Stripping Yaxiu of His Right to Speak

Yaxiu blinked, meeting the gazes of Freya, Tamashi, Annan, Diya, and Sonia. He could have explained himself, in fact, because some promises hadn't been made in the name of love, and they knew it in their hearts as well. Yet Yaxiu didn't feel they were being unreasonable. Whether there had been promises didn't matter; what mattered was that they truly had shared pieces of their lives with him. Yaxiu had met them when they were weathering storms, holding an umbrella to walk beside them for a stretch of the road, only to be forced away by unexpected twists of fate, leaving them to stand in the rain alone. Perhaps sunny days had finally arrived for them, but without an umbrella, even warm sunlight could sometimes bring tears to their eyes. Moments that had escaped Yaxiu's notice had become heart-fluttering memories they would treasure forever. So, looking at their eyes—nervous, apprehensive, expectant, or resolute—Yaxiu could not bring himself to reject their feelings. Because they, too, had walked through storms with Yaxiu. The essence of love was devotion, possessiveness, sensitivity, and madness; its side effects were clinginess, jealousy, suspicion, and baffling irrationality. They were like this, and Yaxiu was no different. But if he absolutely had to give an answer right now... Yaxiu glanced at Diya, looked at Annan, then turned to Freya and Tamashi, before his gaze finally settled on Sonia. His eyes were clear and bright, and his lips parted: "I—" "Do it!" With Annan's command, everyone sprang into action! Freya's pupils turned into pink hearts, the air seemed to fill with the fragrance of cherry blossoms, and a gentle mental wave silently swept across the area! Mind-Beguiling Halo! Annan clapped a hand over Yaxiu's mouth, pinning him straight to the ground, and took advantage of his grogginess from the mental shock to bind him up, while Diya and Tamashi struck simultaneously, blocking Sonia's sharp blade! "What are you doing?" "Don't hurt Yaxiu!" Seeing them break into a fight, Feili and the others couldn't just stand by either. Mainly, fight all you want as long as your blood doesn't splash on me, but what do you mean by pummeling Yaxiu first? If you can't have him, no one else can? Like capitalists dumping milk down the drain rather than giving it to the poor? "Wait, madams—or rather, prospective madams—please hear me out," Vichy hastily interrupted. "I really don't mind if you throw Master into a trash can, but my supreme command is to protect Master. I cannot stand by and watch you harm him, not even if you do it with a smile." "Don't worry." Annan finished tying Yaxiu up, glanced down at her black stockings, thought better of it, and instead pulled off her ribbon glove with her teeth, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it into Yaxiu's mouth. "We just don't want Yaxiu to speak." By then, Yaxiu had finally recovered from the shock of the Mind-Beguiling Halo. He stared in shock at Annan, who had acted so ruthlessly toward him, instantly flashing back to the days when he had just arrived in the Gospel Realm. Annan gently tapped his nose and chuckled. "I won't be selling you off this time, you know." She looked at Vichy. "Miss Maid, could you temporarily restrain your master so he won't talk or thrash around?" "That has to be the most wonderful order I've ever heard in my entire maid career." Vichy happily complied, dragging Yaxiu to the side. Feili and Niya exchanged a glance and crept over. Seeing this, Sonia stopped her attacks as well, suddenly letting out a chuckle. "Are you really that afraid of me?" Diya, Freya, and Tamashi couldn't help blushing slightly. Diya went without saying; Freya knew in her heart that she was definitely not Yaxiu's first choice; and Tamashi had simply attacked Sonia immediately upon hearing Annan's order—as for why she assumed Sonia was the enemy, the Black Crow hadn't thought that deeply into it. Yet almost in an instant, they had reached a consensus: they absolutely could not let Yaxiu make a decision! "We aren't afraid," Annan said leisurely. "What do we have to fear? That Yaxiu would give us up for you? But whichever choice he makes is meaningless, because we will neither accept it nor give up hope. "Sword Princess, you said earlier that Yaxiu's attitude toward you is that he'd rather have an affair than let you go. So are you saying we wouldn't even know how to have an affair?" The Purple Moth smiled faintly. "You should know full well what kind of person Yaxiu is. His heart is shattered into pieces, every piece loving only one person, and he can't bring himself to reject the love of those dear to him... a Veela, perhaps?" "Mmmph! Mmmph!" Yaxiu muffled his protests, whereupon Vichy planted her rear firmly on his back and asked curiously, "Master, you're not trying to deny it, are you?" "Mmm..." "You're saying you didn't do it on purpose? But isn't that even more terrifying? If you did it on purpose, it wouldn't just be women falling victim to your clutches!" Sonia pondered for a moment and had to nod. "He really is a fickle scoundrel." "Mmm..." Yaxiu looked aggrieved, and Feili came over to pat his head. "So in the resolution of who Yaxiu gets to choose, Yaxiu has no say whatsoever." Annan spread her hands. "On the contrary, forcing him to make a decision about whom to hurt will only make him miserable. And you know, if he carries guilt in his heart, sneaking around behind your back will come all the more easily." Freya immediately found her justification for fighting: "I can't bear to see Yaxiu sad!" "Our business will be decided among ourselves," Annan said. "Unless we completely give up, Sword Princess, you will never get the ending you want." Though Tamashi had yet to figure out her own feelings, she knew what she should do right now: "I will never give up, and I will certainly never leave Yaxiu!" "Sword Princess." The Witch stepped between them, her expression rather complicated, her hair color shifting slightly into uneven shades. "If it's you, I actually... I once imagined us living together. You are my favorite friend, my closest companion. I thought we would eventually become the best of sisters—" "Witch, even if we exclude your youngest sister, you still have three other sisters!" Sonia said testily. "Weren't you bragging to me earlier that the four of you sisters could play together until Yaxiu couldn't get out of bed?" Yaxiu's eyes went wide. Vichy patted Yaxiu on the shoulder. "If I recall, the Witch is the Gospel Empress? To be the Empress's male favorite, one really does have to give a bit more. Hang in there, Master!" Diya's expression remained unchanged. "I was joking. Once I separate my sisters out, I'll forbid them from entering the imperial palace." "Your hair is turning all streaky and messy—reach a consensus with your sisters before you talk!" Sonia gave a cold snort, scanned the four of them, and suddenly chuckled. "Why do all of you harbor such hostility toward me? Don't you want to have your lover all to yourself? Or is it that... "You've already realized that if anyone is ever going to have all of Yaxiu's love, that person will inevitably be me." Annan's face darkened slightly, Tamashi gripped her triangular shield tightly, Freya bit her lower lip, and even Diya couldn't refute it. Whether from the diary replicas or his everyday words and actions, they could all see Yaxiu's deep love for Sonia. That was precisely why they targeted the Sword Princess. Even though Yaxiu currently suffered from a psychological inability to reject affection, Sonia truly had the greatest likelihood of curing Yaxiu of his promiscuity! A devoted, single-minded Yaxiu was wonderful, of course, but if he wasn't theirs, then he might as well stay promiscuous! Besides, each of them believed she could cure Yaxiu of his wandering heart, which made them even less willing to yield the title of attending physician to Sonia! "Still, since you all care about Yaxiu, I naturally care about his feelings as well." The tip of Sonia's sword dragged across the ground, producing a piercing screech. "There truly is no need for him to decide. I'll make you understand the gap between us, and then you'll give up on your own." "A gap?" Annan raised an eyebrow. "In terms of sorcerer rank, Her Majesty the Empress is a legendary sorcerer just like you. In terms of looks, Freya will gradually approach the image Yaxiu finds most beautiful. In terms of background, Tamashi is the successor to the Senluo Azure Lord. "In terms of accomplishments, I am the one who had Yaxiu's first kiss." Annan tapped her lips. "Aside from Yaxiu possibly liking you more, there isn't that much of a gap between you and us—" "It's power." Sonia raised her longsword level, the blade parallel with her eyes, her ruby irises gleaming coldly along the sharp edge. "You think your greatest obstacle is that Yaxiu likes me? No—it's that I like him!" Sonia stepped forward. Boundless purple mist surged behind her, coalescing into a ferocious, armored purple cat. The savage feline unleashed a silent roar, shrouding Sonia's blade in a chaotic, violet-crimson sword light! Ruin Resentful Blazing Dragon!