Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - The Villains' Secret Talk

Neither Ye nor Givinia knew, nor did the lady, nor did the Rakshasa True Word and the Truth Incantation.

From the moment the great battle began, a pair of... no, it should be called a single eye, was constantly watching them.

Yusuo Zai took a sip of the slightly lukewarm canned Harbin beer, holding something in one hand.

It was a lump of flesh that looked like it was stitched together from many pieces of meat. Its surface had patterns that resembled both blood vessels and nerves, as well as strange staves and musical notes.

"Congratulations, Ye, on your first truly formidable opponent."

He crumpled the soul into a small ball and forcefully stuffed it into the empty socket of his left eye, making a strange popping sound. In no time, it was completely stuffed in, but his empty eye socket remained a dark void, with no indication of where the stuffed-in object went or how it was filled.

"But that's not enough. Neither you nor Jili have done enough..."

The final winning factor he planted has yet to materialize.

That's the "wild card" that can decide the outcome of a match.

The Joker card was split in two and stored in two separate containers.

Whether it's Ye or Jili, the chances of obtaining the Joker are equal.

The reason why I favored Ye in the past was not only to help her avoid the organization's sight, but also to point out the way to obtain power, and even to let her obtain Jili incarnation of the Planet Will Li had dreamed of. All of this was to balance the strength of the two.

Yusuo Zai never cared about anyone's strength, because there were countless ways to improve one's strength. Moreover, whether it was an ant on the ground or a monster that could destroy a star system with a single blow, they were all just small fry to him.

He values potential, and in this respect, Jili Liye and he are equal. To determine who is superior, he cannot rely on his own judgment; they must clash. Naturally, he does not want "strength" to become a constraint on their potential, so a balance is needed.

"There's nothing more I can do now. Just observe for a while. I won't help you anymore, Ye."

After downing the last bit of beer, Yusuo Zai disappeared into the void.

The other side of the silver moon, the Mirror Sea, a non-existent space--

The Jili sprawled lazily on the spacious throne, while his loyal subject Gustav knelt beside him on one knee, holding a tray with various small bottles of nail polish.

Although Gustav may appear to be merely acting as a shelf, he is actually reporting to the Leader.

"Yes, Leader, news has come from Anubas that Winsani Goldleyman's death has been confirmed."

"... Then what?"

"The divine Divine Item 'Truth Incantation,' which was drawn out by Winsani, and the 'Rakshasa True Word,' which previously caused fluctuations in Sadington City, have both been retrieved by Anubas. She is about to return."

"Hmph, the Truth Incantation was expected, but the Rakshasa True Word was a real surprise... What the hell! Why would that piece of trash Blood Fiend's Rakshasa True Word, which he tried to seize but failed and then disappeared from, suddenly reappear now? What exactly did Anubas say?"

"According to her... the Rakshasa True Word was discovered together with the Truth Incantation. Among Divine Item, these two seem to have always had a very bad relationship. When she retrieved the Truth Incantation, she also obtained the Rakshasa True Word, and before that, they seemed to have been locked in a long-standing struggle, even..."

"Even?"

Gustav frowned, swallowed hard, and then continued.

"They've even lost most of their power."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gustav's heart sank.

He wasn't worried about the fact that this surprising truth would enrage the Leader and punish him—that was not his concern. He was simply angry and resentful at having bothered the Leader with such trivial matters.

Surprisingly, Jili didn't react much; rather, he didn't seem to care much.

"This doesn't matter, as long as they still function as part of the door. 'Activating' the door doesn't rely on their power anyway, so this level of imperfection is insignificant."

"That's good, Leader."

"Wait, we haven't finished yet. How exactly was the Rakshasa True Word discovered? Did Anubas just say she found it by chance?"

"She also mentioned... that the Rakshasa True Word seemed to have been attached to some unrelated outsider. After that person went to the West Saint Continent, the Rakshasa True Word was probably attracted by the Truth Incantation, which is why it was lost and obtained by Anubas."

"... What do you think, Gustav?"

"Clearly, that so-called 'outsider' is no ordinary person. Anubas said that when she arrived, Winsani was already dead. She speculated that Winsani perished together with the monster created by the Divine Law Cult, but I believe that's not the case. Although it's a bit hard to believe, but..."

"But do you think Winsani's death is inextricably linked to that 'outsider'?"

"Yes, although it's a bit... unconventional that an outsider could kill one of our high-ranking officials."

"That's right, Madam was indeed defeated by 'Ye'."

A new voice suddenly appeared.

It's Yu He.

He was wearing a brand-new business casual suit and slightly worn but polished leather shoes, looking every bit the part of a white-collar worker.

Gustav had obviously noticed his presence long ago, but hadn't paid any attention to it until now, when he started to feel a little impatient.

"What happened, Yu He? You said Winsani was...?"

"Our men were fortunate enough to monitor the entire Battle of Gloria. Although they were forced to evacuate due to the exaggerated explosion at the end, they still witnessed most of the events."

"The 'Ye' you're referring to is...?"

"Upon observing the brave woman who confronted the lady head-on, the group immediately began an investigation, discovering that she was an important figure in the Revolutionary Army, having recently joined and demonstrated extraordinary strength, and moreover..."

As if by magic Yu He produced a check, and with a gentle wave, banknotes flew out of the check one after another, forming a huge, Spirit Light Display Screen. On the screen was a young woman of about twenty years old with long, peach-colored hair.

Gustav's eyes widened, and even the Leader straightened up slightly from his throne. This wasn't due to being stunned by the woman's beauty, but rather—

"Hey, hey, this guy looks so much like that... Blood Fiend!"

"Indeed, they are 70% similar, Leader."

Yu He cleared his throat and said, "Based on my deduction, this woman named Ye must be related to Ai... Blood Fiend, and she may have been the host of the Rakshasa True Word all along. More importantly, her supernatural abilities are extremely similar to Blood Fiend's."

"So... when Blood Fiend died, her power was transferred to this Ye for some reason? And she also obtained the Rakshasa True Word?"

"Very likely."

Gustav began to think.

All the organization wanted was the Rakshasa True Word. Now that Anubas had obtained the Rakshasa True Word, the name 'Ye' was no longer important.

On the other hand, although it is unclear how he ultimately did it, Ye did kill a high-ranking official, which was the biggest provocation to the organization, and such a person must not be let go.

The Leader was also thinking.

But his thoughts were completely different from Gustav's.

(This woman...)

A sense of unease crept into his heart, and he couldn't help but furrow his brow.

(He couldn't possibly be just a slightly stronger member of a resistance organization, given the timing of his appearance and... there are too many suspicious points... and that guy Yusuo Zai... ah!)

The thought of Yusuo Zai flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.

(I've felt something's off about this guy surnamed Yu all year. One of his goals is... wait... could it be... no way, this guy surnamed Yu!)

Although he wasn't sure yet, Jili had a bad feeling that if Yusuo Zai still not satisfied with the status quo and wanted double or even more insurance...

"... Tsk!"

Whether this premonition is correct or not, I must take some countermeasures.

As if sensing his thoughts, Yu He suddenly leaned forward, his face full of ingratiation.

"My Leader, I believe Ye is a major destabilizing factor, and if we don't deal with him promptly, there could be serious consequences."

"I know without you saying it."

"Then, I will handle this matter."

"... Um?"

"Since your Leader appearance, the World Will has become very vigilant, so it's impossible for you to personally intervene. Among the higher-ups, Blood Fiend and Madam are dead, Gustav has many affairs to handle and cannot appear, Anubas is not good at fighting, Void Realm needs to stay at headquarters, Huang Huo needs to guard the acquired Divine Item, Yusuo Zai uncertain, Little Nuonuo... Neumann has no combat experience at all, so the most suitable person to directly intervene is your subordinate, me."

The Leader tilted his head slightly, Gustav frowned, but said nothing.

"Well, it doesn't matter who goes, so you can go. But you must complete the task. There's no time limit, and you must resolve this before we begin constructing the World Crossing Gate."

"Yes, sir!" Yu He bowed deeply.

"However, there is something I don't quite understand."

"Speak quickly if you have something to say."

"The Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, the Crystal Realm Fruit, the Boundary Breaking Armor, the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, the Truth Incantation, and the Rakshasa True Word —these six materials are all in hand. But why not begin constructing the gate immediately?"

"... It's none of your business."

"However, this matter should be handled sooner rather than later, lest the night become too long—"

"When did you become so talkative? Shut up!"

"... I am extremely sorry, I had spoken too much."

Yu He lowered his head deeply, but his eyes flickered slightly.

(Author's note: To avoid confusing readers, let me clarify that Anubas and Yusuo Zai both observing the battle from the beginning, while Yu He's informant saw the entire process of Haoyue Sakura Dance fighting the monster, and Ye and the lady's battle only went up to Paradise Lost. Therefore, the battle of Givinia and the Business Capital between Anubas and the two lolis were fortunately not leaked.)

Gustav shook his head and shifted his gaze from Yu He back to the Spirit Light Display Screen.

The display screen showed not only Ye's portrait, but also images of other people fighting against the Church's monsters. Although they were placed in the corners because they were not important, the images were still very clear.

"...?"

He discovered something in these images.

"Hey, Yu He, have you looked up any information on the women who were fighting the monster?"

"They? I checked them out while I was investigating Ye."

Who is that woman?

"Her name is Haoyue Tartaglia. Her parents and other relatives are unknown. She is an adopted daughter of a prominent family in the East Emperor Continent. Even within the organization, she would be considered Special Class Combatant. Moreover—"

No, I meant that.

Yu He followed Gustav's gaze.

She was a young woman with white hair and purple eyes, and she looked very skilled in battle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wonder if anyone else has noticed anything?