As Feili had said, there were far too many ways to recognize each other. There was no need to write words at all; Yaxiu only had to reveal a Heart Sword without harming the Sword Princess, and she would instantly realize who the starlight body before her was.
Although doing so would break a virtual wing, virtual wings had become a renewable resource for Yaxiu thanks to the secret poison of Hell. Sacrificing a virtual wing in exchange for having the Sword Princess join their team was practically the best trade-off imaginable.
Yet would the Sword Princess joining really help?
Yaxiu had glanced around earlier: the crowd gathered in his zone already exceeded a thousand people. Truly, one could never underestimate the world's sorcerers. Quite a few had realized that since a first holy grail site had appeared, a second would surely follow. While entering early meant competing sooner, holding back could allow one to scavenge what was left behind. Thus, many sorcerers had stayed their hand, waiting for the second red door to appear. Recognizing that the second holy grail site would surely have fewer sorcerers and less fierce competition, they had all poured in.
Facing thousands of enemies while having to protect Feili, meeting force with force was obviously the worst strategy; fleeing was the only sensible choice.
Since combat had to be minimized as much as possible, the Sword Princess's usefulness was drastically diminished.
Yet an extra teammate meant an extra layer of security. Refusing to reveal his identity to her purely on that reasoning made no sense.
The deeper reason was that Yaxiu was afraid he would fail.
There were far too many variables leading to failure. Cornered and hunted by a thousand sorcerers, it would be all too likely for Yaxiu and Feili to die without a grave to call their own.
More importantly: what if a demon entered?
As long as the holy grail had not been condensed, and as long as they had sorcerer followers, demons were invincible in this Angel Hunt.
Yaxiu wasn't afraid that the Sword Princess would die protecting him—he was afraid she wouldn't be able to protect him.
If the Sword Princess died, she would merely suffer soul damage, but if he died, it might mean true death.
If they hadn't recognized each other, then if he died, she might just think Yaxiu had brought misfortune upon himself by courting death. But if they recognized each other and she fought with everything she had to protect him, only to watch him perish right before her eyes—how would she take it?
When Weise dissolved into the Silver Lantern before his eyes, Yaxiu knew all too well what that felt like.
That was why, when Weixi began fighting side by side with him and was truly about to become his companion, Yaxiu felt both joy and agony.
Even though, reviewing events in hindsight, he realized Weixi had essentially just been a meddling troublemaker during Senluo's apocalypse—with or without her, Weise still would have been cornered by the three gods into the same ending, and his own suggestion to transport the forest folk through the Sky Gate had been the direct trigger that brought the three gods down—he still could not forgive Weixi. Nor could he forgive himself for ever entertaining the thought of accepting her.
So when Yaxiu realized that Sonia didn't recognize him, a part of him actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Sonia was his most trusted comrade-in-arms and the lover he relied upon most, she was also the precious treasure Yaxiu most wanted to protect.
*Since the Sword Princess wouldn't be able to help much while we're constantly on the run anyway, it's better not to reveal myself. This way, running away will be easier.*
Yaxiu reasoned with himself in his mind as he sprinted forward with Feili in his arms.
From behind came the shrill whistle of sweeping sword qi. Yaxiu glanced back and saw that the red-haired Sword Princess was already closing in.
Other sorcerers had apparently tried to seize the grail fragments in the Sword Princess's hands—which were nearly half complete—only to be casually cut down, leaving a trail of corpses behind her. She was now practically the sole pursuer leading the chase at the very front.
*She's gotten stronger... Even without being able to enter the Void Realm, her swordsmanship is still improving, advancing far faster than mine. Then again, it's only natural that a slacker like me can't keep up with her. It's just that she's a bit too bloodthirsty...*
*She must be working so hard. But between cultivating and running the Four Pillar Cult, is she pushing herself too hard? Does she ever take time to properly unwind?*
*And the Witch too—she abandoned an entire country just to come to the Starry Realm. I've really caused them far too much trouble...*
"I'm sorry, Feili," Yaxiu suddenly blinked his eyes. "For dragging you into being hunted down like this. You shouldn't have had to take this kind of risk."
"You don't need to apologize. I'm actually really happy," Feili blinked back. "Even if I can't free my hands to help, right now I'm fighting side by side with you, Yaxiu, aren't I? Just like the Sword Princess."
"Honestly, Yaxiu, you've got a silver tongue when dealing with men, but you turn completely foolish in front of women. When you comforted Mr. Igola earlier, you understood perfectly well that the 'better path' Mr. Igola envisioned was never an option for Mr. Harvey to begin with. So when it comes to me, why do you think I had any choice not to take risks? I'm the woman who's going to save the world with you!
"There has never been a better choice—you are destiny's best choice. That's what I think, and Niya does too. Though Sister Weixi... probably not." Feili suddenly slipped down from his arms, running shoulder to shoulder with him. "And I believe the Sword Princess and the Witch would agree."
Yaxiu was taken aback. By now, they were just about to break out of the alley, but several sorcerers blocked the exit. Quickening his pace, he sent his twin swords whirling like a spiraling tempest, slicing a path clean out of the alley in an instant and pulling Feili along as they sprinted down the street.
A band of sorcerers suddenly appeared ahead. Before Yaxiu could brace for a clash, he realized that they were actually pursuing two female sorcerers at the lead.
The reason was simple: the holy grail fragments cradled in the female sorcerers' arms were already mostly gathered. Snatching them might be enough to complete the grail!
It was just that their escape routes ran directly toward each other, resulting in this near-collision.
Yaxiu instinctively wanted to veer off and deflect the disaster onto them, letting the female sorcerers draw away most of the pursuers.
Compared to Feili, whose complete holy grail shone like a glaring beacon, the female sorcerers with their mostly gathered fragments were actually far more tempting to other sorcerers—stealing them wouldn't immediately make someone the target of every eye.
Yet when Yaxiu got a clear look at the two female sorcerers' faces, his pupils contracted sharply, barely able to believe his eyes.
He signaled Feili to keep up, brandished his swords, and charged boldly toward them!
Seeing the starlight body charging right toward them, the two female sorcerers instinctively readied themselves to strike.
Yet the starlight body completely bypassed them, lunging straight into the pursuers behind them!
The two female sorcerers exchanged a glance, then looked at the other starlight body carrying the Rainbow Holy Grail. Surprisingly, they made no move against them; instead, they turned around and fought alongside them to slaughter their way through the pursuers!
Yaxiu didn't dare linger. Having broken the encirclement for them, he immediately grabbed Feili and fled.
Feili blinked her eyes: "Why did you help them? That was so dangerous just now. I thought they were going to attack me."
"They won't attack you. They're good people."
"You know them?"
"Yeah."
A hint of a smile showed in Yaxiu's eyes. "Friends I haven't seen in a long time."
******
Watching the backs of the starlight bodies ahead, Freya asked as she ran, "Did they go out of their way to help us just now?"
"Seems so." Tamashi tilted her head, sounding uncertain. "He charged right between us, as if he was certain we wouldn't attack them..."
"Then why didn't you make a move? The holy grail was right in front of us."
"They didn't attack me, so how could I attack them?" Tamashi said solemnly. "I will never murder anyone for worldly goods."
Freya wasn't surprised by Tamashi's moral code. She pondered for a moment. "I keep getting the feeling I know them..."
Tamashi guessed, "Could it be Purple Moth and Blood Shadow?"
"Do Annan and Xifulin know swordsmanship?"
"They don't?"
"Whatever! They helped us anyway, so they must be good people. Even if they aren't Xifulin and Annan, we still have to help them!" Freya declared decisively.
Tamashi had no objection. Curiously enough, although Tamashi was like a winter plum who had lived through the most bizarre experiences and weathered the greatest hardships, while Freya was virtually a rose in a greenhouse by comparison, whenever an impasse arose in the group, Freya was usually the one who made the final call.
It was not only because the Veela held Yaxiu's gift, but also because she possessed a wondrous affinity.
"So what should we do?"
Freya suddenly came to a halt. Turning to look back at the red-haired Sword Princess pursuing them, an inexplicable heat flushed through her whole body, almost as if she had come face-to-face with an archenemy—never before had the Veela burned with such fierce fighting spirit!
"Intercept the pursuers for them, of course!" Freya said excitedly. "First, let's take down that red-haired female sword sorcerer!"
Chapter 916