Si Nan Ying helped me outside the storeroom. Thinking that this freezing warehouse had almost become our grave sent a shiver of fear through me. If Si Nan Ying hadn't erupted at the last moment, the bugs would probably have torn me to pieces.
But none of that mattered now. The real problem was the threat before us.
"Beast Tide..."
Si Nan Ying murmured, and I was left gaping at the sight before me. Setting aside the danger, it was unquestionably the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen.
Countless monsters of every shape and size converged into one enormous wave. Everywhere it passed, it left nothing but devastation. Its force surpassed even a flood or tsunami!
And this unstoppable, monstrous tide was surging straight toward us!
"Let's find somewhere else to hide!" Si Nan Ying said, grabbing me. But we'd barely taken two steps—
"Huh?"
Si Nan Ying's legs gave way, and she slumped against me. A moment ago, I'd been the one leaning on her; now I was supporting her instead.
"Damn it... It's my first time successfully controlling my ability, and it's taken too much out of me..."
"I'm afraid I can't get away. You go on ahead, Xiao Ye... Xiao Ye?"
But I was already beyond answering.
I groaned in pain, clutching the spot between my abdomen and lungs—the exact location of my Blood Core!
I'd felt something was wrong when I'd forced my blood to drive out the poison earlier. My Blood Core had been throbbing violently, as if something had provoked it, and each throb sent pain through my body. The agony kept mounting. Now I felt as though my body was about to be torn apart!
"Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye! What's wro—"
Si Nan Ying's voice drifted in and out, impossible to make out. As the pain intensified, strange currents of energy seeped from my Blood Core and spread through my body. Wherever they flowed, my blood churned violently, as if it were boiling!
It wasn't just my body that hurt—my brain felt like a lump of mush, too. Strange yet familiar scenes flashed through my mind: an endless Blood Sea, mountains of rotting corpses, a shadowy hall, the freezing seabed, the dazzling Crystal Island, a magnificent palace, and a strange, slender man—
"Ah, aah, aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"
Unable to bear it any longer, I let out a piercing scream. Some kind of rampaging power burst out from every part of my body, surging this way and that and turning me inside out! No, if I let this power stay inside me, I'd die!
Let it out! I had to let this power out!
The surging Beast Tide was right in front of me. I could almost feel its foul breath on my face. Fine... I'd start with you!
"Go!"
The blood throughout my body erupted like a spring, gathering into a long, blood-red rainbow that swept toward the Beast Tide!
The Blood Rainbow was neither whip nor blade. It swept across with no apparent force at all, but the instant it touched the monsters—
Clang!
"W-Water... crystal!?" Si Nan Ying cried in astonishment beside me.
The moment the Blood Rainbow touched the monsters, it solidified into blood-red crystal! It wasn't simply clumping together and hardening—it crystallized like water freezing. The crystal swelled and spread like a plant, covering hundreds of monsters in the blink of an eye. Then—
It bloomed!
The Crystal Flower burst into dazzling bloom, and countless Crystal Spikes shot out like petals, stirring up a cloud of Blood Mist!
The blood crystal looked like crystal stained red with blood: delicate, translucent, and stunning. But beneath that beautiful surface lurked astonishing killing power! Row upon row of massive Crystal Spikes, shaped like diamond Greatswords, crushed, ripped apart, and pierced countless monsters! It was as easy as tearing cotton, without the slightest resistance!
The monsters behind them, cowed by the sight, scattered in every direction. They seemed to have an instinctive fear of the blood crystal and didn't dare go anywhere near it!
"So powerful..." Si Nan Ying stared, utterly dumbstruck, muttering to herself. Once I'd unleashed that rampaging power, I felt a wave of relief. My Blood Core had stopped stirring, and the pain throughout my body had ceased. I just felt terribly tired and wanted to sleep.
"Sec—ond—Mis—tress! Liu—Ye!"
A shout came from above. Judging by that ridiculous way of speaking, it had to be Li Cha. He'd finally come to get us.
Li Cha carried both of us women and, at astonishing speed, left the Strange Bird behind and flew over the Beast Tide.
At last, the frenzied night drew to a close.
The next day.
The previous night's Beast Tide had left more than a thousand people dead or injured. All of Winter Arrival City's major hospitals were packed, so the Si Nan Family had to send out specialist healing ability users to set up treatment stalls in the streets and ease the burden on the hospitals.
The Beast Tide had battered buildings across the entire city, leaving them damaged to varying degrees. The once-smooth roads were now a shambles, littered with broken stones and glass. Even emergency vehicles could barely get through, so the municipal government had to recruit help from citizens who were still shaken to clear the streets. The costs of repairing the roads and buildings, along with compensation for affected citizens, had already reached astronomical figures. The city's top officials felt like killing themselves.
Si Nan Yuan was already overwhelmed. With Elder Hong down, the responsibility of directing everything naturally fell to her. Just coordinating personnel was enough to exhaust her, never mind looking after Elder Hong and writing investigation reports... Most importantly, it was obvious that this Beast Tide had been aimed at them. The mastermind was still operating somewhere out of sight, so they had no choice but to tighten security even further and remain on their guard.
As for the Second Miss, Liu Ye's suspicions had basically been ruled out. She knew how dangerous her ability was. If Liu Ye had ulterior motives—or if he were the mastermind—he certainly wouldn't have let himself end up in a position where he had to rely on the Second Miss to save him. He could easily have dragged himself into the same mess.
But the Second Miss...
Thinking of Si Nan Ying, Si Nan Yuan couldn't help feeling relieved. Si Nan Ying had awakened her ability before she was ten. Over the past decade, she'd blown up God knew how many things, causing enough damage to buy half of Winter Arrival City. The younger generation of high society had given her nicknames like "Humanoid Mobile Bomb," "Bomb Princess," and "Demolition Genius," and she'd never been well regarded.
Now, at last, she could fully control her ability. Once that violent power was under control, Si Nan Ying would surely become one of the brightest figures among the younger generation in the Imperial Capital. That would give her a greater voice within the family, at least keeping her from being reduced entirely to a tool...
Knock, knock. "Come in."
"Captain, the ship for our return journey is ready. The family also sent word that they've dispatched people to take charge of the follow-up work. They want us to return to the Imperial Capital and rest."
"They've sent people? With the four young masters fighting for power, personnel must be in short supply."
"It seems they've been sent from the Imperial Palace."
"I see." Si Nan Yuan understood at once. The Imperial Palace was nominally the center of power, but anyone with a little sense knew it was merely for show, a symbol with no real authority. So neither the Si Nan Family nor the other major powers paid much attention to it.
"There's more news... During this period, large-scale unrest has broken out not only in Winter Arrival City, but in many other nearby cities within the Si Nan Family's sphere of influence. The main family has also raised its guard."
"I see... Could the Cleon Family be behind it? Are they trying to strike at the Si Nan Family while the family is caught up in its internal power struggle?"
"We don't know yet, but the Cleon Family is highly suspect."
"That's beyond our control. Anyway..." Si Nan Yuan stretched. "At last, this mission is over."
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