Collapse, Kiana's Cross-Dressing Strategy

"Bronya! Mei-senpai! Himeko-sensei!"

He called out to everyone he could, but there was no response.

"What's going on? Don't tell me everyone's gone home for the break?"

Time ticked by, and the sky had completely darkened.

Kiana had fallen asleep, dead to the world, drool pooling out and soaking a patch of Bai Yan's collar.

"There's no other way."

Bai Yan forced himself to get up, letting Kiana hang onto him. He fumbled for the Spiral Incense and quickly lit it.

Chasing that strange sensation that seemed to never fade, Bai Yan felt his body being pulled into another space once more.

Volume 1: Chapter 24: I've Grown Stronger, But What's the Cost?

This time, arriving in Hyperdimensional Space, Bai Yan could clearly feel that the duration he could stay had increased.

He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of strength, though he was also a bit drained.

Fortunately, Master Jingliu's lessons focused on technique and didn't involve intense physical exertion.

Right, during today's practical training, his various ability stats...

They had clearly improved, and he'd seen the numbers on the projection, but why wasn't his attention focused on that?

He touched his head, feeling a bit out of sorts.

He slapped his face, Bai Yan sternly reminded himself not to become assimilated by Kiana.

A pair of small, bare feet lightly stepped through the clear water, and it wasn't until they were right in front of Bai Yan that he noticed them.

"Your strength has increased?"

Only then did Bai Yan look up at Jingliu. "That's how it feels, yes."

He had a rough guess forming in his mind: the time he could spend in Hyperdimensional Space might be linked to his strength.

The first time he entered, he could stay for about 15 minutes, and now it had increased to 20 minutes.

Jingliu stroked her chin, examining Bai Yan closely.

The young man before her had a distinct difference compared to when they last met.

Hmm... Hmm?

"Where are your earrings?"

Hearing Jingliu's sudden question, Bai Yan instinctively touched his ear.

It was empty.

He realized, "I took them off during training earlier."

Upon hearing this, Jingliu casually conjured an ice sword and handed it to Bai Yan.

"Are we starting now?" Bai Yan immediately perked up, without hesitation.

"Try to stab me with all your might, with full power."

"Why?"

"It's a guess. Just stab me. With your current strength, you won't be able to hurt me."

Given the gap between them, Jingliu could probably send Bai Yan to the ICU with a single breath.

Bai Yan didn't know what guess she had, but he figured he should just do as he was told.

"Then Master, please be careful—Hya!"

The cold glint reached his chest in an instant, then stopped about a foot in front of Jingliu.

She used the tips of her index and middle fingers to lightly pinch the blade, shaking it slightly as if gauging its power.

Then, she nodded and said, "Alright."

Next, she took off her own earring, placed it in her palm, and held it out to Bai Yan.

"Put on my earring and try again, still with full power."

Bai Yan was confused, not understanding what she meant.

He decided not to overthink it; Master Jingliu wouldn't harm him anyway, so he put it on.

The moment he put it on, Jingliu's gaze, which had been fixed on Bai Yan, shifted slightly, and she nodded inwardly.

As expected...

The next moment, Bai Yan's sword strike was once again caught by Jingliu.

"Master, how was it?"

Jingliu took back the earring Bai Yan had swapped and put it back on. She pondered for a moment before speaking.

"You said you trained today. Didn't you notice anything?"

"No, what was the problem?"

"Fifty percent."

Jingliu extended her hand. "After you put on the earrings just now, your power increased by about fifty percent. Didn't your companions notice?"

My power increased?

Bai Yan's heart leaped, and he carefully recalled the training sessions.

After a moment, he was certain there had been no unusual sensations at the time.

A previous scene suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory.

Before he came to the Far East, Durandal had attempted to ambush him and failed.

At that time, the amplification might not have been this high, but she should have noticed something different.

"Perhaps it's because they're fighting me for the first time and can't feel the difference between the two... But Master, why is this?"

Splash.

As Jingliu lightly stepped with her right foot, the sound of water being splashed could be heard.

Bai Yan then realized that Jingliu wasn't wearing shoes today.

"Perhaps it's related to this space," Jingliu continued, not noticing Bai Yan's strange gaze. "Or perhaps... you possess some special power yourself, but it's not a bad thing."

Bai Yan withdrew his gaze, pushing away the image of snow-white toes from his mind, and then realized a very serious problem.

Wearing earrings could increase his power by 50%. What kind of causality talent was this?

After pondering for a moment, he felt he couldn't jump to conclusions so easily. What if the earrings weren't the only prerequisite?

Bai Yan thought about it and immediately ran behind the large rock, hastily taking off his skirt.

First the skirt, then the stockings, followed by the top...

He stopped when he was down to just his underwear and a small vest, and then he excitedly ran in front of Jingliu.

"Master, let's try again."

"..."

Jingliu was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

After some time.

Bai Yan, who had put his clothes back on, leaned against the giant rock with despair, gazing up at the moon, unsure if it was real.

Jingliu walked over and patted his shoulder. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Why bother being so concerned?"

"...When I encounter a powerful enemy I can't defeat, am I supposed to instantly change into women's clothes in front of them and fight a second round?"

The corners of Jingliu's mouth curved, and a rare smile appeared in her eyes.

"As a means of combat, this ability does have a surprising effect."

"You mean it'll make the enemy laugh themselves to death?" Bai Yan shot his master a look and continued gazing at the moon.

Jingliu couldn't help but chuckle at his words.

Even after living for thousands of years, she had never witnessed such a scene.

"However, it's ultimately a life-saving skill. Shouldn't it have a more imposing name?"

Bai Yan was instantly speechless.

He never would have guessed that you, the Sword Master of the Luofu, had the potential to be a comedian!

"Never mind, Master, never mind," Bai Yan said, shaking his head and waving his hands.

"Well... the sword technique I taught you is called Luoshen, and based on your performance during this time, you are indeed extremely compatible with this sword technique."

Jingliu seemed not to hear his protest and continued to ponder.

The Luoshen Sword Technique emphasizes intent over form. Besides the 64 basic variations, it also relies on the swordsman's own understanding of the Way of the Sword.

In the days they had spent together, Jingliu had become increasingly certain that Bai Yan was a good prospect for practicing swordsmanship.

Sword techniques are meant to be used on the path; what truly makes one powerful is the swordsman's inner heart.

Jingliu gradually reined in her wandering thoughts and returned to the matter of naming.

"How about calling it 'Luoshen Transformation'? Since you are male and need to cross-dress to maximize your power, this name is both fitting and concise."

Bai Yan turned his head and stared intently at Jingliu.

The latter's smile faded as she met his gaze.

After a long moment, Bai Yan sighed. "Master, please stop teasing me."

"Haha..."

Hyperdimensional Space was filled with Jingliu's cheerful laughter.

Schicksal Headquarters.

Anna Saniate walked around, her heart filled with unease.

Being summoned by that S-rank adult naturally made her feel a bit anxious.

At this time, Schicksal had two active S-ranks, both of whom were in the Immortal Blade squad.

With this kind of setup, if Schicksal were an empire built on Collapse energy and previous civilization technology, then this squad would be the emperor's Imperial Guard, the most direct of direct lineages.

Its captain, Durandal, was so strong that it caused everyone despair, making it impossible to ever hope to catch up in this lifetime.

For the Valkyries, seeing Durandal once made everything else seem empty.

The large door slowly opened, and Anna felt her heart skip a beat.

The three people in the room looked at her in unison, their expressions not quite normal, as if they had just been discussing something.

Anna swallowed and, steeling herself, spoke: "Re-report, Snow Lotus Squad, Anna Saniate."

Durandal, Ragna, Rita – the pressure from them was considerable for her.

Rita nodded gently and said, "Please come in."

Anna silently entered, and then the discussion in the room resumed.

Ragna said, "I think Anna is fine. What about you, little Bianca?"

"...Whatever."

"Really, whatever?"

"Of course!"

"So, we'll include Anna then?"

"Don't look at me, the list is Ragna-sensei's responsibility."

"Sigh, it's just that I was afraid you wouldn't be happy."

"I'm not..."

Rita walked over to Anna, handed her a document, and explained, "This operation was requested by the Bishop. It's not a formal combat mission, but it needs to be kept confidential for now."