Sonia slowly descended to the edge of the cliff, sheathed her sword, and took a towel and a sports drink from Daidalos. Using the towel to wipe the light sweat from her neck, she rehydrated in small sips. Before her lay an unfathomably deep, gargantuan rift. Viewed from above, the chasm resembled a hideous scar across the earth, nearly sundering the land in two.
Yet half an hour earlier, this place had been an endless expanse of flat plains.
"Sword Princess—!" Diya threw herself forward to hug Sonia, burying her head against her chest and inhaling deeply. "Watch me suck away all your talent! How can you improve so fast? Slow down for me!"
"Stop that, it's sticky," Sonia said, pushing her off and feeding her the sports drink. "Haven't you improved rapidly too? You're the only one among us who constructed a brand-new wonder. Just now, I was almost completely suppressed by your Witch Domain."
"But you still broke right through the Witch Domain..." Diya muttered. "I was actually pretty confident in it, thinking I'd definitely be the strongest this time. In the end, I still couldn't beat you... Sword Princess, you're just ridiculous!"
"Both of you are ridiculous," Weise chimed in as she walked over. "Using the Fairy Tale God and the Gospel God as a foundation, the Witch constructed the celestial wonder 'Witch Domain' from scratch in just a few days. It can actually split off three sister avatars, each possessing self-awareness and capable of freely deploying sorcery spirits and wonders. In a melee, it functions as a sorcery battery; against a single target, it achieves absolute suppression; and it even incorporates prophecy miracles into its tactical system to seize the initiative from start to finish... It's practically an army of demigods."
"Yet the Sword Princess is a blade of supreme majesty and peerless allure. She can violently cleave mountains and seas, yet also poetically sever time and prophecy. Even with the Witch anticipating every move, she still couldn't withstand the Sword Princess's sharpness." Weise sighed. "Clearly, you two are the youngest among us, yet looking at you always makes me wonder if the extra years I've lived have all gone to the dogs..."
"Are you trying to flatter them or demean me?" Vichy drifted down lazily. The flames cloaking her dispersed, openly revealing her deep-black bustier. She produced a bottle of water and dumped it straight over her head. The icy water cascaded past her collarbones, crystalline drops clinging to the mounds before sliding into her cleavage, skimming the dimples of her lower back and wetting her short skirt.
Perching on a rock, she gulped down another bottle of water, breathing hot air as she spoke: "I've seen plenty of talented sorcerers like you, but guess how many actually managed to grow to their full potential?"
"One in ten?" Diya offered a reasonable guess.
"In my era, virtually zero." Vichy sneered, tilting her head. "Why would I ever allow a talented sorcerer to grow up?"
Only then did everyone recall that the deeds most frequently recorded in the *Spectre Manual* were Vichy hunting down genius sorcerers far and wide, single-handedly butchering Sanctuary and Legendary sorcerers to the point of creating a generational talent gap spanning centuries.
"Even without someone like me, genius sorcerers rarely survive to flourish," Vichy said. "A sorcerer's rise has always depended on numerous factors, and talent is only one of them—and not even the most important. The ability to explore the Void Realm, the skill to manage worldly affairs, and mental fortitude are all far more critical than raw talent."
"I have seen many geniuses who suffered poor luck in the Void Realm, lagging behind ordinary people in their progress. I have also seen many bogged down by mundane affairs, tangled in endless strife day in and day out, ultimately neglecting their sorcery. Even more geniuses could not bear the pressure from all sides, choosing to escape and slack off, letting Heaven reclaim their gifts."
"Including myself, every one of you has made leaps and bounds over this past year." Vichy slid down onto the ground, leaning lazily against the boulder. "When it comes to our current achievements, never mind our talent—even our hard work is merely a negligible part of it."
"To put it bluntly," the maid said, crossing her arms over her chest, "all of you obtained power from Yaxiu by peddling your charms."
"Including me."
"We usually use a slightly more elegant term to describe such a relationship," Weise said placidly. "Love, for instance."
"Love, sincerity, affection—call it whatever you like." Vichy entwined her black-stockinged legs like a pair of vipers. "But do you really think that's a good thing?"
"What do you mean?" Diya grew vigilant. "Are you trying to sow discord between us and Yaxiu? You wicked woman!"
"Yaxiu is my master. He has stated more than once that if he dies, he'll drag me down to the grave with him. Why would I ever sow discord between you and him, or weaken his allies? His enemies are the Supremes of sorcery, capable of tearing heaven and earth apart." Vichy laughed. "I am merely wondering: what he truly needs—is it lovers, or powerful teammates?"
"And for you, what is genuinely indispensable? Is it love, or the power to take control of your own destiny?"
Daidalos suddenly spoke up: "I should go back and prepare dinner." Without waiting for a response, she gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
Once the foremost beauty beneath the starry sky had departed, Weise snapped her fingers. Silver light coalesced into an armchair, and she casually sat down, her rounded hips sinking into the seat.
"You frightened Daidalos," Weise noted. "She is not loyal to us, nor is she loyal to power. She is loyal only to Yaxiu... or rather, to the five Pillar Gods who cherish Yaxiu."
"I would say the exact same thing to Yaxiu's face," Vichy replied. "I used to think Yaxiu's desires, your desires, and the demands of reality formed an impossible triangle. Satisfying Yaxiu's desires would inevitably provoke your discontent; satisfying your desires would cause infighting among yourselves; and whether satisfying Yaxiu or yourselves, it would cause you to wallow in fleeting pleasure, leaving you unable to keep pace with the Starry Supreme and hopelessly vulnerable in the future contest among Supremes."
"Yet I was mistaken," she continued. "Right now is the ideal equilibrium for this impossible triangle. Without Yaxiu acting as a 'variable of interference,' we... or at least you, have no irreconcilable conflicts between you."
"If not for Yaxiu, you genius female sorcerers of this generation could have become the closest of friends. You weren't enemies from the beginning, were you?"
Diya and Sonia exchanged a glance. The Witch took her good friend's arm and murmured, "These past few days... I feel as though we've returned to the Time Continent."
Sonia brushed back Diya's bangs, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
Back on the Time Continent, her relationship with Yaxiu had still been ambiguous, while Diya was just an emotionally volatile young girl. During that period, Sonia's favorite thing had been chatting with Diya about mundane everyday life and grumbling about Yaxiu's dark history... Back then, she had truly believed the Witch would become her best, closest friend, because there was no conflict of interest between them. Sonia could freely share all her loves, hates, joys, and sorrows with the Witch... That had been the happiest time of Sonia's life, spending every day with both the one she loved and her dear friend. She had genuinely thought those days could go on forever and ever.
The Sword Princess and Silver Lantern exchanged a look, both discerning a tinge of regret in the other's eyes. Weise was undeniably an excellent teammate, having earned the unanimous respect of every member almost entirely through her own strength. Even after learning that Weise was the Silver Lantern who had once tried to murder Yaxiu, when news of Weise's 'death' came, Sonia had still felt that being unable to fight alongside her was a lifelong regret.
They were all such wonderful female sorcerers.
"Ignoring what I did to Yaxiu, none of you bear me any real ill will either. Even Silver Lantern—what you despise isn't me, but rather 'the Spectre Prophet who poses a threat to Yaxiu,'" Vichy said. "Over the past few days, as we've all been under the Gospel God's supervision and I can no longer touch Yaxiu, you've been able to accept my integration into the team... Although Yaxiu has always harbored unrealistic illusions about you, your moral baselines are actually much lower than his."
"I even suspect..." Vichy propped her chin in hand, her gaze flicking over the female sorcerers like a serpent's tongue, "...that the main reason you were willing to abide by the law in the Starry Country wasn't fear of alarming the Divine Lord of Stars, but simply out of regard for his feelings."
"Haven't you been abiding by the law just the same?" Weise chuckled softly.
"I merely have no way to defy his shackles," Vichy said, twitching her lips. "He keeps such a tight watch on me that I can't find an opening to collect souls even if I wanted to."
Silver Lantern said nothing, merely looking at the maid with a smile. An eerie chill ran down Vichy's spine, prompting her to hurry on with the topic: "In any case, once we excluded the 'contraband' known as Yaxiu, the daggers-drawn tension between us vanished, replaced by friendly solidarity. Not only did our cooperative combat power increase, but because we no longer racked our brains trying to vie for favor, our sorcery realms advanced by leaps and bounds."
"It's precisely because it's so effective that we swore off lust," Diya said. "But this is only temporary. Once Yaxiu recovers, there won't be any need for us to undergo such ascetic cultivation."
"Why must it be temporary?" Vichy countered. "With the team in such optimal shape, why not keep maintaining it?"
"Because we all..." Diya hesitated for a moment, finally arriving at a more refined phrasing, "...all need emotional solace."
"Really?" Vichy stretched lazily, putting her deep-black bustier to a stern test as her proud bust and slender waist curved in a dynamic, alluring silhouette. "Can the solace Yaxiu gives you truly far outweigh your good relationship with the Sword Princess? Is it really worth having to lose a dear friend just for that occasional bit of sweetness?"
Diya froze, gripping Sonia's hand tighter, and shook her head. "But I can't give up—"
"Nobody is telling you to give up," Vichy smiled. "Who said you had to give anything up?"
"It is precisely because nobody's interests are harmed that this is the best equilibrium for the impossible triangle," she explained. "As long as you maintain this neither-too-close-nor-too-distant teammate dynamic with Yaxiu, you won't have to give up your lover, you can preserve your great relationships with one another, and you can delve into sorcery undistracted—perfectly satisfying every demand."
"The sole issue is the emotional solace you mentioned." Vichy cast a glance over them. "Yet haven't you been quite happy over these past few days without Yaxiu? Surely the emotional value provided by friends is no less than that of a lover?"
"Or could it be that your desires are particularly burning?" The maid tilted her head, speaking languidly: "I don't understand that sort of thing very well. After all, I have no desire to get lewd with Yaxiu..."
"Not at all!" Diya shook her head emphatically. "I just feel happy being around Yaxiu! It has nothing to do with desires!"
"Even if we can accept it," Weise said, "can Yaxiu? These past few days, he's..."
Sonia suddenly interjected, "He will accept it."
Everyone looked at the red-haired girl. Sonia said calmly, "If he believes it is good for us, and the only one whose interests are sacrificed is himself, he will definitely agree."
"Besides, his interests wouldn't even be sacrificed. This is the equilibrium of the impossible triangle, so his needs will be satisfied as well," Vichy said. "Who do you think has been happiest seeing us get along harmoniously these past few days?"
Diya answered instantly, "Yaxiu! His greatest wish has always been to see us united in sisterly love!"
"He has always felt terribly guilty about being the greatest source of discord within the team," Weise mused. "And in fact, he really is..."
"Furthermore, you can give him a wonderful prospect to look forward to." Vichy pressed her palms together. "He knows full well that all the girls who love him could never get along under ordinary circumstances. But if you become close friends first, isn't there a chance that one day you might completely compromise and be willing to serve him together?"
Sonia burst into laughter. The others said nothing, but their silence spoke volumes.
"Everyone's needs are met, and everyone can take giant strides toward the future." Vichy spread her hands. "Swearing off lust is the only way forward for our demigod team."
"If I had to name a downside, it's that after swearing off lust for long enough, you might start to wonder..." Vichy's voice turned ethereal and profound, "...whether Yaxiu's love is truly indispensable to you after all."
The air fell still and quiet. The female sorcerers relaxed their bodies in silence, each lost in her own thoughts.
"You have plenty of time to slowly examine your feelings," Vichy said, extending her tongue to catch the very last drop as she inverted the water bottle. "After all, your situations are complicated, unlike my own simplicity."
"The Spectre Prophet will never have a lover," she tossed the empty water bottle into the rift, "and even less so a master."
"To me, Yaxiu is my salvation," Weise said earnestly. "If a teammate is more meaningful to him than a lover, what reason do I have to cling to it?"
Diya clutched the corner of Sonia's clothes, her large eyes blinking as she said pitifully, "I really don't want to lose my good friend again."
Sonia didn't answer right away, staring blankly at the distant light on the horizon. After a while, Daidalos, spreading her void wings, flew over and landed beside them, saying respectfully, "The bath is ready. If everyone is finished training, you may bathe first; dinner will be ready in forty minutes."
"Daidalos," Sonia said suddenly, "do you remember the famous line from episode seventeen of *Crossed Blades of Cunzhou*?"
Daidalos pondered for a moment. "'I am with you to be cherished and protected, not to swallow a bellyful of grievances and soak my pillow in tears, tossing and turning through sleepless nights wondering whether you are even worth it.'"
"Mm." Sonia nodded. "Let's head back and bathe. Vichy, remember to dress properly."
"Understood—" Vichy replied languidly. "So, Sword Princess, are you agreeing, or...?"
"We can't just remain stuck in place forever, repeating the same mistakes." Sonia looked at them, letting out a soft sigh of relief.
"It's time to move forward a little."
Chapter 1112