In His Heart, He Was Still Thinking of You

When Yaxiu came back to his senses, he thought for a moment that he had returned to Jiashe in the Country of All Stars. But seeing the empty city center, the capital completely devoid of human presence, and the massive, brilliant rainbow pillar of light in the distance, he knew he had been teleported by the holy grail into another zone. The Prime Angel really has one scheme after another lined up... Yaxiu looked at the holy grail in his hand. With a thought, he released his grip, and the holy grail began to orbit him automatically. Then, pulling up his mask to conceal his face, he set off toward the rainbow pillar of light in the city center. Before, he hadn't needed to hide his identity, but now that he possessed the Decolorized Holy Grail, it meant he had drunk the decolorizing nectar. Even "possession of a jade ring brings guilt" couldn't begin to describe his plight. If the Divine Lords got the chance, they would certainly capture him, wring him dry, render him down, and do everything in their power to reduce him back into decolorizing nectar. If the other demons saw him, they would definitely realize Yaxiu was inside the Country of All Stars. After all, the only ones capable of condensing a Decolorized Holy Grail were demons. Therefore, even if Yaxiu wasn't a demon himself, he had to have a wild demon tucked away behind him. Because of this, Yaxiu was relieved that he had taken the holy grail away in time. Otherwise, if Feili had been teleported in, she would undoubtedly have strutted about flaunting the Decolorized Holy Grail without any disguise. Even if she safely returned to All Stars afterward, Yaxiu would have had to lock her up in a dark little basement room to keep her from being snatched away by demons. Still, what did the Prime Angel teleport me here for? Yaxiu didn't think this zone would inflict direct harm on him. Countless pieces of evidence indicated that the Prime Angel could not directly harm participants; at most, it could throw sorcerers together and entice them into slaughtering one another. In other words, the Prime Angel teleported me here because it believes there's an enemy capable of dealing me fatal harm. Or perhaps because I can serve as a lethal killer against other targets. Reaching an intersection, Yaxiu felt a sudden intuition and looked to the right, spotting a girl with pinkish-purple hair walking out of a bakery workshop. She wore a jacket and a short skirt, thigh-high black stockings snug against her legs. Holding a kraft paper bag in her hands, she was pulling out a flaky pastry and taking a bite. If not for the Decolorized Holy Grail orbiting her, she would have looked just like a high school student buying a snack on her way home from school. "Aside from the pinkish-purple hair, Yinzhi looks a lot like an older Lisi." His thoughts racing, Yaxiu took the initiative to raise a hand in greeting. "Yinzhi!" "Hmm?" Her mouth covered in pastry crumbs, Yinzhi looked over and tilted her head. "Do we know each other? Wait, you have a Decolorized Holy Grail. Could you be a demon I don't know? But even if you're a demon from Senluo or Stars, there's no reason you'd be a guy, let alone know who I am... Ah, I know! You're the mutual lover Harvey and Igola are always bringing up!" "Haha, very funny joke." Yaxiu walked over quietly. "Nice delivery. Don't say it again." "Huh, you aren't together like that?" Yinzhi blinked. "Making a lying, selfish deceiver learn to care about others, and reigniting a death-seeking necromancer's will to live... I thought your bond had already transcended friendship to the point of distorting human nature." "All that proves is that honest, kind-hearted me accidentally became the idol they revere, shining upon those sons of mine like a father," Yaxiu said. "Were you teleported in by the holy grail too?" "Yeah. I was planning to go on and condense a second holy grail in a bit, but the Prime Angel didn't give me the chance. It wouldn't have made any difference to let me have another portion. Is it trying to be fair and split its legacy among as many people as possible?" Yinzhi grumbled, taking another bite of her pastry. "Still, meeting the companion Igola and Harvey talked about here isn't bad either. Could you take off your mask? I'm friends with them, so there's no need to hide your face from me, right?" "They've mentioned you too, and I was quite curious about you," Yaxiu fabricated casually. "I never take off my mask. You can just consider the mask my true body." "Fair enough." Yinzhi nodded, then suddenly took a step back. "If you come any closer, I'm going to run." At this point, about thirty paces separated Yaxiu and Yinzhi—precisely Yaxiu's maximum attack range. There was a delay before the mysterious chains engaged. If Yaxiu charged within thirty paces, his Heart Sword could strike Yinzhi down before the mysterious chains strangled him; outside thirty paces, however, the Heart Sword would be vaporized by the mysterious chains before it could ever reach her. Yaxiu halted immediately, realizing Igola's assessment of her wasn't exaggerated in the slightest—if anything, it was an understatement. She had deduced Yaxiu's identity solely from him taking the initiative to greet her, so it was no surprise she saw through his malice. "You're not the type who likes making excuses, are you?" Unhurriedly licking the crumbs from her fingers, Yinzhi said, "But you haven't killed many people, have you? Your killing intent is far too obvious. I could tell at a glance that taking one more step meant you were going to strike. The most crucial preparation for an assassination isn't weapons or scoping out the place—it's not treating people as human. "You aren't a demon; you're a sorcerer—and one infected with the Hell secret poison at that. So you want to sacrifice a void wing to assassinate me. For you, that's pure profit with zero downside. And not just me: you intend to slaughter every demon in this zone to ensure your side inherits the Prime Angel's legacy." Yaxiu managed to maintain an outward calm, but a tempest of shock surged through his heart. "Just like how I knew who you were, your thoughts are far too easy to read," Yinzhi chuckled. "Since I showed up, the other demons will certainly condense Decolorized Holy Grails and be teleported here too. In other words, nearly all the demons will appear in this zone, but with no sorcerers by their side. "And you just happen to be a sorcerer. As long as you're willing to snap your void wings, you can slaughter us with ease. Just so happens, you have four void wings, and there are four of us demons. "There's no better opportunity than this. As long as you wipe us all out, your side—possessing a demon—will emerge as the ultimate victor... "...Or will you?" Yinzhi casually tossed her trash onto the ground, walked over to a nearby vending machine, and gave it a hard kick. With a loud clatter, a bottle of beverage tumbled out. She took it out and gulped down a big mouthful. The entire time, she seemed completely unguarded; had Yaxiu seized the chance to charge, she certainly wouldn't have had time to flee. Yet Yinzhi's calm composure and cool analysis made Yaxiu want to hear what else she had to say. "Actually, I was watching you out of the corner of my eye the whole time. If you'd dared to move, I would've bolted," Yinzhi giggled. "As compensation for sparing me, let me give you a reminder—our greatest enemy isn't each other, but the Divine Lord of Stars. "The more of us gather, the higher the risk for the Divine Lord of Stars. If we slaughter one another, the one happiest about it will definitely be the Divine Lord of Stars." She shrugged. "Even so, our chances of seizing the Prime Angel aren't zero. When the Prime Angel clashes with the Divine Lord of Stars, opportunities that demons can exploit will inevitably appear. So your thought is my thought too: I'd rather face the Divine Lord of Stars alone and wipe out the other demons, because the more competitors there are, the slimmer one's own chances become." Yaxiu was left thoroughly confused. He had thought Yinzhi was urging him not to make a move. "But unlike a frail, pretty girl like me, Lehuai, Yejian, and Longyuan are exceptionally strong. Even with four chances to strike, you might not manage to kill them." Yinzhi finally bared her fangs. "So, want to team up with me and eliminate them all? Once it's just the two of us left, we can settle things with our own abilities. How about it? "Oh right, I ran into Igola and Harvey just now. You know I'm a demon, so you could say we helped each other out." She blinked, speaking with a pitiful, innocent expression. "If you make a move against me, they'll be heartbroken, you know." Yaxiu was dubious. "You ran into the two of them here?" "Yep! Met Harvey first, gathered all the holy grail fragments, and then summoned Igola." Yinzhi put her hands on her hips. "One on each arm—envious, aren't you?" Yaxiu's expression changed drastically. "You summoned Igola? Why wasn't it Amilo?" "Igola's better looking!" "Then—" Yaxiu grew frantic. "After you finished condensing the Decolorized Holy Grail, did Igola touch you?" When an outsider touched the Decolorized Holy Grail, decolorizing nectar would spill over and trigger decolorization; without drinking the decolorizing nectar, death from decolorization was unstoppable! "Yeah, what about it?" "Then Igola... is he all right?" "He's fine." Yinzhi blinked, looking thoroughly bewildered. "What are you talking about?" She successfully made Yaxiu doubt himself—did touching the Decolorized Holy Grail not spill nectar for others? Was that an exclusive gift package specifically tailored for the feeler of the Four Pillar Gods? Because Yaxiu had grown accustomed to being targeted by the Prime Angel, he truly couldn't be sure for a moment. Come on, Prime Angel. If the Four Pillar Gods provoked you, go hack at the Four Pillar Gods! Why mess with me? At that moment, Yinzhi asked leisurely, "Well? Do you want to cooperate with me?" To tell the truth, Yaxiu was quite tempted by Yinzhi's proposal. After all, he only had three void wings left and had no confidence in killing four demons. If he teamed up with Yinzhi to slay the other demons and then took Yinzhi down with a miracle, it seemed noticeably more viable than going it alone. Furthermore, Yinzhi's familiar attitude toward Igola and Harvey made Yaxiu hesitate. He even faintly felt that sparing Yinzhi wouldn't be bad. If they couldn't solve the Hell secret poison when the time came, they could defect to Yinzhi's side together. Since they were going to be dogs anyway, being a dog for the Weaver wasn't a bad deal either... No! A jolt went through Yaxiu. He had originally intended to eliminate Yinzhi, so how had a brief chat turned into teaming up with her, and even defecting to her side? Is this a woman who could even bring Igola to his knees beneath her skirt?! Yaxiu said, "In other words, once it's just the two of us left, you're confident you can handle me?" "How could I be?" Yinzhi shook her head. "I just don't think we can deal with the other demons. Unlike me, they're super strong! If it really comes down to just the two of us, could you accept my surrender for Igola and Harvey's sake?" Taking a step back, Yaxiu slowly shook his head. He would rather hide in the shadows and wait for an opening than party up with Yinzhi. She looked like prey, yet she gave him the dangerous aura of a predator. Seeing Yaxiu refuse, Yinzhi sighed with regret, but the corners of her lips curled up ever so slightly. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded nearby. Both of them paused as a black-haired girl ran out into the middle of the street. She was dressed in black and white, a Rainbow Holy Grail orbiting around her. When she caught sight of Yinzhi, confusion surfaced in her eyes; but the moment she saw Yaxiu, her eyes instantly lit up with radiant life, and her hair burst into multicolored hues! "Witch?!" Yaxiu was startled. "Ya... Observer!" Seeing Yaxiu wearing a mask, Diya caught herself immediately and only called out his codename. Suppressing her inner excitement, she walked over with light steps, hooked her arm around his, and asked in a low voice, "Who is she?" Yinzhi politely waved at Diya. "Hello. Nice to meet you, I'm Yinzhi." Then she waved again. "Hello." Though Diya found it odd that Yinzhi greeted her twice in a row, she still nodded in return. At the same time, inside Diya's soul, the Gospel God dwelling within the Fairy Tale sorcery spirit suddenly raised a hand, waved, and smiled. ... "Wait, that's not right. Only you can drink from the holy grail, but he needed the holy grail to save his life. Isn't that an impasse?" Inside the vault, after listening to Feili's explanation, Freya asked in bewilderment. Feili cast a cautious glance at the Sword Princess, whose expression was calm, betraying neither joy nor anger. Hesitating for a moment, Feili raised a finger to tap her lips, shyly saying, "Actually, there was a way." Both had a sudden realization. Tamashi remained impassive, clearly considering such life-or-death expedients beneath mention. Freya nodded in understanding at first, but after a short pause, she whipped her head toward the Sword Princess. "Wait, that's wrong!" the Veela said indignantly. "You mean just now, Sonia, your dog of a man was inside the door having a wet kiss with another woman! That's way too much! How could he do that?!" "Stop, stop, Freya," Tamashi said. "He would have died if they hadn't." Feili nodded vigorously. A spark of inspiration struck the Veela. "Then Sonia could have gone inside! Feili could've passed the nectar to Sonia first, and then Sonia could pass it to her lover! There was clearly a better way! He definitely did it on purpose!" Was that really a better way? Wasn't that just adding a middleman to take a cut? Feili was utterly stunned by the Veela's train of thought. Still, the blonde girl quickly collected herself and carefully chose her words: "Sister Sonia, the gentleman was preparing to confess and apologize to you before he vanished. He never intended to conceal it or lie..." Because there were two outsiders present, Feili did not expose Yaxiu's name, much less the title of Sword Princess, simply sticking to the forms of address used between them. However, she clearly didn't want to use that apt moniker "dog of a man," so she broadly referred to him as "the gentleman." "Why would he apologize to me?" Sonia's reaction took Feili by surprise. "He should be apologizing to you." "No, I don't blame him," Feili said hurriedly. "Then... you forgive him?" "We'll talk about that once we find him. For now, everyone's safety comes first." Sonia smiled. "Move with us. You've helped him so much; it's my duty to protect your safety." Sonia's reaction was even better than Feili could have imagined. No anger, no hostility, not even a single curse aimed at Yaxiu. It was as refreshing as a spring breeze, making one wonder whether Yaxiu had saved the world several times over to deserve a lover like her. Yet for some reason, Feili felt a bitter ache in her heart. Sonia's impeccable grace, along with the protective care in her words that unmistakably treated Feili as an outsider, made this little sheep want to bite her. Striving to act nonchalant, Feili asked, "By the way, I noticed earlier that the gentleman reached his hand outside the door. Was he holding your hand, Sister Sonia?" Seeing the Sword Princess pause mid-stride as she prepared to head out the door, Feili immediately felt a surge of regret, wondering how she could deliberately hurt someone like that. Yet beneath the guilt, she couldn't help feeling a tiny prickle of pleasure. At that moment, Freya piped up happily, "Oh, is that how it was? Then your lover hasn't had a change of heart, Sonia! At least when he was kissing someone else, he was still thinking of you in his heart!" Sonia, who had been on the verge of losing control of her fury, was instantly disarmed by the Veela's bizarre train of thought. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she signaled for everyone to leave quickly. They had taken only a few steps when Sonia noticed Feili hadn't followed. Turning around, she saw the blonde girl squatting where she was, hugging her knees in dejection, looking as though she were about to decolorize completely.