In the Country of All Stars, within the courtyard of Rose's villa, the ringing chime of clashing swords echoed without end. It was Yaxiu, Weixi, Niya, and Feili sparring together in a four-way practice.
At times they fought in a free-for-all, at times in paired duels, and at times three ganged up on one—with the primary target of their drills naturally being Feili. Compared to a month ago, Feili handled herself with far greater ease. That was not to say she could win, but even when outmatched, she could quickly break her fall, adjust her stance, seek favorable terrain, and launch swift counterattacks.
"Encircle," Weixi commanded.
At her order, the three attacked Feili in unison. Feili switched to a two-handed grip, swinging in broad, sweeping arcs as she retreated while warding off strikes. She held out for two full rounds of onslaughts before Niya knocked the rapier from her hand.
Her stamina exhausted, Feili flopped straight onto the grass, panting in shallow gasps. A delicate peach flush rose across her skin after the intense exertion. Her long blonde hair was tied back, her athletic shirt thoroughly soaked in sweat, and droplets from her forehead trickled down the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks.
Weixi reached down and pulled the little sheep up, then twisted open a bottle of mineral water and dumped it directly over her head.
Nearby, Yaxiu and Niya were also resting and drinking water. Such high-intensity training put a heavy burden on their bodies as well, and they could not rely on 'Joy Sword'—while the pain relief from 'Joy Sword' was an exceptional buff in combat, relying on analgesics during training would only cultivate reckless fools with no regard for their lives. Only through pain could one learn self-preservation.
Only Weixi had it easy; her legendary spear and halberd faction allowed her to handle the three of them like an adult playing with children.
"Your individual combat fundamentals are basically proficient now. Next, we can focus on cooperative tactics." Weixi pulled off her athletic shirt right then and there, wiping the light sheen of sweat from her neck as she asked, "By the way, did you come up with those two-handed sword techniques at the end yourself?"
"Y-Yeah," Feili blinked and nodded with absolute certainty. "The day before yesterday, I was defeated when you all encircled me, so I kept thinking about how to break through it. Why?"
"Nothing. Seems your talent for swordsmanship really is quite good," Weixi remarked. "The response with the two-handed sword was clever and precise. If you didn't lack raw power, you might have even maintained a stalemate.
"Still, compared to your fundamentals, you seem far better at countering techniques. Every few days, you manage to bring out refreshing moves that overturn situations where you previously lost. Could you have an aptitude for the truth faction as well?"
Feili blushed slightly under the praise, because she had not come up with any of those counters—it was all thanks to the tramp professor. Whenever Feili was beaten into the ground, she would turn to the professor for guidance. Even from mere verbal descriptions, the professor could always visualize her exact circumstances as though he were right there, providing viable counterplay strategies within her capabilities.
Weixi gulped down a large swig of water, then called out to Yaxiu, who was sitting with his back to them, "Master, I'm done changing!"
"Can't you just walk a few steps to the changing room...?" Yaxiu turned his head around, only to see Weixi suddenly reach out and yank off Niya's shirt.
Niya froze for a moment, then began trembling with rage. Yet instead of immediately chasing Weixi down, she glared straight at Yaxiu.
Yaxiu pressed his hands together politely. "Thank you for the treat."
"Shut up!" Niya snapped with furrowed brows, then spun around, drew her sword, and set off after Weixi. Clad in only their bras, the two girls launched into overtime inside the villa.
"Can't that woman just stir up a little less trouble...?" Yaxiu sighed.
"Niya is much livelier than before," Feili said, sitting down beside him. "Even though Sister Weixi plays pranks on her all the time, her temper fades after fooling around for a bit, and she doesn't mind Sister Weixi touching her—she still won't let me style her hair even now!"
After coming clean to Feili, Yaxiu naturally had not forgotten to inform Niya of the impending apocalypse. But just as he had expected, Niya did not care about the end of the world in the slightest. She merely pressed him on whether he would die along with her, and hung up once she got a satisfactory answer.
The next day, when Yaxiu and Weixi began training Feili, Niya suddenly showed up at the villa and started brawling with Feili. Herding one sheep was herding, and herding two was no different, so Niya was added to their training regimen as well.
However, Niya left punctually every evening and never stayed overnight at the villa. Not only did she refuse to stay, but when leaving, she would keep her eyes glued to Feili until Feili left with her.
Over the past month, Yaxiu and Niya had hardly exchanged more than a few words. Instead, it was Weixi whose relationship with Niya advanced by leaps and bounds. A closed-off, ice-queen girl like Niya actually needed a certain degree of stimulation to draw out and release her negative emotions, or else they would only fester and become more suffocating. And Weixi—a female lecturer who had fought alongside her and possessed a deep understanding of human nature—was evidently the best psychological masseuse she could ask for.
Though in Yaxiu's view, Weixi had simply grown bored of playing with Feili and had set her sights on Niya, a new playmate whose reactions were dramatic and durable.
"Last time."
"Hmm?"
"Last time Weixi teased me like that, you turned your head right away and apologized," Feili asked in a low voice. "So why did you say 'thank you for the treat' to Niya this time? Do you prefer Niya's figure?"
"You're very sharp. Try being less sharp next time."
Yaxiu chopped the edge of his hand lightly against Feili's forehead and said exasperatedly, "Because Niya is different from you. You don't lack compliments, but deep down, Niya craves recognition. I'd rather provoke her a little just to let her know she's a very attractive woman."
"I actually lack compliments too," Feili said, pouting.
"How about this, then: if Weixi plays a prank on you again..." Yaxiu said seriously, "I'll break her arm to make it up to you."
Feili looked at Yaxiu with a resentful gaze. "Back to the topic just now—whose figure do you prefer? Sister Weixi's? Niya's? Rose's? Or...?"
"I prefer Igola's figure. I have no idea how he has such incredible V-lines when he never exercises all day, while I have to work so hard. I'm so jealous—"
"You know perfectly well what I'm asking!" The little sheep grew flustered.
"All right," Yaxiu pondered for a moment. "Even though Weixi has zero charm as long as she's still breathing, she is rather cute in a maid outfit, and her body is soft as water. Niya's body is full of athletic beauty, with curves in all the right places. Rose makes you instinctively want to hug her, and she looks like she'd feel very cozy to hold. As for you, Feili..."
He winked at Feili. "Back then, my first reaction was to turn away because I was afraid that one more look would make me lose my composure."
Feili blinked and feigned nonchalance as she asked, "So, which one do you prefer...?"
"Naturally, I like them all!" Yaxiu spread his hands. "Except for Weixi while she's breathing."
Clatter.
From the corridor came the sound of a dining tray crashing to the floor. They turned around to find an expressionless Rose watching them.
"Rose!" Yaxiu immediately said. "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean it like that—"
"Wait a second." Rose gestured for Yaxiu to stay silent, then turned and headed back to the main hall. A dozen seconds later, she walked out bundled in an overcoat and down jacket like a giant rice dumpling. "This way, you won't want to hug me, right?"
Looking at this chubby, bundle-like Rose, both Yaxiu and Feili had complicated feelings—dressing this adorably will only make people want to hug you even more.
Yaxiu headed straight for the hot spring to soak, while Feili went to the second-floor bathroom of the villa.
She shed her clothes and used a dry towel to wipe away the accumulated sweat from her cleavage and beneath her breasts, feeling completely refreshed. When she stepped into the bathroom, she saw Weixi already soaking in the tub, while Niya sat on a small stool washing her hair.
Feili turned on the showerhead to rinse herself. As she lathered up, she suddenly asked, "What do you think of Yaxiu's build?"
Niya's hands paused for a moment, then resumed lathering her hair.
"Durable?" Weixi said hesitantly. "High explosive power?"
"Really?"
"Fake. It's not like I've tested it," Weixi replied. "Though speaking of which, I've never actually seen him naked, even though he's seen almost all of us..."
"Whose fault is that?!" Niya cursed.
"Just now, he said he was envious of Igola because Igola has V-lines without exercising, while he has to train hard to get them... so he definitely has them."
Silence settled over the bathroom, broken only by the gentle patter of running water. Suddenly, Niya let out a soft cry, rubbing her eyes with a whimper. "My eyes..."
"How old are you, washing your hair without an eye mask?" Between laughter and tears, Feili and Weixi hurried over to help rinse out Niya's eyes.
Outside the bathroom's ventilation window was the hot spring in the courtyard, where Yaxiu was lounging lazily. Listening to the laughter and chatter filtering from the bathroom, he let out a wide yawn.
It was very peaceful.
Over the past month, nothing untoward had happened. Jialesi was undergoing restoration and reconstruction; the sorcerer war was as if it had never occurred. Aside from constantly testing his limits, Weixi had not flaunted her defiance in his face like she had at the beginning. Feili poured her heart and soul into improving herself, her unyielding resolve and pure kindness serving as the finest colors of youth. Niya was no longer aloof on the fringes either, gradually blending into their criminal syndicate.
The basic goals he had when first entering the Country of All Stars had almost all been fulfilled. As for ultimate ambitions like seizing the Source Angel's power, let alone himself, even Igola only ever talked about it. The only one genuinely committed to such a notion was that lunatic Weixi.
If only these quiet, peaceful days could continue...
Yaxiu opened his eyes and splashed warm water over his face. When he looked up, he saw a rainbow suddenly appear in the distance.
A colossal, straight rainbow piercing heaven and earth shone brilliantly against the pitch-black sky curtain like an open highway reaching into the heavens. Most peculiar of all, pure white motes of light drifted from the rainbow's crest; at first glance, it appeared as though the rainbow had punched right through the sky curtain.
By the time he changed into fresh clothes, Igola and Harvey had rushed back as well. "Has the third angel hunt begun?" Igola asked.
"Perhaps it isn't merely an angel hunt," Weixi murmured, staring up at the sky curtain. "The Source Angel... seems to have finally found a way to break the Cage of Stars. Unwilling to remain trapped in All Stars waiting for death, after struggling twice before, this time it has sacrificed its rainbow void wings to carve out a rift for escape!"
"This rainbow most likely connects All Stars to the Void Realm!" She paused. "Perhaps..."
"Perhaps we can take advantage of this opportunity to leave the Country of All Stars."
Chapter 903