Upon the snowfield known across the Northern Continent as the Land of Evernight, at the stroke of midnight, a bizarre spectacle was unfolding.
Normally, this place was steeped in prolonged dark night, with twinkling stars and cascading moonlight, where only silver radiance cast shadows across the ice- and snow-covered earth.
Suddenly, the edges of the snowflakes dancing in the air began to shimmer, as if countless golden stars were descending upon the land.
The light grew steadily brighter. It was not a cold silver-white, but a warm golden yellow.
These points of light gradually spread, unfurling until they converged into a resplendent sea of radiance.
Bathed in this interplay of gold and silver light, the snowfield awoke, illuminated anew into a dreamlike world where the sun and moon shone together.
Gazing at the struggling Blood Clan Count in the distance, Lanqi made sure Xigelei had her eyes shut tight, then removed his hand from over them.
He had long considered the possibility of encountering the Blood Clan in the Land of Evernight and had prepared sunglasses before setting out—and had naturally bought an extra pair along the way.
Taking the spare sunglasses from his pocket, he crouched down and fitted them properly over Xigelei's eyes.
"Xigelei, you can open your eyes slowly now," Lanqi reminded her.
"..."
Though Xigelei suspected it might still be blinding, she opened her eyes at Lanqi's words.
The next second, all she saw...
Golden-yellow and silver-white light intertwined, reflecting off the snowflakes until every flake seemed like a tiny illuminated lantern.
In amazement, she reached out a hand to touch the falling snow.
The radiance expanded, and a strange, wondrous transformation began to unfold in the sky.
The deep blue of the night sky gradually receded, replaced by a gentle orange-gold hue, reminiscent of the first light of dawn.
To Xigelei's disbelief, in this very Land of Evernight, both the sun and the moon were shining in the heavens at the same time.
"What do you think?"
Lanqi lightly snapped his fingers and held out his left hand, presenting the snowy vista for her to admire. "I couldn't prepare a proper birthday present for you, so I had to make do with performing a magic trick on the spot."
Lanqi grinned proudly.
"..."
Xigelei parted her lips, looking around at this phantasmal world. She had never seen such a sight before.
Not even in her dreams.
Every snowflake sparkled with gold and silver brilliance, as though enchanted by magic.
Under this extraordinary illumination, the shadows of the mountains and trees across the snowfield grew soft and mysterious, their contours etched sharply by the radiance.
"Thank you, Luoqi," Xigelei murmured.
Lanqi nodded.
However, there was still one more thing the two of them needed to do right now.
"You should be able to beat him now, right?"
Lanqi pointed toward the Blood Clan Count, who had finally scrambled to his feet on the ground in the distance.
Washed in the brilliance, Count Gregory's cloak took on a silver-white sheen, and his already pale skin had turned paper-thin, the color of his blood vessels visible beneath, looking as though it would shatter at the lightest touch.
During the day, a vampire count was reduced to a mere tenth of his full strength, and now, scorched directly under the sun, he was enduring unspeakable agony.
Back then, even the Tier 5 Holy Trio had been able to thrash the warrior-type Count Palocas inside the sun-drenched Stained Glass Sanctuary.
Now, this scout-type Count Gregory would surely be no match for Xigelei.
"Mm."
Xigelei pulled her gaze from the snowy scenery, her eyes turning sharp and cold as she glared at her mortal enemy.
In daylight, even against a Blood Clan Count, she could win!
Xigelei strode across the deep snow.
Every step struck Count Gregory's heart like the blow of an iron hammer.
He wanted to gauge his enemy's position, but right now he seemed to have lost all sense of direction.
Then, Xigelei's fist smashed toward Count Gregory with furious might, nearly tearing the air apart.
The moment the fist came down, Count Gregory was still in too much pain to open his eyes, but his combat experience prompted him to bend forward with all his might, shielding his heart and head.
A resounding boom echoed!
Xigelei's fist struck Gregory squarely in the lower back, erupting in a deafening crash like colliding metal.
Count Gregory relied purely on his Tier 7 physical constitution to withstand the punch, but his body rocked like a skiff in a tsunami; he stumbled forward, only to be struck once more by her iron fist.
"Aaargh!"
Count Gregory roared in agonizing disbelief.
The proud Wolf Clan, devout worshippers of the Moon Goddess, rarely fought without honor.
He never imagined this little wretch would turn out to be a despicable kidney-puncher!
She aimed exclusively for his kidneys,
shamelessly taking advantage of his current blindness!
Xigelei's light footsteps swept through the snow. The sound of her drawing nearer brought pressure like a pitch-black tide, leaving Count Gregory trapped in disorienting blindness, desperately on guard.
And in the distance where he could not see at all,
the Poet of Great Love stood like a phantom, the violin in her hands gleaming with a cold luster.
With Boss Cat around, Lanqi had plenty of card slots, so bringing along a few low-tier instrument equipment cards that the Poet of Great Love favored was hardly difficult.
"Play 'Hymn to the Moon Goddess,'" Lanqi instructed the Poet of Great Love after a moment's thought.
"Then when you go to the Demon Realm, you have to take me out to have fun," the red-dressed Poet of Great Love whispered with her eyes closed, standing quietly under the light, her long gray hair cascading down like a waterfall.
She gently rested a finely crafted magic apparatus violin on her left shoulder, her fingers sliding lightly along the fingerboard to find the right position.
"No problem," Lanqi agreed with a nod.
In any case, he would definitely need to make use of the Poet of Great Love in the Demon Realm.
Usually, alongside studying magic engineering, the Poet of Great Love had considerable musical talent; whenever she picked up sheet music or learned an instrument, she practically mastered it instantly.
Yet for reasons unknown, she seemed to look down on musical instruments, constantly trying to remodel them into magic apparatuses.
"O Goddess of the Moon,"
An air of unhurried poise suffused the Poet of Great Love's face. As she parted her crimson lips, time itself seemed to slow into elegance before her.
"Charming Goddess wandering through the mantle of night,"
Her right hand elegantly grasped the bow and began drawing it across the strings.
"In Thy holy name, we bare our hearts."
As the notes rang out, the Poet of Great Love's voice intertwined with the melodious, resonant notes of the violin, diffusing across the snowfield.
"The bird that sings at midnight bathes in Thy grace, its passion soaring to the clouds above."
"Under the shelter of gentle moonlight, we shall let Thy song endure for ages."
"Solace, sanctuary, hope, and love—the world we share abides with Thee through prayer."
Under the influence of the Poet of Great Love's bewitching music, Xigelei grew extraordinarily exhilarated. Her punches gathered ever greater force as she let out a wild, exhilarating roar, battering Count Gregory until blood splattered repeatedly from his body.
Meanwhile, Count Gregory's fury knew no bounds.
"Aaaaargh!"
Even knowing he was at an extreme disadvantage, Count Gregory still burned to tear his opponent to shreds!
"Xigelei, I'll teach you a boxing technique. How much you can learn depends on your own comprehension."
Lanqi felt that Count Gregory was already experiencing the pure thrill of battle, so they had to answer him with even greater vigor.
Standing behind Xigelei, Lanqi began directing her, patiently passing on combat techniques of the Lan Fist style.
Through lengthy teaching and research, Lanqi had come to realize one truth:
The ultimate end of magic was throwing punches.
Basic attacks were simply too overpowered.
Xigelei listened to Lanqi's verbal instructions even as she fought.
"Understood."
For some reason, after hearing it just once, she felt she had mastered it—not only grasping it completely, but capable of applying the principles across the board.
The instant Xigelei sidestepped the counterattack of Count Gregory's claws, she lunged forward, driving her knuckles mercilessly into Count Gregory's neck with a straight punch!
"I've thought you were too noisy for a while now."
Expressionless, Xigelei gave her wrist a light shake.
Chapter 557