Escape

"It really is a meat grinder." Annan stood on a high platform, looking down at the city streets crammed with sorcerers. The Rainbow Holy Grail shone like a beacon in the deep sea, drawing countless greedy souls to intercept and corner it. Yet watching this chaotic, clamorous mess, she was more inclined to call the Rainbow Holy Grail a pile of shit—wherever it went, it turned everything into a cesspool. Starlight bodies and sorcerers slaughtered each other, and sorcerers slaughtered sorcerers; some ambushed from the shadows, while others formed hunting packs. Tens of thousands of sorcerers had gathered to wage war, yet it wasn't for faith, and certainly not for an ideal. The air reeked of naked greed and malice. Corrupted by desire, the sorcerers were driven mad by an illusory opportunity; even though their claws and fangs were barred, they remained the most vicious of beasts. "Did the mastermind behind this event just want to watch such ugly, barbaric spectacles?" "Is civilized competition any less ugly?" Crouching beside her, Xifulin cupped her face in her hands and said, "This event is actually not half bad. At least every participant has a shot at reaching the heavens in a single step, and if they lose, they have only themselves to blame." "Civilized competition at least doesn't involve hacking each other to pieces out in the open." "Yet failing at civilized competition is worse than death. Every scrap of value you have is sucked dry down to the marrow. And most of the time, you don't even know how you lost. Far from ever getting a chance to compete, you end up as someone else's prize." Annan shook her head, clearly disagreeing with Xifulin's take. Though she was a rebel in the Gospel Realm, she remained a Gospel person down to her bones. She had long grown accustomed to the low-intensity competitive environment fostered by the Gospel system, and she could hardly fathom the chaotic jungle of the Blood Moon Country, thinly veiled beneath a veneer of civilization. Such clashes of worldview were a frequent occurrence. Gospel and Blood Moon were still relatively comparable—at least both were civilized societies. But once Tamashi from Senluo joined them, Tamashi and they had broadened each other's horizons considerably. Xifulin asked, "Should we make a play for it?" "Let's try. What if we actually get it?" Her pity for the world was genuine, but so was the greed in her heart; the Purple Moth never hid that she said one thing and did another. "Just be careful." At that moment, the fleeing starlight bodies darted across the main thoroughfare and ducked into another building. Xifulin glanced over. "The one holding the holy grail is a human female." "They have practically no physical features. You can tell even that?" "I'm a healer. Human anatomy is a required course. There are plenty of behavioral and postural differences between races and genders." "So it's a man and a woman?" "Hard to say. If Tamashi conceals all her physical features, I can't identify her sex either. Her martial foundation is etched into her very bones; whether sitting, standing, walking, or lying down, every motion is cultivation. So it was entirely reasonable for Yaxiu's diary to mistake her for a man," Xifulin said. "Still, anyone with a bit of training in anatomy could tell from the shape of her pelvis. Her hips are the most perfect I've ever seen." Annan recalled and couldn't help clicking her tongue. "True enough." "So you're saying the ones condensing the holy grail down there might be Freya and Tamashi?" "I never doubt that silly Veela's luck," Xifulin remarked. "The problem is, at best I can only tell male from female. There's no way to know if it's really the two of them unless they speak up." "That might be exactly what the mastermind wants," Annan said. "To gain power, you must pit yourself against everyone—even to the point of slaughtering friends and family." Xifulin asked, "What if it really is them, and what if we don't recognize them? What if, instead of helping them, we join the hunt against them?" "You'd better pray it isn't so. If that really happens, we who know nothing will be fine." Annan leapt directly from the tall building, grabbing a fluttering banner to slide down. "But for them, it will be purgatory." *** The door was shredded open beneath the onslaught of twin blades. Outside, the swords danced in a wild, menacing frenzy; Yaxiu was forced to fall back on the defensive, giving his opponent the opening to barge straight in. The wooden door shattered, splinters flying everywhere. Yaxiu raised an arm to shield Feili behind him, watching as the valiant Red-Haired Sword Princess stepped into the room. Their eyes met. Countless thoughts surged through him. Yaxiu parted his lips, but not a single sound came out; all his unspoken words could only be conveyed through his gaze. "They're inside!" The sorcerers behind came charging in as well. A spear thrust toward Sonia as she blocked the doorway, the wind howling with the crack of thunder—it was none other than a Sanctuary spear sorcerer. A chilling murderous intent surfaced on the Red-Haired Sword Princess's face. Her blade swept around, cleanly lopping off the spearhead; with one foot pinning the shaft, she swung a backhand slash and decapitated him, slaying a Sanctuary spear sorcerer in an instant! *Crack!* Seizing the opportunity, Yaxiu scooped up Feili and crashed through the room's window to escape. Luckily, there was a lamppost below; he planted a foot on the top of the pole to cushion the momentum of falling from the third floor, spun twice in midair, and landed steadily. Before the surrounding sorcerers could react, he darted straight into an alleyway. "Was that person just now Niya?!" Holding the holy grail with both hands, Feili nestled obediently in Yaxiu's arms, blinking rapidly as she asked, "Though she didn't look quite like her..." "She's the Sword Princess." "Oh, so it's the Sword Princess... Huh?! She's the Sword Princess?! Do the Sword Princess and Niya look that much alike? No wonder you paid attention to Niya from the start! It was because she looked like the Sword Princess, so you projected your feelings for the Sword Princess onto her!" "I never treated Niya as a substitute!" "Yet your initial fondness for Niya definitely had to do with the Sword Princess, didn't it?" Feili blinked. "If the Sword Princess started from zero to become your lover, then Niya stood on her shoulders to steal your heart. I'm not blaming you; I just feel Niya kind of cheated..." "My heart wasn't stolen by Niya..." "Really? Then why is it that whenever you have physical contact with Niya, she gets shy and scrambles away while you look so embarrassed?" "Niya angrily shakes off my hand, doesn't she?" "You didn't deny that you looked embarrassed! What happened between you and Niya? Spill it!" Yaxiu blinked. "Feili, you've suddenly gotten so assertive..." "Probably because communicating with our eyes is so fast. Normally, I have to think before I speak. Do you hate me being this assertive?" "Not at all. I just find it interesting. You feel much more confident right now." "I've always been this confident! Don't change the subject. What really happened between you and Niya? Did you kiss? No, you definitely had physical contact... Did you two connect?!" Yaxiu nearly stumbled flat on his face, caught between tears and laughter. "No! And I'm not telling! Feili, you're way too different from usual. Were you always this wild on the inside?" "Changing the subject again... Hmph, I'll let you off for now." Feili blinked. "Still, the Sword Princess is right behind us. Why didn't you reveal yourself to her?" "She can't recognize us right now, and I can't speak." "Then write it down!" "We're being hunted down. Who has the time?" "Could you really not make yourself known to her?" Feili gazed intently at Yaxiu. "Or did you just not want to?" Yaxiu paused slightly, then shook his head. "I knew it. Even though you rarely voice your opinions, Feili, you see through everything with crystal clarity."