how the hell she got. "However, like any other material entity, water is not infinite. Every time you take an attack, a little bit of water in your body will disappear. Eventually, only your real flesh will remain, and you will be rendered vulnerable. The water will replenish itself over time, but take care not to rely on it too much."


    "I see¡­ but uh¡­ where did you get that gun, first of all?"


    "Oh¡­ so this device is called a gun," Aquira murmured to herself, inspecting the pistol up and down in her hand. "How interesting. It was in an ocean somewhere, and I simply pulled it. All water is part of my body, after all."


    "So¡­ even I''m part of your body now?" I arched an eyebrow.


    "You could say that, yes."


    "Huh¡­"


    <em>Also, who the hell thought it would be a good idea to just toss a loaded gun into the ocean?</em>


    "Well, now that we''ve got what we came for, let''s head back," Lan Xiao Su said, stretching her arms. "Whew¡­ that was a journey."


    "Right. But¡­" I turned to Aquira. "Can you¡­ uh, live, outside water?"


    "There is water everywhere, child. Thus, I am everywhere. In your tears, in your sweat, in your-"


    "Alright, I get it, that''s enough, thanks. What I meant to ask was¡­ are you going to be staying in my soul as well, like Terrarim and Aerim?"


    "¡­ Hm, yes, I suppose I shall. There is must to catch up on, after all."


    "Don''t worry, kiddo. Our discussions won''t distract you," Terrarim added friendlily.


    <em>They better not.</em>


    *****


    With that, our return trip was easy. Aquira simply sent us directly to the surface of the ocean with her powers, and we emergedpletely dry and unscathed. The only problem was¡­ where the hell was the boat?


    "¡­ This¡­ doesn''t look like¡­ where we went¡­ in," Yu An Xue muttered, ncing around at our surroundings. Yes, we were still in the middle of nowhere, but there was definitely a difference between where we dove underwater in the morning and here. The atmosphere¡­ felt different.


    "What''s going on¡­" Lan Xiao Su asked herself, trying to search for any clues but to no avail.


    I narrowed my eyes. "Aquira¡­ I''m going to go ahead and assume this isn''t your doing?"


    "It is not. I merely sent you all to the surface. Theoretically speaking, you should have emerged directly where you entered my temple hours earlier."


    "Then that means on the way up¡­ we were teleported, somehow."


    "¡­ Master, I am sensing a powerful hostile signature nearby," Mei Gui suddenly said. "Be careful."


    "¡­ It''s got to be them," I muttered, and after ncing around, I hollered. "Hey! Mr. Cardinal of the Midnight Syndicate! We know you''re there! Why don''t you stop being a coward ande face us head-on?"


    Despite knowing full well such a taunting strategy was not going to work on an opponent who was beginning their fight with us like this, I still decided to use it anyway. Surprisingly enough, I actually received a response¡ªbut naturally, the opponent didn''t truly show themselves.


    "Heheheheh¡­" An old woman cackled, voice aged and creepy. "You''ve fallen straight into my trap, just as intended¡­ kukukukuku¡­ don''t even think about escaping now¡­"


    Theughter faded away into the wind, and I furrowed my brows a little.


    "¡­ Well then. Thanks for uh, letting us know."


    Then, turning to the girls, I sighed.


    "¡­ Looks like we have no choice but to try and break out of here. Mei Gui, you carry Xiao Su. I''ll carry An Xue¡ªwe can get a better view from the sky."


    Mei Gui nodded in agreement, and together, we took off into the air, each of us carrying one. But even after we flew far high up¡­ there was nothing in the distance but endless sea.


    It was almost as if we had been transported to an alternate pocket dimension with no way out. Eventually, we would starve to death¡ªit would seem that was the goal of whoever trapped us here.


    I had to admit, it was a smart tactic. Certainly a lot more devious than the wolfman who challenged me head-on. It was clear just from their method of attacking that they were a lot more experienced in doing this kind of thing¡ªand a lot more evil at the same time.


    Too bad¡­


    I had the perfect counter.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Zero.</em>


    A pulse of ck and red chaos energy shot out from my body, not damaging anyone or anything. Rather, it served to erase anything made of magic¡ªif I had to guess, this was just some kind of glorified version of the domain Ling Xin once trapped me in. Following that logic, if my Forbidden Magic worked on that, then it should work on this too.


    However¡­ contrary to my expectations¡­ it didn''t.


    "¡­ What''s wrong, Master?" Mei Gui asked.


    "¡­ Zero. It''s not working here, for whatever reason."


    "Impossible. Zero erases everything created by magic¡ª"


    "What if it''s not created by magic?" Lan Xiao Su interjected, deep in thought. "I mean¡­ it doesn''t necessarily have to be created by magic, no? If these people are truly experimenting with antimagic, it wouldn''t make sense for them to use magic themselves."


    "That''s true," I muttered in reply. "My father told me all Four Cardinals each have their own reasons for hating magic¡­ if that''s the case, then they shouldn''t use it."


    "But if it''s not magic¡­" Mei Gui narrowed her eyes, ncing out at the horizon that seemed to have no end. "¡­ Just what is it?"

 Chapter 515 - The Old Hag

    Chapter 515 ¨C The Old Hag


    "Don''t tell me¡­ this really is another dimension?" I frowned, inspecting the infinite and vast seas all around us. "If so, how are we going to break out?"


    "¡­ There is a spell that can get us out of this situation. However, I am not sure if you are strong enough to use it yet, Master."


    "If it''s the only way, then it''s not like we have much of a choice," I said. "What is it?"


    "¡­ Time," Mei Gui replied. "Rewinding time."


    "R-Rewinding time¡­?" Lan Xiao Su''s eyes widened. "Is that even possible¡­? I''ve heard legends of that being the most powerful Time Element spell of all, but its usage was lost to the ages¡­"


    "It is possible," Mei Gui said confidently. "But only with the power of Chaos¡ªfor it is a Forbidden Rank Spell."


    "Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "I thought the Forbidden Rank was only for Chaos Element spells¡ªy''know, the special ones like Thief''s Hand or Zero."


    "That is partly true," Mei Gui replied. "However, due to the limitations of singr elements themselves, they cannot create such powerful spells on their own. With the help of Chaos energy, however, insanely powerful spells can be crafted. Each element has a spell like this, and while there is no collective, formal term for them, I believe ''Lost Arts'' is a suitable name¡ªconsidering most have been lost to time."


    "And the one¡­ for the Time Element is¡­" Yu An Xue trailed off.


    "¡­ Yes," Mei Gui finished. "Rewinding time."


    "Well then," I cracked my knuckles. "¡­ How do I cast this spell?"


    *****


    ¨C Meanwhile, Outside the Pocket Dimension ¨C


    "Heheheheheh¡­ it''s over¡­ I''ve trapped them in my perfect trap!" The old woman cackled evilly, shrieking like some sort of psychopath. "Are you seeing this, my son?! I''m using your invention to kill the only obstacles left in my path to securing your revenge! AHAHAHA!"


    Of course, no one responded to her. It was just an old woman, rambling and screaming to herself mindlessly.


    "Soon, you will all perish¡­ from hunger, from thirst, from desperation¡­ you will all DIE, at the hands of ME! AHAHAHA!"


    With those crazy words paired withughter that marked her insanity, the old hag walked away triumphantly while holding the pocket dimension Magic Artifact within her hand.


    *****


    ¨C Inside the Pocket Dimension ¨C


    "Close your eyes, Master," Mei Gui said. "Casting these high-rank Forbidden Rank spells require a lot more skill and understanding than normal ones."


    I did as told, closing my eyes and easing my mind. We sat on the lone ind at the center of the pocket dimension, infinite seas all around us.


    "To cast these spells, you must clear your mind, Master. Think of nothing else but the condensation of Chaos within your body, and feel your mana running through your veins."


    I followed to her instructions obediently, keeping my breathing steady and my pacing even. Despite the situation we were in, I remained as calm as a feather on water, creating gentle ripples around it.


    "Now¡­ focus, and repeat in your mind after me," Mei Gui said. "Time Forbidden Magic ¡ª Chronobreak."


    <em>Time Forbidden Magic ¡ª Chronobreak.</em>


    Instantly, I felt a surge of energy erupt through my veins, and all around me, a bright white sh ensued.


    I was taken to a different world, a world with nothing except arge analog clock, and I witnessed as the clock''s hand went backwards. Then, another sh ensued, and before I knew it, I was¡­ back on the boat.


    All around me, the girls chattered happily, talking about everything from food to their favorite clothing brands.


    I blinked.


    "¡­ Holy shit. It actually worked."


    "Hm?" Lan Xiao Su blinked at me in confusion. "What actually worked?"


    "O-Oh, uh¡­ nothing," I muttered in reply, sinking into thought at the same time.


    <em>So¡­ it seems they are unaware of what happened¡­ I also can''t detect Amenoch in my soul anymore. Terrarim and Aerim aren''t saying anything about it either¡­ it would seem no one except me realizes what happened.</em>


    <em>"Master, do not say anything unnecessary,"</em> Mei Gui suddenly said in my head, and I was taken by surprise.


    <em>¡­ Mei Gui, you remember?</em>


    <em>"Yes. As it is a Forbidden Spell, only those with direct affinities of Chaos will be able to remember what happened and sense the change. However, keep in mind that as we are in the past, take caution not to alter it too much, or the timeline will lead to unforeseen circumstances."</em>


    <em>I see¡­ that means my father, who also shares a connection with Chaos¡ªalthough not nearly as strong as mine¡ªwill have noticed it too.</em>


    <em>"That should be the case, yes."</em>


    <em>Alright¡­ then we''ll repeat the exact same actions as we did earlier, up until when Aquira sends us to the surface, yeah?</em>


    <em>"Yes, Master. We can figure out what to do from there."</em>


    With that, Mei Gui, Lan Xiao Su, Yu An Xue, and I dived into the water below the same way as earlier, and thus began our journey for the second time.


    *****


    We made our way through the temple like usual. Although Mei Gui and I had both already done this once before, we still acted like it was our first time, and repeated the same actions and dialogue we did before to the best of our abilities.


    Even though we already knew how to solve the puzzle and what wasing next, we still had to pretend we didn''t out of fear of altering the timeline, even by a tiny bit. Walking across that water bridge again certainly wasn''t any easier, though, and despite knowing I won''t fall¡ªhaving gone through it once already¡ªmy stomach still felt empty as I walked across it. I didn''t have to pretend to be scared for that one.


    In any case, we soon solved the waterfall and chalices puzzle and arrived at the round room, where I was met with the same question and answered the same way. Aquira invited us into her private chambers, and we met her, she kissed me again, shot a bullet into my heart, and so on.


    Atst, it was time for the journey back up to the surface. Instead of having Aquira send us, however, I decided to employ a different strategy: Space Magic.


    And so, when Aquira was about to cast her power and send us all to the surface, I stopped her.


    "Wait. There''s a much simpler method. Everyone, gather around me."


    The girls were perplexed, but did as told and huddled around. Then, I activated the Gate spell, teleporting us directly to the boat.


    In a sh, we disappeared, and reappeared on the deck. The other girls who had not gone with us blinked in surprise at our sudden entrance, but Mei Gui and I had more important matters to focus on right now.


    "You guys go on back," I said to the others. "Mei Gui and I still have some business to take care of, so we''ll meet up with you all at the beach."


    "Eh? What is it?" Lan Xiao Su asked curiously, to which I awkwardly scratched my cheek.


    "Uh¡­ that''s¡­ well¡­"


    "¡­ Buying clothes," Mei Gui replied in my stead, and I turned to her in surprise.


    "B-Buying clothes?"


    "Yes. I require your opinion, Master."


    "Oh¡­ <em>that</em> kind of clothes, huh?" Qing Yue gave a smug snicker. "Okay, okay, we''ll let you two figure it out on your own! See ya!"


    With that, the boat took off, and Mei Gui and I hovered in the air while they left.


    "¡­ Alright. Now that that''s taken care of¡­ let''s locate this old hag, shall we?" I smirked.


    "Yes. By my calctions, she should not be far away. She must be in a ce where she can observe us from, yet not out wide in the open so that we can see her. If that is the case, then¡­"


    Both Mei Gui and I nced at the small ind in the distance¡ªthe only one in sight. Without a doubt, the person we were searching for was most likely there.


    After exchanging nods, Mei Gui and I called upon invisibility and flew towards the ind at full speed, like hawks searching for prey.


    Soon, we arrived, and just as expected, spotted an old woman lying behind a telescope down below. She had leaves on her and everything, like a soldier in camouge, but s¡­ nothing could escape Mei Gui''s sharp senses.


    As we flew down and closer, we could hear her mumbling.


    "Goddamn it¡­ why did the ship leave¡­ why did the ship leave¡­ I don''t sense them in my pocket dimension¡­ why¡­ WHY¡­ did my son''s invention malfunction? No¡­ no way¡­ my son is a GENIUS! His inventions would NEVER malfunction! No¡­ no way¡­ this must be a trick¡­ this must be-"


    "A trick, huh?" I cut in, suddenly picking her up by the hair.


    "W-W-W-WHA-?!" She cried in shock, struggling to turn around to face me but unable to do so. She was so short that I was double her height, and could pick her up with one hand.


    "Hmph¡­ you caused me a lot of trouble, you know," I said, narrowing my eyes with hatred. "I had to walk across that stupid water bridge twice.. And for that¡­ you''re going straight to hell."

 Chapter 516 - Lydias Tale

    Chapter 516 ¨C Lydia¡¯s Tale


    "Y-You¡­ how did you find me¡­?" The old woman snarled, fingernails shaped like ws.


    "That is none of your concern," I replied coldly, summoning my Chaos katana in one hand while still holding her up with the other. "You''re a dead woman anyway."


    "Heh¡­ heheheheheh¡­" The womanughed like a maniac. "You really think so¡­?"


    I narrowed my eyes. "¡­ What?"


    "Look behind you, dumbass," she said with a crooked grin, and my eyes widened slightly as I felt a knife enter my back.


    "HAHAHAHAHA!" The woman I was holding suddenly vanished into thin air, and from behind me, the real oneughed in smug triumph. "IDIOT! You really think I didn''t notice you, huh?!"


    But contrary to what she expected, I smirked.


    "¡­ Oh, no, I knew you noticed us already. I was just baiting out your real self."


    "Wha-?!"


    The woman froze mid-sentence as she noticed the sharp tip of the silver spear pointed at her neck, burning with ominous ck and red energy. Behind her stood the wielder of the weapon¡ªMei Gui, eyes cold and charged with indignation.


    "H-Heh¡­ so what if I die? You''re going down with me¡­ my knife is already in your body! It has pierced your heart! My mission isplete! Lord X will finish what I started! You, and everyone who uses magic, shall perish with despair!"


    "Oho¡­ is that so?" I chuckled, and calmly walked out of her knife without any problem. There wasn''t even a wound on my body, much less spilled blood or damage.


    "W-W-Wha¡­ Impossible¡­ is that¡­ the Water Empyrean''s power?!"


    "Yes¡­ it is," I said, turning around to face her. "But in any case¡­ your journey ends here. Anyst words, before I send you to your grave?"


    "¡­"


    The old woman fell silent, stunned, and her expression was an empty one. Her eyes, originally wicked, now carried nothing but desperation. She had lost hope, and epted her fate.


    She copsed onto the sand, and Mei Gui quickly followed with her spear so that it was always by the woman''s neck, just to make sure she didn''t try anything funny. But by the looks of it¡­ it would seem the woman had truly given up.


    "¡­ I''m sorry¡­ Diego¡­ I''m sorry."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Diego?"


    "I''m sorry¡­" The woman suddenly began weeping loudly, and I blinked in surprise.


    "H-Hey now¡­"


    "WAHHH¡­ I''M SORRY, DIEGO¡­ I wasn''t able to get revenge for you¡­ my son¡­ my son¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m so sorry¡­"


    "¡­ Tell me about your son," I said. "What happened?"


    I didn''t expect her to actually answer me, but to my surprise, she did. Perhaps it was due to her desperation and giving up, but she felt like actually opening up about her past¡ªand I wasn''tining. After all, she was about to die anyway. There was nothing to hide.


    "Diego¡­ was my son. He was an inventor."


    I arched an eyebrow. "An inventor?"


    "Yes¡­ he was a genius. He made many Magic Artifacts. The one I tried to trap you with¡­ that was one of them. His inventions were all incredible. They earned him prizes, fame, and recognition from experts in the field. My son¡­ he was brilliant."


    "Huh. Where is he now?"


    "Where is he now¡­ heheheh¡­" the old womanughed softly, then snorted.


    "¡­ He''s dead."


    Silence.


    I kind of expected things to turn out this way judging from her tone of voice and the way she spoke about her son, but to hear it put so bluntly was still¡­ disturbing. But rather than sadness, the old woman''s voice only held anger and hatred. All of her sadness was long gone, cried away with the tears she wept when she first received the news. Now, all that remained was a deep, dark fire of hate. But the question was¡­ for what?


    "¡­ How did he die?"


    But instead of answering my question directly, the old woman asked me a question right back.


    "¡­ What do you think my son''s goal was in his research?"


    "Goal¡­? Uh¡­ I don''t know. I thought he just invented because he liked doing it."


    "¡­ His goal was to invent an artifact that could keep a person alive forever."


    <em>So¡­ like the Empyreans'' power¡­?</em>


    "¡­ Ambitious," I remarked, but the old woman shook her head.


    "No¡­ he wasn''t. He didn''t try to invent that for himself¡­ he tried to invent it for me."


    "What¡­"


    "¡­ When he was younger, he used to ask me," the old woman exined. "''What is your dream, mom?'' And I would answer, ''the ability to live forever''. Any other kid would''ve justughed it off and called that impossible. But Diego¡­ you know what he responded with? He told me he would make an artifact that could let me live forever. I didn''t believe him at first, of course. He was only six at the time. But he never gave up on that. He never thought of that as a mere joke. And one day¡­ he seeded. Only¡­ when he tested it on me, it cost him his life."


    "¡­ How?" I muttered, utterly bewildered at this story.


    "What my son made was not a free immortality-granting artifact. All it did¡­ was transfer one''s lifeforce to another. He forgot one of the founding principles of magic artifact invention¡ªto output something, one must input an equal amount of energy to supplement the output process. If It wasn''t for magic¡­ if it didn''t exist¡­ my son never would''ve thought living forever to be possible. He never would''ve given his life for this ursed invention!"


    <em>So that''s why she hates magic so much¡­</em>


    "But that doesn''t mean magic is evil, does it?" I said, trying to convince her. "Your son was blinded by his own sess and pride, and forgot one of the basic founding principles of the invention of Magic Artifacts."


    "¡­ Heh. So, it''s my son''s fault that he died? It''s my son''s own fault that he wanted to give his mother immortality?!"


    "Well, that''s¡­"


    "Cut the bullcrap¡­ if you''re going to kill me, so be it. I have failed. But I promise you¡­ soon, all magic wille to an end. ALL of it!"


    "¡­ I see. So, you''re insistent to the bitter end. Very well."


    Turning to Mei Gui, I gave a nod, and she swung her spear.


    The process was quick and painless. The old woman''s head rolled to a stop in the sand, and her body fell forward, blood gushing out of the stem of her neck. Her story was a painful one, but since she had used such a dirty tactic to try and kill us, I didn''t bother burying her. So far, all I''m getting was magic had one way or another taken away a loved one from these Four Cardinals, but perhaps the remaining two would be different.


    Was magic the true culprit for both of these incidents, though? Not exactly. In both this old woman''s case and Daiki''s, there were many ways to avoid the tragedies from ultimately happening. Magic is like any other tool¡ªthe tragedies and evilsmitted with it are to me on the people involved, not magic itself.


    Of course, my father''s goal for erasing magic was different, but that was another story. Either way, I needed to prepare myself for tomorrow. We were going to be heading deep into the heart of an ex-volcano. It was now inactive, but it was dangerous all the same.


    The remaining two Cardinals were also the more powerful ones¡ªone of them was that buff-looking demon, and the other was a strong subus by the looks of it. I only nced at her briefly during the raid on Fragment, but I still remember the amount of power being exerted from her body.


    After settling things with the old woman, Mei Gui and I teleported back home to the private beach. When the girls arrived, they were quite surprised to see us there before them, but after exining how we used Space Magic, they understood.


    After that, Qing Yue, Ling Xin, and Axilia made dinner, and we prepared to rest. As I closed my eyes, however, I ended up being pulled to the Infinite Realm¡ªonce again, against my will.


    "¡­ Dude. You really need to warn me before doing this," I muttered as the familiar clear blue sky and mirrored image beneath my feet came into view. Sylvoir''s figure appeared in front of me, and I blinked at her.


    "Now is not the time, Xuan Kai. I know this will sound repetitive to you, but¡­ there is something important we must discuss."


    "Hm? What is it?"


    Sylvoir looked at the ce where all the obelisks were, and I followed her gaze. To my surprise¡­ there stood the fifteen other Founders, all gathered here together for this meeting. Now I was convinced. What was going to be discussed here¡­ was truly important.


    "¡­ Go to your obelisk, Xuan Kai," Sylvoir said, and I obediently did as told. Once there, Sylvoir walked up to her own obelisk, and began the meeting.


    "Apologies for the wait, everyone. However, I have gathered you all here today to alert you of rming news I recently discovered from the Terron Records."


    "Again?" Sino, the Dark Elf Founder, arched an eyebrow curiously. "What is it this time?"


    "¡­ It''s the Hex," Sylvoir said darkly.. "They¡­ are back."

 Chapter 517 - The Hex

    Chapter 517 ¨C The Hex


    "¡­ The Hex?" I arched an eyebrow. "What''s that?"


    "The Hex¡­ I''ve heard about them," Tian Lin, the Human Founder, said. "Apparently, they are an alien species from the outside gxy who don''t have magic, but utilize their highly-advanced technology and equipment instead."


    "Thousands of years ago, we were the ones who fought the Hex off this," Count Draculus muttered, folding his arms. "But now¡­ they''ve returned. Pests."


    "And right when we''re dealing with the Midnight Sydnicate too," Kyoko, the Demihuman Founder, sighed in annoyance, scratching her wolf ears. "By the way, kiddo, I saw you killed one of my kin not long ago."


    "What, you got a problem?" I taunted, narrowing my eyes. "He tried to kill me, so I killed him instead. Nothing wrong''s with my logic there, no?"


    To my surprise, Kyoko grinned.


    "Yep! Nothing wrong at all. We value strength in the wolf tribe. If he lost in a life and death match, he deserves to die. No one''s going to hold a grudge against you in the tribe."


    "¡­ Hmph," I snorted, and returned to the matter at hand. "In any case¡­ these ''Hex''. Are they strong?"


    "¡­ They nearly wiped all of us Founders out thest time they were here," Runter, the Giant Founder, said with an ufortable look. "And these guys are notorious for adapting. They may have been defeatedst time, but now that they''re back, they''ll be stronger than before."


    "So?" I chuckled. "So are we, are we not? You have me."


    "Don''t get cocky now, kid," Asteryx, the Ethereal Founder, said quietly in a low and raspy voice. "You have not fought against them before. You do not know what they are capable of."


    "Then I''ll soon find out," I replied, folding my arms. "Rx though, I''m not the type to underestimate my opponents."


    "That is not the problem here," Sylvoir cut in with a serious voice. "I do not care how powerful you are¡­ we cannot fight them."


    "¡­ Why?" Sigil asked. "There is no chance they will send their entire fleet to attack a small, isted like Xenith. They had toe here through vortexesst time¡ªthey cannot fit arge number of ships through there. We can repel their invasion just like we didst time."


    "¡­ They will," Sylvoir said. "They surely will."


    "How do you know?" Fiona asked, tapping on her chin.


    "The Terron Records," Sylvoir exined. "When looking through them, I discovered a series of mysterious signalsing from various obelisks underground all across the globe. There are seven in total, and each is hidden deep deep beneath the surface of the earth. Upon closer inspection, however¡­ I discovered that they were, in fact, sucking up energy from the, and had been doing so for several thousand years¡ªlining up with the around the same time the Hex came herest."


    "Hmm¡­ could be a coincidence," Aluna, the Elven Founder said. "I personally don''t think it is, but there is a chance."


    "Yes. I am aware of that. That is why I decoded the signals that were being emitted from these obelisks along with the text written on them. And from the data I have gathered¡­ thenguage aligns with the Hex''s method ofmunication."


    "If I recall correctly, the Hex use weird signals tomunicate, do they not?" Scarlet, the Beast Founder said, and Sylvoir nodded.


    "Correct¡ªhence why I was unable to figure out what the signals mean. However, if you look closely at the obelisks¡­"


    She paused, pulling up images of the obelisks from the Terron Records and showing us, then continued.


    "¡­ You can see the writing on them from the bottom up is nearly all glowing."


    She was right¡ªeach of the obelisks were made of pure ck obsidian, but had writing inscribed on all four sides. All seven obelisks'' writing were nearly all glowing purple, with only the very top still missing. It was like a loading bar from bottom up, and it was about to beplete.


    "Does that mark when the Hex invasion wille¡­?" Sino muttered.


    "Yes, it seems so," Sylvoir replied. "From my calctions, considering these obelisks were constructed several thousand years ago¡­ that little bit still left to lit up is equivalent to about half a year''s worth of time. In other words, six months from now, the Hex will invade."


    "With their entire fleet¡­?" Kyoko asked.


    "Yes. These obelisks are energy gatherers of sorts¡ªand their goal, is presumably to open an enormous vortex big enough to allow their entire fleet toe here."


    "But¡­ why?" Scarlet muttered in confusion. "Why spend so much resources and power to invade a small like Xenith?"


    "¡­ For revenge," Asteryx said darkly.


    "Revenge?" Sino raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes," Aluna said. "The Hex are a very vengeful race. They remembered their defeat at our hands, and have now came back with more friends to show their might."


    "So¡­ basically, they''re egotistic bastards who literallyunched a full-scale invasion on this just to assert dominance," I tranted in simpler terms.


    "Uh¡­ that about sums it up, yeah," Sigil replied, shing me a thumbs-up.


    "You can consider them however you like, but one truth remains: we cannot fight them," Sylvoir replied. "Even if everyone on Xenith were to rally up and fight back against the Hex, their entire fleetpared to our whole poption is a ratio of 1000 to 1. Even if it is by sheer numbers, they will destroy us with ease."


    "And to avoid fighting with them¡­ we must destroy these seven obelisks to prevent them from creating the enormous vortex needed," Lord Luisfer said, stroking his long beard. "I see. Where are these obelisks located?"


    "The specific coordinates are unclear, but I have deduced one to be in Demihuman Territory, one in Subus Territory, one in Vampire Territory, one in Fairy and Elven territory, one in Ethereal Territory, one in X-Machina Territory, and one in Human Territory. However, these obelisks do emit a strange energy source, which means after finding one and collecting its sample, Hephestus could probably create a device that can track the others down."


    "Yep, sure can," Hephestus, the Dwarven Founder said with a chuckle. "Leave it to me¡­ but the question is, how will we find the first one?"


    Count Draculus furrowed his brows. "¡­ Asteryx, Ethreal Territory is essentially the void, is it not? If that''s the case, then you should be able to traverse it freel-"


    "I got it."


    "¡­ What?" I blinked at Asteryx''s bold deration.


    "¡­ I found the obelisk, broke it, and go the sample."


    <em>Wha- who you trying to fool¡ªI didn''t even see you move!</em>


    ¡­ That was what I wanted to say, but after seeing how calm all the other Founders seemed, and Coutn Draculus nodding in satisfaction, I decided to simply keep quiet. Aluna, however, read my mind like a book, and smiled gently at me.


    "Ethereals can move freely in the void, which their territory basically is. And since no time or space passes in the void, to us, it seemed like he didn''t move at all."


    "O-Oh¡­" I muttered, feeling like an idiot as Asteryx handed the collected energy sample inside a capsule to Hephestus, who nodded upon receiving it.


    "Hm, I should be able to craft a device by tomorrow. We''ll need six copies of the device, too¡­"


    "Yes," Sylvoir said. "Six obelisks remaining, six copies. One for each of the Founders who have an obelisk in their race''s territory. In other words¡­ Aluna, Draculus, Fiona, Kyoko, ARXA, and Tian Lin."


    "Actually¡­ the IMF is currently busy dealing with the Midnight Syndicate eruption. I fear I won''t be able to search for the obelisk in the Human territory," Tian Lin stated apologetically.


    "¡­ I see, that makes sense," Sylvoir muttered, then turned to me. "In that case, Xuan Kai, I am leaving this task to you. Find the obelisk, and destroy it. Is that clear?"


    "H-Huh? Me?" I blinked. "Uh, I''m busy too, y''know? The leader of the Midnight Syndicate is literally my dad, and I''m currently in the middle of a war with him!"


    "If he is your dad, can you not just tell him to stop this¡­ war?" Count Draculus asked coldly, arching an eyebrow.


    At this, I was stumped.


    "Ah¡­ well¡­ it''splicated."


    "Either way, there is no one else we can rely on in Human Territory. From what I have been spectating in your life, you are almost done the chapter with your father anyway. After that, you can focus on the task I have assigned you. There is half a year still¡ªno need to rush."


    "Er¡­ okay, I guess," I sighed, epting the mission bestowed upon me by the leader of the Seventeen Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings.


    "Then very well," Sylvoir dered, folding her arms. "Meeting adjourned. Everyone, meet back here tomorrow night at the same time, and we will discuss things further there. Hephestus, prioritize this equipment above everything else."


    "Yes, ma''am," Hepehestus replied with a chuckle, and with that, all of us exited the Infinite Realm.

 Chapter 518 - Ignis Volcano

    Chapter 518 ¨C Ignis¡¯ Volcano


    The next morning, we set out for the coordinates of Ignis''s volcano. While the previous threeirs had all hovered around Japan somewhat, this one was set near the Equator, inside Dwarven territory.


    This was somewhat troublesome to get to¡ªthe most troublesome yet¡ªespecially since the Dwarves were tight territory-wise. They hadrge thick borders preventing any outsiders from entering, and anyone who was caught illegally entering would be harshly punished¡ªnamely, with permanent very.


    Yes, they had ves.


    Being a race of craftsmen who were pretty much all workaholics and alcoholicsbined into one, they were always in the need for more help in their work. ves were the perfect servants for that.


    Of course, they didn''t treat their ves horribly. In fact, they treated their ves better than some of themselves, since the Dwarves really don''t care about their own, inherently strong bodies. They give all the good food to the ves, and treat them like a treasured prize.


    Still, ves were ves, meaning they had to follow orders and do as told.


    "So¡­ uh, where is this volcano?" I asked Xiao Su, who was busy looking at a map. We were currently flying on a helicopter rented out from the IMF¡ªsomething Ling Xin had gotten her hands on for us.


    "It should be somewhere near the outskirts of Dwarven Territory," Xiao Su replied.


    "Outskirts? I thought the Dwarves all lived in one massive city of architecture," Yu An Yan said¡ªshe was one of the girlsing along for this trip, as she had Fire Magic.


    "Yes¡ªthe city is called Piltech. It''s a full-machinery city surrounded by stone walls with automated robots, steam golems, and more¡ªexactly what one would expect from a dwarven civilization," Obsidia said. "However, the Dwarven Territory does not end there. To obtain resources, they have many mines and excavation sites outside the city of Piltech. The dormant volcano we are heading to¡­ if my guess is not wrong, should be one of the Dwarves'' mining bases."


    "So, we''ll have to sneak inside?" I sighed. "Great¡­ one more annoying thing to add to the list."


    "Hold it," Mei Gui interrupted. "If it is a mining base of the Dwarves, then¡­ would it not make sense for them to have already located Ignis''sir?"


    "That''s a good point," I said, and called upon the help of the other three Empyreans. "What do you guys think?"


    "That should not be the case," Aquira replied. "Ignis values courage very highly. If he was to leave air behind somewhere¡­ it would be hidden behind trials of fire and death."


    "I agree," Terrarim said. "He has always been that kind of person."


    "And so¡­ if we had to guess, their is somewhere close to the very bottom of the volcano," Aerim finished with a snicker. "Y''know, where all the magma is."


    "¡­ Oh boy, sure looking forward to that," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "I''m going to give this Ignis fellow a real talking-to once I meet him."


    "Uh¡­ actually, I''d advise against that," Aerim said, giving actually helpful advice for once. "He''ll only talk to you more if you insult him¡­ he''s a weird dude. Never mad, never sad, always happy and upbeat."


    "I¡­ see¡­" I blinked awkwardly.


    "Here it is," Ling Xin hollered, having been the one who operated the helicopter all the way here. "Look below."


    Yu An Yan, Mei Gui, and I peered out from the helicopter''s open door, and widened our eyes at the sight below.


    A massive hollow volcano, with nova inside it,y underneath us. The opened top of it was like a crater in the earth, and it stood above all the other mountains in the area like the leader of the bunch.


    "Wow¡­ we gotta go in there?" Yu An Yan murmured.


    "Yep," Aerim said with a chuckle. "I did tell you, didn''t I? Ignis''s temple will be the most troublesome one out of all of us."


    "Well, no sense in waiting around any longer," I said with a sigh. "Since we''re here already, we might as well go."


    The three girls who will be taking part in this expedition were Mei Gui, Obsidia, and Yu An Yan. They nodded at me, and together, we leaped off of the helicopter before activating Flight. All four of us had Sky Magic along with Fire, so we were able to descend with ease.


    Soon, wended at the mouth of the mountain, and peered below to see many dwarves working at its base, monitoring automated mining carts that were going inside and extracting ores and minerals, thening back out again. At least, if all their focus was down there, we would be able to ess the base of the mountain fairly easily.


    "¡­ Now, the question is, where we''re supposed to go next in here," I muttered.


    "Look, Master," Mei Gui said, pointing deep into the volcano, where a small door was located near the very bottom.


    "Huh¡­ a door, inside a volcano. Yeah¡­ seems pretty suspicious to me," Yu An Yan said.


    I nodded. "Agreed. It''s not like we have any other leads, so¡­ let''s head down."


    "Be careful, Master," Mei Gui reminded. "This may be a dormant volcano, but it will still be hot and unstable down there, as it is close to the magmayer."


    *****


    Soon, we arrived at the bottom of the volcano. The sounds of mining could be heard elsewhere, but the ce we were at appeared to be the very center and heart of the mountain. There was nova anywhere around, but beneath the thinyer of rock we were all walking on, was a massive pool of magma. In other words, should an earthquake happen right about now or something, we would all be toast.


    ¡­ Or rather, we would be, if we didn''t have any Sky Magic. Because of that risk, I chose Obsidia and Yu An Yan toe with Mei Gui and I for this excursion.


    Either way, we soon arrived at the door Mei Gui found earlier, and found that it wasn''t a door at all. In fact, it was an open corridor that just looked like a set of doors due to the lighting inside the volcano. The corridor appeared to lead into a downwards staircase, but¡­


    "Uh¡­ wait. If we go further down, isn''t magma all that awaits us?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Yep!" Aerim said cheerily. "I told you Ignis was gonna be the hardest one, didn''t I?"


    "Oh god¡­" I took a deep breath. "Well, we''re already here. Toote to back out now."


    The girls nodded, and together, we headed into the corridor and down the stairs.


    *****


    Below, a trial of fire awaited us.


    That was not an exaggeration. It was quite literally a trial of death, created from fire.


    An obstacle coursey ahead of us, deadly and dangerous. Spinning ming rods, iling spiked balls of fire, and timegated methrowers on the walls. Not only that, but the obstacle course wasced with parkour as well, and one misstep would result in falling into redva below.


    "Great¡­" I muttered, rubbing my brows in exasperation. "Just what I needed."


    "Flying will make this easier, but¡­" Yu An Yan began, and Mei Gui shook her head.


    "We cannot. We must beat this challenge legitimately, just like all theirs before this. Or else, Ignis will not acknowledge our ''courage'', as he calls it."


    "True," I muttered. "But by the looks of this fire¡­ one misstep, and it''ll incinerate us to death."


    "Oh yes, that is no normal fire," Aerim said with a giggle. "Ignis makes sure all his tests of courage are truly to the extreme. If that fire even grazes your skin, you can say goodbye to your life, water body or not."


    I gulped. I certainly didn''t like the sound of that. Yes, I had a second life thanks to the Infinite Realm, but I didn''t want to use it ¨C it would mean I would lose all my memories, and have to find them all again. That sounded troublesome.


    As such, I had to make it through this difficult obstacle course with no room for error, but¡­


    "¡­ I think it is best I proceed alone from here on out," I said to the girls, who blinked at me in surprise.


    "Wha- why?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "Take a good look at this obstacle course," I said. "Even if I make it across, you three have to do the same. To minimize risk, let me just go alone. It''s not like there will be any danger that involves fighting¡­ I mean, at least the previous three didn''t involve anything of the sort."


    "That¡­ does make sense," Obsidia said after some hesitation. "Very well, human. We shall wait here. Just remember, you are not allowed to die. You have yet to fulfill your deal with me, and I have wasted far too much time by your side to just let that perish now."


    "¡­ Be careful, Master," Mei Gui said, not trying to argue back or anything.


    Yu An Yan sighed. "I swear¡­ you always do the most risky things. But fine¡­ it''s not like arguing with you is going to do any good. Just¡­e back safely, alright?"


    I nodded at the three firmly.


    "I''ll do my best."

 Chapter 519 - Course Of Fire

    Chapter 519 ¨C Course Of Fire


    As it was dangerous to wait inside the volcano, I instructed the girls to fly outside and wait for me at the peak. They, however, insisted on staying inside, and I was forced to give them the ''stern'' look. After that, they left obediently¡ªthough hesitantly¡ªas they didn''t want to make me repeat myself. When I had that ''stern'' look on, nothing they said would change my mind, and I would knock them all out and drag them out if I had to. They knew that, and didn''t want to risk it.


    In any case, I was now alone in the deepest parts of the volcano, inside a chamber with a literal trial of fire inside. The obstacle course ahead seemed to be approximately 100 meters long, meaning it was pretty short. But¡­ a mere 100 meters was still enough to make anyone sweat (both figuratively and literally¡ªit was burning in here).


    Still, it''s not like just waiting around was going to do anything. Reading myself, I prepared to make my way across this obstacle course of mes and death. Scorchingvay below¡ªif I slipped my feet, I was done for. The iling spiked balls and pendulums burning with fire were nothing to scoff at either¡ªlike the other Empyreans had said, this was no normal fire. It was divine fire capable of being on par with my Chaosborne mes in terms of power.


    "Alright¡­ here we go."


    The first obstacle was easy¡ªjust a matter of timing. From theva pool below, several fireballs shot out of it, pumped into the air by invisible geysers, before falling back down into their home. All I had to do was wait until the fireballs were about to fall back down, and make my jump.


    Narrowing my eyes, I awaited the perfect opportunity. I saw the row of fireballs fly into the air, leaving a zing trail of embers behind them. And as soon as the embers changed direction, signaling the spheres of fire were about to drop back down into theva pool¡­ I jumped.


    Landing on the narrow tform on the other side with a soft thud, I let out a sigh of relief. Even though I had predicted the timing correctly, the sheer heat from theva below was enough to make it seem like I had failed. The embers left behind by the fireballs singed my skin slightly, and despite not being actually hurt in any way, it stung. A lot.


    Still, I had made it past the first obstacle. Just about five more to go¡ªand the problem was, each one seemed progressively harder than the one before. Thest one¡­ I didn''t even want to think about how I''ll be getting through that one.


    Oh well¡­ I''ll burn that bridge when I get there.


    For now, I needed to focus on the obstacle in front of me¡ªthree sets of methrowers, each with their own on and off patterns. The gap between here and the next tform was also too long to make with one jump, and there didn''t seem to be any other footrest-


    <em>Oh, wait.</em>


    <em>Don''t tell me¡­ he wants me to use the methrowers themselves as footholds?!</em>


    The very idea was crazy. If I mistimed it by one bit, my feet¡ªand the rest of my body soon after¡ªwould be melted on the spot. And since these three sets of two methrowers each (one on either wall) had purposely different timings between their on and off, I couldn''t just use one rhythm universally to time when to jump. I needed to observe the three separate sets very carefully, and memorize each one''s pattern.


    Of course, that was far easier said than done.


    A scientific study once showed it is far more difficult to concentrate in extreme heat. I wasn''t an expert, but basically, the theory behind it was that since humans needed more energy to cool down than warm up, within a hot environment, the body uses more glucose on other areas and thus saves less for the brain. That is what makes it harder to concentrate, and boy was I feeling it right now. I couldn''t even blink without getting sweat in my eyes, much less concentrate.


    I was very, <em>very</em> tempted to cheat, but that would just make doing all this useless. As such, I had to just grit my teeth and bear through it. It certainly wasn''t easy, but I had to.


    After several long minutes of observation that felt like eons, I believed I was ready to attempt making it across. Even so, I gulped in fear as I stared at the purgatory methrowers, and how tiny the footholds were¡ªso tiny, that they were only able to fit one foot.


    Naturally, that meant I couldn''t bnce on them, and had to make it across in one go. However, as stated before, the three sets of methrowers had different patterns, so it would be very difficult to find the exact timing. There was only one chance, and if I missed it, I would have to wait another minute or so for the right timings to ovep once more.


    That opportunity wasing up¡ªand I wasn''t about to miss it.


    Keeping my breathing even, I prepared for the moment. I watched as the first set of methrowers lit up, soon followed by the third and the second respectively, and I knew it was time.


    Right as the first set of methrowers turned off, I made my jump,nding my foot on the methrower on the right wall. I didn''t even have time to feel whether or not it was a firm grip before immediatelyunching myself towards the next one, diagonally as I couldn''t go straight forward with the position I was in.


    My left foot hit the left methrower in the second pair, right as the first set breathed out fire once more. I knew that I timed itte¡ªI had to make it to the next one as quick as possible!


    Right as the second pair of methrowers charged up and prepared to spout mes again, Iunched myself towards the third and final set. Once again, I crossed diagonally, and I felt my foot touch the right methrower''s top.


    But due to my hastiness¡­


    "Wha¡ª?!"


    I felt myself suddenly slip off the heat-resistant metal, and begin falling backwards into theva below. Hurriedly, I reached for the methrower on instinct with my hand, and wrapped my fingertips around its mouth.


    Unfortunately, time was not waiting for anyone.


    Fire shot out of the methrower like a dragon''s breath, and I felt the internal workings of my hand being turned to mush.


    "AGH¡ª!" I yelled in agony as I still¡ªjust barely¡ªheld on, but I couldn''tst much longer. My vampiric and angelic regeneration abilities did little to counter these divine mes, and if I didn''t do something quick, both my hand and my life would be done for.


    In a desperate,st-ditch attempt, I cried out in pain and mustered every ounce of strength I had into my melting hand. Then, I swung myself upwards, like a monkey dangling from tree to tree, and swung myself towards the tform inches away.


    "Ngh!" I groaned as Inded on it and rolled a few meters beforeing to a stop, just barely before falling into theva on the other side. My hand was still scorching, and I could see that the flesh had pretty much all peeled away, leaving behind a horrendous sight that could be called half-skeleton.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­" I panted heavily as I grasped my wrist tightly with my unharmed hand, and trembled unwillingly against my own volition. Yes, my angelic and vampiric regeneration abilities would heal this soon in no time, but still, this pain was something I have never felt. Even back when I had no magic and took that Level Two spell in the dark alleyway head-on, the agony was nothingpared to this. Even when nearly my entire back had been shattered, the pain wasn''t even close to what I felt now.


    Still, I had matured since then. I was able to mostly bear with it. After all, physical pain was nothingpared to emotional scars.


    Struggling, I slowly got to my feet, and evened out my breath. Already, I could feel the pain fading away in my hand, and my fleshing back brand new. Would I still have regenerated if the mes had melted even my bones? Probably, but I didn''t even want to imagine how badly that would''ve felt.


    Letting out a deep exhale, I shook the remaining pain away from my hand, and rposed myself. The challenge was not over yet. I messed up there¡ªI couldn''t afford to do it again. Funnily enough, that near-death experience just now filled me with courage, and honestly, I felt like this wasn''t even all that bad anymore. My body had adjusted to the heat too, and after feeling something once, the second time won''t be as bad. This burn? That would be the same.


    Narrowing my eyes, I challenged the Empyrean of Fire to give me his worst.


    "¡­ Bring it on, Ignis."

 Chapter 520 - Trial By Flames

    Chapter 520 ¨C Trial By mes


    The next challenge in my way was a swinging pendulum of fire, dangling side to side. It was extremely big, so each time it reached the maximum distance on either side, there was only a small gap to jump through on the opposite end, just barely enough to fit through a human without getting incinerated.


    Compared to the previous one, which required multiple jumps, I had to say this one was easier¡ªalthough someone else''s opinion could differ. This one was just one singr, extremely precise jump¡ªsomething that I was confident I could do afterst time''s slip-up.


    Furrowing my brows, I observed the pendulum and tried to memorize the timing of it. At first nce, that seemed easy¡ªbut upon further, closer inspection, I noticed that each time the pendulum swung, there was a marginal difference in its timings and the location it reached.


    That was troublesome, to say the least.


    It meant there was a factor of luck involved¡ªwhich, by the way, I was not very good at. Fortune was never really on my side, and although I would''ve preferred that to not be the case, there was little I could do to help that.


    As much as I tried to spot a pattern in the pendulum''s movements, I could not. Each time, it was slightly different, as if purposely frustrating me. For a moment, I wondered if the test here was actually the ability to stay calm, not bravery¡­ though I guess the two are somewhat simr.


    Realizing that just sitting around here wasn''t going to yield any further results, I took a deep breath and leaped for it.


    At first, it seemed like I was going to crash into the pendulum face-first, but a freak gust of wind suddenly swung it out of the way right as I made it past, and my hands grabbed the ledge of the next tform before pulling myself upwards.


    "¡­ Whew. For the first time ever, fortune <em>is</em> on my side."


    Three more obstacles to go. The first was a series of rolling spiked logs, both horizontal and vertical, blockading the path ahead. Thankfully, there was nova below, so I didn''t have to worry about falling to my death for this section, but the mes on the spikes were still no joke. In fact, it made their hitboxes slightlyrger, meaning I had less of an angle to maneuver.


    Still, with some careful timing and hyper-awareness of my surroundings, I made it past this section after about a minute or so that felt like a year. Next up, however¡­ had no obstacles.


    Well, at least, not directly in my way.


    They hung above on the ceiling of the corridor, like gates of death ready to drop down on anyone who dared tried to go past them. They seemed¡­ quite ominous, to say the least. Demon eye-like shapes and designs were located on top of the gates, and the bottom side was simply row upon row of sharp spikes. If this thing fell on me, my vampiric and angelic regeneration abilities weren''t going to help.


    But that was <em>if</em> it fell on me. First, I had to test how fast this thing would drop, and how sensitive it was.


    Pulling out a single bill from my Space Locket, I gently set it down on the ground. Then, lightly, I pushed it forward, sliding it across the ground past the first metal gate.


    Immediately, it triggered, as soon as the bill entered its vicinity.


    DOOM!


    With a loud noise that ominously sounded like the word ''doom'', the metal gate mmed down with enough force to shake the entire corridor. I struggled to keep my bnce, and finally, when the shaking was over, I crept closer to the gate and inspected the dor bill I had slid through.


    It did not even make it past.


    The very edge of the bill waspletely punctured by the sharp metal gate, and the poor bill now had a hole in it. I gulped.


    "¡­ This is going to be a problem."


    Deciding to test the speed again, this time recording the exact time it took for the gates to m down, I chose a bigger object¡ªmy Chaos katanas. These ones wouldn''t break, no matter how much force was applied to them.


    Aiming carefully, I slid my Chaos katanas through across the ground as the gates reset. Instantly, they mmed down once more, but¡­ I couldn''t help but notice a slight dy.


    Of course, this dy was so tiny that it could''ve simply been a trick of the light or apse in judgment on my end. I had counted about half a second there, and crawled closer to retrieve my katana carefully.


    As expected, it was not broken at all, without a scratch, but I did notice something interesting¡ªjust as with the dor bill, the very end of the katana was hit. Nothing more. Since the katana was far longer than the bill, this made no sense. Unless¡­


    ¡­ The time the gates fell was dependent on the size of the object?


    That would match with the dy I felt as well. But I couldn''t be sure just yet¡ªI needed to further experiment.


    This time, I chose something even bigger: Mei Gui''s spear. Yes, I Shapeshifted into her and summoned it. This transformation would notst forever, however, asst time I tried this I automatically turned back after about five minutes. ording to Aerim, the more I used this, the longer I would be able to transform for, and eventually, I should be able to control when I want to turn back. But for now, I had a different problem ahead of me.


    Just like before, as soon as I retrieved the katana by pulling it out from beneath the gates, they reset. Then, I slid Mei Gui''s spear across, which was about double the length of my katanas. This time, an evenrger dy could be feltpared to before¡ªtoorge to be considered apse in judgement. I was certain now¡ªthese gates purposely activated at the very end, so that they would strike whatever object was going through at the very tip.


    When I went closer to retrieve the spear, that was further confirmed. The very end of it was stuck underneath the gates, whereas the rest of its body made it through no problem.


    Now¡­ the only question was, how the hell was <em>I</em> supposed to get through?


    Then, I realized something.


    If I was holding onto something in my hand as I slid through¡­ would that count as the end, and the gate would m down on the object instead of me?


    Deciding to test it out, I waited until I turned back to myself, then summoned both of my Chaos katanas and ced them one behind the other, handles touching. Surprisingly, however, a suddenly streak of light emitted from the two des blinded me, and I had to cover my eyes.


    When I opened them again, I found myself no longer staring at two katanas, but¡­ a bow.


    I blinked.


    "¡­ What is this¡­?"


    Sadly, Mei Gui was not here to tell me, and the mouth of the volcano was too far away to reach with our telepathy. But just judging from what I could tell at basic nce, it would seem my two katanas had fused together into this bow. It was made of a hard ck mineral of some sort, and emitted ominous ck and red energy. Attached to its bowstring was a single arrow with a glowing red tip, shining brightly amidst the darkness.


    For a moment, I let curiosity overtake me and forgot about the situation I was in. Picking up my bow, I observed it briefly, then pulled the bowstring back like I''ve seen archers do in shows. It was surprisingly easy, but then again, my physical strength was¡­ pretty damn incredible, if I do say so myself.


    Aiming at the gates, I let the arrow fly. Surprisingly enough, however, my arrow did not trigger the gates, and instead passed through all solid objects, disappearing from view. I blinked in surprise, and when I looked down, another arrow was notched and ready to fire. I did, however, feel as if my mana pool had been drained a little¡­ so these arrows were made using my mana. So long as I had mana, I had infinite ammunition.


    Deciding not to worry about that for now, though, I attempted to take my bow apart, and they reverted to their katana forms, thankfully. This time, I put their de tips together carefully so that they were touching, and slid the two katanas across.


    As expected¡­ the gate came mming down on the second one, meaning the first one made it past unscathed.


    So that was the secret of this puzzle¡­ I see.


    With that figured out, getting through was easy. I simply held a Chaos katana in one hand while I slid through, so every time, the gate mmed down on the katana and not me. Of course, it was still scary, but a simple test of courage was nothing to me.. Now that that was over with¡­ there was one final obstacle in my way¡ªand it would prove to be the hardest one yet.

 Chapter 521 - Stairway To Hell

    Chapter 521 ¨C Stairway To Hell


    Before me, the final trial in the obstacle coursey. It was a simple path to the doors ahead¡ªbut a narrow one. Beside it, on either side, wereva pools down below. From theva rose four spinning wooden structures, each holding a spiked metal ball. The structures each spun at different speeds, iling around the balls wildly, and with zero pattern whatsoever. Sometimes, they even changed direction all of a sudden, and there was no way to tell when they would do so.


    It was like the pendulum challenge from before, but the luck factor was amplified thousandfold¡ªand I didn''t like it one bit.


    "¡­ This better give me some insanely good rewards," I muttered, tired of doing this the ''fair'' way. I could easily st through this entire ce, after all. Even nuking this whole volcano wasn''t outside of my capabilities.


    Since the wooden pirs also varied in altitude from time to time, going up wasn''t an option. There was no ''preparing'' for this. I just had to go straight in, and adapt as the metal ballse flying towards me.


    Narrowing my eyes, I went for it.


    Sliding underneath the first one, I immediately transitioned and jumped over the second as it came flying towards me. Then, I predicted I had enough time to just run past the third as it was spinning in the same direction I was going, but it suddenly changed. My eyes widened briefly, but luckily, I had enough time to react and evaded with a deft tumble to the left.


    The challenge was not yet over; however, as the fourth and final iling metal ball crashed down directly in front of me, sending debris and dust into my eyes.


    "Tch-!" I hurriedly blocked my face with my arms, but the impact sent me flying backwards a short distance¡ªstraight towards the other pirs.


    Quickly regaining my bnce by digging my feet into the ground, I had no choice but tounch myself forward. If I did, I would be ramming face-first into the fourth metal il, but if I didn''t, I would be turned to minced meat by the other three.


    I think I know which option I like better.


    Preparing my fist in ast-ditch attempt to secure victory, I gave up on doing this fair and square. I didn''t care anymore¡ªmy life was on the line here. Charging my hand up with my own fire that rivaled Ignis''s, as if to spite him, I punched with all my might straight into the iling spiked metal ball¡ª


    "FUCK¡­ YOU¡­!"


    ¡ªand shattered it.


    Immediately, all the other mechanisms in the corridor of death stopped moving, and everything faded to silence for a brief moment as I panted.


    "Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­"


    My Chaosborne mes had devoured the ones on the metal ball, making my own power stronger, and thus able to break the machinery. It would be a lie if I said that didn''t take a lot of adrenaline and stamina, though, and damn did my hand hurt like a bitch right now.


    Still, I did not give in. To hell with this ce. ''Fuck you'' seemed suitable for the emotions I felt towards Ignis right now. And if these two doors didn''t open up right this very moment, I was ready to blow it¡ªand the rest of this entire volcano¡ªto smithereens.


    But contrary to what I had in mind, theughter of a cheery old man not unlike Terrarim filled my ears, along with the sound of apuse.


    "Bravo, bravo! Ha ha ha! It has been a long time since someone has visited me¡­ and the first time someone has ever beaten my challenge! Well done, brave soul, well done."


    "¡­ Ignis?" I raised an eyebrow at how he sounded so happy despite the insults I flung at him just now, and Terrarim sighed.


    "This is just how he is. You will get used to it."


    "¡­" I didn''t respond to that, mainly because my focus was now set on the doors before me¡ªwhich, by the way, just rolled open.


    "Come, young man! I will meet you at the top of the gates of hell! Ha ha ha!"


    Ignis''s booming voice echoed throughout the volcano as I blinked at his words, wondering if I heard them correctly.


    And then, I peered out the door, and saw my answer.


    "¡­ You''ve got to be kidding me."


    *****


    Outside the corridor of death, a vast, open cavern awaited. This was the heart of the volcano, the deepest, hottest part. Despite theck of any fire or heat source close by, the enormous pool of steamingva dozens of feet below where I was standing right now was enough to make sweat leak through the pores of my body.


    Half-broken bridges weaved passages between ledges attached to massive pirs that rose out of the magma, and small floating inds in the air that seemed to be supported by nothing but the sheer steam arising from theva. One misstep, and I would fall through and die a fiery, burning death, no questions asked.


    Like with the other Empyrean''sirs, Sky Magic¡ªflying, in particr¡ªwas disabled here, meaning I couldn''t simply ascend to the top. In fact, any sort of magic was disabled¡ªI couldn''t even build my way to the top either. Ignis wanted me to climb this the legitimate way, but¡­


    ¡­ I''d imagine this was a lot easier thousands of years ago when all these bridges weren''t 80% broken.


    Still,ining wasn''t going to get me anywhere. Readying myself for a long ride, I cautiously stepped on the first bridge I was going to be taking. This one would lead me to a pir rising out of theva below¡ªor, well, a ledge on the pir, anyway.


    There were just two problems: one, about half of the nks on the bridge were missing, meaning I would have to do jumps to make it across, and two¡­ this bridge did not look safe whatsoever. It was made of¡­ wood? Inside a volcano. Yeah¡­ it doesn''t take a genius to imagine how that would go after thousands of years. The fact that the railings on either side were made of simple and old rope didn''t exactly help either.


    Hell, even if I didn''t have to jump, just walking across would still be frightening as heck. Judging simply from the looks, it was a miracle this thing was still in ce¡ªalthough in a battered shape.


    I gulped, and cautiously stepped one foot onto the bridge, just to test it out. As expected, it was wobbly¡ªbut it held. I grasped the railings on either side with my hands tightly, like they were my life itself (they might as well be). For a second, I hesitated whether or not I wanted to really do this. But upon remembering how happy the girls looked when I told them about the ''immortality'' we would all benefit from if I inherited the powers of all four Empyreans, I decided to still give it a shot.


    I mean, what''s the worst that could happen? I die? Pfft, big deal. I have a second life anyway.


    ¡­ At least, that''s what I was trying to tell myself to pump my own spirits up.


    Taking a deep breath, I gently set my other foot onto the nk as well, ready to backpedal the moment I felt like it was going to give in. Surprisingly, however, it still held. The bridge was shaking slightly, but it somehow held my weight. I wasn''t exactly heavy, but still, this was impressive.


    ¡­ Almost impressive enough for me to believe in its quality.


    Soon came the first true jump I had to make¡ªthe rest I could barely reach if I really tried with my legs. But this one was simply not possible.


    By now, I was at the middle of the bridge¡ªright where the shaking was most violent. As a result, my body was shaking alongside the bridge itself, and it wasn''t afortable feeling. I wanted to simply dangle over using the rope railings, but they were thin and weak enough to simply copse under the pressure, and I wasn''t about to risk losing my only source of safety on this goddamned bridge.


    Taking a deep breath, I crouched down slightly. I didn''t want to make too big of a jump¡ªjust slightly into the air, but far. That way, when Inded, the impact on the wooden nk would be minimal.


    "Alright¡­ here we go."


    Gripping the railings tightly, I jumped forward, careful not to rely on the rope too much. When Inded, the entire bridge shook violently, and for a second, I thought I was done for¡ªthe bridge was going to copse into theva. But then¡­ by some miracle, it remained intact. Just barely, but intact.


    Letting out a deep sigh of relief, I regained myposure and made my way across the rest of it.. Thankfully, that gap in the middle was the only one big enough to have to jump to make it across, and I made it to the ledge safely.

 Chapter 522 - Burning Challenger

    Chapter 522 ¨C Burning Challenger


    ¨C Several Minutes After Xuan Kai Reached the Bridges Section ¨C


    Arge, bulky humanoid figure that was too tall to be human stepped into the corridor of mes, meeting the obstacle course head-on. His skin was dark purple, and outlined the robust muscles on his body that practically breathed the aura of confidence.


    From his head, two long, snail-shell-shaped ivory horns grew, signaling that he was an Archdemon¡ªa demon of noble descent, wiser than most and certainly stronger. His small eyes had no pupils and instead red red, and two short scars ran down the center of them on his face. His ears were sharp like that of an elf''s, but the skin color was more than enough to show the disparity between the two races.


    Confidently and ominously, the figure stepped through the obstacle course as if the obstacles weren''t there at all. Every time he took a step, the earth shook.


    The parkour? Omitted. He had tworge demonic purple wings that spout out of his back, unrestrained by the magic limitations the Fire Empyrean had set in ce. The methrowers? Useless. His body was heat-resistant,parable to that of a dragon''s. Even a god''s mes could not harm him¡ªonly tickle at best. The pendulum? When it was about to strike him, he caught it with his left hand, and crushed it to bits with his ws. The gates of hell? When they came down at him, he simply caught them with his hands, and pushed them away so he could get through. Andstly, the iling spiked metal balls of fire?


    Absolutely useless.


    Each time one of them came at him, he smashed it to metal smithereens with his powerful punches. The fire was¡ªonce again¡ªuseless against his heat-resistant skin, and his armor, crafted out of demonite¡ªan ore that could only be found in Demon Territory¡ªwas the same.


    The demon¡ªthis absolute monster of an entity¡ªkept his expression the same as he flew through this corridor of death,pletely not giving two shits about the rules. He was dauntless, fearless, and only had one goal in mind.


    That''s right¡ªhe did not care about Ignis''s inheritance. He did not care about the Empyrean of Fire hating him. He came here with one purpose, and one purpose only:


    To y the boy named Xuan Kai.


    Master X had ordered he and his threerades to take the kid out. However, two had already died to this boy, contrary to what he had expected. Now, he was going to avenge his fallen brethren, and fulfill his master''s order at the same time.


    He knew that kid was in here somewhere. He could smell it¡ªthe stench of the blood of his formerrades, now buried god knows where. That boy¡ªXuan Kai¡ªwas close. And he would pay the price¡ªthe price, for ying this demon''s allies.


    Of course, the demon knew. This ''boy'' was no simple human. If Master X had directly ordered the Four Cardinals to take him out, he was a true threat. And on top of that, the boy had beaten both the wolfman and the old hag, both of which were respectable fighters in their own right¡ªthough they had very different styles.


    The demon dared not underestimate the human named Xuan Kai¡ªfor that could very well end in his defeat, and his death. He was not scared of dying¡ªbut he was scared of failing to fulfill his master''s orders. As such, he must prevail in this uing battle. Failure¡­ was not an option.


    The door that stood in his way despite having made it across the obstacle course? The demon was not in the mood for hindrances. Smashing the door to bits with his powerful fists, he stepped through the door¡ªjust barely fitting with his height.


    On the other end, he found various bridges, all leading upwards. There was no other path to go. It would seem wherever the boy was, he was somewhere up there.


    The demon, of course, did not take any bridges. He simply opened his demonic wings, the mark of his race, and soared upwards, murderous intent in mind.


    On the way in here, he had encountered the boy''s friends. However, he did not engage them, and merely slipped by unnoticed using his Demoncraft invisibility technology. There was no reason to include them in the fight¡ªwhat was done by the boy was the boy''s fault and the boy''s alone, not any of his friends or lovers. Simrly, Master X had specifically ordered him not to harm any of the boy''s friends¡ªjust the boy alone.


    Despite feeling rage and hate towards Xuan Kai, the demon was still an honorable fighter¡ªhence why he got along with the wolfman Alphis (real name Daiki) so well. No matter how much he wanted to win, he would never resort to dirty tactics. He would never forgive himself for winning a battle through cheap tricks, and he would also never forgive an opponent for doing so either.


    As such, he intended to challenge the boy head-on. No sneak attacks, no tricks, head-on. That was the demon''s code.


    The demon¡ªNael¡ªwas on the hunt.


    And Xuan Kai¡­ was his prey.


    *****


    Soon, after many bridges and climbing, I was nearly at the top of this damned ''stairway to hell''. Ignis said he would meet me at the top, and quite frankly, I wasn''t even climbing to meet him anymore. I was climbing so I could sack him in the face as soon as I got the chance. I thought Terrarim and Aerim''sirs were annoying¡ªthis is on a whole other level.


    By some miracle, I didn''t fall and was still alive even after going through countless half-broken bridges. I went from floating ind to ledge, to another ind, and so on, each time having to make at least one or two jumps. There were some close calls¡ªseveral, actually¡ªbut I managed to get out of each, thankfully.


    It would seem luck truly was on my side today. If it wasn''t, I would be long gone by now. I didn''t like relying on something as superficial as luck, but it''s not like I really had much of a choice.


    Finally, it was time for the final flights of stairs to reach the top. Unfortunately, this bridge was also the longest and most broken one yet. There appeared to be three jumps I had to make, with thest one being the biggest. Naturally, I did not like the looks of that.


    Still, I was now experienced enough to make the first step without any hesitation, and slowly walk across. I made it to the first jump with no problem despite the shaking, and jumped across after some preparation just like all the other leaps I''ve made so far.


    However, this one''snding was a bit different. When my feet hit the wooden nk, I heard a noise¡ªthe sound of something creaking as it was pulled out from somece. I couldn''t see where it was, but I did not like it.


    Still, it was toote to turn back now. Rather than going back the way I came from, I might as well simply continue onwards¡ªand soon, I arrived at the second jump.


    After thorough preparation, I leaped. Once more, Inded safely, but there it was again. The creaking sound. The noise of something falling apart. The noise of impending doom.


    I gulped nervously, but now there <em>really was</em> no turning back. The distance I had left to go was shorter than the distance I would need to travel if I turned back now. I only had one path to take¡ªand it was forward.


    Slowly, I advanced, keeping my footsteps light yet stable. Very soon, I arrived at the third and final jump. If I made this, I would practically be at the top¡ªjust a few more steps would do it. The problem was¡­ this gap was incrediblyrge. I would need to jump quite hard to make it without the help of magic.


    Clenching my fists as tightly as I could around the rope railings on either side of me and keeping my center of mass as low as possible to remain bnced, I prepared to jump. It was now or never. The more time I spent dwindling on this bridge, the higher the chance of it all breaking apart¡­ along with my life.


    Determined and fueled by renewed courage, I opened my eyes wide, and leaped for it.


    And that''s when it happened.


    I heard the sound, and immediately, I knew what it was: my doom.


    The wooden poles that were supposed to secure the bridge in ce on that sky ind I had came from tore apart, having been pulled out of the ground by the weight of my jumps. The entire bridge soon followed,pletely mming into the rock wall perpendicr to my destination. It hurt, but that was the least of my worries.


    "Tch¡­!" I nced down at the steaming pool ofva below, and knew if I fell, I was done for.


    There was no ce tond.

 Chapter 523 - Saved By An Enemy

    Chapter 523 ¨C Saved By An Enemy


    As I dangled from the lopsided bridge, soon to fall apart entirely, luck chose the worst time to leave my side. As there was only one end still supporting the weight of the bridge now, wooden nks began falling apart as the rope railings went loose. I struggled to climb up, but for every nk I climbed, it seemed the one below me fell. At this rate, I wasn''t going to make it.


    Somehow, this was reminiscent to me. A simr situation had happened to me once before¡ªduring the investigation of the Grey Scourge, I had fallen into the abyss below after the bridge fell apart. This time, though, there would be no Princess of Death waiting for me down there. There would only be a painful, burning Death itself, apanied by Fire.


    I raced as hard as I could to reach the top. Adrenaline surged through my veins, and I worked harder than ever before, with my life on the line. With no time to even breathe, I climbed and climbed, from wooden nk to wooden nk, until atst, I felt my hand wrap around rock instead of the sharp, splintered wood I was already ustomed to by now.


    "¡­ Whew."


    I let out a sigh of relief.


    But then, I heard the noise of a crack.


    Not like before. No¡­ this was different.


    This did not belong to wood. This noise¡­ it belonged to rock.


    And then, I nced up, and saw what happened. The part of the cliff I was holding onto had a crack in it, and was splitting apart.


    "¡­ Oh, shit."


    Those were thest two words I could say before the cliffside crumbled, and I began falling towards theva.


    So much work¡­ all for nothing. Looks like I would have to use that second life after all, huh?


    It was over. I couldn''t use magic, and my angelic wings could not be activated as they were stolen using Thief''s Hand, which required mana to activate. There was no way out. I was done. In my heart, I had already given up. All hope was lost. There was no getting out of this one, unfortunately.


    Perhaps, this was fated to happen. I mean, Newton''sw of motion says that a force will always create an equal force in the opposite direction, right? I wonder if the same applies to luck¡ªI''ve been getting so much good luck throughout this entire volcano that now, all the bad luck umted ising to haunt me.


    I closed my eyes as I felt the intense heat of theva''s steam hit my back like a truck, and I knew my end was near. Still, this was not goodbye. I just had to somehow regain all of my memories again. That won''t be easy, of course, but it wasn''t impossible.


    But even so¡­ this was kind of sad, huh? Staring at the rocks and wooden nks falling with me, I slowly reached out to the air with my hand, like I was holding on. But deep down, I knew there was no oneing to save me.


    That''s right¡­ no on-


    "¡ª!"


    Suddenly, I felt two thick, burly arms wrap around my body, and my eyes snapped back open to see a purple demon''s square face staring down at me.


    I blinked. "Uh¡­ you kind of ruined the moment there, but uh¡­ hi?"


    "¡­ You are not allowed to die yet," the demon said in a low voice. "You must die at my hands."


    "Wait, what?"


    Before I could receive a response or mentally prepare myself, he shot upwards with his dark purple wings with me in his arms. I held on as tightly as possible, not giving a damn that I was currently getting princess carried. I want to live, after all!


    Soon, we arrived at the very top of the cliff where I had fallen from, and he set me down on the ground.


    Well¡­ that was a light way to put it. Actually, he simply tossed me onto the floor like a sack of grain or something, and although it didn''t hurt that much, the disrespect factor was still somewhat infuriating. Could be worse, though. He could''ve mmed dunk me into the ground, basketball style.


    "Ngh¡­" Struggling to my feet, I shot the demon a re. "You¡­ you''re one of the Four Cardinals, aren''t you? I remember your face. Why did you save me? Did your master not order my death?"


    "He did," the demon replied. "However¡­ his orders are not the only reason I came to kill you. I must avenge my tworades whom you have already in, and to do so, I must defeat you in a fair and just battle, by myself. Until we face off and one of us two fall in the fight, you are not allowed to die by any other means."


    "Wow, howmanding," I snorted, folding my arms. "Thank you for saving me, but¡­ thoserades of yours came at me themselves. You''re a warrior, are you not? Is there any wrong in killing those who attempt to kill me?"


    "There is not," the demon said stoically. "You misunderstand, boy. I am not saying you are in the wrong here. What you did to them was their own faults for being weak and losing the battle. That is just and fair. However, even so, they were myrades¡ªand for that, I need to avenge them with my own two hands, no matter how weak they may be."


    "Huh¡­ I see," I snickered, and drew my Chaos katanas. "How loyal of you¡­ unfortunately, you should''ve simply let me die there."


    "¡­ Hmph," the demon snorted, as if any further conversation would only be a bore. "Let us fight."


    But before we could begin, the loudughter of a man cut through.


    "Ha ha ha ha! What is this? Another challenger? Perfect! Very well, young mortals! The two of you shall brawl without weapons, and the winner will receive my inheritance!"


    "¡­ Without weapons?" I arched an eyebrow. "Are you fucking kidding me?"


    That was the demon''s strongsuit! Who was Ignis working for?!


    "¡­ Who is this clown?" The demon asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Don''t tell me you came into this ce without knowing what it even was¡­" I muttered, shooting him a pitiful look.


    "I did. The identity of this ce means nothing to me. I came here to find you, and kill you. Nothing more."


    "I am Ignis, the Empyrean of Fire," the voice dered, not seeming to be mad at all. "The ce you are in right now is myir."


    "¡­ So, a god of fire," the demon said, closing his eyes briefly. "He is quite¡­ temperate."


    "Right?" I rolled my eyes. "You would think the god of fire would have a more¡­ I don''t know, <em>explosive</em> personality, but this guy is like the exact opposite of that, in a good way."


    "He is getting in the way of our fight," the demon said. "By limiting you to not use weapons, he is making this fight not just. As such, I have a proposal."


    Faced with his serious tone of voice, I furrowed my brows.


    "Yeah? Let''s hear it."


    "We work together to sack this god first, then have our battle."


    "¡­"


    The demon blinked. "Is there a problem?"


    "Uh, yeah," I said, elongating the ''eah'' part. "About that. Do you know what the term ''god'' means?"


    "Yes. My mortal enemy."


    <em>¡­ Oh, right. He''s a demon.</em>


    "Well, uh, you see¡­ gods are called gods because they are unkible. Understand? Un-kill-a-ble. So, basically, we can''t defeat this dude, no matter how hard we try. Got it? Tell me you got it."


    "¡­ Hm, I suppose I ''got'' it."


    "Alright. Now¡­ you wanted to fight?" I grinned, cracking my knuckles. "I''m fine with not using any weapons. Let''s do this. After I''m done with you, only one person will be left in my way."


    "Are you certain you wish to fight me barehanded?" The demon asked, narrowing his eyes as if this was surprising to him. "I will not show mercy, human."


    "So be it. After all, that''s only fair¡ªI won''t show any mercy either."


    "Yes! I want to see a manly fight¡ªa fight of fists!" Ignis roared excitedly. "The arena is all yours, champions. Who will win, I wonder? The boy my three younger siblings chose, or the dark horse? Let the fight begin!"


    "Huh?! Wai-"


    But I didn''t even have time to finish my sentence as the demon came charging at me with his fists, and I quickly swerved to one side to evade the punch.


    "¡­ Hmph." He slowly turned his head at me, as if gauging my skills, and I dematerialized my Chaos katanas with a deep sigh.


    "¡­ Well, what he wants, he gets," I muttered. Since I needed to obtain Ignis''s power, I had to y by his rules. Besides¡­ even though hand-to-hand brawling was the demon''s strongsuit as he didn''t use any weapons anyway, I had faith I could match him in terms of physical strength, thanks to my vampire and angelic blood.


    Cracking my knuckles and tilting my head both ways, I got into abat stance.


    "Alright¡­ let''s do this."

 Chapter 524 - Dance Of Broken Fists

    Chapter 524 ¨C Dance Of Broken Fists


    The battle began the demon going on the offensive. I needed to first gauge his skills and what he was capable of before going in, so I decided to y passively to start. Strategy is just as important as skills inbat, after all.


    As he threw punch after punch at me, and I evaded one after another, I began noticing patterns in his movements. For one, he didn''t seem to use any kicks, or anything else apart from punching. Second, his movements appeared to be focused on raw strength, not speed. Both of these were weaknesses that I could exploit.


    After a long sequence of punches, however, he stopped, and I too stopped evading. He stared at me and narrowed his eyes.


    "¡­ You are experienced, for your age."


    "Huh?" I chuckled. "All I''ve done so far was dodge."


    "Yes¡­ but your movements are not natural. They are skilled, yet not refined. That means you were not taught how to do this. You learned yourself, through various battles and experiences."


    "Oho¡­ you''re more observant than I thought," I muttered, rubbing my chin. It would seem this demon was not just a meathead¡ªhe was smart, too. He would be a tougher opponent than most, that was for sure.


    Changing his stance to a defensive one, he beckoned me with his hand.


    "Come."


    Oh? Inviting me to make the first move? Then¡­ don''t mind if I do.


    In an instant, I dashed in front of him, far faster than he could expect. I sank a powerful fist straight into his abdomen, causing his eyes to widen in surprise, and knocked him back a long distance. He nearly fell off the cliff and into theva below, but managed to stop at thest second by sinking his demonic ws into the rocky ground, and pushing himself back up to his feet. I had caught him off-guard with my sudden speed¡ªI knew he wouldn''t be able to react to that, thanks to my testing earlier. But even so¡­ I did not go all in just yet. Reason being¡­


    "Urgh¡­ you surprised me, kid."


    I smirked. "Is that so? But¡­ you haven''t shown your true power yet either, have you?"


    At this, the demon gave a snort that sounded like a chuckle, and retracted his wings like a cocoon, as if gathering energy.


    "Yes¡­ you are right. But now¡­"


    Suddenly, his eyes shed, and bright red light blinded me as he expanded his wings once more, creating a gale powerful enough to be considered a vacuum, and rose into the air.


    "¡­ It would seem I must take this more seriously than before."


    "¡­ Hey, Ignis. Can you let me use my wings too? Would make for a better show, no?"


    "Ha ha ha! Yes, you are correct! Very well¡ªuse your wings! But no other forms of magic!"


    "¡­ Roger that."


    Now we''re talking.


    Spreading the angelic wings that I could not before, I floated into the air to match the demon in altitude. His dark purple wings radiated with demonic purple energy, while mine radiated red with the power of Chaos. I couldn''t use any other form of magic ording to Ignis, but these wings should be enough.


    "¡­ Come, Ascended Seraphim."


    Whispering under my breath and closing my eyes, I called upon the strength of the Ascended Celestici. A ringing sound filled my ears, and my eyes snapped back open, glowing a divine red. My feathered white wings simrly opened the etched drawings of eyes on them, one on each, marked with glowing red lines that stood out from the white feathers. And then, in a voice that was not my own, I spoke.


    "Divine Judgment."


    From the eyes on my wings, two redser beams shot out, and struck the demon directly. He immediately covered himself with his wings again while making an X with his arms to defend against the attack, but the sheer strength of mysers pushed him backwards against his will.


    "Ngh¡­!" He groaned as he fought back against the force, but eventually grew tired of it and pushed it away with his wings atst using all of his strength, then came flying towards me at speeds much higher than before.


    Of course, I had also be stronger.


    Meeting his fists head-on, I overpowered him with my Ascended form easily, sending him crashing into the rocky ground. Or¡­ more urately¡­ through it.


    "¡­ Die," I said, once again, in a voice that was not my own. It was divine, echoing, andyered¡ªalmost as if there were multiple voices harmonized into one. Compared to the chaos all around, the crashing of rocks and splitting of earth, my voice was calm and collected.


    "ARGH¡­!" The demon groaned, gritting his teeth tightly as he was forced throughyer uponyer of rock, but it was no use. Although only temporary, the Ascended Seraphim form I had called upon through these wings was unbeatable. It gave me powers akin to that of a god, much like Ignis himself.


    Even so, however, the demon tried his best to exchange blows with me as he was falling. Unfortunately for him, I was ten times faster, ten times stronger. For every punch he threw, I parried it with one of my own, then hit him with another for good measure.


    Sorry, but this is the end for you.


    If I was in my normal form, this demon would''ve overpowered me eventually, no doubt. I was lucky Ignis allowed me to use these wings¡ªotherwise, I would not have been able to use the powers of an Ascended Seraphim.


    With one final punch, I sent the demon crashing into the finalyer of rock, and straight down through into theva pool below. The momentum was too strong for him to use his wings to fly back, and he could only let out a heartfelt roar of rage as he disappeared into the fuming orange liquid below.


    "¡­"


    I stared in silence at the ce in theva where he disappeared for a moment longer for two reasons. One, to say my thanks in my heart to him for saving me earlier, and two¡­ to make sure he truly was dead.


    After about a minute of waiting, I decided to turn back and fly back up to the cliff. Much of it was now gone, but the doors on it, where Ignis should be waiting behind, were still intact. There was no way someone could remain under this kind ofva for a full minute, no matter how heat-resistant one is. That demon may be a demon, but he was no fire-loving Phoenix like ria. He was dead, through and throu-


    "I''M¡­ NOT¡­ DONE¡­ YET!"


    "¡ª!"


    Suddenly, I heard the sound of liquid sshing, and I turned around to see the demon, now nearlypletely naked with the exception of his waist, flying out of theva with an expression of unyielding determination.


    "Wha-?!"


    Before I could react, he sank a fist into my abdomen just like I had done to him earlier, and theva that he brought with him sizzled on my skin.


    "Agh!"


    Soon, we reached the top of the cliff where I had pummeled him down from, and this time, it was his turn on top. Rearing his fist back as I still was struggling to regain control over my body, he sank a fist straight into my chest and sent me flying towards the doors leading to Ignis.


    "Ngh-!" I groaned as I crashed into the marble, and onto the ground. I felt a couple of my bones being broken, but they were already being healed thanks to thebination of vampire blood and Terrarim''s blessing.


    The demonnded in front of me, body still dripping withva, and began walking towards me menacingly. From what I could see, his entire figure was in shambles. Burn marks were all over his skin, and his wings were half melted. His body seemed to be on the brink of death, but his eyes carried a courage and determination that could only be found in an aspiring warrior.


    "Fight, boy¡­ I am not done yet."


    He tightened his fists, but his body was trembling and his breathing was heavy. At this rate, he was going to die. It would be very easy for him to finish him off right now with my regeneration abilities, but¡­


    "¡­ Stop."


    That was what I said.


    Instead of attacking him, I just told him one word: stop.


    "¡­ What?" The demon asked, voice low, almost like a growl. "Are you¡­ disgracing our battle? If you are pitying me, save it! I do not need pity from my enem-"


    "That''s not it," I replied with a sigh. "I just think it''s pointless if we fight any further now. You are in no condition to continue battling, and you know it. I give you my word¡ªwe will fight again, but not now. Go home, heal, rest, thene challenge me again."


    "¡­ Why are you doing this?" The demon asked after a short while of hesitation. "You could easily rid yourself of an enemy right here, right now. Why are you letting me go free?"


    "Why?" I gave a chuckle.. "Well¡­ before that, answer me this. Why are you working for the man named X? Why¡­ do you hate magic?"

 Chapter 525 - Igniss Power

    Chapter 525 ¨C Ignis¡¯s Power


    "I¡­ do not particrly hate magic," the demon said after a while of my asking the question. "I just¡­ am helping Master X, as I owe him my life."


    "¡­ Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. He was different from the other two. "What happened?"


    "¡­ Is that something I have to tell you?" The demon asked right back, narrowing his eyes.


    "You lost to me in a fight," I said. "Instead of killing you, this is your punishment."


    "I¡­ see," the demon sighed after a while, defeated. "¡­ It happened a year ago."


    *A year ago? That''s¡­ not long after my mother and father ''passed away''¡­


    "I am an Archdemon, of noble descent. My family, the House of Beezelbub, was prosperous and wealthy. However¡­ we were slightly *too much so."


    "¡­ Howe?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "The other royal families¡­ they became envious of mine. They worked together, and convinced the King of the Demon Realm at the time that we were nning a revolt. Of course, we were not, but¡­ it was one voice against dozens. The King expelled us, putting bounties on our heads, and¡­ things took a quick turn for the worse from there."


    "Bet those guys who worked together loved it," I muttered.


    "Yes. We were hunted. My mother, father, and entire family were ughtered before my very eyes. I had nowhere to run, no ce to hide. Soon, I was to follow my family to death, but¡­ in thest moment, a shadowy figure appeared before my eyes, and killed all of the invading demons with a mere swipe of his hand. And that¡­ was when I saw true power."


    "X¡­" I murmured, and the demon nodded.


    "Indeed¡­ that was Master X. I did not know why he saved me, but he did. Sometimes, I wished he would''ve came sooner on that day, but I realize I am in no position to be making demands like that. When I asked him why he saved me, though¡­ he only replied with something I do not understand to this day."


    "What was it?" I asked, curious.


    "He said that I¡­ reminded him of his own son. I do not know how, since he is a human and I am a demon, but¡­"


    At this, I froze.


    *¡­ Come to think of it, this guy''s story is pretty simr to my own, huh¡­? Parents are killed by their own race¡­ right before his eyes. And my father, he¡­ he knew what happened to me, so¡­


    "¡­ I see."


    That is all I said. I had no intention of revealing my connection with X to him, and that was probably for the best.


    "¡­ I will ask you again, human," the demon then said, ring at me intently. "¡­ Are you certain you do not wish to kill me right here, right now? This will be the only chance you get¡ªI wille back stronger, faster, and better, now that I have figured out your abilities."


    "Sure," I replied, grinning. "I''ll be waiting."


    "¡­ You will regret this decision, fool."


    With those words, he spun around, and began heading back the way hee from, exiting the volcano. Watching him go, I couldn''t help but let out a deep sigh.


    "¡­ Too bad, you have no idea what my abilities truly are¡­"


    Turning around, I headed towards the marble doors. My job here was not done just yet. When I pushed them open, however¡­


    "Sniff¡­ hu¡­ so sad¡­ sniff¡­"


    "¡­ What are you doing?" I asked, arching an eyebrow dubiously at the figure hunched over on the ground ahead of me.


    "I-I''m sorry¡­ that was just¡­ so sad¡­ hu hu hu¡­"


    As the man wept rivers of tears, I narrowed my eyes.


    "¡­ Oi. You three," I said to the three other Empyreans in my soul. "Are you just going to sit here and watch the show, or are you going to go wake him the hell up?"


    Aerim, naturally, was the first to act, turning into her physical form in the air and flying towards the molten body of a human known as Ignis.


    "Heyyyy, Ignis! Yahoo! It''s me, Aerim! Did you miss me after so long? Did you? Did you?"


    "Aerim¡­? Oh, Aerim! Long time no see, friend!" Ignis said cheerily, any sign of sadness immediately gone. "How have you been?!"


    "Meh, it''s been fine, I guess," Aerim said, waving him off. "The other two, though, are as boring as ever."


    "I heard that," Aquira interjected calmly, and Aerim hurriedly circled around to behind Ignis.


    "Eek! Aquira''s scary¡­"


    "Right?!" Ignis rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, Aquira, stop being so scar-"


    "I will douse your mes."


    "E-Eek!" Ignis screamed in a strikingly simr tone to Aerim''s, and the two huddled together in fear.


    "¡­ Now, now¡­" Terrarim intercepted with a deep sigh. "Our reunion is fine and all, but we should get onto business. Wouldn''t want to keep our friend here waiting, would we now?"


    "At least one of you four is sensible," I muttered.


    "Mm, yes. The Blessing of the Empyreans, correct? Very well," Aquira said, closing her eyes. "You have done well to liberate the four of us, and this is an apt reward."


    Saying this, she spread her arms in her water form, and held her hand with Aerim and Terrarim, who morphed into a rock golem of sorts. Terrarim then linked hands with Ignis, who held Aerim''s other hand to form a full square. Of course, fire and water could not hold hands, and air and earth could not either, so this was the distribution they were put in.


    "You better be grateful, human," Aerim said, and closed her eyes. The other three did the same, and from each of their foreheads, a gemstone glowed brightly. Aerim''s was silver, Terrarim''s was golden, Ignis''s was a zing orange like mes, and Aquira''s was a calm tear-shaped blue.


    The gemstones projected themselves above their heads in the form of holographic, glowing symbols, and then converged at the center of the square they formed with their linked arms. Silver morphed into gold, water morphed into fire. The four elements grouped together, spinning and spinning, until atst¡­


    All that was left¡­ was but a single tear-shaped gemstone.


    It had the shape of Aquira''s stone, the silver color of Aerim''s, the grid-like texture of Terrarim''s, and the fire at heart of Ignis''s at its very core. The radiating, glorious, and divine gemstone slowly descended from the air, flowing towards me, and I caught it in my hand. Despite being a gemstone, it felt fragile and easy to break, like it was the collected will of four gods.


    "Go on," Terrarim said, unlinking his arms with the others. "Break the crystal in your hand, and consume its energy."


    "¡­ What?" I arched an eyebrow. "You want me to¡­ break this?"


    "Correct," Aquira said. "That is how you will be able to absorb its energy. If you do not believe us, then so be it, but we have done our part."


    "¡­" ncing down at the beautiful stone in my hand, I made up my mind¡­ and crushed it.


    Just as expected, it shattered easily. The rainbow essences trapped inside were now free, and soared around, circling my body, before finally entering my heart¡­ or rather, my soul, to be exact.


    Immediately, I felt something akin to an enlightening. It was like back then, when I first awakened magic, but on a somewhat grander scale. It was like I received a message, a divine message, telling me that I was no longer human, but a being close to a god.


    "Congrattions," Aerim said with a snicker. "You are now stuck at this age forever~"


    "¡­ Wait, what?"


    "¡­ Perhaps we should have warned you beforehand¡­" Terrarim muttered. "That is¡­ our bad. Upon absorbing that energy, you have now turned immortal, as in you will never age and could theoretically live forever if nothing unexpected urs. However, we failed to ask if this was the age you wished to stop aging at¡­"


    "¡­ I mean, I''m fine with it, but¡­" I averted my gaze. "I don''t know about the girls¡­ maybe they would want to wait until they are a bit older to do so¡­?"


    "18 to 19 is a suitable age to stop aging at for a woman," Aquira stated calmly, folding her arms. "They have matured into adults, yet can still experience the fun and freedom of teenagehood. I do not think you need to worry about themining about this fact."


    "Well, if it''s from the Empyrean of Water and Maidens herself, it''s got to be true," Ignis said with a chuckle. "Me, I prefer older women myself."


    "Like¡­ Sister Aquira, perhaps?" Aerim snickered.


    "H-Huh? Wha-? No, what are you talking about?"


    "Should he even get remotely close to me, I will put him out of his misery," Aquira said coldly, ring at Ignis. "Both figuratively¡­ and literally."


    So this is what they mean by fire and water don''t get along¡­*


    "A-Ahem, in any case, we should get out of this volcano!" Ignis said. "Your friends are still waiting for you, are they not, kiddo?"


    I nodded. "Yes. But¡­ are you fouring along as well?"


    "Hm? What kind of question is that?" Aerim arched an eyebrow, rolling her eyes. "Of course we are! Look, all four of us may be awakened now, but our existences in this world are now tied to you! If we''re noting along with you, where else would we go?"


    "Uh¡­ I see."


    I blinked.. Guess I have four gods apanying me for the journey ahead now.

 Chapter 526 - Preparations For The Final Encounter

    Chapter 526 ¨C Preparations For The Final Encounter


    "Alright¡­ with this, all Four Empyreans have been re-awakened," I muttered, letting out a sigh. "I''ve worked my ass off for the past few days, but¡­ this immortality should be worth it."


    "You had best not overly rely on it," Aquira stated calmly. "After all, immortality does not mean invincibility. A killing blow will still be a killing blow¡ªdo not me it on us then."


    "Rx, I am well aware of that," I replied. "If I die, it''s simply because I was too weak. Nothing more."


    "Well, let''s get out of here, then!" Ignis said with a chuckle. "I heard you have a pretty nice lodging, kid! A private beach and all that? Sounds awesome!"


    "Just know if you burn anything, you''ll be paying for it," I muttered, and Aquira gave a soft chuckle.


    "Hmph. Worry not, dear child. Should he burn anything, I will immediately drown his mes."


    "Yeah¡­ uh, thanks, I suppose," I said, scratching my head. "In any case¡­ how do we-"


    I was going to ask where the exit was since Space Magic was still being restricted here, but suddenly, a rumbling noise came from down below, and I immediately tensed up.


    "Uh¡­ what was that?"


    "Hm, it would seem your earlier brawl with that demon fellow triggered a volcanic eruption," Terrarim said nonchntly.


    "Don''t say that in such a calm way, dammit!" I yelled as the rumbling continued, and the marble ceiling above my head began crumbling. The ground shook, the earth trembled. More and moreyers of rock and marble above me began to break ande crashing down, and the fractures appearing in the ground beneath me didn''t help either.


    "Tch¡­!"


    Gritting my teeth with no other option, I began climbing up onto the pieces of rock falling down. The ground below me was giving way to the magma underneath, and with the surgingva, there was no way I could waste any time.


    It wasn''t easy, climbing onto the pieces of rock as they fell, then jumping off of them to reach a higher one. My wounds had already healed, but even so, this wasn''t a feat just anyone could aplish. All magic¡ªincluding flying¡ªwas disabled still since Ignis was a meathead, so I was forced to rely on my own capabilities to jump my way out of this predicament.


    Once I had an opening, however, I was able to summon my angelic wings, which Ignis had enabled earlier. This made things exponentially easier, but I still had to evade the iing rocks dropping on my head, like icicles in a snowy ice cavern. One mistake, and I was done for.


    As the entire volcano''s deepest part began crumbling down all around me, I soared upwards, hoping my stamina would be able to make the top. Enormous chunks of rock copsed beside me, and small pellets of pebbles and dust threatened to blind my eyes. From below, the raging pool of heat andva surged upwards, and I could feel it at my feet. I could not afford to slow down.


    This was more than a race against time. This, was a race against life itself.


    I could see the exit above. The rocks that crumbled above revealed the bright blue sky, and it shone like a glimmer of hope that contrasted with the dark and brown rocks all around me along with the bloody pool ofva beneath my feet.


    "Ngh¡­!"


    Putting every ounce of strength I had into my wings, I forced myself upwards more than ever before. My back felt like it was on fire, but luckily, it wasn''t actually on fire¡ªyet.


    Soon, however, I finally reached the very top of the volcano''s exit, and spotted the girls, looking at me in surprise.


    "Uh¡­ Xuan Kai? What''s going on?" Yu An Yan asked. The outside of the volcano was still oblivious to the shaking, somehow, but it wouldn''t be for long.


    As such, there was only time to say one word:


    "Fly!"


    "E-Eh?" She was confused at first, but when theva reached the surface the moment after, she did not need to be told twice. "E-Eek!"


    Obsidia, Mei Gui, An Yan, and I soared into the air, as far away as possible from the volcano, as the immense amounts of scorchingva inside erupted out of the mountain''s mouth and spilled out along with tons of smog and smoke. The dwarven miners below at the base of the mountain were sent running for their lives, but that was none of our concern.


    "¡­ Those poor people¡­" Yu An Yan murmured as she watched theva spread down below. "This¡­ won''t reach the city, right?"


    "It will not," Mei Gui replied. "ording to my calctions, theva will only reach 300 meters outside the city borders at most."


    "But those miners¡­ they will not survive," Obsidia stated matter-of-factly, folding her arms. "Not that it is of any concern to us."


    "It should be to him, though," I muttered, narrowing my eyes at the spirit of Ignis, who hovered beside me guiltily. "That''s your volcano that blew up, right there. For a god, you can''t even stabilize your own home?"


    "Well, to be fair, I never expected your fight with that other dude to be able to cause a ripple powerful enough to actually make this dormant volcano erupt¡­" He responded, shrugging.


    "Besides," Aquira added, stepping up. "These are the same creatures who forgot the origins of this world, and who gave them this beautiful to live on. If they are going to die, so be it."


    "Wow¡­ that''s quite cold," Yu An Yan remarked, blinking a few times. "I like it."


    I sighed. "Either way¡­ what''s done is done. I feel a little bad for doing this, but to avoid any trouble, we should just let the dwarves handle this situation on their own. It shouldn''t be much to ask of them."


    The girls nodded in agreement, and together, we teleported back to our home and base of operations, the private beach on the small uninhabited ind in the middle of the ocean. Before leaving, though, I left behind a bagful of money, just to help the dwarves out a bit and soothe the guiltiness in my heart somewhat. I had so much money that I could afford to drop one of these bags every day for several hundred years and I would still have way more than just ''rich'', so this wasn''t anything at all to me.


    In any case, after returning to the beach, I exined to the girls what happened inside the volcano and how I identally used the crystal of immortality on the spot. I apologized for doing that without consulting them first since it honestly was more for them than for me, but they all shook their heads and said it was fine. Apparently, Aquira was right¡ªthis was the perfect age for girls to stop aging. Of course, there were minor discrepancies in preference as with all things, but more or less, all the girls were happy with this age. Some were skeptical at first, but time would tell whether or not the Empyreans had lied. And if they had, well¡­ they were still under my control, and I knew some very nice torture tactics.


    Speaking of the Empyreans, since I didn''t want them bothering the girls and I, I decided to make good use of the small mountain on the ind to build a shrine on top of. It wasn''t very big or majestic, but there was enough space to house the Four Empyreans in their spirit forms.


    Of course, that was simply the n¡ªthe actual execution would have to wait until all this antimagic Midnight Syndicate stuff was done and over with. That day wasn''t particrly far off, though¡ªthere was just one final Cardinal standing in my way, really¡ªand then I could confront my father.


    So many mysteries remain unsolved. There was still much left to do after I convince my father that I was strong enough to tackle whatever outside threats may being¡ªfor example, the Hex that Sylvie mentioned. For one, I needed to search for my mother, who I now knew was still alive. And for two¡­ I apparently had an elder sister¡­? One that I never knew about, anyway¡­ I''m not even sure how that worked. Were we blood-rted, or was she adopted before I was even born, then left somewhere while my parents were with me?


    ording to my father, she loved me a lot, but I''ve never even seen her¡­ quite the one-sided love, if you ask me.


    In any case, those were questions for the future, albeit the near one. For now, though, I was tired. Fighting the demon took more out of me than I realized, and quite honestly, I was still very weak in my current state. If my magic was restricted, my power level immediately plummeted hundredfold, but theoretically speaking¡­ Chaos was unbound, and should be able to break through any form of restrictions or limitations. I asked Mei Gui about this earlier, and as expected¡­ I needed to further deepen my understanding of Chaos.


    But the question was¡­ how?


    And the answer she told me?


    It was simple:


    The Chaos Realm.

 Chapter 527 - The Dream Stealer

    Chapter 527 ¨C The Dream Stealer


    ¨C Within Xuan Kai''s Dreams¡­ ¨C


    Right after I drifted off to sleep with the girls in my arms, I woke up again.


    Not in the 5-star inn''s bedroom I was ustomed to, however. No¡­ this ce wasn''t in the real world at all.


    All around me, white fog shrouded my vision, and beyond it, faint traces of a pink background could be seen. Thebination of colors was quite calming and rxing, but I knew there was more to this than just a pleasant white fog in this dreamspace.


    ''This definitely isn''t right,'' I thought in my head, ncing around warily. ''This is no normal dream¡­ someone pulled me in here.''*


    I haven''t had a dream in years now, not counting the Infinite Realm''s various meetings with Sylvie. It made no sense for me to randomly have one now. So¡­ who was it?


    "Who''s there?" I asked cautiously. "I know this isn''t some normal dream. Juste out already."


    "Fufufu¡­" A gentle yet seductive string ofughter came from all around me, and I narrowed my eyes. "¡­ You are quite sharp, my little guinea pig."


    At this, I arched an eyebrow.


    "Guinea pig? Who are you?"


    "All will be revealed soon¡­ you have already fallen into my trap. Heed my words closely, my cute guinea pig," the voice said, and instantly, I felt my body freeze, utterly entranced by her words. In this virtual dreamspace, my Chaos powers and resistance did not work. I waspletely vulnerable to her words, and I found myself unable to do anything but obey.


    "Tomorrow is the day when you will leave your friends, your family, ande to me. Tomorrow is the day¡­ when you will be mine. Travel over seas, soar over mountains, ande to me¡­"


    As her alluring whispers faded away, I found myselfpletely trapped. Even as the dream broke apart and I was sent back to my fleeting moments of rest, I could not escape¡­


    *****


    ¨C Next Morning, 4 AM ¨C


    Before anyone else woke up, my body did first. In a hazy state of mind, still under the effects of the dream, I stumbled my way out of the inn room, outside onto the beach, and without even putting on my proper clothes, soared into the air with Flight Magic.


    Past clouds, above mountains, over the sea, I flew and flew, not turning back nor even thinking in my head. The only thing I had in my mind was that woman''s voice, charming and captivating beyond belief. Even though this was real life now and my Chaos resistances were up and running, the root was already nted in my head within that dream.


    There was no escape now.


    Several hourster, I was still flying. The girls must be up by now and wondering where I am, but that didn''t matter. I only had one goal in sight, and it was nearing.


    I waspletely alone¡ªthe Four Empyreans were staying up at the mountain surrounded by nature, and Lorelei was in her physical form. Yami simrly chose to stay up on the mountains, since Ignis offered to teach him to hunt¡ªsomething he was eager to try.


    My destination was nearing¡ªthe purplend below marked Demon Territory. But this was not my stop¡ªit was a little further, down south, where France was. The slowly changed color, from purple to pink. And thus I knew¡ªI was at my destination.


    Heading for the tallest tower in the enormous castle that stood above everything else, I continued flying. There, the windows were open, as if inviting me in, and Iplied without any resistance.


    As soon as I entered, the windows shut once more through telekinesis, and I found myself at the feet of a woman.


    She was beautiful.


    I didn''t mean normal-level beauty. I meant divine perfection, like her very existence depended on her looks. Her figure was the most alluring I''ve seen yet, slim yet bold at the right ces. From her back, two dark purple wings coiled around her body, and a ck tail that ended in the shape of a heart shook side to side behind her, as if tempting me to go closer.


    But I knew better.


    The moment I entered this ce, the seal was broken on me. I had followed the order to the end, and came to her. Immediately, my head cleared, and I realized what happened.


    "Tch¡­ damn yo-"


    I began, about to lunge at her with my summoned Chaos katanas, but suddenly, I was pulled back by an invisible force on my legs.


    "Wha-?!"


    I nced down to see what it was, only to see a searing pink chain anklet around each of my ankles, but it was toote. I copsed onto the ground, and the woman did not hold back as immediately after my hands hit the floor, two more anklets rose, chaining down my wrists as well.


    She had predicted this to happen from the very beginning.


    "Fufufu¡­ atst, we meet, my sweet guinea pig," the woman said, smiling alluringly and rising from her throne before walking closer to me, bending down in front of my face.


    "Mm¡­ that expression¡­ how cute."


    I wanted to spit at her wickedly beautiful face, but decided that probably wasn''t a good idea, seeing as how I waspletely under her control right now. Even my Chaos powers, which should theoretically counter all forms of magic, failed to break free from these chains. As such, I decided to start off with a simple but useful question.


    "¡­ Who are you?"


    "Me?" The womanughed maturely. "You have met me once before though, have you not?"


    ¡­ She was right. I had. During the invasion on Fragment, I had seen her¡ªbriefly, but even so, her appearance and body wasn''t exactly an easy one to forget.


    "¡­ I''m not talking about that identity," I replied, clenching my fists. "I''m asking you who exactly you are, apart from one of the Four Cardinals."


    "My, my¡­ so, you are interested in me?" The woman giggled. "Very well. Only for you, though, my little guinea pig~"


    Rising to her feet once more, she spread her arms and wings along with it, showcasing the purple horns on her head and smiling seductively.


    "My name is Eve¡ªthe Queen of the Subi race."


    *¡­ Well, I kind of figured she was a subus, but to think she''s the queen of them all¡­


    "¡­ And? What do you want from me?"


    "Please, there''s no need to be so wary," she said, cupping my chin in her hand and staring into my eyes lovingly. "I have no intention of hurting you. You are my preciousb rat, after all. I just have a few questions I want to ask you. Depending on the truthfulness of your answers, I may even consider simply letting you go, no strings attached."


    "¡­ Doesn''t your master want you to kill me, though?" I chuckled darkly. "You''re really going to disobey him?"


    "Fufufu, if you think I would ever sumb to someone, you are wrong. I make men sumb to me¡­ not the other way around," she said, smiling. "Unlike the other three, X and I share a cooperative rtionship, rather than one of master and subordinate. He cannot order me to do anything, and I am under no obligation to help him. We are simply working together because I was bored, and I found his goal interesting. But now¡­ I''ve discovered something a whole lot more curious. Namely¡­ you."


    Because I knew this woman was capable of Psychic Magic thanks to the disy of telekineses earlier, I didn''t think about anything unnecessary¡ªor, at least, I tried to.


    "So, you''re betraying him?" I asked, stalling for as long as I could. Eventually, Mei Gui would be able to track me dow- shit, I can''t think about that¡­


    Eve seemed to notice, but she didn''t care at all, and instead merely gave a short giggle.


    "Perhaps. I am a very selfish person, you know," she said, fake-pouting a bit to act cute and biting her own fist and pretending to be on the verge of tears. "I can''t do something fun for myself for once? How cruel¡­"


    I ignored her little act and narrowed my eyes further in suspicion. "You say you won''t hurt me, but these chains aren''t exactly convincing. Tell you what¡ªfree me, and I''ll answer your questions, peacefully. We can be civil about this, no?"


    "Fufu, as much as I''d like to, no can do," she replied with a wry smile. "I have been observing you for a while, and have done a little research. You excel at trickery andbat¡ªif we were to fight head-on, I would undoubtedly lose. Besides¡­ you have a special power in you, one that I have yet to understand. It is too dangerous to let that roam free, so understand, these chains are in ce for precautionary reasons. As much as I am a subus, a being who deceives men for a living, I am also a queen. I honor my words, my sweet guinea pig. As long as you cooperate, I will not hurt you."


    Realizing I had no other options, I gave a sigh.


    "¡­ Fine. Ask away."


    At this, Eve smiled happily, and for a second, I was nearly charmed again, this time by her sweet innocent look. Too dangerous.


    "That''s the spirit~!"

 Chapter 528 - Eves Questions (18+)

    Chapter 528 ¨C Eve¡¯s Questions (18+)


    "First off¡­ what is that mysterious power inside you?" Eve asked, crossing one leg over the other on top of her throne as she tapped on her cheek patiently.


    *Getting straight to the point, huh¡­


    "What mysterious power?" I asked right back, ying dumb. To avoid thinking about the actual answer to her question, I decided to employ the perfect strategy¡ªthe strategy that made sense, and was perfect for a young man like me.


    Staring at the queen of the subi, I focused my gaze on her bosom in particr, and imagined herpletely naked. That was the picture I etched into my mind, and honestly, it wasn''t hard, given how revealing her clothes were. Not to mention, she was extremely attractive and had built-in subus charm, so it was impossible to think about anything else or get her out of my head after forming the initial picture.


    Eve stared at me for a while, expression neutral, then ultimately smiled.


    "Fufufu¡­ what a horny young man¡­ don''t worry, once these questions are done and over with¡­ I''ll be sure to reward you well~"


    ¡­ Wait, what?


    Oh god, no¡­ no, that wasn''t the n!*


    I couldn''t afford to think about that too hard, though, and quickly switched my focus back to picturing her naked. Clearing my throat, I continued.


    "Was that your true goal in making mee here?"


    "Hm¡­ perhaps, perhaps not~" She said cryptically, tilting her head cutely. "You are quite good-looking, I must say¡­ like a male subus, if those existed¡­ but back to the matter at hand. Howe the antimagic developed by X does not work on you, despite it working on any other person it has been tried on?"


    "I don''t know," I replied half-heartedly. "You guys developed it. How am I supposed to know why it doesn''t work?"


    "Fufu, I suppose that''s a fair point," she replied with a giggle. "But¡­ regardless of whether or not you know¡­ after I obtain the power from you, I''ll be able to analyze and figure it out by myself."


    "Wha¡­ how are you going to do that, exactly?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.


    But Eve only licked her lips, eyes shining bright pink with lust, and caressed her own face.


    "¡­ You''ll find out soon, my cute little guinea pig~"


    *****


    Next thing I knew, I was on the bed.


    Yes, the bed within the private chambers of the Subus Queen, Eve. She had dragged me onto it with telekinesis, then pinned me down with the chains. I was renderedpletely unable to move, but honestly, situation aside, this bed was quitefortable to lie in.


    The situation, however, was not thatfortable to be in.


    "Uh¡­ what are you doing?" I asked warily as she slipped off her high-heels, revealing her beautiful pale feet, and climbed onto the bed as well.


    "Extracting the power from your body, of course," she said with a seductive smile, leaning in close to my ear before whispering, "Don''t worry¡­ it''ll feel great."


    I could smell the fragrant scent of flowers being emitted from her body, and the aroma was more than enticing. Her hot breath by my ear, her voluptuous breasts rubbing against my chest, and her hand sliding across my stomach¡­ the tiniest of movements was clearly trained, practiced solely to charm men and make them fall into desire.


    I had more self-control than most since I was constantly being tempted by a bunch of goddess-level beauties by my side, but even so, this¡­ this was too much. Still, I managed to retain my awareness, just enough to muster out the next sentence.


    "Ngh¡­ what happened to just asking questions, huh¡­?"


    "Well¡­ since you were picturing all kind of naughty things in your head¡­ I figured I''d grant you your wish, y''know? As a thank-you foring all this way to see me, fufu¡­"


    *Shit¡­ my n backfired¡­


    "T-There''s¡­ no need¡­"


    "Toote~" She said, backing up a slight bit and licking her lips, sliding her hand down to where my crotch was and feeling the hardness beneath my pants. "Your big dick¡­ I crave it~"


    *Ugh¡­ this is bad! This is very bad! I''m going to die I''m going to die I''m going to die I''m going to di-


    "You are not going to die, honey~" Eve giggled, seeing through my thoughts as she continued rubbing her hand against my crotch over my pants, as if teasing me. "I can feel it¡­ it''s enormous. I won''t let such a good source of food go to waste that easily, you know~?"


    I gulped. "How many men''s lives have you taken in the past?"


    But her response to my question¡­ was something I never would''ve expected.


    "Fufu¡­ none."


    "¡­ What?"


    Momentarily, my head cleared, free from her subus charm. That was how much of a shock that answer was.


    "No man has ever met my standards," she exined, licking her lips eagerly as if she can''t wait to begin. "We subi can live off normal food too, y''know¡­ a man''s semen is just a delicacy, nothing more. And I, as the queen¡­ will not settle for anything below the best of the best. Yours, though¡­ it has such a thick smell¡­"


    She brought her nose closer to my crotch and smelled it like some kind of pervert, and I did my best not to cringe. But if what she said is true, then¡­ perhaps I could make use of this opportunity to escape.


    Through this, she was trying to obtain the power of Chaos through my semen. But by that logic, I could also channel something else into her body¡­


    I''ve never tried something like this before, and I doubt anyone else has either. But theoretically, it should be the same logic as casting a spell from my hands, right? I just needed to amass my mana in a different part of my body¡­


    Before I could figure out my n, however, Eve acted first. Pulling down my pants violently, my rock-hard dick flopped out and identally hit her in the face, but she didn''t seem to mind and instead kissed its tip before stroking it with her hand, cheeks flushed pink with lust.


    "Ah¡­ finally¡­ a man''s cock before my eyes¡­ I can''t wait any longer¡­"


    Opening her mouth wide, she doubled down on my dick and took it down her throat right up to its base, and I let out a soft groan.


    "Ngh¡­"


    This was unlike anything I''ve ever felt in the past. Yes, the other girls have given me blowjobs before, but this was on a whole other level. The techniques Eve employed and the way she so thirstily sucked on it was amazing, and quite frankly, it was difficult to even imagine she had no prior experience doing this. Of course, as a subus, I''m sure she received plenty of education and training on how to do this, but she''s never actually done it with a real man. I was her first, ording to my lie detector spell.


    "Slurp¡­ mmn¡­ sho¡­ good¡­" She moaned as she sucked up and down on my cock, like a thirsty woman who hasn''t drank water in ages. Every time my dick went into her mouth, she coated it with a freshyer of saliva using her tongue, and embraced it in warmth and wetness.


    As her bras, part of her outfit, did not have a middle section tying the two sides together, she simply slid her body towards my cock and wrapped it between her two enormous breasts, further amplifying the pleasure. From time to time, she would back up and open her mouth, showing the stickiness and precum that had gotten mixed with her saliva in there, then begin sucking on my dick once more, like a wolf that could not be satiated.


    "D-Dammit¡­ I''m about to¡­" I muttered under my breath, clenching my fists.


    "Cum¡­ cum¡­ cum into my mouth!" Eve begged, speeding up her vigorous sucking. "I want it¡­ I want to taste your semen¡­!"


    *No, that''s not what I want, though! I didn''t even have time to finish preparing my spell yet, I was so distracted!


    But s, there was nothing I could do to hold back from the pleasure of her wless titjob and blowjob techniques. From the tip of my dick, a river''s worth of cum came shooting out like milk, filling her mouth uppletely and causing her eyes to widen. It was an enormous load, partly because I haven''t had sex with the girls in recent times due to all the things going on, and partly because of just how good Eve''s techniques were.


    After several seconds, she finally rose and took my cock out of her mouth, panting heavily. She licked her fingers to get the few drops of semen she missed, then cleaned up with her tongue on my cock and its surroundings to get everyst drop.


    "So¡­ that''s what your cum tastes like¡­ delicious~"


    Then, finally, she smiled alluringly at me with her tongue out yfully, signaling that she still wasn''t done.


    "But¡­ unfortunately, I didn''t receive any power from that, so¡­ looks like I''ll need from you, eh? Your cock looks like it''s still raring to go as well, so¡­ shall we begin the main course?"


    She said ''unfortunately'', but judging from the lust and happiness in her eyes, it was clear she actually meant'' fortunately''.

 Chapter 529 - The Succubus Queen (18+)

    Chapter 529 ¨C The Subus Queen (18+)


    "Ngh! Mmph! Ahn~!"


    The sound of high-pitched moans of pleasure and ecstasy could be heard from the subus queen''s private chambers as I rammed my cock into her pussy from behind, mming into her ass as hard as possible. My hands pulled on her wrists backwards to help with the momentum as she cried out in pleasure every time I thrust into her womb, and her eyes rolled back from the ecstasy of having such rough sex despite this being her first time.


    Of course, I wasn''t doing this of my free will. Those chains on my wrists and ankles were in fact not meant to chain me down anywhere, but to control my movement as a whole. With her mind, she could order me to do certain movements, and I would have no choice but to obey, including saying certain words.


    "You like it this rough, huh?" I demanded as I thrust my cock into her tight virgin womb, and she stuck her tongue out as she answered.


    "Yes~! I love it when you ram your dick into me so roughly~! Give me more, more, more~!"


    With one hand, I grabbed her by her pink hair and pulled her head back, forcefully entering her mouth with my tongue and kissing her deeply. But then again, she was the one forcing me to do all this, so was it really forcefully entering?


    "Mmn~ mm~ hahn~" She moaned softly as our tongues intertwined, and I continued ramming my dick into her pussy, cumming into it once more.


    "Ah~ more~" She begged, backing away sticking her tongue out, and I obeyed her orders with no other choice. Grabbing her by the thighs, I lifted her up in my arms, her legs dangling on my shoulders, and began thrusting into her soaking pussy once again.


    "Ahn~! Yes~! Mmf~ so good~!"


    Again, I came. Again, she wanted more.


    My sex stamina was pretty much unlimited just like hers, but still, I wondered when this was going to stop. My body was forced to move on its own and fuck her in all sorts of different positions. She wanted to try every single one she was taught in her subus school or whatever, and I, like her ve, was forced toply.


    Of course, it felt amazing realistically, but my heart was not in it. There was a difference between having sex and having sex with someone you actually loved.


    "Heh¡­ heh¡­ more¡­" She pleaded, fingering her own already overflowing pussy, then gestured towards the BDSM equipment being kept in her chambers and turned back to me. "¡­ Go¡­ tie me up, and fuck me the hardest you have ever done~"


    But this was fine. I was buying time. Because I''ve never done something like this before, it took time to prepare and get it right. But I was almost there. Just maybe one or more two rounds¡­ and I''ll be able to escape.


    Now that she was in this state of utter euphoria, there was no chance she could still bother reading my mind. After getting creampied by me about sixteen times now, the only thing she could think about was sex, my dick, and my cum. Basically, sex.


    Retrieving the BDSM equipment, I went back over to her on the bed and did as shemanded through her mindmunication. Blindfold, armcuffs, legcuffs, and chains to tie her in the air, she had¡ªand wanted¡ªit all.


    I stepped closer, rubbing my still hard cock against her warm stomach, and leaned into her ear.


    "If you like it this way¡­ then I''ll give it to you this way."


    At this, she licked her lips and trembled in ecstasy at what wasing next. Her eyes were blindfolded, and she waspletely vulnerable¡ªon the surface, anyway. I really couldn''t do anything against her will like kill her or injure her, since she still had me under the control of her mind which prohibited me from doing things like that.


    But if I slip a murder into something shemanded me to do herself¡­ that was perfectly fine. All I needed to do¡­ was evade the radar.


    Lifting her up by the thighs again, I began thrusting into her pussy with my dick as hard as I could, just as she wanted. She had a ball gag in her mouth so she couldn''t moan as loudly as before, but that seemed to only serve to turn her on even further as she cried out in ecstasy.


    I sped up, little by little, as I was nearing my cumming point again. But this time, I had a different goal in mind than to just cum. This was the time I was going to deliver the final blow, right when Eve wasn''t in her right mind and still could not think of anything else except my dic-


    "Fufu¡­ before you try anything¡­ let me just warn you that it won''t work," she suddenly said, and I stopped thrusting in surprise. Or rather, she forced me to stop with her mind. The ball gag was no longer in her mouth¡ªshe had removed it on her own with ease, using telekinesis.


    "¡­ You know?" I asked hesitantly, and she giggled.


    "Of course. I am a subus, you know. Sex is like eating for me. No matter how much pleasure I feel, I will not lose my mind in euphoria. I see every single one of your thoughts. Every¡­ single¡­ one."


    *¡­ Well, that''s problematic.


    But even so¡­ I still had one final trick up my sleeve.


    "¡­ Let''s make a deal."


    Locking her legs around my waist with my dick still in her pussy, she smiled.


    "Oh? A deal?"


    I nodded. "Believe me or not, you cannot have sex with any other person after doing it with me. So, in other words, you need me. If you let me go right now, I promise to fulfill your subus needs for as long as you are alive, how about that? I just don''t like being under someone else''s control, that''s all."


    But her reply surprised me.


    "¡­ Is that so? You are mistaken about one thing."


    I narrowed my eyes. "What?"


    "I don''t *need you, per se," she said with a wry smile. "I only *want you. There is a distinct difference between the two, there."


    *¡­ Damn it. She''s right¡­ subi don''t necessarily *need semen to survive. It''s just a delicacy to them, just like she stated before.


    I screwed up¡­


    "But, I''ll still ept your offer~"


    I paused.


    "¡­ Come again?"


    "Yes, pleasee again in my womb~"


    "N-No, not that. Why would you ept my offer¡­?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.


    "Why? Well¡­" She giggled softly. "Let''s just say¡­ I''ve be addicted to the feeling of your massive cock inside me, and the feeling of when you shoot out all your delicious white semen into my womb."


    "Uh¡­ okay¡­"


    "But, under one condition," she continued, getting serious. I tensed up. Knew there was something like thising.


    "What is it?" I asked, gulping.


    "You¡­ have to guarantee you won''t just run away after I let you go, or worse yet¡­ attempt to kill me."


    I let out a sigh of relief at this.


    "That''s all? Man¡­ that''s simple."


    "Oh? Is that so? Do you have any way of definitively proving that?"


    "Indeed I do," I said. "Stay still."


    That was a bit of a useless sentence since she was already still, being tied up and all, but in any case¡­ I pressed my forehead against hers, and closed my eyes. Then, I reached for her soul, using the Forbidden Spell¡ªSoul Shackle.


    Secondster, the process wasplete, and I slowly backed away from her. She tilted her head at this, and set her chin on her fingertips.


    "What was that, just now?"


    "I tied our souls together," I replied truthfully. "In essence¡­ uh, actually, it''ll be easier if you just try it yourself."


    I took off her blindfold and chains, then set her down on the bed. She seemed a bit disappointed at my dick leaving her womb, but now was not the time for that anymore.


    "Go ahead and try to hurt yourself. I don''t care how, just give it a shot."


    The subus queen pondered for a moment, then circled her tail around her body to arrive at her wrist. Then, she sliced with her tail, leaving a small cut.


    "Ngh¡­" I groaned as a simr slit opened up on my wrist, and Eve blinked in surprise.


    "Wow¡­"


    "You see now?" I asked, sighing. "Any injuries that you receive, they''ll also be reflected on me. In other words, we are now bound together, whether we like it or no- wait, what are you doing?"


    Before I knew it, Eve was kneeling on the floor, nibbling on the wound she just gave me. It was a surprisingly cute action, and I found myself entranced before suddenly shaking my head. Nope, not falling for it again. Never.


    "So, uh¡­ can you get rid of the seal now?" I asked, and she smiled.


    "Very well.. I ept your proposal, my dear guinea pig."

 Chapter 530 - Yet Another Harem Member?

    Chapter 530 ¨C Yet Another Harem Member?


    Setting her hand on my forehead, Eve administered the removal of her seal of control on me smoothly and wlessly. After a few seconds, I felt it be removed, and Eve backed away with an alluring smile.


    "There. Finished."


    "Thanks," I replied with a grin, and immediately put up a mind block spell to prevent her from further reading my thoughts. Before, I couldn''t do this since she had full control over my actions, but now¡­ heh. Good luck trying to read my mind now.


    I could finally think about what I truly was intending when I offered that deal. Soul Shackle, as the name suggests, shackles the two of us''s souls together. However, while it is true that if she gets hurt, I receive the same injury, the opposite is not quite the same. If I were to hurt myself, she would probably die. An injury on me would be amplified hundredfold on anyone who was shackled to me, and since no one else was still tied to me after I fell off that cliff and met Axilia, I could afford to be somewhat reckless.


    I smirked inside my heart and prepared to stealthily make a little cut on my hand, just to see this woman suffer, but¡­


    ¡­ Ultimately, I decided against it.


    More or less, she had stuck to her words, and didn''t really harm me. Even after my murderous n was exposed, she still agreed to a deal with me, even though she could''ve refused. If anything, I didn''t think she was particrly evil.


    My father had asked me to save the four Cardinals if possible, but¡­ what have I done? I killed two, and left the third nearly dead too.


    But of course, just because I wasn''t going to kill her, didn''t mean I wasn''t going to make use of her.


    "Alright¡­ now that I''m free from your chains¡­" I smirked, folding my arms. "Let''s make another deal."


    "Oh? Another one?" Eve tilted her head, curious.


    "Yeah. I want you¡­ to lend me your power in battle."


    "And in return¡­?"


    "In return, I will satisfy your¡­ needs. Any needs."


    "Ah, but I already have everything I need right here. You already agreed earlier to have sex with me when I want it, no?"


    "I did, but¡­ I never promised."


    "¡­" At this, Eve fell silent, and her glowing pink eyes narrowed slightly. I could sense faint traces of anger in her, though it was somewhat thin.


    "You said you were bored earlier, and that''s why you chose to go along with X''s ns, correct?" I continued, falling into thought. "If that is the case, then this should be a great deal for you. I guarantee, you''ll never feel bored around me and my friends."


    "Oho¡­ that is a bold statement," Eve said. "I get bored easily, you know¡­"


    "Well, that''s not all there is to the offer. If you do join me, I''ll tell you all about my power, and what exactly it is. That''s something to pique your interest, no?"


    "So¡­ you do know about it after all," Eve giggled, any sign of the anger from earlier now gone. "How interesting indeed¡­ you managed to evade my mind reading by filling your head with images of my naked body, so it seems natural¡­ clever, I''ll give you that."


    "I''ve been told that by more than just a few people," I replied with a grin. "But back to the matter at hand¡­ how about my deal? It''s a worthy trade-off, no?"


    "Why are you doing this?" She asked, to no one''s surprise. "You know full well I will harbor feelings of hate towards you after you deceived me, and yet you are still offering for me to join your side?"


    "You are not inherently evil," I dered confidently. "Of that much, I am certain. If you were, you would''ve used a hostage to make me talk. With your dream-manipting powers, that much should be easy. And yet¡­ instead, you chose to make mee alone, and have a more or less peaceful conversation."


    "Fufu¡­ that''s the first time someone has told me that, you know¡­" Eve giggled softly, crossing one leg over the other on her throne. "You are truly interesting. No one would look at a subus and call them not evil. We quite literally take men''s lives to sustain our own lives, you know. We are murderers."


    "And so what?" I challenged, folding my arms. "There are plenty of murderers in this world. Heroes of justice are murderers too, if you think about it. Just because you take people''s lives¡­ does not mean you are evil. And correct me if I''m wrong, but¡­ don''t the subi only take male prisoners from other territories?"


    "Yes, that is true," Eve replied, tilting her head curiously. "You know more about my race than I expected."


    "Well¡­ I''ve met one before," I said, recalling my meeting with Mei Mo. That seemed like so long ago, during the invasion on Shenzhen. It had been brief, but she had spoken about the subi race.


    "¡­ Hm."


    Slowly, Eve rose from her throne, and walked towards me until we were only inches apart.


    "I ept your offer."


    I blinked. "For real?"


    "Yes. Why do you seem to so surprised?"


    "Uh¡­ well, actually, I wasn''t expecting you to agree so easily," I said hesitantly. "I had a few more reasons thought up¡­"


    "No need," Eve replied with a smile. "You see, my life was quite boring before today. But you¡­ you are interesting. And if there is one thing I hate most in this world¡­ it''s boredom. So, there is no reason for me to refuse your offer¡­ even if you *are a little deceptive at times."


    "Not this time," I reassured. "I ampletely serious about this agreement."


    "Good. Then, are we heading off now, back to that cute beach of yours?"


    "Huh?" I blinked. "You don''t have to¡­ y''know, take care of certain ''queenly'' matters before just suddenly leaving like this?"


    "Oh, rx," Eveughed maturely, tapping me on the shoulder. "Even though I am the so-called queen, there really is no diplomacy amongst subi. My subordinates handle all the organization and such. I am just the authority in name, andmand the subordinates what to do. Unless something extremely major and dangerous urs, they will not need me. Even if I were to die, it would take them a few months to find out at the very least."


    "I¡­ see¡­" I murmured, not understanding their way of doing things. "Well, if that''s the case, then let''s go back. The others must be worried about me, so¡­ take my hand."


    Eve smiled and did as told, taking my hand in hers. Then, I activated Space Magic, and teleported back to the private beach without any hesitation, eager to get out of this ce.


    *****


    So why, exactly, did I choose to make that deal with Eve?


    There were two reasons. One, I did not want to kill another one of the Four Cardinals if possible, after learning their reasons for helping X. Two, and the more important one, was that Eve could be a very powerful asset for me in the future.


    Her charming skills meant she could instantly take down any man or even a group of men at the same time, and getting information would be extremely easy. I''m not sure how my father managed to resist her, but if I had to guess, it would be the power of Chaos. Although his potential with it is not nearly as great as mine, just as he stated, he has years of experience on me. His current mastery of the element is still greater than mine right now, but the same will not be true in a few months.


    But other than Eve''s charms as the subus queen, her more powerful ability was dream maniption, just like what she had used on me.


    No matter how powerful someone may be in reality, in the realm of dreams,monly shared by all lifeforms who possess enough intelligence to dream, they are vulnerable. They do not have ess to their powers, and thus are just normal people. Eve, however, somehow found a way to break past this and manipte others via dreams, which was something I was both interested in and needed to be wary of.


    I wasn''t sure how exactly to guard against this, which was also another reason why I decided to make Eve an ally. If she was an enemy, things would not be pretty. I didn''t even consider a power like this before, so this made me realize how many weaknesses Chaos at its current stage truly has¡­ in my hands, anyway.


    Still, as an ally, Eve could make good use of these dream maniption skills on enemies as well. I mean, she literally made me fly across half the to reach her at 4 AM in the morning. Imagine what she could do to my enemies¡­


    I asked her about the dream maniption skill and how she did it, but she refused to tell me anything. I mean, that was fair. A magician never reveals their secrets, after all¡­


    ¡­. And Eve was all but a magician, in her own right.

 Chapter 531 - At Home

    Chapter 531 ¨C At Home


    After returning to the beach, I was met with another near-death encounter. The girls promptly beat me up for a long long time until they were finally willing to listen to what I had to say and I exined to them what happened. Eve, meanwhile, just stood by one side and watched in amusement, giggling andughing at the scene.


    Once I was finished my exnation, the girls collectively turned their nces towards Eve, as if observing her. At first, I was worried they wouldn''t ept her, but¡­


    "Well, since you''re here¡­" Feng Mian sighed and shrugged, before giving in to a smile. "You''re one of us now. I hope we get along."


    "My, my¡­ these girls are¡­ awfully epting to their love rivals," Eve said with a soft chuckle, but her smile was evidence that she was pleased, as she bowed down a little. "I hope we get along as well, then."


    "So, uh¡­ do we call you Your Majesty, or something¡­?" Yu An Yan asked, folding her arms, but Eve onlyughed at the innocent and honest question.


    "No, no," she said, waving her hands. "Just Eve is fine. Here, I am not a queen. Just a normal woman, nothing more. Unless, of course, some of you are subi¡­"


    "Er¡­ about that¡­" I began, but Feng Mian responded first.


    "Actually, I am half-subi," she stated, bringing her hand to her chest. "And I''ve been wondering for a while, but¡­ I don''t think my mother was one. Could you check my bloodline, perhaps, as the queen of the subi?"


    "Hm¡­ well, it is not impossible," Eve said, tilting her head. "Here. Give me your hand."


    Feng Mian did as told, lifting her arm and holding it out for Eve to inspect. The subus queen took Feng Mian''s hand in hers, then¡­


    "¡­!"


    "Ngh-!" Feng Mian cried out in pain as a searing pink mark in the shape of a heart appeared on her hand. The other girls and I both prepared to interrupt the process, but Feng Mian shook her head as if telling us ''no, it''s fine''.


    But I knew better.


    ncing at Eve, I could sense a faint trace of killing intent. At least, earlier, when she invoked this mark, there was¡­ but now, the killing intent was gone, and Eve was back to her usual, temperate self, as she let go of Feng Mian''s hand.


    "I see¡­ I have seen everything."


    "You''ve¡­ seen everything?" Feng Mian asked, confused, as Eve nodded slowly.


    "Calling you a half-subus isn''t truly urate. You are a full, 100% genuine subus, and an extremely powerful one at that. Can you show me your subus form?"


    "Um¡­ that''s¡­" Feng Mian looked at me with pleading eyes, and I sighed before walking close to her, and giving her a deep kiss as I fondled her breasts.


    In the matter of a few seconds, her sexual desires were aroused, and her subus form came to life as I backed away. She looked like a normal subus, but all her subus body parts¡ªthe tail, the wings, and the horns¡ªwere all smaller in proportion to Eve''s.


    "I see¡­ so you don''t have control over when you can show your true form yet¡­" Eve narrowed her eyes in calction. "And to activate it, you must receive sexual stimtion¡­ from him in particr, I assume?"


    Feng Mian nodded, and Eve fell back into thought.


    "Hm¡­ yes, it all makes sense now."


    I blinked. "What makes sense?"


    The other girls seemed to share the same question, and we all looked at Eve curiously as she exined.


    "Those purple horns and wings¡­ they are the mark of nobility. Normal subi have pink features, but you have purple ones, just like mine. And if my guess is not wrong¡­ your womb tattoo¡­"


    "E-Eh?" Feng Mian blinked in surprise, and Eve nodded.


    "Pull up your shirt a bit."


    Feng Mian obeyed obediently, revealing a beautiful purple womb tattoo there, with intrinsic lines and designs spreading from it. Eve narrowed her eyes at this, as if studying it, while Feng Mian looked away in embarrassment.


    "U-Um¡­ this is kind of¡­"


    "¡­ I see."


    Eve slowly backed away, and took a deep breath.


    "To think I''d find you here¡­ my twin sister."


    At this, all of us were left in a state of speechlessness and shock for a moment.


    I was the first to react. "W-Wait, what? Your sister?"


    "Yes," Eve said. "This girl right here¡­ is the sister I was separated from when we were born. You see, amongst subi, their womb tattoos mark the family they are from. If you take a look here¡­"


    She snapped her fingers, causing her own womb tattoo to shine brightly with purple light, and with some simpleparison, it was easy to tell hers was identical to Feng Mian''s.


    "Wha¡­ but that means¡­ my parents¡­" Feng Mian whispered to herself, covering her mouth, as Eve nodded.


    "They are not your true parents. Simply adoptive."


    "But¡­ why?" Lan Xiao Su asked. "Why would the subi separate you two?"


    "That is amon tradition amongst the subi race, for generations," Eve exined. "On the off-chance that the previous queen gives birth to two or more offspring, only one may be chosen, and the others are essentially thrown away. I am unsure how your parents managed to adopt you, as most of the thrown away babies simply die in the wild, but consider yourself lucky."


    "So¡­ this is their method of preventing inner conflict amongst offspring¡­" Obsidia analyzed, narrowing her eyes. "How cruel."


    "And they decide who gets to stay by judging the babies'' power levels andparing them?" Amane asked, arching an eyebrow. "Now that''s just unfair. Who''s to say a weaker person now won''t be stronger in the future?"


    "Quite so," Eve replied in agreement, folding her arms. "It is an extremely wed system, and thus, when I have offspring, on the off-chance I have more than one with Xuan Kai here¡ªwhich will probably happen given how much we¡­ enjoy ourselves in bed¡ªI will not employ this system."


    "Ahem¡­" I cleared my throat, signaling that I wasn''t too happy about her choice of words there.


    "If you so wish to return to the subi race right now and challenge me for the throne of queen, you may do so," Eve continued, turning to Feng Mian. "I wee you with open arms."


    But to no one''s surprise, Feng Mian shook her head with a smile.


    "No, it''s alright. I''m fine where I am now. Right here, surrounded by my husband and my friends¡­ this is the happiest ce in the world for me."


    I didn''t fail to notice how she ced special emphasis on the word husband, nor did I miss the invisible sparks flying between the two''s eyes.


    <em>Women are scary.</em>


    Thus was my conclusion.


    "Alright, uh, well¡­ I need sleep, so¡­ I''ll be goi-"


    "Now where do you think you''re going, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked with a seemingly innocent smile as she pulled me back by the sleeve of my cloak, but I knew better. That smile¡­ it was the most dangerous thing in the world.


    I gulped in fear. "L-Listen, I''m sorry about this, but there was nothing I could do, alright? My Chaos power don''t work in dream-"


    "Chaos?" Eve asked, sessfully having her interest piqued. "Is that the power you hold?"


    "Er¡­ yes," I replied. "But I''ll let Mei Gui exin it to you, so uh, for now, peace-!"


    Instantly, I teleported away, and Qing Yue didn''t seem frustrated at all, instead merely smiling wider than before.


    "Hehe~ it''s okay, Big Brother Xuan Kai¡­ you can run, but you can''t hide¡­"


    "¡­ Understood, Master," Mei Gui replied with a dy, then turned to Eve. "Follow me. Out here is not a suitable ce to talk."


    "Right¡­ I''m hungry, anyway," Yu An Yan said with a smirk. "So, who''s cooking today?"


    "Fufu, leave that to me and Axilia," Ling Xin said, eyeing her own sister. "Come now, Axilia¡­ let''s whip up a very, <em>very</em> nice dish for Xuan Kai, shall we?"


    "Yep~!" Axilia cheered, and as the two disappeared, heading for the kitchen, Eve couldn''t help but stifle aughter.


    "¡­ You guys¡­ are quite the interesting bunch indeed. Xuan Kai did not lie when he told me I wouldn''t get bored here. As it would seem¡­ it''s true."


    "Well, I can''t promise you won''t get bored, but¡­ I can promise you this," Feng Mian said with a gentle and friendly smile. "So long as you don''t try to hurt any of us or break the peace, we''ll ept you as a member of our family."


    "Yes¡­ thank you very much," Eve replied, and together, the two twin sisters shared a moment of sentiment together.


    Eve could not lie, this was nice. All her life, she was alone, praised high above as the queen of an entire race. That seemed like a royal and amazing upation to have, but the truth was, she was lonely, without anyone to converse with. No one treated her for who she was, only her title.


    But now¡­ perhaps, for once, she could finally feel at home.

 Chapter 532 - A Fathers Confrontation

    Chapter 532 ¨C A Father¡¯s Confrontation


    After I got some rest and made up for the sleep I lost earlier, it was time to get down to business. I woke up at roughly 6 PM, which definitely wasn''t healthy for my sleep schedule, but that was the smallest of my concerns right now.


    I told Eve to contact my father, X, and she told me she would do it if I agreed to have sex with her again. With no other choice, I had toply, since no one else could contact him and I had no idea where he was.


    In any case, a meeting was schedule for half an hour from now, this time on top of an abandoned, empty rooftop within the Fortress. It was far away from any sign of life, and provided a nice, quiet, isted environment to talk in.


    Of course, due to the circumstances, I went alone, with Eve as my guide. None of the other girls were ready to meet my father, even though this wasn''t what the meeting was about, so¡­


    ¡­ Anyway, with some teleporting and flying, we soon arrived at the destination. It was an extremely tall building, standing above all the rest in the District, and from above, I could see my father, the man named X, sitting in a stic chair.


    With his midnight ck armor of dragonscales and dark, ominous figure, the normal chair seemed extremely out of ce. He was far more fit to sit on a grand throne, and the table in front of him didn''t exactly fit either.


    But to someone like me, who knew about his true identity, this wasn''t weird or absurd at all. Eve, after guiding me here, left us be, and returned to the beach. After all, she now knew about X''s identity as well, and wanted father and son to have some time to themselves.


    Descending onto the roof, I bowed down slightly out of respect.


    "¡­ Greetings, father."


    "Haha, when have you learned to be so formal and polite?" The man before me gave a chuckle, and I frowned a bit.


    "It''s not my fault your armor is so¡­ overbearing."


    "¡­ That is true," my father replied, and removed his helmet, revealing his familiar face underneath. "Is this better?"


    I nodded. "Much. Now, we can finally have a normal conversation."


    "Haha, yes¡­ take a seat."


    He gestured towards the seat across from him, and I pulled the chair out before sitting down in it.


    "I''ve done as you told me," I said, folding my arms. "Killed two, defeated one, and converted one onto my side. The Four Cardinals of the Midnight Syndicate¡­ are no more."


    "Yes, I''ve heard from Nael," my father replied. "He admires your strength quite a lot, it seems."


    "So?" I arched an eyebrow. "Have I passed your¡­ test?"


    "¡­ No. Not yet."


    "¡­ You''re kidding me, right?" I clenched my fists. "You told me if I took down the Four Cardinals, you would believe I have enough power to fight against the otherworldly powers that might being for me in the near future. So what''s this all about? You lying to me, again?"


    "Then was then, now is now," my father said, narrowing his eyes in seriousness. "They areing, Xuan Kai. An alien species known as the Hex."


    That was familiar. The Hex¡ªSylvie had told me and the other Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings about this a few days ago, during my sleep, when they held a meeting. She had informed us of the impending Hex invasion, and how they were here to get revenge for their defeat at the hands of the Founders so many years ago.


    But ording to my father now¡­ things were moreplicated than that.


    "The Hex¡­? Aren''t theying for revenge?" I asked, confused.


    At this, my father blinked.


    "You¡­ know of them?"


    <em>Oh, shit¡­ I slipped my tongue¡­</em>


    Seeing my awkward silence, my father sighed.


    "Never mind. I did not mean to put you on the spot like that. Regardless¡­ yes, revenge is part of the reason why they are invading this once more, but more than that¡­ they have discovered you, Kai Kai."


    "Discovered me¡­?"


    "Yes. You see, the power of Chaos can be amplified by the amount of loyal allies surrounding you. Little by little, you have built yourself a family of loved ones around you, further increasing the strength and radiant essence of your Chaos. However, your understanding of the power has not yet reached a level where you can control it yet, so as a result, the signals of your power were traced down by the Hex. I am unsure why, but they seemed to value the Primordial Chaos very highly. They <em>will</em> take it, by force if necessary."


    <em>Well¡­ that''s a part to the story even Sylvie didn''t know about with her Terron Records. Interesting. I won''t question how my father knew this, though¡­</em>


    "I can stop their invasion," I said. "I know the method."


    "¡­ Oh?" This seemed to catch my father''s interest momentarily, but then, he sighed and shook his head. "It''s useless, Kai Kai. Even if you do manage to repel the Hex, they are only the first of many. If you think the gxy and universe out there consists of only the Hex¡­ you are very wrong. Even I do not know just how many hostile races there are who are searching for the Primordial Chaos, but¡­ rather than all that trouble, why not just let me take this burden off your shoulders?"


    His words were begging me, pleading. But as much as I wanted to grant my father his one and only request of his son¡­ I could not.


    "¡­ I''m sorry, father. I can''t do that."


    My father stared at me for a moment that felt like an eternity, and it was impossible to see what those eyes held. Regret? Disappointment? Sadness? Pity? It felt like a culmination of all of those feelings, but eventually, atst, he turned away.


    "¡­ I see. You have your own difficulties too. You are a grown man now, Kai Kai. I understand. Nothing I say will change your mind."


    "¡­ Yeah," I said, remembering my conversation with Mei Gui days before, and just how valuable she was to me. "Thanks for understandi-"


    "But just as you are a stubborn grown man now¡­" My father continued before I could finish my sentence, and ced his helmet back onto his head, changing his voice from a normal tone to a dark, deep one.


    "¡­ So am I."


    Suddenly, a galestorm appeared all around us, trapping the two of us in here within a tornado, and tworge ck wings sprouted from my father''s back. They were utterly huge, and powerful to match. Slowly, he ascended into the air, glowing red eyes on his helmet shining ominously as they contrasted with the midnight ck armor covering the rest of his body.


    So that was why he chose such an isted location in the middle of nowhere to meet. He had already known I defeated the Four Cardinals, and was already prepared for things to go down like this. Not wanting to harm any innocents or destroy anything useful to someone else, he chose this ce¡ªan arena where both of us could give it our all, in a battle of life and death, father and son.


    From above, thunder hailed and red lightning poured. Layers uponyers of blood rain stormed down in agony, as the fateful battle between father and son opened its curtains on the stage. The howls of the wind and roars of thunder were our audience, watching, waiting for the show to unfold.


    "So¡­ it''se to this after all, huh?" I muttered under my breath, then turned up to look at my father in hisbat stance, pointing a Chaos-forged greatsword towards me. He looked powerful¡ªthere was no doubt about that. Before now, I had never felt genuine fear when looking at an enemy. But him¡­ his very presence made me tremble.


    "Come, Kai Kai. Defeat me, and soar to even greater heights!"


    But even so¡­ I was not the weak child from back then. I had friends. I had allies. I had the girls whom I loved, I had Mei Gui. All of them inspired me and fueled me with the strength and couraged to not only challenge this extremely strong opponent in battle, but also my very own father.


    Opening my palms, I summoned my Chaos katanas, and swung them around a bit to get the grip, then activated my own white, angelic wings, and rose to the air to the same altitude as him. Pointing one of my des towards him, glowing red with Chaotic energy, I spoke.


    "¡­ Let''s do this, father."


    "Yes. No holding back. I will not!"


    I nodded, and pulled my hood over my head, and my mask over my nose, showing nothing but my burning red eyes, shining like bloody rubies that matched my father''s amidst the dark storm.


    The battle began, now.

 Chapter 533 - Dance Of Hatred And Love

    Chapter 533 ¨C Dance Of Hatred And Love


    My father and I soared towards one another with our wings, and shed with our des. I used two katanas, while he used one single greatsword. Guns were useless here¡ªeven though my bullets were Chaos-charged, so was my father''s armor, and on a grander, more direct scale. After all, hisprehension of Chaos was still stronger than mine at my current stage. I doubted my bullets could harm him.


    As my des hit his greatsword, I could feel the devour effect of both our weapons taking ce. He was trying to extract energy from my weapons, while I was trying to do the same for him. If I only had one katana, he would win for sure, but since I had two separate weapons, I was able to hold my own against him, and go on the offensive using my extra advantage.


    Slowly, my father was pushed back towards the edge of the storm, but as if he had only been testing my skills earlier, he suddenly swung his greatsword forward with immense force, and shot out a crescent-shaped barrage of glowing red Chaos energy.


    "Ngh!"


    Unable to dodge, I blocked the hit with my twin katanas. I was sent flying backwards a few meters towards the edge of the arena, but managed to stop the backwards momentum just in time before getting cut to shreds by the tornado all around us.


    "¡­ You''re strong, Kai Kai," my father said, pointing his greatsword at me. "But¡­ not strong enough."


    On the contrary, I only smirked. "Heh¡­ you talk like you''re so much better. If you were stronger, wouldn''t you simply be able to protect me from the otherworldly species, and wouldn''t have had to separate from your own son and wife?"


    "Ngh¡­" My father groaned a bit. I grinned.


    <em>Emotional damage: sessful.</em>


    Taking advantage of his momentary distracted state, I used Blink and suddenly teleported behind him, and cut down.


    At least, that''s what I tried to do.


    My de was met with his armored bare hand, and before I could do anything else such as letting go of the handle, I was thrown down into the ground down below.


    "Agh-!" I cried in pain as my back hit the concrete rooftop, and I heard a crack in my bones. Probably broke it. No matter¡ªit would heal in the matter of a few seconds.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t not have the luxury of a few seconds as my father, not showing any mercy just like he said he wouldn''t, immediately followed up with a downwards drop cleave from the air.


    "Tch-!" I quickly dashed out of the way despite the pain in my back, and just as it healed, an enormous crack appeared on the rooftop straight down the middle.


    And then, the copse.


    BOOM!


    I don''t know what was stored in this building before, but a series of explosions suddenly went off, and the building was sundered in two. The entire structure copsed to the ground, concrete turned to rubble, items turned to debris and dust.


    Naturally, this meant there was no longer any solid footing on the ground for us, and my father and I rose up into the air. He expanded the arena a bit to make up for that loss, but this meant we would constantly be using stamina and mana thanks to flying using our Chaos-imbued wings. It was no longer just a battle of wits and skill anymore¡ªit was also one of perseverance and endurance.


    "¡­ Kai Kai. One final chance," my father said, gripping his greatsword tightly, ck, demonic wings pping slowly in the air. "You cannot oust me in terms of mana. This battle is already decided. Surrender now, and we can go back to being just simply father and son. I will eradicate magic from this world, and we can live as a family once more."


    "Heh. Family?" I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at him. "Will my mothere back if you eradicated magic from this world? I thought she supported my usage of Chaos?"


    "That''s¡­"


    "And yes, you''re right," I continued. "I can''t oust you in terms of mana. But all that means¡­ is I have to defeat you before I run out!"


    Like a red streak of lightning, I dashed forward and cut at him with my two katanas in a flurry of weak but rapid attacks, taking advantage of my dual-wieldingpared to his singr weapon. Naturally, he blocked with his greatsword, taking all of my attacks head-on.


    "Stop this, Kai Kai¡­! You are only wasting your own mana by doing this¡­!" He muttered through his midnight ck casque, red eyes shining ominously. But I continued stubbornly, having my own n in mind.


    "Kai¡­ Kai¡­!"


    <em>¡­ Now!</em>


    Deciding it was enough, I suddenly backed away and ced the two handles of my katanas together, one above and one below. Instantly, the two weapons changed form, converging into a singr bow, and in one smooth motion, I nocked the arrow, charging it up to the maximum using a lot of mana, and unleashed the Chaos energy-imbued projectile.


    "¡­!"


    My father''s eyes widened as he realized what my goal was in the flurry of attacks just now, but it was toote. The arrow struck the same exact point all my attacks earlier had been focused on, and tore through his greatsword before striking him straight through the chest.


    "¡­" He fell silent, still in a state of shock, as he realized how badly he''d been fooled in that final round. Then, he slowly fell downwards towards the ground as the tornado around us dispersed, and I immediately moved to catch him in my arms before bringing him to a different rooftop and setting him down safely. However, that didn''t mean the battle was over.


    <em>Never let your guard down, even when victorious.</em>


    I''ve heard that line from somewhere before, though I couldn''t be sure as it was a long time ago. Perhaps¡­ it was my own father who taught me that?


    Either way, that was not the point. I lifted one of my katanas and pointed it at his pierced chest, now slowly regenerating. He too had regenerative powers and wasn''t going to die from this, but I could finish him off right now if I wanted to.


    But of course, he was my father. I wasn''t going to kill him.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he dematerialized his greatsword to let it repair, and took off his helmet to stare up at the clear sky.


    "¡­ I''ve lost."


    I nodded. "So? Is this enough to convince you?" I asked, confident of his answer this time around.


    But to my surprise, his response still was¡­


    "No. I still believe you are too weak for the encounters that you will soon face."


    "¡­ You''ve got to be kidding me, right?" I arched an eyebrow, thinking whether or not I would have to torture him or something to get him to finally give his approval.


    "But¡­" He then continued, causing my ears to perk up once more. "¡­ I will not interfere anymore, and instead do my best to help train you."


    I blinked. "Father¡­"


    "However, before you do anything else¡­ we must search for your mother," he said, slowly getting up from the ground. "Recently, I''ve received news she wasst spotted in Demon Territory, and was on the run for whatever reason."


    I frowned, putting away my swords. "Demon territory¡­? What was she doing there¡­"


    "That''s my question," my father replied with a sigh. "But either way, there is no time to waste. We will rest for today, then set off immediately tomorrow. Does that sound fine with you?"


    I nodded. "But¡­ uh, is it just going to be the two of us, or¡­"


    "Ah, your¡­ ''friends''," my father said with a wry smile. "They cane along if they like. Nael and Eve are definitelying since they are familiar with the area, but my private jet has more than enough room for all of them.


    "P-Private jet¡­"


    <em>He''s flippin'' richer than I am!</em>


    "Oh, don''t worry about detection issues," my father said with a wide smile shing all his teeth, along with a thumbs-up. "The ne has built-in invisibility and radar evasion properties."


    "Right¡­ well, uh, I need to introduce you to them anyway," I said, turning around. "Just don''t say anything weird, got it? I''ll tell mom if you try anything."


    "Haha!" My fatherughed and pped me on the shoulder, like apletely different person from earlier. "Rx, Kai Kai! I was able to resist Eve being by my side for so long. You see, your mother set a curse on me when we got married that prevented me from feeling love or lust for any other woman. I don''t mind."


    <em>Yikes¡­ that''s scary.</em>


    "A-Ahem¡­ in any case, that''s not what I meant," I rified, clearing my throat. "I just mean¡­ don''t say any weird stuff about me or ask them any embarrassing questions."


    "Don''t worry, Kai Kai! I am an expert at judging whether or not a girl is fine wife material!"


    <em>That''s what I''m scared of, dad!</em>

 Chapter 534 - Introductions

    Chapter 534 ¨C Introductions


    Soon, we arrived back at the private beach. My father was surprised to see I had one, and when I told him all about the automated restaurants, 24/7 hot springs, and even a whole ass water park, his eyes lit up in stars.


    <em>What are you, a little kid?</em>


    That''s what I thought when he reacted like that, but the more I interacted with him, the more I realized¡­ yep, he really was one. He was always yful like this, and sometimes, I wonder what my mom even saw in him.


    When the girls greeted us back home, however, they were stunned to see my father, and didn''t even recognize him at first.


    "Um¡­ Xuan Kai, who''s this¡­?" Feng Mian asked cautiously, tilting her head.


    "He looks a bit like Big Brother Xuan Kai, but a lot older and less handsome¡­" Qing Yue narrowed her eyes in careful analysis.


    "¡­" My father''s eyes were hidden by his hair as he remained silent, and I could feel an ominous aura building up around him as anger flooded his very being, just ready to be released in an explosion of pure ferocity and rag-


    "WAHHHHH! KAI KAI, WHY ARE YOUR WIVES SO MEAN?! I CAN''T¡­ A <em>LOT</em> OLDER, AND <em>LESS</em> HANDSOME?! WAHHHH¡­"


    "What the hell?!" I arched an eyebrow in shock as my father promptly copsed andtched onto my leg, sobbing and crying. The girls, meanwhile, were too busy blushing at being called my wives to do anything else.


    "Get up!" I roared, pulling my father to his feet. "You''re a man! Act like one!"


    "Sniff¡­ but¡­"


    I gave a sigh, and patted him on the shoulder before turning to the girls.


    "Listen¡­ this is my father, Xuan Ying. Say hi."


    "Hi!" My father waved happily, earlier signs of sadness and tears nowpletely gone.


    "E-Ehhhhh?!" The girls shrieked in unison as they backed away in shock, then quickly got to their knees as they groveled before my dad.


    "W-We''re sorry, father!" Feng Mian said for the group, sping her hands together in apology. "That was very rude of us, we didn''t know!"


    At this, my father gave a sigh and waved them off. "No worries, no worries. You didn''t know, I understand. But Yue Yue¡­ you, on the other hand¡­ heheheh¡­"


    Laughing menacingly, my father red at Qing Yue, who awkwardly scratched her cheek and averted her gaze.


    "Heheh¡­ uh¡­ you looked so different that I forgot¡­"


    "My ass!" My father cried. "You''ve just never paid attention to me in the first ce, right?! Every time you came over to our house back then, you would rush straight to Kai Kai!"


    "A-Ahem¡­" I cut in, clearing my throat. "In any case, dad, these are¡­ my girlfriends."


    "Yes, I can see that," my father said, shooting me a re. "How many are there in total? Answer me."


    "Can''t you count yourself?" I arched an eyebrow.


    "Too old."


    I sighed, and fell into thought. "Well, there''s Feng Mian, Qing Yue, the Yu sisters, Ling Xin, Axilia, Mei Gui, Amane, Eve, Lan Xiao Su, Zhao Xiuying, Lorelei, and Lin Luo, so¡­ that''s thirteen."


    "H-Hey!" Lin Luo burst in, face as red as a tomato. "Who said I was your g-g-g-girlfriend! I never agreed!"


    "Nani?!" My father suddenly whipped out a sses out of nowhere, and inspected Lin Luo carefully up and down as he rubbed his chin. "Hm¡­ yes, a ssic tsundere¡­ B/W/H¡­"


    "Hey! What are you recording?!" Lin Luo cried in surprise, but my father responded calmly, with a gentlemanly thumbs-up.


    "Beauty, wife points, and height, of course!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Cue the silence everyone fell into.


    Deciding it was my turn to step in, I tapped on my father''s shoulder, and whispered into his ear.


    "¡­ I told you not to do anything weird, didn''t I?"


    Hearing the threat in my voice, my father buckled up and gave me a salute, then headed towards the inn. He must be tired.


    Watching him go, the girls slowly turned back to me, and I let out a sigh.


    "¡­ Sorry. My father¡­ he''s always been like that. When he gets serious, he''s really serious, but since the issue''s been solved, he''s like this now."


    "Wow¡­ like twopletely different personalities," Yu An Yan remarked.


    "Yes¡­ how interesting," Eve said with an alluring smile. "I have never seen this side of him. It is¡­ refreshing, but also slightly awkward."


    "You get used to it," I said, walking past the girls. "My father¡­ he''s a pretty weird guy, but not a bad one."


    "Of course," Feng Mian said. "We have to work hard to appeal to him. He''s your father, after all."


    "Nah, there''s no need," I said. "If anything, just try to appeal to my mother. My father listens to whatever she says."


    "Your mother¡­" Lan Xiao Su murmured, looking around. "She''s not here though, is she?"


    I nodded. "My father told me she wasst spotted in Demon Territory. We''re heading off there tomorrow to look for her. Do you guys want toe along?"


    "Demon, Territory," Zhao Xiuying murmured. "Rare, herbs. I''m,ing."


    "I see. And the rest of you¡­?"


    In the end, most of the girls chose to go for this trip, with the only exceptions being Amane, since demihumans apparently couldn''t stand the Demon Territory''s weird stench. People of other races couldn''t smell them, but demihumans with their enhanced senses could¡ªand it was repulsive. As a result, she opted to remain behind.


    *****


    When I got back to my room, I found my father waiting there. He must''ve found out through one of the girls or something, but as it would seem, he had something to talk about.


    Wordlessly, I entered the door, and shut it behind me after my dad walked in. Then, I locked it, and went over to the sofa.


    "Take a seat."


    My father did as told, sitting across from me on a chair, and folded his arms.


    "Kai Kai¡­ I am here to talk to you about something important."


    "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow curiously. "What is it?"


    "Your mother¡­ I believe I know why she went to Demon Territory."


    This was my father''s serious face. He wasn''t kidding around, and I knew it. Lowering my voice, I spoke.


    "¡­ Why?"


    "The Chaos Realm. Surely, you''ve heard of it?"


    I nodded. "Mei Gui told me about it. It is a Realm that can only be essed by holders of the power of Chaos, and contains secrets to the entire multiverse itself."


    "Correct. But do you know where to ess it?"


    "¡­ Isn''t it a Realm? You can enter from any ce, so long as you meet the requirements, no?"


    "Isn''t Chaos just another element, ording to that logic?" My father smiled wryly. "My point is, it''s special. Unlike other Realms, the Chaos Realm has a designated gateway on one in each universe of the universal sea, otherwise known as the multiverse. We are lucky¡ªthe designated gateway for our universe is right here, on Xenith. And as for the exact location¡­ it is in Demon Territory. I have been there once, but was unable to enter due to myck of potential."


    "But my mother doesn''t have the power of Chaos," I said, frowning. "Why would she go there?"


    "I am not sure either," my father replied, sighing. "Ruo Lan¡­ she''s always done things that other people would never understand at first nce. Even I still can''t tell her reasons for doing certain things, despite being with her for so many years. But there is one thing I can say for sure about your mother, and that''s the fact that she never does things without thinking it through. Everything she does has a significant purpose¡ªand often times, that purpose is just too hidden, too deep, for outsiders to realize."


    "In other words¡­ she found a secret about how to enter the Chaos Realm, despite not having Chaos powers?"


    "I would assume so, yes," my father said, rubbing his chin. "But her goal in going there¡­"


    He trailed off, and I averted my gaze, staring out at the window, where the girls were ying on the beach outside and enjoying the afternoon sunshine.


    "¡­ We''ll just have to ask her directly, it seems."


    "¡­ Right." My father stood up, heading for the door. But then, he stopped, personality shifting back to his casual one as he smirked. "By the way¡­ those girls? They''re all stunning beauties, eh? Not bad, Kai Kai. You truly are my son, following in my footsteps."


    "¡­ You had a harem of thirteen girls as well at my age?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.


    "Ha! Thirteen? What''s thirteen to me? Back in my day, girls were crawling all over my body! Even Ruo Lan was jealous at time-"


    <em>"Ha! Thirteen? What''s thirteen to me? Back in my day, girls were crawling all over my body! Even Ruo Lan was jealous at time-"</em>


    I pressed the pause button on the recording on my phone, and then nced at my father.


    "You got more? Go ahead, I''m recording."


    "¡­ Y-You''re not going to show that to your mother when she gets back, right?"


    "That depends on your behavior from now on," I replied calmly, expressionless.


    My father gulped. "Back in my day, I wasn''t as calcting as you¡­"

 Chapter 535 - Private Jet Flight

    Chapter 535 ¨C Private Jet Flight


    ¨C The Next Morning ¨C


    "Mm¡­" Feeling a weird warmth around my body, I stirred in my bed. Someone was hugging me tightly, but¡­


    <em>This doesn''t feel like one of the girls¡­</em>


    Slowly, I opened my eyes, and saw¡­


    "Zzzzz¡­ zzzzzzzz¡­ zzzz¡­"


    My eyes widened.


    "What the fuck are you doing here?!" I yelled, pulling the nket away from the intruder, causing him to wake with a jolt.


    "Bwah-? Oh, Kai Kai¡­ good morning."


    He wavedzily, saliva still drooling out of his mouth, and I was unsure whether to feel disgusted, mad, or just utterly shocked. Probably all three at the same time.


    "Uh¡­ good morning?" I muttered in reply, still in a state of confusion. "So, what are you doing in my bed, and where are the girls?"


    "Oh,st night, you went to sleep early, remember? I asked your wifeys if I could sleep with you for tonight."


    "And they <em>agreed?!</em>"


    "Yep. It''s been so long since west slept in the same bed, Kai Kai! Doesn''t this bring back memories, my sweet son?"


    "No, dad! I''m 18! This is just pure weird!"


    My father blinked. "Really? Your girlfriends seemed to be fine with the idea, though."


    "Ugh¡­" I groaned, and got off the bed before shooting my dad a re. "Listen. If you try anything like this again¡­ the recording¡­ I''ve already uploaded it to the cloud, if deleting it was your goal in sneaking into my bedst night."


    "Ah¡­ hahaha¡­ of course, I hadpletely forgotten about that already!" My fatherughed awkwardly, scratching his hair. "That was definitely not my intention! Haha¡­"


    With a sigh, I exited the room and headed for the shower, in dire need of a clearing of my thoughts.


    *****


    After confronting the girls about what happenedst night, it was revealed that my father had in fact begged them with sobbing tears. The true reason they let my dad do what he wanted was because they were afraid his crying would disturb my sleep. Otherwise, they would never give up an opportunity to sleep with me¡ªthat was more in line with their personalities, anyway.


    In any case, after a delicious breakfast made by yours truly Qing Yue, we headed out for Demon Territory. My father called his automated private jet over, and we all boarded it. Just like he imed, there was more than enough space to amodate all of us, and rather than normal seats, there were separate rooms, like a hotel with beds inside and everything.


    Of course, that meant the girls were going to take what they missed out onst night, and I ended up lying on the bed in one of the rooms with all the girls for the trip.


    "By the way, Xuan Kai," Feng Mian proposed, hugging my arm on the left side of me and leaning on my shoulder. "What kind of person is your mother?"


    "Hm¡­ let''s see¡­ she''s very kind and gentle," I replied. "But also very¡­ erm, bipr."


    "Bipr?" Feng Mian tilted her head cutely, blinking. "How so?"


    "As in, she''s very nice to people who she knows, such as me," Qing Yue said proudly, puffing her chest out and squeezing my face between her thighs (she was riding on my shoulders). "But to strangers and anyone who tries to harm her friends¡­ she''s¡­ quite scary, to say the least."


    "Oh, right," Yu An Yan said resting her head on myp along with her sister. "I remember one time, she shut down a whole restaurant simply because there were too many people staring at you, Xuan Kai."


    "Oh yeah¡­" I scratched my hair. "That happened. But they weren''t staring at me because I was useless back then. That wasn''t the real reason."


    "Huh? Then what''s the real reason?" Feng Mian asked curiously, and I smirked confidently. "Heheh, that''s because of my mother''s beauty, of course!"


    "That is true," Qing Yue agreed with a firm nod. "Auntie Ruo Lan is the prettiest mature woman I''ve seen of the previous generation."


    "So¡­ to sum it up¡­" Lan Xiao Su murmured, doing some calcting with her hand. For what, I didn''t know. "¡­ Don''t get on her bad side?"


    "Yeah, sounds about right."


    "Mhm~!"


    "I see¡­ ah, I should''ve stayed behind, then¡­" Feng Mian pouted slightly. "I would''ve prepared a gift or something¡­"


    "Rx," I said. "She doesn''t care about that stuff."


    "Eh?" The girls blinked at me, surprised.


    "Heheh, Auntie Ruo Lan only cares about your inner nature," Qing Yue said. "As long as you can show her you are a good fit for Xuan Kai, you can get on her good side. Her standards are quite high, though¡­ of course, I passed them a long time ago," she added, as if to flex.


    "Oh, you guys are talking about Ruo Lan?" My father asked, peeping into the door.


    "Wha- I thought the door was locked!" I eximed in surprise, somewhat embarrassed to be seen like this, surrounded by girls.


    "Heheheh¡­" My father grinned, and held up a keyring. "I have the master key that can unlock all room doors. And now¡­"


    He pulled out his phone and took a picture of the scene¡ªme in bed with about a dozen mostly-naked girls, in intimate contact with one another.


    "I''ll be showing this to your mother if you don''t delete that recording~" He smiled happily, thinking that he got me.


    But I only shed him a thumbs-up¡ªor rather, I would''ve, if both my arms weren''t being held down by the girls¡ªand replied with:


    "Ok."


    He paused. "¡­ Huh?"


    "I said, ok. Show her. Go ahead. Knowing her, she''ll be happy to see I have so many girlfriends," I said with a smirk. "She always said when I was younger that I was going to have a harem when I grew up, no?"


    "Er, well, that''s true, but¡­" My father scratched his cheek awkwardly, sweat forming on his forehead.


    "You, on the other hand¡­" I snickered darkly, and red down at him. "I warned you not to do anything else stupid like this, and well well well¡­ look at what you''ve done. Guess that recording is going to be shown after al-"


    "Wait! I''m sorry! I apologize! Please don''t tell your mother I said any of that!" He cried, handing me the keyring. I nodded, and Lorelei hopped off the bed to retrieve it for me. There was no reason for her to cover up her body since my father''s face was glued to the floor anyway, and she soon crawled back into the bed beside me while handing me the keys.


    "Thanks, dad. You can go now."


    "R-Right¡­ by the way, uh, we''re almost there, so you guys should probably start getting ready."


    "Eh¡­? I wanted to do this for longer, though¡­" Eve murmured softly, a fake look of sadness on her face.


    "It''s okay," Ling Xin said with a smile as my father disappeared. "We''ll just have to make Xuan Kai promise us something."


    "Huh?" I arched an eyebrow. "Promise what?"


    Ling Xin turned to Feng Mian and gave a wink. "Hey, Feng Mian¡­ ''that'' time ising up soon again for you, isn''t it?"


    At this, Feng Mian flushed red, knowing what she was referring to, and hesitantly gave a nod before ncing at me shyly. Ling Xin smirked and turned back to me.


    "I have an idea, Xuan Kai."


    I gulped. "What is it?"


    "Once we find your mother and bring her back¡­ you have to y a little game with all of us together," she said mysteriously, cing a finger against her lips and winking at me. "It''ll be fun, I promise~"


    "¡­ Do I have a choice in the matter?" I asked, and Axilia pulled out her scythe out of literally thin air.


    "No, not really~"


    I sighed. "Fine, fine. Whatever. I''ll do it."


    "That''s my Xuan Kai~" Ling Xin said affectionately, and leaned in to kiss me briefly.


    "Hey! You guys ready yet?!" My father hollered from down the hall. "We''ve already entered Demon Territory, and are about to find a ce tond! Buckle up!"


    With thatpletely useless warning, he suddenly descended, and the girls and I were thrown off the bed.


    "Kyah~!"


    "Tch, that old geezer¡­!" Gritting my teeth, I used Gravity Magic to stabilize us in the air. It wasn''t easy, but it was possible.


    Soon, we finallynded in the middle of a forest, somehow with an opening just big enough to fit a ne in. My father turned off the machine, headed back to our room, and knocked politely.


    "We''re here, honored guests. Please disembark."


    "You''re not a flight attendant," I muttered, and stepped out of the room. The girls and I had all slipped on our usual clothes and were ready to set off, but before leaving, my father stopped us like a professional.


    "Wait. The air here is dangerous to normal people. Xuan Kai and I should be fine thanks to Chaos and our special physiques, but you all need to wear masks."


    "¡­"


    The girls and I nced at one another, and didn''t object.

 Chapter 536 - Demon Territory

    Chapter 536 ¨C Demon Territory


    Demon Territory.


    It was and of waste and destruction, for the most part. There were several viges scattered around here and there, but there really was only one main city¡ªNazeroth, Capital of the Demons. It was enormous and was said to be able to be seen from anywhere within Demon Territory. Not only was the color scheme here extremely unusual, being mainly purple, the air here was also poisonous to all non-Demon inhabitants, just like how the air in Subus territory is meant to be an aphrodisiac that increases sex drive.


    As soon as we disembarked the ne, we found Nael waiting for us at the bottom, bowing deeply.


    "Wee to my homnd, Master X and friends."


    "¡­ Are you sure you''re fine with this, Nael?" My father asked, a look of worry in his eyes. "I will understand if you feel ufortable about guiding us here. Your memories here were¡­ not very fond, after all."


    "I am fine, Master X. Although it is true I do not have a good impression of this ce, I still do share some fond memories of the past from here."


    My father smiled and nodded. "I see. In that case, guide us forward towards Nazeroth. There, we can find more information."


    Nael bowed once more and pressed his hand against his chest where his heart was. "Understood, Master X."


    "Wow¡­ he''s like apletely different person," Yu An Yan remarked as they observed my dad''s caring side, and I nodded.


    "He''s not a bad person. Just¡­ really weird, sometimes."


    *****


    As we walked through the purple forest all around us, Nael talked to us about the history of Demon Territory and the lore behind its formation, as well as somemon knowledge so we wouldn''t look like idiots in the city.


    First off, the reason the color scheme in Demon Territory is so weird is because of the Demonic Energy erupting throughout it. This energy is also the same thing that''s lingering in the air and is poisonous to anyone who wasn''t a demon, thus why we had to wear special masks to filter the energy out from the oxygen so we could breathe properly.


    This Demonic Energy, apparently, not only affected intelligent lifeforms, but also simply living or even non-living objects such as nts or rocks. It changed green leaves into a purple color, tan ground into violet. All flowers here were purple, and even mountains had a tint of purple to them.


    Of course, the Demonic Energy didn''t just change their color. It also imbued them with special power and properties, thus making them essential materials for many Demon-forged potions and technologies. Unlike the Dwarves who produced things for the rest of the world, using mana as their main source of power, the Demons used something special¡ªthis Demonic Energy.


    "The demons do not use normal magic either," Nael had said. "They use something called Demoncraft, though it is nearly identical to magic. You can think of Demoncraft as simply mana that is sewn into our blood rather than being separate like in other races."


    Demoncraft generally was in the same power level as normal mana, with the exception of Demon Magic. Demoncraft allowed for much more powerful Demon Element spells, as well as some special hidden techniques that could only be done using Demoncraft as they required usage of blood. If a normal person attempted these hidden techniques, they would draw on their blood only for nothing to happen, since their blood did not have magical properties like the Demons did.


    As for Nazeroth, the Capital of Demons, it was an enormous city shaped like a castle. I, of course, knew the owner of said castle¡ªLuisfer, the Demon Founder of the Library of Infinite Beginnings¡ªbut I couldn''t reveal that to the girls or my father.


    It is said that the first demon created only a small hut at first, and slowly expanded construction as more and more demons came around. He united all the demons scattered across thend together into one unified force, and although ouws still exist today, they were rare and few.


    Slowly, a feudal system was built around this demon. Royal houses were established, and Demon Generals that each ruled over one of these houses. There were 7 houses in total, with the ruler of one of them being the Demon King, currently Luisfer. The other six each represented a cardinal sin of mankind¡ªBeelzebub for envy, Sathanas for wrath, Abaddon for sloth, Mammon for greed, Belphegor for gluttony, and Asmodeus for Lust. The House of Luisfer naturally represented thest of them all¡ªPride.


    Each of these houses'' rulers, the Demon Generals, were all extremely powerful, and each had their own specializedbat style, ording to Nael. They often havepetitions and sh with one another, but they were all loyal to the King¡ªthe Demons apparently valued loyalty a lot.


    The Demon race was one that didn''t like interacting with the outside world. They preferred to be confined to their own little space in their own territory. For what reason, Nael didn''t know either, only saying that''s just how it was throughout thousands of years in history now. We didn''t question any further either, as it wasn''t too important anyway.


    The only thing that Nael did mention that was quite intriguing to me, however, is a specific folklore that is not verymonly told amongst the Demon peoples nowadays, but the old Demons all know of. It speaks of a certain ce, a certain danger, that is within Demon Territory. They wished to remove it, but could not. They have tried many times to destroy it, but have all failed.


    It is said that the ce in question is made of a condensed red and ck sphere of energy, creating a dome-like aura of energy around it as if to protect something. It wasn''t very big and could be easily hidden, which is what the Demon race chose to do as itsst and only option. Some strong Demons have tried breaking through the dome-like barrier preventing anyone from reaching its core, but were all instantly incinerated upon touching it. The few who got close but didn''t touch the barrier returned paralyzed and turned crazy after waking up, muttering in unintelligible speech and the like.


    Whatever the ce was, it was mysterious, confusing. The only thing that the Demons did know, however, was that it was powerful. Whatever that ce was meant to be, it was not for the faint-hearted. Throughout the years, even the original name given to the ce by the old Demons was lost to time, and it is now simply regarded as ''the Forbidden Isle''. Why it was called an Isle, I didn''t know, since Demon Territory was all innd, but perhaps that was somewhat of a clue as to the possible location of this ce.


    Of course, as soon as the girls and I along with my father heard the words ''red and ck energy'', the first thing we thought of was Chaos. Without a doubt, they were connected, but we would have to get to that ce to make sure.


    Soon, however, the story came to a close, and we arrived at the main gates of Nazeroth. Just like Nael had said, this ce was built like a castle. Apparently, despite not wanting to interact with other races from the outside world, Demon Territory allowed tourists and visitors. We weren''t allowed to stay here permanently, but a little touring ispletely fine¡ªording to Nael, anyway.


    As we approached the guards, however, they eyed us up and down, then arched an eyebrow in skepticism. Then, their gazes turned to the girls, and were instantly charmed. So many top-tier beauties, gathered in one ce. They probably haven''t even seen girls this sexy before, and didn''t know that girls even could be this beautiful.


    Surprisingly enough, however, they managed to snap back to reality, and although their voice was off-pitch and awkward when they spoke, they were quite dutiful and cleared their throats.


    "Ahem¡­ apologies, but Nazeroth is currently closed to all outside visitors. Please visit at another time."


    "What? Why?" Nael asked, stepping forward. "Did something happen in the Capital?"


    "That¡­" The other guard began, but the first guard interrupted before his friend could say anything.


    "¡­ Is none of your concern. Please leave."


    "¡­" Eve stepped forward, preparing to charm them with ease, but I stopped her with an arm and gently shook my head. She was a bit surprised by this, but obeyed and stepped back.


    "I see¡­ well, that''s unfortunate," my father said, a smile on his face. "We will return some other time, then. Goodbye."


    The two guards nodded and saw us off, before finally sighing once thinking we were out of earshot.


    "Man¡­ those were such beauties¡­ I was trying to hold the conversation a bit longer," the second guard said, and the first guard gave a snort.


    "By telling them what Lord Beelzebub explicitly told us not to reveal to outsiders?"


    "What? N-No, of course not," the second guard said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "I was going to feed them a lie¡­ y-yeah, that''s it. Besides, don''t tell me you didn''t want to look at them for longer?"


    "Well, that''s¡­" This time, it was the first guard''s turn to look away, embarrassed. "¡­ I can''t deny it."


    "Heheh, got you this time."


    "Yeah, yeah¡­ whatever."

 Chapter 537 - Charm & Trickery

    Chapter 537 ¨C Charm & Trickery


    "¡­ You caught all that?" My father asked us, and the girls and I nodded.


    We hid a couple of meters away, just barely within earshot of the two demon guards. Those who could use Shadow Magic used invisibility, while those who didn''t used the Cloaks of Invisibility we had. It was clear¡ªthe city of Nazeroth was hiding something. A something that recently urred in the city, and required such confidentiality.


    "¡­ So? What''s the n now?" Yu An Yan asked.


    "I can charm the guards to let us in, but¡­" Eve began, trailing off.


    "¡­ It will not be enough, if we want to get all of us inside the city," I replied. "In other words, we can only have¡­ maybe four people maximum."


    Nael nodded. "Lady Eve must be one of them, I will be another as the guide, and¡­"


    "Kai Kai and I will be thest two," my father said. "Everyone else, it''d be best if you retreated to the ne for now."


    "Understood," Mei Gui said, ncing at me. "I will take everyone back using Space Magic. Is that alright, master?"


    I nodded. "Sounds good. Stay safe."


    "Understood. You too."


    Once they left without anyints, my father looked at me with a wry grin and wiggled his eyebrows a bit.


    "So, you''re into that kind of y, huh?"


    I frowned. "What?"


    "Maid¡­ master¡­" He whispered, and I needed to hold back my urge to p him.


    "The recording¡­" I whispered back in the same way, and he immediately shut up, buckling his knees like he''d just seen a ghost.


    "Now¡­ forgive me for interrupting, but we should get moving, no?" Eve intruded with a smile, and we both nodded in agreement.


    *****


    While the three of us hid in a nearby ce, Eve alone went back up to the guards, figure shaking side to side alluringly as she walked. Every tiny movement she made was on purpose to make her more seductive, and her smile was slight, yful.


    "Heya~" She waved to the two, winking.


    "Wait, it''s you¡­" The two guards said, exchanging nces before looking at Eve¡ªa specific part of her in particr, around her chest area. "W-Why are you back here¡­?"


    "Oh, I dropped something here and came back to get it," Eve replied with an innocent, beautiful smile. "I think it''s¡­ oh, it''s right there!"


    Saying that, she bent down forward, purposely shaking her bosom a little, and the two demon guards did their best not to look, getting nosebleeds in the process. Eve smirked like a devil.


    "Now, for the final touch¡­"


    "H-Huh?" The guards were confused at her words, but it was toote. She suddenly looked both of them in the eyes, and they froze still, hearts beating out of their chests.


    "Now¡­ you will obey me, and do whatever I say," she continued, whispering into their ears.


    "Yes¡­" They replied, voices delusional. "We will obey you¡­ and do whatever you say¡­"


    With a smile, Eve turned her head slightly to where the rest of us were hiding, and shed a yful wink.


    The deed was done.


    *****


    Soon, Eve, Nael, my father, and I entered the city of Nazeroth. With the help of Eve''s charm, the guards let us in without any question, and no memory of what even happened.


    Inside, the city was beautiful.


    Perhaps that was a wrong choice of words, as not everyone liked this type of architectural style, but it was exactly like a medieval town, with a castle up ahead in the distance. Before that, though, there was also a ring of mansions surrounding a fountain. Six, to be particr.


    "Those are¡­"


    "The six Royal Houses," Nael replied before I could even finish my sentence. "That is known as the Ring of Nobles."


    "I see¡­ how interesting," I muttered. "But now that we''re in the city¡­ where are we going to go to find information about my mother?"


    We spoke quietly, and all four of us wore ourbat getups. My father looked the most imposing and extruded an aura of pure dominance, but Eve was the most eye-catching with her alluring curves and perfect features. Nael was just a normal demon, and I, on the other hand, looked pretty shabbypared to the others, in my seemingly worn and old robes as part of the Yharnav set.


    "Information brokers," Nael said calmly. "There is no shortage of them around here, but most are scams and will feed you unwarranted, fake information. However, if you know the right ce to look¡­"


    "Do you know the right ce to look?" My father asked.


    "¡­ No, I do not."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Both father and son were utterly left speechless at the stupidity of what we just witnessed. Given his tone of voice, one would assume he knew ''the right ce to look'', but apparently not.


    "Don''t worry, honey," Eve whispered her hot breath into my ear, leaning onto my arm. "I know where to look."


    "You do?" My father asked in surprise, having overheard her.


    "Yes. Two locations. One is right up ahead, in that shadowy tavern there. The other is a bit further away. To save time, I propose we split up," Eve said. "Is that alright¡­?"


    "Fine by me," Nael stated.


    "Alright. In that case, I will go with Nael to the tavern," my father said. "Kai Kai, you''re with Eve."


    "Uh, wai-" I began, but my father was already off. I was left alone with Eve in the middle of the streets, being stared at by dozens of lustful men, and slowly, I turned to her.


    "¡­ Did you do that on purpose so you could be alone with me, or do you actually know the locations?"


    Eve giggled and nibbled on my ear a little, causing me to shiver.


    "Both," she whispered.


    *****


    Soon, we arrived at¡­


    "¡­ A love hotel. Are you kidding me?"


    "Why, you don''t like it?" Eve asked, fakely pouting. "That hurts my feelings, you know¡­"


    "Shut up. Why would an information broker be here? You just lured me here to have sex, didn''t you?"


    "Tsk, tsk," she clicked her tongue. "Amateur. You see, selling information is a very¡­ intricate trade. It requires a lot of caution, and secrecy. And do you know what''s one thing all love hotels offer that most other ces do not?"


    I arched an eyebrow. "¡­ Privacy?"


    "Bingo~!" Eve smiled happily. "There are no security cameras or any form of wiretapping here. Moreover, no one would think an information broker would use something like a love hotel as their base of operations, no?"


    "I¡­ suppose that''s true¡­" I murmured. It was hard to think anyone would use something like a love hotel to do just about anything except¡­ well, making love.


    "Let''s head inside, then," Eve urged, tugging on my arm with a wink. "Just trust me, mkay?"


    I was skeptical about ''trusting'' a subus, and the queen of them all no less, but it''s not like I had much of a choice. With a sigh, I followed her lead and entered the love hotel, where the female receptionist was immediately stunned and paused everything else she was doing as soon as she saw Eve.


    "We''re here to book a room," Eve said with a bright smile. "Are there any vacant rooms?"


    "Ah¡­" The girl was too stunned to speak, still busy admiring Eve''s beauty with flushed cheeks, and Eve had to wave in front of her a little.


    "Hello~? Are there any vacant rooms?"


    "H-Huh? O-Oh, yes! Sorry! I¡­ erm, don''t know what happened there¡­" The receptionist frantically apologized, and went back to work, busy scrolling through the list of checked out rooms.


    "Let''s see¡­ there are vacant rooms open. What kind do you want?"


    "I want room 4636, please," Eve replied, and the receptionist was confused for a moment.


    "E-Eh¡­? 4636¡­? What kind of room is th-"


    But suddenly, she was pulled away from the counter by an older-looking woman, stone-cold, and reced.


    "¡­ Follow me," the new woman said, not fazed by Eve''s beauty.


    "Huh¡­? Manager? What''s going on here¡­"


    "Focus on your own job," the newer woman scolded. "I will take over these two customers from here."


    "O-Oh, I see, okay¡­" The younger receptionist whimpered like a sad puppy, and I did feel somewhat pitiful for her, working under a woman like this.


    "Now¡­" The older woman turned back to us. "Please follow me."


    Saying this, she stepped out from behind the counter, and headed towards the elevators. Eve shot me a wink apanied by a wry smile, and she pulled me along with her to follow the receptionist.


    Once we arrived in the elevator, the receptionist shut the doors, then pressed a seemingly random sequence of buttons on the elevator panel. It was immensely long, and the elevator refused to move until the sequence was finished.


    But before I knew it, the doors rolled open once more, and we were on apletely new floor.


    "What¡­ I didn''t even feel the elevator move¡­" I muttered, ncing around in awe. Eve giggled at my innocence, and pulled me into a hug, rubbing her breasts against my face.


    "Fufu~ you''re really cute sometimes, you know, Xuan Kai¡­ that''s the beauty of it."

 Chapter 538 - The Information Broker

    Chapter 538 ¨C The Information Broker


    The mature woman led Eve and I down a long corridor that seemed too long to fit in the love hotel judging from outside appearances. It can be safely assumed this ce was a small pocket dimension or apletely different ce in the world, connected via a teleportation enchantment or something of the sort.


    The hallway was made of marble, and had simplistic but neat decorations. ss cases holding torches inside were ced on the walls, and the windows were made of stained ss. There was nothing outside to see anyway.


    As our footsteps came to a stop, the woman knocked on the door in front of us, and spoke.


    "Mydy, you have two customers."


    "Huh?!" A growl came from the other side. "Didn''t I say I had enough funding, and wasn''t going to do any work this week? Why did you bring them here?!"


    "¡­ My apologies, mydy, but they knew the code¡­" The woman said hesitantly, and at this, the door suddenly opened, revealing a short but cute girl on the other end, wearing nothing but her pajamas.


    Her very, <em>very</em> translucent pajamas.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Y-You¡­ you didn''t tell me there was going to be a man! Look away, dammit!"


    "S-Sorry!" I quickly averted my gaze and turned around so that my back was to her. The little girl whimpered a bit, and quickly pulled on a set of proper clothes.


    "¡­ Come in," she said after a while, and I slowly turned back around, letting out a breath of relief. Eve, noticing this, gave a soft giggle.


    As the two of us entered the little girl''s room, the older woman shut the door behind us and left so that we may have some privacy. And as for what was happening inside¡­


    "Waah~! Eve!" The little girl bawled as she leaped into Eve''s arms, sobbing and crying. "You finally came to see me¡­ I was so lonely here¡­"


    "Haha¡­" Eveughed awkwardly and patted her head, like an older sister. I arched an eyebrow at this.


    "You two know each other?"


    "Of course," Eve replied. "I told you, didn''t I? I knew some reliable information brokers here. This one right here is named Erin. She''s a demon, as you can probably tell."


    "Well, yeah, but I didn''t think you would know each other on such an¡­ intimate and personal level," I muttered quietly.


    "Heheh, Eve is my blood-sworn sister!" The little girl boasted, tiny devil wings on her back pping a bit. "But¡­ who are you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "I''ve never seen a man travel with Eve before. She detests men."


    I blinked. "She detests men¡­ as a subus? That''s a first."


    "It''s more like I look down on them," Eve rified, smiling innocently. "They are just a delicacy to subi, nothing more. You, though¡­ are different~"


    "¡­ Uh, thanks, I guess," I replied, then cleared my throat. "Ahem. In any case¡­ we should get down to business. Erin, you''re¡­ an information broker, correct?"


    She nodded. "Yeah. Came here looking for info? On my day off no less? The price isn''t going to be cheap, y''know¡ªeven if Eve is my sister."


    "I have plenty of money to spare," I said with a chuckle. "As long as you tell me the info I want, I can buy you anything in the world that can be bought with money."


    Erin stared at me for a while, then burst outughing.


    "¡­ Pfft~! Did you hear what he just said, Eve? Buy me anything in the world that can be bought with money? Ha! That''s the first time I''ve heard such an arrogant boas-"


    "He''s not boasting though~" Eve said with a wink, and Erin froze.


    "¡­ Eh?"


    Eve only smiled, and like a well-oiled robot, Erin mechanically turned her head towards me.


    "Y-Y-You''re really¡­ that rich?"


    "Probably amongst the richest people in the world, yeah," I replied calmly.


    "Oh¡­ my¡­ god."


    Erin immediately scurried back to her own seat across from us, and pulled out her notepad, a top hat, and a monocle, like some kind of professional detective.


    "Alright," she said in a low, serious voice. "What do you want to know?"


    <em>The attitude changed so quickly!</em>


    "¡­ I need you to find a person''s whereabouts. Her name is Qing Ruo Lan. She is slightly shorter than me, has long white hair, and blue eyes. She''s very beautiful, and is a human. A reliable source told me she wasst spotted in Demon Territory¡ªI need to find her."


    "Oh yeah? What''s this? Had a fight with your girlfriend, and now you''re looking for her?" Erin giggled evilly.


    "¡­ She''s my mom."


    "Ah-" She froze momentarily, then averted her gaze. "Well, ahem. That was¡­ awkward. Sorry about that."


    I sighed. "It''s fine. I need you to find her location as soon as possible¡ªit''s a matter of life and death. I don''t care what other jobs you have, make this your priority. I guarantee you your other customers won''t be able to pay you as high of a price as I can."


    "Don''t worry, I''m confident about that," Erin said, folding her arms.


    I tilted my head. "How?"


    Eve leaned into my ear and whispered, "She has no other customers."


    "H-Hey!" Erin yelled, blushing furiously. "I heard that, y''know! I just, u-uh, have high standards when ites to customers! Yeah, that''s it!"


    I stared at the little girl dubiously, and whispered back to Eve.


    "¡­ Hey. Is she really reliable?"


    "I heard that too, y''know!"


    "Well, as much as she seems like an immature child, she is quite skilled at information gathering. She will deliver, I am certain. Though¡­ the reason she doesn''t have customers is because she often calls for high prices far beyond what other brokers offer information at."


    "Ah. So¡­ a scam."


    "Yes, you could say that."


    "HEYYYY! I''M RIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW!!!"


    "Fufu, my bad," Eve said with a softugh. "In any case¡­ please fulfill my husband''s request. It is very important to him."


    "Yep, don''t worry, Eve! I got thi- wait." Erin suddenly realized something, and turned her head to me. "He''s¡­ your husband?!"


    "Mhm. Is there a problem?" Eve asked, smiling innocently.


    "W-Wha- you''re the queen of the subi! How can you marry a man! He''ll die the moment you try and have kids!"


    "Oh, don''t worry," Eve giggled. "I already tested that not long ago¡ªhe has an even greater sex drive and stamina than I do. We can do it day and night and he won''t fall."


    "W-Wha¡­ what the¡­ KYAHHH! I don''t want to hear it anymore, get out!" Erin shrieked in embarrassment, covering her ears. Eveughed at this, and rose from her chair before winking at me.


    "Come on. Let''s go, hubby~"


    "We''re not even married yet¡­" I muttered quietly under my breath, as the two of us left the information broker Erin behind.


    *****


    After stepping out of the elevator and returning to the first floor, we exited the love hotel. Eve tugged on my arm and looked up at me sadly, on the verge of tears.


    "We''re¡­ really not going to take advantage of this opportunity?"


    "No, we''re not. And stop the acting," I scolded, to which she giggled and let go of me.


    "Fine, fine. Your mother¡­ she must mean a lot to you, huh?"


    I frowned. "What kind of question even is that? Of course she does. She''s my mother."


    At this, Eve smiled sadly. Not the fake kind¡ªit was real, genuine sadness.


    "¡­ Where Ie from, the word ''mother'' has no meaning. I''m just another one of the countless offspring she had with all kinds of different men, nothing more."


    "Oh¡­" I forgot about that. The subi race¡­ it was a cruel one. "¡­ I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to be so harsh¡­ I just¡­ did it out ofmon sense. Sorry."


    Eve shook her head. "It''s alright. It doesn''t bother me much, anyways. Now¡­ what do you say we check up on how the other two are doing?"


    I nodded. "Nael and my father are both capable negotiators. They should have already finished on their end as well¡­"


    *****


    ¨C Inside a Tavern ¨C


    "¡­ So, what''s going on here?" I asked, folding my arms. My gaze waspletely deadpan, staring straight at the table a few meters in front of me where three people sat, ying some kind of poker.


    "Two pairs!" My father yelled triumphantly. "Can''t beat that, can ya?!"


    "I have¡­ a Four of a Kind," Nael stated, aggressively mming his cards down on the table as if to assert dominance. "Can you¡­ beat that?"


    The two men were staring at the hooded figure on the other end with hate burning in the eyes. Beside the hooded figure was arge wad of cash, most likely taken from my father and Nael.


    "Fufu¡­ still as yful as ever," Eve murmured from beside me, but my focus was on the hooded figure and the hooded figure alone, as she turned her cards wryly with her intricate, soft hands.


    "Too bad¡­ I have a straight flush."

 Chapter 539 - Hotel Rooms

    Chapter 539 ¨C Hotel Rooms


    "AGHHH, GODDAMN IT!" My father yelled, mming the table in fury and causing all the other customers in the tavern to look at him warily. "You''re cheating somehow, aren''t you?! How have you beaten us in every round?! We yed over 30!"


    <em>Guess we know where all that cash beside the hooded man came from now¡­</em>


    "Master X, please calm down¡­" Nael said awkwardly, but it was clear from the veins on his forehead that he too was angry.


    "¡­ She''s cheating, right?" I asked Eve, who was beside me. Nael and my father haven''t noticed us yet.


    "Yes, naturally," Eve replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "But as the saying goes¡­ it''s not cheating if you don''t get caught~"


    "Fair enough. But I''m not here for poker, I''m here for information," I said, and stepped forward, revealing myself. "Father, Nael. What are you two doing, exactly?"


    "H-Huh? Kai Kai¡­? You''re already done on your end? Haha, we''re just about to finish up here, getting information¡­"


    "Oh, is that so?" I red at him coldly, sneering. "Because to me, it just seems like you''ve been losing money."


    "Ahaha¡­ about that¡­" My fatherughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    "As soon as we entered the tavern, this hooded woman told us she knew about the information we were looking for, before we even said anything," Nael exined, stepping in. "She then proposed that she would tell us the information if we beat her in a game of poker, but for the past rounds¡­ she has beaten us over and over again. Each time, we lost money."


    Slowly, I turned to the hooded woman, who showed no reaction at this, then back at my father and Nael.


    "So basically, what you''re telling me is, you never thought of simply threatening her? You realize even if this one dies, we still have other brokers, right? We don''t need her."


    "Hm, I won''t lie, I did not think about that," my father murmured, rubbing his chin. "You''re so smart, Kai Kai!"


    I sighed. "No, you''re just dumb. Anyway¡­"


    I used Telekinesis to pull a chair closer and prepared to sat down, but-


    "¡ª!"


    My eyes widened as I slipped and fell straight to the floor. The chair¡­ I clearly moved it, but why was it back in its original position?


    I red at the hooded woman, and saw a thin smile beneath her cloak.


    <em>So¡­ it''s her. Well, no point ying nice anymore.</em>


    Suddenly, I teleported behind her in a sh, and removed her cloak. Her eyes widened as her bright yellow hair spilled out, matching with her yellow eyes and horns. Then, heat slowly rose to her face, and she began blushing and slowly whimpering.


    "Y-You¡­ why would you do that¡­ I''m¡­ sniff¡­ scared of crowds¡­!"


    "H-Huh?" I blinked in surprise, not expecting this response.


    "Kai Kai¡­ you¡­ made a girl¡­ cry¡­"


    Slowly, my father rose from his seat, a dark aura surrounding him. His fists were clenched in anger as he stepped towards me, and I slowly backed away, gulping.


    "E-Erm¡­"


    Suddenly, however, he broke down and began crying as well, sobbing beneath that mask of his.


    "How¡­ could you¡­ be so cruel¡­ your mother would be so disappointed¡­ wuwu¡­"


    "¡­" I rubbed my forehead, unsure of what to make of this situation. Eve, sensing my troubles, sighed and stepped in like an angel.


    "Now, now¡­ Philophia, don''t pretend. You got over your fear of crowds 5 years ago."


    "E-Eve¡­? What are you talking about¡­ crowds scare me so much¡­ this is harassment! I deservepensation for this¡­"


    "Yes, yes, you can have as muchpensation as you want afterwards," Eve said, rolling her eyes and pointing at me. "Just ask my husband. But before that¡­ we want you to look for someone."


    "Hey, I never agreed to-" I began, but Eve silenced me with a wink and ced her finger to her lips, then blew a kiss in my direction.


    "¡­ Fine. Only because it''s you asking, Eve," the girl named Philophia murmured. "Who do you want me to look for?"


    ncing around at all the other people in the tavern, Eve smiled. Knowing what this was about, I sighed and put up a sound barrier around them, so that only my father, Nael, myself, Philophia, and Eve could hear the contents of the conversation.


    "¡­ The name is Qing Ruo Lan," Eve said, folding her arms. "Long white hair, blue eyes, and very beautiful. About¡­ a little shorter than my husband in height. Oh, and also, she''s a human."


    "A human¡­?" Philophia arched an eyebrow. "In Demon Territory?"


    "She wasst spotted here, yes," Eve replied with a smile.


    "But that''s impossible¡­ unless she snuck in¡­" Philophia murmured. "Security is tight around the city right now due to the nighttime crimes happenin-"


    Suddenly, she covered her mouth, and looked at us awkwardly.


    "Nighttime crimes¡­" My father murmured. "How interesting. You are very honorable, girl! Thank you for the free information!"


    He shed her a thumbs-up, and so did Nael. I sighed, wondering if this girl could really be trusted given how clumsy she was¡ªeven more so than Erin.


    "So?" Eve said, bringing the topic back on course. "Can you find her?"


    "¡­ No guarantees, but I will try," Philophia said hesitantly. "Give me three days. Three days, and I should be able to find info on the person you are looking for."


    "Very well," Eve replied with a smile. Then, turning to me, she made a v-sign with her hand, and I shed her a thumbs-up in return.


    *****


    "Whew¡­ now that both of those info brokers are taken care of, let''s return to the ne," I said. "We can''t stay here overnight, that''s for sure. The hotels will require IDs and stuff, which we don''t have."


    "Hold on, Kai Kai," my father said, stopping me by the forearm. "What that golden-haired girl said earlier¡­ it interests me."


    "Regarding the nighttime crimes, or whatever?" I asked, and my father nodded.


    "Indeed. It''s just a hunch, but¡­ I have a feeling they may be tied to your mother somehow, one way or another. We should do some investigation, while we''re in the city."


    "I mean¡­ sure, but that still doesn''t solve the problem of not being able to check in at hotels," I said. "Most require proper IDs, and have security cameras that can instantly tell if we''re not demo-"


    I turned to Eve, who smiled wryly. It was then that I remembered what happened at the love hotel earlier.


    <em>Love hotels provide privacy, and don''t have any security cameras here.</em>


    Not only that, Eve was able to charm the inexperienced receptionist working there with ease¡­


    "¡­ Alright," I said quietly. "I''ve got a n."


    *****


    "No, no, no, no, NO!" My father yelled in the middle of the street, clutching his helmet tightly. "Are you SERIOUS, Kai Kai?! You want me to book a room with NAEL?! In a LOVE HOTEL, no less?! Your mother would KILL me if she found out!"


    "My mother would also kill you if she heard that recording," I said with a wry grin. "Besides¡­ it''s not like you have any better options, do you? The receptionist earlier just said. There are only rooms for two, and Eve doesn''t want to share a room with either of you. Though of course, if you''d like to sleep on the streets, be my guest."


    "N-Ngh¡­" My father groaned. Critical hit. "A-Alright, fine. But you haven''t even asked Nael for his opinion! There''s no way Nael would want to room with another man, right? Righ-"


    "I¡­ do not mind sharing a room with Master X," Nael interrupted, averting his gaze shyly.


    "WHATTTTT?! And wait, what are you blushing for?! OHHHH MYYYY GODD!"


    "¡­ Psst, dad. People are staring," I said quietly, and he quickly rposed himself.


    "A-Ahem. I understand. For the greater good, for Ruo Lan, I shall endure. Let us go! Onwards to the love hotel! Hahahaha!"


    Laughing like somewhat of a maniac, my father re-entered the love hotel building, followed by Nael. The remaining two of us watched them go, and Eve couldn''t help but stifle augh.


    "¡­ I think your father has gone a bit crazy. Was that too much?"


    "Nah," I replied with a chuckle. "He''s a tough man. He''ll be fine."


    "Fufu¡­ I see. You two are an interesting pair of father and son, if I do say so myself¡­"


    "Well, it''s not everyday a father fakes his own death in the name of protecting his son."


    Eve giggled softly. "Yes¡­ I suppose you''re right."


    With that, Eve and I entered as well, booking a room for ourselves. Just as nned, my father and Nael actually got a room, and it is said that the receptionist there passed out after handling their order. The older woman had toe and p her awake so she could help Eve and I¡­


    Poor girl. It wasn''t even her fault.. This must be the first time she had encountered something like this, after all.

 Chapter 540 - Nights Raid

    Chapter 540 ¨C Night¡¯s Raid


    After booking our hotel rooms, we entered them respectively, and waited for nightfall toe in. That wouldn''t be long from now, judging from how the sun had already set and the cool evening air had filled the atmosphere.


    For ease ofmunication and ess in case anything happened (which it most likely will, given the situation of the city), we chose to book rooms next to one another. I had mixed feelings about this, since it wasn''t out of my father''s capabilities to suddenly burst through the wall and check on me, especially since I was going to be rooming with a subus¡­


    Speaking of, Eve was unusually quiet. Even after we both took showers and were sharing the same bed (it was a love hotel, there were only single-bed rooms), she didn''t seem to be making any moves.


    I noticed this, of course, and nced at her in my arms. "¡­ You''re not going to try and charm me?"


    "Fufu, why would I do that?" Eve asked, snuggling closer. "You''re already my future husband. There''s no need to charm you, is there?"


    "Well, no, but¡­" I scratched my cheek. "I figured you were going to try something tonight, taking advantage of when we were alone. That''s why you refused to room with the other two, right? Being a subus and all, you have your urges. I''m used to them, thanks to Feng Mian, but¡­ you''re not trying anything. That''s interesting to me, that''s all."


    "Haven''t I told you this once already?" Eve giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. "Semen is just a delicacy for subi, nothing more. We can live perfectly fine without them, just as a poor person can live perfectly fine without luxurious food."


    "But Feng Mian¡­" I trailed off.


    "Hm¡­ she is an exception, I would say," Eve replied after some thought. "My theory is that because her subus nature has been sealed away for so long, what was previously a ''want'' has now be a ''need'' for her due to the passing of time and the sudden exposure of her true form."


    "And will this ever go away?"


    "Probably, yes. Though how long that will take is a different question."


    "I see¡­"


    I closed my eyes and shut off the lights, sinking into the bed. Drowsiness washed over me, and Eve smiled slightly.


    "Going to sleep?"


    "Mhm. We''ll be waked sooner orter, so might as well get some sleep while we have the chance, right?"


    "Fufu¡­ true enough."


    And just like that, I slept with a subus queen¡ªjust slept, nothing else.


    *****


    ¨C Sometime Later in the Night ¨C


    KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.


    ¡­ I struggled to open my eyes, confused at who was knocking at the door. But as the tapping be more and more urgent, I quickly sat up from the bed, and headed for the door.


    It must be my father¡ªthe midnight attack we were waiting for has begun.


    Hurriedly, I slipped on my cloak and everything, then opened the door to see my father.


    "What''s wrong? Are they here? Where are th-"


    "Please, help me, Kai Kai¡­"


    "W-What¡­ what''s happening?" I blinked in surprise.


    "It''s that damned Nael¡­ he won''t stop snoring¡­ I can''t sleep¡­"


    "¡­"


    Cue the silence.


    Cue the deadpan look on my face, as my father nted his head in my chest.


    "¡­ Get off of me."


    "Kai Kai, no, you can''t be this cruel!"


    "Yes, I can, and I will," I said, forcefully tearing my father off of me and dragging him out of my room. "You can stop with your lies¡ªI''m not stupid."


    With those words, I mmed the door shut, leaving my father to his own devices.


    And just as expected, the moment the door closed, my father''s crying was nowhere to be seen, and he frowned a bit in frustration.


    "Hm¡­ damn, he saw through the trick. That must mean he''s hiding something¡­ I have to find another method¡­"


    At this, I gave a snort, and headed back to bed. No matter what he tries, he won''t find a thing.


    "What happened?" Eve asked, rubbing her eyes cutely as she sat up from the bed.


    "Oh, it''s nothing," I replied. "Just an old man who thinks he can fool me."


    With a chuckle, I took off my cloak and crawled back into bed as well, letting out a deep sigh before returning to sleep.


    It was so simple to tell my father was lying. He had Chaos Magic, just like me¡ªthat meant he had ess to all 21 elements. Casting a little Sound Magic to block the sound of snoring was as easy as blinking for him. All he wanted to do by pulling off that little act was to check on Eve and I, and see if we were doing anything¡­ inappropriate.


    *****


    Several hourster, the true torment began.


    I was woke up not by the sound of knocking on my door, but of screams¡ªscreams, outside.


    Immediately, I shot out of bed and pulled open the curtains in the room. Whaty before my eyes was a scene of destruction and terror.


    Buildings were set on fire, civilians were running around on the street screaming, as shadowy figures seemed to teleport out of nowhere and cut them down with curved knives. They were hooded and wore ominous masks, eyesockets burning orange, and they wielded two sharp obsidian cusses each. The Demon soldiers dispatched stood little to no chance at all faced with this unknown power, and fell one by one.


    It would seem this was the reason the city guards we encountered earlier told us the city was closed to outside visitors.


    "¡­ Eve, you awake?" I asked without turning around, and from behind me, Eve walked up, standing by my side.


    "How can I not be, with all this noise?" She sighed. "So? What''s the n?"


    "¡­ We capture one of those masked figures, and torture information out of them to get to the bottom of this," I stated coldly. "And in turn, help the city along the way."


    "Very well¡ªI am by your side."


    First, though, we needed to wake my father and Nael. Heading to their room, I knocked on the door, and they opened it immediately, both ready forbat.


    "¡­ We were just about to go wake you two up," my father said. "To think you were already awake, even before us¡­"


    "I have better ears than you do, old man," I said, rolling my eyes. "But¡­"


    Right as I was about to speak, the roof of the love hotel suddenly caught on fire, and because the structure was made of wood, the rest of the building quickly followed suit in the burn.


    "¡­ It would seem this building is the next targeted one."


    As I felt two shadowy presences approaching, I pulled out Ace from its holster and fired two shots behind me without even turning around.


    "Wha-?!"


    "Ngh-!"


    The two shadows were shot straight in the forehead. Nothing would save them from the Chaos-infused bullets of mine¡ªbut they weren''t the only ones who hade.


    Immediately, the four of us got into battle. While Eve fired off sts of purple sma, infused with the power of a subus, I shredded through the shadowy figures with ease using my Chaos katanas. No matter how stealthy you were, even if you were a ghost, there was nothing Chaos could not cut.


    On the other side, my father and Nael worked together, pummeling anyone who dared tried getting close. They were a very efficient duo, synergizing and working together well, but then again, so were Eve and I. She took care of any faraway enemies trying to snipe me, while I took out anyone who dared to engage in meleebat. Surprisingly enough, despite the two of us having never fought side by side before, we shared a special synergy.


    As I swung my katana and sliced apart three shadows in front of me, I suddenly felt a presence behind me and turned around to guard, but as I did, the presence disappeared¡ªincinerated to ashes. Above me, hovering in the air, Eve sent me a wink, and continued sting away. I chuckled.


    "Thanks."


    "Thank me once this is over," she replied with a smile.


    I wonder if it''s because of her mind-reading abilities, to be honest¡­ could she tell what I''m thinking at all times, and thus could predict my next move inbat and follow-up it with her own? If that''s the case, then it not only made her an extremely useful ally, but also a dangerous character at the same time. Getting on her bad side would be¡­ not ideal.


    Within minutes, all the shadowy attackers in the hotel had been killed. But things weren''t done quite yet¡ªoutside, screams still filled the streets as the havoc continued, and the unknown, mysterious attackers carried on with their bloodthirsty ughter.


    "Kai Kai, we''ll stay here and hold this ce down," my father hollered. "You two have better mobility¡ªget out there and take these bastards down!"


    I nodded firmly in reply, and nced at Eve.


    "Let''s go."

 Chapter 541 - The Void Order

    Chapter 541 ¨C The Void Order


    Outside, the city of Nazeroth was in chaos.


    Fires were everywhere, buildings set aze in mes, and entire structures toppled from destruction. The moon was nigh, bright and illuminative, but the grey smoke and smog arising from the piles of ash and ze served to darken the night further.


    All around, mutted corpses belonging to Demon Race civiliansy scattered. Some were gutted in the stomach, others were outright decapitated. The lucky ones had painless deaths, the unlucky ones¡­ well. They were left alive for a few more seconds to suffer from searing pain after they''d been dealt a fatal wound.


    "¡­" I clenched my fists. I didn''t care about Demons one way or another, but the idea that these guys were massacring this many innocents didn''t sit right with me. Taking out one my katanas while holding my gun with my other hand, Eve and I set off.


    *****


    Most of the area around us was already in ruins, and the shadowy figures had already left to sabotage a different part of the city. Unfortunately for them, however, running away from me was not going to be that easy. Soon enough, I found one of them, just about to finish off a poor civilian old woman.


    Instantly, I lifted my gun and fired a bullet at the assassin, but not at his head. I aimed for one of his metal cusses¡ªto not kill him, but also save the civilian at the same time.


    "Huh?" The hooded figure turned to me in surprise as his de was knocked out of his hand and dark purple liquid that seemed like¡­ blood? Leaked out of his hand where I shot him.


    Instantly, his glowing orange eyes widened, and he attempted to flee, but I gave a snort.


    "Hmph. Trying to run from me?"


    *Space¡ªEliminate.


    Immediately, I erased the space between him and I, and I caught him by his hood. Surprisingly, instead of pulling his neck back like I expected to happen, I ended up pulling his entire head back instead. It was as if his hood was glued to his head¡ªeither that, or I just grabbed his hair as well by ident. Either way, I wasn''tining¡ªthis made for an easy takedown.


    Following up my grab with a knee to the back, I mmed the assassin into the ground forcefully, and pinned him there.


    "¡­ Speak. Who sent you here, and what are you after?"


    But to my surprise¡­


    "Hngh~"


    The assassin let out a soft, female moan. I blinked momentarily, then realized what he¡ªor rather, she¡ªwas gesturing at. My eyes wandered down, and I realized I had pinned her down by the¡­


    ¡­ Breasts.


    "Sorr-"


    "Got you!" The girl beneath the mask smirked smugly as she kicked upwards, straight into my balls.


    "¡ª!"


    Instantly, I dodged out of the way and maneuvered myself behind her, pulling her into a headlock.


    "¡­ Sorry, can''t let you hit that spot," I muttered, pulling tighter. "Now¡­ you''re going to answer my questions."


    "N-Never!" She screamed, thrashing wildly, like a little girl.


    *Hm¡­ wait. Like a little girl?


    Heheheh¡­


    I turned to Eve, and gave a nod. Understanding my intentions immediately, she giggled and bent down. Then, slipping her hands underneath the assassin''s armpits, she¡­


    "K-Kyah~! W-What are you doi- ahahaha! HAHAHA! P-Please, STOP!"


    I nced at Eve, signaling for her to pause, and she obeyed.


    "Well? Will you talk now?" I asked, whispering in the assassin''s ear, and slowly, she nodded.


    "¡­ I am from the Void Order," she stated quietly.


    "The Void Order?" I arched an eyebrow, confused.


    "What? You don''t know what the Void Order is?!" The girl cried in surprise. "Tch¡­ how shameful."


    "The Void Order¡­" Eve narrowed her eyes slightly, sinking into thought. "That is a cult from ages ago. I thought they were wiped out¡­ but it would seem not. If I were topare them to something¡­ it would be the Midnight Syndicate, but far far more sinister and stronger."


    "So, an ancient evil organization that was wiped out," I muttered. "Why have you guys suddenly began being active again, then?"


    "Heh. That''s because we finally found something worth it, of course," the girl replied. "Would you believe me if I told you there''s a power hidden here in Demon Territory that can change the world itself?"


    *¡­ Uh, yeah. I''m the wielder of it.


    "¡­ So, that''s what you''re after?" I arched an eyebrow.


    "¡­ Yeah," the girl replied, but at that moment, Eve gave augh.


    "She''s lying."


    "Wha-?!"


    "Fufu¡­ Xuan Kai, step aside."


    "Ah¡­ I see. Don''t kill her¡ªthat''s all I ask," I said, stepping away. The assassin, as expected, tried to get away, but¡­


    "Wha¡­"


    ¡­ Also as expected, she failed.


    "There''s no running from desire," Eve whispered, bending down and staring into the assassin''s eyes. It was as if she could see straight through that mask. The girl behind it,pletely mesmerized, could only stare in awe at Eve''s beauty as she was charmed.


    "Now¡­ tell me everything you know," Eve demanded alluringly, cupping the assassin''s chin in her hand.


    "We''re¡­ here to look for a woman," the girl said, and immediately, my ears perked up. I opened my mouth to speak, but Eve held a finger up against me, wagging it, signaling that I should stay silent or else the hypnosis would wear off.


    "¡­ What does the woman look like?" Eve asked softly. "Her age? Her appearance? Her name, perhaps?"


    "¡­ 33. Long white hair, blue eyes. Name¡­ I don''t know¡­"


    I clenched my fists tightly, Long white hair, blue eyes. Age, 33. Those descriptions matched my mother perfectly.


    "¡­ Where is she?" Eve asked, knowing what questions I wanted her to ask next.


    "Last spotted inside¡­ Nazeroth¡­ we''re looking for her¡­ right now¡­ she holds the ''key''¡­"


    Eve narrowed her eyes. "The ''key''?"


    "The key to enter that ce¡­ the key to obtaining the power¡­" The girl whispered in a daze, still in a charm.


    "¡­ Any other information? Anything else at all?" Eve questioned, but the girl remained silent. It would seem that was it.


    With a sigh, Eve finally moved away, closing her eyes, and the girl flinched, snapping back to reality.


    "Wha¡­ what just¡­"


    Immediately, I took over, pressing a finger on her forehead. She flinched yet again but couldn''t resist as my strands of Chaos energy entered her head and down through her bloodstream, into her veins, and down into her soul. Once there, I tied her soul with my own:


    *Forbidden Magic ¡ª Soul Shackle.


    Instantly, her eyes snapped open, and I backed away.


    "You can go now."


    "E-Eh? You''re just letting me go free? I won''t thank you, you know. I''ll gather my brethren, rally together, ande back for reven- ow!"


    I flicked the back of my hand just enough to create a sense of pain, and in response, the girl''s entire body spasmed in pain. She clutched her wrist tightly, trembling in agony as searing pain rippled through her entire body, and she promptly copsed, breathing heavily.


    "Listen closely," I whispered by her ear. "You are now mine."


    "E-Eh? Wait, this is moving too fas-"


    "Not like that," I muttered. "As in, you''re my pawn. Understand? You will give me any information I want, while continuing to disguise yourself as a member of this¡­ Void Order, or whatever."


    "I-I can''t! They''ll kill me if they ever find ou-"


    "Well, would you rather be killed right now, orter?"


    "You don''t understand! They''ll use the most horrible torture tactics, the pain, the agon-"


    "I will tickle you."


    "You win, deal!"


    The girl sped her hands together and knelt before me, giving in without even an ounce of hesitation. I gave a chuckle and rose to my feet, then waved her off.


    As she disappeared, Eve walked up beside me. "I doubt she will be able to get any useful information, you know. Judging by the looks of things, she isn''t a very high-ranking member."


    "Be that as it may, a spy is better than no spy at all."


    "Fufu¡­ fair enough."


    "Come on. We''re not done here yet¡ªnow that we have a spy, whenever we encounter one of these guys¡­ just kill them outright."


    Eve nodded. "Understood. But what about this olddy¡­? She seems to have fainted from the immense pressure, but is still alive."


    "Leave her be here," I said. "They won''te back around to this area because they''ve already searched through it once. She should be safe. When she wakes up, let the Knights of Nazeroth take care of her."


    The Knights of Nazeroth, of course, were the City of Nazeroth''s military force,posed of supposedly strong Demon men. But the true powerful force of Demonkind, ording to Nael, were the Twelve Devils. Each specialized in their own method ofbat, and each had very different personalities. They all shared one point inmon, however: and that was their loyalty to the House of Lucifer¡ªthe House of Pride, home to the Demon King. Unlike others, they did not submit to any of the other Demon Generals or their Houses. Only the Demon King and the Demon King alone¡ªin other words, Luisfer, whom I had a decent rtionship with.


    Speaking of which¡­ that was going to be the next person I visited after cleaning up the mess here.

 Chapter 542 - An Audience With The King

    Chapter 542 ¨C An Audience With The King


    Soon, the Void Order retreated, as the sun rose in the city of Nazeroth. They took advantage of the stealth of night to operate in the shadows (literally), but as the sun came up, the cloak of night they had once embraced would be no more. When that happened, the Knights of Nazeroth would be able to turn the tide on them. Not wanting to be captured and interrogated, the safest option was simply to leave.


    Strangely, though¡­ being so careful, I had expected them to have some sort of defensive measure against being interrogated¡ªfor example, killing themselves with a imnted poison in their mouths or something of the sort. Yet that girl¡­ she just told us everything when all we did was tickle her a bit.


    Then again, it could be that the girl there had some sort of special identity, but¡­ well, no matter. All will be revealed soon enough¡ªI had her under the control of my Soul Shackle anyway.


    After telling Eve to go meet up with my father and Nael, I set off alone in the direction of the ring of royal Demon Houses¡ªthe Demon King''s castle, in particr. Eve was dubious at what I was trying to do, but I didn''t bother exining it to her¡ªand neither did she question, knowing that would only make me irritated. She just followed my words obediently, something I was grateful for.


    In any case, this ''ring'' of royal Demon Houses was not easy to get into. It was heavily patrolled with guards, especially after what happenedst night, and-


    -Ha, who am I kidding. This is nothing.


    Turning on my invisibility using Shadow Magic and hiding my presence using a Psychic Spell, I waltzed my way straight through the guards, weaving between them casually like I was taking a stroll. Some especially sensitive ones would turn their heads at me for a moment, but none actually came after me. In fact, it was surprising they could even detect me somewhat in the first ce¡ªChaos Magic amplified the effects of all my spells, meaning Conceal Presence should be stronger than most people''s. And yet, some of them were still able to sense me a little. I wonder if it has anything to do with Demoncraft¡­


    Soon, I arrived before the massive castle I had been in once before. There were, of course, metal gates in front of it, apanied by a thick purple magic barrier that would normally be hard to bypass, but Chaos devoured all forms of magic. cing my hand gently on the barrier as to not trigger any hostility in it, I began absorbing its power through the Chaos in my veins.


    Of course, I didn''t absorb all of it. That would be too obvious to anyone watching. I needed to keep the barrier still visible, butpletely dysfunctional. Once I absorbed just enough for that effect to take ce, I slipped my way straight through the barrier, and walked up to the front door, where there were two guards standing there.


    Slowly, I walked right in between them. They were confused for a moment and sniffed the air, but couldn''t detect me.


    "Hey, you feel that?" One of the guards asked. "Like there''s something here, but I don''t know what¡­"


    "Yeah, I feel it too," the other replied. "It''s¡­ weird. But I''m not actually seeing anything, so¡­"


    Emotionlessly, I raised my weapons at them. In one hand, I held my gun and pressed it against one of the guards'' temple, and with the other hand, I held my katana and pressed it against the other guard''s neck.


    "¡­ Don''t move."


    "¡­!"


    They widened their eyes in shock. They still couldn''t see me or any of my weapons, but they didn''t need to see to be able to tell what they were. A gunpoint and a knife''s edge¡ªthose two things weren''t easy things to mimic. The two guards gulped in fear, not daring to say a single world or even breathe, for that matter.


    "You, on the left. Go into the castle and call the butler here. He knows who I am."


    "W-W-W-What¡­ you want me to¡­"


    "Yes. Now, stop wasting time, or I''ll kill your friend here."


    "G-Go already!" The other guard whispered sharply, not wanting to die, and the first guard I let go quickly scurried off into the castle to fetch the butler.


    As I watched him go, I felt the other guard attempt to pull out a weapon, but without even turning to him, I clicked the safety off on my gun.


    "¡­ I''d advise you not try anything. Or else¡­ let''s just say it won''t end nicely for you."


    The guard gulped, realizing he''d been caught, and obediently remainedpletely still after that.


    *****


    Very soon after that, the other guard returned with the butler in tow. I recognized the butler''s face¡ªwe had met once before, during my first meeting with Luisfer.


    As he came out of the doors, he immediately recognized where I was despite my invisibility. As expected¡ªhe was strong.


    "¡­ What is it you seek, intruder?" He asked cautiously as to not provoke me too much. It would seem despite knowing my location, he still couldn''t figure out who I was¡ªunderstandable.


    With a sigh, I took off my invisibility and conceal presence, revealing my true appearance. The butler, upon seeing this, immediately let out a sigh of relief as well.


    "¡­ You could have entered normally, young man, and told the guards to fetch me that way."


    "Well, I wasn''t sure if they were just going to straight-up try to kill me, so this was the more efficient way."


    "¡­ Fair enough. Follow me."


    Saying that, he turned around and headed back into the castle. The two guards were, of course, confused at the exchange just now, and scratched their heads in inquiry.


    "H-Huh? Wait, sir, you know this man¡­?"


    "I already said that, didn''t I?" I sighed.


    "Yes," the butler replied. "Do not show disrespect towards him¡ªhe is an honored guest here, one even Lord Luisfer himself has to show respect for."


    <em>Now, I like the sound of that,</em> I thought with a smug grin, and followed the butler into the castle.


    *****


    ¨C Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Nazeroth ¨C


    "Damn¡­ they got away," Xuan Ying muttered, thrusting his greatsword into the ground in anger. "I wanted to capture one and interrogate them, but¡­"


    "It is alright, Master X," Nael, the demon beside him, said with a bow. "I am sure the young master and Eve have found some useful information."


    "That we did," Eve interjected out of nowhere, making her way closer to the group. "We managed to capture one of them, and interrogate some information."


    "Oh, Eve," Xuan Ying said, turning around. "Where''s Kai Kai?"


    "He said he had some¡­ business, to attend to," Eve stated. "He will be back soon though, don''t worry."


    "That kid¡­ he''s really grown up now, huh?" Xuan Ying chuckled. "Oh well, I believe he''ll be fine on his own. He beat me in a duel, after all¡ªeven if I was holding back slightly. In any case¡­ Eve, what information did you find?"


    "As it seems, the perpetrator of all these night assaults going on in the city for the past few days are, in fact, the Void Order."


    "The Void Order¡­" Xuan Ying muttered. "I thought they were wiped out eons ago¡­ but it would seem that was notplete."


    "I believed the same," Eve said with a shrug. "But it is very clear now that they have spent many years developing themselves in the shadows, lying low, all for the day when they would emerge again and take over the world with the help of a newfound, extremely strong power."


    "And that power is¡­?"


    "The same ce we are searching for," Eve said with a wry smile. "The Chaos Realm."


    "They¡­ know about it?" Xuan Ying asked, slightly surprised.


    "Not exactly," Eve replied. "It''s more like¡­ they know that it''s a ce holding a powerful secret, but don''t know what that secret is."


    At this, Xuan Ying let out a deep sigh. "Whew. That''s good. And? How does that have to do with the city? Don''t tell me, it''s underground?"


    "Not quite," Eve said. "I am uncertain of where the exact location is either, but the reason they attacked the city was to look for someone¡ªthe same person you and Xuan Kai are searching for as well."


    Xuan Ying''s eyes widened. "Ruo Lan¡­"


    "Yes. It is said that she holds the ''key'' to enter that ce, which is why the Void Order is attempting to hunt her down right now."


    Xuan Ying clenched his fists tightly. "Bastards¡­"


    "I am sure the Lady will be fine, Master X," Nael said. "She is strong."


    "¡­ Yes, I know, but¡­"


    "Well, that''s all the information we have," Eve said with a shrug. "Oh, and also¡­ we managed to nt a spy amongst the Void Order''s ranks. If nothing goes wrong and she doesn''t get caught¡­ she could be a reliable source of information."


    "I see. That''s good. But still¡­ where''s Kai Kai?"


    "He will be back soon," Eve said, averting her gaze.. "¡­ Probably."

 Chapter 543 - Luisfer, Meet Again

    Chapter 543 ¨C Luisfer, Meet Again


    ¨C Within Luisfer''s Castle ¨C


    Led by the butler, I was brought to the king''s private chambers. It was beautiful and filled with expensive artifacts and furniture, just like one would expected form a king''s room. But¡­ this was a bit surprising.


    "Why are we here, and not the audience room where the king usually greets visitors?" I asked. "Last time I was here, that''s where we met, no?"


    "Correct," the butler stated. "However, currently, Lord Luisfer is having a meeting with the Six Demon Generals in that chamber, and thus cannot be used to see you in."


    "Ah, makes sense," I murmured, rubbing my chin. "Is it regarding the attackstely?"


    "Yes," the butler said calmly. "The other Demon Generals are berating Lord Luisfer for not sending out his Twelve Devils, but¡­ he has his reasons."


    "If he''s worried about the attackers going for him, that''s out of the question," I said. "I know what they''re after, and it isn''t Luisfer''s head."


    "Oh¡­? You seem very confident about that," the butler said. "Have you, perhaps¡­ captured one of them?"


    "Not only that, I left her alive, so she could be a spy for me within their ranks," I said with a chuckle. "Don''t underestimate me."


    "I see¡­ I will let Lord Luisfer know you are here. He should be with you shortly¡ªthe meeting is about to conclude.


    *****


    ¨C Within the Audience Chamber ¨C


    "¡­ Are you truly insistent on not sending out the Twelve Devils to protect this city, King Luisfer?" One of the six Demon Generals asked¡ªMammon, head of the House of Greed.


    "Yes," Luisfer replied calmly, sitting on his ck throne. "The Twelve Devils, from the very beginning, are my own, personal guards, like mercenaries, if you will. The protection of the city is not up to them, and I have no right to ask them to protect anyone other than myself."


    "The city is in DANGER under your rule!" Another General boomed¡ªSathanas, head of the House of Wrath. "Nazeroth is the capital of Demon Territory. As its king, should you not help its current situation?"


    "Hmph. Since when has the protection of the city been left up to me?" Luisfer challenged. "The Knights of Nazeroth¡ªthey are under your rule, are they not? They are the ones responsible for the defense and protection of the city. You were the one who requested to take them under your wing, and now you are ming me when they are too useless to fend off this threat?"


    "Even so¡­!" Sathanas began, but another Demon General stepped in and waved him off.


    "Now, now. Calm down, Sathanas. Our king has a point. Never before have the Twelve Devils been responsible for the protection of the city¡ªthat is true, yes, but it is because in the past, Nazeroth has never faced a threat like this. My king, I humbly ask that you send out your Twelve Devils¡ªit is an emergency situation, as you can see from the damage dealtst night. And until those lowlifes aplish whatever it is they are trying to do here¡­ the invasions will not stop."


    "My stance will not change on this," Luisfer stated coldly. "If this city falls, it is not my fault, but Sathanas¡ªfor he is the one in charge of the defense of this city. The fact that the Knights have turned weak after you took over¡­ that is not my problem."


    "Tch¡­"


    The Demon Generals all fell silent, finally realizing that no amount of convincing was going to work on him. They met gazes with one another, and Sathanas gave a discrete nod, before pulling out a weapon. But in that moment-


    SLAM!


    The doors burst open rudely, and entered an old butler with white hair and a tall, rigid body. He bowed.


    "Milord, an urgent visitor awaits in your private chambers. The meeting time has already went past the designated period, so if you will¡­"


    "Of course, butler," Luisfer said, standing up, as Sathanas gritted his teeth and pocketed his weapon. "I shalle meet this¡­ visitor, immediately. As for the rest of you¡­"


    "We shall return to our respective houses as well, since the meeting has been adjourned," Asmodeus, the only female Demon General, stated. "Enjoy the rest of your day, King Luisfer."


    "¡­ Hmph." With a snort, Luisfer watched as the Six Demon Generals leave the meeting room and his castle, leaving only his butler and himself behind.


    "¡­ Thanks there, Phileas," Luisfer said. "I was bracing myself for a tough fight, against the six of them."


    "There is no need for thanks, milord," the butler¡ªPhileas¡ªstated. "I was just doing my job, that''s all."


    "I suppose. But that was quite the crafty lie¡­"


    "It was no lie."


    "¡­ The Generals are gone. You can speak freely."


    "I am serious, milord. It was no lie. There is truly a visitor waiting for you in your private chambers."


    "¡­ Who?"


    "¡­ You will see once you get there."


    *****


    A short whileter, the butler returned with King Luisfer in tow. As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened a bit.


    "Kid¡­ it''s you."


    "Long time no see, huh?" I chuckled. "Should I call you ''Your Majesty'', or what?"


    "Just Luisfer is fine," he said refreshingly with augh. "After all, you are not speaking to me as the King of Demons, correct? You are here for my identity as one of the Sixteen Founders, no?"


    "Well¡­ actually, not quite," I said. "I am meeting you on ount of your identity as one of the Founders, yes, but the information I seek will tie into your identity as King of the Demons."


    "Is that so¡­? Very well. I still owe you a favor from the deal you made when joining us, after all. Speak freely."


    "Straight to the point, then," I said, expression turning serious. "I don''t expect you to know this, but¡­ have you seen a woman with long white hair and blue eyes in Demon Territory?"


    At this, Luisfer''s eyes widened. "Yes, I know of her. She blew away all my guards and stormed into my audience chamber to speak with me about an ancient Demon folklore tale to see if I knew anything not described in the story. She was so powerful that¡­ well, I had to give in, lest she kill me."


    <em>Wow¡­ my mother''s even stronger than the Demon King? Huh¡­</em>


    "¡­ She''s¡­ someone I know," I said. "And? What did you tell her?"


    "That information is confidential, I''m afraid. Unless you use the favor¡­"


    "I''ll dly use the favor you owe me," I said. "Just tell me everything you know about that ancient Demon folklore tale¡ªit speaks about the Forbidden Isle, right?"


    "Correct¡ªyou are well-versed in Demon folklore, surprisingly. Did you have a guide?"


    "Yeah, something like that," I muttered. "But don''t try to change the topic¡ªtime is running out."


    "Of course¡ªmy apologies. Regarding the Forbidden Isle¡­ the location of it is long lost to time, ording to the stories. But as the direct descendant of the former king, and the kings before that¡­ the secret of that ce has been passed down from generation to generation."


    "In other words¡­ you know where exactly it is?" I blinked in surprise.


    "Yes. But I will warn you right now¡ªthat ce is not for the faint-hearted. I know not why you want to go there, but if that woman is the one you are searching for¡­ chances are, it''s already toote."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"


    "ording to my ancestors, to go close to that ce without the proper prerequisites for it is akin to suicide. And that woman¡­ although she was very strong, I could not detect the special prerequisite needed."


    "What about me?" I asked. "Can you detect it on me?"


    Luisfer frowned at me for a moment, falling into silence, then ultimately gave a nod.


    "Yes. It is faint, but¡­ I can sense it. Although my prediction about that woman may be wrong, as the ability to sense this ''prerequisites'' has grown weaker and weaker as the generations pass on. In fact, if I ever have a son, I doubt he will be able to sense this."


    "I see¡­ do you have a map of Demon Territory I can borrow?"


    "Sure. Phileas," Luisfer said, turning to the butler, who immediately pulled out a folded map out of nowhere, and ced it on the table. Then, Luisfer pulled out a pen from his breast pocket, and marked the location of the Forbidden Isle for me on the map, as well as circled the ce where we currently were to make navigation easier.


    "Here you go," he said. "Be careful though, kid. Even though you meet the basic prerequisites to go near it¡­ it is still a cursed, danger-filled ce. I would strongly advise not going, once again, but¡­ ultimately, the choice is up to you. You''re one of us¡ªI don''t want you to die."


    I nodded firmly. "I appreciate the thought, Luisfer. But this is something I must do¡ªthanks."


    Luisfer sighed. "I see.. If that is the case, then I wish you good luck."

 Chapter 544 - The Forbidden Isle

    Chapter 544 ¨C The Forbidden Isle


    After meeting with Luisfer, I headed back to meet up with Eve, my father, and Nael. The map in my hand would be what will lead us to my mother, at longst. The guards outside were, of course, surprised to see me, but I didn''t feel like greeting them. Time was limited, and we couldn''t afford to wait any longer.


    I didn''t take any detours as I made my way back to the half-burnt-down love hotel building, where I had told Eve to meet with me at once I was done my business.


    A keen instinct in the back of my head told me I was being spyed on, but¡­ I couldn''t afford to worry about that now, with the goal so clear ahead of me, right in front yet so far.


    *****


    Soon, I met up with Eve, my father, and Nael. They appeared to be waiting for me, and were all d to see me return.


    "Kai Kai! Where have you been?" My father immediately asked, stepping closer.


    "Getting some information," I replied with a grin, and pulled out the map I obtained from Luisfer. "Take a look."


    Upon seeing the map, my father''s eyes widened.


    "This is¡­ the Forbidden Isle?"


    I nodded. "In other words, the Chaos Realm''s entry point on the surface world."


    "Impossible¡­ the exact location of it is unknown to time!" Nael eximed in surprise. "Young master, how did you obtain this map¡­?"


    "Every man has his secrets," I replied, not wanting to reveal anything rted to the Infinite Realm or its Founders. "Also, don''t call me that, please. It''s awkward as hell. Just Xuan Kai is fine."


    "Oh, well, I won''t pry," my father said with a sigh. "But¡­ you sure this source of information is reliable?"


    I nodded. "If I wasn''t sure, I wouldn''t bring it here. This my mother''s life we''re talking about."


    "¡­ True enough," my father took a deep breath. "I''m sorry for doubting you."


    "Don''t mention it," I said. "There are more important matters to do right now."


    Looking in the direction as appointed on the map, my father narrowed his eyes.


    "Yes¡­ there are."


    *****


    Immediately after getting some quick food from a restaurant that miraculously survivedst night''s raid from the Void Order, the four of us set out. Luisfer had marked down Nazeroth on the map for me, so navigation was easy. The city was at the very center of Demon Territory.


    The Forbidden Isle, of course, was a long ways off from here, all the way up north. As such, we opted to fly over there using Sky Magic (well, my father and I, anyway. Nael and Eve both had natural wings to begin with).


    Unfortunately, north meant the exact opposite direction of where wended our ne in when we first arrived, so there was no time to go to the girls and inform them of what happened. I did, however, send out Yami to do that job, to which he was eager to. Apparently, the poison in the air didn''t affect Soulfoxes, and he was desperate for a challenge. This would be good training for him ¨C as long as he''s in his fox form, there shouldn''t be any danger of getting caught.


    In any case, after about half an hour of flying, we finally reached what seemed like a wastnd.


    We had thought we would see the ocean or argeke. After all, the name was the Forbidden ''Isle''. But in reality, this was not really an ''ind''. What we saw before us was a total, deste wastnd.


    There was no civilization here. The poison in the air was far stronger than any of the other areas in Demon Territory. And ahead of us, there was what looked like a drained rocky area. Some puddles of watery on the ground elevations below, but for the most part, it looked like a drought had taken ce here. All the water that once submerged this entire area was now gone.


    Therge rocks that stacked up together to form weird and mystic shapes were all that remained of this deste ce.


    "What the hell happened here¡­" My father muttered.


    "Be careful, Master X," Nael said. "The air here¡­ it is highly venomous. Even us Demons will have to struggle to withstand this¡­"


    "Yes¡­ this is not like the usual Demon poison elsewhere in thisnd," Eve said, covering her nose and mouth. "It is far more vicious¡­ like it wants to devour our lifeforce whole."


    <em>Devour¡­ Chaos¡­</em>


    "This is the location though, it seems," I said. "Let''s head in. The fog''s too thick for us to see anything clearly from up here."


    Yes, there was fog. Quite a thick one at that. But unlike usual fog, which was white, this fog was dark ck¡­ with red strands of energy amongst it? It was too faint to be sure, but we would soon find out.


    Dropping down into the deep abyss below, we found ourselvesnding on solid ground. Although there was fog, that was limited to only near the center of this wastnd. The outer edges, where we were right now, were still perfectly visible, thankfully.


    Strangely, however, thendscape here didn''t appear to be polluted by the Demon energy that spread across the rest of Demon Territory. The water was still crystal clear, and the rocks were a more normal color: orange, like many sedimentary rocks looked like under the sun.


    Of course, that normality did not remain for long as we got closer and closer to the origin point of the ck fog. Although this mysterious energy that was even stronger than Demoncraft didn''t seem to affect nature or thendscape, it certainly did deal an immense amount of pressure to our mentality and bodies both.


    Against our will, sweat began forming on our heads, and although Eve and Nael had it worse than us since they weren''t used to Chaos energy ¨C which was undoubtedly what this was ¨C my father and I weren''t much better. Our footsteps slowed down, and before we even realized it, we were shrouded within the ck fog.


    Thankfully, I had expected something like this to happen, so I left a trail behind as we were entering. It wasn''t much ¨C just a couple of pebbles thrown down on the ground ¨C but there were many said pebbles around in this rocky region, so it made for a decent and easy trail to follow. Should we ever need a quick escape, this would be the method.


    Unfortunately, although we still had an escape path should worstes to worst, we had no clear way of continuing forward. We just needed to stick close together, and go in one single direction. That was our best bet right now.


    Suddenly, however, we heard a growling from our left, and all of us stopped.


    "¡­ You three heard that?" My father asked quietly, and all of us nodded.


    "Sounded like a wolf, or something simr¡­" Eve murmured. "But¡­ I can''t quite ce my finger on it, but something seems¡­ ''off''."


    "Yeah," I said in agreement. "It sounded just like a real wolf, but something tells me it''s not actually a real one."


    "Yes. It makes no sense for a real wolf to be out her-" Nael began, but was cut off by the sound of another growl.


    Then another. And another.


    Soon, we were surrounded by a couple dozen growling noises simultaneously, and we instantly knew that the situation was bad.


    Very bad.


    One of the wolves leaped out of the ck fog from seemingly nowhere, and Nael quickly put up a shield using Demoncraft. Surprisingly, however, the wolf chomped straight through it like it was nothing, causing Nael''s eyes to widen, and tackled him to the floor.


    "Nael!" My father cried as the demon struggled to get the beast off of him, but the rest of us couldn''t afford to help him. Just like how we weren''t alone, neither was that wolf.


    After all, wolves travelled in packs. And although these ones were definitely not normal wolves, with hollow, floating bodies and detached body parts stabilized with a strange maism-like force, glowing a bloody red that contrasted with their ck, furless and smooth skin, they were still wolves in the end.


    The rest of the wolf pack came at us together simultaneously like what any good group of attackers would do, and each one of us were left to fend for ourselves. Eve and Nael''s magic, however, seemed to have no effect on these wolves at all, meaning all they could do was dodge and try their best to survive while my father and I did the fighting.


    Why? The answer was simple, of course: these wolves were made of Chaos energy. Raw, pure Chaos energy, meaning they could and would devour anything in their way. Nothing could oppose Chaos. Nothing¡­ except for an equal power of Chaos, much like my own.


    Chaoshounds ¨C that was going to be these beasts'' name, dubbed by me.

 Chapter 545 - Chaos Core

    Chapter 545 ¨C Chaos Core


    Shooting a Chaoshound in the eye with my gun while slicing apart another with my katana and watching as they faded away into the air like fog, I battled my way through the beasts and made my way over to Nael, who was still struggling on the ground with the first Chaoshound from before. Even a terrifyingly strong demon like him had trouble overpowering the beast in brute strength, but finally, I ended his struggle with a single bullet to the head.


    "Look out, Kai Kai!" My father suddenly yelled. I immediately spun around only to see another Chaoshound attempting to execute a sneak attack from behind me, but Eve was quicker. Sheunched a purple st of Psychic Element energy at the beast to thwart its path ¨C and although it did actually do any damage, it was more than enough to buy the time I needed to turn around and end the beast''s life myself.


    "¡­ You saved me again," I muttered, and she shot me a wink.


    "Don''t worry about it, hubby~"


    I had several things to say about her calling me that, but now was not the time. The battle against the Chaoshounds waged on as my father and I cut down the beasts one after another, filling the air with horrid screams of death and pain.


    Soon, however, we realized this could not continue. No matter how many we took down, they just dispersed into fog when they died, and reformed themselves using the Chaos air all around us. There was an endless horde of them, and we weren''t going to take all of them down anytime soon.


    "Tch¡­ they just keeping!" My father roared. "We can''t beat them like this¡ªn B: run for it!"


    None of us spoke up against this n, and instead focused our energy into our feet. Making sure to stay close to one another, we charged forward amidst the fog away from the Chaoshounds. I used my instacasting abilities to create a quick water barrier for us, but it wouldn''tst long against the hounds'' relentless attacks. As such, we had to run and gun it, though with my father it was more like run and sword. I was the only one with an actual gun.


    The wolves, as expected, chased us down like hungry predators on the hunt, wing at us with their sharp paws and trying to bite our heads off. I tried my best to st their heads open with my gun, but due to the fact that I was running plus how fast and agile they were,nding shots was difficult.


    <em>I really wish I brought Mei Gui along.</em>


    That was the only thought I had as we ran through the Chaos fog, lost and at a loss for what to do. We were just blindly running, hoping this was the right direction to get away from the wolves.


    But then, like an angel descended from the sky, a voice spoke to me as I felt a presence by my side.


    "Did you call, Master?"


    Instantly, all four of us stopped running, and my eyes widened at who the neer was.


    "Mei Gui¡­?"


    A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she held her Chaosforged spear in her hand, and instantly, she disappeared, dashing and cutting through all the Chaoshounds with ease. Their bodies were cut in two before they even realized it, and by the time they finally realized what just happened, most were already dead. They didn''t stand a chance against her, and in a split second, all of them were killed. Not only that, but they also didn''t respawn from the fog, and all we could hear were a couple of sad whimpers that faded quieter and quieter.


    It would seem the wolves were too scared of Mei Gui to emerge again after that utter massacre.


    Seeing that the threat had been cleared, Mei Gui let out a deep breath, and dematerialized her spear before turning around and bowing at my feet.


    "My deepest apologies, Master. I arrivedte. I am willing to ept any punishment you give m-"


    "No no, stand up," I quickly said, raising her to her feet and hugging her. "How did you even get here¡­ actually, how did you know we were going to be here? Yami couldn''t have been that quick¡­"


    "He was not," Mei Gui replied. "However, Lorelei was able to sense his urgency, and thus headed off to meet with him. Because I was curious, I followed her on my own, and thus learned where Master was from him. To think the Chaos Realm is here, though¡­ I did faintly sense something unusual yet familiar in the air upon our first arrival in this ce, but¡­"


    "I see¡­ well, either way, thank god you''re here," I muttered. "Otherwise, I don''t know if we would''ve been able to live¡­"


    "Kai Kai, this girl¡­ she''s¡­"


    "This is Mei Gui," I said. "I''ve never really introduced her to you, but she''s¡­ a being of pure Chaos, born from the stone pendant mother gave me. She''s the same girl you tried to get rid of with your antimagic bullshit, basically."


    "H-Huh?" My father blinked, then quickly cleared his throat. "I-I mean, I have no idea what he is talking about. This is nder. nder, I say! How could I ever want to get rid of such a cute little girl?"


    "¡­ If you were not Master''s father, I would strike you dead right now," Mei Gui stated coldly, ring at my father. "Only Master is allowed to call me cute. No one else."


    "Ah¡­ haha¡­ my bad¡­" My fatherughed awkwardly, but the utter terror was evident on his face. He too was scared of what Mei Gui was capable of, but I only chuckled and patted her head.


    "That''s my girl. Now¡­ can you lead the way closer to the core, the origin point of all this fog?" I asked, and Mei Gui nodded.


    "Before, I was too away to be able to pinpoint anything, but within this fog, the direction we have to go in is clear. However¡­"


    She turned to Eve, Nael, and my father. "Those three will not make it."


    "¡­ What?" Nael asked. "I am strong enough to-"


    "Don''t be a fool," Mei Gui cut in harshly. "No matter how strong you are, you cannot bypass the rules of the Chaos Realm. That is how it is, and that is how it will always be. The same applies to you¡­ subus queen."


    "Fufu¡­ I see. That is fine," Eve said. "But¡­ what about Xuan Kai''s father? He has the power of Chaos as well, does he not? That''s how he was able to fight against those wolves, at least slightly. Why can he not enter this¡­ Chaos Realm?"


    "That is simple," Mei Gui stated, turning to my father. "He is too weak."


    "Ouch," I muttered, as my father faked being shot in the heart with a bullet.


    "¡­ Little girl, you''re very harsh with your words. I''ll have you know I was holding back against your precious ''mast-"


    "Do not mock Master," Mei Gui interrupted, red eyes gleaming in the dark fog all around us and contrasting with her beautiful long silver hair. "Also¡­ by ''weak'', I mean the Chaos inside your body is too weak. In other words, you were merely a vessel to pass on the power to Master, who will be the one to use it to its full potential. As such, although your current understanding of Chaos is greater than Master''s due to experience, you have already maxed out your potential. Master still has infinite in front of him."


    "¡­ Alright, fine, fine, I get it," my father said with a sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, what you said is true. So¡­ going forward, it''ll just be you and Kai Kai, eh? Good luck."


    "I am both d and surprised you understood so quickly," Mei Gui stated, closing her eyes. "As expected of the father of Master."


    "Usually, it''d be the other way around, but¡­" My father stepped closer to me, and ced a hand on my shoulder. "¡­ Bring your mother back home safely, Kai Kai. I know she''s still alive in there, somewhere. And I also know you can do it¡ªbecause if you can''t, no one else can. You are, after all, her son."


    My father''s expression was serious, rigid. I could see how much he wanted to go along with me in his eyes, but he knew this was for the better anyway. So, he sacrificed his own wants, and let me take his ce in this quest. Of course, part of the reason must also be he was scared my mother wouldn''t want to see him at all, given how the two had opposite opinions about whether or not to let me control Chaos. In the end, my mother went through with his n, but changed her mind at thest moment and gave me the stone pendant. To meet again¡­ that would be awkward.


    As such, nodding firmly, I met my father''s gaze and spoke.


    "¡­ Don''t worry.. I''ll bring mother back, for sure."

 Chapter 546 - The Chaos Realm

    Chapter 546 ¨C The Chaos Realm


    After sending my father, Eve, and Nael back out, Mei Gui and I ventured deeper into the ck fog of Chaos. Following the trail I left with the pebbles, the other three should be able to make it out with no problem. The more difficult part was up to us¡ªfinding the core and origin point of this distortion, and entering the Chaos Realm through there.


    Without a doubt, that''s where my mother was. After all, she had went to Luisfer and gotten the information from him. There''s no chance she would go anywhere else after finding the exact location of the Forbidden Isle, and Chaos Realm.


    What she was doing here, I didn''t know. Nor did I care all that much right now, to be honest. I just wanted to see my mother again, and while that may seem like an immature wish for someone my age, it was a reasonable one.


    With Mei Gui''s guidance, the two of us were able to make it to the origin point of all the fog with rtive ease. No Chaosborn beasts dared approach us with Mei Gui''s immensely dominant power here, given how she was like the queen of Chaos. I soon realized that I could take my mask off, since the air here, despite being poisonous to pretty much anyone else, was ineffective against me.


    Very soon, we arrived before what looked like a massive ck and red blight hovering in the air, protruding a dome-shaped wall of swirling ck energy around it. I lifted my gun to fire a bullet at the blight, but the wall around it reflected the attack and rendered it useless.


    "¡­ Hm. I''m guessing we need to destroy this thing, and some kind of gate will open?" I asked, to which Mei Gui gave a nod.


    "You can consider this as the castle walls if the Chaos Realm is a castle, Master. However, normal attacks, even Chaos-charged ones, will not work against it."


    "Oh¡­? So you mean¡­ I have to use Forbidden Magic?"


    "Correct, Master."


    "But all the ones I know don''t directly do damage, and are more¡­ utility spells."


    "That is also true, Master¡ªwhich is why I will be teaching you a new spell, right now. It will be the first actually-damaging spell of Forbidden Magic and will require a lot of mana to cast, but I believe you can handle it as you are now."


    "Alright," I said firmly. "I''m ready."


    Mei Gui closed her eyes. "Very well. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and purge all other thoughts. That will be difficult considering you are here to search for your mother, but if you want to be able to cast this spell, this is something you must do."


    I nodded and did as told, doing my best to clear my head of any unnecessary thoughts in the moment. Like Mei Gui said, that was extremely difficult, as my entire mind was filled with images and memories of my mother, but¡­ I''ve aplished harder things before.


    Seeing me in a state of pure concentration, Mei Gui continued.


    "The name of this spell is Impulse Desire," she said. "The movement to cast it is simple¡ªswipe your right hand in front of you diagonally as if you had ws and was trying to scratch someone ahead of you. If done right, a wave of powerful Chaos energy will shoot out, annihting anything in its way. As for the reason it is called Impulse Desire¡­ that is because of the wild and rabid nature of this attack. It is extremely strong, yes, but at the same time difficult to control. That is what makes it an ''impulse''. An ''impulsive'' desire to kill."


    "¡­"


    I silently took in what she had to say, and ran it through my head. That was the only thing I thought about as I channeled the raw Chaos energy through my veins, and into my hands.


    "Now¡­ when you are ready, Master, go for it."


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Impulse Desire.</em>


    Instantly, my eyes snapped open, aze with deadly red energy, and I swiped my hand forward just like she told me to. Like a nightmare w, I sliced down at the blight''s energy barrier, and instantly, I felt a surge of power rush through my body, down my arms, and through my hand like never before.


    A torrent, a tsunami of ridiculously strong Chaos energy shot out of my fingertips, shaking the entire ground and annihting the barrier in an instant. The Chaos core being protected by the barrier was simrly consumed, and still my spell continued wreaking havoc, until I heard the sound of several dozen massive rock formations being cut apart and tumbling to the ground, utterly destroyed.


    As for within the fog, the core blew up upon contact, and instead transformed into multiple strands of bright white energy, shining with red outlines. They dispersed for a moment only toe back together, but this time, not in the shape of a ball. They now formed a door¡ªa gate, dark and ominous. The outer edges of the rectangr gate glowed red, while the interior of the gate was too dark to see anything.


    Finally, the energy around my body settled down, and I let out a breath of relief.


    "¡­ Whew. That was¡­ exhausting."


    "But Master seems to have sessfully done it," Mei Gui said with a smile. "As expected."


    "Still, that took up way too much mana than I was expecting," I said with a sigh. "In any case, though¡­ this gate¡­"


    "It is the door leading to the Chaos Realm, yes," Mei Gui said. "Step through, and we will be transported."


    Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward into the gate, and entered the Chaos Realm.


    *****


    The Chaos Realm was exactly what I expected it to be.


    Strings of rocks close to one another but not quite attached, hovering in the air like outer space. Everything else, however, remained affected by gravity, creating a contradiction that should not be there. The sky was dark, illuminated only by shes of bright red lightning, some of which struck the rocks, and all around us, flying rocks soared by, like asteroid belts.


    It was chaotic. It was dispatterned. It was a realm of contradictions, paradoxes, and disorder.


    It was a realm of Chaos.


    "¡­ Be careful, Master," Mei Gui said. "There are many beings of pure Chaos in here, much like myself. One misstep¡­ and it may spell the end for both of us."


    I nodded. "I''m aware. Just by the energy this ce is giving me¡­ it''s not good."


    Sweat beads were already on my forehead even though we''d only just arrived here, and that was not a good sign by any means.


    "So, uh¡­ where''s the ce we''re supposed to go?" I asked.


    "That light up there," Mei Gui said, pointing ahead. "Do you see it, Master?"


    I narrowed my eyes and followed where she was pointing with my gaze, and saw that past and beyond a bunch of floating rocks, like a ramp that twisted and turned but still went upwards in the end, there was a light. It was a massive tower with a bright shining red light atop of it, marking our destination.


    "If your mother is in here, that is where she will be," Mei Gui said. "And¡­ it also holds the secret to your power, Master."


    I blinked. "The secret¡­ to my power?"


    "Yes. You will see when you get there¡ªthe answers of what Chaos is, why your bloodline was the chosen one, and much more¡­ all shall be answered in that tower."


    "¡­" I turned my gaze to the tower once more, and wondered just what mysterious I would unravel there.


    *****


    ¨C Meanwhile, Outside ¨C


    "¡­ Whew¡­ finally made it back out," Xuan Ying panted heavily, wiping the sweat from his eyebrows. "¡­ I''m really getting old, aren''t I? To think that tiny bit of fog is enough to make me this pressured¡­"


    "It''s not your fault, Master X," Nael stated with a bow. "That fog is no simple fog. It is extremely powerful, much like those wolves we fought in there. It makes sense for you to not be able to withstand it, no matter how strong you are."


    "Yeah¡­ thanks for theforting, but¡­ I just don''t like to lose to my son, y''know?" Xuan Ying said with a chuckle. "Oh, and also¡ªdon''t call me Master X anymore. That identity of mine is long gone."


    "But¡­ I feel morefortable¡­ calling you that¡­"


    Xuan Ying nced at the poor demon for a moment, then sighed.


    "Fine, fine. Whatever. You can continue calling me that, if it makes you morefortable."


    "Fufu¡­ so, what''s the n from here?" Eve asked, folding her arms. "Do we go back to the city, the ne, or just wait here?"


    "I can''t go anywhere right now," Xuan Ying said, turning back around and looking at the fog. "¡­ Not before I am able to see my wife and son return together, safely."


    "Then we shall wait here with you," Nael said firmly, disying his loyalty.


    "Heh¡­" Xuan Ying gave a chuckle, and sat down on the ground.. "Let us wait, then."

 Chapter 547 - The Tower Of Nirvana I

    Chapter 547 ¨C The Tower Of Nirvana I


    ¨C Within the Chaos Realm ¨C


    It was dark.


    The various sky inds and tforms we had to journey our way upwards on were all shaped in different angles and sizes, meaning the terrain was impossible to make across. There also seemed to be a tremendously powerful Chaos aura in the air, preventing us from flying or doing anything of the sort. We had to make it across this difficult terrain with nothing but our feet and own two hands.


    The jumps between tforms far away from one another were the hardest. Most had flying asteroids acting as a timegate between them, and we would need to wait for the series ofrge rocks to whizz past before jumping at the perfect moment if we wanted to make it across.


    On several of the sky inds, there were also monsters we needed to battle. Naturally, these monsters weren''t just any normal creatures. That would be far too easy¡ªno, these monsters were Chaosborn, just like those Chaoshounds from earlier. From snakes to outrightrge mechanical robots, they attacked us relentlessly, but with Mei Gui and I together, we were able to subdue them with rtive ease. Well¡­ I say that, but really, it was Mei Gui doing most of the work. For some reason, it seemed that in this ce, she was a lot stronger and deadlier than on the outside.


    I mean, outside, she was already powerful enough. But in the Chaos Realm¡­ she was like apletely different person. Her skill and power appeared to be amplified by the Chaos core here the closer she got to it, so as we ascended and encountered even tougher enemies, she was getting stronger as well.


    Soon, before I even realized it, we arrived at the final tform, where a massive, half-broken tower stood.


    "¡­ We''re here, Master."


    Red lightning cackled and shed behind the tower''s adrift pieces, illuminating the sky scarlet and painting the reflections on the stone a bloody crimson. Thunder roared down all around us, but there was no rain to apany it. Only ominous lightning and thunder, granting the tower a heavy and dark aura.


    Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward. The two double doors guarding the entrance of the tower creaked, then opened on their own, as if inviting us inside. I could feel the energy leaking out from the deepest parts of this ce, and although it wasn''t exactly forting'', it felt warm. Familial. Like it was something I needed, and belonged with.


    "¡­ Let''s go," I said under my breath, and Mei Gui gave a nod.


    "If that is your decision, then very well. Just know that this will be the final chance to turn back and wait until you are stronger toe again."


    "My mother is most likely in here right now," I said, clenching my fists. "I can''t just go back empty-handed. It''s now or never."


    *****


    Within the dark tower, there was only a single spiral stone staircase, leading upwards. The structure of it, however, was very peculiar and unusual. It extended outside the tower''s sometimes-broken walls, and then looped back inside on some asions. It was very weird, and some parts of the staircase was even broken, pieces drifting off to god-knows-where, but even so, it was¡ªjust barely¡ªclimbable.


    Mei Gui and I headed upwards on the staircase, following the broken tracks and unorthodoxyout, until we finally arrived at the very top of the tower. Even that, however, was not the end, as I soon realized this was just the first stop.


    "¡­ What''s this?" I asked, approaching what seemed like a stone tablet below a b of rock. On the tablet, some text was written. Unfortunately, it was written in an ancient script of some sort, so I didn''t know how toprehend it.


    Mei Gui, on the other hand¡­


    "¡­ Three towers, one hope. When all three lights have been lit, the doors to the Tower of Nirvana shall open."


    "The Tower of Nirvana¡­?"


    "Up there," Mei Gui said, pointing at the faint silhouette of a enormously tall tower in the distance that didn''t seem to have any lights on it or anything. "That is our end goal. But in order to reach there¡­ we need to light up two other towers apart from this one."


    "Huh¡­ so how do I light up this one?"


    "Use Chaos energy, Master," Mei Gui replied. "Right here, on the rock b. Don''t use a spell or anything¡ªjust a little bit of energy is fine."


    I nodded and did as told, closing my eyes and cing my hand on the stone b. Then, channeling the red Chaos energy through my veins, I poured just a tiny bit out of my hand, and into the rock.


    Immediately, it lit up, glowing bright red, and above me, a beautiful red glow appeared as well, along with what seemed like a translucent road, leading to deeper into this seemingly endless realm.


    "Uh¡­ we walk on this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, and Mei Gui nodded.


    "Correct. Worry not, Master. This is 100% safe to stand on."


    "¡­ Sure," I muttered, ncing dubiously at it. It certainly didn''t seem 100% safe, that was for sure. I definitely didn''t want to fall down there¡ªI couldn''t even see the bottom of the fog that covered the abyss.


    But how bad could it be, right? I mean, I did something simr to this not too long ago¡ªwalking on Aquira''s water bridge, that is. Definitely can''t be worse than that.


    I took a step forward onto the translucent red bridge, and widened my eyes a little at how solid and stable it felt. Probably because it was made of Chaos energy, but surprisingly enough, it felt quite solid, like a real bridge. Mei Gui took the lead and offered me her hand if that made me feel safer, but for my pride as a man, I denied the offer even though epting it probably would''ve been the better option.


    After a very long while of walking, we reached another sky ind, far far away from where the first tower was. This method of walking was easier, though, to be honest, since there wasn''t any ''parkour jumps'' or monsters who tried to knock us off. That would''ve sucked.


    In any case, the second tower was simple to get topared to the first one. We entered it like usual, climbed the unusual staircase once again, and lit it up. This time, however, as soon as we lit the stone tablet, a deep rumbling came from below us.


    "¡­ Well, I was going to say ''alright, only one more to go'', but¡­" I narrowed my eyes. "It seems someone isn''t very happy about what we''re doing."


    "It is below us, Master," Mei Gui said, gripping her spear tightly, a deadly red gleam in her eyes. "I shall get rid of it."


    "Let me do something too, dammit," I said with a chuckle, and patted her head. "Can''t have you doing anything for me, now can I?"


    "Master¡­" Mei Gui looked up at me in surprise, but I only smiled and shed her a thumbs-up.


    "I''ll take care of this."


    *****


    Down below, a massive robot seemed to have spawned, ready to take us on. It had one single eye that took up its entire head, and it zed with angry red Chaos energy. The machine was mostly humanoid and had arms and legs, but its movements were clearly mechanical.


    "WRRRRRR¡­."


    A deep rumble came from its body, and it smashed its two metal arms down on the ground at me. I evaded with ease, of course, and sliced my katana down at its eye. Surprisingly, however, it was ineffective. That wasn''t its weakspot¡­ weird, considering usually something glowing on an enemy''s body meant you should hit it.


    "Master, behind it," Mei Gui hinted, and I smirked.


    "Ah¡­ I see."


    I dashed towards the robot once more, katanas in hand. Then, I pretended to attack its front, but in reality slid underneath in between his legs. The robot was naturally caught by surprise, but that wasn''t even the finale.


    Suddenly, I ced the hilts of my katana together, and turned it into a bow. And pulling the string back, I closed one eye, and let the arrow fly.


    The projectile struck the tiny glowing light-like attachment on the back of the mech robot, and it froze, stunned momentarily, before falling to the ground. It still wasn''t dead yet, however¡ªbut it soon would be.


    Jumping into the air, I unleashed another arrow at the weakspot, then transformed my bow back into their original form: the two katanas, and split the vulnerable robot in half.


    Immediately, red energy burst out of the machine and evaporated into the air as the body of the robot disappeared into light, and up above on the roof of the tower, I heard the sound of the bridge materializing once more.


    "¡­ Well, that''s that," I muttered, stowing away my weapons.. "Now I can say ''alright, just one more left''."

 Chapter 548 - The Tower Of Nirvana II

    Chapter 548 ¨C The Tower Of Nirvana II


    Very soon, Mei Gui and I arrived at the third and final tower. The process was the same as all the rest¡ªclimbing up to the very top using the staircase, and lighting up the stone tablet with Chaos energy.


    At least, it should''ve been.


    When we got to the very top, however, we found that there was no reason to. The rock was already lit up¡ªbut instead of red, it was blue. And the bridge that was already present¡­ simrly, it was blue.


    "¡­ What''s going on here¡­" I muttered, tracing my finger over the stone tablet. As soon as I touched it, however, I felt a sharp pain ripple through my entire body, and took a few steps back.


    "Ngh¡­ the hell?"


    "Careful, Master," Mei Gui said darkly. "This blue power¡­ it feels familiar. However, due to myck of memories¡­ I cannot say for certain what it is."


    "It''s a weird feeling," I muttered. "When I touched it, it stung me, but for some reason, I still feelpelled to touch it again¡­ as if it''s yearning for me. What''s going on¡­"


    "¡­" Mei Gui fell silent momentarily, eyes deep in thought. Then, ultimately, she took a deep breath, and pointed at the Tower of Nirvana in the distance. "All answers shall be found there, Master. Thinking about it now will not do us any good. Let us go."


    "Yeah, you''re right," I muttered. "Let''s go."


    Although in my mind, there still lingered confusion and doubt, I carried onwards with Mei Gui, and walked on top of the blue bridge onwards to the Tower of Nirvana.


    Strangely, however, as soon as I touched the bridge with my feet, I felt another pain ripple through my body.


    "Tch¡­ what the hell¡­?!" I groaned,pletely immobilized and paralyzed.


    "Stop channeling Chaos energy through your veins¡­ Master¡­!" Mei Gui gritted her teeth and said. "This blue energy¡­ it somehow counteracts Chaos¡­ you must stop channeling energy¡­!"


    "Got it¡­" With great effort, I turned off the Chaos energy flowing through my veins, and immediately, my body rxed. "¡­ Whew."


    "Ngh¡­" Mei Gui, however, was still suffering. She could not turn it off, no matter how she tried¡ªafter all, she was 100% Chaos¡ªa Chaos Elemental.


    "Tch¡­ hold on, Mei Gui!"


    I quickly dashed over to her and picked her up from the ground in a princess carry¡ªthis way, she wouldn''t be touching the blue bridge anymore.


    "Master¡­" She blinked in surprise, and I smiled.


    "You''ve helped me a whole lot since the beginning," I said. "This is the least I can do to pay you back. Otherwise, I''d feel guilty as hell."


    "I see¡­ then¡­ I''m in your hands, Master."


    Seeing Mei Gui''s soft, gentle smile that rarely appeared on her face, I knew that the decision I made to fight my father was right. If that smile disappeared¡­ if I could never see that smile again¡­ I don''t know what I''d do.


    Carrying Mei Gui in my arms, I headed for the Tower of Nirvana, waiting to unfold the secrets that would wait for me there.


    *****


    Soon, the two of us arrived at our destination. It was a massive tower, just like the name implied, but this one was far better constructed than the other ones, and had three walls surrounding it as well in a triangr fashion.


    Strangely, the tower itself was triangr as well. At the very top of it, some kind of weird shape involving rotating triangles hovered in the air too, and shone bright red. Before, it wasn''t lit, but now that all three of the stone bs were lit up, so was this one.


    The walls, of course, weren''tplete. In fact, they were more for decoration than actual defense. There were only ''walls'' at the vertices of the ''triangle'', and we could simply walk straight into the tower through where the sides were.


    There wasn''t even a door or anything. The inside of the tower was just open for all to see, and within was a mechanism of some sort.


    A single red gem, radiating like crazy. The brightness of it could bepared to the sun itself if not brighter, and I needed to block my eyes with my arms if I wanted to even approach it. It was floating in the air in the middle of a vertical star-shaped frame made of stone, and its light illuminated the entire tower to be red.


    "That''s¡­" Mei Gui''s eyes widened. "Touch it, Master. Believe me."


    "¡­" I was slightly dubious, but I trusted Mei Gui. Hiding and squinting my eyes as much as possible, I stepped closer to the gem. And another step. And another. Until finally, it was juts barely within reach, and I moved my arm out to-


    "Don''t touch that, Kai Kai," a familiar and gentle voice said behind me, and I froze.


    I recognized the voice. It certainly wasn''t Mei Gui. And it certainly wasn''t Song Qian Long.


    That meant there was only two people in the world who would call me that¡­ my father, and my mother.


    And this voice¡­ it was distinctly female.


    Slowly, I turned around, a stunned look on my face.


    "¡­ Mother?"


    The woman standing there gave a soft smile, then walked closer and hugged me tightly, tears streaming out of her face.


    "Kai Kai¡­ I''m so sorry."


    "Mother¡­" I was just left in a state of shock, and couldn''t even hug her back. For some reason, it felt a bit anticlimactic for her to just suddenly appear like this after everything we''ve done toe all the way here and this far, but I wasn''tining.


    As my mother stroked my hair lovingly and hugged me tightly, I finally mustered up the strength to hug her back. My mother, whom I saw be murdered before my very eyes, was now back,pletely alive and well.


    It was a miracle¡ªor at least, would''ve been, had their deaths not been staged all along.


    After nearly a minute, my mother finally broke the hug, and she took a good look at me. The tears on her face were gone, leaving behind only a face that belonged to a beautiful mature woman.


    "¡­ It''s been so long, Kai Kai."


    "Yeah¡­ it has," I replied. "At the time¡­ why did you give me the stone pendant? Did you change your mind about following my father''s n at thest second?"


    "¡­ Yes," my mother replied. "But¡­ not because of the reason you might think."


    I blinked. "You mean¡­ you didn''t do it because you thought I could handle the power?"


    She nodded. "That''s correct. I did it because¡­ Chaos is a necessary force of the world. Someone has to carry its burden. But just like Chaos¡­ there is one more factor that is a necessary force of the world. The counteract to Chaos, its mortal enemy."


    From aside, Mei Gui clenched her fists. "The blue power¡­"


    "¡­ Order," my mother said atst, and I narrowed my eyes.


    "Order¡­?"


    "Yes. Chaos and Order go hand in hand. Without one, the other cannot exist. They are two sides of the same coin, but two opposite sides at that. They are rivaling forces by nature. If one falls into one hand and the other falls into a stranger''s hand¡­ a war that breaks the multiverse may very well ur. As such, I wanted to give someone I know the power of Chaos¡ªnamely you, Kai Kai. And as luck would have it¡­ I found the sessor of the power of Order as well."


    "¡­ What¡­"


    "¡­ Xuan Yu,e," my mother said, and from beside her, a sh of white and blue light appeared. From it, a girl walked out, and bowed towards me.


    "Greetings, my little brother. We meet atst."


    She was beautiful¡ªlong, pure white hair just like my mother, with strikingly blue eyes to match. She and my mother shared many features, but¡­


    "She''s not my real child, don''t worry," my mother said. "I found her before I even had you, a long time ago. It was from herpanion, just like yours over there, that I learned the truth of the world, and the conflicting powers of Order and Chaos. Because she held the power of order, I needed to find the sessor of Chaos¡ªand that was when I met your father."


    "In other words¡­ you and my father had me on purpose, so that you could control the powers of Chaos and Order and prevent them from causing the world to break?"


    "¡­ Yes," my mother said with a look of sadness on her face. "I realize that sounds very harsh¡ªlike you are a tool and nothing more. But you must believe me, Kai Kai¡­ I care about you very much. That''s why I initially supported your father''s n. But in thest moment, I¡­ I remembered Xuan Yu. Even if Chaos is eliminated, what about Order? The topple of bnce will cause everything to fall apart¡ªfall into disorder, quite ironically."


    "¡­ I see," I said atst. And that was all I said.


    "You''re¡­ not mad?"


    "Not really," I replied with a shrug. "What you did is better than what my father tried to do. But if Chaos and Order truly are conflicting as you say¡­ then even if I don''t want to fight¡­"


    "¡­ I do," a voice interrupted, belonging to a girl. From a portal beside my so-called older sister, a short girl appeared. She had blue hair and simrly colored eyes, and she red not at me but at Mei Gui.


    "Let us settle this once and for all, Chaos."

 Chapter 549 - Order And Chaos

    Chapter 549 ¨C Order And Chaos


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Mei Gui and the blue-haired girl stared intently at each other, hatred sparking through the air. Murderous auras were being emitted from both of their bodies, and I could practically see the two primordial powers at conflict through their two small frames.


    "Okay, that''s enough," I said, pulling Mei Gui back by the cor, while my ''elder sister'' on the other hand simply gave the shorter girl an even colder and more murderous re. The shorter girl immediately retreated, sweat on her forehead.


    "¡­ I apologize for that, Kai Kai," my elder sister said with a conflicted expression on her face, showing a gentleness that greatly contrasted with her cold re from earlier. "Bai He here can be quite¡­ domineering, sometimes."


    My ears perked up at the name she called me for a brief moment, but that was all.


    "¡­ It''s fine. Mei Gui is the same."


    Sensing my slight hesitation, she averted her gaze awkwardly.


    "Oh, um¡­ sorry. Was I¡­ not supposed to call you that?"


    "Uh¡­ it''s fine," I replied. "I''m just not very used to it, that''s all. I''ve only just met you, after all."


    "Hm¡­ are you certain about that, Kai Kai?" My mother said wistfully, closing one eye. "She''s been by your side for a very long time, you know, back before you even awakened your powers. You just never noticed, that''s all."


    "Huh¡­?" I blinked in surprise, and at this, my ''elder sister'' gave a soft nod.


    "It''s true. You see, your mother always told me many stories about you. Eventually, I became curious of who you are, and I transferred into your school. The reason you didn''t notice is probably because I wore a disguise at the time that transformed my appearance. Do you recall a girl with curly white hair like this, but purple eyes and sses and freckles on the cheeks?"


    "Hm¡­"


    I narrowed my eyes, trying to dig in my memory. Ultimately, however, I failed.


    "Nope. Can''t say I do."


    "Ahaha¡­" Xuan Yu, my elder sister, gave an awkwardugh, and my mother sighed.


    "You''re just as bad with women as your father is, Kai Kai¡­"


    "It is quite alright," Xuan Yu said, waving the matter off like it was nothing. "If you truly don''t remember, it''s actually a good thing¡ªit means my original goal of blending in with the background was achieved. You see, at the time, since you hadn''t awakened to the powers of Chaos yet, it would be difficult to introduce me to you as your older sister."


    "Right¡­ but about this whole powers thing¡­ you''re telling me Order is as powerful as Chaos?" I asked, and my mother nodded.


    "Yes. They are equally strong, but whereas Order is far more controlled, Chaos is wild and untameable. As a result, Xuan Yu''s control over her power is still greater than yours. If you were to fight right now, I''m afraid you''d lose."


    "Well, it''s not like I''d want to fight her anyway," I muttered. "But¡­ earlier, you told me not to touch that red gem thing. What is it?"


    My mother''s expression tensed up, and she folded her arms.


    "If you touched that without Xuan Yu here, you would''ve died."


    "Wha¡­ but¡­"


    I turned to Mei Gui, who was still ring at Bai He on the other side¡ªthe embodiment of Order. She had told me to touch it. But¡­ she would never do something to hurt me, so¡­ what was going on here?


    "More urately," my mother rified. "You wouldn''t have died. However, you would''ve been consumed by the berserk power of Chaos, and turned into a demon. I don''t mean a Demon as in the Demons in thisnd. I mean a real monster, one seeking nothing but chaos and destruction."


    "I¡­ kind of get it now," I said after a short silence. "So in essence, Chaos is a wild beast, and Order is the beastkeeper who keeps it in check. Without Order, Chaos will run wild and rampant, and theck of bnce will cause Chaos to run berserk."


    "That''s right," my mother said. "This ce¡­ it''s not in reality the Chaos Realm. More urately, it should be called the Nirvana Realm¡ªthe ce where both Order and Chaose together, and achieve peace."


    "Wait," I frowned. "You just said Order and Chaos are opposite though, no? They''re nemeses and hate each other, all that?"


    "Yes," Xuan Yu replied in my mother''s stead. "However, like stated before, they are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, order is necessary to keep things in check. Other times, though, a little bit of wild and ruthlessness from Chaos is also necessary. In that sense, they are harmonious, and in factpliment one another."


    "So what''s gonna happen once we touch that thing together?" I asked. "Will we reach ''Nirvana'' or something?"


    "Close," my mother said. "Even I''m not 100% sure what will happen for certain. But one thing is for sure¡ªyou and Xiao Yu will form a deep bond, and both of your strengths will be amplified."


    Xiao Yu obviously referred to Xuan Yu, just in a more affectionate way.


    "¡­ Don''t do it, Master," Mei Gui said, tugging on my sleeve. "If you do this, you will be constrained by Order. Your power will be limited to what she allows."


    "Yes, but at the same time, I will be able to make sure he does not go berserk," Xuan Yu said in argument, determination in her tone. "Xuan Kai may have not even known about me until today, but all my life, I''ve thought of him as my little brother. At the school, as much as I hated it, I could not step in the bullying to stand up for him. After he''d leave, I''d punish the bullies myself, but I had to do it in a way that didn''t reveal my identity, so it wasn''t enough to let off my anger at all. Now that I can finally do something for my dear little brother¡­ I''m not going to let this opportunity go."


    "¡­ Mei Gui, answer me truthfully," I said without turning to her. "Do you want me to reject their offer because I''m truly better off on my own¡­ or is it simply to satisfy your own desires of running rampant?"


    "What¡­ that''s¡­ Master¡­" Mei Gui''s eyes widened, and she froze at the bitterness in my voice.


    "¡­ Just like that girl over there, whose the embodiment of Order, you are the embodiment of Chaos, isn''t that right? It''d make sense for you to want to break free from the restraints of Order. You want me to go berserk, because in your heart, you secretly lust for the destruction, the chaos it would bring, no? That''s where you feel at home¡ªa world where everything''s been destroyed, and everything''s fallen apart."


    "Master, that''s not¡­"


    "Be honest, Mei Gui. Is this really for me¡­ or is it for yourself?"


    "I¡­"


    "Don''t try to force it out of her, Kai Kai," my mother said, cing a hand on my shoulder. "That won''t be possible. If my guess is not wrong¡­ her memories are notpletely intact, correct?"


    I nodded. "What does that have to do with anything, though?"


    My mother gave a sigh, and continued.


    "Thousands of years ago, Order and Chaos had a major sh. It wasn''t their first, of course, but it was the deadliest one yet. Both primordial entities were gravely injured and forced to resort to mere pieces of stone to preserve themselves¡ªbut as a result of their transformations and reborn-like mechanism, they lost many pieces of their memory. They are no longer who they once were, and the hesitation you see from her right now is just the remnants of her past self still haunting her. I am certain that she is loyal to you, Kai Kai. She is just confused in her mind right now. After the bond has been formed, however, everything shall be clear."


    "I see¡­"


    "Bai He is the same," Xuan Yu said, ncing at the shorter, blue-haired girl. "Her grumpy personality will be better after the bond is formed¡­ hopefully."


    "Hey¡­ I helped you so much, and that''s all you have to say to me?" Bai He growled at her master, who merely smiled softly like a loving elder sister and patted the shorter girl''s head.


    "Yes, yes¡­ you''re the best, Bai He. What will I ever do without you?"


    "In any case," my mother interrupted, clearing her throat. "The time is right. Whenever you two are ready, go ahead and touch the gem¡ªtogether. If you do it at even a fraction of a secondter than one another, then the entire process will fail, and the world may very well be ruined. This is no joking matter. Be careful."


    "Great¡­ the fate of the entire world is now in our hands," I muttered, ncing down at my palm. "Literally."


    "To guarantee we do it at the same time, holding hands is probably the best option," Xuan Yu suggested, and held out her hand with beautiful snow-white skin.. "Let''s do it, Kai Kai."

 Chapter 550 - Xuan Yu

    Chapter 550 ¨C Xuan Yu


    For whatever reason, I felt heat creeping up my cheeks as I stared at Xuan Yu''s gentle and warm smile, but quickly shook my head and pped myself.


    <em>What are you getting attached to her for, you dolt? You''ve only met her for 5 minutes.</em>


    Clearing my throat, I took her hand in mine. "Like this?"


    "Hm¡­ yes, that should be alright," Xuan Yu said, then turned to the bright gem a short distance away. I followed her gaze, and simultaneously, we began walking towards it.


    Mei Gui and Bai He stared each other down, both with murderous intentions, and both with weapons drawn. Mei Gui''s was a burning red spear, wrapped in the wild energy of Chaos, while Bai He''s was a sword of justice, emitting the controlled and dominant aura of Order.


    "Don''t even think about trying anything, you two," my mother said, picking both of them up with ease by the cor with a deadpan expression on her face. She was here to keep those two in check, and make sure they didn''t do anything stupid like try to fight each other to the death right here, right now.


    In their current states, Mei Gui and Bai He were each only seeing their opposites, and not their harmony. Bai He believed that Chaos was unnecessary, and that Order was all that was needed to keep the world functional. While that was true, a world with only Order and no Chaos at all would be quite¡­ boring and utterly uncreative.


    Mei Gui, on the other hand, believed that Order was nothing but a set of chains, designed to bind down the everblooming nature of Chaos. Whereas Chaos wanted to devour, Order wanted to sustain. Whereas Chaos wanted change, Order wanted eternity.


    But soon, they shall see the harmonious part about themselves. Soon¡ªprobably.


    Xuan Yu and I approached the mechanism holding the bright gem, and with some effort, angled ourselves properly so that our fingertips were touching above the gem, but the rest of our hands were not and instead hovered mere millimeters away from it.


    "Are you ready, Kai Kai?" She asked, and I gave a nod.


    "Go ahead."


    "Very well. Let our minds connect and hearts beat in sync."


    The two of us closed our eyes, and I through our touching fingertips, I felt her powerful psychic connection ripple through my body and my mind. I gave way, lowering my mental defenses, and let her take control of my body¡ªmostly. Since she wielded the power of Order, a primordial power just like Chaos, she too could use all 21 Elements of Xenith, and excelled at them as well.


    Her psychic wavelength entered my mind, and I could feel her doing a countdown in her head¡ªand my own. Then, at the exact same time, the rest of our hands closed around each other and touched the gem within our held hands. In this method, Xuan Yu was essentially controlling her own two hands, and thus could easily make sure we touched the gem at the exact same time.


    That was one tragedy avoided.


    Immediately, the gem began to shine bright blue, then red, then blue again. It alternated between the two colors for a while in an unstable manner, and for a second, we thought we''d failed the process. But then, slowly, the colors merged¡ªthe red became more blue progressively, and the blue became more red in the same way. Very soon, the colors we were staring at was no longer red and blue, but one single color: purple.


    Power surged up the lines of the triangr tower, rising up and entering the mechanism at the very top of it. Instantly, the triangles in the mechanism began rotating quickly, faster and faster until the light in it was glowing purple, at which the rotating slowed down until they weren''t moving anymore.


    Purple light radiated across the entire Nirvana Realm, settling the Chaotic red lightning and dispelling the fog created by Order. Immediately, the ce felt a lot¡­ calmer, more tranquil. As if a wave of quietness had washed over the realm, and a state of nirvana had been reached.


    Slowly, Xuan Yu and I parted our hands, though I felt she was somewhat reluctant to do so, and returned to my mother, who smiled at us from beside Bai He and Mei Gui, who were now unconscious.


    "Congrattions¡ªthe process isplete. Well? How do the two of you feel?"


    Just as she asked this question, my eyes widened as I felt something surge in my soul, and I nced at Xuan Yu, who met my gaze with a simr look of surprise. Together, we nodded, and quickly dashed back into the tower before sitting down and closing our eyes, facing each other.


    My mother, seeing this, gave a slight smile. "You''ve only just met, and yet you''re already acting like siblings¡­ fufu."


    The reason for our unusual actions, of course, was because of our sudden awakening. I was once told to gain Soulforce to awaken a Battle Soul, I would need to do what was most important to me. Apparently, activating this device was the most important thing to me, because damn was I feeling like I was going to burst from Soulforce right now. My body felt sluggishly heavy, and judging from the way Xuan Yu reacted, it would seem she was the same.


    This was strange, however. The Chaos running through my body was wild, too wild for me to handle. I gritted my teeth and did my best to control it, but it wasn''t working. The power was just too powerful¡ªthere was nothing I could do. Red energy leaked out from my body and into the air as I was unable to control the power, and for a moment, I thought I was going to explode.


    But then, I heard Xuan Yu''s words.


    "Give me¡­ your hand¡­ Kai Kai!"


    She too was in pain and suffering, but she still thought of me. Naturally, I wasn''t going to let her down. Bearing through the agony as sweat formed on my body, I lifted my arms and met her hands with my own. We sat close to one another, palms touching, and immediately after contact, I felt the chaotic energy soothe down. Her overflowing Order energy was helping to suppress my Chaos, and my overflowing Chaos energy was helping to suppress her Order.


    The two of us fell into silence after that, each lending the other strength. We channeled the energy in cycles, and soon, our Chaos and Order powers merged into one. Rather than blue and red energy being separated, it became a ring of purple energy, flowing throughout both of our bodies.


    And then, slowly, the purple energy condensed in the air, drawing on energy from both of us. It was just a ball at first, but as more energy flowed into it and the shape became clearer and more distinct, it was actually revealed to be humanoid.


    "¡­ Hm¡­" My mother narrowed her eyes slightly at the forming shape, expression cryptic, while Xuan Yu and I still continued channeling our energy, more and more.


    After several minutes of doing that, atst, the shape wasplete, and the two of us opened our eyes, letting the energy settle away.


    "¡­ Whew," Xuan Yu breathed. "That was¡­ more difficult than expected. You saved me there, Kai Kai."


    "No¡­ you saved me," I replied. "Well, I guess we saved each other, technically."


    "Hehe, yes," she said with a cute giggle, then turned to the humanoid figure floating in the air. "But this¡­ appears to be the product of our efforts."


    I followed her gaze and stared at the levitating child there. Gender was a mystery¡ªthey could be a boy or girl, it was too hard to tell. But one thing was for sure¡ªthis person right here¡­ was powerful.


    Slowly, their eyes fluttered open, and she met the two of us''s gazes, as if verifying something, beforending on the ground and giving a sigh.


    "At longst¡­ the wielders of Chaos and Order have met, and at longst¡­ I have been awakened."


    "Who are you?" I asked, and the girl shrugged.


    "Who am I? That is a good question. I am whoever you want me to be, whatever you want me to be."


    "She is your Battle Soul, put inymen terms," my mother said, interrupting our conversation. "However, more urately¡­ she is the both of you''s Battle Souls."


    "Huh¡­?" I blinked in surprise, and my mother gave a nod.


    "In reality, she is not a Battle Soul, but rather the incarnation of your Order and Chaos powers fused together. You can think of her as a blend between Mei Gui and Bai He in a sense, but unlike them, she does not truly have a physical form¡ªwhat you are seeing right now is just a spirit.. A spirit, who can help you battle¡ªthus, thinking of her as a Battle Soul is not that far off from the truth."

 Chapter 551 - Battle Soul

    Chapter 551 ¨C Battle Soul


    "Wow¡­ so we have the same Battle Soul?" Xuan Yu asked, blinking a few times in surprise.


    "Seems like it," I said. "That means we''ll have to stick together from now on, though¡­"


    Xuan Yu, hearing this, looked a bit offended.


    "Um¡­ do you not want to¡­?"


    "Uh¡­ no, it''s just¡­"


    <em>I wonder how the girls will react if I tell them I have a big sister all of a sudden.</em>


    Seeing the expression on my face, my mother smiled wryly.


    "What''s this? Hesitant because you already have people around you?"


    "Huh? Uh¡­ maybe¡­?" I scratched my head awkwardly, not wanting to answer her question directly.


    "Hm¡­" My mother narrowed her eyes, knowing her son very well, and smirked. "Well, we''ll find out soon enough. Our job here is done¡ªlet''s return."


    "So¡­ with this, we''ve stabilized the bnce of Order and Chaos?" I asked, and my mother nodded.


    "Essentially, you have made the rtionship between Order and Chaos parallel to your rtionship with Xiao Yu. As long as you and her never fight each other, Chaos and Order will also remain at peace."


    "¡­ I see¡­"


    I nced at Xuan Yu awkwardly, who bit her lip in nervousness. My mother, sensing the tension in the air, gave a sigh and rubbed both of our heads with her hand.


    "Now, now¡­ I know it''ll take some time to adjust, Kai Kai. But she has always thought of you as her one and only little brother, so you should treat her simrly. I realize the news is very sudden, and I apologize for that, but do your best, okay?"


    "¡­ Sure," I said with a hesitant nod.


    "Good. And now¡­ let''s go see your father. But before that¡­" My mother nced at our ''Battle Soul'', still hovering in the air. "¡­ Give her a name, the two of you."


    "A name¡­?"


    "Yes. You can think of her as a Human Battle Soul. Wouldn''t a name be appropriate?"


    "That is true¡­" Xuan Yu murmured, falling into thought. "Oh, I know. How about¡­ Hun Xu?"


    "Hun for Chaos, Xu for Order¡­" I muttered. "Not bad. Not bad at all."


    "Not only that, but Hun can also be used as a homophone for spirit," my mother added. "A very clever name, Xiao Yu."


    "Ehehe, you overpraise me," Xuan Yu said, averting her gaze shyly.


    I turned to the Battle Soul. "Are you fine with being called that?"


    "I am fine with any name," she replied in a voice utterly devoid of emotion. "Things as trivial as name do not matter to me. I have none."


    "Well, you''re getting one now," I muttered.


    "Nice to meet you, Hun Xu," Xuan Yu said with a smile. The Battle Soul, however, showed no sign of responding, and instead simply turned into a ball of energy that entered our two bodies separately.


    "Woah¡­" I blinked in surprise at the sudden entering, but it didn''t particrly hurt or have any ''feeling'' to it.


    "She will be yourst card, you two," my mother said. "Nothing in this world can stand against her¡ªthat is how powerful she is¡ªbut beware. Using her will require both of you to be present, and just summoning her once in the Living Realm will be extremely difficult due to theck of True Essence in the air. As such, some of your lifeforce may be expended to make up for it. Keep that in mind¡ªonly use her when absolutely necessary."


    Xuan Yu and I both nodded and said, "Understood."


    *****


    With some effort, we arrived at back where we entered the Chaos Realm from, and exited through the same portal. Outside, the dense ck aura surrounding the Chaos Core hadpletely disappeared, and along with it, the Core itself as soon as stepped through back to the Living Realm.


    A good distance away on the rocky ins, my father, Eve, and Nael stood. As soon as they saw our figures approaching, my father rushed forward like a dashing prince, and appeared before my mother before kneeling down on one knee and taking her hand.


    "¡­ Wee back, my queen. I have missed you dearl-"


    PA!


    The sound of a p rang out in the air as my mother ruthlessly gave my father one on the cheeks, sending him falling to the side.


    "¡­ We''re in front of our son and daughter, idiot. Do you want to die?"


    "N-no, sorry," my father said, standing up and readjusting his clothes. "Ahem¡­ anyway, it''s good to see all of you return alive and well. Especially my daughter too¡­ long time no see."


    "Yes. Greetings, father," Xuan Yu said with a polite bow, but my mother''s expression wasn''t very polite as she stared at Eve.


    "¡­ So, this is the kind of people you have around you when I''m away, Xuan Ying?"


    "Huh? Oh, no, this is¡­ er¡­"


    "Fufu¡­ you are mistaken, Lady Qing," Eve said with a soft giggle. "I am not interested in your husband. I''d rather have a much¡­ younger mate."


    Saying that, she winked at me, and I coughed to let her know I was not feeling well and didn''t want to participate in this conversation. My mother sent me a look briefly, but suddenly smiled.


    "Oh, in that case, it''s all fine. My son is a very charming man, isn''t he?"


    "Fufu, yes, he is¡­ I am not the only one he''s charmed, after all."


    "Oho¡­" My mother tilted her head at me, one eye closed, smiling wryly. "Is that so¡­"


    <em>What?! Why is your attitude so different with me than my father?!</em>


    "In any case, it is good that you all are back. Let us retur-"


    "Yes, yes, yes¡­ let you return," a deep male voice suddenly interrupted, pping his hands together slowly several times. "To hell, that is."


    Immediately, all of us turned to look at the rock formations above us, and there stood an entire army of Void Order dressed cult members. They wore hoods with deep brown and yellow outfits, eye visors ring orange.


    The man leading them had a mask covering his upper right face, but the rest of his face was visible to see. He appeared quite young, but the spark in his eye showed that he was no easy enemy to face and had tons of experience.


    "The Void Order¡­" My father narrowed his eyes and summoned his greatsword, ready for a fight.


    "Hahaha! You all can use information brokers¡­ but we can as well," the one leading them said with a nasty cackle. "Who would''ve thought just following you would lead us to the power we''ve been searching for all along?"


    "¡­ Bastards," my father muttered, but Xuan Yu and I stepped forward,pletely dauntlessly.


    "¡­ We''ll take care of this," we said at the same time, to my father''s surprise.


    Before he could even react, Xiao Yu and I both dashed into the air, and cast Legendary-Tier spells like they were nothing.


    "T-This is¡­ the strength of a¡­ Golden Monarch?!"


    "And two of them at that?!"


    "Tch, I only expected one, that woman¡­" The leader muttered. "Not three¡­ but whatever! We can take a few kids on! Go, men! For the Void Order!"


    "For the Void Order!" The army echoed, and began tounch spells and magic-charged gunshots at us alike. But s, that wasn''t going to do anything. While Xuan Yu charged up an almighty Order attack, I absorbed all of the magic projectiles theyunched at us with my Chaos Mirror. The more attacks it absorbed, the bigger and stronger it became.


    "Impossible¡­ have they already obtained the power and mastered it?!" The one leading them gritted his teeth, and I merely gave a snort.


    "Fool. This power is not something you can simply ''obtain''. You are not worthy."


    "What did you just say?!" The leader roared and unsheathed his weapon¡ªarge chainsaw de attached to his arm¡ªbut that wasn''t going to do anything against us.


    With a smirk, I red him down, and spoke the final words he would ever hear.


    "Die."


    Xuan Yu and I nodded at one another, and she unleashed her spell¡ªa massive explosive meteor summoned from the sky, with an immensely powerful blue trail behind it. This meteor flew through my Chaos Mirror right as I closed it, bringing along the converted powers of all those attacks the army threw at us.


    Its target?


    The army, of course.


    BOOM!


    An earthshaking explosion erupted throughout thend as the meteor struck thend,pletely decimating anyone who was within range of it. The entire army was reduced to atoms in a second, and not even their ashes remained. It was as if they had never existed in the first ce¡ªthe only evidence of something happening here was the massive, and I mean massive, crater that was left in the ground.


    "Holy shit¡­" My father muttered, as my mother pinched him in the ear. "O-Ow!"


    "Language," she warned, and my father hurriedly nodded in agreement.


    "Yes, yes, sorry¡­"


    Xuan Yu and I gentlynded on the ground beside the crater we just made, and she smiled at me.


    "That was some pretty good teamwork, don''t you think?"


    I nodded.. "It sure was."

 Chapter 552 - Family Reunited

    Chapter 552 ¨C Family Reunited


    Soon, we arrived back at my father''s ne without any further incidents. Naturally, we got out of the ce where we created a massive crater quickly, as a disturbance of that level was sure to lead to guards from Nazerothing around and investigating what happened. We didn''t want to be here when that happened, even though it probably wasn''t even that bad, but in all honesty, we just really didn''t feel like wasting time with them.


    When we got back to the ne, the girls, who had been waiting for us, were surprised to see us. My father, Nael, and Eve they already knew, but my mother caught them off-guard, perhaps with her youthful looks. But what''s more than that¡­


    "¡­ Psst, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue pulled me to one side and whispered. "Who''s that¡­?"


    "Greetings," Xuan Yu said with a bow. "I am Xuan Yu, Xuan Kai''s big sister. I take it¡­ you are all his friends?"


    There were some faces she recognized from the school in Shenzhen, of course. But for the most part, many were fresh,pletely new faces to her, thus she was a bit confused to see all of them were¡­ well, beautiful girls.


    "Ahaha¡­ ''friends'' isn''t exactly the right word, to bepletely honest," Feng Mian said. "We''re more like¡­ his fianc¨¦es."


    "O-Oh¡­" Xuan Yu was stunned at this, and could only blink with her mouth agape for several minutes, and my mother gave a light chuckle.


    "Looks like you have quite a bit ofpetition, Xiao Yu."


    "W-Wha?!" Xuan Yu was caught off guard and flinched. "P-Please don''t joke about that¡­ I only see Kai Kai as my little brother¡­ if anything, I should be happy for him¡­"


    "Mhm¡­ sure. I believe you."


    "¡­" Xuan Yu averted her gaze, blushing from embarrassment, while the other girls stared at me with deadpan expressions on their faces.


    <em>Hey now¡­ I didn''t do anything, okay?</em>


    Soon, however, their attention quickly turned to my mother, and the girls crowded around her before beginning to bombard her with questions like ''how do you look so young'' and ''how is your skin so nice''. I let out a sigh of relief as my father patted me on the shoulder while sobbing.


    "Sniff¡­ you have it so much easier than I do, Kai Kai¡­"


    "Yeah¡­ right," I muttered, brushing him off since I didn''t want snot to get on my cloak.


    "Back in my day, any time a girl even remotely approached me, your mother would-"


    "Okay, that''s enough," I quickly interrupted, saving his life there. My mother had excellent ears, and would''ve definitely heard what he was about to say next.


    Spinning him around, I pushed him onto the ne and entered myself behind him.


    And not soon after, we took off to leave Demon Territory, our job here done.


    *****


    ¨C Later that Night ¨C


    After returning to the private beach, we all went for a good soak in the hot springs. Well, more urately, we went separately¡ªthe girls on one side, the bigger side, and the guys on the small side. There were only three guys¡ªmy father, Nael, and I¡ªso us using the smaller side naturally made sense.


    "Ah¡­ this is heaven, Kai Kai," my father said, easing himself into the hot water. "Your mother and your sister have both returned, the evesting conflict between Order and Chaos has been resolved, and there''s even an awesome hot spring right here. What more can a man ask for?"


    "To see what''s happening on the other side," I said with a wink. "I can tell you want to, you perverted old man. A <em>married</em>, perverted old man."


    "S-Shut up! I only wish to look because your mother is there as well. I don''t even care about the others¡ªbut you do, don''t you? You can''t tell me you don''t want to look at their naked bodies, at your age."


    "Well, about that," I gave a chuckle. "I don''t need to¡ªthey''ll show it to me anytime I want."


    "¡­"


    "¡­ Heh."


    "¡­ Lucky bastard," my father grunted. "All my luck was passed on directly from your grandfather to you, it seems. I didn''t even have a chance at it. To this day, I have yet to see your mother''s fully naked body."


    "Wow¡­ that''s depressing," I said with augh.


    "Shut it, boy!" My father yelled in embarrassment, then ultimately gave a sigh and stared up at the night sky, leaning back against the rocks surrounding the steaming pool. "But¡­ all jokes aside, I never believed we would be able to meet again like this, Kai Kai."


    "¡­ Yeah. Me too."


    "I¡­ have many apologies that I want to say to you," he continued in his real personality¡ªhisedic one was just for effect. "But for my pride as a man, I can''t be seen apologizing to another man over and over again, groveling for forgiveness. So¡­ I''ll just sum it up in one sentence: I''m sorry, Kai Kai."


    I waved his apology off like it was nothing. "Don''t worry about it. I understand where you wereing from."


    "Right¡­ but apart from that, I also wanted to say thanks," my father said, and I raised an eyebrow.


    "Oh?"


    "Thanks¡­" He smiled. "¡­ For bringing your mother home, when I could not."


    *****


    ¨C Meanwhile, on the girls'' side of the hot springs ¨C


    Within therge steaming pool of hot water, about a dozen extraordinarily beautiful girls sat, each with their own features and alluring curves. Their naked bodies seemed white and shiny enough to blend in with the steam rising from the water, and the sight was any man''s dream. Many would kill to get an opportunity to look in on something like this, and the moment they did, not many would be able to hold themselves back from just diving in there and letting their primal desires take over.


    No one, however, actually got a chance to peek in. After all, they were on a private, uninhabited ind with nothing but nature.


    And inside this very hot spring, a very interesting conversation was happening.


    "So¡­ you all im to be my son''s fiancees, yes?" Qing Ruo Lan asked the girls surrounding her with a wry smile on her face.


    Feng Mian was the first to respond, and nodded. "Yes. He has already epted us and-"


    "But have you slept together with him yet?" Qing Ruo Lan continued before the other girl could even finish, and Qing Yue shrugged.


    "Most of us, yeah, but not all. Lan Xiao Su and Zhao Xiuying, for example, haven''t yet. I don''t think Lin Luo has either."


    "And nor do I want to," Lin Luo muttered. "I am not his fianc¨¦e by any means, just so we are clear. I am merely apanion in his journey, forced into submission. Nothing more."


    "Oh? Forced? Are you certain?" Qing Ruo Lan smiled. "I''ve heard a bit about you, ''Lin Luo''¡­ or should I say, Seventh of the Twelve-Winged Seraphims?"


    At this, Lin Luo''s eyes widened briefly. "You¡­"


    "Don''t look at me with that surprised expression," Qing Ruo Lan said with a giggle. "I just have a very diverse informationwork, that''s all. But that aside¡­ back to the topic, Kai Kai stole your Divine Lightning power, yes? But from my knowledge¡­ the Divine Lightning that he uses is but a mere fragment of the Seventh Seraphim''s true power¡ªnamely, True Lightning. Isn''t that right?"


    "¡­ You know your stuff, aunty," Lin Luo muttered. "Howeve-"


    Suddenly, a water bomb flew at Lin Luo too quick for her to even react, and it exploded in her face. This caused her to topple over in the water, creating arge water ssh.


    The other girls watched, stunned, as Lin Luo slowly rose back up to the surface, and red at Qing Ruo Lan.


    "¡­ What was that for?"


    "Calling me ''aunty''," Qing Ruo Lan responded matter-of-factly. "Do I look like an ''aunty'' to you?"


    "Then what am I supposed to call you?!"


    "Hm¡­ let''s see¡­ how about¡­ mother-inw?"


    "That''s not any better age wise!"


    "Ahem¡­ in any case, you still have not answered my question. You are not truly tied to Kai Kai. So why are you by his side still?"


    "Well¡­" Lin Luo gave a sigh. "The truth is¡­ I was exiled from being a Twelfth Seraphim a long time ago. They sealed my powers and cast me out of Celestia, and now, I can no longer use True Lightning. Divine Lightning was all the power they left me, and now your son stole it, so I''m stuck here."


    "I see¡­ well, have you ever considered¡­ rejoining the Twelfth Seraphims?" Qing Ruo Lan asked, and Lin Luo arched an eyebrow in confusion.


    "¡­ What?"


    "You know my son''s power very well. With his strength, defeating all of the Twelve-Winged Seraphims is no problem. He can easily get you your power back, you know. All you have to do is open your mouth to ask him. He may seem cold on the surface, but he''s quite kind and generous deep down. Especially since you have traveled with him for a bit now¡­ I''m sure he will help you."


    "¡­ I don''t want his help," Lin Luo muttered stubbornly, and at this, Qing Ruo Lan could only sigh.


    "Well, it''s your loss, I suppose."

 Chapter 553 - The Hexs Movements

    Chapter 553 ¨C The Hex¡¯s Movements


    After the hot springs, we each went to a separate room to stay. I didn''t know why since the girls usually slept in the same bed as me, but today, they opted to each stay in a single room. My mother must''ve told them something in the hot springs, and I just didn''t know what.


    Of course, I didn''t particrly mind. Sleeping on my own was a nice fresh change, since I''ve grown ustomed to sleeping while being surrounded by girls. I no longer had to carry Qing Yue''s weight on my chest or have my arms feel numb in the morning since Ling Xin or Axilia were lying on them.


    With a smile, I closed the lights to my room, made sure to lock it, and crawled into bed.


    *****


    ¨C Within the Infinite Realm ¨C


    "¡­ Of course."


    Just after my consciousness faded away, I found myself wide awake, staring at a blue sky. Below me was a ground made seemingly of water, and reflected everything above it perfectly like a mirror.


    Naturally, I recognized where this was. Without a doubt, it was the Infinite Realm.


    Sighing, I made my way over to where the seventeen stone pirs stood, each Founder standing in front of their own respective pir.


    "¡­ Just when I was about to get a decent night''s worth of sleep, too¡­"


    "Poor kiddo¡­" Hephestus, the Dwarven Founder, frowned a bit in pity.


    "I understand you just went through a lot," Sylvoir said to me. "However, the crisis you just averted means nothing in front of the one that is about to happen."


    "¡­ Let me guess," Count Draculus said, folding his arms. "The Hex have sped up their movement?"


    "Correct. I estimate they will be here in about a month."


    "How do you know, though?" Sino asked. "The Terron Records couldn''t possibly chart what''s happening out there in space."


    "I can sense everything happening around Xenith as a to a certain degree," Sylvoir replied. "As the Prime Elemental, you could say I am the core of this. I can detect certain things."


    "¡­ What made them speed up?" Aluna asked, and both Sylvoir and Luisfer sent me a look, but didn''t borate and instead remained silent.


    "Unsure, it seems," Count Draculus concluded. "Well, regardless of their motives, it would seem we need to step up our game as well. Hephestus. Have youpleted the construction of the devices?"


    "Yes," Hephestus replied, then held out six identical scanner-like devices in his hand, lifting them up into the air, causing them to float a little before spreading out andnding in certain Founders'' hands: Kyoko, Count Draculus, Aluna, Fiona, ARXA the X-Machina, and me, of course.


    "These are tiny trackers that can find and trace the unique signals emitted from those Hexen obelisks, courtesy of the energy sample Asteryx brought back in the previous meeting. I''ve done quite a bit of testing, so it should work fine."


    "Then we will reconvene in one week," Sylvoir said. "Until then, use this device to track down the locations of the pirs, and take them out."


    "Wait," I interrupted, holding the device in my hand. "Isn''t this ce supposed to be in my dream world? How am I supposed to take this device into the real world with me once I wake up?"


    "That''s simple," Aluna exined with a smile. "This ce is not simply a dream¡ªit is a ce of infinite possibilities, hence the name. It is a ce of creation and manifestation. To bring items in and out of this realm, all you must do is will it so. What is mind will be matter, what is dream will be reality."


    "Huh¡­ I see¡­" I murmured, having learned something new.


    The Founders soon disbanded after that, but Sylvoir and Luisfer remained along with myself.


    "¡­ Thanks," I said. "For not revealing anything."


    "Reveal what?" Luisfer asked with a smug grin. "I have no idea what you are speaking of, dear boy."


    I chuckled. "You''re not usually the nice type. What''s up with that today?"


    "Well¡­ if I am to be honest, your actions in fact helped Demon Territory as a whole. Not only did you get rid of the gue haunting that area so I can make good use of it, you also defeated the horde of Void Order members invading my city. With whatever you were looking for there gone, the Void Order will not target my Demon Territory again."


    "Hm¡­ so you knew it was the Void Order already, huh?"


    "Yes. The reason I did not dispatch my Twelve Devils was because just like that woman you were looking for, the Void Order would also attempt to get information out of me. At least, that was my logic."


    "¡­ And what about you?" I asked, turning to Sylvoir. "Why didn''t you expose me? Your Terron Records have seen everything, right?"


    "Correct," Sylvoir replied. "However, wherever you want, it was not on Xenith. Even though I knew you did something rted to this¡­ Chaos power of yours, I could not determine what exactly you did. And since I can''t do that, exposing you is pointless. You wouldn''t just tell us what you did either way, and we cannot exactly threaten you either as you are one of us."


    "Hm¡­ Sylvoir''s actually pretty nice deep down, eh?" I chuckled and winked at Luisfer, who nodded in return.


    "She sure is."


    "¡­ Do you two want to suffer eternal punishment?"


    "No, ma''am, we''re out of here," Luisfer said, hurriedly waving goodbye and promptly disappearing in a sh of light. I did as well, willing the device Hephestus gave us to appear in the real world as well.


    Or at least, I tried.


    But Sylvoif pulled me back by the sleeve, and said, "Hold it."


    "¡­? What''s up?"


    "Amongst the Founders¡­ there may be a spy."


    "What¡­? You mean, a traitor?"


    "Yes. I know not who it is, but at the same time, I know who it definitely isn''t. You, and me. Just keep an eye out¡ªthat''s all I wanted to say."


    "¡­ Got it."


    *****


    ¨C Sometime Past Midnight ¨C


    I felt a warm body beside me, and thinking it was one of the girls, instinctively moved to pull them into a hug.


    But then, I remembered.


    Last night, I slept alone. This definitely wasn''t one of the girls¡ªif they wanted to sleep with me, they would''ve just done so from the beginning of the night, not secretly crawl into my bede morning like this. So¡­ who was this?


    Slowly, I opened my eyes, and was surprised to see¡­ Xuan Yu. Her curly white hair covered one of her eyes, and she looked like a cute doll in this form. I opened my mouth to talk, but then looked out the window and saw that it was still early in the morning. Ultimately, I decided not to do anything to wake her. She didn''t seem like the girl who would do this, either¡­ and she wasn''t particrly dressed indecently. She had proper pajamas on and everything, but¡­ that did little to hide her busty chest.


    I gulped and looked away, doing my best to fall back asleep and forget this ever happened, but then-


    "Mm¡­ Kai Kai¡­"


    She moaned softly and changed position, throwing her arm around me and coiling her body around mine like a ko on a tree.


    <em>W-What the hell?!</em>


    I was stunned frozen, but the most surprising thing was that she seemed to be doing this subconsciously in her sleep. I wondered what was going on in her dreams¡­ but then again, I''m not sure I want to know.


    <em>Okay, Xuan Kai¡­ calm down. This isn''t the first time you''ve been through a situation like this, so just keep calm, and think it through. Deep breaths. Clean thoughts. Deep brea-</em>


    <em>Who am I kidding?!</em>


    <em>They''ve got to be equal if not bigger than An Yan''s¡­</em>


    <em>I mean, uh, that''s not what I should be thinking about!</em>


    All my panic must''ve caused Xuan Yu to wake up, because her thin eyelids slowly fluttered open, and our gaze met for a brief moment before her cheeks suddenly reddened, and she pushed me away.


    "S-Sorry! U-Um, I don''t know how this happened¡­ ah¡­"


    "C-Calm down, it''s fine," I said, doing my best to keep my eyes away from her ample chest. "I have a decent idea of who orchestrated this¡­"


    With a sigh, I turned away and closed my eyes. Xuan Yu was confused at this, and averted her gaze slightly.


    "You''re¡­ not going to kick me out?"


    "Why would I do that?" I asked. "It''s like the middle of the night. How can I just kick you out? Just go back to sleep¡ªI don''t mind."


    "I see¡­ well, thanks," she said softly, and after a short silence, continued. "¡­ Um¡­ did I¡­ say anything weird, while I was asleep?"


    "¡­ Do you want me to tell you the truth?"


    "Y-Yes, please."


    "Hm¡­ er, well, you were calling my name," I said. "And uh¡­ moaning."


    "¡­" Xuan Yu''s cheeks immediately flushed ever redder, and she turned away and covered her face. "S-Sorry! Please forget you heard anything¡­"


    "¡­ Right, sure."

 Chapter 554 - Tracking The Obelisk

    Chapter 554 ¨C Tracking The Obelisk


    Neither Xuan Yu nor I slept much after that. Even after the sun rose, neither of us moved from the bed, too awkward to do anything. I think both of us tried to pretend to be asleep so the other wouldn''t notice the awkward tension in the air, but really, both of us failed miserably.


    In the end, I gave up, and decided to just get up. Morning was here, and I had things to do. Xuan Yu waited after I headed for the shower before getting up herself, since talking with me was going to be awkward.


    I had wanted to take a break after all that stuff with the Chaos Realm and whatnot since really, I deserved one, but unfortunately I just can''t catch any rest these days. It''s not like I med Sylvoir, though¡ªthis was a matter of whether the world was going to be destroyed or not. I had to contribute.


    But even so¡­ man, this kind of sucked.


    After showering, I went downstairs to find breakfast already made by none other than the numerous top-tier chefs around me, namely Ling Xin, Axilia, and Qing Yue. It was delicious as per usual, but my heart wasn''t in it. Instead, I was busy trying to figure out how I''m going to exin to the girls where I''m going to go today.


    <em>''Why not just use the Chaos Realm as an excuse, Master?''</em> Lorelei whispered in my head, and I sighed mentally. Lorelei naturally saw through all my secrets, as she was literally living in my soul.


    <em>I could, but I want to bring some of the other girls along for this mission is the problem¡­ they need to get stronger as well.</em>


    <em>''¡­ Hm. What if the Chaos Realm prophesied about the invasion to you¡­?''</em>


    <em>Hm¡­ that could work. Yeah, I''ll say something along those lines, I guess¡­</em>


    Once everyone gathered around the table to have breakfast, I made the announcement. My parents had already gone out exploring the ind and having fun on the beach way before everyone else even woke up, so it was just me and the girls.


    "By the way, guys¡­ there''s somewhere I have to go today, and I need three of you toe with me."


    "Why only three?" Feng Mian asked, voicing the thoughts of many of the other girls.


    "The ce I''m nning on going to will be guarded," I said. "We can''t have too many of us there, or it''ll make us easy to detect. I want to progress through this smoothly, discretely if possible, so¡­"


    "I see¡­ well, where is it?" Yu An Yan inquired, and I shook my head.


    "Honestly? Right now, I''m not sure. I''ll have to find out with this tracker¡­" I held up the device Hephestus made me, and sure enough, it was here in the real world despite receiving it inside my dream world in the Infinite Realm. "Yesterday, in the Chaos Realm, I was informed of an uing invasion on this, from an alien race known as the Hex. I received this device, and well¡­ basically, I need to track down whatever this thing is leading me to, and destroy it. That will prevent the Hex froming here."


    "The Hex¡­ are they that dangerous?" Lin Luo asked, arching an eyebrow. "I have never heard of an ''alien'' race before."


    "They are," Xuan Yu said in confirmation. "Not many know of their existence, but there has been some records about them in history. It was a very, very long time ago, but they once invaded Xenith. It nearly destroyed the entire world, and it would have, if not for a few mysterious heroes standing up against them. No one knows who these heroes were, but now that the Hex have returned after so many thousand years¡­ it would be wise to assume those same heroes are not here anymore to protect this again."


    *Well, about that. Actually¡­


    "Ahem¡­ anyway, she''s right. This isn''t about being heroes or anything, though¡ªI don''t want to fight the Hex at all. This is just to prevent them from evening in the first ce."


    "All of us are willing to go, I''m pretty sure," Ling Xin said with a smile. "It''s just a matter of who you pick."


    "Hm¡­ well, let''s go with¡­ Feng Mian, Axilia, and Qing Yue," I said after some thought.


    "Oh? Any particr reason why you picked us, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked curiously, and I nodded.


    "Feng Mian''s stealth will prove to be useful, and Axilia''s area of effect abilities will be a great help if we get surrounded or anything of the sort. And as for you¡­ well, you''re the best support there is for healing."


    "Fair, fair," Ling Xin said with a giggle. "A bit sad I can''te along, but¡­ oh well."


    "You still can," Feng Mian said. "The rest of you can be on standby in case anything happens, like if we need help or anything."


    "True," Yu An Yan said, pping her hands together. "Then it''s decided. We''ll head out after eating."


    We nodded, and finished up our breakfast soon after that.


    *****


    Once we were done eating, the group of us set out. The tracking device given to me by Hephestus was pointing towards the southwest direction, where there were quite a few mountains and hills closely knit together. It wasn''t too strange of a ce to hide a stone obelisk in¡ªafter all, there were many secrets and hidden caves and caverns in that region.


    Unfortunately, none of us have been in that area before, and thus couldn''t simply teleport there. Fortunately, though¡­ my father had a private jet. And we¡­ had a pilot.


    "Sit tight," Lin Luo said from the pilot''s chamber, performingst minute checks on the ne''s variousponents. "If you die, it''s not my problem."


    ¡­ Yeah, she was our pilot. Since she could fly on her own, I didn''t think she would be able to fly a ne as well, but¡­


    ¡­ I guess we all had our hidden sides.

 Chapter 555 - Village Of Secrets

    Chapter 555 ¨C Vige Of Secrets


    The ne flight took a little over two hours. The private ind we lived on was a ways off from Human Territory maind, all the way out at sea in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, though, my father''s jet was pretty damn fast, probably enhanced with magic somewhere.


    Lin Luo was also a better pilot than expected¡ªshe knew how to avoid wind currents and the like to speed up our journey and make it safer, so despite her harsh words at the beginning of the flight, she actually did care about her passengers'' safety.


    Well¡­ either that, or she just knew she crashed the ne, she would die too. We were on the same boat here¡ªor rather, the same ne.


    In any case, because there was really no good ce tond in the mountain ranges due to thendscape and the thick fog, so we were kind of forced to drop from the air like skydivers.


    Haha, who am I kidding. I had Sky Magic.


    I was also strong enough to carry both Feng Mian and Qing Yue in my arms as we descended, so they were perfectly fine too. Axilia rode on my back, but even with all this weight, I didn''t feel encumbered at all. Vampiric and half-angelic strength was¡­ quite thebo.


    After wended, Lin Luo flew the jet somewhere else, saying that they''ll be in touch through our earpieces. Yes, we had those formunication. They didn''t function like normal earpieces, though, of course. These transmitted messages through the mana in the air, so it was a lot more urate and fast. It had infinite range too, and since mana was everywhere in the world, there was no need to worry about losing signal or anything like that.


    For whatever reason, I felt like Lin Luo was bing more¡­ nice to us? It may just be a hallucination, but¡­ ah, well, whatever. That wasn''t important right now.


    "How''s the tracker looking, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, and I nced down at my wrist, where the tracker was attached.


    "Hm¡­ it seems to be pointing¡­ in front of us, down."


    "In front of us, down¡­? But¡­" Qing Yue sank into thought, folding her arms. "We''re on top of a mountain. Down would mean¡­"


    "There''s a vige up ahead," Axilia pointed out, licking her lips. "Maybe after we massacre them, we''ll find out~!"


    "No, Axilia, we''re not going to massacre a bunch of innocent people," I said with a sigh, rolling my sleeve back down. "But if they try anything against us, go ahead."


    "Hngh¡­" Axilia pouted a bit, folding her arms. "¡­ Fine."


    Continuing onwards, we soon arrived at the vige gates. Two guards were stationed here, each on top of a wooden watchtower. They wore stone armor that looked clunky and utterly low quality, but that was just the circumstances out here, I suppose. It was a surprise there even was a vige out here on this mountain in the first ce, after all.


    "W-Who are you?" One of the guards demanded, aiming a primitive bow at us as if that were a threat. They clearly were surprised to see other humans out here, and what''s more, humans who just dropped down from a transportation device they probably never even knew existed.


    "Wee in peace," I began, trying my best to not spook them, and from beside me, Qing Yue and Feng Mian both stifled augh at my tone. I shot them both a re, and they quickly cleared their throats and wiped the smile from their faces.


    "W-Where do youe from? What do you want from us?" The other guard asked, gulping. It was clear they were scared¡ªthey were used to dealing with wild beasts in these parts, not other people from the outside world to them.


    After all, humans were naturally scared of the new. They hated change by instinct, and wanted to stick to the old ways whenever possible.


    "We''re here to look for something," I said. "I was wondering if your vige knows anything about it."


    "This¡­ we don''t know anything!" The guards yelled. "Leave, please! You are not wee here!"


    I let out a deep sigh. "Is there really no other way? Man¡­"


    The guards did not budge, and continued aiming their bows at us.


    "Please leave, or we will shoot!"


    I closed my eyes. "Naive."


    Suddenly, my eyes snapped back open, unleashing a deadly killing aura enough to paralyze the guards in fear. Red energy leaked from my simrly-colored eyes, and I slowly began walking towards the wooden vige doors.


    "¡­ Remember, I didn''t want to have to do this."


    Slicing my hand across in the air, I unleashed a horizontal sh of fire that sent the wooden doors flying in an explosion, and burned down to ashes. Inside, the vigers screamed in fear and began running to their own homes¡ªgood. I didn''t want to harm them if at all possible¡ªI just wanted to speak with their leader, the vige chieftain or something.


    And sure enough, soon, a group of seniors approached us, led by an old man dressed in poor clothing slightly better than everyone else''s, and he bowed to us.


    "O great sir¡­ I know not where this humble vige has offended you, but please, spare us. We are innocent¡­ we just wish to lead peaceful lives. We will give you anything you want¡­ just spare our lives."


    "I don''t want your lives," I said coldly. "I want information. If those guards at the gate had let us in like I so kindly asked, I wouldn''t have had to enter in such a¡­ dramatic way."


    "I apologize deeply on their behalf, great sir," the vige head said, entire body shaking from fear. "What is the information you seek? If it is something we know, we surely will tell you¡­"


    "There is something below this area," I said.. "Something very peculiar, and out of this world. As the vige who sits above it¡­ do you know what that something is, and how I can ess it?"

 Chapter 556 - Missing Parts Of The Puzzle

    Chapter 556 ¨C Missing Parts Of The Puzzle


    Immediately after my question, various murmurs popped up amongst the vigers, who peeked out from their ''safe'' hiding spots scattered all around us.


    "Below this area? Is he talking about¡­"


    "It can''t be¡­ that ce is forbidden!"


    "Our ancestors specifically sealed that ce¡­ it cost the entire vige''s mana in their bloodline¡­ so none of us can even use magic anymore¡­"


    "This¡­" The vige elder looked down at the ground, hesitant. As if it was a secret he couldn''t speak about, no matter what. Even if he died, it was a secret he would take to the grave.


    But well¡­ it wasn''t just his life on the line here.


    "I''m afraid you don''t understand the situation you''re in," I said, holding up my right hand, in which a powerful red orb of electricity was forming. "I can destroy this entire vige right now, wiping all of you out along with it out of the annals of existence. You either tell me and we part in peace, or I kill you all and then st open the mountain myself. The choice is yours."


    "I-I understand, great sir," the vige head immediately kneeled on the ground, kowtowing before me. "I will tell you everything¡­ but I dare ask for a condition."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Oh¡­? Considering these circumstances¡­ you still dare to ask for a condition? You have courage, old man. I respect and admire that. Stand up, and speak. What do you want?"


    The old man did as told, rising to his feet, and looked me in the eyes dauntlessly. It wasn''t that he didn''t fear me. No, he feared me just as much as everyone else in this vige right now. But his sense of responsibility, his sense of duty as the vige head, propelled him forward and fueled him with the temporary courage needed to speak with me like so.


    "The ce you are searching for is not as simple as just sting this mountain open and heading down," the old man said. "It is of apletely different dimension¡ªfar, far below the surface. It is still on this world, but it may as well be a new one altogether."


    "And? Get to the point¡ªwhat is your condition?"


    "¡­ When you open the portal leading to that ce, monsters, beings of pure evil wille leaking out of it. They will terrorize this vige, and attack anything and everything they see. When that happens¡­ I want you to protect us."


    I considered the trade-off for a moment, then gave a nod.


    "Very well. You have my word¡ªI will not let any of those¡­ creaturesy a single hand on you all. When I open the portal, just hide well, and don''t be seen."


    "Good. I trust in you, great hero," the vige head said. "Since you have agreed to the deal, then I will uphold my end of the bargain as well."


    "But chief¡­ that is¡­" An old woman beside him urged, but he put an end to her words with a finger.


    "Worry not. This young man is strong enough to take those beasts on. I am sure of it. All those years ago, when our ancestors used this entire vige''s manapool to seal that ce¡­ they¡ªand all of their descendants, us¡ªwere left with barely any mana in our blood. It is not enough to cast any magic, but throughout the years, we have mastered a different technique: mana sensing."


    "Oh? How curious," I murmured. "What''s mana sensing?"


    "Simply put, it grants us the ability to detect how strong someone''s mana is, their elemental affinities, and the like," the vige head exined. "And you, great hero¡­ possess a power I have never seen before."


    <em>So, in a sense, this entire vige is kind of like how I used to be¡­ I see. No wonder they''re using such primitive weapons¡­</em>


    "I''ll do my best," I said. "But in any case¡­ lead the way."


    "Yes. Follow me."


    *****


    The vige head led Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Axilia, and I past the vige all the way up onto a cliff that acted like a cape. No one else came along, probably because they were too scared of what would happen once the portal opened or they were just eager to get as far away from me as possible. Probably both.


    "Here we are," the vige head said as he came to a stop.


    Before him, a massive circr holey in the ground, like some sort of excavation pit. It was too deep to see the bottom, but one could definitely say falling in there wouldn''t be a good thing. Around the perfectly circr hole, four pirs stood on each diagonal, connected by a ring of stone that was like a bigger halo hovering above the hole in the ground.


    "This is¡­ wow," Feng Mian breathed in awe, both at the structure and the scenery all around them.


    This mountain was on the very border of Human Territory, so out from here, it was all just ocean and sea. This would make for an amazing stargazing spot at night, but unfortunately, they weren''t here for stargazing.


    "¡­ Down this hole is the portal?" I asked, and the vige head nodded.


    "Yes. However, to activate it, you will need two Fragments of Light, and two Fragments of Dark. Our ancestors scattered them around this region, so I don''t know where their exact locations are, but¡­ here is a map."


    Saying that, he held out a sheet of paper to us with three locations marked on it, describing this region.


    "Here is the first Fragment of Light¡ªit was left in this vige for protection," he continued, cing a marquise cut white gem in my hand. It was dull and didn''t shine like I expected, but if the vige head was giving this to me, it had to be authentic.


    "Come back when you have found the rest of the shards," he said. "They should be scattered around this region. Getting to them should be of no problem to you¡ªto us, there are many wild beasts in this area and can kill us easily, but you have the power of magic by your side."


    I nodded. "We''ll be back soon."


    The vige head bowed.. "May fortune be with you, great sir."

 Chapter 557 - Fragments Of Light And Dark

    Chapter 557 ¨C Fragments Of Light And Dark


    Following the map that the vige head gave us, the girls and I made our way to the different mountains in the area. There were three Fragments left we needed to collect, so to save time, we decided to split up. Feng Mian would go get one of the Fragments of Dark, Axilia would get the other one, while Qing Yue and I worked on getting the second Fragment of Light. Qing Yue was sticking with me because¡­ well, she could hardly fight on her own, being someone who pretty muchpletely sped out into support and healing.


    The reason we were split up in this way was because the Fragments of Dark were supposed to be found inside caves at the foot of the mountains, therefore Flight Magic wasn''t needed. The Fragments of Light, on the other hand, poetically were basked in sunlight, found at the very top of mountains.


    In any case, ording to the vige head''s map, this Fragment of Light was to be found on the tallest mountain in this area. We stood on top of it right now¡ªpretty easy to reach with some Flight Magic. This was the tallest mountain of this range, but still, it was nothingpared to the mountain I once climbed in Demihuman Territory a while back to retrieve the Earth Empyrean''s power.


    Speaking of¡­ they''ve been quiet for quite a bit now. They''ve just been hanging out on the private ind, though, so it should be fine.


    What was not fine, however, was the Fragment of Light that was supposed to be up here.


    "¡­ Uh, where the hell is it?" I asked, scratching my hair. "Do you see anything, Qing Yue?"


    "Nope," she said, shaking her head. "Did the vige head lie to us¡­?"


    "No, I don''t think so," I said, narrowing my eyes. "He doesn''t seem like the type to do that, and my lie detector didn''t go off either¡­"


    "Hm¡­ how interesting."


    Then, an idea hit me, and I pulled out the Fragment of Light the vige head gave me already, out of my pocket.


    "¡­ Aha. That''s the secret."


    "Hm?" Qing Yue peeked over at what I was holding in my hand, and saw¡­ nothing. Why? Because it was invisible.


    I was holding it¡ªbut it was invisible due to the sunlight. That''s why I couldn''t see the Fragment of Light here either.


    Well, that''s of no problem to me.


    <em>Level Three Shadow Magic¡ªDome of Nightmares.</em>


    Immediately, surging and swirling ck energy appeared all around us from the ground, elevating higher and higher until they converged and created the shape of a dome. The light from the outside could no longer be seen, and as a result, the only source of illumination inside the shadowy dome were two things:


    The two Fragments of Light.


    "Ohhh¡­" Qing Yue blinked in awe.


    The first was in my hand, of course, and the other was hovering high in the air, which makes sense why I couldn''t feel it even when walking around.


    With a jump, I snatched it out of the air easily, and stuffed it back into my pocket along with the other one.


    "And that''s that. Now¡­"


    I prepared to open up thems channel and contact Feng Mian and Axilia, but just when I was about to do that, I heard some screechinging our way.


    "Um¡­ Big brother Xuan Kai? There''s birdsing our way. Big, big birds."


    "Big birds? You serious?"


    I turned around and-


    "¡­ Holy shit."


    Indeed, she was right. Big, big ass birds. And there seemed to be about a dozen of them as well.


    Suddenly, they spread their wings and cawed, as thousands of sharp white feathers shot out of them to attack us.


    "Tch!"


    Instinctively, I raised my hand to absorb them, but they weren''t magic-based. Chaos failed to work, and I was struck by a good few dozen of them.


    "Ngh¡­" The cuts all over my body were light, but they hurt. Still, it wasn''t enough to do anysting damage¡ªthough it did make me pissed.


    "Now¡­ it''s my turn."


    The birds suddenly froze as they realized what they''d done, a powerful energy born of hatred leaking from my body. Then, I opened my own wings, ck and venomous. They used to be white, but since entering the Chaos Realm, my understanding of Chaos has grown deeper, and it has be to influence more of my body.


    The runic markings on my two ck wings glowed red as a deadly thunderstorm converged above us, and I pped one of my wings towards them in a sideways cut movement.


    A wide crescent-shaped strike of red energy shot out of my wings, enormous and undodgeable. The poor birds could only watch in fear as the strike cut and melted through their bodies like tofu, and they were incinerated to ashes in a moment. My attack did not end there, however, and flew all the way towards the mountain faintly in the distance where their nest was.


    The mountain''s entire top half was lopped off, wiping out their nestspletely. Then, and only then, was I satisfied, and dissipated the energy from my attack before it identally cut through the entire world.


    "¡­ Hmph."


    Landing back on the ground and retracting my wings, Qing Yue hurried over and applied her healing magic on me, easening the pain and getting rid of all the wounds in an instant. Even though I had vampiric regeneration, using that to heal still required usage of mana. Having Qing Yue here like this was far more efficient, effective, and as a side bonus¡ªeye candy. Only thing she was missing was a cute nurse outfit, and she would be perfect here.


    "Now then¡­ like I was saying¡­" I sighed and opened up myms atst. "How are you two doing?"


    "I just retrieved my Fragment of Dark," Feng Mian said via the earpiece. "Come pick me up, please. I don''t want to climb that mountain."


    "Same~" Axilia said. "But wait off on the picking up for me~! I want to massacre some more of these monkeys!"


    <em>Massacring monkeys¡­? What the hell is going on over there¡­</em>


    I decided not to think about it and just let her do what she wants.. Probably not a good idea overall, but for the sake of my mental health, I''m leaving it at that.

 Chapter 558 - The Underground City

    Chapter 558 ¨C The Underground City


    Soon after, I picked Feng Mian and Axilia both up, and headed back up to the vige at the top of the mountain. Thetter was acting like a baby and punching me the whole flight up, screaming about how she wanted to kill more, but I forced her toe along with me with the promise that she would be able to kill a bunch of things once we entered the portal and got sent to where-ever the hell it was going to send us to.


    In any case, when we arrived, the vige head was already there, waiting for us. The other vigers, however, were still nowhere to be seen, hiding like a bunch of cowards. Not that I me them¡ªfor a group of people like them and the circumstances they live in, feeling scared of the new and being cowardly is a perfectly natural thing.


    "Have you collected all the fragments?" The vige head asked, and I gave a nod before showing him the four collected fragments in my hand. The light ones, of course, were invisible, but he got the point.


    "Very well. Go ahead and ce them on the pirs, one each. Make sure the Light and Dark Fragments are not adjacent to each other."


    "In other words, make sure they''re diagonally across from one another?" Feng Mian asked, and the vige head nodded.


    "That would be correct, yes. And while he does that¡­ the rest of you, please prepare forbat."


    Feng Mian, Axilia, and Qing Yue nodded firmly, while I went ahead and ced the Fragments where they were supposed to be. Upon slotting into the simrly-shaped sockets on the pirs, the Fragments of Light lit up like they were supposed to, and the Fragments of Dark also shone¡ªjust ck instead of white.


    As soon as I slotted in the final Fragment, four thin but concentrated rays of energy shot out from the top of the four pirs. Two were ck¡ªfrom the Fragments of Dark¡ªand two were white¡ªfrom the Fragments of Light.


    They converged in a ball on top of the hole, growing bigger and bigger, until it was shaped like a drop of water. Then, the rays of energy stopped, and the raindrop-shaped concentration of energy fell downwards into the hole, pulled by gravity.


    I peered down into the dark abyss below, wondering what was going to happen, and all of a sudden, a surging geyser of water gushed up out of nowhere.


    "Woah-!" I quickly backed away¡ªnot because of the water, but because of what was in the water.


    "Careful!" I yelled, drawing my Chaos katanas, as the weird liquid-like beings leaped out of the water and came at us.


    Feng Mian and Axilia immediately leaped into battle, the former sting them with Shadow and Curse spells while thetter used her scythe and aura of death.


    I used my Chaos katanas and gun, of course, while Qing Yue supported us with buffs and healing with Blessing Magic.


    It was strange, however. Axilia''s scythe seemed to have no effect on it, and the only reason my Chaos katanas were able to kill them was because of the Chaos energy on the de. Other than that, though, only magic seemed to be able to actually kill them¡­ and Water Magic in particr didn''t do anything.


    Soon, though, after some effort, we managed to destroy all of the weird water beings. They didn''t seem to be very strong individually, but if they came at a group¡­ well, I didn''t want to experience the hard way how getting hit by one of them would feel. They did resemble jellyfish to an extent, though, so¡­ I can''t imagine it would be very fun.


    "These were the monsters you were speaking of?" I asked the vige head, who frowned and shook his head.


    "This is¡­ weird. Usually, they are¡­ bigger than this, ording to the old records. And the way they were moving¡­ it seems unnatural. Like they were¡­ escaping¡­ running from something¡­"


    He trailed off too low to hear, so I raised an eyebrow.


    "Uh¡­ what was that? Sorry, I didn''t catch it."


    "Ah, worry not," the vige head said, shaking his head again as he reassured me. "It is nothing. With this, the portal has been opened. Now, you just need to¡­"


    Qing Yue walked towards the massive hole in the ground, now with a spiral cyclone at its bottom.


    "¡­ Jump down, I take it?" She asked, and the vige head nodded.


    "Yes."


    "I see. Let''s go, then."


    "Truly a brave soul," the old man said with a smile and pped his hands. "Jumping into this hole, no one from this vige would have the guts to do so."


    <em>Wow, low standards.</em>


    "Good thing I''m not from your vige."


    And that was thest thing I said before hopping down the hole, followed by Axilia, Feng Mian, and Qing Yue.


    *****


    As the four of us entered the cyclone, we felt our heads immediately turn dizzy, but other than that, it was harmless. The dizzy effect kinda sucked, but it wasn''t enough to make us lose our consciousness or anything, and after a few seconds, it was over.


    Well, the dizzy part, anyway. The journey down was not yet over, as we were literally shot out of the cyclone into a waterfall, heading down.


    "Oh, shit-!"


    Definitely wasn''t expecting that one. Hurriedly activating my wings, I caught Qing Yue and Feng Mian, but couldn''t reach Axilia. Thankfully, she was alright¡ªactually, more than alright. She seemed to be enjoying this, and mmed her scythe down towards the bottom of the waterfall to reduce the impact of her fall.


    Inded beside her shortly after with the other two girls, and the four of us looked around to see the new area we were in. Slowly, the world became clear around us, and we were left utterly speechless.


    This wasn''t just some underground cavern or hidden chamber like I thought it would be.


    This¡­ was a whole ass city.

 Chapter 559 - The Shrine Maiden

    Chapter 559 ¨C The Shrine Maiden


    "Wow¡­ to think there was something as expansive as this underneath the mountain ranges of this area¡­" Feng Mian murmured in awe, ncing around. "What a sight¡­ a shame I didn''t bring a camera."


    "Good thing I did~!" Qing Yue eximed, pulling out a professional camera out of nowhere. And wait, is that a tripod too? How the fu-


    Nevermind. I wasn''t here to worry about that. And although the view did certainly look nice, what with the heavy fog and all, I was here for a purpose, and there was no time to waste.


    "C''mon, you guys," I said. "You can take picturester. We have a job to do."


    The girls were slightly disappointed, but they nodded in acknowledgment and put all the picture-taking equipment away. I could never understand what was so appealing about photography to them, but hey¡ªit is what it is.


    The structure of this underground city was somewhat peculiar. It wasn''t all pieced together¡ªinstead, it was more like several sets of ruins spread out amongst different massive inds that weren''t connected and differed in elevation. In other words, to go from one ind to another, we needed to fly, and the fog wasn''t especially helping either.


    To make things easier, Feng Mian activated her subus form. I don''t know when she learned to do this by will, since usually it required some stimtion from me, but I''m guessing Eve must''ve taught her how. Either way, this was a boon, since this meant I only had to carry Axilia while Feng Mian carried Qing Yue, who was lighter.


    Soon, wended on the first ind, and marveled at the ruins all around us. It was very different from anything we''d seen before¡ªthis ce was ancient, calming, and somehow tranquil. It was the kind of ce I would be able to stay in for eternity, simply because of how nice it was.


    "Where''s the tracker pointing to, Xuan Kai?" Feng Mian asked, and I nced down at the device on my wrist.


    "Hm¡­ it appears to be pointing further down¡­"


    "Further down? But¡­ this is the lowest ind there is, from what I can see," Qing Yue said. "Are you sure, Big brother Xuan Kai?"


    I nodded. "Maybe there''s another portal somewhere that will take us even deeper down¡­"


    "If there is, then it''ll be up there," Feng Mian said, pointing at a massive tower-looking structure in the distance. At its top, the half-broken shape of a massive serpent could be made out just barely through the fog, and what once looked glorious was now just a shadow of its former self.


    "That''s¡­ certainly quite the intricate design, that''s for sure," Qing Yue remarked, and Axilia tilted her head at me innocently.


    "Xuan Kai, Xuan Kai¡­ when can I kill something¡­?"


    I sighed and rubbed her head. "Very soon, my princess of death. Just hang in a bit tighter, okay?"


    "Mm~!"


    She nodded happily and clung to me in an embrace, much to the other two girls'' envy. Me? I was more concerned about her scythe being about an inch away from my eye.


    The girls and I journeyed our way to the big tower with the serpent carving on top, but we didn''t just fly straight there. Feng Mian''s stamina wasn''t enough for that. Instead, we explored each of the inds thoroughly¡ªif the Hex obelisk was in this ce, then maybe there would be other clues hidden around somewhere as well.


    On the way, of course, we were met with opposition. Various organisms of pure water jumped out from ponds and waterfalls at us, but they were all cut down with ease. The ''dangers'' the vige head had warned us about didn''t seem to be very dangerous after all. I mean, even without the use of magic, these little creatures could be taken down with some good aim and the desire to strike swiftly and lethally.


    Eventually, however, we came across a temple of sorts. It seemed to preach a certain religion, but I didn''t recognize the symbol¡ªit was like two snakes coiled around a sword, but up on the surface, there was no religion like this. Not that I knew of, anyway. The girls didn''t seem to recognize it either.


    "What is this¡­?" Qing Yue wondered aloud, and I shrugged.


    "Dunno. A temple of some sort?"


    "Wait," Feng Mian interjected. "There seems to be¡­ a person inside."


    "Wait, what? A person, here?"


    "It seems like it. At least¡­ that''s what my subus senses are telling me."


    "Huh¡­ did Eve teach you how to do that as well?" Qing Yue asked, and Feng Mian nodded.


    "I''m still not very good at it yet, but¡­ I can tell there''s definitely someone in there. I just don''t know whether they''re male or female, or how strong they are."


    "Hm¡­ that''s fine. But if there''s really someone in here¡­ hopefully, they''ll be able to give us some hints as to what''s going on with this underground city."


    The girls and I stepped into the half-broken entrance of the temple, and sure enough, inside, we found a young woman. She was dressed in a shrine maiden''s clothing, and seemed to be a perfectly normal human.


    "¡­ Hey there," I said in a polite tone, and waved, hoping for a reply.


    Slowly, the shrine maiden turned around, and instantly, I noticed her eyes. The rest of her body seemed normal, but her eyes were that of snakes, like narrow, vertical slits.


    "¡­ It has been a long time since Ist met someone here."


    "Er¡­ how long, particrly?"


    "¡­ About a couple thousand years," she replied as if that were nothing. "So? Why have you humanse here?"


    "We''re looking for something," I said, getting straight to the point. "A stone obelisk, from an ancient, alien civilization. Apparently, it leaks blue energy. Do you know what I''m talking about?"


    The shrine maiden fell silent momentarily, considering my words, then closed her eyes and gave a soft nod.


    "Yes, I do.. But in exchange for my information¡­ you will need toplete several tasks for me first."

 Chapter 560 - Atlantis

    Chapter 560 ¨C Antis


    "¡­ Complete several tasks for you?" I arched an eyebrow.


    "Yes," the shrine maiden replied softly. "It is a fair exchange, is it not? You want something from me, and I want something from you. An even deal."


    "Alternatively, I could just threaten you for the info I want," I said with a grin. "And if you don''t give in, worst case scenario, I kill you and find it myself. I have a tracker leading me to it, after all."


    But despite my words, the shrine maiden was not at all fazed, and only blinked her snake-like eyes at me once.


    "I assure you, you will not be able to reach the obelisk without my help," she said. "Within Antis, there are many puzzles and secrets. None are intuitive. If you wish to know how to get past them and reach your goal, you will need my assistance. You know that as well, which is why you sought me out in the first ce, am I wrong?"


    <em>Hm¡­ this woman¡­ she''s observant. But that also makes her dangerous¡­ I''ll have to keep my guard up when working with her.</em>


    "¡­ Fine. I ept your conditions. What do you need me to do?"


    "¡­" The shrine maiden fell silent briefly, then turned back around and faced the wall in front of her. "This ce is called Antis. It was once a glorious utopia for the riversnake race. We had a bountiful civilization, a happymunity, and a well-established order. Everything was going perfectly. While the surface humans lived on the surface, we lived down here. Neither bothered the other, neither even knew of the other''s existence."


    We listened to her story quietly as the shrine maiden lifted her arm and traced her fingers across the wall, as if reminiscing about something.


    "But then¡­ they came."


    The girls and I exchanged nces briefly, and Feng Mian raised the question.


    "¡­ Who''s they?"


    The shrine maiden turned around to face us once more. "I know not what their name is in your tongue. But we riversnakes call them the ''Kurl''Narx''. Invaders, in yournguage. That obelisk you speak of, emitting blue energy¡­ it was left by them."


    My eyes widened. <em>So these ''invaders'' are the Hex¡­</em>


    "They opened up a door to Antis from the surface, and came here to capture ournd, kill our people. Nearly all the riversnakes have now gone extinct. I¡­ am the only survivor."


    "How did you survive?" Feng Mian asked. "Was it just luck¡­?"


    "I wish it was," the shrine maiden said. "That way, I could feel less guilty. But I¡­ was raised by humans."


    "Wait, what?"


    Now that was a surprise.


    "I know not what happened when I was born. I was raised as a shrine maiden, working at a human church. But when I turned of age, I found out what happened to my race. My home. After all, I could not disguise myself as something I was not forever. As I aged, my riversnake features grew more and more prominent. I could not pretend to be human anymore. I could not keep on lying to myself anymore."


    "¡­ So you came back down here, and remained alone for¡­ several thousand years? Wow¡­" Qing Yue mused in awe.


    "Yes. You are the first humans to have ventured down into these ruins of Antis since myself."


    "¡­ I see. And what do you need us to do?" I asked, to which the shrine maiden closed her eyes.


    "It is a simple task, really. Do you see the tower at the center of this underground city?"


    I gave a nod. It was the massive tower with the half-broken serpent sculpture at the top of it. How could one even miss it?


    "I need you to go there, and activate the lever," she continued. "It is as simple as that. Once you have done so,e back here and meet me. Then, you will find the information you are searching for."


    "Uh¡­ got it," I said. "But¡­ what will pulling the lever do?"


    "Erase my suffering," the shrine maiden said. "Now that I have passed the story onto someone else, it is time for me to forget it all."


    "I¡­ see¡­"


    I wasn''t entirely sure what she meant, but it wasn''t my position to question any further. Bidding us farewell and good luck, the shrine maiden left us to our own devices, and without dying any further, the girls and I headed for the tower in the distance.


    I imagined the dangers the vige people were speaking of were the riversnakes that originally inhabited here, but they''d been wiped out by the Hex. Either way, the dangers that once dwelled down here were now reced with nothing but these¡­ mostly harmless creatures made of water, and although they stung like jellyfish if you came into contact with one (I got careless and learned the hard way, though Qing Yue fixed it right after), they didn''t deal anysting damage.


    This made the actual terrain the most challenging part of getting to the tower. We had to fly across numerous inds, venture up somewhat tedious and tiring mountains, and atst, climb to the very top of the tower.


    On the way, we did some exploring, of course. The ruins in this ce were quite fascinating¡ªjust like the shrine maiden said, the riversnakes down here had established a whole civilization of their own. They even had ces simr to those on the surface¡ªa library, a council meeting room, and hell, even a hot spring, if that''s what it was.


    We also discovered a lot of evidence that the riversnakes were on par with if not better than any race on the surface, in terms of intelligence. As for physical strength, they simrly were superior to humans, and were pretty even with Demons, I would say, after observing some scraps of their weapons. Judging from their craftsmanship and the like, it was also clear they possessed dexterity on par with the Dwarves, and the existence of this entire underground ce would be impossible without powerful magic, possibly on par with the Elves.


    To be a powerful race like this, and stillpletely wiped out by the Hex with ease¡­ just what kind of monsters are these aliens?

 Chapter 561 - Alien Robots

    Chapter 561 ¨C Alien Robots


    Soon, we arrived at the tall tower with the massive serpent carving hanging on the exterior. It was extremely tall and wide as expected, but the insides were cleaner than what we initially had thought. We thought it would''ve had tons of dust inside and filled with cobwebs, but surprisingly enough, it was pristine.


    Within was an entire library of books, recording the history of the riversnakes and how they eventually evolved and developed human forms. It also recorded the invasion¡ªor at least, what happened up until the final battle that decided the fate of their race. They had mustered up all of their forces for one decisive battle with the Hex, and¡­ well, were promptly wiped out.


    Other than that, the books just registered ancient folklore and fables of the riversnakes. They, just like humans and any other race on Xenith, had a culture and history of their own. It was respectable, really¡ªa shame they are pretty much extinct now, with the exception of that one shrine maiden who told us toe here.


    Speaking of¡­ the lever she told us about was right in the very center of the tower on the bottommost floor. In other words, it was right in front of us as soon as we walked in, not guarded or encrypted or anything like that. Considering how grandly she spoke of this¡ªhow it would ''lift her burdens'' and whatnot¡ªI had expected it to be more¡­ secretive? But I suppose not.


    "Hey, Big Brother Xuan Kai," Qing Yue suddenly said as I was inspecting the books surrounding us. "Take a look at this."


    Raising an eyebrow, I walked over to where she was, and widened my eyes.


    "This is¡­"


    The book she held in her hands was called ''The Invaders''. And as for its contents¡­ it was descriptions of the Hex. Appearances, powers, personalities, strategies, everything. It was detailed to the core, like what a doctor would write about a research subject. Not only that, but it was for some reason written in human tongue, meaning I could read it perfectly. It was odd, but I wasn''t going to question it.


    After all, needless to say, the information stored within this book was going to be a great boon to me in the future, should the need arise to engage in direct conflict with the Hex. On the off-chance that destroying the obelisks fails to stop the Hex''s impeding invasion, a manual like this lined with past experiences and possible counters to kill them would be amazing to have.


    Since we had some time right now, I decided to take some to just read over the contents of the book. ording to it, the Hex were an alien race of robots. They possessed superior intelligence to us, but at the same time,cked creativity. As a result, while their weapons and the like were all super-engineered and built very powerfully, their actual attacking methods were blunt and straight-forward: just a full-on frontal assault.


    That being said, it was a powerful frontal assault. Being a race of robots, they were constantly repopting on wherever their home was. As such, they had the power to send in waves upon waves of soldiers endlessly, even if all of them were walking straight to their deaths. In other wards, if there was a hole in front of their way that led tova, they would fill up the hole with theirrades'' dead bodies before stepping over it and carrying on with their invasion. That was how ruthless and quite frankly¡ªstupid¡ªthey were.


    In the manual, it was stated that there were three main sses of Hex soldiers: Troopers, Exorcists, and Praetors. Troopers were your average footsoldiers that wielded cybeic guns and weren''t very strongpared to the others, but came en masse. Exorcists were like mages, in a sense, except they much preferred grenades over spells. Lastly, Praetors were the tanks, and the strongest type of soldier of them all¡ªthey had loads of artillery equipped with them, and were extremely tall and big as well.


    ording to the author''s notes, just one Trooper took two riversnakes to take down. And as for Praetors¡­ the total number of them that the riversnakes managed to defeat in the battle was¡­ an astounding zero.


    "They had incredible durability," the journal wrote. "Their armor was like a thousandyers of steel, and their energy barriers reflected anything we threw at them."


    Right. Energy barriers. Apparently, that was the most powerful weapon of the Praetors. They were described to wield some kind of weapon in their right hand and hold nothing in their left, but could spin their left wrist to generate some kind of energy barrier. No matter what the riversnakes tried, they could not break past that barrier¡ªwhich was the main reason why they failed to take down even one Praetor.


    Not only that, there appeared to be multiple subsses amongst each main ss of soldiers as well. For example, amongst the Troopers, there were the rifle-ss, sniper-ss, shotgun-ss, and engineer-ss. Each of them wielded different weapons¡ªthe first three were self-exnatory, but engineer-ss Troopers actually drove powerful machines into battle¡ªfor example, their own version of tanks or nes.


    As for Exorcists, they had Healers and Bombers. Once again, self-exnatory.


    But perhaps the most interesting and difficult one of them all was the Praetor. This ss had a total of seven different subsses, namely: Razor, sma, Renegade, Artillery, Gunneer, Marksman, and Streak. Razor wielded double-swords and was the meleebat type, sma featured twin-shot sma cannon that fired slow but did high AOE damage, Renegade was a berserk type that brawled with their fists and was a true tank, Artillery used homing missiles and grenades, Gunneer wielded a powerful minigun, Marksman held a high-power urate rail-gun that could pass through and vaporize anything instantly, and Streak usedser powers to fight.


    This book¡­ I wonder who wrote it. It couldn''t have been the riversnakes¡ªthey don''t know human tongue.


    So then¡­ who was it?

 Chapter 562 - Shrine Maidens Lie

    Chapter 562 ¨C Shrine Maiden¡¯s Lie


    Just looking at the descriptions in that manual made the Hex seem utterly terrifying. I don''t doubt that my Chaos power and Xuan Yu''s Order power will be able to keep them in check and defeat them easily, but the sheer fact that they were robots who cared about nothing but their own programming scared me. After all, no matter how many of them fell, they would just keeping. So long as whoever wasmanding them continued the order of "steal the Chaos from me", the Hex would continue invading, over and over again.


    With a sigh, I closed up the manual and stored it into my Space Locket. Things were going to be pretty damn bad if destroying the obelisks didn''t manage to stop the Hex''s invasion.


    Heading over to the lever, I ced my hand on it, and hesitated for a moment.


    <em>What does that shrine maiden mean by erasing all of her burdens¡­?</em>


    <em>That''s what I was questioning. What was pulling this lever going to do, exactly?</em>


    <em>But oh well. That was not any of my concern anyway. This is what she wanted in exchange for information on the location of the obelisk, so this is what I''ll do for her. An equal trade. As for what happens after I pull this thing¡­ only she knows, and only she should care.</em>


    Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, and mustered all of my strength into pulling the lever. It was tight¡ªeven with my vampiric and angelic powers, it was difficult to pull. Still, though, I managed to activate it in the end, and immediately, the girls and I heard the sound of gears spinning all around us. Mechanisms, if you will. A deep rumbling thundered through the walls as the ground shook a little, and debris began falling onto our heads from the ceiling.


    "Uhhhhh, was this supposed to happen?" Feng Mian asked, and I shook my head.


    "Hell if I know! Let''s go!"


    The girls and I dashed out of the tower as fast as we could, right before the ceiling caved in and copsed. But that was not the end of it¡ªas we emerged on the outside, Qing Yue pointed to the top of the tower, where the snake sigil was.


    "Look, look!"


    We all watched in stunned silence as rays of light raced up the edges of the tower, converging and writhing together at the top to form a beautiful glowing yellow outline on the snake carving. It grew brighter and brighter, whiter and whiter, until we could no longer look at it and could only cover our eyes as everything around us was absorbed by the light.


    Several secondster, we reopened our eyes, and found that everything was back to the way it was¡ªonly, the tower that had been in front of us¡­ was no longer there. I''m not talking about it being destroyed¡ªI''m talking like it wasn''t even there in the first ce, with no sign of it ever being there at all. An explosion or something couldn''t have been that clean in the tower''s removal¡­ so what happened?


    "This is¡­ really weird," Feng Mian said atst, voicing all of our thoughts, and I nodded.


    "Yeah¡­ it sure is. But regardless, that shrine maiden probably has answers," I said. "Standing around here isn''t going to solve any of our problems, so let''s head back."


    The girls nodded in agreement, and together, we headed back to the location we came here from, where the shrine maiden was.


    *****


    ¡­ Or rather, should''ve been.


    When we arrived back at the half-broken temple, we found that the shrine maiden was no longer there. In fact, the temple itself was no longer there either. Instead, it was now reced by a simple rock wall that seemed to be part of the nature surrounding it, with no oddities out of the ordinary.


    On the way back here, we noticed that all the riversnakes'' infrastructures and buildings were gone as well. The libraries, the pools, the arcades, everything. It was as if the civilization never existed in the first ce, and what we''d seen up until now was a mere illusion. A dream.


    But I knew. It was not as simple as just a dream.


    After all¡­ the shrine maiden left us one final clue: a note, scribbled in messy but legible handwriting. It read as follows:


    <em>Thank you, traveler.</em>


    <em>I apologize for not telling you the full story. I could not bring myself to. After all, you would never have agreed to the deal if I told you this is what I meant, would you? I''m sorry. But this is all I can do.</em>


    <em>No matter who you are, there is no way to run from your past. There is no method to truly relieve oneself of their burdens, no matter how hard they try. That''s why¡­ I will be selfish, just this once. I will transfer my burdens onto you, then rest easy knowing the story of my people will not be forgotten¡ªat least, not for another generation. I have done my duty, if that is the case.</em>


    <em>Forgive me for my selfishness and weakness, traveler. You can forget about us if you so wish. But so long as you remembered even for a moment, that is all that matters.</em>


    <em>Every story has an end. This¡­ is mine.</em>


    <em>P.S. I did not forget about the deal we made. Look on the back of this note.</em>


    "¡­" I held the sheet of paper in my hand, unsure of what to make of it. The girls, who read it in their minds already, were simrly silent.


    I mean, what was I supposed to say to this? What even was I supposed to feel? Mad? Sad? Neither of those emotions quite seemed to fit. I didn''t know this person well enough to feel sad, and it wasn''t really good to be getting mad at a dead person.


    In the end, all four of us decided to just remain silent about the letter, and focus on the task ahead of us. I flipped the note around and saw what looked like a map, with the obelisk''s location along with ours marked. Following this, it should be easy to make it there.


    Still, though¡­ the death of the shrine maiden hung in the atmosphere, making it tense and somewhat awkward.

 Chapter 563 - Hex Mechanisms

    Chapter 563 ¨C Hex Mechanisms


    Following the map''s directions, the girls and I soon arrived at where the Hex Obelisk was supposed to be. This was confirmed by the tracker device I had, which was feeling really damn hot on my wrist. That signaled that the obelisk was close¡ªvery close, enough for the tracker to be reacting with it.


    But¡­ I did not see a thing around me, and neither did the girls.


    "What''s going on¡­ this should the location marked by the map," Feng Mian murmured. "Xuan Kai, what does the tracker say?"


    "Apparently, it''s¡­ below," I said. "But the problem is, I don''t see a way to go ''below''."


    "Neither do I," Qing Yue added, shrugging. "Could it be¡­ we have to blow up the ground?"


    "Uh, I doubt that''s the case," I muttered, as Feng Mian let out a sigh of relief.


    "Oh, good. I thought you were going to go along with it."


    "However," I continued, folding my arms. "If it works, it works. And I am toozy to search for the proper way to do this, so-"


    "Hey! What if you identally, I don''t know, trigger a series of explosions?" Feng Mian asked in a panic, and Iughed.


    "Don''t worry about it. Even if I do trigger a series of explosions, it''ll be fine. I''m here."


    At this, she blushed a bit, and didn''t argue further.


    "Step back," I said, charging up energy in my right hand. The girls did as told, knowing how destructive my power was, and went a good hundred meters away. I erected a barrier to protect them as well, then began working on my attack.


    Soaring into the air, I raised my hand up, palm towards the sky, and began condensing energy.


    <em>Legendary Fire Magic ¡ª Sr Nova.</em>


    Instantly, ck and red fire in the shape of a ball began forming in my hand, swirling with dark energy. Little by little, it grew as I poured more energy into it, until it was the size of a small asteroid. Its shadow shrouded and darkened the entire area, just barely not reaching where the girls were¡ªthankfully.


    Unable to hold the energy any longer, Iunched the enormous fireball at the ground below. The sr nova traveled slowly due to its size, but that didn''t matter against an immobile target. The destructive power was there, and that''s all I cared about.


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion went off as my spell came into contact with the ground, erupting the earthpletely and reducing it to ashes. Inside, below, it was revealed that this entire area was in fact hollow, and a cavey on the interior.


    However¡­ as it would seem, some puzzles would need to be solved to reach the very bottom. I could feel the Hex Obelisk down there¡ªbut the only problem was, there was about several floors'' worth of water filling this ce up. Sure, we could just use magic to bypass breathing and head down there, but considering this was the Hex we were dealing with, I am fairly certain there would be some kind of powerful guard down there¡ªand I did not want to fight it in the water.


    Thankfully, the first level was cleared of water already, and there seemed to be some mechanisms around that I could use to lower the water level, possibly.


    "¡­ Well, let''s head down," I said, before hopping into the hole and activating my Flight Magic. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and Axilia both hopped down as well¡ªthe fall was short enough that I didn''t need to carry them.


    After wended, we spotted a button-looking mechanism not too far away. It had a glowing hovering red circle surrounding it, signaling that it was off. Around it were several pressure tes, eight in total.


    "Hm¡­ looks like this can lower the water level," I said. "I mean, I don''t see much else it can do given its surroundings."


    "So how do we activate it?" Qing Yue asked, blinking, as Feng Mian folded her arms and analyzed the puzzle.


    "It''s either we step on all of them at the same time¡­ or there''s a certain configuration of the pressure tes we have to step on and which ones we don''t. I don''t see any clues around, even with Shadow Vision, so it should just be the first option."


    Shadow Vision¡ªa spell that allowed the user to see past light and darkness and only see ''truth''. Hidden clues mean nothing to this spell, and all will be revealed. If even this couldn''t find any clues around us, then clearly, there weren''t any.


    After exchanging nods, the four of us stepped onto the pressure tes. As there were four of us, it was perfect¡ªeach of us had one foot on one pressure te, so the four of us were able to cover all eight at the same time.


    As the tes sank down into the ground, activated, the red circle hovering around the button-like mechanism evaporated and disappeared. A fairly simple puzzle, if I do say so myself. Then again¡ªthe Hex, like the book stated, were ''intelligent'' but not creative. They were very straightforward and couldn''t bend their thoughts¡ªor rather, their programming¡ªso all their puzzles ended up like this. Heh.


    Stepping forward, I pressed my hand on the button, and immediately, water level below sank, as if being drained out by something. Just like that, the next level was revealed, possibly with another button like this with simr mechanics to unlock.


    "Alright. Let''s do that a couple more times, and we''ll be don-"


    Just as I said that, however, I heard a whirring sound behind me, and instantly spun around before widening my eyes.


    "¡­ Oh, you''ve got to be kidding me."


    Standing before us was a massive robot¡ªpossibly a Praetor, judging from appearance and matching with the drawings in the book. To make matters worse, it was a Razor type, and we were in melee distance from it.


    But while I was stunned, the girls were already ready to fight. Feng Mian and Axilia both had smiles on their faces, the former of which activated her subus ws.


    "Finally¡­ a worthy opponent. I haven''t fought something challenging in a long time."


    The Praetor and us stared at one another, both parties ring at the other, as we awaited for it to make the first move.

 Chapter 564 - Razor Praetor

    Chapter 564 ¨C Razor Praetor


    "WRRRRRR¡­."


    The Razor Praetor mmed one of its enormous energy swords down at us, cleaving the ground in half. The entire floor nearly copsed, but it cared not if it fell. It was like a berserker with only one goal in mind: kill.


    "Tch¡­" The girls and I dodged out of the way and shielded ourselves from the rubble, but the Praetor wasn''t like other enemies. It did not need breaks or rest between attacks. It chased after us relentlessly, slicing at the air with its two enormous katana-shaped swords.


    They weren''t just any normal katanas, of course. These were foreign energy swords, made of materials that could not be found on Xenith. The hilt and crossguard were made of some special material that felt like stic but was as hard as titanium, while the actual de was created using some sort of special energy that emitted a bright blue hue and could be used to cut through anything and everything¡ªlike aser in the form of a sword, but more powerful. The Streak ss Praetor probably used simr technology.


    Feng Mianunched spells of Shadow, Poison, and Curse Element at the massive robot at least twice our height, but none of them seemed to do any damage. It was as if their armor waspletely resistant to all magic, and physical attacks didn''t seem to do much either.


    "What''s with this thing¡­ so tough," Axilia groaned, slightly irritated. She was used to cutting down enemies with one single strike¡ªbut this opponent was different. Even if we were in the Death Realm where True Essence was rich and she could use her full power as the Princess of Death, it still would do nothing. After all, the Hex weren''t ''living'' to begin with. They had no lifeforce. They were robots who didn''t hold concepts such as life and death.


    Thankfully, however, my Chaos katanas were still able to duel the Praetor''s energy des. You can cut steel, can cut rock, can cut anything, but not the primordial power that binds the world.


    Unfortunately, just like how we were a group of four, this Praetor wasn''t alone, either. It let out a loud whirring noise, like an rm, and instantly, four more Hex emerged from the ground beside it. They rose in translucent blue capsule-like devices that dispelled when theynded on the ground, and pulled out their weapons. Luckily, they were not Praetors¡ªonly basic Riflemen Troopers, but still, they were going to be hard to kill regardless.


    "Feng Mian, Axilia, you two take care of the minions!" I yelled, shing my sword against the big Praetor. "Qing Yue, support them¡ªjust keep them off of me!"


    "Understood!"


    Immediately, the three moved into action under my instructions, and began attacking the Troopers that spawned. This opened up the Praetor and I to a one-on-one duel, which was exactly what I wanted.


    After all, the more times our swords met, the stronger I became and the weaker it became. This Praetor was too dumb to realize that, though, so it continued shing at me with its infinite energy time and time again, not realizing that by doing so, it was actually helping me.


    "Alright¡­ about time to finish this," I muttered, and dashed back a few meters. Then, charging my katanas up with the energy stolen from the Praetor''s des, I smiled.


    "Robots will only be robots in the end, it seems."


    Leaping into the air, I dropped down on it with my energy-infused swords, burning ck and red. After sucking so much power from its massive des, they shouldn''t be able to block my attack. And in this world, there was nothing the primordialw of Chaos could not cut.


    ¡­ Or at least, that''s what I thought.


    But the robot suddenly crossed its energy des into an X-shape, and when my Chaos des collided with it, I hit an energy barrier instead.


    Not only that, but it was one I couldn''t break.


    "¡ª!"


    Suddenly, I was shoved back by the robot''s immensely powerful mechanical force, and I just managed to break my fall by tumbling backwards and sliding across the floor.


    "Ngh¡­"


    This was impossible. Did that energy barrier just block an attack from my Chaos-charged katanas? How?


    Questions flooded through my head with no answers as I got back up to my feet, and red at the Praetor. Now, I was pissed. This made no sense. Just what was the barrier made out of that it could block an attack from Chaos itself?


    I was confused. Very confused. But despite that, I needed to keep fighting. After all, the Praetor wasn''t going to just wait until I figured the answer out before attacking.


    Lifting its swords back up again, now fully recharged with energy, it charged at me, arms swinging. I narrowed my eyes and met its attack, but to my surprise-


    SNAP!


    My Chaos des were sliced in half, and my eyes widened even further.


    This¡­ was impossible.


    Nothing should be able to break these des. Nothing. So how was this stupid robot doing it?! Just what kind of power fueled the Hex''s technology?!


    I needed to stay calm, but it was difficult. Still, I closed my eyes and channeled energy through my arms into my Chaos katanas, reforging their des anew. It took quite a bit of mana, but it was certainly possible for me.


    Now, for round two.


    The Praetor and Iunched ourselves at one another, but this time, I avoided direct conflict. Instead, I faked going up, then suddenly mmed down and slid in between its legs. Then, emerging behind it before it could even react, I cut downwards with my katanas, driving them directly into the mech''s back, where what looked like a pulsating blue core was stored behind a metal gate. My Chaos katanas may not be able to break its sword now, but it can still cut through this titanium-like material.


    "WRRRRRR!"


    Instantly, its body froze, and it fell to the ground. The lights on its body slowly faded out before disappearing for good, but it wasn''t dead yet. Just in a repair mode, judging from the still-shing core.


    But that would not be the case for long.


    Lifting my des and pressing their hilts together, I turned my katanas into a bow. Then, pulling the string back on the already-auto-generated Chaos arrow, infused with powerful single-target damage, I narrowed my eyes and let go.


    The arrow struck its target true, and the blue light turned to red. Getting a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen, I hurriedly backed away¡ª


    BOOM!


    ¡ªJust in time to avoid the enormous explosion that shook the entire cavern as the Praetor''s body was no more.

 Chapter 565 - The Hexs Weakness

    Chapter 565 ¨C The Hex¡¯s Weakness


    As the Praetor''s body exploded, a powerful energy shockwave erupted all around it. I instinctively lifted my arms to defend myself, as did the girls, but I soon realized it didn''t affect us at all. It passed straight through our bodies and rippled across the air, striking the<em> other</em> Hex.


    Immediately, the Hex Troopers spasmed a bit, as if they''d been hit by some sort of electromaic ray that caused their insides to go haywire, and the single eye-like disys they had on their heads flickered a bit before fading out. The Troopers fell to the ground, immobilized and disabled, and making thempletely vulnerable.


    The girls didn''t let go of this opportunity, naturally, and moved in to finish them off with a good few attacks on the core hiding within their exposed backs, guarded only by a metal gate. Several smaller explosions ensued, none of them affecting any of us, and soon, all the Hex on this floor had been cleared.


    The girls and I regrouped, reholstering our weapons, and took a moment to analyze what just happened.


    "So¡­ those are the Hex, huh?" Feng Mian muttered. "Powerful indeed, just like the book states. My attacks barely left a scratch, be it physical or magic."


    "Even with my boosts, too," Qing Yue said with a sigh. "But luckily, it seems they have a weakspot, at the very least."


    "Mhm~ on their backs. That metal gate is tough to get through, but for me, it''s easy~" Axilia said loftily, twirling her scythe around. "Once we break that, hitting the core will make them go bye-bye~"


    I nodded. "Yeah. And not just that¡­ when Praetors have their cores destroyed, they release a powerful shockwave of energy that paralyzes all nearby Hex units. I''m not sure if that''s intentionally designed on their part or not, but either way, it''s of great benefit to us. If ites down to direct conflict, we should target the Praetors first¡ªthat way, when we take one out, a whole field of Hex surrounding them will be disabled."


    "Correct. But I doubt it is intentional," Feng Mian said with a smile. "There''s no reason for them to create such a big weakness amongst themselves like that. If I had to guess¡­ it has something to do with the energy that they''re using to be this powerful. The energy that charges their cores, their weapons, and those energy barriers that Praetors have."


    "Hm¡­ speaking of¡­"


    I narrowed my eyes and walked over to where the dead Hex bodiesy, spread out and burnt to crisps. Their originally blue bodies were turned dark grey from the explosions, but one tiny bit of blue light could still be seen being emitted from the Praetor''s body.


    The Troopers were goners, but this Praetor''s body could still be salvaged¡ªespecially the core. With some effort, I managed to pull the core out of the Praetor''s body¡ªit was faint, but it was still glowing, signaling it could still function and be used. Then, storing it inside my Space Locket to freeze it in time for preservation purposes, I began working on the rest of the body.


    Hauling it into the Space Locket was a pain, but I much preferred doing that then cutting it up into pieces then taking it inside one by one. This was faster anyway.


    In any case, with this salvaged, we now had a lead as to how to effectively counter the Hex. Once I brought this into the Infinite Realm, Hephestus could analyze it and perhaps design something to counter it. If that happened, the war against the Hex¡ªif it came down to it¡ªwould be greatly improved in terms of winning chances.


    But of course, for now, we still had another task in mind.


    Peering down below at the next level, we spotted several more Hex Troopers, loitering around. There seemed to be about a dozen total, but thankfully, there were no Praetors. The girls and I exchanged nces and nodded, before each diving down in a different direction in pairs¡ªQing Yue with me, and Feng Mian and Axilia together.


    We swept the Troopers in a coordinated nk attack¡ªnow that we knew what their weaknesses were, it was quite simple. On their part, Axilia took down the gates while Feng Mian destroyed their cores, and on our part, I simply shot Chaos arrows that pierced both gate and core. The Troopers fell one by one, weak and feeble.


    Of course, that was only for us, with our Chaos-boosted powers. The girls had been by my side for a long time, so they too shared a little bit of the strength amplification. To the average, normal person, breaking that gate is next to impossible, unless they poured all of their power into it. And only then it would just be barely possible.


    In other words, these Hex were extremely tough and troublesome opponents. The only reason we were breezing through them right now with ease was because of our special powers.


    Once all the Hex were down, I went around collecting the few still-salvagable parts for more samples for Hephestuster, and stored them within my Space Locket. And now, it was time to lower the water level once again.


    As expected, the puzzle was simr to the previous one. However, as we stepped on all eight pressure tes together, thinking it would unlock the button mechanism, nothing happened. I raised an eyebrow.


    "¡­ Uh, did we break something during all the fighting?" I asked, but Feng Mian shook her head.


    "No, I don''t think so¡­ this one seems to be slightly different from the previous," she said. "Let me see what I can find¡­"


    Concentrating, she activated the spell Shadow Vision, and looked around. Her purple eyes glowed brightly like fireflies in the dark ruins we were in, and after a few seconds, her gaze fell upon the ceiling above us.


    "¡­ There," she said. "Step on the four corner tes, that''s it."


    The rest of us did as told, and immediately, the button mechanism unlocked, allowing us to press on it and further lower the water level.


    "Huh¡­ so they are capable of changing methods slightly, at the very least," I muttered, memorizing this to heart.

 Chapter 566 - Exorcist And Praetor

    Chapter 566 ¨C Exorcist And Praetor


    With the water level lowered, there was just one more level to go before they reached the very bottom. From here, the water was already thin enough to see whaty below¡ªthe Hex obelisk, emitting square-shaped perimeters of blue light around it that faded away with distance.


    Sure, I could just leap into the water right now, and destroy it from there. But there was a problem¡ªbeside the obelisk, on either side of it, a Hex mechy. One appeared to be a Praetor that wielded an enormous two-handed greatsword, and the other was some kind of¡­ weird round humanoid being that somewhat resembled a ball.


    But of course, thanks to the handbook the riversnakes left behind, we knew better. That was no ball¡ªthat was an Exorcist-ss Hex, and a Healer subss at that.


    That was going to be a huge problem fighting them head-on, much less in the water. As such, we decided to just do things the normal way and clear out this floor first.


    Once again, there were only a few troopers. The execution was the same as the previous floor¡ªnk attack, take out the gate covers, then their cores. They were too focused on their own programming to notice what happened to their friends on the floor above, so naturally they had no way to counter or defend against us.


    After that, Feng Mian once again found the trick to the pressure te puzzle using Shadow Vision, and we solved the button mechanism with no problem whatsoever. The water level lowered, and soon, the only things standing in our way between the obelisk and us were the two Hex sitting on the ground beside it.


    As the water waspletely drained and the two Hex mechs were no longer submerged in water, their ''eyes'' flickered to life, and their stood up. Well, the Praetor did, anyway. The Exorcist just kinda hovered in the air with its short, stubby legs, floating around.


    Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Axilia, and I hid on the floor above, looking down at them. They didn''t notice us here, which was good. We needed the jump on them.


    The n was quite straight-forward: we would all copse on the exorcist first. Feng Mian will use Curse Magic to slow it down and weaken its resistances, Axilia will break the gate on its back, while Qing Yue will give me the speed I needed to circle around behind it and take it down. Then, with the Healer out of the way, we can all take on the Praetor together.


    Unfortunately, ns don''t always go as nned.


    Feng Mian leaped down and did her part¡ªapplied the Curse Magic on the Exorcist. Axilia also did hers, throwing her scythe so it tore off the gate protecting the Hex''s core. Qing Yue also gave me the speed boost I needed to circle around to behind the Exorcist while being invisible. Everything was in ce, the Exorcist''s back was exposed.


    But right as I was about to pierce it with an arrow, a bulky figure suddenly dashed in front of me, and intercept my arrow with its greatsword.


    "Wha-?!" My eyes widened a bit at its speed, but there wasn''t any time for surprise as the massive Hex mecha mmed its energy greatsword down into the ground in front of me.


    "Ngh-!" I wasn''t hit directly by it, but was knocked backwards by the sheer force of the impact. The girls called out my name, but I couldn''t respond.


    After all, the Renegade Praetor wasn''t done with me just yet, and the girls were busy trying to take down the Healer, who was now long alerted and protecting itself with shields and the like.


    The Renegade''s bloodthirsty red gleam in its berserk eye followed me as it dashed in my direction, energy sword glowing dangerously red. I evaded out of the way with a sideways roll, thenunched a counterattack by attempting to blind it.


    <em>Level Three Shadow Magic¡ªDome of Nightmares.</em>


    Instantly, a hemisphere of surging ck Shadow energy erupted around the creature as I circled it, trying to get to its back. However, it followed me with its heat-tracking sensors, and with immenseputing speed as well. I couldn''t get a clear shot on its back since it kept spinning to match me, and my blind field was going to run out soon.


    I needed a new idea. This Praetor was far stronger than the previous one at first nce, but from what I''ve read in the handbook, each subss has their own strengths and weaknesses. There had to be something about Renegades¡­ I need to remember¡­


    Suddenly, however, the massive mech tore its way out of my Dome of Nightmares, now having converted its massive greatsword into a drill.


    "Woah-!"


    I just barely managed to dodge out of the way of being turned into mince meat, and quickly fired a few Chaos-infused bullets at it. Naturally, they didn''t do any damage, since the Praetor used its other hand to create one of those stupid energy barriers thatpletely nullified my attack.


    "Tch¡­ how annoying," I muttered.


    In the brief moment when it stopped to create the energy barrier, however, I noticed something that I previously didn''t due to all the motion¡ªthe glow in its eye was bing brighter and brighter, and for some reason, gave off a very unstable and dangerous feeling. I thought I was just imagining things earlier due to all the motion, but there''s no doubt about it now¡ªits eye was shaking. Violently trembling, like it was having some sort of spasm.


    And it was that small detail that let me remember what was written about Renegades on the handbook.


    They were berserkers. They were the fastest, physically strongest of the bunch, but they had one fatal w: overheating. The more they fought and the more intense their fights were, the faster they would go into overheat. The shaking of their eye disys were what signaled they were about to reach overheat. And when that happened¡­ the Praetor would fall into sleep mode for several seconds,pletely unable to do anything else.


    And those several seconds¡­ were all I needed.

 Chapter 567 - The Hex Obelisk

    Chapter 567 ¨C The Hex Obelisk


    Now that I''d figured out my n for this fight, all that was left was to actually carry it out. The Renegade Praetor swung at me with its massive drill, tearing the walls and floor apart, but thanks to my own agility and Qing Yue''s speed boost, I was able to evade all of its attacks¡ªnot with ease, of course.


    Thankfully for me, the Renegade Praetor''s programming was especially very strict, even amongst the Hex. Once it got into a battle, it would not stop until it destroyed that opponent, before going for someone else. In other words, the girls werepletely safe from the Renegade, and only had to deal with the Healer.


    Suddenly, the Renegade Praetor stopped mid-attack, and its entire body froze up. I stopped moving as well, thinking it had finally overheated and gone into its ''sleep'' mode. But just as I was about to approach it to make sure-


    "WRRRRRRRR!"


    Its eye disy suddenly shed wide open once again, shining the brightest red its ever been. A terrifying fire made of energy erupted from its eye, filled with murderous intent, as a wrathful shockwave of energy was released all around it.


    To the right, the Healer Exorcist the girls had been fighting froze momentarily as it was hit by the wrathful red energy, before its disy suddenly turned red as well from its initial blue. Then, energy erupted all around it, its power having been amplified tenfold. It suddenly began attacking the girls aggressively, taking them by surprise and striking Qing Yue in the stomach.


    "Ngh-!" She cried as she was sent flying backwards into a wall, and my eyes widened.


    "Qing Yue!"


    "Hngh¡­ I''m fine, Big Brother Xuan Kai," she groaned, struggling to her feet and using the stone wall beside her for help.


    Now, things were looking bad.


    This was never written about in the handbook. Nowhere in the manual did it mention anything about a Renegade Praetor emitting an energy wave of fury that empowered nearby Hex and caused them to begin attacking relentlessly.


    But it was toote to beining about that now.


    It was a mistake to relypletely on the book in the first ce¡ªan oversight on my part. I should''ve been more careful, and considered all possibilities. And now we were paying the price for my mistake.


    "Tch¡­!" I gritted my teeth as I barely managed to evade the Praetor''s attack, still trying to turn me to mince meat with that massive whirling drill. It came at me even faster and stronger than before, full berserker mode.


    However, I believed the overheat thing was still the truth. After all, although the glow on the Praetor''s eye disy was brighter than ever, it was also shaking more violently than ever. At this rate, it should be able tost about another minute or so.


    All I needed to do was stall for another minute¡ªbut the question was if I could even do that.


    "Flight!"


    I flew into the air in a panic, and shot down various red streaks of lightning from my two white wings. Can''t catch me up here, can yo-


    Right as I was about to smirk in cockiness, however, the Praetor angled its head up at me, single eye expressionless on the surface yet rage-filled deep down, and it took off from the ground like a goddamn ninja. Its legs folded back into its body as a downwards thruster reced them, and throttled the massive mech upwards into the sky to match me.


    "Goddammit¡ªyou can do anything, huh?!"


    But this was fine. At least in the air, I had more movement options.


    <em>50 seconds.</em>


    I dodged out of the way of its drill, then flew upwards, as far as I could go, nearly all the way back up to the surface. The Praetor followed, far faster than I was. Right as it was going to hit me, however, I suddenly used Blink to teleport a short distance away.


    And the faster you were, the harder it would be to control your direction.


    Because I waited for the perfect moment, the Renegade Praetor ended up mming its drill into the stone ceiling, and getting it lodged there. I smirked. Perfect for stalling time.


    <em>40 seconds.</em>


    Things were not quite done yet, however, as the Praetor suddenly sped up the intensity and strength of its drill, breaking the stone ceilingpletely and dislodging itself. Then, turning to me, it gave chase relentlessly like a predator seeking its prey or an assassin chasing their target.


    <em>30 seconds.</em>


    Once again, I used the same trick. The Hex were highly ''intelligent'', but they weren''t very smart, being robots. This time, rather than the ceiling, the Renegade Praetor mmed into the side wall of this underground cavern area, and once again found itself stuck.


    "Heh." I smirked from a few meters away, hovering in the air with my wings, a smug look on my face. My arms were folded, patiently waiting for its next attack. It couldn''t do much more at this rate, and I still had plenty of mana left to keep using Blink.


    <em>20 seconds.</em>


    But what I did not expect, was that from above me, a chunk of the ceiling would give in and copse.


    This was due to the Renegade mming into the side of the cavern too hard, of course. I had factored in everything¡ªor at least I thought I did¡ªbut I did not consider my environment.


    I looked up, but it was already toote.


    "Ngh!"


    The heavy chunk of ceiling mmed into me and brought me down into the ground, rendering me unable to do anything. The Renegade Praetor used the same strategy to free itself from the wall, and it immediately turned to me, drill in hand.


    <em>10 seconds.</em>


    "Tch¡­ damn it¡­!"


    It was too heavy. Breaking out would take some time, which I didn''t have. With this on me, I couldn''t channel mana throughout my body to use Blink or anything that would get me out of this situation.


    <em>9. 8. 7. 6.</em>


    The Praetor dove downwards from high above, drill in front. I was about to get impaled, my insides turned to dust¡ªand there was no way out.


    Did I have to call upon my Battle Soul so quickly? Really? Ah¡­ but I couldn''t even do that. After all, Xuan Yu wasn''t here.


    <em>5. 4. 3. 2.</em>


    I could see my deathing towards me, and I lost count of the minute. All I could think about was the drill, and how painful it would be to get hit by that thing.


    <em>1.</em>


    The drill filled up my entire vision, right in front of my face, and I closed my eyes, bracing for what was toe.


    I closed my eyes, but¡­


    But¡­


    ¡­ Nothing happened.

 Chapter 568 - Impulse Desire

    Chapter 568 ¨C Impulse Desire


    Slowly, I opened my eyes, and saw that the Renegade Praetor''s massive frame had frozen in ce, powered off. The red light that had powered it up was nowpletely gone, and after ncing to one side, I confirmed that the Exorcist too had returned to its normal, defensive form.


    Realizing what had happened, I let out a deep sigh of relief, and with some effort, broke out of the chunk of the ceiling that had fell on me. I didn''t need to be able to channel magic to do that¡ªall I needed to do was use my enhanced vampiric and angelic physical strength, nothing more.


    Not wasting any time, I circled around behind the Renegade Praetor''s body, forcefully tore off the metal gate protecting its core, and pressed the tip of my gun against the blue light-bulb shaped orb inside. Then, without any hesitation, I pulled on the trigger¡ªnot once, but five continuous times.


    Just to be sure, y''know. I didn''t know how sturdy these things were, so to bepletely safe, certain desperate measures needed to be taken.


    Suddenly, a deep beeping noise came from the machine''s heart, and I quickly backed away. That couldn''t be good.


    The beeping got louder and louder, and soon, it didn''t take a genius to realize what was happening. Turning to the girls, I quickly dashed towards them, and put up a protective barrier. They noticed what was going on as well, of course, and Qing Yue supported me with her own magic.


    BOOM!


    A bright sh; a loud noise; an explosion big enough to shatter the entire cavern dawned upon us, but thanks to Qing Yue and I''sbined efforts, the girls and I werepletely unharmed. We had to all close our eyes to avoid getting blinded as well as cover our ears to avoid being deafened, but other than that, we were all good.


    As the dust settled, I slowly disintegrated the barrier and gave a sigh.


    "Well¡­ that was an intense turn of events," I muttered before turning to the girls. "You all fine?"


    "Yeah, more or less," Feng Mian said, brushing the dust off her clothes and coughing a bit. "The air''s still a bit¡­ ahem¡­ dusty, but other than that, it should be fine."


    "Uh, hellooo~?" Axilia waved. "The obelisk? Don''t forget~!"


    "Right¡­"


    I turned to where the obelisk should''ve been, but with the cavern falling apart, the chamber that once held it was now covered up by a bunch of debris. Having had enough explosions for one day, I opted to get rid of the rubble in a more¡­ calm, less violent manner¡ªPsychic Magic. Sure, the process was a bit slower, but honestly, it was a nice turn of eventspared to the fast-paced intense fighting that had just urred.


    Sure enough, once the rubble was cleared, we found the obelisk still intact and giving off energy. The chamber all around it had long copsed, but it still somehow stood straight without a scratch on it, like it waspletely immune to damage or something.


    "Wow¡­ to think it withstood that explosion perfectly¡­" Qing Yue murmured in surprise, tapping on her chin. "Just what kind of material is it made out of¡­?"


    "I would assume something out of this world," Feng Mian said with a shrug. "They are an alien species, after all. They must have resources in outer space that we don''t on Xenith."


    "Still, impressive," Axilia noted, spinning her scythe around. "But I wonder¡­ can it hold up?"


    With a smile on her face, she dashed forward and cleaved at the obelisk with her scythe, but it strangely made no mark at all.


    "¡­ Hmmm, not bad~"


    Then, she proceeded to sh at it a couple more dozen times, only to have the same result every time.


    "O-Okay, that''s enough, I think," I said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her back while being careful not to get decapitated by her myself. "It''s safe to say your scythe isn''t going to do anything to it."


    "Who knows? It could just be a matter of durability," Axilia said, but Feng Mian shook her head.


    "It doesn''t seem like it. With a weapon as powerful as yours, after so many shes, it should at least leave some sort of mark or dent no matter how defensively strong something is. And yet¡­ even with using Shadow Vision, I can''t see a single sign of damage on this weird obelisk. It''s quite strange."


    "Perhaps it is justpletely immune to any physical damage?" Qing Yue proposed. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, try hitting it with one of your ultra-super-duper-powerful spells."


    I nodded, and motioned for the girls to fall back lest they get struck by recoil. They did as told, naturally, and waited for me to make my move.


    I channeled energy throughout my body, preparing a powerful attack that I''d only ever used once before, and fairly recently at that. It wasn''t just any normal magic attack, either. No¡ªthis was a Forbidden spell, forged of pure Chaos energy and Chaos energy alone. The most primordial of all elements, the origin of all things, and the ultimate devourer of the cosmos.


    <em>Forbidden Magic ¡ª Impulse Desire.</em>


    My right hand, which had been turned to a massive nightmarish w of dark crimson skin that looked like it had been stained with blood,shed forward and cut the air. Immediately, a wave of narrow but highly-concentrated Chaos energy shot out of my fingertips, cutting through everything in its way to reach its target: the Hex Obelisk.


    The wave of energy was powerful, deadly. It didn''t cut through materialistic things¡ªit cut through the space itself that those things upied, which theoretically should mean no matter how strong or immune something''s defense is, it won''t be able to guard against this.


    And yet¡­ to all of us''s awe, as my attack shed with the Hex Obelisk head-on, a powerful blue barrier in the shape of a dome appeared, and blocked the space-rending attack.


    And it was then that I realized.


    "That power¡­ impossible¡­"

 Chapter 569 - Plan B

    Chapter 569 ¨C n B


    In this universe, there was only one entity¡ªone single entity¡ªthat couldbat the power of Chaos. That was the rule, thew of the cosmos, unable to be broken by anyone nor anything.


    That entity was Order.


    Chaos and Order¡ªboth shared many of the same properties. They were both primordial, they both existed during the time before time, and together, they were the two founding pirs of the universe that ultimately grouped everything else together like mas. One was positive, one was negative, like opposite electrical charges part of the same atom.


    Chaos was wrathful, restless, and longed for change. On the contrary, Order was rigid, confined, and longed for eternity. Neither was better than the other. Both were needed in a fine bnce to create the perfect universe. But unfortunately, as much as that was true, these two primordial entities were sentient¡ªthey had minds of their own.


    And just like with normal men, two entities who had opposite ideologies will always find it difficult to get along with one another.


    As such, throughout the eons, Chaos and Order waged war. Neither was able to win against the other¡ªtheir power stood above all else, butpared to one another, they were exactly on the same level. On par.


    And now, back to the present¡­


    Everything made sense.


    The blue color¡ªthat stood for Order. All the pieces of the puzzle fit together now¡ªwhy the Hex were so strong, and why this Obelisk was resistant to all iing damage. The answer wasid in in sight:


    The Hex had harnessed the power of Order.


    How, I didn''t know. But one thing was for sure¡ªthey just became exponentially more dangerous. I didn''t even know if they were really that much of a threat until recently¡ªbut with this new discovery, I needed to tell the other Founders.


    After all¡­ if they had the power of Order, even my Chaos power wouldn''t be able to defeat them. It would be a tie at best, and they still severely outnumbered me.


    "¡­ We need to go back," I said darkly. "Now. We can''t break it."


    "Is it because¡­" Feng Mian began, and I nodded.


    "¡­ The Hex¡­ they have Order on their side."


    *****


    After returning the location we had been warped into this underground ruins from, the girls and I left the same way¡ªflying upwards into the massive spiraling whirlpool that somehow wasn''t falling from gravity, and in an instant, we were shot upwards through the water. If it wasn''t for a barrier I cast on us beforehand, all of us would''ve gotten drenched right then and there.


    When we arrived at the top of the mountain once more, none of the vigers were to be seen, and we could hear the sound of chatteringing from a short distance away. They probably thought we were goners, and were busy returning to their normal lives right now¡ªbut oh well, let sleeping dogs lie. I didn''t have time to even deal with them at the moment, for there were far more urgent things to do.


    "Qing Yue, send the helicopter team a message," I said, turning to her. "Tell them to head straight back to the ind¡ªwe''ll teleport there."


    "Understood, Big Brother Xuan Kai~"


    She winked and stuck her tongue out yfully, then used Psychic Magic to connect with those still on the helicopter. After a few seconds, she shed me a thumbs-up, and I used Gate to bring us all back to the private beach¡ªour base of operations.


    In a bright sh, we arrived,nding on the familiar soft sand of the ind. Without any hesitation, I left to go see Xuan Yu, since she was top priority.


    Knocking on her room door, I asked politely:


    "Are you there, Xuan Yu?"


    After several seconds, a faint and shy reply came back.


    "Y-Yes¡­ but if you could wait a couple of minutes, that would be grea-"


    "It''s urgent. Please."


    "Oh¡­ then¡­e in."


    Saying this, she hesitantly unlocked and opened the door¡­ and all of a sudden, before me, she stood, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel. Her skin was still wet, signaling that she had juste out from the shower. She was blushing shyly and looking away, cheeks tainted pink.


    "Ah¡­ sorry," I said, looking away. "I didn''t think <em>this</em> is what you meant."


    She shook her head. "Mm. It''s okay. What did you need me for?"


    "It''s about the Hex," I said, getting straight to the point. "They have the power of Order."


    *****


    ¨C Several Minutes Later ¨C


    After exining to Xuan Yu what happened on today''s trip, from beginning to end, she was left speechless.


    "Impossible¡­ but how? My ancestors never had any contact with the Hex¡­ this bloodline is supposed to be Order''s wielders."


    "That''s what I''m wondering," I muttered. "After some thinking, I came up with two possible conclusions. One, they somehow got their hands on a different source of the power of Order, or two¡­ they invented a power on par with Order in terms of power."


    "I don''t believe it is the second option," Xuan Yu said, analyzing the situation deeply. "To create something simr to a primordial power like Order or Chaos is akin to trying to recreate the entire universe. No matter how powerful these Hex are, I doubt they have the capability to do that."


    "So you think it''s the first option, huh?" I asked, folding my arms.


    Xuan Yu nodded. "I really hope my guess is not correct, but¡­ they may have gotten their hands on the true body of Order in the cosmos, and restrained it one way or another."


    "The true body¡­?" I tilted my head, confused.


    "Yes. Both Chaos and Order have origin points¡ªthey are both primordial beings and existences in the universe, and have real, tangible bodies. The powers we have are derived from those origin points, channeled through those ''cores'' to our bodies via your Mei Gui and my Bai He respectively. Normally, it''s impossible to get close to them due to the immensely powerful aura they give off, but this is the only possibility I can think of."


    "I see¡­" I narrowed my eyes, thinking about it for a moment, then made up my mind.


    "Thanks for the info. I''ll talk to you again about thister."


    Xuan Yu gave a nod. "Got it. Come to me whenever, okay?"


    I smiled.. "Yeah."

 Chapter 570 - What Now?

    Chapter 570 ¨C What Now?


    After speaking with Xuan Yu, the next step was talking to the other Founders. The only problem was¡­ well. I didn''t exactly know how to enter the Infinite Realm on my own. In the past, it''s always been Sylvoir just roping me in when I fell asleep. She never taught me how to get in on my own. The Library was one matter, but the actual Infinite Realm was another.


    But then again¡­ I do faintly recall Sylvoir mentioning something along the lines of a ''Terron Record'' and ''always watching''. This is a perfect opportunity to check if she''s stalking me or not!


    Smirking despite the situation, I returned to my own room, found a nk piece of paper and a pen, then began writing on it:


    <em>"Sylvoir, if you are seeing this, pull me into the Infinite Realm. We need to talk."</em>


    I waited a couple of seconds. No response.


    "Hm¡­"


    After some thought, I tried something else.


    <em>"Sylvoir, you''re ugly as shit."</em>


    Instantly, I felt my surroundings fade away, and the next thing I knew, I was staring at a vast open blue sky above my head and beneath my feet as well.


    "Haha! Knew that was gonna wor- ow!"


    Suddenly, I felt something hit me on the back of my head, and quickly spun around to see Sylvoir standing there with an unamused expression, arms folded.


    "What did you write on the piece of paper just now?" She asked, eyes as cold as ice itself. Her voice was quiet, but more menacing than anything I''ve heard before.


    "Oh, uh¡­ I wrote that you are very beautiful," I said,pletely shameless. "But anyway, that''s not the point. I''ve found some pretty important info, and-"


    "Yes, yes, I am aware. The other Founders are on their way here as we speak. I have the Terron Record¡ªthat is why you chose to use this method to get my attention, no? But if that is the case, you should also know I have already noticed what happened with your assigned obelisk¡ªand the rest as well."


    Faced with this statement, I could only blink.


    "Oh."


    Sylvoir sighed at my stupidness, and Iughed awkwardly.


    "Okay, listen, I''m usually not this bad. I just¡­ uh, am thinking about other things. Like a n going forward¡­ y''know, stuff like that."


    "Of course," Sylvoir said,pletely not believing me, and we fell into an awkward silence.


    Thankfully, it didn''tst very long as the other Founders appeared in the Realm one by one, standing before their respective pirs. Once all seventeen Founders were present, myself included, we began the meeting.


    "As you all know, the operation to destroy the obelisks was unsessful," Sylvoir began. "For some reason, it appears to bepletely immune to all physical and magical attacks, no matter how powerful they are. And ording to Xuan Kai here¡­"


    Sylvoir turned to me briefly, before continuing.


    "The Hex appear to have obtained a power known as ''Order''."


    *Oh, shit, she heard me say it out loud¡­ ah, well. Whatever. I''ve been thinking for a while already, but it''s about time I opened uppletely to the Founders.


    "¡­ Yes," I spoke up. "Order is a primordial power of the cosmos, on par with my own Chaos ability. In other words¡­ even I cannot do anything about it."


    "Order and Chaos¡­ how poetic," Lord Luisfer mused. "But unfortunately, this does not help us in the least. Shall we begin devising a n for what to do next?"


    "I must agree," Count Draculus said, stroking his beard. "It is clear we cannot stop the Hex froming now, so long as those Obelisks remain unharmed."


    "It seems we can keep this under wraps no longer, then," Tian Lin said, folding his arms. "I have a possible proposal, but I want to hear everybody else''s opinion on this first."


    "Yes?" Sylvoir prompted.


    "I propose we use the IMF''s resources, and work together. This matter no longer only concerns ourselves," Tian Lin stated. "The formation of a professional force is necessary. We cannot run from this¡ªwe must fight it head-on."


    "What kind of professional force?" Aluna asked. "A special school, perhaps?"


    "Yes, exactly my thoughts," Tian Lin said. "We need to gather the elites, the best of the best from all corners of the world, and train them, creating a specialized force able to fight back against these Hex. They may have the power of Order by their side, but by the looks of it, they have not mastered it yet¡ªotherwise, their minions would all be immune as well. However, they can still be hurt at this stage¡ªand if they can still be hurt, they can still be defeated."


    "Well said," Sino pped his hands together, smiling. "I''m on board with this n. We Founders have been secretive for long enough¡ªand we had the capability to do so because there were no threats we couldn''t handle on our own. But this¡­ this is different. We need to work together with the IMF¡ªand Tian Lin can make that happen with ease."


    "Please don''t make it seem like it will be easy¡­" Tian Lin sighed. "However, there is a high chance of sess."


    "Hm¡­ I''m fine with it as well, I suppose," Fiona said, lifting her hand.


    "I have only one concern," someone unexpected butted in¡ªthe X-Machina Founder. "Will the X-Machina be able to participate in this¡­ school?"


    "Of course," Tian Lin said. "All races wee. So long as they have the ability, they can enter. The tests will be difficult, and the requirements strict, of course."


    "Voting time then again, is it?" Kyoko said, arching an eyebrow.


    "Hoho, voting! Been a while since we''vest done that to settle on a decision," Hephestusmented. "Very well, let usmence the vote!"


    Sylvoir closed her eyes momentarily, then spoke.


    "Those in favor of remaining secretive, raise your hands."


    No one did¡ªexcept Sylvoir herself.


    "¡­ And those in favor of working together with the IMF and forming the school, raise your hands."


    Everyone else, myself included, raised our hands.


    And just like that, it was settled.

 Chapter 571 - Sylvoirs Thoughts

    Chapter 571 ¨C Sylvoir¡¯s Thoughts


    After the vote was finished, each Founder went back to their own lives, and Tian Lin said he would get everything sorted in a few days'' time¡ªjust wait for the news.


    I stayed behind, though, since I was curious about something.


    "Hey, Sylvie," I said, turning to her.


    "¡­ What is it?" Sylvoir asked, without looking at me.


    "Why''d you vote no back there?''


    At this, Sylvoir paused briefly, before sending me a look.


    "Are you here to simply criticize my decision-making?"


    "No, that''s not my intention," I replied truthfully, shrugging. "I am just curious, that''s all."


    Sylvoir fell silent for a long while, then turned away and let out a long sigh.


    "¡­ The Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings have always been secretive. We worked alone as an independent organization, doing things our way and handling any threats we deemed necessary for intervention. But now¡­ we are forced to reveal ourselves to the IMF."


    "That''s not necessarily true," I said. "Tian Lin knows what he''s doing it. I''m certain he can find a way to propose the n without mentioning anything Founder-rted."


    "That may be so, but even then¡­ it feels slightly¡­ odd."


    "Ah, I see," I murmured. "So, basically¡­ you don''t like change."


    "Yes. I suppose you could say that."


    I pondered for a moment, then tapped her on the head, catching her off-guard. But before she could do or say anything, I continued.


    "Well, while eternity is good and all¡­ without change, there is no evolution. Without evolution, there is no improvement. So unless you want to just stay like this for the rest of time, with no true goal or wish¡­ well, by all means. But I think¡­ even if you are the Prime Elemental of this, its guardian or whatever, you are sentient. You have the right to have dreams, have hopes. And if you just change your mindset a bit¡­ you <em>can</em> have them."


    "¡­" Sylvoir fell silent at my speech, but after a few seconds, I backed away.


    "Oh well. That''s just my two cents. Think about it¡ªthat''s all I have to say. Until next time."


    I waved and prepared to leave, but then stopped and turned back around.


    "Wait. How do I¡­ uh, enter this Realm on my own? You never taught me, and I don''t want to have to rely on calling you¡­ ahem¡­ something, to enter this ce."


    "¡­ Just calm your mind, relieve it of all thoughts, and enter a state of pure zen. Then, imagine this ce''s scenery, and you will find yourself teleported. I can''t imagine this ce''s surroundings is very hard to remember, so you shouldn''t find it hard."


    "You''re right about that," I said with a chuckle, and left soon after that. Sylvoir, watching me leave, let out a sigh after I was gone.


    "¡­ Change, huh?"


    *****


    After returning to my own world, I discovered that the other girls had returned already¡ªwhich was to be expected, of course.


    I called in everyone for a meeting, and discussed with them our next ns. Naturally, I couldn''t bring up the Infinite Realm or Founders of the Library, but I could find some excuse.


    But before that¡­ I needed to tell the others everything that happened today, so they knew the context.


    After several minutes, I was done my summary, and the girls all nodded in understanding.


    "Hm¡­ I see. So in essence¡­ there is nothing we can do to stop their invasion?" Yu An Yan asked, but Qing Yue shook her head.


    "Nope, not quite. We can''t stop them froming here, that''s for sure. But their actual invasion? Theoretically, we could stop it. After all, those obelisks might be immune to damage, but the Hex themselves sure aren''t¡ªnot the ones we fought down there, anyway."


    "Correct," Feng Mian agreed. "But they severely outnumber us, do they not? ording to Xuan Kai, at least."


    I gave a nod. "But of course, we won''t be the only ones fighting them."


    "Oh?" Ling Xin perked her ears up at this. "What do you mean?"


    "The IMF," I said. "It would seem they have gotten word of the Hex as well, one way or another."


    "Really?" Ling Xin blinked in surprise. "I didn''t hear anything about that¡­"


    "I heard it from Tian Lin," I said to her. "You know, the other Human Founder. He and I got to know each other a while back, from when you went into the Death Realm to look for me."


    "Oh¡­ is that so? Well, I''ll hear about it at the next meeting, I guess. Which, speaking of¡­ as a matter of fact, is tonight, in a few hours'' time. We will find out soon, I suppose."


    "Did he say what exactly the n is?" Lin Luo asked, arching an eyebrow and folding her arms. "No matter how I look at it, we will still be greatly outnumbered."


    "It''s about quality over quantity," I said with a grin. "I don''t know what exactly their n is, but we definitely can''t beat them in numbers. Even if the entire world''s poption were to fight against the Hex, we would still be outnumbered. That''s why it has to be about strategy, tactics, and individual skill rather than just a full on direct conflict."


    "I see¡­ well, we can guess all we want right now, but it won''t get us anywhere until we hear the news tonight," Lan Xiao Su said with a sigh. "Just one thing after another, is it¡­"


    "That''s just how life is around Xuan Kai," Feng Mian said with a wry smile. "I''m surprised you haven''t gotten used to it already, honestly¡­"


    "Hey, stop making it seem like I''m causing all of this," I muttered. "It''s not like I''m the one who invited the Hex toe here¡­"


    <em>Okay, that''s a lie. Maybe I did¡­ considering they were looking for my Chaos and all, not just simply taking revenge. It makes sense¡ªsince they had Order already, they would want Chaos too. For what reason exactly, I didn''t know, but¡­ it can''t be good.</em>


    Xuan Yu looked at me after I said that, and gave a soft giggle.. I pretended to have not noticed her, and looked away.

 Chapter 572 - IMF Meeting

    Chapter 572 ¨C IMF Meeting


    Later that night, Ling Xin left to attend the mandatory IMF meeting. There was a lot to talk about¡ªfrom the defeat of the Midnight Syndicate to the rebuildment of Fragment as well as the selection of new IMF members to rece those who''ve fallen during the invasion, the International Magic Foundation has got a lot on their hands in recent times.


    Speaking of¡­ I wonder who they were going choose to rece the previous council members. I mean, the people in the Council of Arcanity weren''t just selected randomly. It''s not like anyone can simply join. Only the best of the best had the right to have a chance at of even applying to the position. And since the hirers were going to be the current council members¡­ well, needless to say, the criteria was going to be strict.


    I''d imagine the position wasn''t going to just simply be out for open, since there would be too many applications, but rather invitations sent to specific chosen people. That would make far more sense, and also preliminate a bunch of people right from the start.


    The entire night, Ling Xin did not return home. The girls went to sleep, and I was left the only one awake, waiting for her toe home. Even after several hours, however, she didn''te back, and I began to worry a bit.


    Had something happened to her? There were countless dangers in this world. But Ling Xin was quite capable herself, so¡­ even if there was an enemy she could not defeat, I had confidence that she could at the very least run away unscathed. She was a very safe, conservative person, and also someone who knew her own limits well¡ªshe would not take any fights she wasn''t 100% certain she could win.


    As the sun rose the morning after, however, I got my answer.


    <em>Ding-dong.</em>


    I heard the sound of the doorbell ringing, and my eyes snapped open, jolting awake. Apparently, I had fallen asleep in the living roomst night without even realizing it while waiting for Ling Xin, but now that I think about it, that made sense. Yesterday was quite the tiring and action-packed day for me, after all.


    Standing up from the couch, I slowly approached the door, still half-asleep. Just as I opened the door, however, I encountered another half-asleep person, stumbling into the house and crashing into me, her eyes barely kept open.


    "Ah¡­ so tired¡­"


    I blinked in surprise as I caught her soft body in my arms, and she practicallytched onto me like a baby. Her body felt strengthless, exhausted, but still carried her familiar smell on it.


    "Woah, hey there¡­ you alright, Ling Xin?"


    "Mm¡­ take me to bed, Xuan Kai," she murmured, rubbing her face against my chest. "I''m exhausted, after that dreadful meeting¡­"


    "Uh¡­ sure."


    Not sure what else to do since the rest of the girls were still sleeping, I took Ling Xin up to her room and tucked her into bed after casting a cleaning spell on her. It''s not like she was gonna take a bath now, so this was the best I could do.


    As I exited from the room, leaving her to sleep, I encountered Feng Mian outside, trying to peek at what''s happening in the room.


    "¡­ Is she fine?" Feng Mian asked, clearly talking about Ling Xin.


    I gave a nod. "Just¡­ very tired, it seems. It wasn''t a fight or anything, though¡ªshe has no marks or sign ofbat on her body. I''m guessing the IMF meeting just took up the entire night."


    "Wow¡­ being a council member sure is tough, huh?" Feng Mian mused, tapping on her chin. "Well, I''ll go cook up some breakfast. The others should be waking up soon as well¡ªI''ll call you when it''s ready, okay?"


    I nodded and kissed her on the lips gently, parting after a few seconds. Feng Mian smiled at this and headed for the bathroom for a shower to start the day.


    *****


    Hourster, Ling Xin finally woke up. It was already afternoon, but hey¡ªwho could me her? She fell asleep at 6 AM in the morning.


    "Finally up?" I asked, smirking at her by her bed. Yes, I had waited here all this time. Why? Because she was the key to our future ns and all the information I was craving, of course.


    "Mmn¡­ I still want to sleep, but¡­ there''s important things I need to discuss with you and the others about, so I''ll get up, I guess," Ling Xin said reluctantly, sighing. "But first¡­"


    She smiled wryly, tugging on my wrist. "¡­ Give me a wake-up kiss."


    "¡­?" I arched an eyebrow. "What''s with you all of a sudden?"


    "Don''t y dumb~~" She giggled. "I know you kissed Feng Mian outside after tucking me in earlier. It''s not fair, is it? I worked sooo hardst night¡­ so give me a reward, mkay?"


    <em>What the hell? How do you even know about that? One, you should''ve fallen asleep instantly if you were that tired, and two, I had shut the door already before kissing her¡­ but oh well. Woman''s intuition, I suppose.</em>


    After thinking about it for a moment, I sighed and closed my eyes.


    "Alright, alright."


    Then, leaning in, I pecked her lips gently, which she savored for a few seconds before we pulled apart.


    "There. Now, wake up before I make you."


    "Heheh~ make me, then," Ling Xin snickered, getting more proactive and yful as ofte.


    I shook my head in exhaustion, then suddenly lifted her off the bed by the arms and transitioned into a princess carry.


    "Woah~!" Her eyes widened in surprise, but I paid no attention to that and carried on, bringing her to the bathroom before setting her down.


    "Now, take a shower. Or do I have to help you do that too?" I taunted, but to my shock, Ling Xin giggled and winked.


    "If you want, sure~"


    "Uh¡­ no thanks," I said. "I already took a shower earlier, and I don''t feel like changing into a new set of clothes. So hurry up¡ªthe other girls and I are all waiting for your information fromst night''s meeting."


    Ling Xin sighed and waved me off, like the mention of the meeting was a headache for her.


    "Yes, yes¡­ I understand."

 Chapter 573 - The New School

    Chapter 573 ¨C The New School


    Soon, Ling Xin finished showering, and came downstairs. Qing Yue had already cooked up something for her since she knew she was going to be hungry, and boy was Ling Xin happy to see food sitting on the table in front of her as she sat down and dug in.


    "So?" I asked, sitting down across from her and folding my arms. "What did you all talk about at the meetingst night? I''d imagine it was a lot, considering how long you spent."


    "Yes, it sure was," Ling Xin said with a sigh, stretching her arms. "But to be honest, it was mainly three major points, discussed back and forth to figure out the truly best course of action."


    "Which three?" Feng Mian inquired, and Ling Xin held up her fingers in a counting gesture.


    "One, the rebuilding of Fragment. As the Magic Capital, it cannot go destroyed for long, and needs to be reconstructed as soon as possible. The Council has decided to change its location a bit, however. Rather than hovering above the air above The Fortress, the IMF have decided to work out a deal with the Council has decided to work out a deal with the Celestici race to have Fragment be stationed there, where their defenses were top-tier to say the least."


    "The Celesticus Council member would be the ambassador for this negotiation, of course, and there is a high chance it will seed," Ling Xin continued, closing her eyes. "After all, having the Magic Capital in your race''s territory is quite the moral boost."


    But then, Lin Luo cut in.


    "That''s impossible. There is not enough space in Celestica to fit an area the size of Fragment."


    "Of course there isn''t," Ling Xin sighed. "But there is for the IMF Headquarters tower."


    "Wait, you mean¡­" I began, and Ling Xin nodded.


    "Fragment, on paper, is defined by the IMF Headquarters¡ªyou know, that massive tower. Everything around it¡ªthe Eight Great Families, the university¡ªall that was part of what is known as the ''Commonwealth of Fragment''. In other words, Fragment will be moving to Celestica, yes, but the <em>Commonwealth of Fragment</em> will be staying right where it originally was¡ªin that diamond-shaped device hovering above the Fortress."


    "I see¡­ and everything''s going to be rebuilt just like how it was before?" Yu An Yan asked, and Ling Xin gave a nod.


    "Correct. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but all the major facilities will still be there. But there is one big difference to the new uing Fragmentpared to the old one, that will be affecting all of us together."


    At this, all of us were intrigued, and I lifted an eyebrow.


    "Oh?"


    Ling Xin kicked back in her chair and folded her arms.


    "The University of Fragment¡ªI trust you all remember it, yes? You attended it for a short while before the Midnight Syndicate invaded."


    The girls and I all nodded, and Ling Xin continued.


    "Well, it''s getting remade into something new. Still an educational facility¡­ but not as simple as a university anymore."


    "What do you mean?" Feng Mian asked, curious.


    "The name is still not set in stone just yet, but it will most likely be called the ''Counterhex Academy''. And just as the name suggests¡­ it will be a facility where students are trained tobat the Hex." Turning to me, she continued. "Looks like you were right. Senior Tian did propose this during the meet, and while it did take some convincing of the other council members, Senior, for the most part, has quite the trustworthy reputation, so they believed in his words."


    "Wow¡­ Counterhex Academy¡­ are we going to join?" Qing Yue asked, excited, and I nodded.


    "Of course. I don''t believe we have much of a choice, either way¡ªam I right?"


    "Yes," Ling Xin replied, then looked away in dismay with a sigh. "Aiya¡­ I don''t really like this way of doing things, to be honest, but¡­ the Council has decided to force elite talents to join, even if they don''t want to. Of course, there will be many, many benefits involved. I guarantee 99% of said elites would take this opportunity anyway, so¡­"


    "Ooh, benefits!" Axilia leaped up. "Can I kill people?"


    "No, that''s not what I mean by benefits¡­" Ling Xin rubbed between her eyebrows, exhausted. "We discussed many things in the meeting, but some of the ones that stood out to me were ess to top-tier knowledge and resources, food from the best chefs in the world, recreation centers with hot springs and everything¡­ h h h. And so on, and so on."


    "Hm¡­ I think I still prefer you guys'' cooking, but sure," I said with a shrug. "The resources are appealing for sure."


    "You are on the list of ''elites'' going to be invited," Ling Xin said, looking at me with a smirk on her face. "Senior Tian and I both proposed you during the meeting, and while the other council members haven''t even heard of you, the two of us''s rmendation was enough to get you on the list. We''re still working on getting a whole list of people to invite, but by the end of it, there should be roughly 1,000 students or so."


    "Wow¡­ 1,000? That''s quite a bit, for an academy as prestigious as this," Amane noted, but Lan Xiao Su shook her head.


    "That may be true, but considering the force we are up against, consisting of probably over billions of those mechs¡­ it really isn''t much at all."


    "All of us will be able to go to the school though, right?" Feng Mian raised the question, worry in her voice.


    "That¡­" Ling Xin gave a sigh, closed her eyes, then opened them again after a brief silence.


    "¡­ I will be wholly honest with you all. I am not certain that can happen. Only the best of the best can enter this school¡ªand while all of you are strong in your own right¡­"


    She trailed off, and the rest of us all fell into silence.

 Chapter 574 - Calm Daily Life

    Chapter 574 ¨C Calm Daily Life


    Ling Xin said that the council was still finalizing the list of students to attend Counterhex Academy, and the results would be out in a couple of days. She stated that she would try her best to get all of us in, but the chances of that were low.


    Of course, Ling Xin herself was already part of the school regardless¡ªin fact, many of the Council members were. Only¡­ they weren''t students. They were going to be the teachers.


    ¡­ Yep.


    But apart from all that, the meetingst night still discussed one more thing¡ªthe new Council of Arcanity members. ording to Ling Xin, Tian Lin had brought in some suitable members¡ªand I was shocked. Just judging from their appearances as described by her, I knew who they were:


    The Library of Infinite Beginnings'' Founders.


    To think they were going to be part of the IMF''s Council of Arcanity now¡­ well, it''s not like all of them would be, but still. For example, Sylvoir definitely wasn''t going to be part of it, and the races that still had their representatives alive had no need of a recement, even though I was pretty sure the Library''s Founders were stronger than the current Council members by quite therge margin.


    In any case, for the next couple of days, Ling Xin was going to be quite busy. On the contrary, the rest of us could take this time to rx a bit¡ªthe girls cultivated and practiced using their mana to get stronger, while Ling Xin attended her meetings. Thankfully, they weren''t in-person this time¡ªall she had to do was attend online, but even then, she was shut in her room all day, unable to talk with any of us. A pity, truly. I never wanted to be a Council member¡ªthat would suck.


    Anyway, as for me¡­ I decided to check up on my parents and the Four Empyreans. All of them were here on this private ind, just in a different location.


    My parents, for example, opted to reside on the tiny mountain on the west coast of the ind, so I had a shack built there for them. It was quite the fancy shack, though¡ªon par with a mansion. Their reasoning for doing this was they ''didn''t want to disturb my love life'', which was both a relief and a struggle at the same time, if I am to be honest.


    But that''s a problem for another day. Since I had some free time right now, I might as well check on them.


    Before that, however, I wanted to go to the Empyreans first. They were my parents'' neighbors, and each resided in a different area depending on their element. Terrarim, for example, dwelled in a little cave he dug himself in the mountain my parents were residing on, while Aquira lived in a pond in their yard. Ignis had burned down a portion of the forest to make afortable ce for himself (I''m not gonna judge) and Aerim built a little temple in the clouds (made out of air).


    Naturally, my first visit was the most simple one¡ªIgnis, who was quite easy to track. No, really. Just follow the scent of burnt wood.


    And sure enough, I soon spotted him eating what seemed to be¡­ coal? In the center of his littleir. Well, I called it air, but really, it was just a wide open space of burnt ck ground.


    "¡­ Yo, Ignis. How are you?" I asked, waving.


    "Ohhh, it''s you!" He leaped up upon seeing me, excited. "Hey! How are you doin- uh¡­ wait, what''s your name again?"


    I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "It''s Xuan Kai, Ignis¡­ and you''re kind of contracted to me, so please try to remember my name at the very least."


    "Ohhh sorry!" Ignisughed boldly, scratching the back of his burning head (literally). "I remember faces, not names! I will try to remember your name in the future, though!"


    "¡­ Cool. But uh, is that¡­ coal you''re eating?" I asked, arching an eyebrow, and heughed.


    "Yep! Got my brother Terrarim to get me some from beneath that mountain of his. I gotta say, it tastes great! A ss of moltenva right now would be perfect¡­ ah¡­"


    "O¡­ kay¡­ and that''s my cue to leave."


    As Ignis fell into his delusive fantasies about weird hot food, I left to see the next Empyrean¡ªAerim.


    Or rather¡­ she came to see me.


    "Boo!"


    I stopped walking,pletely unimpressed, and turned around to see Aerim hovering in the air behind me, a grin on her face.


    "Heheh, how about that? Did I get you?"


    "¡­ No. It''s really hard to imagine you''re a goddess sometimes, honestly. You act like a child."


    "Hey!" Aerim pouted, folding her arms. "I''m just yful, that''s all! What a person does has nothing to do with their identity!"


    "Yeah, well. You look like a child too, so¡­"


    "Grrr¡­!"


    *****


    Next up was Terrarim. As expected, hisir was quite considerate. A well-built entrance, easy-to-navigate tunnels leading down, et cetera. He was the most ''normal'' and ''kind'' of the four Empyreans, I would say. Of course, that also meant our conversation was pretty boring, just your average ''hi'' ''how are you doing'' sequence. Still, it was always nice having a chat with him.


    Next was Aquira, who also happened to be right outside my parents'' house. I saved for herst particrly for this reason.


    "Hello, Aquira. Are youfortable here?" I asked the still water in front of me, and slowly, the figure of a beautiful woman appeared, dignified and somewhat stern.


    "¡­ Somewhat, I suppose," she said hesitantly. "It is not nearly as good as a calmingke or river, where I am by myself, apanied only by flowing water, but¡­ your parents'' are quite the interesting duo. I find myself intrigued by they''re speech and actions."


    At this, I raised an eyebrow. "What have they been doing?"


    "That¡­" Aquira turned to the house.. "¡­ It''s better if you ask them yourself, to be honest."

 Chapter 575 - Parting Ways...?

    Chapter 575 ¨C Parting Ways¡­?


    As I opened the door to the cabin my mother and father were staying in, I found it deserted. It waspletely empty, and the only traces of someone ever living there were the used cookware.


    Frowning, I walked over to the table where the letter was left, and picked it up and read it.


    <em>Dear Kai Kai.</em>


    <em>If you are reading this, then chances are your mother and I have already departed. Do note searching for us. Where we went is a very dangerous ce, and with your current understanding of Chaos, you cannot enter. Furthermore, to prevent you from trying to track us down and following us, your mother and I have decided to set a lock in ce below this cabin. The key lies with you and Xuan Yu, working together. When the two of you have truly bonded and the powers of Chaos and Order within you have grown to unison, will be when you cane searching for us once more.</em>


    <em>I apologize for not letting you know about this in-person, and hiding it from you in the first ce. Please understand this is something your mother and I only found out about recently while you were away, and totally not just us wanting a vacation (though, to be fair, we do want one).</em>


    <em>When you are ready,e seek us out. There, you shall continue the path of unraveling the mystery behind Chaos and Order, and the universe itself.</em>


    <em>Your mother and I want answers, Kai Kai. We''ve always been like this. You''ve proven yourself to be trustworthy enough to be left alone, and although we realize this is very irresponsible of us, it is something we have to do.</em>


    <em>You see, your power of Chaos and Xuan Yu''s power of Order are both born out of desire. Your ability awakened as a result of wanting to protect someone else. Xuan Yu''s ability awakened as a result of wanting to search for you. Without an ongoing ''desire'', your powers cannot truly manifest. And right now, you''ve fulfilled your desire of finding your mother and I, and your sister has fulfilled her desire of meeting you in person. The two of you need something else to keep propelling you forward¡ªand this will conveniently do just that.</em>


    <em>Your mother and I have faith in the two of you, Kai Kai. We will meet again soon. Please pass this message onto your sister when you get the chance.</em>


    <em>Love,</em>


    <em>Mom & Dad</em>


    "¡­"


    Slowly, I set the sheet of paper back down on the table. I won''t lie, this sounded like a whole bunch of utter bullshit. However, if even my mother went along with it¡­ there had to be some credibility here. I recognized the signature at the bottom here to be both mother and father''s handwriting.


    In all honesty, most of this letter was probably BS. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it. After some digging, I discovered a hidden room beneath the carpet on the floor, and entered through the trapdoor.


    Sure enough, down below was a chamber with a single double-door in it, leading somewhere. One half of it was dark red and emitting ck and scarlet energy, while the other half was dark blue and emitting bright blue energy. Needless to say, it was two sides of the same coin: Chaos and Order.


    At the center of the two halves of the door, a key sloty. I had no idea how to find the key for it, or how Xuan Yu and I ''getting closer'' would result in a key. But either way, there once again was nothing I could do about it now.


    With a sigh, I returned back down below to the private beach, out of options. Was I mad? Not really. I was already happy just to be able to meet them again. Besides, I had a family of my own now. It''s not like I was going to be lonely without them here. Just knowing they are still alive and well is enough for me.


    But on the other hand¡­ it would be a lie if I said I didn''t want them here. Why not, right? We''ve been apart from one another for so long. Yet here they go, just wandering off again without any prior notice.


    Whatever it is they had to do, though, I''m sure it was important. Although my father joked about it in the letter, the two of them weren''t the type to simply leave out of this for a ''vacation''. On that, I was certain.


    Just as I entered the inn on the private beach, however, I spotted Ling Xin there, sitting around the teapoy along with all the other girls, who were anxious for answers.


    "¡­ Oh, there you are, Xuan Kai," she said upon seeing me. "Good timing. Come take a seat."


    Silently, I did as told, and sat down between Qing Yue and Lorelei, who, by the way, was in her human form right now. Once I did, Ling Xin, directly across from all of us, spoke.


    "¡­ Alright. The final guidelines and rules for the Counterhex Academy have been determined, along with the suitable candidates list. I have good news and bad news. Which do you all want to hear first?"


    "Bad news first," I immediately proposed. "Get it out of the way."


    The girls all nodded in agreement, and Ling Xin sighed.


    "¡­ Very well. The bad news is¡­ not all of you were selected as suitable candidates for the academy. Most of you were, but Obsidia, Yu An Yan, Lan Xiao Su, Qing Yue, Mei Gui, Bai He, and Amane were not chosen."


    "¡­ I see," Yu An Yan muttered, head lowered. "And the good news?"


    "The good news is that although you weren''t selected on the main list, you can still be part of the academy¡ªjust as a support force instead. I''m not allowed to reveal any more details right now, but I just know I have full faith all of you will be able to enter the academy together."


    The girls, naturally, were confused at these contradictory lines, but none of them spoke out against it.


    "The exam is happening tomorrow morning," Ling Xin finished. "There''s nothing to study for.. Just use your intuition¡ªthat''s all."

 Chapter 576 - Entrance Examinations

    Chapter 576 ¨C Entrance Examinations


    Tomorrow morning came quicker than expected.


    Well, that wasn''t true. Time always flowed the same way, but it<em> felt</em> like it came way quicker than usual.


    Just like Ling Xin said, today was the day of the examinations to enter Counterhex Academy, the new school the IMF built in recement of the old University of Fragment. It would be constructed in the same ce, but with totally different infrastructure andyout and design.


    The day earlier, an announcement had gone out to literally everywhere in the world, delivered personally by the IMF. It was all over the media, newspapers, and online as well. Major international institutions such as the Hunters'' Guild or the Alchemy Association spread the information through their various channels too, under the order of the IMF¡ªwhich, by the way, could not be disobeyed, as they are the governing force of pretty much the entire world, at least from a power standpoint.


    What was included in this announcement? The time, location, and rules of this examination, of course. It also provided insight and background towards the Hex issue, of course, but the majority of people weren''t going to join to save the world or whatever. They were joining so they could improve their personal strength, since this was akin to the former University of Fragment in terms of resources and privileges. Only the best of the best could enter.


    Of course, that wasn''t going to stop people from trying. Without a doubt, there were going to be tons of people at the examination center¡ªand sure enough, as the girls and I arrived, I was proven right.


    "¡­ Wow. This exam center¡­ it''s gotta be bigger than the school itself," Qing Yue murmured in awe, looking around at the sheer size of this ce.


    "And yet it is still not enough to amodate the number of peopleing here to try their luck, even if they will only be a support unit at best," Obsidia noted, folding her arms. "Humans are truly such foolish creatures."


    "You are doing the exact same thing as them, you know that right?" ria chirped from my breast pocket, and I sent her a re.


    "What are you doing,ing out? If someone ends up noticing your aura, I''ll have a lot of exining to do, so get back into hiding."


    "Fine, fine¡­" ria yawned and went back to nesting within my breast pocket, safe and hidden. She also concealed her aura, much like how Obsidia was concealing her dragon aura.


    They were right, though¡ªthere sure was a lot of people all around them. I could count about a hundred just within my vicinity, and it wasn''t even the time for the exam yet. Everyone here was one hour early, meaning there would be tons more people piling in as the minutes drew closer to the test''s start.


    Of the fifteen of us, seven were not chosen¡ªObsidia, Yu An Yan, Lan Xiao Su, Qing Yue, Mei Gui, Bai He, and Amane. I didn''t know how they were choosing who gets to enter the main force, but it didn''t seem to be simply raw power. If that was the case, Mei Gui and Bai He both surely would''ve gotten selected. They had the most raw strength out of all of us, after all.


    It didn''t seem to be based on one''s intelligence, either. If I had to say, Qing Yue or Xiao Su were probably the smartest out of all of us, yet neither were not chosen. Was it fame? Not exactly either. Sure, Zhao Xiuying had some fame as being an alchemy prodigy, so one could say that''s why they chose her, but Lan Xiao Su was the famous idol singer Su Ning¡ªthe IMF definitely knew that much, yet Xiao Su was not chosen¡ªnot to mention Amane, who was still the current head of one of the major Demihuman tribes in the Fortress.


    Whatever it was, the criteria was weird. Then again, who was I to be questioning the governing power of the world?


    In any case, as the time drew closer to the start of the exam, 8 AM, more and more people flooded into the exam center. It was just about getting too crowded, so I prepared to take the girls and I to somece else to wait, but just then, a loud announcement spanning the entire area broke out through the megaphones attached to thempposts all around.


    "Attention, all examinees. Those of you who have received invitations, enter the exam center now. The rest, remain outside until the stated examination time. Please be patient, and do not cause a ruckus. Any troublemakers will be evicted from the premises immediately, and promptly disqualified."


    "¡­ Well, looks like we gotta go," I muttered, looking at the exam center off in the distance, past a sea of people. "Good luck, you guys."


    Yu An Xue nodded. "Mm¡­ good¡­ luck."


    "Take care," Ling Xin said to me. "I will remain out here, to guide these seven. They should have no problem given the contents of the exam, but I want to watch the show."


    "You keep saying that, but¡­ can''t you just tell them the contents of the exam?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Well, I could, but my honor as an instructor wouldn''t allow me," Ling Xin said with a fake look of troubledness. "Though, of course¡­ I could make an exception¡­ if there is a reward involved."


    Saying this, she winked at me and stuck out her tongue yfully, to which I just sighed and walked away, in the direction of the exam center.


    I was confident the other girls could pass this exam with ease, but not knowing its contents was somewhat unsettling. I doubt it would be anything academic-rted, as Ling Xin said there was no studying necessary and to just use ''intuition'', but that pointed to a fight.


    Needless to say, Mei Gui and Bai He would be able to take down just about anyone, but Qing Yue and Lan Xiao Su were both more backline support-type mages. If a fight was truly the method to determine whether or not someone was qualified to enter the academy, then¡­


    I shook my head. I couldn''t afford to be thinking about that now.. I had my own test to worry about first.

 Chapter 577 - The Elites

    Chapter 577 ¨C The Elites


    The eight of us who were selected by the IMF consisted of Feng Mian, Yu An Xue, Zhao Xiuying, Xuan Yu, Lin Luo, Axilia, Eve, and I. As we entered the examination center, we received many stares.


    There were a number of reasons for this, of course, and each person had their own. Some were looking at us because they didn''t recognize us and thought the ''selected'' were supposed to all be extraordinarily famous talents, while others were looking simply because they were too drawn in by the girls'' beauty. I''d told Eve to turn off her subus charm, but even with it off, she was just naturally that stunning, and there was nothing to be done about that.


    Whatever the reason was, though, the lot of us were all used to getting stares, for better or worse. We ignored them like they didn''t exist, and headed over to where a few others had already gathered, sitting within a simple auditorium with a speaker podium up in front. The ''auditorium'' was quite small and didn''t have any form of decoration or anything, but it wasn''t meant to be fancy. This was just an exam center, not the actual school.


    As the seats began to fill up one by one, various people had to be kicked out by security staff on guard. They had prepared exactly the right number of chairs for the number of ''selected'' participants, so if there was anyone who ended up without a seat, it was clear there was an imposter among them.


    In any case, once all the seats were filled, a man went up to the speaker podium, and faced the seated group. I recognized him¡ªTian Lin, member of the Council of Arcanity as well as one of the Seventeen Founders.


    "Good morning, everyone," he began in a formal tone, looking around at the seated future students of the academy. His eyes and mine connected briefly but it did not linger, not giving away anything to onlookers.


    "Everyone sitting here has been invited by the IMF to study at this prestigious academy, with the goal of fighting against the Hex. You are known as the Elites, whereas those outside who make it past the entrance exam are known as Supports. More on that will be exined once you enter the academy, but for now, all of you sitting here right now are required to take an aptitude test to determine your skill and power level."


    "Wait, so we''re already guaranteed to enter the academy?" A grey-haired boy asked, lifting his hand. He appeared to be the carefree, optimistic type. "This test isn''t an entrance exam or anything?"


    "Correct," Tian Lin replied. "I would prefer if you saved questions until after I am finished, but yes. From the moment you all received that invitation, you have been guaranteed a spot at Counterhex Academy. Regardless of how well or poor you do on your aptitude test, you will be able to enter. However, just know that we know your average strength level, and can determine a range of possible results for you. If your actual result falls below our estimation, some¡­ changes may be needed."


    Needless to say, those ''changes'' referred to moving someone out of the Elite group, and downgrading into a Support. Everyone acknowledged that silently, and no one spoke up about it.


    Tian Lin, satisfied with this silence, rested his hands on the side of the podium, and stared straight ahead.


    "Now then, behind you all is a hallway of chambers that will take you to the aptitude test. It will be conducted in a virtual environment, so once you enter your private chamber, climb into the VR capsule. The device will take care of the rest. That''s all¡ªdismissed."


    VR capsule¡ªthat was a weird way of putting it. Though I suppose it did kind of look like a capsule shape-wise, so¡­


    In any case, the ''Elites'' got up from their seats and headed for the hallway behind us, doors on either side. Some ran in excitement, others calmly walked. Each person entered their own chamber, sealed off and separated from others, and the girls and I did the same after whispering good luck to one another. Thankfully, everyone was ''educated'' enough to not fight over one chamber, and if one was taken, they simply moved on. There was just enough for everyone, after all.


    Upon entering my chamber, I did the only thing I could¡ªclimb into the ''VR capsule''. It looked like some kind of cryopod that was shaped perfectly for a human to fit in, while leaving enough space for it to feelfortable.


    Seeing the security camera ced in the corner of the room, I realized any funny tricks weren''t going to work here¡ªnot that I was nning on doing anything. What was the point? It''s just an aptitude test.


    With that in mind, I entered the capsule, and rxed as various metal cuffs chained me down, restraining my movements without making it too tight. It was quitefortable, actually. Nice and warm.


    Soon, I felt the sound of the machine whirring up, and following that, my consciousness slowly faded away.


    *****


    ¨C Meanwhile, Outside ¨C


    "Attention, all examinees. The entrance exam to Counterhex Academy will now begin. Please enter the exam center in a neat and orderly fashion. Disrupters will be evicted and disqualified."


    "That''s you guys," Ling Xin said with a warm smile. "Good luck. Once again¡ªjust use your intuition."


    "Easy for you to say," Yu An Yan said with a sigh, rubbing her knit eyebrows. "Intuition¡­ that''s so broad. Really wish we knew what the exam contents are going to be, but¡­ it''s toote now, I guess."


    "Now, now, I''m sure Ling Xin had her difficulties," Qing Yue said infort, tapping Yu An Yan on the shoulder. "C''mon, don''t look so glum! How hard can it be, right? Be more confident in yourself."


    Little did they know, the exam was going to be truly a challenge¡ªthough not in the way they expected.

 Chapter 578 - The Test Begins

    Chapter 578 ¨C The Test Begins


    Mere moments after I felt my consciousness fade, I was reawakened in an area of pure white void. It was very bright all around me, and seemed to extend infinitely in all directions¡ªother than the ground, of course, which I could feel myself standing on.


    What took me surprise, however, was my outfit. I wasn''t in the uniform I was wearing today, sent by the academy ahead of time as soon as I was determined as part of the ''Elite''. Instead, I was in my usual clothes¡ªthe Yharnav armor set, obtained from the Death Realm. I even had my hood and mask on and everything.


    "¡­ Huh. Interesting," I noted to myself, before summoning my Chaos katanas and swinging them around. They felt just like as if I were using them in real life. Neat.


    Suddenly, a female announcer''s gentle voice entered the virtual space, and a series of text was disyed on screen to caption what she was saying.


    "Wee, examinee. An analysis of your body and the identification process have both nowpleted. You have been verified as an Elite. The aptitude test will now begin."


    <em>Huh¡­ so they have this verification process too, as a double security measure¡­ although I doubt it''s necessary, it just goes to show how careful they are.</em>


    "Part 1: Agility," the female voice said gently, as various obstacles suddenly faded into view in front of me, along with a bold red line on the white ground that marked the finish. "Make it to the finish line as fast as possible without using magic while passing through all the obstacles. Hitting them is okay¡ªno need to restart. However, trying to bypass the obstacles on purpose will result in teleporting you back to the start. The time will begin when you take your first step forward."


    That was nice¡ªthey gave us time to prepare, instead of starting the timer on their count. However, I was conflicted. Should I hold back in this test, or give it my all? If I revealed my powers, no doubt I would attract lots of unwanted attention from higher ups. This school, unlike the former University of Fragment, was directly managed by the IMF and not by a school council. Personally, I did not want to be a research specimen for them regarding the power of Chaos and whatnot, so holding back a bit was seemingly the obvious choice.


    But was it? I didn''t know how good my acting skills were¡ªor rather, I didn''t know how good <em>they</em> were at discerning acts. If I was caught and exposed to be holding back, that would only bring even more attention to myself, thus rendering the entire process pointless.


    I gave a sigh. It was a dilemma for sure, but¡­ at least for the agility test, they shouldn''t be able to tell anything. Sure, I was far faster and nimbler than the normal person thanks to my mixture of vampire and angelic blood, but I had no doubt there were plenty of other Elites here able to match my speed if not surpass it, even if I tried.


    As such, I took a deep breath, prepared myself, andunched myself forward. The obstacles were simple¡ªsome required me to jump, some required me to slide underneath, while others required me to wait for the perfect moment before going through.


    In the end, I managed to finish the course in 8.7 seconds, wlessly without touching any of the obstacles. The female announcer reported this to me, and moved on to the next stage.


    "Part 2: Reaction time," she continued, as several tennis balluncher-like machines rolled into view all around me. I counted eight in total, one covering each of the eight cardinal and ordinal directions. "In a moment, these machines will beginunching baseballs at you. Only one will be active at first, and as you progress, more will join in. The speed at which the balls are fired will also increase. Do your best to dodge them¡ªthe test is over when you are hit by one. No magic is allowed. When you are ready, say so, and the test will initiate."


    ncing around at the baseballunchers, I noticed they were pretty widely spread apart. If I yed this right, I couldst pretty long, and in all honesty, Feng Mian could probablyst even longer if magic use wasn''t prohibited. I had no doubt some of the other Elites would be able to beat this challenge with ease, so once again, I decided to put some effort into it. Not trying my absolute best, but making it seem like I''m at least putting in some effort.


    I adjusted my cloak, then gave a nod to no one, really.


    "I''m ready."


    "Very well. The test begins in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ start."


    Instantly, I heard the sound of a baseball shooting out of theuncher behind me, and I evaded with ease. It was quite slow, just as expected. Right after, however, another one shot out of a differentuncher this time, and I dodged that one as well.


    In this manner, I steadily progressed this test, with more and moreunchers simultaneously firing at once, thus increasing the difficulty. Just like the female announcer stated, the speed at which the balls were fired increased as well, making it even harder to avoid.


    Strangely, even as I kept dodging without rest, I didn''t feel tired whatsoever. It may be because I was in a virtual space, but stamina didn''t bother me. I could keep doing this forever¡ªthat is, if the challenge didn''t at one point be literally impossible to avoid without the help of magic.


    I felt something hit my back painfully, and I crumpled to the floor, rubbing it in ache.


    "Agh¡­ you guys couldn''t have made pain non-existent in this test too?"


    "Unfortunately, no," the female announcer said, replying to my question like she was a sentient being. "It is certainly possible for us to do that, but we chose not to. Endurance is part of training as well. This pain will help prepare you for the future."


    "Yeah, yeah¡­ what''s next?" I muttered, rolling my eyes.


    "Part 3," the female announcer said, carrying on.. "Strength."

 Chapter 579 - Unexpected Challenge

    Chapter 579 ¨C Unexpected Challenge


    ¨C Meanwhile, Outside ¨C


    As the entrance exam for the ''Supports'' of the academy began, the girls found themselves being led to an enormous room by security guards, filled withrge desks and chairs evenly spaced out from one another.


    Each examinee was assigned a table, and they were to stand behind it until further instructions. If one room filled up, the remaining examinees were taken to a different one, and so on and so forth.


    The exam center was enormous¡ªit was clear the IMF had made significant preparations for this day, and they had done well to estimate the amount of people who would be attending. There was even room to spare, just in case anyters wanted to join. Apparently, they were prettyx about punctuality¡ªfor the Supports, at least.


    In any case, the girls soon found themselves each seated at a table, spaced out from one another. The seven of them just happened to take up one whole row, so no one else was beside them¡ªmany of the boys there were pretty disappointed about that.


    "These tables¡­ what kind of test is it going to be?" Yu An Yan murmured to herself, still worried. Qing Yue, beside her, gave a sigh and tapped her on the shoulder.


    "Rx, would you? As long as it''s not fighting, all of us will be able to make it. Besides¡ªwe''re sitting right next to each other. If it''s just a written exam, I can¡­ y''know."


    She winked, and Yu An Yan smiled back, but her heart wasn''t in it. She was just the type to overly worry like this¡ªthere was nothing to be done.


    The other girls weren''t as ''worried'', per se, but they were curious. Arge table with nothing else on it. If it was just a written exam, there was no need to make the desks this wide. It certainly wasn''t anything involving directbat either. Questions filled their heads, but they were soon answered as the doors to each room mmed shut, and every examinee had taken their spot in one of the many rooms.


    "Wee, all, to the entrance examination of Counterhex Academy," a familiar voice stated¡ªTian Lin¡ªthrough the PA, ring through each of therge rooms. "In this exam, you will be faced with a variety of different tests to your skills, including quick reactions, maximum mana, and high adaptability. We look forward to your performance¡ªthe first test begins now."


    After a brief second, the tables in front of the examinees suddenly <em>opened</em>, revealing various cooking utensils hidden beneath the surface, including a frying pan, a pot, various foods, and a portable stovetop.


    "¡­ This is¡­" Yu An Yan''s eyes were widened in shock, and so was pretty much everyone else''s.


    "Your first task," Tian Lin continued through the PA. "Cook a dish with the materials provided. You can cook anything, so long as youplete it within the time requirement of half an hour. The faster you are able to finish it, the better¡ªhowever, be sure the quality is up to standards as well. Professional chefs will be grading your food in terms of three factors: taste, healthiness, and bnce. Do your best, examinees. The time begins now."


    With a loud beep that red through all the rooms, the first test of the exam began. Immediately, the examinees got to work, the girls included. Cooking was, of course, the girls'' strongsuits. They''d cooked a lot for Xuan Kai in the past, and even those who weren''t as good at it previously had learned a thing or two from watching the others.


    And since the likes of Qing Yue and Lan Xiao Su were probably better than the professional chefs themselves, well¡­ this task was pretty much free.


    ¡­ Or at least, it should''ve been.


    Mei Gui and Obsidia, however, were left staring at the cooking utensils before them,pletely stumped. Neither had cooked before, and although Mei Gui had tried to learn, it just did not go well. She ended up either overcooking or undercooking, nearly setting the entire kitchen on fire once. Then, she used water magic on the entire thing, and drenched everything, but¡­ ah, that''s another story.


    Qing Yue, noticing them being stuck, smiled slightly and got out of her seat, then walked over to them.


    "C''mon. What are you two doing? Get the cooking utensils out."


    "¡­ I can''t," Mei Gui said quietly, a look of terrible difort on her face. "I can''t¡­ cook¡­ I can''t."


    "Neither can I," Obsidia snorted. "Cooking? What a farce. Dragons eat raw."


    "Yes, you can," Qing Yue said with a wink. "Because I will help you."


    "¡­ What?" Obsidia arched an eyebrow. "This is a test. I do not know human convention very well, but do you all not do tests independently?"


    "Normally, yes," Qing Yue said smugly. "But this is no normal test. Did the PA just now say anything about us not being able to help others? We are Supports, remember? Our entire purpose is to help others out! Nowe on! Stop worrying about that, and get the utensils out. Time is ticking away!"


    "I''ll help out too," Lan Xiao Su said from their other side. "I don''t know how much I''ll be able to do so, but¡­ I''ll try."


    Mei Gui and Obsidia were still dubious, but they did as told, taking out their respective cooking utensils from within their tables. Their movements were extremely clumsy, as both were more suited to use weapons, but there was nothing to be done about that.


    Half an hourter, all three hadpleted their dishes. Qing Yue and Xiao Su both stuck to something very light since the majority of their time was spent on helping the other two, but surprisingly enough, Mei Gui and Obsidia both turned out with decent dishes. They were by no means amazing, but the average person would call them delicious¡ªand that was enough.


    Sure, Mei Gui ended up undercooking a bit and Obsidia nearly burned hers, but that was another matter altogether.

 Chapter 580 - Strength Test

    Chapter 580 ¨C Strength Test


    With Qing Yue and Lan Xiao Su''s help, all the girls were able to turn in a sessful dish by the time the test was over. After cing theirplete dishes in the designated area on the table, it sank down into the interior of the desk, and was transported somewhere using Space Magic. Not long after, Tian Lin''s voice was transmitted via the PA once more.


    "The first test is nowplete. Now, it is time for the second. In a moment, the table before you will open up once more, revealing a hand-shaped hologram. ce your hand on it, and channel all your mana into it¡ªeveryst bit. It will return to you once the process is over, so worry not. However, be sure not to break contact with the hologram. If that urs, your mana will fail to return to you, and you will also be regarded as not being able to follow simple instructions. That is all¡ªbegin."


    Immediately, the tables opened up just like earlier, though in a smaller area this time. A rectangr hologram was disyed, and on it was the shape of a hand.


    Every examinee did just like the instructions stated, cing their hands exactly on the shape described and pouring their mana into it. Gradually, people began to feel tired, as everyone''s mana levels differed, but the seven girls sitting in the back didn''t feel a thing.


    After all, their mana capacity was far, farrger than the average person''s. By being by Xuan Kai''s side for so long, with Mei Gui as an added bonus, all of them had traces of the power of Chaos within them. This greatly amplified their mana pool and also made their spells somewhat stronger, so they were able to keep pouring mana for entire minutes while others had already gotten their mana back and the mechanism on their table had shut once more.


    Finally, the girls began to feel weary, and when they could not empty any more mana from their bodies, the mechanism transmitted their mana back to them, having logged the amount, and then promptly closed after they removed their hands. Soon, there were only two people left in the chamber who still had their hands on the device: Mei Gui and Bai He¡­


    ¡­ Wait. Make that three.


    In the very corner of the room, there was another girl who still was not done emptying her mana yet. She had long, light purple hair, almost white, and a deadly cold look in her eyes that practically screamed ''don''te near me, or I''ll kill you''.


    Of course, there might''ve been other people in the other chambers who still weren''t done yet, but judging from the announcements already being yed in those chambers, calling for the test''s end¡­ that was unlikely.


    Still, Mei Gui and Bai He didn''t even seem to notice the other girl, given how focused the two were atpeting with one another, staring daggers, but the other girl sure noticed them. She must''ve been surprised to see not one, but two others capable of having the same mana pool she had, if not more.


    And sure enough, after a while, the girl was forced to retreat and have her mana returned to her. It was already very impressive tost this long, and some of the other examinees in the room had even begun to bet on who was going to win of the three. Mei Gui and Bai He were still at it, both having neutral expressions on their faces, but the look in their eyes was as venomous as ever.


    Finally, after god knows how long, both finally were forced to remove their hands at the exact same time, their mana returning to them. It would seem they were about the same in strength level right now, though neither of them were satisfied with that conclusion.


    *****


    ¨C Inside the Virtual Space ¨C


    Part 3: Strength. Now this was going to be troublesome.


    "In a moment, an obelisk will appear in front of you," the female announcer said. "Do your best to shatter it. If sessful, another, more difficult one will appear, and the process continues until you are unable to break past one. No magic is allowed in this test. Please state when you are ready, and the test will initiate. There is no time limit, so take your time to prepare."


    Okay¡­ no magic allowed. That was better, I suppose. My unnatural vampiric strength wille to show, but that''s not that bad. There were real vampires among us here, after all. This was an international school, open to elites from all races.


    "¡­ I''m ready," I said, rearing my fist back.


    "Very well. The test will now begin."


    Immediately, a ck obelisk rose in front of me, seemingly made out of stone. Of course, I knew that was not the case. Because this was a virtual environment, they could make it to be whatever they wanted. Sure, it looked like stone, but the actual hardness differed.


    Clenching my fist tightly, I punched forward, and was almost surprised at how easily my hand went through. It felt like¡­ hardened y? Not very difficult, that was for sure.


    The crumbs on the white floor then rose back up into the air and reformed back into their original shape, and above the reconstructed obelisk, I could see a ''score'' number. It read ''2'', meaning I was on the second stage.


    Repeating the process, I punched forward again. Once more, it felt pretty easy¡ªthough definitely harder than thest one.


    In this manner, I punched the obelisks again and again, until I ended with a final score of 24. I could''ve went a lot higher if I really tried, but this was a decent score, in my own opinion. Just enough for average, while not high enough to attract attention.


    Tian Lin had said they had a possible range of scores for everyone, but for me, it was probably lower than my actual capabilities.. After all, even the IMF did not know all my secrets.


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