15 Minsk Street, Cherwood Borough, Backlund.
Countless brilliant motes of starlight surged out of the void, swiftly weaving themselves into an illusory door covered in mysterious patterns and symbols.
Then Cyril stepped out from behind it.
He lightly rubbed his fingers together, producing a soft, clear light that illuminated the living room, then looked toward the stairwell.
"You don't have to welcome me with a gun."
No sooner had he spoken than footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Klein, who had thrown on a coat and still had thoroughly disheveled hair, looked at him speechlessly. "Why did you come here?"
As Cyril tossed down his suitcase, he replied, "Didn't we agree I'd be your bodyguard for a while?"
"Besides, going home at this hour would disturb other people's sleep."
Klein's expression visibly darkened. "So you chose to come here and disturb my sleep instead?"
After a pause, he looked toward the curtained windows. "People from the Machinery Hivemind have been protecting me in secret lately. If you barge in like this, they might treat you as an evil Beyonder here to attack me."
Cyril shrugged. "It's fine. If a fight breaks out, they'll definitely be the ones getting dealt with."
"..." Klein watched him silently for two seconds, then asked curiously, "How many demigod-level Beyonder abilities do you still have recorded?"
"Not a single one," Cyril said. "I don't even have the Sequence 5 Storm of Light anymore."
Klein looked at him in bewilderment. Then how can you still be so cocky?
Cyril raised an eyebrow slightly. "But I have Mystical Items!"
As he spoke, he took out the palm-sized ladies' compact mirror he carried.
He gently rubbed a finger over its surface, opening a "door" connected to the Mirror World, then tipped it as though pouring something out.
With a