I Have a Friend

Many days ago, Mercury Trojan had mentioned that once beyond the Distant Sky Realm, the Touches of the Four Pillar Gods would incur the hostility of the Void Realm. Since their safety was at stake, Yaxiu naturally dared not keep it a secret and hurried to inform his teammates, so Weise learned of it as well. Yet after more than ten days, putting aside their agonizing ordeals of being battered by affixes, the Void Realm hadn't specifically targeted them—Sanctuary sorcerers being thoroughly pummeled by affixes was simply the natural order of things, universal law... Just when Yaxiu and Weise had nearly forgotten about the matter, the Void Realm's scrutiny suddenly surged forth like an avalanche and a tidal wave. Weise concealed herself in the shadows of the corridor; the rioting death-row inmates couldn't see her at all. Although "Love-Hate Reversal" made all Void Realm creatures actively hostile toward outsiders, that did not mean they were immune to sorcery spirit miracles. Her "Illusion" sorcery spirit could still drastically suppress her presence. She watched the three people locked in brutal combat in the Central Hall, a trace of doubt stirring in her mind. Though "Love-Hate Reversal" was remarkably effective, it seemed almost excessively targeted. Leaving Yaxiu aside, given the rapport Weise had built with them over these past days, the three of them wouldn't have spared her either. Of course, Weise was cold and fickle; having harbored neither affection nor resentment toward them to begin with, she remained entirely untouched by the reversal. Even so, the strength of the Void Realm creatures was steadily climbing. In the beginning, the death-row inmates were mostly One-Wing Sorcerers, but now Two-Wing inmates were appearing here and there, and their numbers were virtually endless. It took little imagination to realize that during the final minutes of the thirty-minute duration, a massive wave of Sanctuary-rank enemies would inevitably show up. That alone was enough to trap a Touch in a siege with little hope of escape. If he had been a genuine Touch, things would have been manageable. For instance, Mercury Trojan could transform Void Realm creatures into its own trojans, which would multiply in the early stages; even if it couldn't hold out until the end, it could still burn through trojans to stall for time. However, the effect of being "besieged by Void Realm creatures" was likely a common feature shared by all curse affixes; "Love-Hate Reversal" was the true malice the Void Realm harbored against them! Not random, not meant for anyone else, but a lethal trap custom-tailored by the Void Realm to their exact situation! The Void Realm... the summit of Ruby Mountain... the Touches of the Four Pillar Gods... Weise felt a faint shiver run through her. The more secrets the Void Realm revealed, the more it proved she was right: reality was merely a dream bubble created by the Divine Lord for living beings, and all souls were destined to depart for the eternal battlefield known as the Void Realm! That was why she had to take a step ahead and pierce the illusion of all things before Senluo died of its affliction! Weise looked up, just in time to see Yaxiu immobilized by the Witch and slashed by the Sword Princess's flying blade. Teammates who once shared deep bonds were now boiling with murderous intent, turning against one another as bitter enemies! In a flash, Yaxiu transformed into a streak of warm light fleeing along the floor, evading the combined strike of the Witch and the Sword Princess. Miracle: Rush Forth. Yet in the past, he had always used this move to close the distance to the Sword Princess and the Witch so they could help him out of danger. Who would have thought that one day he would use it to escape from them? Watching this unfold, Weise couldn't help but let a faint sneer curl at the corner of her lips. But she calmed down quickly, shifting her "Thousand Machines" sorcery spirit into a "Calm Mind" sorcery spirit to forcefully quiet the turbulent thoughts stirred up by the reversal, contemplating the impact of "Love-Hate Reversal" on her plan. *All gain, no harm,* she thought. If Yaxiu died here and his soul suffered severe damage, it would effectively sever his support from the Void Realm, perhaps even affecting his combat strength in reality. Cutting off all aid from both reality and the Void Realm would undoubtedly put his mental state through a grueling trial, making it far easier to strip away his cowardly, hypocritical facade. Best of all was the three of them tearing into one another in this twisted dance of love and hate. Even if they later learned their mutual slaughter had merely been induced by Love-Hate Reversal, once a certain line was crossed, one would realize that no chains truly existed to bind them. Before this, no matter how severe their emotional entanglements became, they would never resort to force, let alone stab each other in the back. But after this, that might no longer hold true. When they quarreled again, would the Sword Princess remember that her blade had drunk the Witch's blood? When witnessing favoritism, would the Witch's gaze condense once more into deadly jealousy? True, death in the Void Realm was merely an intermission, but precisely because death was not the end, they would resort to violence with far less restraint. Because people lived within illusions for so long, they always believed insurmountable high walls existed—such as morality, rules, life, and faith. But once they crossed those walls, they would find that everything was an illusion: fate is all void, all truth is permitted. The scene Weise had desired most to orchestrate was this exact spectacle of mutual destruction born of love and hate. Even if they returned to normal afterward, the seed had been planted. As long as the frictions between them persisted, a day would surely come when it took root and sprouted. The three clashed in battle once more. To Weise's surprise, although the Witch and the Sword Princess both made Yaxiu their primary target, they did not cooperate in good faith either; instead, they traded covert blows and struck viciously at one another. Which meant there was still genuine affection between the Witch and the Sword Princess; their shared time on the Time Continent hadn't been in vain... *What weak, soft-hearted people...* While Weise observed and pondered, the combat strength of the death-row inmates and prison guards escalated rapidly, and a large squad of Bloodmad Hunters even came charging in. Under such mounting pressure, even though Yaxiu and the others burned with murderous intent toward each other, they were forced to divert more attention toward the onslaught from outside. Weise began to move as well. Although her Illusion sorcery spirit was effective, the Bloodmad Hunters were already searching with scouting miracles, so she had to avoid the brunt of their sweep. Fortunately, Yaxiu's trio drew the hostility of all the Void Realm creatures; otherwise, she would have long been swept into a tide of being public enemy number one across the entire prison. Even so, she had to prepare herself. If Yaxiu and the other two fell, she would be the sole enemy remaining for the Void Realm creatures. No matter how formidable her illusion miracle was, it couldn't possibly remain immune to a blanket of scouting miracles. She needed to shape favorable terrain to endure the final few minutes. Time ticked away second by second. New types of enemies began appearing throughout the prison: Moon Shadow Priests and Blood Saint Physicians. Though still Two-Wing Gold, the Moon Shadow Priests specialized in blessing buffs that linked everyone's life energy into a single network, causing the trio's killing efficiency to plummet instantly. Meanwhile, the Blood Saint Physicians cursed the death-row inmates and hunters so that upon death, their corpses burst and unleashed sprays of corrosive blood arrows. The more enemies Yaxiu and his companions slew, the more injuries they sustained. Weise watched on with growing anticipation. Faced with the relentless assault, Yaxiu and the others had already depleted most of their sorcery mana. If this continued, they would sooner or later be swallowed up by the siege of Void Realm creatures. With their intellect, they would certainly realize this. So before death claimed them, would they meekly submit to slaughter, or pour everything into taking down the ones they hated most? Perhaps unconsciously, or perhaps sensing that drawing closer could distribute the pressure, the distance between Yaxiu and the two girls shrank steadily. Before long, the three were forced into the central area. They exchanged a glance, an inexplicable emotion welling in their eyes. Yet in the next second, they unleashed their most violent killing miracles and charged straight at one another! Weise held her breath, waiting for the most dazzling scene to unfold— *Crack!* Yaxiu's angry blade pierced through the air, impaling a chest! Sonia's Blood Moon Shattered Lake devastated everything in its path! Diya's Empress's Gaze tore bodies apart! They struck down the enemies behind each other, forming a tight back-to-back unit like a reef standing resolute against the surging tide of Void Realm creatures. "Have you two recovered?" "No. Looking at you, I still want nothing more than to rip out your guts and strangle you to death with them, you mean-spirited little blabbermouth." "I'm... by constantly switching sisters... barely managing to stay calm..." "Stop thinking of me as your friend or whatever," Yaxiu explained. "This is the Void Realm curse 'Love-Hate Reversal.' The more emotional you get, the more affected you are." "So, we have to go back to where it all began, back to the very start." "Even without affection, even if we loathe each other, hate each other, and want nothing more than to tear each other to shreds, it doesn't matter! Did we have any bonds between us at the beginning? Did either of you have any fond feelings for me back then?" "Yet in this lonely Void Realm," Yaxiu drew a defensive perimeter with the "Heart Pen," "we are destined to be companions who never part, teammates moving forward together." "No reasons needed. We are each other's strength." Weise stared blankly as the three coordinated with their usual seamless synergy, establishing a defensive line to push back against the increasingly formidable Void Realm creatures. Shaken to the core, she nearly lost her grip on her illusion, drawing the notice of a death-row inmate. The instant the inmate lunged, Weise slapped and pressed downward, slamming his head against the wall like swatting a mosquito until it burst like a watermelon. She had actually been so dazed that she forgot to hide her close-combat skills in the Void Realm. Watching Yaxiu, even under the influence of Love-Hate Reversal, still fight side by side with the Sword Princess and the Witch to effortlessly defuse this crisis, the usually composed Weise felt a thick, suffocating sensation well up in her heart for the very first time... Resentment. *** Yaxiu sat up abruptly. Seeing that the Watcher had already packed his gear and was preparing to set out, he grabbed him and pulled him to the bedside, saying, "You'll never guess what I ran into in the Void Realm just now—I actually wanted to kill the Sword Princess and the Witch! You definitely can't imagine what that felt like!" The Watcher's brow twitched. Shrugging off the hand resting on his shoulder, he asked, "So did you kill them?" "How could I? I can't beat them anyway," Yaxiu huffed. "Thinking back gives me a cold sweat. I was immobilized by the Witch, and then the Sword Princess swung her blade straight at my neck... God knows how I dodged it." *You're pretty proud of not being able to beat either of them, aren't you?* "Oh." "Turns out the Void Realm really does loathe and curse the Touches of the Four Pillar Gods," Yaxiu mused. "We survived this time, but does this mean we'll have to endure an extra curse affix every single time we enter the Void Realm from now on? I haven't gained a single advantage from being a Touch, yet the difficulty went up an entire notch for free?" Although he felt there was no need to analyze it for him, to prevent him from rambling noisily along this train of thought, the Watcher said nonetheless, "You didn't trigger any curse affixes for so many days before, which shows the Void Realm doesn't often notice that you're a Touch of the Four Pillar Gods. Compared to the Void Realm, you are far too minuscule, like an insect crawling on a giant. Occasionally you tickle the giant, and the giant notices you and delivers a swat, but most of the time, the giant doesn't care about you." "I didn't do anything, though." Yaxiu was thoroughly bewildered. "How did I tickle the Void Realm?" *Mana amplification, sorcery skill advancement, a surge of longing, triggering special affixes—various factors accumulating bit by bit until reaching a threshold the Void Realm couldn't tolerate...* The Watcher quickly reached the answer in his mind. However, he said nothing, knowing Yaxiu could reach that conclusion on his own. He stood up to leave, only to be yanked back by Yaxiu. "Come on, help me analyze it!" For some reason, an inexplicable irritation flared in the Watcher's heart. Expressionless, he said, "Probably because you were in heat." Yaxiu shuddered all over and immediately clamped the Watcher in a chokehold, pinning him onto the bed. Half-serious and half-joking, he demanded, "Do you know what happened to me in the Void Realm?! Confess everything!" How could the Watcher be pinned by such crude tricks? Even when fighting Youlan and Weise last night, he hadn't used his true abilities. With a casual flick and twist, he hurled Yaxiu off. Yet this shameless fellow threw martial ethics out the window, stubbornly using grappling techniques to drag fair competition into a raw test of brawn. More importantly, the Watcher did not want to hurt him and dared not strike vital areas like the eyes, groin, or throat. After tussling and scuffling for a moment, the Watcher suddenly cooled down. In all these years, it had been a very long time since he had engaged in such a low-level brawl, and he had almost been dragged down to Yaxiu's pace. He calmly explained, "I merely deduced it." "Was I that obvious?!" Yaxiu was startled. "Wait, no—is it because you and I complement each other, so any little shift in me is immediately picked up by you?" The Watcher wore an expression that screamed *yeah, sure, whatever you say*. "Yes. After all, since I complement you, I can naturally sense changes in your mood." Satisfied at last, Yaxiu released his grip and went off to wash up and have breakfast. The Watcher straightened his rumpled clothes. Unlike Yaxiu, he paid great attention to his personal appearance and grooming. On this point, he could not understand Yaxiu at all. He remembered that ever since Shattered Lake Prison, he had always paid attention to every detail, acting with extreme caution in all matters, flawless in everything from his appearance to his plans. Why could Yaxiu be so careless and carefree, practically like a Lalafell that had attained sentience? *Phew.* The Watcher swiftly calmed his inner thoughts. In truth, he understood why his mood was fluctuating. Even though he had prepared himself long ago, and even though he had lived through countless wars and countless upheavals, that was still Yaxiu Heath after all—a Yaxiu who still worried about his loved ones, a Watcher who had not yet seen the end. Like seeing an old photograph, it inevitably stirred up nostalgia. Even though he had always been a bystander, he was now forced to become the person in the mirror. *What pointless sentimentality.* The Watcher opened his eyes to see Yaxiu sitting down across from him while munching on an energy bar. "Hey Watcher, there's something I want to talk to you about." "It's like this. I have a friend..." "He seems to be on the verge of being confessed to recently..." "But..." The Watcher quietly listened to him finish describing his tangled, convoluted, unpredictable romantic life, unable to resist glancing down at the rest time countdown on his wristwatch. *Isn't the rest period over yet?* *** Sword Flower University. Watching Sonia hiding under her blanket, Adele nudged Lois. Lois looked toward Ingrid, who shook her head. Mustering her courage, Lois climbed onto the country girl's bed and asked, "Sonia, are you feeling unwell?" "No." "Then why did you collapse onto the bed the moment you got back?" Sonia pulled back the blanket, pursing her lips with a face full of bewilderment. After a moment, she sat up and said, "I'm just thinking about a question." "What question?" "I have a friend. She just confessed recently, but she doesn't know whether it counts as having confessed or not having confessed..." Adele, Ingrid, and Lois all crowded onto her bed at once: "Elaborate." *** Yisu Imperial Palace. Squeezing out of Annan's embrace, Lisi bounced over and sat before the mirror, asking, "Did Papa talk about Lisi today?!" The Witch sisters appeared in the mirror: "No, but something very interesting happened." "What happened?!" White Queen: "Xiu was chasing us today..." "Ooh ooh ooh!" Black Butler: "And then we warmly ran to meet him..." "Whoa!" Red Apostle: "We even shot out threads and tied him up..." Lisi covered her eyes, though the gaps between her fingers were wide enough to fit eyeballs through, her face flushed with excitement: "And then?! What happened next?!" Diya: "And then the Sword Princess charged over and almost chopped his head off with a sword." Lisi: "Σ(っ°Д°;)っ?"