Kiana and Artoria both lost it and burst out laughing one after another. Even Shoko bit her lip to hold back her laughter, trying hard to maintain her cool, serious persona.
Talulah, meanwhile, visibly went red with rage. Her patience had reached its limit. Unable to endure this humiliation any longer, she no longer cared about her image and lunged at Qianyi with a roar.
Fuck it, I'm taking you down with me!
"Calm down, Talulah. I advise you to be kind!" Qianyi had no intention of becoming some Magical Girl.
"It's too late for that now!" Talulah wielded the Magical Girl Henshin Device and attacked Qianyi.
"You think stealing my Persona Summoner and Ksitigarbha means you can defeat me so easily? You're dead wrong! Heavenly Wind Usurper!"
"Oh no!" Talulah suddenly realized something was wrong. At the moment, the only clothing she had left was a chest wrap made from bandages and a pair of pants. No matter which one got stolen, half her body would be exposed. Realizing the danger, she immediately shouted, "Kiana!"
"I'll help you!" Kiana pointed dramatically, and a Space Gate appeared in front of Talulah, blocking the Usurpation for her.
She felt something around her chest loosen.
Looking down, she found that, sure enough, her bra had ended up in Qianyi's hand.
Looking at the soft lace in Qianyi's hand, faintly gleaming beneath the moonlight, Kiana thought with relief, Thank goodness. At least Qianyi didn't steal his coat back.
"Uh..." Watching the chaotic battle between the three from the side, Shoko could not help asking, "Why does it feel like Qianyi's skill keeps stealing girls' private belongings?"
"Kids, this isn't my fault. This Noble Phantasm's targeting is the problem."
Qianyi was also confused. It was great that this Noble Phantasm could steal more than just Noble Phantasms, but its targeting was utter garbage. He could not figure out why, so he could only blame Heracles. "It must be Heracles's fault. In the original myths, he loved stripping the belt off the Amazon queen. It's perfectly normal for a Noble Phantasm elevated from those original stories to carry some of his influence."
"You still dare lose focus while facing the two of us?!" Talulah and Kiana spoke in unison, attacking Qianyi from both sides like Naruto and Sasuke besieging Kaguya.
"You still won't give up?" Qianyi truly could not understand. "Next time, no matter what I steal from you, half your body will be at risk of being exposed to the air. Is that really worth it?"
"How naive! Whether it's my panties or your coat, you can't steal either one anymore!" Kiana roared and spread her arms. The transformation star gifted by Wutina was already blooming with light on her chest. "Magical Girl! Henshin!"
"Henshin!" Talulah followed Kiana's example and transformed as well.
In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Girl clad in a military uniform and cap, and the moon princess whose skirt trailed along the ground, descended.
Now restored to her full state rather than covered by only two or three scraps of cloth, Kiana laughed wildly. "Now our health bars are thicker! Let's see how many more times you can steal from us!"
"You have nowhere left to run!" Talulah was equally confident now. She stepped toward Qianyi, the Magical Girl Henshin Device she had carefully prepared for him resting in her palm.
Seeing the two arrogantly approach him, Qianyi raised his hands and spread them apart. "You're actually walking toward me? Walking willingly toward a phantom thief who can steal anything? Your courage is commendable, but this courage of yours is like challenging Tearlaments, Thunder Dragon, and M∀LICE in an unrestricted tournament. Still, I don't dislike hot-blooded people like you. So, fall into an abyss of despair too deep to see the bottom!"
Secret Technique: Heavenly Wind Usurper + Hundred Head Slayer!
Hundred Head Slayer was less a weapon than it was a style. Hundred Head Slayer with a bow, Hundred Head Slayer with a sword, Hundred Head Slayer with a shield... Since it could be used with a bow, sword, or shield, then why—why could it not be used with Heavenly Wind Usurper?!
What Heracles could not accomplish, I will accomplish now! I will surpass the original tales, break free from the shackles of myth, and complete the great feat that only the legendary Unified God, Soubi, could achieve!
Here and now, surpass the original myths!
In an instant, clothes, accessories, and underwear of every color scattered through the air. Mixed among them was a black, snake-like mass of mist.
Black Serpent: "?"
Why the fuck did I get stolen out too?!
Qianyi looked at Kiana and Talulah lying in the snow, unable to get up and buried beneath the mess of clothes. A victor's smile appeared on his face. "What a delight, Kiana, Talulah. I probably won't forget you two for the rest of my life."
This battle was his victory!
Already at the point of a relationship from which there was no turning back
Heavenly Wind Usurper.
Level: EX
Type: Unknown
Range: Unknown
Maximum Effect: Suspected ability to seize an opponent's Noble Phantasm, including Noble Phantasms elevated from stories. Origin unknown.
Powerful Noble Phantasms often came with powerful costs and side effects. Just as the Star Holy Sword required the consent of at least six Knights of the Round Table for its full release, Heavenly Wind Usurper also required certain conditions to activate.
First, ample magical energy. Second, the need to "see" and "understand." Third, precise targeting focused on a single item.
Only by meeting all the above requirements could one accurately claim an opponent's Noble Phantasm or other item as one's own.
Although Qianyi had no magical energy, he possessed extremely powerful mental strength and divine aura produced by his divinity to substitute for the expenditure. But the latter two requirements were undoubtedly beyond him as a beginner using it for the first time.
Simply put, Heavenly Wind Usurper was a claw machine. You had to aim, press the button, and fire the claw to grab something. But Qianyi had never studied a magecraft system, so he could not just press one button and instantly activate the precise, enormous magecraft circuits of the claw machine for an accurate grab. He could only smash the claw machine open and throw the claw out to grab things.
As for accuracy, it was naturally a cause for concern.
But did that matter? No! As long as I grab enough times, accuracy isn't a problem!
That said, the nine simultaneous Heavenly Wind Usurpers achieved through Hundred Head Slayer consumed an enormous amount of energy. His stamina bottomed out instantly. Fortunately, Kiana and Talulah's health bars—meaning their clothes—had been completely depleted by him. This battle was his victory, and the two no longer had the ability to fight again.
I'm the champion!
However, the battlefield was always changing in an instant. Just when he thought the two had completely lost their fighting strength, the two figures lying amid the scattered clothes suddenly shot up and attacked Qianyi.
What?!
Had those two gone insane?!
He had stolen all their clothes. If they attacked now, did that not mean they were attacking completely naked?
Should he close his eyes?
No! If you think I'll close my eyes out of embarrassment and let you successfully sneak-attack me, then you're dead wrong!
If Shoko or Lia did this, I would naturally close my eyes. But you two? One Husky Qi, one Ta Dummy. In my eyes, you're no different from pets or men!
There's no need to close my eyes at all!
You two should be the ones trying to hide from my gaze!
But the moment he looked carefully, he realized the issue. Kiana and Talulah were not entirely naked. Just as before, one wore her own pants and a bandage chest wrap, while the other wore her own top.
"I clearly stole all your clothes!" Qianyi was shocked. He had even pulled Black Serpent out. How was there still more?
"The clothes we wear after transforming into Magical Girls are separate from the clothes we wore before transforming! Even if you strip away all our transformed clothes, we'll still have an outfit after we transform back!" Kiana kindly explained, "How could someone who has never become a Magical Girl understand the power of this?"
"An extra health bar? Such a noble extra health bar?!"
"That's right!"
"I really have to hand it to you two."
Qianyi exhaled all his breath and closed his eyes. His stamina had already been exhausted. He could no longer use Heavenly Wind Usurper. Without the noble true damage, he could not defeat Red Dragon and the Herrscher of the Void through physical strength alone.
This battle was yours.
"Got you!" Talulah's hand pressed firmly against Qianyi's chest.
The next moment, a surge of power erupted from Qianyi's body.
Seeing this, Talulah's face filled with a knowing smile and anticipation.
You mocked my taste and called me a tomboy. Let's see what your taste is like!
The pitch-black light faded at that moment.
Talulah finally saw Qianyi's true form after transforming. He was covered by a long dress modified from what looked like a school uniform skirt in alternating dark gray and black. The rear hem featured a pair of wing-like designs. His gloves were a striking, contrasting red, while his shoes were black high-heeled boots. He wore black thigh-high stockings, and a mask like a white spirit bird concealed his peerless face. His short silver hair and bangs had also become two silver braids.
Toyokawa Shoko stared blankly. "So... so fashionable. And it suits him so well."
Kiana's eyes went completely straight. "Bro, you smell amazing."
Artoria's eyes sparkled. "He looks just like a female phantom thief from a fairy tale, robbing the rich to aid the poor."
"How should I put this? It feels strange." Qianyi touched the mask on his face. It should have been terribly embarrassing, but with the mask, most of that embarrassment had faded away.
It felt like hiding his true self and showing the world another face.
A phantom thief... huh? It feels pretty fashionable.
Talulah: "?"
What was with this feeling that she was the only one who did not fit in?
Of the five people present, Qianyi was a phantom thief, Kiana was a queen, Artoria was a princess in an elegant blue-and-white dress, while Toyokawa Shoko was... uh, what was someone who wore black lace panties over her face as a mask supposed to be called?
A pervert?
Although Shoko's mask looked bizarre, her outfit was undeniably full of feminine charm. By comparison, Talulah wore a military uniform, and one wrapped especially tightly, complete with a military cap on her head.
She looked like some hardcore eighteen-plus muscle man who had suddenly wandered onto the set of a Magical Girl show. They were completely different vibes.
She felt deeply wounded.
At that moment, Qianyi placed a hand on her shoulder and comforted her. "Ata, everyone has a brat inside them that they cannot accept, or rather, another side of themselves. Those are all parts of you that cannot be separated from or denied. You may not be able to accept that other side of yourself immediately, but there's no need to feel anxious. As a friend, as a member of a community sharing the same fate, before flowers bloom and bear fruit in your soil, I'll do everything I can to cultivate the soil where you stand."
"I don't care that much about whether I have feminine charm," Talulah said.
"I know, but change, resistance, and reform can begin by changing yourself. That outfit you wore before is already faded from use. Later, Shoko and I can help you design a new uniform. Then you can try changing up your style." Qianyi suggested, "For example, a phantom thief outfit like mine."
"I'll pass," Talulah refused. "Those Flounder Glasses with the absurdly wide-set lenses are too much."
"I see you're craving Tens of Thousands of Proverbs /(^v^)."
Talulah answered with a smile.
At that moment, she felt some strange emotion spread through her heart.
???
I am thou, thou art I.
Here, thou hast obtained a brand-new bond.
This bond is what is called the wings of rebellion that break the cage.
I, newly born as the mask of the Chariot, receive the wind of blessing. I shall lend thee further strength on thy journey toward freedom.
The Chariot VII: Talulah.
Talulah's favorability toward Qianyi had greatly increased???
???
Although this trip to Ursus had ended with their assets temporarily withheld due to farming points, to be returned after inspection, the Heracles components distributed to everyone had been regarded as part of their individual selves, so the chat group had no means of reclaiming them. Every group member had therefore gained a great deal.
Most of the people in the group did not care much about money. Resources and power were what mattered most. If necessary, they could keep interrogating Black Serpent Koschei later and make her cough up more of the duke's assets.
Black Serpent: Stop hitting me, bro. There's really nothing left?
After returning to her own world, Shoko said goodbye to Qianyi. Since she had been exhausted these past few days, she would probably only be able to start cleaning tomorrow.
Listening to the rumble of the train and the clatter of wheels against the tracks weaving together into a familiar melody, along with the occasional whispers of passengers near her ears, Shoko could not help relaxing. Her own world really was better.
Peaceful, warm, and tranquil.
"Ah, this... Did I actually forget to return it?"
When she got off the train and took out her phone to scan the subway code, Shoko discovered a silver pistol lying in her bag. It was Qianyi's Persona Summoner.
The pistol was so compact, unlike the much larger Ksitigarbha, that it was easy to carry. As a result, it was easily forgotten if one was not careful.
But she had already reached her stop, and it was too late to return it to Qianyi. She could only send an apology over LINE, telling him that the item was with her. Only after Qianyi sent back a smiling emoji and told her it was fine did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
It had been a long time since she had been this happy. The last time she had been this happy was with CRYCHIC.
But as the distance to her home gradually shortened, her light footsteps and smile gradually disappeared as well.
When she pushed open the door, a pungent smell of alcohol hit her face, mixed with the scent of tobacco in the air.
Under the dim yellow light, she silently looked at the scattered liquor bottles on the floor, the unfinished glasses and empty bottles piled together, and the disheveled man lying beside them. After a long pause, she finally made a sound from her throat.
"I'm home, Stinky Dad."
Otto, give me your gold!
??? Recent Major Events.
① The Dimensional Chat Group's store and gacha pool had been temporarily shut down for maintenance due to a bug. Maintenance was expected to be completed within three to thirty days. Compensation rewards would be issued once maintenance was complete.
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