The ring was gone? What exactly was this guy getting at?
In the silence, the same question sprang into everyone's minds.
Because of the angle, the group saw the bare middle finger a moment later than Aiko did.
The ring, seemingly woven from lustrous strands of blood, had vanished without a trace. Only the dark blue-black marks scattered across the finger remained, ghastly to behold.
"There's nothing there. What are you trying to show me?"
Though unease filled Aiko, she was the first to face him. Unwilling to let her composure falter, she couldn't help asking again.
Of course, she wasn't taking him lightly. As she spoke, her body quickly shifted into a ghostlike state, her guard rising to the utmost.
"That's easy. I'm showing you that there's nothing there."
Fu Qian let out a low laugh.
"What do you mea—"
The next instant, Aiko's question cut off.
A Scarlet Whip materialized out of thin air and lashed straight at her as she peered more closely.
How could that be?!
In that moment, bewilderment she couldn't evade crashed against her reason.
Aiko was absolutely certain the whip had still emerged from that hand, even though there was no ring on it.
But no matter how confused she was, the survival instincts forged through countless battles made her evade the sneak attack as best she could.
At the same time, streams of light flickered across her ghostlike body. Layer upon layer of illusory faces rapidly took shape, converging into a bizarre shield.
The instant their outlines appeared, the countless faces rippled like water and each let out a piercing shriek.
A mental assault that made one's brain boil swept across the surroundings. Even the spectators, who weren't facing it directly, felt their thoughts being torn apart.
If those caught in the