Backstage at the Stardrop Auditorium, Sonia stared at the cue card, silently rehearsing the lines she had to deliver. But the more she thought about them, the more she could not stop herself from creeping toward the back door—only for Lois to intercept her in the nick of time.
"The restroom isn't over this way!"
"I really think taking a disciplinary warning would be better after all!"
"Didn't you make up your mind just a moment ago? Why are you backing out again?"
"Because I realized I'm not nearly as confident as I thought! I'm terrified!"
Just then, a handsome young man in a dark blue formal suit walked over to Sonia and greeted her. "Good evening, Miss Servi. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Good evening, Mr. Cage," Sonia greeted him hurriedly. "You came just in time. Could you please hold back my roommate Lois? She's stopping me from escaping."
This young man was none other than Sonia's co-host, Arsenault Cage, a second-year student in the Wind Sorcery Department. Hailed as the second-years' 'Sword Grass,' his striking looks had even inspired female students to form an unofficial fan club for him.
If not for Felix's incognito arrival delivering an absolute crushing blow to the competition, Arsenault would undoubtedly have reigned as public enemy number one among all the male students in the academy.
"...That won't do. A gentleman cannot intrude upon ladies' games."
Arsenault smiled and said, "Professor Libluomu sent me to remind you that the gala begins in ten minutes. Please resolve your personal matters as soon as possible and get ready behind the curtain. This is our first time working together. If I make any mistakes, please bear with me, Miss Servi. I hope we can become friends after tonight."
Sonia shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm guaranteed to stir up such massive breaking news that you won't even be able to smooth it over. I just hope you won't hate my guts after tonight."
Arsenault paused, startled. "Miss Servi, you're truly... very witty. I'll go ahead and wait for you, then."
Once Arsenault left, Sonia pleaded, "Let me go, Lois! I'm genuinely terrified! My heart is pounding out of my chest—I'm definitely going to cause a disaster!"
"No way! Absolutely not!" Lois shook her head repeatedly. "What about your ambition? Don't you want to become like Daedalose anymore? Are you content to just remain an ordinary sword sorcerer forever?"
"I know all the grand reasoning! I know I'll definitely regret walking away, but I still want to leave!"
As the two of them tussled, Ingrid and Adele entered through the back door. The moment Adele stepped inside, she said excitedly, "A star fell outside and is hovering midair! Hurry and look!"
Ingrid looked at Sonia, who seemed on the verge of tears. "What's wrong with her now?"
Lois sighed helplessly. "She got cold feet. Now she wants to run away again."
"How strange. The Sonia I know is a sword sorcerer who dares challenge Felix and Leonie. Why is she so indecisive now?" Ingrid thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands. "I get it! Sonia is the impulsive type who performs better the more nervous she gets! All we need to do now is shove her onto the stage!"
As the number-one fan who had witnessed Sonia's entire rise, Ingrid carried immense authority among them. Everyone immediately agreed, and they dragged Sonia straight into the preparation area behind the curtain, where Professor Libluomu and the gala staff were waiting.
Seeing Sonia arrive, Libluomu gave a slight nod, then turned toward the stage crew. "Get ready to raise the curtain. We can begin."
At this point, Sonia had no room left to retreat.
Taking a deep breath, she smoothed the wrinkles from her dress and exchanged a look with Arsenault. "Later on, try to take all the spotlight yourself. Don't interact with me too much. Remember my advice: the more I talk, the more likely disaster will strike."
It was the first time Arsenault had ever heard such a request.
He had hosted the gala last year as well, and back then his partner had tried every trick in the book to steal the spotlight, cutting in with extra banter and vying for attention. Arsenault had actually been a little apprehensive about whether he would be paired with her again, only to find himself partnered with a first-year underclassman instead.
His greatest hope for Sonia had merely been reasonable cooperation. To see her actively yielding the spotlight struck him as rather bizarre. Typically, every gala host dreamed of becoming a host for the League, so they tried to showcase their talents as much as possible during the performance to earn the professors' recognition and recommendations.
Could Sonia simply be treating the hosting gig as a lark? Or had she merely accompanied a friend to the auditions, only to end up chosen herself, leaving her unenthusiastic?
Innumerable thoughts flashed through Arsenault's mind, but on the surface, he gave a polite nod. "I will do my best to accommodate your request."
Libluomu announced, "Curtain opens in ten seconds. Everyone take your positions. The stage is in your hands now. Remember to switch on your audio receivers."
Arsenault was the first to step onto the stage. Looking at the platform she had dreamed of for so long, Sonia suddenly felt an unexpected calm settle over her heart.
*Watcher, are you there?*
Sonia knew there would be no answer, but for reasons she could not explain, courage flooded into her. Her knit brow smoothed, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly, and amusement spilled from the corners of her eyes.
*Watcher, are you fighting alone too?*
*If I really end up ruining this, you'd better compensate me properly.*
*Tu-tu-ru—*
To the orchestral overture, the lights brightened, and the curtain rose.
Facing the gazes of the faculty and students from both universities, Sonia stepped fully into her element.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am the host for tonight's gala, Arsenault Cage."
"And I am your host, Sonia Servi."
...
Shattered Lake Prison, Yaxiu's cell.
The white-haired hunter Gerard sat on the edge of the bed, holding a book borrowed from the Talent Library titled *Concise Foundations of Simulated Lightning Sorcery (Third Edition)*. One glance was enough to tell it was the sort of textbook Yaxiu would have found unreadable even after entering university.
After reading for a while, Gerard rubbed his eyes and turned to look at Yaxiu, who was also reading by the head of the bed.
Unlike him, however, Yaxiu was engrossed in a manga titled *Blame It on Me Saying I Liked Married Women*.
It was reportedly a wildly popular romance manga in Kaimeng City; Gerard had even seen Amy reading it in her spare time.
Word was that it was about to be adapted into a motion picture, and the male lead, Ron, happened to hail from the same research institute as Gerard. The only difference was that Ron was a screen idol adored wherever he went, while Gerard was a Bloodmad Hunter so feared that even coffins would pop open in terror at his approach.
Noticing Gerard's gaze, Yaxiu raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to read it? I highly recommend this series. Its portrayal of emotions and human nature is exceptionally nuanced, transcending the limits of race and era. Though it's best read while lying in bed alone; otherwise, you might end up squirming like a worm from sheer sweetness one moment and clutching your stomach in agony from heartbreak the next."
"I assumed you were putting on an act for my benefit," Gerard said. "It's hard to imagine you reading romance manga."
"What did you think my image was?"
"Probably a madman constantly scheming to overthrow the Blood Moon. I would have expected you to read books like *The Crowd*, *How to Trigger a Void Realm Storm with Bare Hands*, or *Criminal Law*—things that would advance your career prospects."
"I already told you, I lost my memories. I'm no cult leader." Yaxiu sighed. "Right now, I just want to face the sea, watch spring flowers blossom, and live out the rest of my days in quiet peace."
"Fascinating." Gerard gave a faint smile. "You don't seem afraid of me. I thought you wouldn't dare return to your room tonight and would hide out in someone else's cell to sleep."
"Why should I be afraid? You're not going to do anything to me."
"That's where you're mistaken. You inmates are the only ones bound by shackles; my operational permissions are completely clean, devoid of any restrictions." Gerard reached out, resting his hand on the longsword leaning against the bedpost. "In other words, your head could roll at any moment if I so choose."
"Then all the more reason not to be afraid." Yaxiu remained remarkably calm. "You can make your move whenever you want, and the prison isn't that big. If you truly wanted to do something to me, I couldn't escape anyway. Staying in my own room at least lets me die with some dignity."
"Besides, I don't believe you'll touch me. Right now, I'm just a death row inmate hunted by the Blood Moon Trial, scraping by each day just to survive. There's zero profit in killing me. I can't imagine a single reason why you'd have to do it."
Gerard brushed the hilt of his sword, then let go.
"True enough. That is indeed the proper way to dispose of scum—killing creates no value. Rather than giving you a clean, swift end, it's far better to let you rot and breed maggots in this prison, entertaining the citizens you terrified like a clown, and ultimately dying a hideous death after every drop of your value has been wrung out to atone for your crimes."
"Honestly, I actually agree with that logic," Yaxiu quipped. "It would just be a lot nicer if I weren't a permanent resident here."
"Yet you seem awfully relaxed." A crimson gleam flashed in Gerard's pupils. "This isn't my first time visiting this place. Quite a few of the people I recently locked up became utterly unhinged—hysterical, repenting, begging for mercy, you name it. But this is the first time I've seen someone as natural and at ease as you."
"Could it be you've already found a way out of this prison?"
Yaxiu met Gerard's eyes. "I have. I'm waiting for you people to realize you caught the wrong guy, have a crisis of conscience, and let me go."
Gerard roared with laughter, pulled a flask from his coat, and took a swig. "I was actually starting to wonder if I really had arrested the wrong person, but hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."
"Huh?"
"I didn't expect that you truly have an escape plan!"
*Clang!*
The moment Gerard drew his sword and slashed forward, Yaxiu nearly activated the Severing Self miracle on himself, prepared to pull Honeyed Words and Daggered Heart from his throat and fight Gerard to the death. But he forced down the impulse—even if Severing Self purged the chip's restrictions, his strength was only at the level of a One-Winged Silver. Gerard could effortlessly crush him even with both hands and feet tied!
The edge of the blade kissed Yaxiu's throat, drawing a shallow line of blood.
Gerard's nostrils flared, the scarlet in his pupils deepening into a dark crimson.
"...How did you reach that conclusion?" Yaxiu asked.
"Intuition," Gerard said calmly. "And I've already figured out your escape route."
Yaxiu's heart hammered against his ribs. *No way?! They haven't even made a move yet, and they've already been seen through?*
*Is this the terrifying capability of a Bloodmad Hunter captain, a Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerer?*
*Or is there a traitor among us?*
"You definitely intend to have the Four Pillar Gods break you out, don't you!"
Yaxiu's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open in utter disbelief. He looked exactly like a pedestrian watching someone deliberately throw themselves to the pavement ten meters away from a car to stage an accident.
After a brief, stunned silence, he forced out, "I haven't studied law, but I assume criminal procedure here operates on the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'! Even if you want to frame me, at least produce some evidence so I can die without regrets, instead of convicting me on the spot based on your wild conjectures!"
"Captain Gerard, an important man like you must have plenty of business to attend to. Is it really necessary to pick on a petty prisoner like me?"
"Because I actually came here specifically for you, Yaxiu Heath."
Yaxiu froze.
Gerard continued, "Someone told me you would break out of prison. He wanted me to stop your plan and cut out this root of trouble once and for all... He even called in an enormous favor just to get me down to Shattered Lake."
"Killing a condemned inmate is normally a severe crime. Aside from a handful of people in Kaimeng City, no one is exempt from punishment—and I happen to be one of them."
That lingering name leapt into Yaxiu's mind almost instantly. A dreadful chill raced across his skin; the killing intent radiating from the steel blade made him feel as though he had plunged into a frozen abyss.
Even so, he asked, "Who?"
"Shilin Dole," Gerard murmured darkly. "He said the remnants of the Four Pillar Gods cult cannot be permitted to remain in this world."
"To stop the Four Pillar Gods, and for the glory of the Blood Moon—Yaxiu Heath must die."
Chapter 96