Five Assemble

"You can't do it." Yaxiu's voice was gentle, but his tone was as hard as iron. "The Hell secret poison isn't something that can be resolved so easily. In half an hour, everyone in this world who knows about the Hell secret poison will be gone. As long as I refuse, none of you can follow me into Hell." "I originally wanted to take half a month to slowly convince you, but my plans always seem to fail." Yaxiu let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I can't guarantee that I'll be able to protect you in Hell. I can only guarantee that I won't drag you down into it." "I don't need your protection!" Sonia snapped immediately. "Well, I do." Yaxiu leaned in close and kissed her earlobe. "A destiny where I can never catch up—I can't bear experiencing that a second time. Even if you hate me, resent me, or despise me, I still want you to live well in reality. Just thinking about how you two can reign supreme and act without restraint in reality makes me happy." "This should be the last time I make a decision for you on my own," he said with a soft chuckle. "What can I say? I'm a selfish man too." Even if Sonia and Diya argued until the sky fell, Yaxiu would never let them accompany him. It was not merely because of the sheer difficulty of the Hell trials, but because Hell, to Yaxiu, would be an unending war. His Supreme void wings and his Soul Kingdom of Heaven were irresistible temptations to demigod sorcerers. If someone like Weixi was anything to judge by, then even if the other demigods were not as mad as she was, they were still a pack of thieves devoid of any bottom line. From the moment he stepped into Hell, everything in sight would be his enemy. What was more, the four God Masters were watching like predators. Heaven only knew what sort of welcoming ceremony they had arranged for him down there. Even if Yaxiu was the strongest newcomer demigod in history, he dared not claim he could truly fight his way through Hell. Not only the Sword Princess and the Witch, but even Igola and Harvey were people he had no intention of taking along. Whoever went with him would be forced to challenge Hell on maximum difficulty. Just as Igola and Harvey had resolved to leave him, Yaxiu, too, had quietly decided that he would embark on the journey to Hell alone. With things stated so plainly, there was no longer any room for compromise. The Sword Princess and the Witch fell silent, sitting quietly beside him. Yaxiu pulled them both into his arms. Such an act, which bordered on an outright challenge to their dignity, met with no resistance. Sonia and Diya both leaned obediently against his chest, like a pair of sisters setting aside their differences to cooperate. The softness of their lovely figures allowed Yaxiu's tense heart to finally relax. Yet beneath the crimson and black locks shielding their eyes burned a madness Yaxiu had never seen before! *"We're going to watch him leave with our own eyes again..."* *"We're going to lose him once more..."* *"We worked so hard, yet we're still just as weak as we were on that rainy night..."* *"After so long, we still can't do anything. We're clearly good girls and a good empress now, yet the world is still so cruel to us!"* *"It's always like this. Every single time, we're so close to getting what we want, only to lose it!"* *"We... never want to remember this bitter frustration and rage again."* White Queen: *"There are still things we can do..."* Black Butler: *"We can rip out his heart, dig out his brain, and unearth the truth of the Hell secret poison..."* Red Death Apostle: *"If he resists, break his limbs. If he refuses, dominate him directly. Healing threads can numb his nerves, and mind-reading threads can penetrate his brain without trauma. It's fine. It won't hurt..."* Lisi: *"S-Sisters? Are you serious?! Papa, Papa, run!"* Diya's hand silently caressed the nape of Yaxiu's neck—the convergence of all nerves in the body. In a mere instant, her threads could seize control of his entire being. Sorcery power began to churn, and sorcery spirits began to weave their structure. The Witch gently embraced her lover, the merciless scalpel already poised to strike. At the same time, Sonia was murmuring silently in her heart. *He doesn't care about my feelings at all. He just imposes his own will on me, never once asking if I'm willing. In the end, he's just like everyone else—he's never respected me! I've said it over and over and over again! I don't want his protection! I want to leave with him! And yet he still won't agree!* *How dare he refuse me!* *How dare he give me no chance at all!* *I can accept that you love other women. I can accept that your first kiss wasn't mine. I can even accept you holding the Witch while holding me, because I know I'll have the chance to change you slowly. As long as there's a chance, I'll eventually get everything I want... But you won't even give me a sliver of a chance! You just reject all my possibilities outright!* *The thing I hate most in this life is being looked down on and rejected!* *Your will matters, so mine doesn't?! I said I'm going—do you not understand human speech?!* *Isn't it just because you think you're stronger than me that you get to arrange my fate...?* *Then I'll gravely wound your soul and slaughter your sorcery spirits. I'll make you beg for my protection, plead for my mercy! I'll make you understand that no one gets to disregard my feelings, no matter your excuse, no matter what bigger picture you have to consider... Not even you, Yaxiu Heath!* Sonia's hand rested silently against the hilt of her sword. Sword-colored sorcery power surged through her soul, and her sorcery spirits danced and roared wildly. Though they were accustomed to executing the sweeping, grand Mountain and River Sword Stance, they constructed the vicious and tyrannical Dark Annihilation Sword Stance without the slightest hesitation. The Sword Princess gently stroked her lover, her savage ruby blade poised to tear everything apart. Right at that moment, Yaxiu patted his pocket and let out a light gasp. "After so long, they're probably long gone." "Are you looking for these?" The Sword Princess and the Witch glanced over to see Felix holding out three small boxes. Yaxiu paused. "...I won't ask how they ended up with you, but why did you carry them on you?" "I've been carrying all your personal belongings. I wanted to find a chance to return them, but I couldn't find an opportunity along the way," Felix said calmly. "Thank you." Yaxiu took the three small boxes. His fingertips brushed against Felix's palm, and she pulled her hand back as if jolted by electricity, continuing to drive as if nothing had happened. Yaxiu glanced at her, then shifted his gaze back to the small black boxes in his hands. "These were gifts I prepared for you. I originally planned to give them to you during a date, but I suppose this is my only chance now." Sonia and Diya were slightly taken aback by his words, and the Extinction Resentful Blazing Dragon and Chiming Bronze Dragon that were on the verge of materializing both dispersed. Yaxiu opened a small black box, revealing a pair of gleaming couple rings resting quietly upon black velvet. There was a decent amount of space inside the sports car. Yaxiu knelt down, took the Sword Princess's hand, and slipped a ring onto her slender finger before putting the matching ring on his own hand. Then he opened the second small black box, threaded the ring onto a necklace, and fastened it around the Witch's fair, elegant neck before putting on the second ring himself. "Witch, you can't maintain your adult form, so wear it as a necklace for now." Yaxiu raised his hand to show the two rings on the same finger. "Though it looks a bit strange this way, it's better than wearing nothing at all." "You went through so much to rescue me, yet I have to leave again. I know how deeply I've disappointed you." He smiled bitterly. "I promise I'll return as soon as possible. I have the Soul Kingdom of Heaven and the Supreme tail feathers. Once I condense my fifth pair of void wings, I should be able to raise my Kingdom of Heaven immediately, bypass the God Masters, and attain the Supreme realm. Then I'll help you both ascend to demigods. That's the future I've planned for you." "I don't want you to step into Hell with me," Yaxiu said earnestly, "but I want you to become my angels." Sonia stared blankly at the ring on her hand, while Diya cradled the ring on her necklace in her palms. Yaxiu had bought these matching rings in Senluo's Black Robe Town. Though the craftsmanship was novel and ingenious, the Sword Princess was a vain girl who loved beauty and had seen countless precious jewels. Her Majesty the Empress was even more extravagant—whenever she wanted to choose jewelry, she had a catalog as thick as a hand's width to browse through, all filled with priceless treasures. Yet it was precisely this insignificant gift that struck the softest part of their hearts. Engraved around the outer band of each ring were the inscriptions "Observer and Sword Princess" and "Observer and Witch," bearing the unmistakable traces of the Sword Mark sorcery spirit and Heart Sword sorcery spirit. They could almost picture the scene of Yaxiu carefully carving the rings stroke by stroke with his sorcery spirits. "...You're just taking advantage of the fact that I love you," Sonia sighed softly after a long silence. Diya had already thrown her arms around Yaxiu, sobbing quietly against his chest in resignation. "The third box," Weise suddenly asked. "Whose ring is that?" Yaxiu rolled his eyes at her. "Wait until you have a body before you ask that question." He looked down at the small black box, then handed it toward Felix. "I can't take it to Hell, and it's not appropriate to leave it with them... Could you keep holding onto it for me?" "No problem, Observer." Felix took the small black box, her fingertips seemingly brushing against Yaxiu's palm. But Yaxiu had no attention to spare for such details—his sword-colored void wings were on the verge of finishing their condensation. *Aurora's Sorcerer Handbook*—Void Realm Exploration. This time, Yaxiu saw that all operators were available for selection, including the silver-white Weise and the newly joined Weixi. "We might not go," Sonia said suddenly, "but we're staying with you until the very last moment." "Mm-hmm!" Diya wiped her tears on Yaxiu's clothes, nodding firmly. "Alright." Yaxiu shrugged helplessly, checked every operator, and confirmed the selection. Terminal Observer, Dead Frenzy Sword Princess, Black and White Witch, Evernight Silver Lantern, Demon Maid... Assemble!